Coachability: Do you have it?

Coachability is one of the hallmarks of great athletes throughout the ages. Every great athlete and every great team to ever step onto the field of battle has had a coach behind them: pulling strings, tweaking technique and strategy, holding the athlete or team accountable for greatness.

The question is: Are you coachable?

Do you listen? Do you apply feedback in the moment? Are you willing to do what is asked of you to reach your goals?

Your coach may not always be right. That is not the point! The point is that whether or not your coach is right or wrong, they have your best interest at heart. They have a great well of knowledge and are eager to share what they know with you. Test and retest. If it is working -- then it is working. Follow the path they set out for you and trust in the method and sometime, the madness.

BE COACHABLE!

Things to come

Do the simple things. If it is important, do it every day.
Have integrity with yourself and those around you.
You are already whole complete and perfect.
Be consistent. Through consistency you will build discipline.
With discipline, hard work and sacrifice are not burdens but celebrations of things to come.
Let go of your Ego and leave your bullshit at the door.
Be authentic: the world does not need carbon copies.
Journey inwards.
Journey outwards.

2012 Training

1. Nutrition
2. Mobility
3. Power/Strength
4. Oly Lifting
5. Metcon
6. Gymnastics
7. Skills

This is what it will take to make the 2012 Games. I am on my way. Gotta stay focused. Must have a great team by my side. The foundation has been laid.

Listen...

...When do you turn on?

As a response to myself... When do you turn on?

First thing upon opening your eyes in the morning? When you get to the gym or office? When do you get FIRED UP?!

As a person, I must admit it takes me a good 15-20 minutes in the morning to "wake up". This is at 4:45 AM and usually includes "resting with my eyes closed" for 10 minutes, getting in a hot shower, putting my clothes on... slowly and at least 1 cup of coffee... OK 5.

As a coach, the minute I get into my car in on the way to the gym it's go-time. No more fun and games -- business time! Time to put the fear of God into my athletes. Time to teach, explain, coach and push them to limits they didn't know existed. I love it. This is why I wake up.

As an athlete, as Coach Travis Holley likes to remind me, the SECOND you cross that line (imaginary line at door into the gym) get your effin' game face ON. I have that mentality 75% of the time. The other 25%, I am grab-assing, procrastinating, or not rolling out or mobilizing.

I made the realization last week that I (we as CrossFitters) complain about how sore we are and what hurts and what isn't working properly (insert sore muscle, tight this, impinged that). You know what I call that? #1stworldpains. Shut up and be grateful to have limbs that can hurt. From now on, when you cross that line into the gym, your work, or your bathroom: TURN ON.

Be unstoppable. Light a fire under your own ass and don't stop until it's done.

This is how I have felt over the past month or so... More on that next week (hint: spreadsheets and a certain "competition" going down this Saturday at the TSR).

When do you turn off?

When do you "turn off"?

As coaches, crossfitters, parents, husbands, wives, children, friends, lovers, and generally busy people we are during every second of every day... well... busy. (Insert sad face here).

This is the result of taking on many responsibilities, wearing many hats and having lots to do to "stay on top": keep up with the Joneses - pay the rent - pay the car - do well at your job (is doing well good enough?) - be a better athlete - be the best athlete - lean up - eat well (cook a lot) - make it to the meeting(s) on time - answer e-mail (52 in the past hour?) - visit family - take supplements - roll out - mobilize - answer e-mails - meet with clients - PT - another meeting... ARE YOU STRESSED OUT YET?

That's when you step back, take a deep breath and realize it's all a game. That's right - life is a game. You get to choose when and how you play, what you play and by what rules you play. Everything is a choice: when you wake up, when you go to sleep, when you work, when you play, when you WOD and when you don't. Then you get to decide to what level you do each of these things. 

Over the past month, all of this has been especially clear in my life. As things change at CrossFit Central, CC ATX and the RedBlack Gym, we are asking a lot of ourselves and those that we work with. It is not good enough to be good. We must be the best. Not because anyone has told us so, but because it simply is what we do. We do it because we do it. 

