In the 1912 Olympics competition, Jim Thorpe, an American Indian from Oklahoma, represented the U.S. in track and field. Prior to the 1500 meters in the decathlon Jim reached into his gym bag to pull out his shoes — and they were missing.
Theories abound as to why they were missing, who took them, what really happened, etc. — but the fact is that he had a matter of minutes to get to the starting line.
He desperately asked teammates if they had an extra pair of shoes. One teammate had an extra shoe. It was too small, but he squeezed his foot into it. And the other shoe he found in a trash bin. It was too big, and he put a couple pair of socks to make that fit. Then he went out and competed against the greatest decathletes in the world and won the 1500-meter race wearing these shoes. By the end of the day Jim won two gold medals.
This is a perfect reminder that you don’t have to resign to the excuses that have held you back. So what if life hasn’t been fair? What are you going to do about it today? Whatever you woke up with this morning — stolen shoes, ill health, failed relationships, don’t let it stop you from running your race; don’t give up, don’t quit, don’t be so discouraged that you can’t function. You can experience more in life if you’ll get over the excuses and get on with living. You can have reasons — or you can have results!