A man’s character is his fate.
Heraclitus
c. 540 – c. 480 B.C.

Many years ago, I worked for a home building company. During that time, I observed a very interesting trend among the people purchasing a new home.

Because of the soil conditions in the area, it was necessary to drive pilings to support the concrete slab. Once the slab was poured, the frame was erected. The new owners rarely visited the house during this process. But once the house was framed and the sheetrock was hung, the new owners generally stopped by the house every two or three days. The closer the house came to completion, the more interest they showed.

Now, you may think that behavior is perfectly normal; you might act the same way if you were having a house built for you. But consider this question: what is the most important part of the house?

It’s the foundation. Without a good foundation, the house won’t last.

But what do most new owners focus on? The way the surface looks. They focus on the interior finishes: the floors, the carpet, the wallpaper, countertops and light fixtures. It’s fairly easy to tell if those things are installed correctly; you can tell if paint is spread evenly, if the coverage is adequate. And these items are things owners look at every day, so it’s important that they’re quality components that have been properly installed. But they aren’t the most critical components.

Maybe the new owners didn’t pay much attention to the foundation because they didn’t know what a good foundation should look like. They probably had no idea what they were looking at when they saw the pilings or the structural steel re-bars that would hold the slab together. But their lack of knowledge about the foundation doesn’t make it any less important. The foundation is crucial to the structural integrity of the house. Without a solid foundation, everything in the house is in danger of falling apart.

How does this apply to you and your life? Well, I see comparable behavior in many people. They concentrate on superficial things but fail to give much consideration to the founding principles of life. People worry about the look of their clothes, their shoes, their hair and other surface qualities. But these things don’t define a person. Anyone can put on fine clothes or have a professional hair styling; that doesn’t define them as a person.

You must develop a solid foundation in your life or all the other things in your life won’t hold up.

How do you develop a solid foundation? You get clear about your core values. You understand who you are and what you stand for in life. Unless you have clear core values as the foundation of your life, you have no path to guide you.

The foundation is so important. Take some time to figure out your core values. Make sure you have a solid foundation before you build your life. Unfortunately, we focus too much time, energy and attention on how we look, while our core values ultimately determine if our lives have been a success. Make sure you have a firm foundation. It will support you throughout your life.

Those who seek wisdom come to understand that even though the world may reward us for wrong or superficial reasons, such as our physical appearance, the family we came from, and so on, what really matters is who we are inside and who we are becoming.
Epictetus
55 – 135 A.D.

Copyright © 2011 John Chancellor