You can hardly turn on the television, flip through a magazine or get on the Internet without being bombarded by ads to help you "perfect" some part of your body. In fact, there is so much emphasis on perfection, the pictures of beautiful models have been Photoshopped to make them closer to perfection.
The ads lead us to believe that the perfect body, hair, clothing, tan, nails, makeup, etc. will lead to a happy and fulfilled life. Yet many who strive to do these things still find happiness and fulfillment elusive.
Perhaps happiness and fulfillment have more to do with your mindset than about the external shell of a person.
For example, looking at the life of Lee Munz, Jr., one would wonder how in the world that guy could find any sense of happiness. He was my brother and his life was filled with challenges from the day he was born until the day he passed away. Lee was 95 percent hearing impaired, had numerous developmental delays that caused him to function at a first- or second-grade level, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and went to dialysis three times a week for the last 10 years of his life.
Despite encountering one obstacle after another throughout his life, anybody who knew Lee would tell you he understood how to embrace each day. He learned to walk and talk, which was no small task. Living in Oak Ridge, Tenn., he graduated from high school with a special diploma and went on to receive additional training in environmental and food services. He worked for Martin Marietta and Lockheed Martin before retiring due to his kidney disease.
For 25 years, Lee volunteer-coached middle school football. When health concerns forced him to stop volunteering, the coaches named an award after him that is given to a deserving player at the end of each season.
Even though some chose to make fun of Lee, he had a great sense of humor.
"One of Lee's great attributes was that smile and laugh that would greet me wherever and whenever I ran into him, no matter how much time had passed, no matter what was ailing him, and no matter what was going on with his favorite teams," says Gary Rowcliffe, a lifelong friend. "He was a happy guy."
In spite of numerous physical imperfections, Lee managed to teach many life lessons to thousands. When asked to give an encouraging speech at a Special Olympics gathering, Lee told the group that running the race was more important than winning.
If Lee had a middle name, it would be perseverance. He didn't know what it meant to quit. While many people initially saw him as different, if they spent any time around him, they grew to love him. Lee never made decisions about friendship or anything else based on looks, skin color, a haircut or clothing.
Lee was far from perfect, according to society's standards, yet he has probably impacted more lives than most people ever will through his unquenchable thirst for truly living life.
All of us get to choose what we will do with the life we are given. We can spend an inordinate amount of time trying to be perfect in the eyes of society, or we can be about living life ... to the fullest.
Julie Baumgardner is the president and CEO of First Things First. Contact her at julieb@firstthings.org.