Harvey Mackay said, “Dig your well before you’re thirsty.”
Well, on Saturday I was thirsty. Parched.
As I stood against the wall of a large multipurpose room at the Marriott Fair Oaks in Fairfax, Va along with hundreds of people, I cried.
Three young children walked to the front of the room.
Their aunt held a microphone down to their height and they re-enacted the routine they’d done with their father each night before bed.
“1-2-3 Team Reese!”
He was an amazing father.
But now he’s gone.
I bawled.
Scott, their father, a former UVA wrestling teammate of mine, recently passed away due to complications from a rare form of diabetes.
As the tears began to pour down my cheeks, a brother wrapped his arm around me in comfort.
From the other side, another brother consoled me with a pat on the back.
I don’t have any blood brothers (I do have two amazing sisters though- Love you, Shel and Dawn!) but I do have my former teammates and I was endlessly grateful for them at this moment.
Following Scott’s memorial service we took this team picture with nearly twenty of us along with his father.
(That’s me second from the left)
We all had a thirst for love and comfort at this moment. And we all provided a well of support for each other.
In Reveal Your Path, I teach my teams about having an Environment of Excellence. Your Environment of Excellence is like a guide that will help you navigate the tragedies and challenges of life.
Your Environment of Excellence is made up of four components. M.A.P.S.
–Media: the content you allow into your world: reading, audio, video.
–Area: your physical surroundings.
–People: the people you surround yourself with.
–Speech: your talk, both internal and aloud.
Thankfully, decades ago, I had surrounded myself with the right people. That investment has paid off in so many ways over the years, not the least of which was Saturday when I stood against the wall with tears on my cheeks and sadness in my heart for the loss of a friend and the tragedy of children losing their father and parents losing a son.
The other important aspect of my teachings is about setting goals in the most important areas of your life: Relationships, Self, Health and Wealth.
Relationships are your true north.
Saturday was why.
No amount of money could comfort me.
No amount of money could bring love and support to Scott’s parents or children.
Only love.
Only relationships.
As you go into this weekend…
Remember what’s most important.
Dig your well before you’re thirsty.
Maintain your true north.
