Excellence- Determination to Compete
We also see that few of us give up the spirit of fighting back with the competition. We loose our courage with every move of the competition. We feel that we are handicapped. Our products are not best priced and we feel helpless. The inner drive to succeed recedes. The determination to persist under difficult circumstances gets lost. A winner who wants to succeed will display the stubborn spirit to fight irrespective of whatever handicap he or she may have.
This reminds me of the story of Wilma Rudolph.
Wilma was born in a large but very poor family in USA in 1940. She was the 20th of 22 children. Her parents were honest, hardworking people but black. Her father worked as a porter and mother worked as a maid in the rich white family. In 1940, millions of Americans were poor, out of work and homeless because of the depression. Her parents managed to make both ends meet by doing things like making their children’s dresses out of sacks.
Wilma was born prematurely and weighed only 4.5 pounds. Because of racial discrimination, Wilma and her mother were not permitted to be cared for at the local hospital. It was for the whites only. There was only one black doctor and Wilma’s family could not afford the budget. So Wilma’s mother had to nurse Wilma at home through household medicines. Wilma was unfortunate that during her infancy she had to suffer illness after illness. Illnesses like measles, mumps, scarlet fever, chicken pox and double pneumonia.
But, she had to be taken to the doctor when it was discovered that her left leg and foot were becoming weak and deformed. He told that Wilma had a polio a crippling disease that had no cure. The doctor told her mother that Wilma would never walk. Wilma was four then. But her mother refused to accept the doctor’s verdict. She did not give up and found that she could be treated at black hospital which was 50 miles away. Mother took Wilma three times in a week for two years until she could walk with the help of metal leg brace. Then the doctors taught how to do the physical therapy at home. All her brothers and sisters helped Wilma and they did everything to encourage her to be strong.
Her mother told Wilma that with persistence and faith she could do anything she wanted. Wilma told mother that she wanted to be the fastest woman on the track on this earth. At the age of nine against the advice of her doctor she removed the brace and took the first step on the earth without the help of the brace.
At the age of 13 she took part in the first race and came last. She again entered her second race and third and fourth and came last until a day came when she came first. At the age of 15 she went to the university and met a coach. She told him that, “I want to be the fastest woman on the earth.” The coach said that with her attitude and spirit nobody can stop her and he would be too willing to help her. He coached for a year.
The day came when she was at Olympics in 1960. At the Olympics one is matched with the best of best in the world. With her was another woman named Jutta who was never beaten in her life in any competition. The first event was 100 meter race. Wilma beat Jutta and won her first gold medal. The second event was 200 meter and Wilma beat Jutta and won her second gold medal.
The third event was 400 meter relay and she was racing against Jutta once again. In the relay, the fastest person always runs the last lap. The first three persons ran and changed the batons easily. When it came to Wilma’s turn, she dropped the baton. But Wilma saw Jutta shoot up, she immediately picked up the baton and ran like a machine and beat Jutta a third time and won her third gold medal. It has become a history: That a paralytic woman became the fastest woman on this earth at the 1960 Olympics.
We all must believe that the mind is the most powerful computer and we can achieve what we program in the mind. What we need is Wilma’s stubborn determination, Wilma’s courage, Wilma’s attitude and Wilma’s hard work.
This reminds me of the story of Wilma Rudolph.
Wilma was born in a large but very poor family in USA in 1940. She was the 20th of 22 children. Her parents were honest, hardworking people but black. Her father worked as a porter and mother worked as a maid in the rich white family. In 1940, millions of Americans were poor, out of work and homeless because of the depression. Her parents managed to make both ends meet by doing things like making their children’s dresses out of sacks.
Wilma was born prematurely and weighed only 4.5 pounds. Because of racial discrimination, Wilma and her mother were not permitted to be cared for at the local hospital. It was for the whites only. There was only one black doctor and Wilma’s family could not afford the budget. So Wilma’s mother had to nurse Wilma at home through household medicines. Wilma was unfortunate that during her infancy she had to suffer illness after illness. Illnesses like measles, mumps, scarlet fever, chicken pox and double pneumonia.
But, she had to be taken to the doctor when it was discovered that her left leg and foot were becoming weak and deformed. He told that Wilma had a polio a crippling disease that had no cure. The doctor told her mother that Wilma would never walk. Wilma was four then. But her mother refused to accept the doctor’s verdict. She did not give up and found that she could be treated at black hospital which was 50 miles away. Mother took Wilma three times in a week for two years until she could walk with the help of metal leg brace. Then the doctors taught how to do the physical therapy at home. All her brothers and sisters helped Wilma and they did everything to encourage her to be strong.
Her mother told Wilma that with persistence and faith she could do anything she wanted. Wilma told mother that she wanted to be the fastest woman on the track on this earth. At the age of nine against the advice of her doctor she removed the brace and took the first step on the earth without the help of the brace.
At the age of 13 she took part in the first race and came last. She again entered her second race and third and fourth and came last until a day came when she came first. At the age of 15 she went to the university and met a coach. She told him that, “I want to be the fastest woman on the earth.” The coach said that with her attitude and spirit nobody can stop her and he would be too willing to help her. He coached for a year.
The day came when she was at Olympics in 1960. At the Olympics one is matched with the best of best in the world. With her was another woman named Jutta who was never beaten in her life in any competition. The first event was 100 meter race. Wilma beat Jutta and won her first gold medal. The second event was 200 meter and Wilma beat Jutta and won her second gold medal.
The third event was 400 meter relay and she was racing against Jutta once again. In the relay, the fastest person always runs the last lap. The first three persons ran and changed the batons easily. When it came to Wilma’s turn, she dropped the baton. But Wilma saw Jutta shoot up, she immediately picked up the baton and ran like a machine and beat Jutta a third time and won her third gold medal. It has become a history: That a paralytic woman became the fastest woman on this earth at the 1960 Olympics.
We all must believe that the mind is the most powerful computer and we can achieve what we program in the mind. What we need is Wilma’s stubborn determination, Wilma’s courage, Wilma’s attitude and Wilma’s hard work.
posted by Sudhin Choksey @ 11:52 PM
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