In striving to be the best in the world at something, naturally there comes a time when you have to step back and ask yourself: When do I turn this thing off? When do I rest? When do I take a moment to myself to think, reflect and breathe?

For those of you out there with a macho bravado and disdain for all things yoga and "lite", your quick reply might be:

"Ha! I can sleep when I'm dead. #Hustlegrindanddoworkbitches. Rest is for the weak... " 

That may be the case, but show me a man or woman who does not take care of themselves and I will show you a person who: 

a) Is inefficient in the workplace and not performing to their potential.

b) Is tired, grumpy, injured, and unhealthy (mentally, physically or spiritually).

c) Hates life or at the minimum where they currently are in life.

So the big question is: WHEN DO YOU TURN IT OFF?

-Do you find yourself staying up until Midnight when you have to wake up at 5:00 AM?

-Are you attached to your iPhone or CrackBerry: checking e-mail, tweeting, texting, calling ad nauseum?

-Do you skip meals, workouts, quality time with friends and family in the name of finishing a task that could easily be done later with the same result?

-Do you work even when you are done with work?

Your health, sanity and well-being cannot be overstated. 

Please note, I am NOT advocating a lazy-man's shrug it off, it's not that important, fall-behind, procrastinate and suck-at-what-you-do lifestyle. Actually, I advocate the opposite. 

Work 100%. Play 100%. Party 100%.

BUT!

There must be clear and defined boundaries in one's life. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven." 

Live in the moment. That is all there is; all we have. When it is time to work, work. When it is time to play, play. When it is time to love, love. And when it is time to pause, reflect, recuperate and rejuvenate - do that!

The CrossFitter's Creed

1. Do not think you can master CrossFit or achieve elite fitness in a day. It may take an entire lifetime to learn. Keep showing up. Be consistent even when you don't feel like it. Consistency is the key.

2. "Virtuosity" is performing the common uncommonly well. Master your body and the mechanics of the movement. Practice the fundamentals. Then add speed and intensity.

3. Promise to do your best. Your best may vary from day to day from hour to hour from minute to minute. But in that minute do the best you can.

4. If you can run, run. If you have to walk, walk. If you are forced to crawl, crawl and then rest and survive to fight another day.

5. Fear no man but fear your workout. If you don't fear your workout it isn't hard enough.

6. You may puke, you may cry, but I do not quit. Ever.

7. Never cheat. There is no honor in cheating. What joy can there be in a victory that you did not earn?

8. Check your ego at the door. Have the courage, humility and curiosity to ask questions and ask for help. Be willing to be a student. Be willing to share with others.

9. So be afraid... be inspired... be angry... be strong... be weak... be passionate... be yourself... be ALIVE and be CrossFit!

10. Welcome! You are about to find out who you are and what you are made of!

Borrowed from CrossFit LA. Thank you for your hospitality and friendship.

Makes me want to get back on the field...

Turn the music down on both of these... Just enjoy the brilliant athleticism of these amazing men at work.

I have the best athletes in the world.

I do. I coach some of the best people I know. They don't always crush WODs, though they often do. They might not make it to the games this year, but they train like they will. They show up every morning and (almost) never complain about the self-inflicted torture they are about to endure. These are the people I want to be around at 5:30, 6:30 and 11:45 everyday. They make mornings worth waking up for, are thoughtful, intelligent and always seeking to improve and better themselves physically, mentally and spiritually. They seem to always be around no matter if it's a competition, social event or a random weekend. They help in so many ways, and their efforts are invaluable. They care about each other, they care about CrossFit and they care about me.

Thank you to:

Connie Hoekje 
Brian Doyal
Jeff Vanlandingham 
Jeff Morgan
Whitney Welsch 
Tim Bougie
Ryan Lommel 
Mark Brazzel 
Melissa Feliz 
Zac Hughes
Chad Vasquez 
Brittany McKenna
Megan Parsons 
Walter Stokes 
Richard White
Nyki Helmcamp
Chelsea Ross 
Jessica Clarke
Jonathan Haynes


Special thanks to Melissa, Chad, Zac, Ryan and Mark for the AMAZING and unexpected birthday present. You made my month!

desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


-Max Ehrmann, 1927

Regionals 2011

Family.

