Drivers Of Success
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
The first thing you must realize about success is that it comes from driving forward. The second is that if you want to be successful, then you have to drive forwards all the time. If you take your eyes off the road, or even glance over at the speedometer and see how fast you are going, that’s when things tend to go wrong for people on a long journey.
You need to stay focused: you cannot afford any distractions because those little moments of distraction cost money. You will pay dearly for them because they can lead to accidents that destroy careers in an instant. You must not let anything get between you and your destination.
You must drive forward all the time, no matter what happens around you. There will always be obstacles and problems on this journey but you just have to ignore them. They are nothing compared to your goal. When you reach your destination, you can rest; you don’t need to worry about the obstacles anymore because they are gone.
So, if you’re going somewhere new, then you have to think ahead and anticipate what might happen as much as possible so you won’t hit a pothole on the way, or lose your direction. It’s best to know where you are heading, and where you came from before you set out on the journey.
Otherwise, you may find yourself lost, or even end up going back into a ditch. So you have to study maps and plans carefully before making any important decisions. And if there is something you do not understand or don’t like, then you should wait until you have found someone who knows what they’re talking about.
Don’t jump to conclusions based on bad information because you may regret it later on.
But the most important thing of all is that you cannot stop. If you ever think that things aren’t going well, then you can turn back and give up at any time. But once you start, never look back, keep driving forwards, and don’t let anyone stop you.
If you make a mistake, correct your course, and drive forwards again. If you feel tired, just keep going anyway. Never slow down; if you fall asleep or pass out, other drivers will crash right into you. Stay awake and alert: it’s the only way.
It’s easy to say all of these things now that I’m sitting safely on my throne as Emperor, and nobody can touch me because of the power of my army and empire. But I am also a man who has been driven from his homeland. I had many obstacles thrown in front of me before I reached the throne.
Many people tried to stop me, but I would not be stopped. I drove them away or destroyed them. All of the lessons I learned along the journey were important; the people I met helped shape me into the person I wanted to become.
The only way to survive in this world is to be ready to change direction quickly whenever the situation calls for it, and to remember what you’ve learned along the way. You need to be flexible and adaptable, willing to learn, and ready to try new things.
There was one more thing my grandmother told me before she died. She told me about the ancient city called Atlantis. “The old city,” she said, “was built by men who loved order and structure and knew that there is strength in knowledge and power in knowledge.”
Then she took my hand and showed me an ancient book full of writing. It was the very same book in which she kept her own journal. I could tell that it contained some kind of wisdom from the past, and perhaps it held secrets that we had forgotten because we did not understand what she meant when she spoke of it.
“Atlantis is still out there,” she whispered, “and maybe one day the people of Earth will discover it again. Only when we understand its teachings and embrace its teachings can we ever hope to reach our destiny as a united whole.”
“Destiny?” I asked her, looking up at her with wide, wondering eyes.
She nodded slowly.
I have never heard of Atlantis before but I intend to find it someday. Perhaps it can help me reach my destiny.
***
When I first started studying history, I thought it was boring because it didn’t involve me or my own personal goals. I mean, why waste my time reading about what happened thousands of years ago when I couldn’t possibly influence such events? Why study ancient civilizations that are dead and gone? How could learning about their accomplishments help me accomplish mine?
I was young and foolish, but even after becoming Emperor, and having everything else taken away, I continued to think about what I would eventually achieve. I never lost sight of my goal: to rule the world.
One day, while watching a documentary about the ancient civilization known as Mesopotamia, I saw an image that changed my life forever: An ancient map, carved into the side of a mountain with words written around it in cuneiform letters, showing that a great river ran through a land filled with fertile soil, green forests and beautiful valleys, home to countless towns and cities.
“Mountains?” I muttered to myself, stunned by the discovery. I hadn’t known that there were mountains near my homeland, and certainly not within walking distance. “How strange.”
Mesopotamia, I read further, was the ancient name for a large part of what we call Iraq today.
This discovery shook me. This was where my family had come from. I had never considered anything beyond the lands surrounding my kingdom: the borders of my father’s realm and those of his predecessor.
My grandfather used to speak of a vast continent that stretched far across the face of the earth. He told us tales of a land called Africa, and he often mentioned the Nile River running from east to west. But none of the rest of the world came into play, and neither did the people who lived there. We were kings, and so the rest of the world must have been ruled by kings too.
That was how we were brought up; to ignore the barbarians beyond our borders. My grandparents, my parents, my teachers, and all of the other people who raised me in my youth were adamant about the importance of this. To conquer, not befriend; to destroy, not coexist.
So, when I discovered this ancient map, I had to take another look at my worldview.
We may have lost the war against the Lebanese, but I vowed to regain my kingdom and bring peace back to the world. If the Lebanese were willing to go to battle over the small kingdoms of our neighbors, then they were surely ready to challenge me directly. In fact, they probably already did.
The Lebanese had been a powerful army long before I was born. They conquered Egypt and defeated the Persians and the Egyptians and many others in their path until they met the Roman Empire, which they eventually lost. And then, of course, it was Rome that eventually became the most powerful nation in history.
And now we are all united under one emperor, though I do not know if it will be enough to stop whatever plans they might have for the future.
