What Would You Do If You Knew You Could Not Fail? - Paperback

by Patrick Grayson (Author)

When I write, there is a quantum leap from what I know to what I put down. I love where it comes from, and subsequently I have learnt much from what I have written. My writings emerge from topics that I grapple to understand. For reference material, I use life and reverence. To read the work is to know me. Each story has a message to offer, a truth - well, the way I see truth. To get the most from these stories, only read one or two a day. If you read too many, the stories will get lost in each other. They have been categorised to make them easier to work through. Finally, I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. The applause was deafening as he ambled to the podium. Although stooped, he carried an air of confidence and distinction that age could not disguise. Somehow he seemed larger than his diminutive self. Shaggy white hair flopped over his wide forehead. Enormous eyebrows sheltered bright sparkling eyes, eyes that twinkled with intelligence. His clothes were those of a gentleman who walks in the park. Not dapper nor pretentious; comfortable perhaps? Most notable was his smile, wide and authentic, the smile of a man who has had a satisfying life. Finally reaching the podium, he leaned on it for support. As the attendant helped with placing the mike on Dr Jennings's lapel, he surveyed the audience. He did this with confidence and interest. He saw eager young faces, the faces of the graduates to whom the day belonged. They were the cream of the MBA students who were to be capped after his speech. His first words were hardly audible, almost as if they were to himself. The students leaned forward, straining to hear. They did not want to miss a word from this captain of industry, whose modest beginnings had not prevented him from becoming a household name. With more focus and louder this time, he said, 'What would you do if you knew you could not fail?' Still, it was offered as if his mind were elsewhere and, as the students followed his speech, they learned that it was. He was reminiscing about a time, sixty-eight years earlier, when he was fourteen. He talked about a dream he had had. A profound dream, that had directed the course of his life, shaped him as an icon, not only in his own country but around the world. In the dream, he saw himself determinedly striding up a mountain, higher and higher, short of breath, tired, but driven. Onwards he continued, passing gnarled, stunted trees and ice-covered moss until, in mist and cold, he reached the summit. Immediately, he heard a friendly voice, 'So you finally made it?' Peering into the swirling haze, he saw an elfin man, with a long white beard and bushy hair that seemed to merge with the fog. 'Sit down on this stone and rest, for I have a message that I am to pass on to you.' Some forty-five minutes later, zombie-like, he made his way back down the mountain, with the words of the elfin man ringing in his ears, '"Live your life as if you cannot fail." 'And so, ladies and gentleman, I did, ' announced Dr Jennings. 'I had the mantra I cannot fail guiding me all these years. Consequently, I did not have the insecurities that seem to inhibit most of society. I recommend that you contemplate what you would do if you knew you could not fail.' He became quiet, letting that last thought sink in. 'You would be dauntless, navigating through life's impediments, as if they did not exist. Knowing that you could not fail would give you the confidence to embark on any project, in any situation, knowing that you would win. With no thought of ridicule, your creativity would flow. With the outcome assured, you would work with zeal for the early fruition of all that you did. You would do more in your life and there would no procrastination. Imagine the tasks you could accomplish in your allotted time, if you knew that there was no risk!'