PRINCIPLE 1: ADVERSITY COMES TO ALL

             The first principle the parable teaches us is that adversity visits everyone.  It’s an eternal truth that the walls of adversity in life confront both the wise and the foolish, the learned and the unlearned, the rich and the poor, the young and the old, and those of every race, creed, and color.  

            As I said earlier, the issue isn’t whether or not adversity will visit us, because, rest assured, it will.  The issue is how we deal with those adversities.  The greatest geniuses throughout history, for example, didn’t flourish because their lives were problem free.  They had problems, just like you and I have problems.  But they triumphed because they refused to allow their problems to wall in their talents.

Great Talents Overcome Great Problems

            One of the great masterpieces of classical music is Handel’s Messiah.   Individuals have marveled at its beauty for nearly 250 years.  And yet Handel composed this masterpiece five years after he had suffered a life-threatening heart attack.     

            Pablo Picasso didn’t have health problems, but early in his career he had serious money problems.  When he was a young, unknown painter struggling to make ends meet, he was often forced to burn his own paintings in the fireplace in order to keep warm.            

            Mozart struggled to make ends meet early in his career, also.  At one point he was so poor that he couldn’t even afford to buy wood to heat the shabby little room where he lived.  During the winter he wrapped his hands in woolen socks as he composed the music that would make him great.  His early years of poverty weakened his immune system and made him especially susceptible to diseases, and as a result, he caught tuberculosis and died before his 36th birthday.

            Each of these individuals confronted tremendous walls of adversity in their lives, but they found a way over or through those walls.  As a result, they made major contributions to humanity. 

If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade

            We all have problems that we must confront.  In fact, it has been humorously noted that there are so many problems in the world that if Moses were to come down from Mt. Sinai today, the two tablets he would be carrying with him would be aspirin!

            The joke is funny, but it points out a serious issue — we have so many problems that sometimes we feel overwhelmed!  That’s why I emphasize that the key to overcoming the walls in our lives is to focus on the manner in which we deal with our problems, as opposed to focusing on the problems themselves.

            Edgar Jackson is famous for his classic story Message of the Maples, which contains an enduring message for every human.  The basis for the story came from Jackson’s struggle to overcome a huge wall of adversity in his life.

            Prior to writing the story, Jackson had a stroke and lost his speech.  When he recovered, he moved to a farm in Corinth, Vermont, where he met a writer named Edward Zieglar.  Zieglar had read many of Jackson’s books, and as a writer himself, had gained great respect for Jackson. 

            Zieglar was experiencing a number of serious personal problems, and he went to Jackson for help.  Jackson talked with Zieglar for a while, and then invited him out into his pasture.  Jackson walked over to a three-acre pasture that was encircled by maple trees planted by the former owner.  Jackson pointed to the trees and explained that the former owner had planted them so that he wouldn’t have to set posts for a fence. 

            The owner waited until the trees were sturdy, and then he ran barbed wire from one tree to the next.  Jackson walked from tree to tree with Zieglar, pointing out how different maples had responded to the barbed wire wrapped around their sensitive skin.  Some trees had incorporated the wires into their trunks, and grew strong and upright despite the barbed wire.  But some of the trees never adjusted to the intrusion of the barbed wire, and they grew twisted and deformed. 

People Are Like Maples

            Jackson noted that people are like those maples.  Some people encounter problems, adjust to those problems by incorporating them into their lives, and then continue on, growing tall and triumphant in the process.  Others allow their difficulties to twist, distort and ruin their lives.  The difference between trees and people is that trees can’t choose how they will grow.  People can.

            Ann Landers, the syndicated columnist, put it like this:   “If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this:  Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye and say, ‘I will be bigger than you.  You cannot defeat me.’  Then repeat to yourself the most comforting of all words, ‘This, too, shall pass.’  Maintaining self-respect in the face of a devastating experience is of prime importance.”

            The first lesson that we learn from the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders is that the manner in which we deal with adversity in life is what enables us to enjoy the abundant life.  Each time we deal with a problem in life in an effective fashion and learn from it, it can become the foundation for facing problems in the future.

