When it matters most, when the odds are against me when precedent says no, there I will be.

When the right path happens to be the lonely path, and victory is separated by a drop 1 million feet deep or a cliff two million feet high

there I will be when they expect failure anticipate defeat celebrate each setback

there I will be,

standing tall and ready.

When there appears no way in,

when my demons push me out,

when my senses advocate retreat and the path forward is cloaked

in doubt, there I will be standing tall and ready.

When I feel alone in my pursuit of tomorrow or tempted by the comfort of yesterday,

when pride whispers of their relentless criticism and my

legs cry out in exhaustion, there I will be standing tall and ready.

When hell rains down, when faith lets up, when my reason for beginning is replaced by a million little reminders

of all that can go wrong. There I will be standing tall and ready.

When the sky looks like a ceiling, when the floor feels like home, when every light dims and every fear illuminates, when eyes roll and doors lock,

when the sun submits, the clouds emerge, gravity flexes and my knees tremble, there I will be.

Never will I back down, never will I cower or settle for the present when our future is limitless.

I will get back up until I've made my point, won my battle, secured my fight.

The world is simple. Moving forward is not without its tests or lessons, but as long as I continue

on, I evolve.

With each step, I win.

There's no running away or white flag or surrendering to the man in the mirror.

...