Talking costs us nothing

Willie Spears

When it comes to social media, we find ourselves listening and listening and listening. We often spend hours on social media listening to sixty seconds edits of podcasts and other forms of media. How often are we actively listening to information that makes us better or encourages others? There is so much media to consume because it costs us nothing to post or discuss.

This is why you can find the most vulgar and disrespectful commentary on social media from a person who claims to have a relationship with Christ in their profile. It costs us nothing to talk in our country. Comfort is the enemy of growth. I talk to teenagers who say they will be professional athletes, doctors, lawyers, engineers, rappers, producers, actors, and more.

Many of these adolescents have poor school attendance, lack discipline, and spend more time playing video games than working on their desired goals. The same is true for adults.

Recently I had nine top coaches come to my hometown to facilitate professional development for coaches. One of these coaches makes $350,000 a year and is one of the top coaches in the country. There were seven coaches there to hear him speak. Seven. One of the other coaches was an assistant from the University of Florida.

The Florida Gators are a traditional powerhouse in the best football conference in the country, and there were seven people there to hear him speak as well.

You’re probably asking yourself: How much did it cost? It was free. Did you advertise the event? Yes, for three months prior to the event. I sent flyers to over fifty schools. I texted over seventy coaches. I utilized social media. I went on the local sports radio station and advertised it. I shook the hands of several coaches and asked them to attend. I invited top coaches in our area to speak so their assistants would come to the coaching clinic. I selected one of the best venues in the city, and we fed the coaches for free. I also traveled twenty hours by car to return to be there in person because a flight from my speaking engagement couldn’t get me there in time.

The morning sessions were capped out at around thirty-five coaches, but they did not stick around for the keynote speaker. I was disappointed, to say the least. After the event, I took three of the coaches out to eat on the world’s most beautiful beaches.

The most decorated coach encouraged me by telling me the same thing happened when he was in Texas. They hosted a free clinic, and not many people showed up.

Talk is cheap. So many people say they are believers in Christ but don’t study the word or go to church. Coaches tell me they are in love with their sport and want to improve as a coach but aren’t available when knowledge from professionals is presented. It is too easy for us to talk and not walk because there are too many options to spew our rhetoric. But when will we move from rhetoric to reality? They say they want to lose weight but won’t go work out or put the fork down.

Talking costs us nothing.

Now hiring people who speak with their actions.

Now Hiring is a weekly article written by highly sought-after author and public speaker Willie Spears. Willie has written fourteen books and travels around the country, adding value to the lives of others through his books and dynamic presentations. Learn more at www.WillieSpears.com.