The story: Hare Who Dares.
The race had ended, but glamour had begun in the tortoise’s life. The winner had become talk of the town. All news channels wanted to take his interview. Many TV show’s producers signed tortoise for their next reality show. He was also offered to be the brand ambassador of some multi national companies.
To exploit and cash-in on his popularity, the tortoise also started doing commercials for some companies’ products like fairness cream, shaving cream, toilet cleaner, washing powder, cement, soft drinks, under garments, chocolates, noodles etc. The tortoise was on top of the world.
Friends, well wishers, neighbours and family members of the tortoise organised a grand function in community hall to celebrate his victory.
But deep in his heart, the tortoise knew the truth. He knew that he was not speedy enough to compete with the hare. He had won the race only because there was something not done by the hare. In fact, he knew that he had won the race only by chance, and because the hare had lost it. But the tortoise kept that a secret because he did not want honesty at the cost of fame, money and glamour.
This is what happened in the life of tortoise after the race.
On the other side, after losing the race, the hare had become the joke of the town. People were mocking the hare: they laughed at him behind his back. They passed negative comments on the hare’s defeat.
After facing few embarrassing incidents, the hare began to fear failure, rejection and being criticized. He isolated himself in his burrow house.
The hare labelled his life as a “failure” forever and accepted this label as a reality of his life. Little by little, the hare lost his confidence not only for running, but in other areas of his life, too. He felt his life had no happiness, no confidence, no courage and no peace of mind.
The hare’s life was going on with sufferings. One day, he met his coach tiger at the school play ground. The hare shared his feelings of rejection and failure with him. The hare cried his heart out to his coach. He vent out his frustration by weeping and shouting that he was a loser.
Hare said, “Coach Sir, my reputation at school, my career in sports and prestige in society are all over. I am finished. I am no more a champ.”
“Who told you so?” the coach tiger put his arm around hare’s shoulder and asked.
“I know it,” the hare replied stubbornly.
Trying to encourage the hare, the coach said, “I am inviting you to go for another attempt at the race and to alter the end of the past story. If you did not win once, it does not mean you are a loser forever.”
“But after that shameful defeat, I don’t think I will able to run in front of anybody,” said the hare, who was in the mood for rejecting all proposals.
“Being defeated is a temporary condition. Giving up trying is what makes it permanent. Now you choose what you want in your life,” the tiger tried to make the hare understand.
“I don’t want to choose anything,” the hare was determined not to change his mind.
The coach said, “What happens is not important but how you react and take to what happens is significant. powerful person is not one who never gets angry, upset or irritated, but power lies in how fast one catch ,come out ,resolve and bounce back to normal.”
The coach tiger was even more determined and said, “We know what we do not want, but most of the time we don’t know what we want in life.”
“Do you think I can win if I try again?” the hare asked with doubt.
“Rather than answering your question, I would suggest you to ask yourself. What do you want in your life?” the tiger asked. “Either do or do not. There is nothing like try.”
The coach wanted to enable the hare to take some action in his life without the burden of his past.
The hare closed his eyes, thought a few minutes and said, “I want success, happiness and joy in my life. I want to alter the end of that story.” The hare felt power within him when he declared what he wanted in his life.
“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure. Forget everything except what you are going to do now and just do it,” the coach said and demanded action from hare.
Now Lets see in Next Blog – How Our Hare Dares…continue