Games season 2011 has come to an end. I could not be more proud to have competed alongside my teammates Big Mike Gregory, Travis Holley, Jessica Sharratt, Jen Cardella and Crystal Nelson. They are without a doubt my biggest inspiration and one of the main reasons I was able to push myself as hard as I did in training and over the course of the weekend. Thank you. I am deeply honored to have run the gauntlet with you.

When I started crossfitting back in October of 2008, my goal was to be like more like the people that were coaching me: Jeremy T, Lance C, Big Mike, JDP, Travis H, Chris H, Carey K, Crystal Mc, Crystal N, Jen C and Jess S (to name but a few). These people personified elite fitness and what it means to be "dialed-in" (and still do). 

As I became more "crossfit" and gained more experience through competition and coaching, my desire to compete at their level only deepened. My goal over the past 3 years has been to compete on the CrossFit Central Affiliate Team at the CrossFit Games. That is still my goal. 

I have without a doubt the best teachers anyone can ask for. If you are not surrounded by a group such as the one we have here at CF Central, you are missing out on something truly special. These people are not just friends and coworkers, they are my family.

This past weekend was by far the most emotional I have ever been during a crossfit competition. Watching Big Mike push through the DL/Box Jump WOD was heart-wrenching. I consider Mike G one of my best friends, and to see his body tearing through the deads was inspirational to say the least. The same feelings crept in as Travis and Jessica struggled on Team Amanda while Jen, Crystal, Mike and I watched from the side: unable to help our team. 

Then Ingrid set the bar for "Amanda" - finishing 1st by over a minute. The night before, she had serious doubts about even being able to complete the WOD. Being the athlete she is, she resolved to not let her raw and destroyed hands get in the way of success. HEART OF A CHAMPION. Having coached her for the past 9 months and seeing her transform from an athlete who could barely muster a ring dip following her surgery to an athlete feared by all the women in our region was one of the most rewarding experiences a coach could have. My heart swelled with pride as she showed why she will be competing in Carson in 2012.  

The "100's" WOD was dominated by Carey as she proved she is a prime-time BAMF -- and the finish of Whitney Welsch, Lindsey Smith and Lisa Thiel was the closest and most exciting I have ever seen. Period. These ladies are the best in the business, and I get to WOD with them daily. Does life get any better? 

I attribute these emotions to the amount of work and dedication that our team put in over the past year. All the hours of training: two-a-days, blistering 1:00 PM training sessions at Central, frigid 9:00 AM SWODS at the RBG, mobility sessions, pre- and post-WOD bullshitting, travel to the ACO in Dallas, overtraining (remember November Holley?) and coaching some of the best athletes in Texas. 

I witnessed our individuals and our teams endure the most brutal conditions in Tomball... But it did not matter. Lance, JT and Web did us proud by showing they are among the tops in the CrossFit game. These boys know how to turn it on when the pressure is on - and I look forward to pushing them and them pushing me as we train for 2012. Thanks boys.

This year is a turning point. A stepping stone towards the future. It comes as a shock that the Central Affiliate team will not be competing this year at the Games, but we will be back next year. We will be prepared. We will win. 

I have no words to express my gratitude and respect for everyone at the gym. You have impacted my life more than you can know. Thank you thank you thank you.

Never been...

Out at sea for seven years, I got your letter in Tangier
Thought that I'd been on a boat, 'til that single word you wrote 
That single word it landlocked me, turned the masts to cedar trees 
And the winds to gravel roads, Idaho, Idaho 

RAGE!

Without a doubt one of my favorite groups of all-time. Turn it up and grow a pair!

