Pride Cometh Before the Fall

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Final Thoughts As I think about the title of the book, I do think there is a way to have pride in what you do that does not necessarily cause a fall, and I think I have learned the difference. There is a humble type of pride that glorifies and is admired; and then there is the haughty type of pride that comes with conceit and swagger that says to the world “look at me”. It is the latter that I think is referred to in the Bible. If you look, there are pages of scripture where you encounter instances where pride serves as a source of strength and resilience, as well as other verses that tell of a downfall and destruction. David’s triumph over Goliath is an example of how pride can shape destinies and influence outcomes. In this context, I believe the Biblical view is to view our accomplishments with humility and gratitude towards God. I think that if I had been in the right place with God as I was building my company and seeking His will, not mine, that I might have made different decisions. Although I do feel that some of the members of the non-profits had their own ulterior motives for cancelling my management contracts, they did have a reason to question my use of their resources for my personal gain. In the book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar’s pride is prominently on display as he boasts about his power and achievements. He fails to recognize that his kingdom and success are ultimately granted by God. This serves as a powerful reminder that arrogance and self-reliance can blind us to the influence of a higher authority in our lives Again, I should have taken Tony Monaco’s advice. When working with a Board who has authority, I am the pencil, and they are the lead. Just as pride was a factor in my fall, greed also played a significant role. Most of my career was working for someone or for a company, and they set the amount of money I would make. Once I was my own boss, I was the one to control this. I have always said that the only way you will earn what you are worth is to work for yourself. Greed is an unsatiable desire for more than we need. It is a trap that ensnares us, making us slaves to our own desires. The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil. 1 Timothy 6:9 (NLT) “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition”. They say good guys finish last. I have always been looked at as “a good guy” who was generous, kind and had a good heart. That was the persona that I wanted to display. I tried to lead by example and create a culture of caring as it related to the DD clients and Seniors we were responsible for. In this regard, I think I was successful. I felt respected by the people that worked for me and I tried to give them the same respect. There are so many things I think we did the right way and can be very proud of. The fact that I stressed the financial results to define me in this book should not in any way take away from the good we did. In the end, it comes down to the fact that as I built the company, it was being built on sand instead of solid rock. What I mean by this is the wealth I was accumulating, and the net worth of the company was always contingent on forces that I did not have true power over. This included the Boards, the Medicaid system, etc. I was always leveraged with higher debt than assets and the valuation of the company was an assumed number, not actual capital. The more I grew, the more vulnerable I was to the sand shifting and dominoes beginning to fall. The story is told of Alfred Nobel, that he awoke one morning to find his obituary in the morning paper. It said he was a noted chemist and engineer and was famous for inventing dynamite. He was not happy that he would be known for creating an instrument of death and destruction. He wanted a “do over.” He was so upset about this that he set out to change the course of his life and decided to commit himself to world peace. Of course, today we only remember him for the Nobel Peace Prize that is awarded annually, and not the guy in the obituary. I have often wondered what I will be remembered for and if I had the chance would I have done things differently, or if I could have had a “do over”. Sinatra says he did it “My Way”, and I can certainly say I also did it “my way”. However, in my case “my way” led to personal heartache and bankruptcy. Instead of doing it “my way”, I should have done it “HIS way.” Psalms 37: 16-17 (THE BOOK) says” It is better to have little and be godly than to own an evil man’s wealth; for the strength of the evil men shall be broken, but the Lord takes care of those he has forgiven.” Thinking of the advice Harold Geiser gave me, I was still the small duck and should have been content in a small pond, but I was always looking for a bigger pond. Through it all, I have learned that self-worth is more important than net worth and am so grateful for the opportunities I have had to impact the lives of so many people and the impact they have had on me as well. I have also learned that all things do work together for good if you can get out of the way, swallow your pride, give up the power and just let God lead.