Failing Your Way to Success

            This doesn’t mean that when we confront the walls of adversity the first time around, or even the next, or the next, that we will be able to climb over them or to build doors of opportunity to pass through them.  Failure is not necessarily bad.  As Abraham Lincoln observed, “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with failure.”

            After all, success is simply getting up one more time than you have fallen down.  Ultimately, as we confront the challenges before us, we will succeed, even in the midst of our failures, for we can learn some of our best lessons from our failures.  Henry Ford believed that “failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.” Our concern in life shouldn’t be about the possibility of failing but rather about the opportunities we miss when we don’t try.   

            We’ve all failed many times!  We all fell down when we first walked.  We all nearly drowned when we first tried to swim.  We all have fallen off the bike the first time out without training wheels.  We have all mispronounced words that we were learning for the first time — and sometimes we still do. 

            Did you know that R. H. Macy failed seven times before his first department store became a success?  Did you know that English novelist John Creasey received 753 rejection slips before he published the first of his 564 books?  And did you know that baseball legend Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times along the way to hitting 714 runs?  The concern shouldn’t be for failure.  The concern should be for the opportunities missed when we don’t try.  Just as an athlete trains to improve his level of performance, the walls of adversity that we confront provide training for life.

PRINCIPLE 2: THE EASY PATH MAY NOT BE THE BEST PATH         

            The second principle of life that the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders teaches us is that the easy path is often not the best path.  The foolish builder was the one who sought to build a house by expending as little time and energy as possible.  But, in the end, the house couldn’t endure the storm and even his minimal efforts were wasted.  It took the wise builder more time, more materials, and more labor, but when the storms had passed, the house still remained standing.

            The great men and women of every age have known that it’s never enough to simply get by.   Their sights have always been on the goal and not simply on the expediency of the moment.   William A. Ward gave as his “recipe for success: Study while others are sleeping, work while others are loafing, prepare while others are playing, and dream while others are wishing.”  Strong advice, indeed!

            Thomas Edison remarked that work wasn’t something that was measured in hours but in terms of reaching one’s goals.  As a result, he always kept on his desk a clock that had no hands.  That was to remind him that time wasn’t the most important issue — reaching the goal was the most important issue.  As you might imagine, Edison spent endless hours in his laboratory.  When Edison remarked that invention was “98 percent perspiration and only 2 percent inspiration,” he was speaking from experience.

Excellence: The Spirit of America       

            The United States has become the most powerful nation on earth because of the commitment of its founding leaders, who wouldn’t settle for just getting by. 

            At times we have lost our way, as was the case in the automobile industry in the 1980s when Detroit’s flawed cars allowed Japanese car makers to steal a huge segment of the market.  But Detroit returned to the American spirit of excellence by dramatically improving its cars, and by the late ’90s, GM and Ford were reporting record profits. 

            Commitment to excellence is the glory of capitalism, and it won’t allow us to settle for second best.  As long as we devote our resources and ingenuity to research and development, we will remain world leaders, no matter what industry we choose to compete in.  A case in point is the pharmaceutical industry, which the United States dominates by producing 95 percent of the new drugs and medicines in the world each year.

            It’s when we go the extra mile, when we keep trying to scale the wall no matter how hard the going, that we become the very best that we can be.  Sadly enough, we can deny ourselves the opportunity to experience the abundant life when we seek to simply get by, as was the case with the foolish builder.

            Taking the easy way out reminds me of the way sharks adapt themselves to their environment.  The shark is a remarkable creature.  It grows to the size of its surroundings.  Sharks born and raised in aquariums will fully mature at six inches in length.   But if you were to take the same species and toss it into the ocean, it would grow to six feet!  Such is the case in our own lives.  If we take the easy way out and play it safe, we will never grow to our fullest potential.  If, on the other hand, we seek challenges and opportunities that force us out of our “aquariums” or comfort zones, we will grow to the size of our new environment.

PRINCIPLE 3: ANTICIPATING CONSEQUENCES

            The third principle of life that the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders teaches us is the importance of having a vision.  The man who built his house on sand had a very limited vision.  He didn’t anticipate what would happen to the riverbed in six months.  If his vision had extended to a year, or a lifetime, he never would have selected the riverbed for his building site.  Likewise, those who lack foresight will find that their plans and dreams will become washed out like the house built in the sand.

