June 27, 2009

The little girl's name was Beth. When Beth started swimming at her local swim school, she quickly became the top swimmer in her age group and her teacher told her parents that she had a lot of natural ability.

One day Beth watched the Barcelona Olympics on TV. As she clapped her hands and cheered for her swimming idols, Beth decided that she wanted to win an Olympic gold medal of her own.

Beth joined the local swimming squad and started training. Every morning she got up at 4:30am and went swimming before school began. She progressed well and when she was 17, Beth qualified for the National Championships.

At the championships, Beth needed to finish first or second to make it into the Olympic team. At the sound of the starter's gun, Beth dived into the water and swam as hard and as fast as she possibly could. When she touched the wall and looked up at the results board, she discovered that she had finished sixth.

Beth was very disappointed but she returned home and trained even harder. The following year she finished 5th at the Nationals and the year after that she came 7th.

Beth never did make it to the Olympics, but her years of diligent swimming training led her to join the National Lifesaving Association.

One morning while she was patrolling the beach, Beth saw a young boy struggling in the water. She dived into the raging surf and managed to pull the boy to safety.

The boys parents were crying uncontrollably as they hugged Beth and thanked her over and over again for saving their little boy's life.

In that instant, Beth learned a lesson that would stay with her forever. She realised that even if you don't attain a specific goal, the process of pursuing your dreams often leads you to achieve success in ways you have never imagined.

So never be afraid to reach for your dreams. The skills you learn and the person you become are the real rewards that come from your efforts to transform your dreams into reality.