What does Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and everyone reading this blog have in common? All of us have or are characters. This weekend, Jeff and I watched a movie about a young man who makes some bad choices and ends up in juvenile detention. This young man had been a star rugby player at his school. While detained he is afforded the opportunity to play Rugby for a team that was his arch rival when he was not locked up. This difference was the coaching. The coach for the arch rival team didn't just team the boys how to play rugby, and that wasn't the reason they won. Rather, he taught them that their character was more important than winning games. He taught them never to do anything that would embarrass their family, their friends, or their team mates. He built their character.
We have a responsibility to developing our own character. Who we are deep down, not just who we plan to be, is just as important as this journey I am on. Determining who I am deep down is something that I have been reflecting on. Is who I project my character to be the same as what I want it to be? How am I projecting myself? Do I show one face to certain people and another face to another group, changing my character and changing my belief system along the way to meet the needs of who I am at the same time? These are questions I began asking myself over the last two days and today seems like the best time to really address it in my life.
I want to be the person who is non-judgemental to everyone...including my family. I don't want to be someone who is looked at as someone who objectifies other people. I want others to see that something important to me is my faith, my family, and life in general. I want others to recall my character as being honorable, courageous, and compassionate.
I have alot to work on still, but at least its a start. What does your character say about you? Do you project the person that you want to be? Do you conform to become someone different for different groups of people in order to be liked by all? Or do you stand for what you truly believe in?
I believe that I do stand by what I truly believe in. I couldn't tell you just what person that I'd like to be. There is no one for me to model myself by. I just must be me and that's all. What you see is what you get. Could I improve myself? You betcha! There is always room for improvement. When you are as good as you can be, you're in trouble.
ReplyDeleteWhen I used to coach 5th and 6th grade football, I used to tell them before every game, "It doesn't matter whether we win or lose, but either way, you better look good fundamentally out there, or you'll be running laps the entire first practice of next week”. We had the sharpest team in the league, and the coaches that took over for me, continue the practice even today, 18 years later. Teach the team the fundamentals and you can win. We did that too.