When It Comes To Influencing Our Youth, There Is No Neutral.

You're an asset or a liability and there are far more of the latter than the former.

“If you don’t lead, you hold back.

If you don’t help, you hinder.

If you don’t evolve, you devolve.

If you’re not an asset, you’re a liability.

If you have any standing with our youth, there is no neutrality.

Be a real difference maker or get the hell out of their way.”

-Ray Zingler on X

When it comes to impacting our youth, it’s either positive or negative.

You can fence ride, be a yes man, stay in the background, do as little as you need to, to prevent getting fired all you want, but if you’re not actively, intentionally adding value to our kids, you’re taking from them.

If you’re not a leader, you’re a follower and followers don’t move the needle in the lives of our youth. They encourage the creation of more followers.

If you don’t help, you hinder. And I’m talking help on a much deeper level than forcing them to memorize bullshit formulas that live on their phones or how to stand in a batters box. I’m talking help on a deep, lasting, personal level.

If you don’t evolve, you devolve. How can you expect our kids to be “dynamic” and “adaptable” if you’ve done the same shit the same way for years on end? You’re not “better” because you’ve spent the “most time” doing x. You’re worse if you don’t actively work at improving.

If you’re not an asset, you’re a liability. If you’re not taking being an asset extremely seriously, I’m talking going to bed and waking up thinking about how you can add value to them, you’re a liability.

When it comes to impacting our kids, there is no neutral.

You’re either enhancing their life experience or you’re in the fucking way.

“Do no harm” isn’t acceptable because in “doing no harm” you’re in the way of somebody who could actually be doing something good for them. Something worthwhile. Lasting.

And when I think of the state of our world whether that’s related to school, sports, or the workforce, I think about how many people “think” they are doing good by “showing up” but are actually hurdles in our kids’ lives.

If you want to be a deadbeat, an exist-er, a barely get by-er, that’s fine. Be a degenerate bum behind closed doors. But don’t infect our youth with your mediocrity.

Don’t step into the arena of influencing our kids if you’re not hell bent, 365-days a year of living and leading by the example they so desperately need.

Parents pay attention to whose influencing them.

And remember, there is no neutral.