ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY- Are You Running Like Seabiscuit?
When I think of America’s greatest Thoroughbred racehorses, two names come to mind, Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989) and Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947). Both horses were great and exceeded the expectations of those around them. However, they impacted the lives of millions quite differently.
Secretariat was sired by the Hall of Fame racehorse, “Bold Ruler.” From his birth, he was noted as, “A perfect a foal that I ever delivered” by the manager, Howard Gentry. “Big Red” as he was called, distinguished himself from the others in personality, balance, power, well-muscled hindquarters, and was noted as “an absolutely perfect horse.” Secretariat’s owner, trainer, and jockey, while imperfect, were at the top of their games and resources. Secretariat went on to become the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years. After he died, he was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, marking the first time an animal received this honor. Secretariat was a horse of great pedigree and captured the lives of the American people, especially those of the upper crust at the time.
Seabiscuit’s story and impact was quite different. Although his grandfather was the famous, “Man O War”, Seabiscuit was a small, undersized, knobby-kneed, horse who was given to sleeping and eating for long periods. Because of his failings, he was sometimes the butt of stable jokes and lacked the attention of the other more favorable horses. His owner, Charles Howard was a wealthy businessman who suffered great loss from the death of his son in a car accident, a divorce, and depression. Seabiscuit’s trainer, Tom Smith, had been suspended from racing for a year due to his stable foreman administering a stimulant to one of the horses, although it was done without Smith’s specific authorization. His jockey was Red Pollard, an abandoned, poverty-stricken, too-tall, angry, partially blind, injury-plagued man who simply loved to ride horses.
In the eyes of many, Seabiscuit was a failure with no potential or purpose from the start. He was damaged and surrounded by overwhelming odds that made it impossible for him to succeed. Like Seabiscuit, many of us have been placed in a similar position. Due to our past or current situation, we feel, believe, or have been told that we aren’t good enough or there was something in our lives that was too great an obstacle to offer greatness and purpose to others. People who secretly have unspoken issues through their pain have swept messages of judgment, closed doors, and hints that weakness or imperfection were ironically tools that were unusable to impact lives.
We often forget that like Seabiscuit, we have a secret weapon. You see, both horses were great horses for sure. However, Seabiscuit was a horse of the people during a time when people were hurting, at their worst, and needed to see an example of someone who, through their issues could be used for greatness. Seabiscuit’s secret weapon was that little expectation was placed on him because of his value through other people’s eyes. Because people did not expect much due to his weakness and obstacles, they assumed he was no threat. However, what they did not understand was that something had been placed in him that was intended to be used because of his weakness and obstacles to show others it was never about strength or might but about what was being done in and through him that changed everything and overcame the mightiest of others. Like Secretariat, Seabiscuit ran from behind. However, when Seabiscuit came face to face with other horses, especially, the invincible, Triple-Crown winner, War Admiral in the match of the century, he saw his rival and handled his business to win by four lengths despite War Admiral’s running his best time for the distance.
Seabiscuit was named American Horse of the Year. He was a horse and a hope of the people, young and old, rich and poor, and of all backgrounds. He gave hope, not in spite, but through his weaknesses and issues because he and those around him were willing to stand up, take another step, and be used for something greater than their past, their feelings, or other’s boxes of limitation.
Each of us has a story and has specific issues and situations in our lives that are meant to be shared and used for some purpose to serve others. Before we can be of use to others, we must first be willing to be okay with knowing our issues, past, junk, and stuff are and will never be an obstacle unless we allow them to be. Our stories are not there for us to remain victims of them or to blame and stay angry but to use them to be better. What story have you been given that you are not allowing to be used like Seabiscuit?
Take care,
Charlotte
Dream Madly, Pursue Wildly, Trust Completely tm
Copyright © 2018 by Charlotte D. Hunt All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, or otherwise without written permission from the author except for brief quotations in printed reviews.