Finish Your Race

Have you finished your Race? Ever wondered how close you are to your own finish line? To reaching your goals?

One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is from “National Treasure”.  I’ve watched it a million times and never get sick of the ending.

Ben (Nicolas Cage) and his friends have finally shaken their captors and discovered the door to what they believe is the “Treasure Room.”  A search that has spanned 4 generations is about to come to a glorious finale.  They’ve endured scorn,  attempts on their lives and public humiliation to make it to this point… just steps away from where they believe the priceless Treasure awaits.

But then the unthinkable happens.  They open the door… only to find an empty room full of dust and cobwebs.  As you watch, the disappointment is thicker than the darkness of the room .  It hits you like a sledgehammer to the gut.  They sit there, stunned, unwilling to accept the fact that just maybe it was all for naught.

Have you ever reached this point in anything?  In your business?  Ever feel like you’ve done all you can, but that maybe it’s just not meant to be for you?  That the elusive “Treasure Room” will forever remain just outside your grasp?

For Ben and his father, this was about much more than the immense value of the treasure.  This was about vindication for their sacrifices…for their family name.  Have you felt the eyes on you from friends and family?  Is your business less about the nice home, the nice cars and the fat bank account… and more about proving to yourself that you can achieve your dreams?

So what are YOU going to do?

Ben and his friends could have quit right there…and no one would have blamed them.  But they didn’t come this far to quit.  So they took one more chance.  One more step.  Not a wild guess or a goose chase, but a calculated risk drawing on past experiences and successes.

They opened one more door, and found the ultimate Treasure.  They finished their race.

Ok, yeah, that’s Hollywood.  But the principle works in real life, too.  Finish your race, no matter what.

Want a real life example?  Fine, here you go-

Here’s the scene…. Bejing.  2008 Olympics.  The legendary Michael Phelps attempting to pull off an epic Olympic feat.  8 Gold Medals.

Phelps wasn’t quite to the end of his quest yet.  About half-way through, his quest for Gold was about to get derailed before he even approached the finish line.

Men’s 400m Relay.  The Americans were big underdogs to the French team.  The French bragged that they were going to “smash” the Americans.  And no one doubted them… no one except the 4 guys in the lane next to them.

This is another one of those epic moments that you can watch over and over again, and not get tired of it.  As you relive this historical Olympic moment, pay attention to the announcers.  The whole race, they expressed confidence in the American team, but didn’t think it would be enough to overcome the French.

Isn’t that a lot like our dreams and our business? Lots of background noise and chatter?  “Yeah, I love and support you, but you probably can’t do it…”

Sometimes even someone as good as Phelps needs a little help from a friend.  Sometimes in our own lives, we’ve done as much as we can alone.  We need a little extra bump from a mentor, a friend or family member.  And somehow, they always seem to appear out of nowhere… at just the right moment.

Michael Phelps, meet Jason Lezak.

There’s not much else to add here.  Think about what you’re feeling in your heart right now.  Remember it.  Be strong in your hard moments.  Finish your Race, whatever it is.  Don’t ever, EVER quit.

“He who is strongest in his hardest moments makes the greatest contribution to this world of ours…”

Go create a great day, you deserve it!