A Threat to The Enemy

"Be a threat to the enemy." Those words rang through my head as I sat behind my steering wheel this last week. I asked a very wise man and an extremely successful business man one question over a cup of coffee: "What would be one piece of advice you would give to a young guy trying to break into the business world and be successful?" It was the generic question you always asked in a meeting with someone way more qualified than yourself. I had gotten good at asking this question too. I always twisted it in a way that made the recipient of the question always feel very distinguished. And because of that I always received answers that demonstrated what they thought had made them successful. Things like: "Don't ever wrong someone in this town, it's too small," and, "Always work harder than your competitors," "Never take no as an answer," and one of my favorites, "Don't get married until your 35 or 40, anytime before then proves you aren't working hard enough." All of these were fun and good answers, but more importantly it gave those men a moment to feel like they could make an impact.

But this man was different. He took a long deep breath, twirled his small silver spoon around in his steaming coffee mug and slipped away into deep thought. The older gentleman had trouble keeping his squinty eyes open, as you could tell he was slipping off into a deep daydream of something of the past. After an awkwardly long pause, one that made me feel very uncomfortable for asking a question I was unsure would cause such a stir, he set his spoon down, picked up his mug from the tiny round handle on the side and took a sip. Still holding it in his hand he said, "You know Case, if I had an opportunity to talk to myself at your age, I would tell that young man one thing. No matter what the circumstances were, always stay a threat to the enemy."

I was suddenly at a loss for words. For months I had sat in this same seat, asking the same question, paying the same tab, and going on about my same business. Never really caring about what the answer would entail, just knowing I was supposed to ask it. But this time, it was different. It was genuine, and had so much thought behind the answer. An answer that was more than just words, but a sum of an incredible story.

After I could get my thoughts together all I could utter back was "Thank-you." Time was up and it was time to pay the bill and leave. As I got into my truck those words kept ringing through my head. Then a quote came to my mind:

Be the kind of man that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says, "Oh crap. He's up."

I believe this is our calling. To never get comfortable. Never become complacent. But to always be a threat to our enemy. So today, what will you do to be a threat?