In case you didn’t realize it, One World Trade Center is the
official name for what was called Freedom Tower during its construction. The dramatic, finished structure stands
proudly in a corner of “Ground Zero” in New York City.
You see (in the above image) the majestic beauty of the
building that replaces towers 1 and 2 of the old World Trade Center. The success in designing and building the
tower is a testimonial to human ingenuity and fortitude. It stands in honor of those who lost their
lives on that fateful day in 2001.
As you gaze at the wonder of all 1776 feet of the building
from ground level up to the tips of its communications antenna, you can’t help
but be awestruck. However, few of us
give serious consideration to what allows the structure to reach
such heights while being stable and safe for human activities
inside of it.
Just as your success in building your life, bringing One
World Trade Center into reality, is all about the base. No pun intended regarding Meghan Trainor’s
recent smash hit song! ;<)
Consider these statistics regarding the base of One World
Trade Center.
·
The below ground level foundation structure goes
down approximately 197 feet.
o
It consists of 24 massive steel girders each
approximately 59 feet long and weighing 64 metric tons.
o
The accompanying foundational structure consists
of concrete and steel armor.
·
The base of the building at ground level is a
200’ by 200’ footprint and includes:
o
A 49-foot-high blast wall
o
An 80-foot-high lobby
o
A series of mechanical floors
o
The total height of the building’s above ground
base is 200 feet.
·
Total height for foundation and base is
approximately 397 feet.
Wow!
The gist of all this is the building could not successfully
stand without all the massive construction at its base. And…so it is with you achieving success at
becoming all you can be, do or have!
You cannot rise to the heights of success without a deep,
wide and strong foundational structure.
Can you imagine how quickly One World Trade Center would
collapse without such a strong base?
Well, you don’t have to imagine how quickly your attempts at
striving for success would collapse without a strong base. You may have already experienced such a
collapse personally or, at least, you’ve seen it happen to others.
But, One World Trade Center stands as living testimonial to
what it takes to rise to great heights.
You can apply similar principles in your life and rise to great heights,
too.
The four girders in your foundation for success are: character, humility, honesty and
integrity. They support the four corners
of the base to the rest of the structure of your life. They must go deep into your soul.
The first girder is character and represents your moral
excellence and firmness. It is the steel
that reinforces everything else necessary for a strong foundation for your
success.
Watch the movie or read the book, Unbroken, by Laura
Hillenbrand. Louis Zamperini was (ultimately) an outstanding example of what character
looks like in the flesh.
Even with the strength of steel in your character, you can’t
allow it to drive you into a sense of false pride. One World Trade Center is not better than the
other buildings around it…it’s different.
You always must maintain “foundational” thinking that you are not better
than those around you…different but not better.
It's called humility.
I could go on and on with clichés about the importance of
honesty as one of the foundational girders to your life. The truth is if you are not sincere and
forthright in all you do the structure of your life will ultimately crumble
around you.
Finally, you have the girder supporting your life’s
structure referred to as integrity. If
you are in an unimpaired condition regarding your honesty and fairness, you
have integrity. Anything short of
perfection in this personal characteristic and your edifice to success will
crumble quicker than your soup crackers at lunch.
The foundational girders mentioned above must be positioned
to provide a wide enough base for you to build a stable success structure like
the massive base of One World Trade Center (200’X200’X397’). However, you don’t use materials like
concrete and steel.
There is one more factor, though.
You must use your constant pursuit of knowledge to establish
the wide perimeter of the base for your success. The breadth of your knowledge directly
supports the height of your success.
The only way to consistently strengthen your knowledge is to
dedicate a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes each day to that effort. The method of acquisition is not what is
important. It is the disciplined effort
over time that will assure the winds of change will not destroy the success you
have built and will build in the future.
In summary, demonstrate character, humility, honesty,
integrity and the pursuit of knowledge with courage and you will build a shiny
edifice to the success of your life that will stand the test of time.
What do you think is important in
building a successful life? In what way
do the above characteristics for building success resonate with you?
Please share your
thoughts by commenting below.
And…please forward this information to others by following the social
media share link at the top or bottom of this post.
Thank
you.
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