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Once upon a time…
As Mateo approached the final stage of the race, he realised there were only three opponents left between him and the finish line.
As he advanced on the first opponent, Mateo closed his eyes and heard this message: “Success is what comes after you stop making excuses.” Mateo gripped the handlebars, peddled with all his might. He took third place. One down, two to go.
As he began to put pressure on number two, Mateo once again closed his eyes. In the back of his mind, he knew this one would be harder. His burning quads announced their pain. As Mateo searched for strength, he heard the voice from within: “You only see the obstacle when you take your mind off the prize.” He visualised the finish line and continued to push his body to its physical limit. Mateo took position number two.
Mateo’s final opponent was in first place for a reason. Geoff was world-class. He symbolised every goal that Mateo yearned to achieve. This epic moment would be the greatest challenge of the race. Mateo closed his eyes and waited for the message, but it never came. His stomach clenched as black fingers of fear crept up from inside. Mateo grit his teeth. He knew it was up to him – not the voice – to win the race.
In courageous resolution, he opened his eyes. And right there, on the back of Geoff’s shirt, was the message. It read: “If you can read this… I’m winning!!”
A fire of conviction detonated in Mateo’s heart. Powered by pure determination, he pushed with everything he had. As he crossed the finish line, Mateo realised that first place means nothing if you haven’t given 110%. Fear is temporary. Regret is forever.
“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”
– Sir Edmund Hillary
There is always someone out there who is a little faster or a little stronger. The real champion is the one who crosses the finish line with nothing more to give. Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears. When you look back, you don’t want it to be tainted by knowing you could have done better. Today’s inaction is tomorrow’s reality. There will be obstacles; there will be mistakes; there will be doubters, and there will be haters. However, with hard work and determination, there will be no limits. Life can be incredibly magical, but it’s not magic. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to experience what the haters call ‘luck’. You don’t get what you wish for, you get what you work for. There may be people who have more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you. You can have results, or you can have excuses, but you cannot have both.
“If you invest nothing, the reward is worth little.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich
I will win because I am committed to anything I put my mind to. I progress forward because I follow through on all my choices. Aligned with my values, I will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to reach my highest potential. My mind is sharp and focused and my eye is on the prize. Because I work hard, I get to enjoy sweeter fruits. I work intelligently, diligently, and silently. My great endeavours are fueled by great determination and great enthusiasm. My tenacity is the dance within the art of opportunity. My hard work speaks for itself and one day my introduction will be “Google Me.” I am willing to pay the price for success so that I can truly know its worth. Every day my confidence increases because I have done the hard work that entitles me to succeed. I have the energy, effort, passion, talent, tenacity, strategy, resilience and resourcefulness to see my ideas through to reality. And so it is.
“It doesn’t matter how great your shoes are if you don’t accomplish anything in them.”
― Martina Boone
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