It's Marathon, Not A Sprint

It is sometimes very enlightening when you have a discussion or conversation on life with the old and the wise. I meant in a very respective manner when I say 'the old'. This is because, you tend to learn more about life and its surprises through them.

I always have this heart-to-heart discussion with my mentor. He is my guide on life and also about work. So we had one conversation that I believe will always resonate with me through my life. As I mentioned earlier in my previous entry, I faced one of the difficult failures of my life. I am a very competitive person and what ever people can do, I am determined to do it better. Unfortunately on this particular moment others did better than I do.

My frustration and disappointment were sensed by my mentor. Rather to comfort me he said the most shocking statement. "Good that this happened to you", he said to me. I was flabbergasted. When I have regained myself from the shock, I asked him, "Why?".

Then like those Hallmark moments that you saw on the telly between father and son, he shared his wisdom with me. He told me that in my infant years working with this universally-known multinational company, he noticed that I have obtained successes equal to those that worked a lifetime. He explained that this moment of failure is good as it builds character. This is because he said, "A true successful person, will be able to pick himself up and achieve better success from the failure that he faced".

It was hard to comprehend at that moment as I was in the moment of 'mourning' so to speak. I was in the moment 'where the world is not fair' and 'I deserve this'. However after settling down, it seriously struck me that it is actually true. This is because, if you only face the ups in life, you will never appreciate it. The downs will make us more appreciative of the ups. Furthermore when you come out from the downs and be successful, that is the most blissful feeling ever.

As he continue to pour his take on life, he said to me, "This is a marathon, not a sprint". It does not mean that if you continue to achieve success after success, you will be a definite winner in the end. You may end up running out of breathe and do not reach the finish line. The winners are those who has the 'stamina' to endure every challenges thrown and reached the finish line. So the question is, do you want to tackle life or work as a marathon or a sprint? The answer is in your hands.

Ciao!