Examples - not opinions - shape the world

​Bob Goff once said, "everyone's got an opinion; be an example."

Living in a social media world, I think if the world has a surplus of anything, it's opinions.

Never in our lives has it been easier to share an opinion. Never in our lives has it been easier to be overwhelmed by opinions. Never in our lives has it been easier to have our blood pressure sky-rocketed by opinions.

Of course, all of that is just my opinion.

Being a dad has taught me one thing about opinions. In the grand scheme of things, the opinions of a dad really don't matter when they are stacked up against the example of a dad.

If you are the right example, your opinions aren't necessary. And if you aren't a good example, well your opinions become nothing more than toxic hot air.

I've had to face that truth in challenging ways.

I spent a lot of my dad life giving my boys opinions on love and relationships, all the while I wasn't living out the greatest example of either. It may be the most startling wake up call you can receive, waking up one day and realizing it's ultimately your example they'll follow and not your opinions.

You realize opinions are far easier to dish out than examples. You can keep dishing out opinions all your life without ever having to make a change. But being a better example - being an influence on your kids - on people in general - well sometimes that requires making earth-shattering changes.

That's why I scroll by most opinons on social media. They don't require any work.

The stories that draw me in - the stories I stop and read every time - well those are the stories of people making earth-shattering changes in their lives because they're tired of their opinions being in opposition with their example. They're tired of throwing opinions into a world that needs far fewer opinions and far more examples.

Opinions are easy. I can literally type one here and get up and go about my day and have no responsibility to it whatsoever.

But an example, well you're obligated to that sucker all day long. Because all day long people are watching how you live out a subject far closer than they're listening to what you think about one.

The world will always have plenty of opinions. They aren't without value. But nothing is more valuable than a good example.

And sometimes, being a good example is the hardest choice to make.