The Message of LeadershipSample

SHE'LL STEAL YOUR HEART "I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure." -John D. Rockefeller Proverbs references illicit sex and loose women more than any other single subject. The writer certainly thinks this is an important topic for us to consider. But the message goes far deeper than one might think. Anything that ignites your desires and passions to the detriment of your good judgment and common sense could be considered a harlot who would potentially steal your heart and fracture your life. Who or what is the harlot that wants to steal your life? What is it that has the potential to bring you to ruin if you give in to its unhealthy attraction? It might be some form of addiction, sex, the lust for power or influence—maybe it is ambition. It is seen time and again in the lives of famous men and women consumed by some uncontrolled appetite. Years ago I met one such flame that burned out too early; his name was Roger Miller. Backstage in Wheeling, West Virginia, Roger was about to go on stage for a performance. He was drunk and smoking like a house on fire. Roger was a man of great musical talent and humor—a gifted individual, but just a few short years later he was dead of cancer at the age of fifty-six. His untimely death appeared to have been hastened by his bad habits and a fast life lived on the road. What a waste! All the talent in the world could not overcome the harlot of hard living and reckless pursuit of pleasure. If you have a clear mission in life, you will not be easily distracted by the sideshows along the way. Essential Insight 7: Focus your life on a meaningful mission that inspires your personal discipline and single-mindedness. Don’t give in to your unseemly passions.