What Can A Business Owner Learn From The Declaration Of Independence?

The definition of self-sacrifice is sacrificing your own important needs for the benefit of others’ more important needs. What are you willing to sacrifice for, and how much are you willing to sacrifice?

These are questions we seldom have to answer, but when we do, the answer are most frequently financially motivated in favor of our family needs. Men and women everywhere frequently put their children’s needs in front of their own. That’s our most common form of sacrifice, working long and hard to provide for our families. Our sacrifices are typically limited to staying late for work and not participating in some event, foregoing vacations, postponing a new car purchase or other discretionary spending cuts so we can send our children to college, etc.

But what about real gut-wrenching sacrifices, maybe even a sacrifice that could cost you your “life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness” if the mission fails? Who amongst us can stand up to this standard? Few of us have had to sacrifice something very valuable to us in pursuit of protecting a more important principle. However, 232 years ago, 56 men – the signers of the Declaration of Independence – did just that.

Committing treason against the most powerful country in the world, launching a revolution against the most experienced and successful army and navy in the world’s history, were 56 men who had no organized or established military, no training, few experienced leaders, no stockpile of ammunition or arms, no ships, but an unyielding commitment to achieve freedom. With a passion for doing what they had to do so deeply felt that they knew that signing this document meant they would have to succeed, win, beat the English military, the most formidable force in the world, or die trying. In fact, even if they did win many of the signers would perish or lose all they had and they knew this in advance. They did this knowing full well they would probably suffer a huge cost for their efforts, including loss of their property, business, wealth, land, family, friends and possibly their lives, yet they did it anyway as they were willing to sacrifice all they had for this most important goal of independence and freedom.

What does this have to do with business? Lots, as we all fight our independent battles for our own economic freedom, sacrificing ourselves knowing we had better win or our families will suffer. The fact that we have the opportunity to do this goes right back to the Declaration of Independence as without their original bravery, commitment and willingness to sacrifice everything they had for others, we would probably not be able to enjoy the most freedom available in the world. We’re free to pursue whatever path we choose.

Here is what these 56 men experienced as their consequence for being committed and willing to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others, for us, for our freedom…

We all know the end of the story – victory and freedom to this day – but the British captured five signers during the war. Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, and Arthur Middleton were captured at the Battle of Charleston in 1780. George Walton was wounded and captured at the Battle of Savannah. Richard Stockton of New Jersey never recovered from his incarceration at the hands of British Loyalists. He died in 1781.

Thomas McKean of Delaware wrote John Adams that he was “…hunted like a fox by the enemy – compelled to remove my family five times in a few months.” Abraham Clark of New Jersey had two of his sons captured by the British during the war.

Eleven signers had their homes and property destroyed. Francis Lewis’s New York home was razed and his wife taken prisoner. John Hart’s farm and mills were destroyed when the British invaded New Jersey and he died while fleeing capture. Carter Braxton and Thomas Nelson Jr., both of Virginia, lent large sums of their personal fortunes to support the war effort but were never repaid.

This is sacrifice.

Here is the point – we are not sacrificing much when we work late and then drive home in our expensive SUV to our nice home in the suburbs to enjoy dinner with our families. We complain far too much about our sacrifices. These men paid the price of real sacrifice in the face of impossible odds, never doubting their commitment, and we are reaping the benefits. Simply stated, say a silent thank you to these men for their willingness to sacrifice all they had so we could enjoy the freedom and opportunity we have to do what we want as these men paid with their lives for us to have this freedom.

Our sacrifices, while important, are not to the level of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Few have ever had it better than us because they were willing to accept personal sacrifice that went well beyond the call of a typical person’s. While we work hard and sacrifice for our families as a normal course of our lives and business, we are all very fortunate to have had such heroes willing to give it all so that we can enjoy what we have now.

So yes, work hard, long hours and sacrifice for your family’s well-being, but remember what others sacrificed for us and give thanks for such dedication, bravery and selflessness.