My self-confidence was at an all-time high, and I felt pretty darn good about myself, overall. I next visited Mexico City for the 1968 Summer Olympic Games. I entered the high-jump competition. Again I represented the Land of Camelot. And again I wore #13 on my uniform—a green and white track jersey, which I had on over my suit of armor.

I prepared for my first qualifying jump in the Olympic competition. The high-jump bar was set at 2’ 3” in height. I said to myself, arrogantly, “This is going to be easy.”

Then I loped up to the bar, hooked it with my left steel boot, and nose dived right into the saw dust. Dick Fosbury, who would later win the gold medal for the United States in the high jump during that 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics, offered me a hand. He helped me to get up and out of the pit.

Fosbury was the first Olympic-class high jumper to roll over backward every time he left his feet and sailed over the high-jump bar. Fosbury said, jokingly, “You’ve just given a whole new meaning to what my fans refer to as the ‘Fosbury Flop’! Maybe high jumping isn’t your strongest suit!”

“There’s very little hope for me,” I said to myself, disconsolately, as I walked away from the high-jump pit. “My negative emotions are still holding me down from reaching my dreams. Lord, how can I rise above these obstacles?”

God, also dressed in a green and white track jersey, #1, hopped across the eight-foot-long high-jump pit as if She were Carl Lewis, practicing the broad jump. I wondered how far the Lord could have leaped had She wanted to enter the Olympic competition in the broad-jump event. Then God partially answered that question when She suddenly fell, awkwardly, face down, after stumbling over the high-jump bar, which was still lying on the ground after my unsuccessful qualifying jump.

God got up and wiped some sawdust and dirt off the front of Her track jersey. Then the Lord said, “Wantsalittle, we’ve covered a lot of this ground before. Have you been paying attention?”

“Lord, I’ve been trying to do just what You’ve suggested. But it’s easier said than done!”

“All right, Wantsalittle, let’s work on this some more. Most of the time, obstacles represent forms of your limited thinking. It may be trite, but true, that you can overcome virtually any obstacle and accomplish whatever it is that you want to do. First, though, you must unlock the doors of limitation in your mind. Wave good-bye to your restricted thinking. Train yourself to focus on the possibilities and on your opportunities in life.”

God handed me a 3”x5” note card with the following three lines boldly printed on it:

Then God said, “Apply these three personal affirmations whenever you’re faced with any major obstacle. You’ll be amazed at the results! As you think by setting goals to overcome major obstacles, you will surmount those obstacles and achieve your dreams. Sorry, Wantsalittle, I’m having a busy day. I’ve got to run. See you later.”

After I talked with the Lord, I thought that I could surmount any obstacle. But I wanted to test myself, just to be sure. I returned to New York City. The year was 1976. When I arrived, I parked the Vette in front of the Empire State Building. Then I attempted to climb, without ropes or any other safety equipment, the street-side wall of the 102-story structure.

The climb was long and steep. Nearly an hour elapsed before I got close to the top of the imposing, concrete-and-steel building. With one step to go, I glanced down at what appeared to be a stationary, tiny, bright-red spot, next to the curb, more than 1,200 feet below. I just wanted to be sure that nobody was trying to steal the Corvette, right out from under my nose.

Then I stretched out with my right steel glove and grabbed the guardrail at the top of the building. Gradually, I pulled myself up and over the edge and crawled onto the flat roof of what, at the time of its construction, was the tallest building in the world.

As I got back on my feet, I smiled, from ear to ear. I thought that I had been the first person to accomplish this incredible feat. And perhaps I was the first human to successfully climb up the side of the monumental building. But I got quite a surprise when I raised my head. I saw KING KONG sitting, comfortably, on the roof. The giant ape just sat there, relaxed, in a gigantic lounge chair. Kong looked quite content. After all, for him, it was just another day at his “office.”

Kong held Jessica Lange (the starring actress in both King Kong and Sweet Dreams) in the palm of his huge left hand. He was tickling her on the ribs with the furry index finger on his right hand. Jessica, decked out in a white tank top and a navy-blue mini-skirt, was quite content, herself. The gorgeous, shapely, blonde starlet looked as though she really admired and adored the big gorilla.

Amused by my laborious effort to scale the monumental structure, Kong scoffed at the achievement and calmly inquired, “Wantsalittle, God dropped by an hour or so ago. She told me that you were on your way. What took you so long to get here?”

As I was thoroughly self-satisfied by my lofty achievement, I was puzzled and a bit miffed at Kong’s mocking remarks. But I was exhausted and completely out of breath. I couldn’t talk back to the big, ugly ape.

Kong found even more humor in my out-of-shape physical condition. He laughed at me and exclaimed, “Wantsalittle, instead of climbing tall buildings, maybe you should spend more of your free time at the gym!”

I didn’t offer the sarcastic ape any reply. I simply stared at the beautiful Jessica Lange and said to myself, “I’m having Sweet Dreams about YOU!”

(The moral of this episode: When you unlock the doors of “limitation” in your mind, you can overcome any obstacle!)

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