See Yourself as an Eagle, Not a Chicken      

            The story is told of a farmer who captured a young eaglet and placed it with his chickens.  As the eaglet grew up among the chickens, it adapted to their ways and their environment and became just another chicken.

            One day a naturalist came by the farm, and, looking at the chickens, said, “That’s not a chicken, that’s an eagle.” 

            “That’s right,” said the farmer, “but he’s no longer really an eagle.  He’s really a chicken because he eats chicken feed and does everything chickens do.  That eagle will never fly.”  

            The naturalist wanted to test the farmer’s theory, so he tossed the eagle into the air.  Sure enough, the eagle didn’t fly, and nothing the naturalist did could get the eagle to fly. 

            One day the naturalist took the eagle to the top of a tall mountain as the sun was rising.  At the top of the mountain the eagle spied another eagle, a bird just like himself, gliding gracefully through the sky.  The eagle then realized that he was different from the chickens and grasped hold of a vision that he, too, could fly. 

            The eagle immediately uttered a wild screech and launched himself from the man’s outstretched arms.  The eagle flew upward, higher and higher into the sky, until he disappeared in the distance. 

            While he had lived with chickens, he had been unable to fly.  Once he captured the vision that he was an eagle and could fly, then he was able to soar. And so it is in life.  Until we develop a vision for our own lives, we, too, are unable to reach for the heights and become all that we are capable of becoming.

See the World for What It Can Become

            A vision enables us to see the world not for what it is — but for what it can become!  A vision enables us to see our neighbor not for who our neighbor is — but for who our neighbor can become.  A vision enables us to see ourselves not for who we are — but for who we can become.  A vision enables us to soar like the eagle and to reach new heights.  A vision enables us to transcend the walls of adversity in life and see what is waiting for us on the other side.  A vision enables us to plan ways to climb over the walls of adversity and empowers us to build doors when we can’t get over them. 

            The man or woman who has no vision is like the house built upon sand.  When the waters of life come, that individual will be all washed out.  But for the individual who has vision, the water can be held back, avoided, or overcome, and as a result, greater things will follow.           

PRINCIPLE 4: USING THE MIND TO AVOID “MIND FIELDS"

            The fourth principle that we learn from the Wise and Foolish Builders is the importance of listening.  The wise builder had obviously sought the advice of those who had gone before and had listened to that advice.  By seeking wisdom and listening to the voices of experience, the wise builder learned that many rivers dried up during the summer.  But in September, when the rains returned, the dry beds were filled once again.  And so he built his house elsewhere.

            John Philip Sousa, the legendary American composer of patriotic songs, composed the great march The Stars and Stripes Forever.  One evening Sousa was in his hotel room when he heard an organ grinder playing his march in a slow, dragging manner. 

            Sousa ran out of his room and dashed out into the street.  “Stop!  Stop!” he called to the lazy organ grinder.  “I did not compose a funeral march!”

            He snatched the organ out of the hands of the organ grinder and began turning the handle vigorously.  The music rushed out in a spirited, snappy manner, as it was intended.  The organ grinder bowed low and smiled knowingly at the great composer.

            The next evening Sousa heard the organ being played at the appropriate tempo.  Not surprisingly, a large group of people had gathered around the organ grinder and were applauding his performance, and his tip box was overflowing with coins and dollar bills.  Sousa then noticed that the organ grinder had attached a large sign to the front of his organ. 

            It read, “Pupil of John Philip Sousa.” 

Putting Wisdom into Action

            The organ grinder had the wisdom to listen and put into action what he had learned, for he knew that he had learned it from the master.  His decision to listen paid huge dividends.         

            Likewise, the journey through life is safest when we learn to listen to those who speak with authority.  A soldier once said, “The best way to make it through a mine field is to follow someone who has already made it.”  Life is like a mine field with its many challenges and opportunities, and the journey is made much safer when we seek wise counsel along the way. 

PRINCIPLE 5: ACTING AS A DREAM MAKER, NOT A  DREAM TAKER

            The fifth and final principle we learn from the parable is that it makes little difference what our vision is for life or how well we have listened if we don’t act.  The wise builder acted according to what he had heard and envisioned.  As a result, he built his house upon rock.     

