8The Second PaycheckThe Need for Purpose

I set myself on fire, and people come to watch me burn.

—John Wesley

In December 2009, Nick Harris of Ottawa, Kansas, witnessed a horrific accident. A Mercury sedan, while in reverse, had run over a six-year-old girl, pinning her under the tire. Nick ran to the scene as fast as he could, grabbed the rear end of the car, and lifted it off the child. The six-year-old suffered only a concussion and a few scrapes.

Unable to understand his moment of superhuman strength, five-foot-seven, 185-pound Harris attempted to lift other cars later that day and couldn’t.

We have all heard stories of superhuman feats in times of emergency. The human body has amazing reserves to go above and beyond what we would normally ...

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