Tag: integrity

The Humanity of a Marathon – San Antonio Rock N Roll Marathon

On Sunday I experienced humanity in a way that I never had before by attending the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon and Half-Marathon. The race was a great equalizer. The distance of the course doesn’t care about your age, race, health or anything else.

As I stood at the finish line watching the runners and walkers come in, I was so impressed with everyone in attendance. There were over 27,000 participants and the spectators were cheering them all on. I saw an elderly gentleman walking the final stretch. As he saw the finish line, he put his hand over his mouth, preparing for the flood of tears that were coming. It was clear that this was something special – he was walking with an oxygen pack. People cruised in on walkers, one gentleman trotting along with a full 55 pound military pack. Others were running for loved ones that had lost battles to disease. It was striking to watch the pain, the joy, the sheer excitement of every participant and how much the onlookers were experiencing these feelings with the runners. It was amazing. As my friend Lisa said, “the finish line is the reason WHY I run.” Wow. I couldn’t ever fully appreciate what that meant until yesterday.

You’re likely in the middle of your marathon of life right now. Look towards those people on the sidelines cheering you on. Seek out the people that are going to tell you to not give up, even when giving up feels okay, because you’ve gone through so much. Reach for the right people who can move you forward when things get tough. Do it, even when a train stops the race. The finish line is so much more fun than stopping mid-race.

Privacy Concerns Don’t Matter

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There’s so much chatter surrounding your privacy online.  People are often amazed when I tell them that I not only know where they live but how much their house cost because of the local tax appraisal district website.  *gasp*  If I take five minutes I can likely find your email address, figure out where you work and call you there too.  So what?  What if we simply lived our lives online as if everyone was watching?  What you’ll soon find out is that the majority of the people don’t care.  The other few will likely not say anything  for months until they see you in person, then say “hey, I’ve seen all your Facebook photos, looks like you’ve taken some cool trips.”

In a recent message Craig Groeschel said “When you have integrity, that’s all that matters. When you don’t have integrity, that’s all that matters.”  What if you simply lived your life with integrity both online and offline?  Would that help erase your privacy concerns a bit?  How frequently would you be worried about that photo popping up or that statement you made when you had one too many?
What if you thought differently?  Instead of fretting over what Facebook and every other social network is doing to keep your information safe, turn the entire issue on it’s head.  EXPECT that they will broadcast your information to the world.  What can you do instead to help promote a cause, your personal brand, inspire others or be an asset to someone in need?  What if you took the privacy fears and turned them into a microphone instead, HOPING that people would hear all about you and your mission?
Photo by Dave Pearson