After grabbing some coffee for himself and Matt, Randy sat back down and continued. “Think about the people you see in the news who get exposed for unethical conduct. The aftermath of those highly publicized events is terrible. Not only does the person lose their credibility, but the impact on their personal life, family, and business is usually quite devastating.

Randy took a breath, and had a sip of his coffee. “I heard a story about former baseball manager Tommy Lasorda. He said something to reporters in an interview after a game that really made an impression on me. ‘The best day of my life is when I am a manager for this ball club and we win a game, and the second‐best day of my life is when I am the manager for this ball club and we lose.’”

“Why would he be happy about losing?” Matt asked.

“He loved what he did. Every single day he went to work, he loved it. He loved the players, his staff, baseball, the fans, and the challenges that came with it. Obviously, as a professional coach, Tommy faced challenges and hardships, just like any leader; but his love of the people and the process was greater than the challenges he faced. Because he had a clear vision of the type of coach and leader he wanted to be, he made the decision to love it all—the good and the bad. Tommy owed it to his coaches, players, and fans to be the best version of himself every day through the ups and downs and difficult decisions—and so do you… .”

“That sounds great and all, but I am not playing or coaching in the MLB. I think it would be pretty easy to ‘fall in love’ with the salaries they bring home if I got to coach or play baseball for a living,” said Matt.

Randy smiled. “Living the most satisfying life possible requires being content and planting your feet where you are. Comparison is the thief of joy. You've been greatly blessed and you owe it to the people in your sphere of influence to be the best version of yourself every day, whether you're wiping down tables or running a company, or both. When you live with integrity, you are filled up. When you do the right things the right way and do them with excellence, you feel whole, you are fully content, and you can sleep well at night.”

Matt nodded enthusiastically. “It's just such a hard balance. On one hand, I want to always do the right thing, but on the other hand, I want to have financial success. It's almost like I have a battle going on inside me when I make decisions.”

Randy smirked. “You are in a battle every day. It's less of a physical battle, though. It's a spiritual one. Here's a verse that helps me to stay grounded. ‘For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?’ As a leader who is pursuing success, you need to remember that if you make all of the money in the world and have success in the short term, but you lose your principles and everything that's important to you, you will ultimately fail. If you sacrifice your integrity to win today, you will lose in the end. And remember, the more success and power you have, the easier it is to believe that the rules don't apply to you. Abraham Lincoln said it like this: ‘Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.’”

Matt thought about the power he had at work, and how much power he could amass if he made the sale. Some of the co‐workers he mistreated at work ran through his mind. He also thought about how he had seen other people get promoted, then become completely self‐centered. He didn't want that for himself. He didn't want to be like Tony.

“So would you say that fighting these battles and staying humble are the secrets to acting with integrity?” Matt asked.

“That's one way to think about it. Something to keep in mind is that when you're living without integrity, you tend to be very self‐centered.” Randy took a sip of his coffee. “For a leader, self‐care is very important, but living with integrity allows you to shift your focus to others. Think about a personal trainer, for example. Most successful personal trainers I know rise very early in the morning to do their own workout. They discipline their own bodies first, then they're able to coach others and give their best to their clients. If you had a personal trainer who didn't actually work out, you would be quite confused and it would be hard to follow their leadership.” Randy nodded. “You owe it to yourself and to the others you lead to be the best version of yourself every single day and to be thankful for what you have instead of focusing on what you don't.”

Matt began to recount the blessings he had in his life. He considered his wife, kids, grandpa, a great job—and was even grateful for a brother who challenged him to grow. Now he just had to figure out what to do about Thrive Airlines. While he wanted big success, he didn't want to lose his soul in the process. He felt imprisoned by the situation, but thankfully, Randy was about to help him think about it more clearly.