Build you life on a firm foundation

A common joke among people who build their own homes is just how expensive the foundation costs even though you can barely see it.

One person told me, “We were spending hundreds of thousands of shillings and it was all going into the ground. It didn’t make sense.” It’s not just the cost either.

Excavating and preparing foundations is usually a long, laborious yet highly critical process.

If you get it wrong at the foundation stage, the house won’t stand for long before telltale cracks appear, mold begins to form on the walls, and in some instances, the building collapses. Yet, how tempting it is to take shortcuts because the effects of a poor foundation are not immediately obvious.

In June 2009, a 13-storey building in Shanghai, China tipped over to the side and collapsed killing one person and exposing the shoddy work of its construction. The building was almost complete and ready for occupation, but regardless of how beautiful it looked on the outside, it could not stand on a substandard foundation.

Back home, there have been similar cases of buildings collapsing when developers take short cuts in order to maximise  profits.

The result is loss of lives, property and money already spent in construction. At such times, looking upon the destruction we ask ourselves, “how were they hoping to get away with it?”

The answer is they hoped to get away with it because our human nature is more concerned with what you can see than what you can’t. And most people buying or renting a house, rarely ask about the one thing that can bring it down.

A CENTRE THAT HOLDS

A foundation performs several functions, the most important being to bear the load of the building, anchor it against nature’s forces such as earthquakes, and to protect it from ground moisture.

Hold, anchor, protect

And so too, it is with life. Foundations hold up, anchor and protect. They are the core in strong relationships, raising a family, building a successful career and business.

We may encounter changing fortunes, ill health and relational challenges.  Our foundations keep us standing even as we take a beating. Yet, as Chinua Achebe observed, things fall apart when the centre of life can not hold.

Much of who we are can be traced back to a foundation built by parents, relatives, teachers and leaders. From when we are born, we are absorbing, learning and crafting an identity and value system that will determine our future. It’s all happening behind the scenes, and may not be obvious until years later when we are parents, employers or leaders ourselves. We stand or fall on the basis of our foundation.

Lately, I have spent some time at my dentist, thanks to years of indulging a sweet tooth. One of my younger siblings has had it much worse than me. As the youngest child in our family, he was regularly indulged with sweets and fizzy drinks. We can laugh about it now when swapping dentist stories, but the lesson especially when it involves losing a tooth, is a painful one.

Foundations matter. Working mothers agonise over their ability to climb the corporate ladder while raising young children. After-all, children have only one childhood. There are no easy answers.

If we are fortunate, we may get the opportunity to make amends after the structure is up and the child is grown, but anyone who has had to resolve construction issues will tell you it is more expensive to redo a job than to get it right the first time.

The same thing applies to other relationships. While stories of enduring love at first sight abound, the proverb, fools rush in, is more apt.

Love takes time and it grows up from a depth of understanding, acceptance and trust. When we were younger, we didn’t believe that the bright flames of quick passion leave behind the smouldering ashes of a broken heart. Even love, we have since discovered, needs a solid foundation.

So start investing where it matters most, even if it won’t be obvious for years. Take the bottom up approach and build a strong foundation in your health, career, education and relationships.