The Key to Success

Warrior Dash 2012 - Finish Line

Andy Veen & Craig Gray

There was a young man who wanted to be successful in life, so he went to this old guru who was very successful at everything he did and asked him how he did it. The guru said to meet him on the beach at 6am the next day and he'd show him how to be successful. So, next morning the young man dresses in his best clothes and meets the guru on the beach at 6 am.

The old man grabs on to the young mans hand and asked, "How bad do you want to be successful?"


The young man says, "really bad."

So the old man takes the young man by the hand and wades waist deep out into the morning surf. The young man is thinking, this old man is crazy, I want to be successful, not learn how to swim! But he humors the old man because he wants to know how he became so successful.

The old man goes out deeper in the water and says "come out a little further."  So the young man does. Now the water is up to his chest and the young man is starting to think about going back in. The guru sees his hesitation and says, "I thought you wanted to succeed in life?" To which the young man replies, "I do." Well then, the old man says, you'll need to come out further.

About the time when the young man walked out deeper until the water is just below his lips, the guru pushed the young man's head down under the water and held him down. The young man began to panic and struggle, but the guru held him down firmly. The startled young man kept thrashing around trying to get to the surface, but the guru continued to hold his head down. Just when the young man was ready to pass out the old man let him go.

Coming up gasping for air the young man screamed, "You crazy old bastard, what are you doing trying to kill me?" To which the guru replied, "When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful."

The journey to success in anything often takes more than we hope or we would like. It is not easy, nor is it convenient. It take hard work and sacrifice. There are no short cuts to success. Most people who say they want to be successful don't want it bad enough, they just kinda want it. They'll take it if it's easy enough, if it's cheap enough, if it's convenient enough, if it fits in with everything else they have going on in life. If it isn't they give up and make excuses why it wasn't their fault that they aren't successful. Or they try to measure their success by the stuff they have rather than the life that they are living.

Don't go and quit, your already in pain, you've already sacrificed, make your pain and sacrifice worth something. Keep going. You will never be successful until you're willing to do it without being paid a dime. You'll do it even when it isn't convenient or easy. When you want to be successful as much as you want to breathe then you'll succeed. 

Are you willing to do what it takes to be successful?

If you are, be careful at what you choose to be successful in.

Keep going.
~Craig

*Story and some commentary paraphrased from Rap Preacher Eric Thomson