As you may know I am a big muscle car fan, and love the late ’60s vintage cars like Shelby, Boss, Super Sport, GTO, Vette, etc.

We have two terms we use regarding vintage hot rods. The first one is “all show and no go,” and this means the car looks good on the outside, but doesn’t have much of an engine. Basically, it looks great at a car show, but you would not want to try to outrun anything. The second term we use is “sleeper,” which is just the opposite of “all show and no go.” It describes a car that looks very average on the outside, but has a built engine and drivetrain on the inside. It is called a “sleeper” because people misjudge the car’s ability by the way it looks on the outside.

You know where I am going with this, right?

So, are you an “all show and no go” or a “sleeper.” I have met many people over the years from hotel brokers, CEOs, Congressmen to pastors. I can tell you that there is a very high percentage of people that are mostly show with very little go. They have limited depth and low character, but boy do they look the part on the outside. I have a friend of mine that sells hotels, and if you looked at him, you would think he is a low level manager at a retail store. He is what I would call a sleeper. Like a car, he eases up to the line and nobody even notices him; when he starts talking, everything changes. You stand there looking at this guy asking yourself who is he and how did he get that good. When this guy was speaking on a conference panel, all of the big shots around him were backslapping each other and making a real ego scene. Well, when the moderator asks my friend the first question and he started talking, there was hush in the room; I could see the eyes of all the big shots on the stage and everyone else in the room get completely focused on the friend of mine. By the end of the panel session, there was zero question in anyone’s mind as to who was “show” and who was “go” on the panel; the big shots were not backslapping each other as they walked quietly off the stage.

So again, do you just dress up on the outside really well, but leave the inside vulnerable? Who are you? This is tough question for anyone. Are you on the inside what you project to be on the outside?

I have a little tip for anyone interested: start your day with a cup of coffee and a little quiet time with God. Let God mold who you are on the inside before you go dress up the outside.

It is a really special, special thing to see a muscle car that is “show and go,” meaning that it is as good on the inside as it is on the outside. There are a lot of people in all walks of life that need help with their self-esteem, and there is a real need for great examples of people that know who they are and don’t try to be someone they are not. These people are in a position to help others become more of what God wants them to become. KT