One of my most cherished assumptions is that all goals are reachable if you work hard to achieve them. I believe with dedication and faith, any person can accomplish what they set out to do in life and become a winner. Throughout history there were many people we considered winners, who, in fact, lost many times in their lives. A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had "no good ideas." Even though he hit 714 home runs, Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times. Thomas Edison performed more than 1,100 unsuccessful experiments before inventing the light bulb. He said, "I found out 1,100 ways how not to do things." Even the great racing horse Secretariat lost his first race. I ...view middle of the document...
The problem was, so had someone else. Chelsea was her name. She was all that stood between my McDonald's Extra Value Meal and me. With only one person left to beat, I could practically guarantee the victory. As Chelsea and I stood ready and waiting, Mr. Coon gave us the final word: extravaganza. I knew this one! The McDonald's Extra Value Meal was mine for sure, or so I thought it was! E-X-T-R-A-dot, dot, dot...and that was as far as I got on my chalkboard. I didn't know the rest of the word! I sounded it out as best I could, but still failed to put the letters together. I lost the spelling bee and Chelsea won the McDonald's Extra Value Meal. That day I was devastated. I felt like I'd failed. However, looking back now, I realize that I didn't really lose. I went into that spelling bee with everything I had, but I didn't win. However, life's a lot like that. It's not really about whether you win or lose, succeed or fail, but it's about how you approach any situation and see yourself as a winner. Maintaining a positive attitude is key to...
