Life

Once upon a time, there was a young and determined boy who was always hungry for success. Winning was everything to him, and he measured his success solely by his ability to win. One day, the boy was preparing for a running competition in his small village. He was competing against two other boys, and a large crowd had gathered to witness the sporting event. The wise old man had heard about the little boy and traveled far to witness the race.

The race commenced, and it looked like a level heat at the finishing line. However, the boy dug deep, called on his determination, strength, and power, and crossed the finish line first. The crowd was ecstatic and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man remained still and calm, expressing no sentiment. The little boy, however, felt proud and important.

A second race was called, and two new young, fit challengers came forward to run with the little boy. The race started, and once again, the little boy came through and finished first. The crowd was ecstatic again and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man remained still and calm again, expressing no sentiment. The little boy, however, felt proud and important.

"Another race! Another race!" pleaded the little boy. The wise old man stepped forward and presented the little boy with two new challengers: an elderly frail lady and a blind man. "What is this?" asked the little boy. "This is no race!" he exclaimed.

"Race," said the wise man. The race started, and the boy was the only finisher. The other two challengers were left standing at the starting line. The little boy was ecstatic. He raised his arms in delight. The crowd, however, was silent, showing no sentiment toward the little boy. "What has happened? Why don't the people join in my success?" he asked.

"The race again," replied the wise man. "This time, finish together. All three of you finish together," continued the wise man. The little boy thought a little, stood in the middle of the blind man and the frail old lady, and then took the two challengers by the hand. The race began, and the little boy walked slowly, ever so slowly, to the finishing line and crossed it. The crowd was ecstatic and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man smiled gently, nodding his head. The little boy felt proud and important.

"Old man, I understand not. Who are the crowd cheering for? Which one of us three?" asked the little boy.

The wise old man looked into the little boy's eyes, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, and replied softly, "Little boy, for this race, you have won much more than in any race you have ever run before. And for this race, the crowd cheers not for any winner. You see, in life, what are you running for? Are you hungry for success? Is winning the only measurement for you in your life? Who are you running against? And if you always win against everybody, then soon the people will stop cheering for you. At the end of your life, if you look back, the question is who was running next to you in this race? If they were weaker and old, did you help them to get across the line? Did you all finish together? Because that is the best race you can ever run. So, run this race called life, but don't forget it is not important if you win, it is important how you run this race. This is a motivational story.