Build! Expand! Develop! Engineer! Give them something that will take their breath away and leave them in awe. Let every corner of the structure be filled with majestic décor from the ceiling to the floor so those that enter will have a panoramic experience that will make them always want to return.

Whenever they think of greatness, let this place be etched in their mental skies. The owner was almost finished describing his vision to the architect when it dawned on him that as time goes on majestic structures will come and go, so using the most expensive material might not make his building the most memorable.

At that moment, he made a decision that would withstand the sands of time. It was a more expensive decision, but it was worth it. He chose not to use the prefabricated material; instead, he chose craftsmanship.

Such a choice revealed two things about the owner. First, he was a man of character and secondly he wanted his building to exemplify excellence.

In this New Year, let it also be said of us that whenever and whatever we decide to build it exemplifies excellence and reveals our character. Any building that has endured over time must have a solid foundation.

Regardless of how majestic the other parts of the structure are, the most important function of the building process was laying the foundation.

During this process things were dug up and cleared out in order to have a level, smooth, and strong foundation. So it is with us as we build our lives, our character is the foundation of who we are.

Everything depends and hangs on the strength of our character. As we build our character, it is necessary to clear some things from our lives in order to build lives that will withstand tough and trying times.

If you are struggling with deciding on where to start, the following proverb may assist: “When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.”

Those who are the closest to us reveal so much about who we really are. Therefore, we must choose wisely those who walk with us because they play a vital role in developing our character.

If we are going to be people of great character, we cannot take shortcuts. The easiest thing to do in difficult situations is to choose the simplest and least expensive route.

However, this only results in an overall frail structure. We must persevere during the building process in order to lay a sturdy foundation or character.

Elaborate structures are beautiful, but ultimately only an excellent foundation can withstand the tests of time.