In high school, a friend of mine was selected to run the 800-meter race in a track meet against our cross-town rival. The problem was that he had never run the race before that day. The person who was supposed to run had injured himself, and was unable to compete. So my willing and eager friend, positioned in the starting blocks, heard the gun, and burst out of the blocks like he had just stolen something. He sprinted, leaving all the other runners in the dust.
Literally, he was at least 100 meters ahead of everyone else on the track. Once he had run one lap (400 meters), he threw his hands in the air in total victory!The problem was that he had another lap to go! So we all began screaming at him, urging him to keep running. When it finally hit him that he needed to run another lap, he did his best to make it around the track one more time, but he was too tired to do so.
All the other runners flew by him!
It took him about four more minutes to make it to the finish line. While he was a fast runner, he failed to pace himself for the race that was at hand.
In your own journey to achieving your dreams, you need to pace yourself. The race to your dreams is not going to be easy.
In fact, the word for race inGreek is where we get our word for “agony.” Your race is going to bechallenging. Sometimes you are going to cry, want to give up. However,when the going gets tough, remind yourself that the race to success isnot a sprint; it is more like a marathon.
You may want to put this book down today with great enthusiasm and begin “sprinting” toward your goal. You’re saying in your head, “I’m going to lose 10 pounds this week; I’m going make one thousand dollars every day. The problem with trying to do too much too soon is that you will soon burn yourself out, and you will end up where you started off. 
Too many people are lying on the side of the road to their dreams because they started too fast.You must condition yourself for the long haul, because the difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is the difference of their habits. Good habits are the secret of success. Therefore, form good ones, and become their slave.
If you want to lose weight, start off realistically, and walk 3 days a week. After you have developed a good consistency, then try to pick up the length of the exercise, and the intensity. The habit-the consistency- will benefit you more in the long run than a spurt here and there.
Your Race is Not a Sprint; It's a Marathon. Pace Yourself!
From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.
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