The Best Things in Life

“The best things cost the most.”-Coach Thomas and Coach Kerns

As I contemplated this quote, I was drawn to what Coach was saying. The finer things in life to Coach had little to do with economic capacity. Instead, he spoke about athletic achievement, character, integrity, honesty, hard work, pride, family, faith, and community. The “best” things were achieving team goals, lifting more weight, sitting down with a happy family, and guarding one’s integrity in all things. Just like the material things that cost a lot of money, the “best” things are well-made, have great benefits to ourselves and others, and are enduring.

We know how much a Mercedes Benz costs, but what is the price of integrity? What is the price of character? It would seem very little, until it is lost. I would offer that the “cost” of the “best” things is higher than any price on a material object. Building integrity, character, honesty, family, faith, and community costs a lot in terms of personal sacrifice, selfish ambition, and disciplined effort.

Coupled with this concept is a phrase I heard often when being pushed past physical barriers. “What price are you willing to pay to be great?” Are you willing to make the hard choices, to push past barriers, to make the right decision when the wrong decision is easier? Are you willing to go up the hill one more time? Are you willing to go to bed early and skip the party? Are you willing to spend time with your family instead of recreational time? Are you willing to do what is right, regardless of the cost, in order to be great?

Too often we seek the path of least resistance. We tend to go along with the crowd and seek what is easy. We will sacrifice our integrity pursuing the wrong things and never think about what the “best” things in life really are. The “best” things are those things that endure after you gone. The lessons taught, the lives affected, the company that will be missed. When we lost Coach Thomas we did not lose material things, we lost a mentor, friend, father, and coach that challenged us to pay the price for the “best” things in life. Fortunately, he left us with the ability to explore, uphold, and extend the legacy beyond the span of his lifetime. That is the “BEST” thing and its price is immeasurable.

Are you willing to pay the price to build a legacy of integrity, achievement, family, faith, and character? We all fall short in all of these areas, just like we don’t always make the best play in every moment of athletic competition. However, are we willing to pay the price to seek to be better every day? Evaluate your circumstances and realize that the price you pay today in terms of the decisions you make can result in obtaining the “best” things in life. Define the “best” things in life and pay the price to achieve them.