If Today Is Your Last Day, Are You Right With Your People? Lessons From John F. Kennedy

Episode 029 Full Episode

Ben Walters: [00:00:00] Ben with SuperPumped podcast in Fort Worth, Texas, just outside the Hotel Texas. And my question for you today is what if you woke up today, and today was your last day on Earth? What if you woke up and you had your final breakfast, your final moments with your spouse? That's exactly what happened here on the eighth floor of this hotel in 1963.

Ben Walters: US President John F. Kennedy, came to Fort Worth, Texas, on that fateful trip where he eventually was assassinated in Dallas. And he woke up on a particular morning in Fort Worth, a rainy morning, and like many of us, his wife took a lot longer than him to get ready. He was trying to figure out what to do to kill time, and he looked outside his window, up there on the eighth floor, and he realized there was a huge crowd that had assembled down here along the street.

Ben Walters: The plan was that morning that he was gonna go inside into the crystal ballroom and address a crowd of Chamber of Commerce people. But [00:01:00] instead he went down to the street and he did an impromptu speech, an impassioned speech for the crowd of supporters. And you can see in this picture here how many people gathered, and you can see all the women with their coverings on their hair.

Ben Walters: And it was a really, energetic crowd. I was thinking about this today in terms of how we are divided. Here is a Massachusetts liberal. He could not have been more left-leaning, and yet here he is in the heart of Texas, Fort Worth, Cowtown, and look at the picture. Thousands of people wanted to see him, wanted to connect with him, people of all colors and nationalities and that kind of thing.

Ben Walters: You can see in this picture, he begins to give that impassioned speech. The tone of that speech was both self-deprecating and optimistic about the future. And that was really cool. And then eventually he went inside and [00:02:00] he, you can see Jackie here. He had a moment with Jackie and they look adoring at one another.

Ben Walters: And as I think about that last morning, that last night together and that relationship, somehow it seemed, the two of them were at peace. And he began his speech just like he did in Paris, saying that he was the man who was humbled enough to accompany Jackie to Fort Worth, and they loved it. And he was just someone along for the ride. And he talked about how, she looked beautiful and how it was worth the wait and he just kept himself busy 'cause he was nothing compared to her. She was the real star of the show. And he went on in that speech to just outline this vision for the future.

Ben Walters: And one of his quotes here is, "A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but ideas lived on." My question for you today is, if this was your last day on Earth, if you got up today and you had a few more moments, are you right [00:03:00] with your loved ones? Are you right with God? Are things in order in your life? And if they're not, I would encourage you to get them in order because none of us know that.

Ben Walters: But my other question for you today is if you were a friend, a spouse, are you right with all of your people? If you know that maybe the end is near for a parent , is that relationship, right? So you wanna think like that. And you wanna live every day with gusto, with an optimism for the future, with excitement for what's ahead, but also with the realization that life is not guaranteed for any of us. That life is precious.

Ben Walters: I am honored to be standing on this hallowed ground. am honored that the people of Fort Worth welcomed President Kennedy, gave he and Jackie that incredible, warm Texas welcome, but I also want you to seize every day to dream big. And even if you don't see [00:04:00] the ideas through, like Kennedy's idea to put a man on the moon, if you put those things in motion, your legacy lives on.

Ben Walters: Do some introspection today, and I hope you dream big, are optimistic for the future, and are SuperPumped for what's ahead. Thanks for joining me today. If you want help with this, go to superpumped .com. Hit me up. I would love to help you. I am a passionate advocate for you.

Ben Walters: Thanks for joining me today on the SuperPumped Life podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, I have two really quick next steps for you. First, subscribe or follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube so you don't miss future shows. And second, jump on 

Ben Walters: over to superpumped.com where there are all kinds of great tips and tools for you to launch your SuperPumped Life.

Ben Walters: Keep well and I'll see you next time.