Are You a Race Horse?

Let’s face it. Life comes at you fast. It often seems that from the minute we are born, our time is scheduled, milestones have to be met. We speed through life as if it's a race trying to ensure that we will be the winner in the end. But at what cost does winning have?

When a horse is running around a track, competing with the other horses, it wears blinders to keep out distractions. It looks straight ahead, keeping focus only on what it can see directly in front of him. What is the horse missing while running this race? The horse is missing the whinnies of the other animals, the bright colors of the jockey’s outfits, the cheering fans, and the clear blue sky. The horse is missing the softness of the grass surrounding the track, and the warm summer air while it’s running. At the end of the race, when it’s wearing the fancy flower garland and sporting the newest cooling blanket, has the horse really won? When it’s standing in the winner’s circle alone, while the other animals are being walked together to cool down, are the extra carrots worth it?

You might ask how does this fit into my financial success story. I used to be a race horse. I used to run straight ahead, blinders on, trying to reach the finish line, only to find that I seemed to miss it every time I circled the track. I kept running, thinking the next lap would bring me the flower garland and carrots. Then one day I forgot to put my blinders on and began to see the big prize that had surrounded me all this time.

Everyone’s “winnings” or “finish lines” are different. Comparing mine to yours wouldn’t be fair because we both live different lives, and have different circumstances. Each of us have to run our own race, at our own speed, or choose to not to run at all. The prize isn’t necessarily a large gold cup at the end of final lap, but quite possibly the enjoyment of the trot along the way.

You might not end up being the fastest horse, the most famous thorough bred or winner of the most blue ribbons, but I bet in the end your carrots will taste much sweeter........ the grass will be softer and you’ll enjoy the flowers growing in the field just as much as if they were hanging around your neck.

Are You A Race Horse?

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