Take the consolation prize

Our friend Michael Aun is a great storyteller.
His column in our newspaper last week was a gem.
It was about one of his sons and daughter-in-law.
Jason and Jennifer met as Olympic team hopefuls.
They worked hard at the Michigan training center.
Olympic athletes train 10 or more hours a day.
Neither made it — but they met each other.
That was their best consolation prize.
Next best was that they gained a great education.

Jennifer is now in medical school.
Jason earned a degree in molecular microbiology.
Wouldn’t you say those are fine consolation prizes?
They missed the Olympics but found something better.

Michael has his own story of a great near-miss.
He went after Public Speaking’s World Championship.
Toastmaster International stages this each year.
In Toronto, he ran eight seconds over time.
That was enough to disqualify him.
Michael went back through the same arduous process.
He won contests at local, state and regional levels.
Then he competed — and won — in Vancouver.

Michael learned an important lesson:
You must go through Toronto to get to Vancouver.

One of my early goals was to be a war correspondent.
It was a romantic notion, I will admit.
I wanted to write for Paris Match magazine.
They had some of the best reporters in the world.
Fortunately my college French wasn’t strong enough.
Otherwise, I might not be around today.
War correspondents lead dangerous lives.

My consolation prizes are many.
• A fine family and life on beautiful Lake Murray. • My wife-partner in newspaper and book publishing.

• Great friends in a town we love.
• Our own profitable businesses.

Think about your own consolations.
The goals you worked hard to achieve.
How you felt when you didn’t make it.
What consolation prizes God had in store for you.
Theodore Roosevelt said it well.
Better to fail at mighty things than never to have tried.

Special offer for my readers

We’re raising money for literacy tutoring.
Our immediate goal is a modest $10,000.
Our local tutoring program needs it badly.
Proceeds from sales of my books goes to this cause.
Here’s an irresistible (I hope) offer:
Autographed copies of my books at only $20 each.
• “Lead People, Manage Things” on leadership.
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This book contains 22 great success stories.
You’ll learn 22 entrepreneurs success secrets.
All we need to sell is 500 copies of these books.
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