Mastering Life's Challenges with An Unshakeable Foundation

Imagine navigating life's trials with an unshakable core, built firmly on integrity and character. That's what we're diving into today - a comprehensive discussion on the parallels between the process of building a house and the formation of your character. When the foundation of our character encounters external pressures, we stand strong, maintaining our integrity. But what happens when our foundation is shaky? We end up with flaws in our character, cracks in our integrity, and a damaged personality structure. 

In the second leg of my discourse, I'll delve into the essence of honesty and the power of seeking help. Through encouragement, I will show you how a strong, uncracked foundation can save you from the impatience and frustration of those around you. It's worth noting, however, that the journey of self-improvement, like construction, can often slow your pace, causing friction with others. So, join me as I explore the art of constructing a robust character foundation and mastering the skill of tackling life's challenges gracefully. Let's build not just houses, but characters!

Chapters

• 0:25 Building a Strong Character Foundation
• 10:46 Building a Solid Foundation

Transcript

C. Bond: 0:25

You're listening to See Beyond Where You Are. With C. Bond. I had a lot to do this past week so I was in the car a lot. I don't know if you are familiar with Atlanta traffic, but it is hectic to say the least, especially when there are road closures, partial road closures and or construction. It adds to traffic that is already congested, it makes the commute longer and sometimes tempers shorter. But let me remind you to please be mindful of the workers, that you do not speed around them or driving the lanes they are working on, or even pass the person who is holding the stop-slow sign. But it's not the traffic that I want to talk about, it's the construction.

C. Bond: 1:20

Well, a very specific part of the construction I'm talking about the foundation. A good foundation can support the weight of the rest of the house or building. A good foundation must be well-built or solid, level and can't have any major cracks. That is how you and I should be Well-built and solidly honest in dealing with people Having a stable character, level or level-headed, thinking clearly, someone who doesn't allow anger to dictate their life, and you can't have major cracks, which are major character flaws, the kind of flaws that cause unscrupulous behavior like lying to and stealing from people or gossiping and manipulating them. So let's talk about what it means to have a foundation that is well-built, level and without any major cracks, number one being well-built or solid.

C. Bond: 2:30

I love seeing new construction and enjoy open houses of old and new homes. It is an opportunity for me to see the potential of the neighborhood. New homes have potential, and so do older homes. Now, this new and old is a metaphor for younger people and more mature people. But what I cannot stand is to see a home that has been hurriedly crafted and is not well-built. I have been to open houses in newly constructed homes and have seen the railings not firmly attached, doors hung with one longer than the other, sloping floors or backsplash with the tiles falling off. When I see those things, i begin to think about the problems that will be waiting for the homeowner years later.

C. Bond: 3:23

Now, those issues I just described can be avoided or repaired, especially if the foundation is good. They can be avoided if the builder or artisans take their time and does the job properly. And that applies to you When it comes to your character. There are character flaws or issues that can be avoided if you take the time to work on you. Do your best. Don't be in such a hurry that you miss or overlook character flaws because you don't want to acknowledge them or because you don't know how to deal with them. Preventing character flaws is like a new construction home that has a good foundation.

C. Bond: 4:09

That foundation must be able to support the materials needed for whatever that state, region or area deals with seasonally, like tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, high wind speeds and hurricanes. For instance, in Florida, it is common to see homes built with concrete blocks, but in other states, the primary structure is wood. Builders use wood to frame the house from the foundation to the roof. However, regardless of what state, region or area the home is built in, the foundation must be well built. This is applicable to us and the issues that we have to deal with, whether they are regional or seasonal, from family or friends, home or work related, personal or something that is common knowledge. We need a well built foundation to handle what life gives us When things are hard.

C. Bond: 5:17

That well- built or solid foundation will keep you honest. It keeps you honest when no one is looking, preserving your character and integrity Your character, because it is the foundation of who you are. Your integrity, because it is the thing that external factors. Pressure. It is the thing that people use to see if they can make you mad or jealous, but if you are level, those kind of external pressures don't get to you. Number two being level.

C. Bond: 5:54

What happens if a house is not level? It can have a slope. That slope could be the house settling or it could be an indication that the foundation of the home is no longer able to support the weight of the house. First, the house settling. That's considered normal. But what does it mean when a house settles? I googled that question. It's when different parts of a house the foundation, the wood and even the saw underneath shifts due to environmental changes, such as wood or concrete losing small amounts of moisture over time, or the weight of the house is compressing the saw that it sits on Again. That is just like us. When change is taking place in us, we shift due to settling. When we settle in our minds that we want to behave a certain way, we shift our thinking and our behavior. We lose the steam of anger and jealousy or any other character flaw, just as a new home loses moisture. But if the house is not level due to structural issues, there will be some damage to the home like cracking walls or windows and even collapse in extreme cases. Imagine having guests in your home with crack walls and windows. They are going to see those cracks and instantly know that something is wrong. That is how you present yourself to people when you are not level. They see the cracks in your character because your foundation is not well- built. Your foundation was never meant to support jealousy, gossiping, manipulation, lying, deceit, stealing, mistreatment of others, etc. These character flaws in your foundation will cause structural damage. Which leads me to my third point cracks.

C. Bond: 8:03

Is it normal to have cracks in the foundation of new construction? Yes, if they are hairline foundation cracks. Hairline cracks are typically harmless and can form days or weeks after a new foundation is laid. This can happen because the concrete or mortar is drying out as it cures. In older homes, hairline cracks can appear as a sign of concrete aging. But how do you know if the crack is structural? Structural foundation cracks are generally larger than hairline cracks and come in different shapes and sizes. When I googled this, it said that structural cracks are larger than 3 millimeters. One end of the crack may be wider than the other end. The concrete on one side of the crack may be flushed or it could be uneven. This can potentially lead to a home collapsing if the foundation is not repaired.

C. Bond: 9:07

If your character, your foundation, has structural damage, you can hypothetically collapse. This is an indication that there is a problem with your character, which is your foundation, and your integrity, which is everything else, like the wood framing or concrete blocks that started the foundation and goes to the roof. You may have structural damage because at some point in life you allow traits like being a hypocrite, being self-righteous, womanizing man, stealing, being untrustworthy and others to shift your foundation, but it's fixable. Work on repairing your character. If you possess better characteristics, your foundation will become stronger, but if you are unwilling to change that, structural damage may cause you to collapse. When another storm comes in your life, when you have a financial situation, when someone passes in your family, when a relationship goes sour, There's a possibility that you may collapse due to structural damage. Maybe your cracks will get bigger. Then, instead of talking about others, others will start talking about you, because they see your cracks. They see the cracks in your attitude, they see the cracks in your personality, they see cracks in your relationships. But what can you do? I encourage you to repair all the cracks in your character.

C. Bond: 10:46

If you're not known for telling the truth, decide to be truthful to at least one person. Make it a habit to be honest with that person. This can help you be honest with others. If you find this too difficult to do on your own, seek help. But don't go around broadcasting your character flaws. It will interfere with the work you are doing to improve your integrity and restore or build your character. You need and deserve to have a well-built level foundation with no major cracks. You've been listening to See Beyond Where You Are with C. C-Bond. Until next time. Remember, construction can cause people to be impatient and upset because it slows them down. You're being under construction. While repairing your foundation, we'll cause others to be impatient, complain and become upset too. But keep working on your foundation because one day someone will drive back and admire the beautiful you that has been built on such a solid, well-built foundation.