The stage was set. Their bodies did sweat.
They were ready to run. On the sound of the gun.
On your marks, get set, [fire sound]!
Mr. Toastmaster, fellow
Toastmasters and friends. The two of them met for the first time at a bar a few
days before that evening. While in the middle of drinks and conversations, the
tortoise called Turty was boasting about his tenacity and perseverance that he
can win any battle. At the distance round the corner listening to all this
self-flattery was sitting the rabbit, Rabby. He too was drinking.
“Enough of this”, said Rabby. “If
you can win any battle, prove it to me.”
The challenge was accepted and
here they were, standing next to each other at the starting point of a long
race track. The rules were simple. Whoever reaches the finish line first, wins.
On your marks, get set, [fire
sound]!
The rabbit began to run with
super fast speed, leaving Turty the tortoise so far behind that the poor guy
was nowhere to be seen. As Rabby was about to reach the finish line, he looked
behind. Turty was not even in his eye’s reach.
Rabby decided to take a quick nap
under an adjoining tree. All this while as the rabbit was sleeping, Turty was
walking. Slowly. Steadily. Walking.
After a while, as Rabby opened
his eyes, what does he see? Turty is about to reach the finish line. He gets
up, puts his feet on the ground and runs as fast as he could but alas. Before
he could reach the finish line, slow Turty had already crossed it.
Ladies and gentlemen, the winner
is. Turty the tortoise!
How many of you have heard this
story? Of course everyone!
What’s the moral?
Slow and steady wins the race.
But… the story is not over.
The next day, Rabby sat with
himself with disappointment. How could he lose? It was a slow-walking tortoise.
He realized that the only reason he lost was because he became overconfident
and slept off.
So, in order to get back his lost
pride, he went to the same bar and challenged Turty once again to another race.
With pride and confidence, Turty gladly accepted.
They were to fight another battle
in a week at the same place, same time.
The stage was set. Their bodies
did sweat.
They were ready to run. On the
sound of the gun.
On your marks, get set, [fire sound]!
Hearing the sound of the gun the rabbit began to run as fast as he
could. He had learnt his lesson. He knew, this time he was not going to stop
and make any mistake. He ran and ran and ran. As the finish line was in his
eye’s reach, he looked back. The turtle was nowhere to be seen.
But this time, he knew. He was
not going to sleep. He kept running and with a huge margin, crossed the finish
line and won the race.
Ladies and gentlemen, the winner
is, Rabby!
Wait a minute. The tortoise lost?
Looks like he did.
What do we learn here?
The fast and consistent always
beats the slow and steady.
But… the story is still not over.
This time, after facing the
defeat Turty felt disappointed and humiliated. He sat with himself and thought.
Actually, this whole race was unfair. How can a turtle win a race from a rabbit
on a flat ground? He thought for a while and decided to change his strategy.
He went to the same inn and
challenged Rabby to another race.
“Ooohhhh… I’m scared!” Rabby
exclaimed. Proud and confident, Rabby accepted the challenge.
This time, the
track was one of Turty’s choosing.
The stage was set. Their bodies
did sweat.
They were ready to run. On the
sound of the gun.
On your marks, get set, [fire sound]!
The Rabby ran and ran and ran as
fast as he could. He already knew what had to be done to win the race. While
running at top speed, he suddenly stopped at the edge of what looked like a
huge water body. It was a river. He stood at the edge of the river, thinking
what to do. He could see the finish line at the distance on the other side of
the river bank but had no idea how to reach there.
As he was in his thoughts, Turty
came to the lakeside.
“Bye bye!” he said to Rabby.
Entered in the water and swam to the other side. Got up, started walking and in
a short while, crossed the finish line!
Ladies and gentlemen, the winner
is… Turty!!!
Hurray!
So what do we learn here?
First, identify your core
strengths then change the playing field to match those core strengths.
By this time, after running all
these races together, both Turty and Rabby had become close friends.
They did
some thinking together and realized that the last race could be run much
better. They decided to run one final time but to run as a team this time.
They started off with Rabby
carrying Turty on his back till the river bank. Then Rabby climbed on Turty to
reach to the other side of the river. Rabby, who had regained his breath by now
again put Turty on his back and ran quickly to reach the finish line.
Ladies and gentlemen, the winners
are… The Tortoise and the Rabbit!
So what do we learn here?
You may be great as an individual
but you achieve much more when you work as a team.
Michael Jordan has said, “Talent
wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”
Both the Tortoise and the Rabbit won and felt a great sense of
fulfillment and satisfaction when they worked as a team.
Ladies and gentlemen I ask you.
What do you want to do? Win the game or the championship?
The choice is yours.
Toastmaster.
Wanna see some more posts about public speaking along with some tips and tricks? Check out my parent blog: Agastya Maurya Blog.
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