Years ago I was reading C.S. Lewis's enchanting book The Horse and His Boy. A young girl was about to take her own life rather than face a life in an arranged marriage to an old lord. Then her talking horse said these words to her:

"While you live you still have a chance,
but all the dead are dead alike."

After she heard those words, she changed her mind and decided to live. She later managed to escape to another country and lived a happy life that she previously could have only dreamed about.

That one phrase said by the talking horse has haunted me for years. Whenever I am facing a tough challenge, I remember that line and it reminds me not to give up. Kind of funny that the words of a fictious talking horse from a children's story has such power.

Too many people give up, when success is in sight. They just don't know how close they were to achieving their dreams. It is important to realize that you always have a chance to succeed. You are only truly defeated if you give up.

I've been through some difficult times, as many people do, and looking back I see how right those words are and how they have helped me. If you have not read the book I suggest you do. It is a great adventure novel, and is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, made famous recently by a motion picture. Actually the movie was just one book from a series of seven.

It is something to think about if you ever get in a tight spot. Just do a quick check - am I still breathing? If the answer is yes, then you still have a chance at success.

Duncan