Chapter One:

Your First Race – Remember?

here were literally millions of them milling around at the starting line. An air of urgent expectancy hovered over the marshalling area. Some were stretching, some were jogging, some flexing their muscles and yet others were resting quietly, visualising their performance.

  This was going to be a do or die effort for every competitor. The prize for winning this race – the race of a lifetime – was going to be ‘the ultimate’. This is the race of races! 

            Everyone could feel the tension slowly building. There will be no second place this time! In this race, there can be only one winner – all the rest will come last! Every competitor knew the consequences of not winning.

            The moment they had all been preparing for was quickly approaching. Some became very agitated as the magnitude of the occasion began to sink deep into their very being. Many were jostling for a better position, a spot that was closer to the start line.

            But, not you! There you were, quietly confident, relaxed, as if you had a calm that surpassed all understanding. It was as if you had already been given a preview of the race by some hidden force, and you just seemed to have a strong, unwavering faith that you would be the winner!

            Oh, it’s not as if you were underestimating the complexity of the job. You had a very good handle on what had to be done. It’s just that you were ready and you knew it!

            It was an interesting concept, when one comes to think about it. This race was definitely established as one of the most gruelling events on the calendar.

            But amazingly, not one of the competitors had ever participated in anything like it before. Everyone that was there that day had this driving urge to get out there and give it their all! 

            They sensed, but they don’t know how, that their destiny depended upon the results of this incredible race. A race that would pit them against the best of the best. A race that, like a marathon, would test their endurance, their persistence, their resolve and their determination. A race that, like a sprint, would allow them to demonstrate their courage, their speed, their strength and their tenacity.

            Another strange aspect of this great affair is that every competitor was to negotiate the whole course in the dark! How would they know where the line markers were? How would they know where the finish line was? Who was the referee in the case of cheating or foul play? Hold on … it looks like the gun is about to fire – let’s get back to the race.

            Bang! Away they go! What an amazing climax to such an intense preparation … they’re everywhere. It’s everyone for themselves from now on. Look at them go! It’s like the blind leading the blind – no one seems to know what they are doing. Except you!

            That quiet confidence has really helped you this time. With your strength, power and technique, you soon get out in front of the scrambling pack.

            You’re looking for something – but what? “What can all this be about?” “What is my purpose here?” “Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?”

            But wait … there! Up ahead … there’s your answer. Yes! That’s it! It’s an egg! That’s your task. It’s to fertilise that egg! Now, with even more determination, you make that final lunge at the egg. You’re in! YOU WON!

            Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah! You won! You came first! Numero uno! What a star! What a race! What a prize! 

            What a miracle! The prize was the miracle of life itself! Your life, to be exact!

            You started your life – A WINNER!

            How do you feel now? 

            But haven’t you ever noticed that you are a winner? Do you see yourself as a winner? Or, could that be part of your confusion?

            There are lots of people (I mean heaps of people) who are confused about that.

            They are saying things like, “If I started out as a winner, what happened? I sure don’t feel much like a winner now!”

            Oh, they may not be saying it out loud, but most of them include those type of statements in their self-talk. I call it your ‘chatterbox’. Maybe that’s a bit like the words your inbuilt chatterbox is saying to you, too.

            Note: If you just said to yourself something like, “Chatterbox? Chatterbox? I don’t have a chatterbox!” Well, that was your chatterbox talking to you.

            Later on in this book, we’ll take a good look at your in-built chatterbox. I reckon that little chatterbox is just about the worst enemy you have ever had – and that includes that kid who stole your lunch at school!

            Is it okay to dwell a little longer on the concept that you were a winner? I mean, it feels pretty good doesn’t it? “Me? A winner! Wow, what a thought!”

            I don’t know about you, but I doubt that there are many people who actually entertain that concept very often.

            I know I didn’t!

            You wouldn’t believe just how down on me I used to be! Oh, I would usually put on a good show for all the blokes I used to hang with. I was even pretty cool in front of my wife and my kids.

            But, when I was by myself – man! I mostly felt like I was a loser. Sometimes, I’d drink a few extra beers so I couldn’t hear myself think – or, I would plonk myself in front of the television until I got tired enough to sleep then I’d go to bed or; I would go out with friends because they all used to say stuff that made me feel okay or … all of the above.

            The strange thing is though; I actually got to a place where I began to believe that there was nothing I could do about it. It was my destiny to lead a mediocre life and I should quit griping about it, accept it and just get on with life and try to make the best of it!

Try? There is no try! Do! Or do not! There is no try! 

I realise now, that I never really ever thought that I was a winner with a purpose and a real destiny. 

What about you?

Let me remind you of the qualities you demonstrated in order to win your first race: endurance; persistence; resolve; determination; courage; speed; strength; tenacity.  You were goal oriented; you had a great sense of direction; you could see clearly during dark times; you overcame every obstacle that was put before you; you were a leader; you had the winning attitude – so… do you want more?

It turns out that you really were a one-of-a-kind miracle (and, if you get right through this book, I will prove to you that you still are)!

The next chapter, should you choose to read it, will show you what could have happened that caused the memory of your incredible victory on that momentous first day, to slowly become eroded.

While I was writing/reading this chapter, about the ‘race’ you so very convincingly won… I couldn’t help thinking about your other race.  It seems to me that ‘life’ itself is a race and I decided to write you a little story to take us both forward to the next chapter.  Enjoy, and I’ll see you in chapter two.