I was 14, chubby, and just finished running our daily mile for P.E in last place (I ran it in twelve minutes), when I started talking to my friend. I found out that he ran it in five minutes. I was frustrated, angry, and didn't understand why I couldn't do that. I told him that I wished I was like him, so I could run the mile in five minutes and I wouldn't feel like I'm dying.

That's when he said something that changed my life.

He replied, "Is it easy for you to run the 12 minute mile, since it's so much slower than me?" Obviously, I took this as an insult, and snapped "Of course not!" To which he replied "So why do you think it's easy for me to run the five minute mile?" I was stunned. He continued. "Just because someone can do something better than you doesn't mean it's easy for them. Running a five minute mile is hard for me. Even though I'm faster than you, I feel like I'm dying afterwards too. Don't assume that people have it easy just because of their talents."

After he said that, he ran with me for the rest of the year, and my time improved to an eight minute mile in three months. You have to try your best, even when it's hard, because if you start focusing on everyone else, you'll lose sight of what you were trying to do in the first place.