            We’ve all heard the old expression, “Action speaks louder than words.”  When it comes to climbing the walls in your life, action is everything.  People who take action solve the problems in their lives.  People who don’t take action are destined to fritter their lives away.

Cafeteria America

            There’s a great story about an immigrant to America that illustrates the power of taking action.  Years ago an ambitious young man immigrated to America from Europe.  After being processed on Ellis Island, he went to a local cafeteria to get something to eat. 

            The immigrant took a seat and waited for someone to serve him.  No one did.  Finally, a kind stranger stopped to tell the new immigrant how things worked in a cafeteria.  

            “Start at the end of the line,” the stranger said.  “Then get yourself a tray and select what you want as you go down the line.  When you come to the other end of the line, they will tell you how much to pay for it.” 

            Years later the immigrant told his grandson the story of eating in a cafeteria his first day in America, concluding his story with these words of wisdom:

            “Life is a cafeteria in America.  You can get anything you want if you are willing to pay the price.  You can even have success itself.  But you won’t get it if you expect someone to bring it to you.  You have to get up and get it for yourself.”

            When you think about it, that’s really what action is all about — getting up and getting it yourself.  When an interviewer asked Estee Lauder, the founder of one of the largest cosmetics companies in the world, her secret to success, she replied: “I can tell you one thing.  I didn’t get there by just wishing for it or dreaming about it or hoping for it.  I got there by working for it.”  She understood the power of action, and she has reaped the benefits by becoming a multi-millionaire!

Being Ready Is Not Enough

            Knofel Stanton, in his book Check Your Commitment, tells about an unforgettable experience he had while serving as a control tower supervisor in Japan.  Two jet fighters were flying in formation and had started their landing descent when the lead pilot radioed, “I’ve just lost my wing man.”  This meant that one of the planes had gone down. 

            The control tower sprang into action by picking up the emergency phone and calling the rescue helicopter team that was on standby.  Within 120 seconds of the phone being picked up, a rescue helicopter would be in the air. 

            The pilot descended below the clouds to see if he could find his wingman, who had bailed out and was floating in the ocean.  The pilot circled his wingman for 20 minutes, continually reporting back the condition of his downed colleague. Each time the lead pilot radioed the control tower, he would earnestly inquire as to the location of the rescue helicopter.  Though the procedure called for a rescue helicopter to be dispatched within two minutes of a report, the helicopter never arrived.  Tragically, the wingman drowned.

            Where was the rescue helicopter?  It never got to the scene.  At the investigation and hearing, it was discovered that the rescue team had decided to do some Christmas shopping at a military base 50 miles away.

            The story is all the more tragic because the rescue team had the training and equipment that were required to save a life.  But because they failed to take action in a timely manner, their preparation was useless.  The moral is that if we don’t act when the occasion calls for it, the consequences can be disastrous or even fatal.

Act Now, Not Later

            Just before the Great Depression, a man named J. G. Roscoe envisioned building the tallest skyscraper in New York City.  Some of his critics said that such a building was architecturally impossible.  Others said that such a venture would be a financial disaster. 

            Nonetheless, J. G. Roscoe was determined to see his vision become a reality. In the fall of 1929, just before the great crash, Roscoe cashed out all of his stock so that he could invest the money in his project.  He also persuaded many other investors to sell their stocks as well.  Within months the stock market crashed, leaving literally millions of people impoverished. 

            A year later, with the support of the investors who had followed his advice, Roscoe began building his monumental skyscraper.  Today Roscoe’s dream, which he named the Empire State Building, still remains one of the biggest tourist attractions in New York City.  How different things could have been had he not acted quickly and urged others to do the same.

Yes, the wise builder was wise because he acted.  Not only was he able to see his vision become a reality, but, in so doing, he was able to experience fulfillment and satisfaction.  In a very real way, our actions determine where our hearts lie.

            Like the men and women in the stories I’ve just told you, the first step to climbing the walls of your life is to confront life’s challenges.  Only by confronting those challenges are we able to rise above them.

            In the next chapter, titled “Living Above Adversity,” you’ll learn more about the principles that will empower you not only to face adversity in your life, but also to turn the stumbling blocks of adversity into stepping stones.