The day had finally arrived. As I looked out the scenery was breathtaking. The butterflies in my stomach were fluttering. My heart was beating faster too. I had made the decision and believed it was the right decision. I was determined to stick to it. The time was now here and I was going to make the jump. So here I went.

What a view! It was better than I ever expected it would be. Ah! The feeling of perfect freedom was so exhilarating. That confident feeling now swelled in my chest even more than before. I was getting closer & closer to my target now. I knew everyone would finally be proud of me and glad I decided to make the plunge into my new adventure.

It wasn't long before I had my feet solidly planted on the ground. The cheering was more than I expected. I had reached my target. I was sure now the decision I made today would greatly influence my future life dramatically. I had finally reached a goal I had planned for a long time.

Did you really think I made a parachute jump? No I didn't. This was some part of a 5-minute speech I made at the National Convention of the Dale Carnegie Organization several years ago. I don't know if it were the exact words or not. But it is the best I can remember.

The speech was an analogy of my decision to leave the family florist business and pursue a sales career. All the words I used and the incidents I described were very realistic to the challenging decision I made. I really did leave the audience spellbound. The emotions I expressed were very convincing. I did explain in the final minute of the speech what it was all about however.

But the day turned out a little disappointing. I lost the contest. My speech went over the time limit by 2-3 seconds. The judges finally agreed that was the only reason I lost the contest. I was so emotionally involved in that speech that I didn't pay enough attention to my wife and a couple of other people giving me time signs from the back of the room.

I did learn a valuable lesson that day and it was this. Defeat is very disappointing but it's never permanent. I try to spread those words to anyone whose ever had any disappointment in life. I encourage them to not give up. I tell them if they will just hang on and keep at it sooner or later success will come their way.

In the years that followed I did win some local and regional speech awards but I never got the chance to enter another national contest. I did become a graduate assistant with the Dale Carnegie organization eventually. The duties were to give sample speeches each week during the training of new students. It was exciting to do and the instructor was fun to work with.

I also went on to join the National Speakers Association with the idea to become a professional speaker. I did get some contracts for speeches and made some money from them. However I never realized my big dream. But I think I finally found my niche in life when I became a sales supervisor training a team of salesmen. This was one of the most exciting and profitable times of my life. It was gratifying to see how I was able to help them develop profitable territories.

I believe you have to come to realize that your life doesn't always turn out the way you expect. But if you will just be persistent, have a burning desire to achieve your dreams, and initiate the proper action steps consistently, in most cases, you will produce the most fulfilling life you ever expected. Just go for it and see if that's not true.