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The Bouncer (Turning Defeat into Victory)
I'm a pretty competitive guy, though I try to keep it in perspective. But there are times, often when I least expect it, when life teaches me lessons about the true nature of competition. One of those lessons came on a warm spring day several years ago, in a small town outside Portland, Oregon. I used to love to watch the high school track team train-especially the distance runners. But that year, my eye was drawn to one girl in particular. Her running style was all wrong-she ran with her arms tucked close to her body, bouncing up and down in a way that must have driven her coaches crazy. My athletic mind scoffed at her strange style, I began to think of her as "the Bouncer." But the more I watched her, the more I began to notice something else about this awkward young girl. While she ran, she was oblivious to everything and everybody as she bounced around the track, and always wore a smile that could only be described as serene. For her, running had taken on significance that was difficult to define, and in spite of myself, that young woman with the angelic smile began to intrigue me. Even so, I couldn't help wondering how she was going to fare once the real track season began-and it didn't take long to find out. In early May, the high school hosted its first big track, featuring athletes from every school in the conference. Since the conference ran the distance races with both boys and girls on the track at the same time, a large group of athletes gathered at the starting line for the two-mile run-including the Bouncer. The gun sounded, and the runners took off in a multi-colored flash. That year, our school had a very gifted runner named Dave, and he quickly took the lead, one he would never relinquish for that entire season, because he never lost a race. But the Bouncer quickly fell far behind the pack and as the race progressed. Dave lapped her once, twice, and finally a third time. In fact, every runner, male and female, lapped the Bouncer at least once before it was over. But she just kept running, arms tucked close to her sides, never varying her stride, bouncing up and down-and always wearing the same angelic smile. I found myself being embarrassed for that ungainly girl who was being lapped again and again. Surely she must be mortified, I thought-but it didn't seem to bother the Bouncer at all. She didn't even seem to notice, and just kept doing exactly what she was doing, never changing her stride. A short while later, the crowd rose to its feet, cheering Dave to another victory, followed by scattered applause for every athlete who crossed the finish line after him. It wasn't long before the Bouncer was the only one left on the track, running all by herself. That poor kid, I thought. What must she be feeling? Why didn't she just give up? There was nothing at stake now, and nothing to be gained by finishing so far behind the pack. Still, the Bouncer never faltered, and her serene expression never changed. After what seemed like an eternity, the Bouncer finally approached the final turn, a full five minutes behind even the slowest runner. But then, something strange began to happen. As the Bouncer entered the home stretch, a cheer began to rise up from the bleachers. It rose and swelled, growing louder with each stride the Bouncer took toward the finish line until, finally, every person in the stands, regardless of which team they'd come to support, stood and cheered as if the fate of the entire meet hinged on this one lone girl, bouncing toward the finish line. The Bouncer turned on no extra burst of speed or big kick down the straightaway. She just continued to run exactly as she'd been doing from the opening gun, smiling so sweetly that it made my heart ache. But as she neared the finish line, the roar of the crowd could be heard echoing throughout the valley. And in the midst of all that noise and celebration, the mighty, invincible Dave walked out onto the track and held out his arm to slap the Bouncer's hand as she crossed the finish line. It was an incredible moment. I've seen hundreds of races since that day, and I've seen thousands of runners cross the finish line. But I've never seen anything that embodied the true spirit of victory as I watched on that warm spring so long ago, when I saw a race won-and I mean won-by an ungainly girl I had laughingly called the Bouncer. So here's to you, Bouncer, wherever you may be, and may your smile always be as sweet as it was on that day. From Spider's Night on the Boom www.abciowa.com" target="_new">www.abciowa.com © Gary E. Anderson. All rights reserved. About The Author Gary Anderson is a freelance writer, editor, ghostwriter, and manuscript analyst, living on a small Iowa farm. He's published more than 500 articles and four books. He's also ghosted a dozen books, edited more than 30 full-length manuscripts, produced seven newsletters, and has done more than 800 manuscript reviews for various publishers around the nation. If you need writing or editing help, visit Gary's website at www.abciowa.com" target="_new">www.abciowa.com.
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Resistance to Change All of us are resistant to change, whether it's in using a different tool, a technique a choice in partners, or lifestyle.The ones that resist the most have big labels like, orthodox, traditionalist, extremist. Tim McGraw had it Right - Live Like You Are Dying! Chorus: An' he said: "I went ski diving, I went rocky mountain climbing, "I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu" "And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter, "And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying." An he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance, "To live like you were dyin'. The Secret Of Lasting Personal Change Why do so many of us end up frustrated when we try to improve our personal reality?Why do diets end up in gained weight?Why do some people fail again and again at business?Why do others get into one bad relationship after another - in spite of their deep desire for a "good" relationship?Obviously no one *wishes* to fail in their personal or business life. Yet this is an all-too-common problemLet's face it! We want and deserve to make our lives a better place to be!We want and deserve success! We want a sense of security! We want a good relationship with ourselves and others. The Importance of Friendship My students and clients have constantly heard me stress that our Martial Art is more than just a physical discipline; that it is a discipline that develops both the mind and body. This is so important that Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, the grand master of our lineages, has made it the primary thrust of just about every one of his books about Ninpo and Martial Arts in general. Personal Philosophy is Like The Set of The Sail We have all experienced the blowing winds of disappointment, despair and heartbreak. Why, then, would each of us, in our own individual ship of life, all beginning at the same point, with the same intended destination in mind, arrive at such different places at the end of the journey? 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They boost our spirit and expand our view of certain joys we don't have the chance to appreciate every day. Clicking to Good Vibrations! Recently my dad visited me in Victoria, BC. He is THE most appreciative person I know!While we were out shopping one day, I insisted upon stopping at one place and then another and another--intensly searching for a specific item. Are We Ever Really Alone? A new twist on a familiar quote - Chances are you've heard the term "If it's to be, it's up to me!" I happen to like this quote, the only thing about it is the more life experiences I pick up the more I tend to realize that it's actually only true to a degree.I can hear it now being repeated from behind thousands of computer keyboards across the Internet, "Who the heck do you think you are to challenge the age old wisdom in that quote?". The Miracle of Personal Development One day Mr. Shoaff said, "Jim, if you want to be wealthy and happy, learn this lesson well: Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. No More Frustration: The Thorns of Opportunity - Part II The quest for the ultimate victory.In part one I shared with you how not knowing what you don't know, much like the "thorny" gardener, can rob you of your time, and keep you from enjoying and living the life you want. Without Love Direct Answers - Column for the week of December 30, 2002Kendra and I have been dating almost six years. For the past three years I have constantly asked myself if she is the one. Lessons about Life in an Unexpected Place Did you ever receive a gift in an unexpected place?I did, when I went to McDonald's recently. My order was mistakenly placed as a Child's Happy Meal. Inspired Intuition - Following Your Inner Voice "Some people call the still, small voice insight or intuition?Our insight is a gift from God, not to be taken lightly or for granted.. When Failure is a Gift I wanted, for many many years, to be a mystery writer. Finally I wrote a mystery novel. Facing the Enemies Within We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you've read in the papers. Spring Quotations - Top 30 Quotations About Spring Time "Is it so small a thing To have enjoy'd the sun, To have lived light in the spring, To have loved, to have thought, to have done.. Get Out Of Your Own Way One of the biggest obstacles to our self growth and personal development is.. 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