Independence Day--Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor

243 years ago. These words were penned, signed in an act of rebellion, and then mailed to King George III.

"We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. And among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

What is often missed is that the end of the declaration, those who signed it agreed to this:

"For the support of this declaration with a firm reliance on divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortune, and our sacred honor."

As we celebrate freedom and the independence, let's not forget to, to consider how we are spending our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor to protect those inalienable rights for others.

How is your business structured to help you spend your life, your fortune, and your sacred honor to protect the inalienable rights of others--of customers and clients, of bosses and subordinates, of contractors and vendors, maybe even the environment, all of whom have been given these inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We have been given the opportunity to spend our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor, to protect that for others. Let me make this just a small challenge to you and to me to consider how we're spending our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor so that others may continue to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Happy Independence Day.