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A Daily Dose of the American Dream
by Alan C. ElliottSeptember 3
The Cripple Who Won the Gold" In belief lies the secret of all valuable exertion. " : Bulwer-Lytton
How many times have you used excuses to rationalize your way out of success? Not enough education, not enough smarts, perhaps a physical problem. Zig Ziegler calls it "Stinkin' Thinkin'." He warns us about "hardening of the attitudes." Wilma Rudolph is an example of how an undying belief in yourself can be the catalyst to overcoming your problems. Polio took a toll on Wilma. For six of her young years, she wore braces and could not walk. Wilma believed those braces would come off one day. The doctor told her to exercise. She thought if a little exercise is good, a lot must be real good. When her parents were away, she took the braces off and tried walking. She tried again and again. When she was 11 she told the doctor, "I have something to show you." She took her braces off and walked across the room. She never put them back on.
Wilma Rudolph wanted to play sports. After some false starts at basketball she finally confronted her coach, "If you give me 10 minutes a day, I will give you in return a world-class athlete." The coach laughed uncontrollably, but Wilma got the 10 minutes. When basketball season was over, Wilma turned to track. By age 14 she was on the track team, and by 16 she was encouraged to prepare for the Olympics. She won a bronze medal in the 1956 Olympics and three gold medals in 1960.
CONSIDER THIS: Belief in yourself and hard work can make you a world-class individual in whatever area you choose. What will you have if you give up? What can you have if you keep on trying?
This story is adapted from A Daily Dose of the American Dream, by Alan Elliott, published by Rutledge Hill Press. The book contains 366 stories, one for each day of the year.
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Readable history:
ISBN:
978-0-7656-1821-4
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