Hero (35 page)

BOOK: Hero

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Then we heard about a company that had created new technology to stream advertisements on the Internet. A new possibility to release our film had appeared! Our team worked frantically with the company to expand the technology to cater for a full length film, and
The Secret
was released via live streaming on the Internet – the first film to ever be watched in this way. The technology allowed
The Secret
to be watched across the planet within a 24-hour period, just as I had dreamed.

“
It is better to risk starving to death than surrender. If you give up on your dreams, what’s left?
”

Jim Carrey

Actor

The truth is, while the Supreme Ordeal might sound scary, you probably won’t even realize that’s what it is when you face it. When you reach this final challenge you are well prepared. To come this far means you have already realized the powerful abilities within you, and you have everything you need to meet – and to triumph over – the Supreme Ordeal.

You will have seen the delirious happiness of sports teams winning championships, and of athletes winning gold medals and breaking world records. Their energy is so potent it sweeps over you; you are filled with exhilaration, and even stirred to tears. Yet our feelings in watching them are nothing compared to what the sports person or athlete is feeling in their moment of victory. For it’s only after having taken every step of the journey, having persisted through the challenges and overcoming all the obstacles, that you can know what it truly feels like to experience the ultimate reward of the moment of success.

PETE CARROLL

There was a night before the Oklahoma game in 2005. I’m speaking to my team. Here we are in an undefeated season, playing an undefeated team, and the biggest game in the history of college football. What would be worthy to say at that night’s meeting? I walked in and told them that we had created exactly what we set out to do. We wanted to do this better than it’s ever been done before, and we had won a ton of games in a row and now were playing the biggest game you could possibly play. We had bought into the vision, we had worked until we created it, and there was no chance they could beat us. But that wasn’t the lesson; the lesson for us was that through setting a course and creating a vision, you can achieve exactly what you want to. And we went out and won the game real big.

PETER BURWASH

I’ve truly had one of the most wonderful lives possible. Today we’re the only survivors of all those original seventeen companies that started out. To now take tennis to 134 countries – the vision has been met.

MICHAEL ACTON SMITH

One of the most exciting points in my career was in early 2009 when we launched our subscription service. The product that we built for free we were now asking parents to pay about £5 a month. Our very small team was crowded around the computer when we put it live, and we sat there watching the screen. Within five minutes we had our first order and made our first £5. We were all hugging each other and jumping up and down. And then before we had a chance to compose ourselves, we had a second order come through, and then a third hit, and then a fourth. We were so overjoyed that mums and dads were prepared to pay for this product that we had poured all of our hearts and souls and energy into. It’s such an extraordinary feeling.

LIZ MURRAY

I had this beautiful moment where I got into Harvard and I had the scholarship, and I got a chance to speak with one of the first audiences. I used to say to my friends, “This stuff that’s happening feels like a movie. It feels like a book.” And then sure enough they made a movie about my journey, and then I wrote a book. It reinforced for me that there is magic in this world.

LAYNE BEACHLEY

It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to reflect back on a career and go, “I did that? I can’t believe I did that!” Sometimes I still can’t relate to the person that I was when I was winning all those world titles. But I am very grateful for it; to be able to have the opportunity to change other people’s lives just by following my own dream is incredibly satisfying.

LAIRD HAMILTON

To start with such a big dream and to have it manifest itself into a reality brings joy to my heart. It’s like a fairytale. All the challenges, all the failures, all the crashes and injuries and wounded hearts were far beyond worth it. I wouldn’t change one instant if it would change where I’ve arrived.