If there is no hope of defeating them in war, then perhaps we should consider diplomacy. Or maybe it would make sense to just surrender and submit ourselves to their rule.
As I sat and pondered, I noticed an old book in a dusty case at the foot of a large bookshelf. It was an ancient text on mathematics. There was something strange about it, but I wasn’t sure what it was exactly.
I flipped open the cover and began to leaf through the pages, but I got distracted by a picture of the Babylonian goddess of fate, Tsukuyomi: A woman with black hair in a tight braid, wearing a short skirt and thigh-high boots. Her skin was pale like mine, but she looked exotic.
The goddess Tsukuyomi smiled down at me, and I felt a sudden urge to kiss her full red lips. “Destiny,” I murmured to myself, closing the book and setting it aside.
But I found myself looking at Tsukuyomi again moments later. She kept appearing and disappearing in front of me. I wanted to touch her. I needed to feel her skin against mine. When I finally did pull myself away, I realized that my hands were shaking.
It must have shown, because several other women in my harem came over to check on me, worried by the odd expression on my face.
“Are you okay, Your Majesty?” asked Lady Nara, the eldest daughter of the Lebanese King, and one of my favorite concubines.
“Yes. Yes. I’m fine.” I forced myself to smile at her, but she noticed the trembling in my hands. “Perhaps I could have a glass of wine?”
“Very good,” Nara said, leading me to a table by the window overlooking the city of Babylon.
I looked out the window at the bright blue sky. The heat of the desert had made me sweat, and the breeze felt wonderful. I took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air filling my lungs, and sipped at the wine.
Nara sat down next to me as we watched the busy streets pass by below. Children ran along, laughing and playing games with each other in the street below. The adults stood in groups talking animatedly about their daily lives as the children ran around them, occasionally tripping a grown-up to get some fun out of it.
There was laughter everywhere, even from the men in the group who had gathered together outside our palace gates. They wore heavy armor and helmets; swords hung loosely at their hips and belts held arrows, spears, daggers, and other weapons of war. These soldiers had come to offer protection while I was gone, and I hoped that I wouldn’t need it.
“Why were you staring at Tsukuyomi?” asked Nara, after a moment’s silence. I had been watching Tsukuyomi appear and disappear behind my own reflection, in the glass of the window.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” I replied. Tsukuyomi’s smile seemed to follow me wherever I went. It had been so long since I’d seen someone with her kind of beauty, and it drew my attention every time I turned to see if she was there. “What do you think about her?”
Nara shrugged and glanced away. “I don’t really care for her that much. But she’s pretty enough.”
“You’ve never been able to resist a beautiful woman?”
“No.” Nara gave me a sharp look, but she didn’t say anything more.
“Do you remember how it felt when you saw your first beautiful woman?” I asked.
“Not really. Not a particular memory, anyway. We lived in a small village, far from any cities or towns, where we barely knew each other. All of us girls had light brown skin and curly, wavy hair.
Most of our brothers were warriors, too, though we only ever saw them during harvest season … and then they left for months at a time. The women here worked hard. We had to raise crops to feed everyone, keep the home fires burning and take care of the animals.”
Her voice trailed off, and I could tell that she wasn’t used to being so candid, or having these kinds of conversations with a man.
I reached across the table to squeeze her hand, hoping to comfort her.
“When I turned fourteen,” she continued after a brief pause, “my brother returned home from fighting in battle.”
My eyes widened, and my heart leaped in excitement at this revelation. It was unbelief—”You mean … he came back alive?”
“He came home wounded, but he survived. He still can’t walk well, and he can’t fight anymore. And then …” She fell silent, but I was too caught up in the story to interrupt.
“We had another baby boy not long after his return,” she explained quietly, “and now we have two little boys, both under three years old. My mother was very sick when my brother got hurt. She died a few months later, but my father was always so angry. At first, he didn’t want us to have any more babies, but then … well, you know what happens when people are lonely, don’t you?”
I nodded. “I understand. But why would he be jealous of Tsukuyomi? She isn’t even related to him.”
“Maybe he feels responsible for her.” Nara frowned. “The first time we met Tsukuyomi, our men captured her and brought her to our town. She couldn’t speak the language, but she understood enough to communicate with the people who took her.
We heard rumors about a girl who had been taken captive by a group of bandits. A girl who fought her way out of captivity and escaped into the desert before they could find her again.”
She paused for a moment and sighed.
“Tsukuyomi was just a child,” she added. “A child who had seen death and destruction on a scale that none of us had. Her face is covered in scars; her body shows signs of countless beatings. And yet she smiles all the time and laughs when she plays. How is that possible?”
“It’s because Tsukuyomi has something no one else does,” I replied softly, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand again.
“You’ve never met anyone like her, then,” she said after a moment. “But she’s not human. You won’t understand until you’ve seen her for yourself. Until then, you might as well forget about Tsukuyomi and concentrate on your duties to the empire.”
“I’ll think about it.” I stood up but hesitated. “Are you going to go with Tsukuyomi next year when she comes to visit?”
Nara shook her head. “No. I’m not ready to leave my family. Besides, Tsukuyomi will come back to me once she knows that I’m no longer available.”
“I hope that isn’t true.”
Nara grinned at me over the rim of her cup. “Who knows? Maybe she likes you, too. Or maybe, someday, she’ll marry me.”
The End