By Dr. Jack Welch
Who Knows Your Name?
“I could have gone to college on a football scholarship. I had an offer right out of high school, but I joined a rock-and-roll band and ended up going nowhere. Now I’m fixing garage doors.” There is nothing wrong with fixing garage doors. Honest work is good work. The sad part is not the garage doors. It is the words, “I could have.”
Those words can become the epitaph of a dream. Imagine opening a high school yearbook and reading beneath every picture what that person dreamed of becoming. A doctor. Teacher. Coach. Athlete. Business owner. Musician. Missionary. Farmer. So many dreams. So many mountaintop visions.
Then life happened. Things happen to every one of us, some we want and some we don’t. We can’t always control what happens, but we can control how we respond. I call that attitude.
I’ve heard it said, “Obstacles are only visible when you lose sight of the goal.” Obstacles are real. Sometimes we stumble, fumble and fall. Sometimes people try to hold us back. Yet failure can teach us, disappointment can strengthen us, and adversity can make us better.
The heart of a person determines their lifestyle. A good friend of mine recently received a heart transplant. He has always had the heart of a champion. My prayer is that this new heart will allow him to continue encouraging people, sharing his life and helping others. Most importantly, I know God has him in His hands.
John 13 tells us how Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. One by one, Jesus cared for them individually. He knew each of them. He saw them. He served them. He even washed Judas’s feet. Jesus sees us individually. He knows our needs. He knows our hearts. He knows our names.
We make our name every day. We make it through how we treat people, how we respond to adversity, whether we keep going when we fall, and whether we encourage others. Don’t spend your life saying, “I could have.” Get out of the nest. Spread your wings. Keep your vision. Guard your attitude. Take care of your heart.
Your name isn’t simply something you’re given. You make your name every day.
Think about it.
Thought for the Week: “You may not get to choose what happens to you, but you do get to choose how you respond. Guard your heart, keep your eyes on the goal, and remember, you are making your name by the way you live every day.” — Jack Welch
Dr. Jack Welch serves as President of Fort Scott Community College. With a career spanning professional sports, public education, and rural community development, he brings a servant-leader mindset and a passion for building trust-driven cultures that empower people to thrive in the classroom, on the field, and in life. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching: The Total Coaching Manual.