The loser who never gave up! A story with great motivation. When he was a little boy his uncle called him “Sparky”, after a comic-strip horse named Spark Plug. School was all but impossible for Sparky. He failed every subject in his grade. He flunked physics in high school, getting a grade of zero. He also flunked latin, algebra and english. And his record in sports wasn’t any better. Though he did manage to make the school’s golf team, he promptly lost the only important match of the season. Oh, there was a consolation match; he lost that too. Sparky was a loser. He, his classmates, everyone knew it. So he learned to live with it. One thing was important to Sparky, however — drawing. He was proud of his artwork. No one else appreciated it. But that didn’t seem to matter to him. In his senior year of high school, he submitted some cartoons to the yearbook. The editors rejected the concept. Despite this brush-off, Sparky was convinced of his ability. He even decided to become an artist. So, after completing high school, Sparky wrote Walt Disney Studios. They asked for samples of his artwork. Despite careful preparation, it too was rejected. One more confirmation that he was a loser. But Sparky still didn’t give up. Instead, he decided to tell his own life’s story in cartoons. The main character would be a little boy who symbolised the perpetual loser and chronic under achiever. You know him well. Because Sparky’s cartoon character went on to become a cultural phenomenon of sorts. People readily identified with this “lovable loser". He reminded people of the painful and embarrassing moment from his own past and pain. The character soon became famous worldwide: “Charlie Brown”. And Sparky; the boy whose many failures never kept him from trying, whose work was rejected again and again, is the highly successful cartoonist. His cartoon strip, “Peanuts,” continues to inspire books, T-shirts and Christmas specials, reminding us that life somehow finds a way for all of us, even the losers. Sparky’s story reminds us of a very important principle in life. We all face difficulty and discouragement from time to time. We also have a choice in how we handle it. If we are persistent, if we hold fast to our faith, if we continue to develop the unique talents God has given us, who knows what can happen? We may end up with an insight and an ability that comes only through hardship. In the end, there are no losers with God. Some winners just take longer to develop.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 13:00:22 +0000
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