We live in a material world that teaches us that “He who dies with the most toys wins.” We have to have the fastest car, the nicest clothes, the latest stereo, the best hairstyle, and the many other things that are supposed to bring us happiness. Possessions also come in the form of titles and accomplishments, such as head cheerleader, lead in the play, valedictorian, student body officer, chief editor, or MVP.
There is nothing wrong with accomplishing and enjoying our stuff, but we should never center our lives on things, which in the end have no lasting value. Our confidence needs to come from within, not from without, from the quality of our hearts, not the quantity of things we own. After all, he who dies with the most toys … still dies.
I read a saying once that says it better than I can: “If who I am is what I have and what I have is lost, then who am I?”
In addition to possessions, there are many other centers, including friends, studying, sports/hobbies, self, and work. However, depending on these centers is unhealthy, and they aren’t stable.
Principle-Centered—The Real Thing We are all familiar with the effects of gravity. Throw a ball up, and it comes down. It’s a natural law or principle. Just as there are principles that rule the physical world, there are principles that rule the human world. If you live by them, you will excel. If you break them, you will fail.
Here are a few examples: Honesty is a principle. Service is a principle. Love is a principle. Hard work is a principle. Respect, gratitude, moderation, fairness, integrity, loyalty, and responsibility are principles. There are dozens and dozens more. They are not hard to identify. Just as a compass always points to true north, your heart will recognize true principles.
For example, think about the principle of hard work. If you haven’t paid the price, you may be able to get by for a while, but eventually, it’ll catch up to you. It takes faith to live by principles, especially when you see people close to you get ahead in life by lying, cheating, indulging, manipulating, and serving only themselves. What you don’t see, however, is that breaking principles always catches up to them in the end.
Take the principle of honesty. If you’re a big liar, you may be able to get by for a while, even for a few years. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a liar who achieved success over the long haul.
Ironically, putting principles first is the key to doing better in all the other centers. If you live the principles of service, respect, and love, for instance, you’re likely to pick up more friends.