Dan McLaughlin

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To Home Page Latest Newsletter Column Archives Click to get these columns for your local paper	© 2006 Daniel J. McLaughlin Run Your Own Race People take their places on the starting line, “on your mark, get set, go!” … and they’re off. That is typically how a marathon begins. When the racers get to the end of the race, the one who went the fastest crosses the finish line first, those who didn’t go as fast end up with slower times. As long as the start was fair, the runners stayed on the course and did not trip another competitor, nobody can have a quarrel with the winner, even if he is faster, stronger and bigger. The free market is like a marathon. Everyone starts with the same 24 hours each day, 365 days a year. The race is long with many ups and downs and twists and turns. Like the marathon, the person with the best performance crosses the finish line first. But, as with most marathons, most people don’t expect to be the winner. They are competing against themselves. They try to run the best time they can achieve. Each person has different goals for the race and decides how much time to devote to training and improvement. Each person benefits according to his or her own performance. The competitors in a free market come in all shapes and sizes. Some are fast, some are slow, some are big, others small, some have worked out daily, others have vegetated by the TV. Some people start with advantages of a strong mind, a strong body, a supportive family, some amount of capital or a host of other characteristics. Still, the market is absolutely fair when it is free of coercion, fraud and manipulation. Everyone has the opportunity to decide how to use their given 24 hours. Some start with all of the advantages possible and squander them. Others start with everything going against them, but find their stride and do what it takes to run the race. They end up in the top of the pack because they did what it takes. Examples of both types abound. Helen Keller, a blind and deaf girl with everything stacked against her, grew up to be one of the most inspiring people of all times. She overcame the odds and ended up touching the lives of millions of people. A couple of guys with nothing but a good idea started a small company in their garage. By giving people real value, they ended up millionaires. A college dropout with vision became the richest man on earth. The flip side are people with everything on their side who take the easy road, or abuse their bodies or, only take without giving, and end up destroying their own lives or the lives of many others. In between the extremes is everyone else. The wonderful thing about the free market marathon is that you can decide how to pace yourself. You can spend any portion of your 24 hours a day in earning and learning, developing new skills, fostering relationships, and building physical and emotional capital. Alternately, you can choose to waste your time being unproductive, watching television, overspending and depleting the capital you build up, or trying to break the rules of the race. Whatever the choice, you reap the fruits of your actions. There are those that want nothing other than to win. That is fine for them. If they pay the steep personal cost that it takes to run the fastest, they should win. Most people aren’t interested in paying the extreme price of winning. All they are after is a respectable showing and improvement in their results. They pay a smaller price in time and personal sacrifice and reap a smaller benefit. Every one of us exists right now with a given set of characteristics, skills, abilities, and physical and financial assets. A new race starts today. Where you are going to be tomorrow, next week, next year or 20 years from now depends on what you decide to do today and every day. Blaming, whining and complaining will not help you run any faster. Dragging other people down won’t make you finish any better. In the marathon of life, relationships matter. By cooperating with other people you are helping yourself. By lifting other people up, you yourself will be lifted up. Cooperation is always a two way street. Nobody said the race will be easy, but be thankful. Every day, you are free to run your own race. Here’s to a new year and a new start. Best wishes for a blessed 2007.
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Daniel Mclaughlin Copyright © 2006 [Daniel McLaughlin]. All rights reserved. Revised: 03/18/08

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Run Your Own Race

People take their places on the starting line, “on your mark, get set, go!” … and they’re off. That is typically how a marathon begins. When the racers get to the end of the race, the one who went the fastest crosses the finish line first, those who didn’t go as fast end up with slower times. As long as the start was fair, the runners stayed on the course and did not trip another competitor, nobody can have a quarrel with the winner, even if he is faster, stronger and bigger.

The free market is like a marathon. Everyone starts with the same 24 hours each day, 365 days a year. The race is long with many ups and downs and twists and turns. Like the marathon, the person with the best performance crosses the finish line first. But, as with most marathons, most people don’t expect to be the winner. They are competing against themselves. They try to run the best time they can achieve. Each person has different goals for the race and decides how much time to devote to training and improvement. Each person benefits according to his or her own performance.

The competitors in a free market come in all shapes and sizes. Some are fast, some are slow, some are big, others small, some have worked out daily, others have vegetated by the TV. Some people start with advantages of a strong mind, a strong body, a supportive family, some amount of capital or a host of other characteristics. Still, the market is absolutely fair when it is free of coercion, fraud and manipulation. Everyone has the opportunity to decide how to use their given 24 hours. Some start with all of the advantages possible and squander them. Others start with everything going against them, but find their stride and do what it takes to run the race. They end up in the top of the pack because they did what it takes.

Examples of both types abound. Helen Keller, a blind and deaf girl with everything stacked against her, grew up to be one of the most inspiring people of all times. She overcame the odds and ended up touching the lives of millions of people. A couple of guys with nothing but a good idea started a small company in their garage. By giving people real value, they ended up millionaires. A college dropout with vision became the richest man on earth. The flip side are people with everything on their side who take the easy road, or abuse their bodies or, only take without giving, and end up destroying their own lives or the lives of many others.

In between the extremes is everyone else. The wonderful thing about the free market marathon is that you can decide how to pace yourself. You can spend any portion of your 24 hours a day in earning and learning, developing new skills, fostering relationships, and building physical and emotional capital. Alternately, you can choose to waste your time being unproductive, watching television, overspending and depleting the capital you build up, or trying to break the rules of the race. Whatever the choice, you reap the fruits of your actions.

There are those that want nothing other than to win. That is fine for them. If they pay the steep personal cost that it takes to run the fastest, they should win. Most people aren’t interested in paying the extreme price of winning. All they are after is a respectable showing and improvement in their results. They pay a smaller price in time and personal sacrifice and reap a smaller benefit.

Every one of us exists right now with a given set of characteristics, skills, abilities, and physical and financial assets. A new race starts today. Where you are going to be tomorrow, next week, next year or 20 years from now depends on what you decide to do today and every day. Blaming, whining and complaining will not help you run any faster. Dragging other people down won’t make you finish any better.

In the marathon of life, relationships matter. By cooperating with other people you are helping yourself. By lifting other people up, you yourself will be lifted up. Cooperation is always a two way street.

Nobody said the race will be easy, but be thankful. Every day, you are free to run your own race. Here’s to a new year and a new start. Best wishes for a blessed 2007.

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