Over the summer, I usually try to get caught up on my reading list and in doing so this year I had the opportunity to read "Up from Slavery" an autobiography by Booker T. Washington. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery before the war between the states, but after slavery was abolished at the end of the Civil War in 1865, Mr. Washington, through dedicated, hard work became a prominent leader not only inside the African American population, but also around the world. His area of expertise was his advocacy for what we today call Career Technical Education (CTE), which I am blessed to be involved. Notably, one of the top accomplishments in his life would have to be the founding and then expanding of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to a level of national and international notoriety. Literally, Booker T. Washington gave the majority of his life to the pursuit of helping others obtain an education and a "technical" skill which would permit the individual to have a trade which would in turn provide the person with the ability to specialize in that skilled trade and thus be successful in providing a living for his or her family. This in turn improved not only the person and their family, but also the geographic area in which the person lived, and ultimately society in general. I've centered today's FTM Thought around a quote of Mr. Washington's that sums up his observation on man's purpose in life, Washington said "Those who are happiest are those that do the most for others."
In my opinion, Booker T. Washington found the secret not only to success, but also to happiness. In reading his autobiography, it was so crystal clear that Booker T. Washington had a servant leader's mindset and heart. In this short blog, I could not even begin to describe the self- sacrifices he made and endured all with the intent purpose of improving the quality of life for others. It may be possible that he didn't even realize that the above quote was actually an epitaph for his own life. Washington was always elaborating and testifying about the efforts of others on his own success and the success of his endeavors at Tuskegee, to the point that he left little room for his own contributions to be celebrated or even recognized. Honestly though, I don't think he wanted the recognition, I don't think he ever gave a thought to the sacrifices he made, or to the successes he recorded throughout his life. I want to believe that as the end of his life neared, his mind was pondering the question, how can I continue to make a difference in the lives of others after I am gone from the face of this earth?
If you want to be happy in life, which I believe most of us want in life, then you can vastly improve that likelihood by increasing your level of service to others. In life, you have an opportunity to be the first one in the line, or you can be the one that serves the line. You can sit down and watch or you can get up, roll up your sleeves, and make a difference. Life is about choices and I am in the camp of those that believe, just as Washington, that I choose to be happy or I choose to be unhappy, and the bulk of that happiness occurs when I place the needs of others in front of my own wants and desires.
The Bible is filled with example after example of others serving instead of being served. In Galatians 5:13 Paul, a true servant of Christ proclaimed, "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love." It's almost as if Paul were writing directly to Booker T. Washington. After gaining the freedom he rightfully deserved Washington didn't spend the rest of his life making up for what he had missed in slavery. Instead, he spent the rest of his life serving others making their lives better with the cost being his own time and life. I've said it before and I'll say it again, YOUR life is not about YOU!
In closing I want to share the rest of Booker T. Washington's quote from above. The remaining portion of the quote is as follows; "Those who are happiest are those that do the most for others, and those that are the most miserable in life are those that do the least for others." How sad, yet how true it is that those that place the highest emphasis on making themselves satisfied and fulfilling their own self-directed needs end up being the ones that are ultimately the least fulfilled and thus disenchanted with their lives. Evaluate your life, are you happy? I mean truly happy? Or are you constantly trying to fill a void that your self- directed plans just can't seem to fill? My suggestion is to ramp up your service meter. Find ways to help others more, I mean not just helping others to show others that you are helping others, that is still focusing on self. I'm talking about sacrificial service to others, you know Jesus style. Christ’s statement from the book of Matthew sums up today's thought, "The greatest among you will be your servant" 23:11. Serve because it is the right thing to do, and you will be rewarded with the fulfillment that only comes in knowing that your life made a difference in those that you served!
Coach Carter
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