Let’s break this down.

Two drift cars lineup side by side waiting for a green light to launch and head into the first drift like bats out of hell.  One bat is the leader and one bat is the follower, then they switch rolls.

We line up with our family, friends, co-worker, fellow students, acquaintances, strangers, and wait until we finish our schooling to launch like bats out of hell to make something of ourselves in the world. Usually, when we launch, we have an idea of what we are doing, so we think.  Then it is switched, sometime by our own doing and other times by other circumstances beyond our control.

As the cars approach the first of many corners in this course, they rip on the e-brake, give a “clutch kick” and throw the cars completely sideways.  RPMs start screaming, tires start screeching, smoke starts billowing from the tires, and the tire rubber laid down.  As the drivers navigate this first turn/drift of the course as they are tapping the gas pedal, tapping the brake, clutch kicking here and there, trying to remember their practice line they took, stay off the wall, not wreck the racer doing the same thing within a foot of their car and finally prepare for the next turn.  While doing all of this remember this is fun, be grateful and not die.

As we approach the first turn/choices of our lives, we sometimes have to slowdown to set us up for what we are trying to do.  We may need a quick “clutch kick” to get ourselves on the right path. As we start navigating the challenges of our lives, we are managing expectations of ourselves, our parents, our family, our teachers, our emotions, our significant other and other relationships.  While doing all of this, we our supposed to manage ourselves, remember life is good, have fun and not be run over by a bus.

So, the cars make it through the first corner and in a split second they need to snap the car in the other direction and pick up speed.  The course is starting to get smoky as they drive through the smoke, “they” have created.  Due to the “smoke”, the course is getting harder to see, so the drivers must rely on their instinct, gut, practice and training to get them through the next few corners.  While the drivers are relying on the previously mentioned items, they are tapping the gas pedal, tapping the brake, clutch kicking here and there, trying to remember their practice line they took, stay off the wall, not wreck the racer doing the same thing within a foot of them and finally prepare for the next turn.  While doing all of this remember this is fun, be grateful and not die.

As we get past the first challenges of our lives, in a split-second thing may change and snap our life in a different direction.  We may be dealing with “smoke” from decisions “we” made in the first turn.  Maybe it is just our original idea of what we thought we were going to do or where we thought we would be at by this time just has not happened yet.  Maybe turn one is just building our confidence for the next turn of our lives where we need another “clutch kick”.  We start to see the path we are on through the “smoke” and make some adjustments.  We realize that all the knowledge, time and care that was poured into us is in fact working.  As we begin to learn how to manage our expectations of ourselves, we are at easy with ourselves and the efforts we have put into ourselves.  While doing all of the previous items we need to manger ourselves, remember life good, have fun and not get hit by a bus.

The final corners of the race, this is the “showcase” turns.  The fans pay big money to be in this turn and taste the rubber of the tires.  As in the other turns, the drivers are getting ready to tap the gas pedal, tapping the brake, clutch kicking here and there, trying to remember their practice line they took, stay off the wall, not wreck the both racers doing the same thing within a foot of each other are and finally prepare for the next turn.  This time they are not even thinking about what they are doing because the previous corners prepared them for the last part of the race.  They are not even thinking about anything except now finishing the race.  They have made it this far they know they are going to finish the race; the only question is it going to be 1^st or 2^nd and who will I be racing next.  After doing all of this, they do remember how much fun this is and are grateful to have “finished” the race.

As our lives move forward, our unique and individual talents are “showcased”.  Through all your hard work, perseverance, love and trust in ourselves, we have made it and “finished” the race.  Our talents our always worth 1^stplace if we choose to use and apply them without giving up.  We have learned to manage expectations of ourselves, our parents, our family, our teachers, our emotions and our significant other relationships.  We know that we can handle the next corner(s) of our lives. If we fail, we can always take another run at it and try again.

As long as you continue to race you will always have the chance to win and show this world who you truly are!  If you decide to pull yourself out of the race the world WILL NOT be a better place without you.  We will lose another one of our racing family members which is a bad day.  Let the racing family come around you in your time of need.  There will always be another race, but there will never be another YOU.