Sexual Affairs

Sexual Affairs:                                                                          Thursday, December 24, 2009

I was watching the Chris Matthews Hardball show yesterday and he was giving a rundown of the top 10 political events of the decade.  Of course, he jumped right in with # 10 being sex scandals.  I know he did that just for ratings, and to get our attention, but it does.  Here's his list that he composed, and these are just the ones that made major headlines: (all the rest of them are doing their best to keep it under cover!)

-        Senator Edwards

-        Governor Sandford

-        Senator Ensign

-        Governor Spitzer

-        Senator Craig

-        Senator Vitter

-        Governor McGrevey

-        Congressman Condit

-        Congressman Foley

I don't condone any of the actions of any of these elected officials, and actually I am getting to the point now where it barely raises an eyebrow on my forehead.  I lived around the world in several countries where elected officials and prominent businessmen having affairs is just a common everyday occurrence.  I know that people are voyeuristic by nature, and we love doing “the rubberneck” at the scene of any car wreck.  I'm glad that we as Americans; still maintain a high sense of what is moral and what is valued in society for the most part.  I'm glad that we make a big deal out of extramarital affairs and keep pressure on each other to continue doing the “right thing”.

I don't really consider extramarital affairs by prominent individuals a “character flaw”, but I regarded as more of a statistical occurrence.  Prominent individuals have many times more opportunities and temptations that come their way, and it takes an extraordinarily strong individual to resist each and every opportunity.

I saw this up close and personal for myself on many occasions in my career as a professional athlete and during my recent campaign run for the office of Mayor and the city of Seattle.  Professional athletes, as we all have witnessed by the recent indiscretions of Tiger Woods, have countless opportunities to not only surround themselves by beautiful and seductive people (both men and women), but to lose sense of what's important, especially if they have spouses and children involved.  I've had my share of indulgences, but I've been a bachelor and have yet to be married.  The thought occurred to me shortly after declaring myself as a candidate for office in Seattle; that sports and politics aren’t much different in the types of public adoration from adoring fans that it attracts and the sense of power that it gives an individual.  I thought to myself, “I thought sports have a lot of groupies and hanger-ons, but it's nothing compared to politics”.  In sports, the athletes at least tend to be fit, young, beautiful and charismatic.  But politicians come in all sizes and shapes, and for many of them, this is their first taste of power and the first time many of them have been in a position where people want something from them and they're willing to do just about anything to get it.  It's enough to give anybody a swelled sense of ego that you can easily get carried away with.

So as we close out this decade, and enter into the next, we'll probably see more and more high-profile people take a tumble from the high perches that they occupy in society.  I feel that my career in sports prepared me well to live in a “fishbowl” and under constant public scrutiny.  But that's okay, I feel totally at ease with it and I realized that with a wonderful opportunity and privilege that I have attained over the years that there is a sense of responsibility that goes along with it.  I only hope and pray that the rest of the folks who find themselves in high-profile positions can keep that in mind.

 

James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” (A Success Roadmap for High Achievement in Business, Athletics, Community Involvement and Life).  He is also an accomplished motivational/inspirational speaker in which he shares his strategies and stories that he has utilized to become a “High Achiever” in lengthy (20 years) careers in professional sports and being a small business entrepreneur with The Donaldson Clinic www.donaldsonclinic.com .  He recently ran for the office of Mayor in the City of Seattle and has been passionately involved in various communities around the Seattle metropolitan area since graduation from Washington State University ’79.

If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@standingabovethecrowd.com  and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161.  Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at  www.standingabovethecrowd.com