Rise and
shine.
6 a.m. and
your hand can't make it to the alarm clock before the voices in your head start
telling you that it's too early, too dark, and too cold to get out of bed. Aching
muscles lie still in rebellion, pretending not to hear your brain commanding
them to move. A legion of voices are shouting their unanimous permission for
you to hit the snooze button and go back to Dreamland. But you didn't ask their
opinion. The voice you've chosen to listen to is one of defiance. A voice
that's says there was a reason you set that alarm in the first place. So sit
up, put your feet on the floor, and don't look back because we've got work to
do.
Welcome to The
Grind.
For what is
each day but a series of conflicts between the right way and the easy way. 10,000
streams fan out like a river delta before you, each one promising the path of
least resistance. Thing is you're headed upstream. And when you make that
choice, when you decide to turn your back on what's comfortable and what's safe
and what some would call "common sense," well that's Day 1. From
there it only gets tougher.
So just make
sure this is something you want. Because the easy way out will always be there,
ready to wash you away. All you have to do is pick up your feet. But you aren't
going to are you? With each step comes the decision to take another. You're on
your way now. But this is no time to dwell on how far you've come. You're in a
fight against an opponent you can't see but, oh, you can feel him on your heels
can't you? Feel him breathing down your neck. You know what that is? That's
you... Your fears, your doubts and insecurities all lined up like a firing
squad ready to shoot you out of the sky.
But don't lose
heart. While they aren't easily defeated, they are far from invincible. Remember
this is The Grind; the Battle Royale between you and your mind, your body and
the devil on your shoulder who's telling you that this is just a game. This is
just a waste of time. Your opponents are stronger than you.
Drown out the
voice of uncertainty with the sound of your own heartbeat. Burn away your
self-doubt with the fire lit beneath you. Remember what you're fighting for and
never forget that Momentum is a cruel mistress. She can turn on a dime with the
smallest mistake. She is ever searching for that weak place in your armor, that
one tiny thing you forgot to prepare for. So as long as the devil is hiding the
details, the question remains. Is that all you got? Are you sure?
And when the
answer is yes, that you've done all you can to prepare yourself for battle THEN
it's time to go forth and boldly face your enemy, the enemy within. Only now
you must take that fight into the open, into hostile territory. You're a lion
in a field of lions all hunting the same elusive prey with a desperate starvation
that says VICTORY is the only thing that can keep you alive.
So believe
that voice that says, "You CAN run a little faster," and that
"You CAN throw a little harder," and that, for you, the laws of
physics are merely a suggestion. Luck is the last dying wish of those who want
to believe that winning can happen by accident. Sweat, on the other hand, is
for those who know it's a choice. So decide now because destiny waits for no
man. And when your time comes and a thousand different voices are trying to tell
you you're not ready for it, listen instead for that lone voice in dissent, the
one that says you are ready. You are prepared. It's all up to you now.
So rise and
shine.
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