Personal Triumph

From the Stone Tarot, the Eight of Wands; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, the Dhammapada 19:258:

          The Eight of Wands symbolizes projects coming to a quick conclusion. Finally the end goal is in sight and about to be realized. Stone's poem speaks of superheroes, both from the imagination and real life. Yet no human is without flaw, regardless of their amazing talents (she points out Lance Armstrong). Likewise, completion rarely means perfection or an accomplishment that will never be surpassed. Perhaps just getting to the end - having the tenacity to see things through - is enough. The quote from the Dhammapada reads:

One is not wise only because one speaks a lot. One who is 

peaceful, without hate, and fearless is said to be wise.

Buddha's words teach that wisdom comes when we aren't self-preoccupied (and trying to gain attention). Without our ego in the way, we won't be agitated by fears of 'not good enough' or resentments that someone else exceeds our knowledge or skill. We can be happy for our abilities and personal triumphs without needing to compare them to prove our worth. The benefits of wisdom and peace will always beat the front page news.
[Note: Some translations of the Dhammapada provide only verse numbers without chapters, and some provide chapter numbers. I'm using chapter : full text verse; the translation is by Gil Fronsdal.]