This past week, I had the chance to hear Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. speak at Mammel Hall. He was there to speak to a group of students brought together by a collaboration between the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) and Students in Leadership and Management (SLAM).
While I could give a play-by-play recap (I took copious notes), I really wanted to focus on a couple of key things that Mayor Ewing said that kept me thinking after the event.
I love me some ____
Midway through his address, Mayor Ewing had everyone in the room stand for an exercise. He turned his back to us and demonstrated a routine he follows every day. He patted his back with both hands and said, “I love me some John W. Ewing Jr.”
He then turned back around and had the room do the same exercise, patting our own backs and saying, “I love me some [insert name].”
This affirmation helps him to stay grounded in who he is, remembering that even while he has dedicated his life to public service and has risen to these positions of power and authority, he wants his actions to be such that he can still say, “I love me some John W. Ewing Jr.”
After doing this group affirmation, he shared the following story. “During my run for mayor, some powerful people were talking about the homelessness crisis in Omaha and proposed criminalizing homelessness to begin to move some of these housing-insecure people off the streets.” In the face of this proposal, Mayor Ewing simply said, “Not while I’m mayor.”
He didn’t make this decision because it was politically convenient, but so that he could still look in the mirror each day knowing that he chose to lead with his mind and heart. He made this choice so that he could rest in his decision and still say, “I love me some John W. Ewing Jr.”
In my work and life, I want to act with integrity that allows me to still say, “I love me some Will Scheopner.”
I’m working to be the person I’m meant to be
As he spoke, he talked about situations he dealt with as a Lieutenant in the Omaha Police Department and was responsible for the Special Victims Unit. As he stood for what he knew was right, correcting the wrongs of leaders past and seeking to lead with integrity, he shared this nugget of wisdom. “The legacy I want to leave is people saying ‘he’s working to become the person he’s meant to be.’”
In my role as a Career Advisor, many of my conversations drift into discussions of meaning and purpose as students assess their experiences and begin to take steps towards the purpose they are called to.
While our lives will be filled with high points where we live into our callings and low points marred by poor decisions, our legacy is shaped by our actions each day, including the habits we invest in, the people we interact with and influence, and the character we build.
When my time on earth is done, I want people to say that same thing: “William spent his whole life working to be the person he was meant to be.” This is a high calling, one of purpose, integrity, and character, but one that brings my Creator praise.
Don’t be busy, be productive
At the end of the address, Mayor Ewing spent time answering a few questions. When asked about advice that he would give to the students in the room, he said, “Focus less on being busy and more on being productive.”
He elaborated: Our society teaches us to be busy, and that busy is good. But being busy is not the same as being productive. Being busy just makes us tired, while being productive should bring us energy.
How do we tell the difference? Do the things that are going to be impactful. Those things that move the needle in our education and vocation, our relationships and faith, and our habits and legacy are the impactful things.
And those things are worthy of our time.
Bringing it all together
As I reflect on the honor of hearing Omaha’s Mayor speak at my alma mater and place of work, I sense the connections between affirmations, legacy, and impacts. We are called to great things, to the glory of God, and we can choose to answer that calling or let it go unanswered.
In church today, we sang the song An Irish Christmas Blessing by Keith and Kristyn Getty. The final verse goes like this:
So may His joy rush over you
Delight in the path He has called you to
May all your steps walk in Heaven's endless light
Beyond this Christmas night
In this season of Advent, it is right that we would be filled with joy as we delight in the path He has called us to.
Wherever that path may take me, I will say, “I love me some Will Scheopner,” because I know I am an image-bearer who is trying, in God’s grace, to be the person my Heavenly Father calls me to be.
A Profitable Read 