★ Thought for the Day – Talent vs. Integrity ★

If you were asked…What is more important to have, talent or integrity, what would you answer?  Depending on the audience you were in front of at the moment, perhaps the answer would be different.  By the world’s standards, the resounding response would be “TALENT” unequivocally.  There is clear belief that to make it in this world, Talent is preeminent, and your “Integrity” needs to be laid aside.  Mark Batterson said it perfectly,

“Our culture celebrates TALENT more than INTEGRITY.  We’ve got it backwards.”

You don’t have to look too hard to see this played out…from America’s Got Talent, to American Idol, to the adulation that professional athletes and celebrities receive, Talent is everything, and integrity or character…well…that takes a backseat.  The John Maxwell Company posted a blog called, “Why Talent Won’t Cut It,” and they made this astute observation that “Character Protects Your Talent”: :

“Figure skater Tonya Harding, golfer John Daly, sprinter Marion Jones, and cyclist Lance Armstrong…each of these athletes had dazzling ability, but lacked the character to sustain it.  Overcome by jealousy, Harding hired a hitman to attack her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, thereby sacrificing her shot at Olympic stardom.  Daly won the PGA Championship as a rookie, and the British Open a few years later, but his off-course drinking problems kept him from winning as much as his talent merited.  Both Jones and Armstrong gave in to the temptation to supplement their natural talents with performance enhancing drugs.  While the decision brought them victories in the short-run, each eventually got caught and suffered a fall from grace.”

Integrity is the glue that unites talent with success.  Without it, eventually all the talent in the world will not stop the house of cards from collapsing!  Integrity…It matters!

 

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