Recently I watched my grandkids compete in a high school cross country competition. It was a
large event with over 100 boys running in the “B” group. Although I am proud of my grandkids,
I am not writing about them. Rather, I am writing about the LAST place finisher in the boys “B”
group. ALL of the other runners had finished when, about fifteen minutes later, 
the last place finisher came in view of the spectators. The cheers from the crowd were just as many and as loud as they were for the first-place finisher. This boy had given it his all to get to this point and was now obviously struggling to find that last bit of energy to finish the last 200 yards. Whether it was the cheers from the crowd, an inner prayer, or the vision of actually finishing the race, he pushed on and finished! He had done it! No trophies, medals, or ribbons. No articles or name in the paper the next day. But what a race for ME as well as this kid to remember. I will never see him again or ever know what his future holds for him. What I do know is that the determination and never-give-up attitude exemplified by him are the characteristics that lead to success.
As you struggle with the everyday challenges and issues in your business and life, remember the boy-with-no-name who kept going – in spite of the time it took with seemingly no glory in his results to look forward to. Keep pressing forward and you, too, will overcome the challenges and obstacles that threaten to hold you back from your goals.
