Success in life
is not defined just by talent and physical ability................
SOMETIMES one
single line can make a huge difference to your life. It could be
something you’ve read somewhere. Or a line someone said to you. And
it seems to stay on in your mind and become a guiding force. Has that
happened to you? Just the other day, a dear friend of mine - a
retired Brigadier - was narrating the story of how a line he heard
many, many years ago impacted him deeply and shaped his life............... BY: ANONYMOUS
Here’s his story............
1. It was his first week in the army. He had just completed his engineering and amongst his colleagues in the army were a host of young men who had come through the National Defence Academy. Not engineers, but men exposed to the physical conditioning so essential for success in the armed forces It was a Sunday morning. The task ahead was rather simple. They had to run ten miles.
My friend
recalls starting enthusiastically, and then quickly tiring out. After
running half the distance, he felt he couldn’t continue any longer.
He felt his legs would fold up and he’d collapse.
And just as he
was about to give up and stop, he heard his commanding officer say to
him: “Come on, young man. Up till now you’ve been running with
your legs. Now run with your mind!” And those words seemed to work
like magic. While my friend doesn’t quite recall what happened
thereafter, all he remembers is that he kept running. And finished
the entire ten mile run. And to this day, he often hears the
officer’s words echoing in his mind. ‘Don’t just run with your
legs. Run with your mind.’ It’s been the motto that’s inspired
him through everything he’s done in his life ever since.
And it’s a line we would all do well to remember. Success in life is not defined by talent and physical ability – but by the mental strength to stay the course, and run the extra mile. When you run with your legs, you allow the pressures to weigh you down. You allow obstacles to come in the way of your progress. You find yourself saying “I can’t!” But when you run with your mind, you become unstoppable. Your mind says “I can!”
Mental
strength plays a key role in defining your success. You can run the
extra mile!
2. Take Soichiro
for instance. He was a Japanese engineer who dreamt of a career in
the automobile industry. He applied for a job with the Toyota Motor
Corporation, but was rejected. He remained jobless for a long time –
and the temptation to give up on the automotive dream and take up a
non-automotive job – any job – was huge. He then tried making
scooters at home. But he had no money. His caring neighbours
contributed their mite to fund his enterprise. And thus was born the
billion-dollar Honda Motor Company. Had Soichiro (Honda was his
surname) merely run with his legs, he’d have given up long ago. And
a Honda may have never hit the roads.
And then
there’s the story of Colonel Sanders. He ran a modestly successful
restaurant serving some chicken dishes – until the construction of
a new road put him out of business. He decided to try and sell his
unique chicken recipes to other restaurants. He met over a thousand
restaurant-owners and they all turned him down......................................... But the Colonel
didn’t give up. On his 1009th call, one restaurant owner agreed to
buy his recipe. And thus was born the world’s first Kentucky Fried
Chicken outlet. Soon KFC’s were opening up all over the world. Just
seven years after he started the first KFC, Colonel Sanders sold his
business for over 15 million dollars. Clearly, running on your mind
can be rewarding!
Next time you
are staring at failure and rejection and want to quit, think of Honda
and KFC. Stay the course.
Don’t give up.
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