My eight-year-old son sprained his ankle a couple days ago. It was still bothering him and I asked him about icing it. My wife, half-joking, suggested to go and stick it out in a snow bank. He thought it was a great idea, asked my wife to record the video, and as he was running out the door yelled “Put this on YouTube!”.
This comment struck me, because I’m left wondering if he wants his ankle healed, or to just make people laugh? Or maybe try and use up 1 minute of his 15 minutes of fame? Either way, by immediately wanting to promote what he was doing, it removed the genuineness of the whole activity.
OK, so he is only eight – I’m not going to kill him too bad on this – he’s just doing what he sees and hears around him. But it was also contrasted against what I was reading at the time, about Robert Kraft and what he certainly did not want recorded for everyone to see.
Doing the right thing every time, even when there are no cameras or anyone around, is impossible – we aren’t perfect. But try. Act with integrity always. When you slip up, admit the mistake, and start a new streak. That doesn’t mean there won’t be fall-out and loss, but you can start again.
The legendary coach John Wooden famously once said, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” He then said, “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
We all need that encouragement, because we all fail to do the right thing when no one is looking. I’ll be praying for Mr. Kraft, hoping he will admit the mistake and start a new streak.
So I’ll start my blog by encouraging you to follow Coach Wooden’s advice and to act (say, do, type) like the world is watching (listening, reading) even when it isn’t right then.
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