In his 1910 speech "Citizenship in a Republic," Theodore Roosevelt expressed so perfectly the task of pursuing greatness:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Ryan Loche of Lehi, Utah knows both victory and the price of it. He, like Roosevelt's man in the arena, dared greatly. Loche's task was to drink an entire quart of eggnog faster than anyone else at an office Christmas party. Loche did so in a mere 12 seconds, besting his nearest competition by 10 seconds.
For his triumphant victory, Loche won a $50 gift certificate at a steakhouse and a trip to the hospital. Unfortunately, some of the eggnog went into his lungs. Loche spent a day in intensive care and two more days of recovery at the hospital. It was a full week before he felt well again. But here he is, smiling through his wounds, having acquired fame and glory that live on after him.
-via Ace of Spades HQ | Photo: Ryan Loche