Who Dares, Wins

I've come to see recently exactly how true this is. It's the motto of the British SAS, and I can see the truth of it when I apply it to my own life. I have been thinking alot about success lately, and what constitutes it. I have slowly come to realize that success lies within the effort. That there is no such thing as failure if you really try, if you give 100%. It's the giving of 100% that's the hard part. The natural reaction for humans to pain is to stop whats causing the pain. To listen to that little voice in your head that is telling you to stop. It starts out as a whisper at first...just a small voice that tells you that you might want to think about a rest soon, to take a break, regroup. As you go on it becomes more and more persistant, untill finally it is screaming at you that you absolutely, positively cannot go on, that you cannot deal with it any longer. It's what you do when you reach that point that matters. Do you shut that voice out? Scream back at it to shut up, that you CAN go on, and that nothing can stop you? Or do you listen to it, let it convince you that you really can't, that the whole thing was a stupid idea, a fantasy. Do you allow yourself to be beaten, by your own inner voice? I will never regret choosing this path as long as when it get to that point, I can beat back that voice, I can drive on, push through it and persevere. Sometimes I think that I am the luckiest man in the world. I have the opportunity now to pursue all my dreams. I have people in my life who encourage me, tell me I can, mentor me, inspire me. Right now in my life, there is alot of....intensity. Sometimes I wish everything was simpler....easier, smoother. Then I remember that the success of my endeavors lies within the effort I put in to them. I shouldn't run from intensity or difficutly....I should embrace it. It is good to feel. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed....there is so much going on...so many challenges to face, and changes to adapt to. I realized that thats why I choose this path. To avoid the stagnation that comes from not changing, not adapting, from accepting things the way they are, and never putting up a fight or taking a stand. The only way the world will ever know you existed is if you defy it. If you take a stand and savagely fight for what you want. To defy what others "expect" of you, and decide what you expect from yourself. In the end....its your own face you look at in the mirror. I am determined to be able to that with my shoulders back and my chin high. This isn't just about SFAS, or the Army, it's about everything in my life right now. See? Luckiest man alive!