Why would an athlete who has reached the pinnacle of success risk it all by taking anabolic steroids? By 2001, Alex Rodriguez (or A-Rod) had been awarded the biggest contract in the history of professional sports. He was guaranteed a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. At the peak of his career, he had more money than he could spend in ten lifetimes. He could out-hit, out-run, and out-play practically any player in the game.

According to New York Times columnist David Brooks all of this success wasn't enough. Brooks offers a warning that could apply to any one of us, not just a famous athlete:

Self-preoccupied people have trouble seeing that their [talents] come from outside themselves and can only be developed when directed toward something else outside themselves. Enclosed in self, they come to believe that their talents come from self, and are for [themselves] … Locked in a cycle of insecurity and self-validation, their talents are never enough, and they end up devouring what they have been given.

Possible Preaching Angles: This certainly applies to our talents, but Brooks' quote also applies to money and financial giving.