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The Reminder
Let's accept that we can all have a bad minute, a bad hour, a bad game, even a bad day, because we are, after all, only human.
Fine, bounce back! But what happens if the bad run goes on too long? What if it goes on so long that you feel like it will never end and that you just can't go on? What if it all seems too much and you feel like giving up?
Let me tell you a little story here about a distance runner who ran really good times until the very last lap when he would lose the lead and easily lose the race. His coach asked him why this happened. "It's the bell Coach," the boy answered. "When I hear that bell and think there is still one more lap to go, I realise how much it hurts and it just saps my strength."
"Okay," said the coach, "next time you hear that bell, I just want you to stop running and sit down on the side of the track until the race is over."
"I can't do that!" replied the boy.
"Why not? If you're hurting, just stop."
"But what about my parents who pay for me to come here and give up so much so that I can run? What about my younger brothers who look up to me? What about all my friends who think I can win Gold at the Olympics? I would be letting them all down."
"Next time the bell rings, why don't you think about them," said the coach.