Dominating Force

The third week of the 2011 CrossFit Games Sectionals is coming to a close this weekend, and RedBlack CrossFit currently sits in 2nd place in our region (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi). This is no surprise to the athletes that train at the RedBlack Gym. This was expected. Along with former CF Games athletes Crystal McReynolds and Whitney Welsch we also have a handful of the most talented and promising athletes in the state training out of our garage. If you haven't heard of Chardonnay Poole Brittany McKenna, Karen Pierce, Kris Kepler, David Deleon and Robert Brown, consider this your introduction.

Our project hasn't yet been running for one year, and in that year we have built the premier training facility for aspiring CrossFit Games athletes.

This is not your old-man's training program.

We are combining the best of the strength and conditioning world in one place, four days out of every week. Olympic lifting, power lifting, gymnastics skills, kettlebell work, metabolic conditioning, strongman lifts and carries, running, rowing and everything in between. It looks like CrossFit, and it is. But better. Through meticulous coaching, smart programming and brutally hard work and determination, our athletes are making a name for themselves and the place where they sweat and bleed.

RedBlack CrossFit is made up of the following athletes:

Men: Kris Kepler, David Deleon, Robert Brown, Nick Blasier, Mark Brazell, Firas Azrai, Brian Doyal, Clay Speckmiear, Richard White.

Women: Chardonnay Poole, Crystal McReynolds, Brittany McKenna, Whitney Welsch, Heather Reed, Jessica Estrada, Megan Parsons, Karen Pierce, Carlina Muglia, Erin Carter.

Can't stop won't stop.

No matter what. Some days I crush it, some days I barely finish. No worries. I'm not training for today. I'm training for the Big Show. I will not peak today. I will be ready when game day comes. I will not PR everyday. I'm OK with that. I will PR on game day. It's a marathon, not a sprint. My eyes are set on my goals. My determination and dedication will overcome any shortcomings I have during this workout. On to the next one.

THE COMBINE

Do you want it?

That is the only question we ask of you. 

It's an easy question with only one of two answers: either you want it or you don't. We can't make you want it. That's not our job.

Our job is to transform you into the firebreather you want to be. Our results tell the story. We have some of the best CrossFitters in Texas training at the RedBlack Gym, being coached by the best training staff in the World. This may seem like hyperbole, but it only takes one morning in the gym to see what we do, who we are and what you're made of. 

If you don't want it or don't have it, that's OK. You will find your place at another gym. We don't need you. You may become a decent athlete one day, but that is doubtful. Why? Great athletes don't become great by training around mediocrity. They become great because they seek out the best coaches and the best training partners they can find. 

You think you're dialed-in? You might be, but when game day comes knocking at the door, who will answer? The NOVICE who had too many excuses (you're classes are too early, you're classes are too late, you are more expensive than other boxes, the location is not in my immediate area... the list goes on) or the BEAST who woke up early every morning, drove the miles, put in the work and paid the price?

The choice is yours. Put down your tires excuses. Step up to the plate and step up your game. If you're interested in what we can offer you, please contact me. If not, we'll see you on game day - and we will crush you.

If you don't know, now you know. 

Back to the basics, people!

Maude: What do you do for recreation?

The Dude: Oh, the usual. I bowl. I drive around. The occasional acid flashback.

An epiphany has been brewing. Not for me, but for me to share.

"If I knew then what I know now..."

In talking with the the athletes I train at the RedBlack Gym and the athletes I train at RunTex, I realize that they all have goals. For some, it is to compete at the highest level of CrossFit. For others, it is simply to gain mobility and lead a healthier, more fulfilled life. While both of these goals are different, they both share a common thread:

***Everyone wants all or at least some of the following: to be bigger, better, faster, stronger, more mobile; reach new levels of endurance, crush METCONS, get silly strong, improve in their olympic lifting, dominate gymnastics, reduce body fat and look better 'nekkid!***

I love it! Let's do it all! But wait, how do I accomplish all this?

My first answer is always: "With time". Inevitably, this is not the answer people want to hear. They want it all, and they want it all NOW!

While my default answer of "with time" is true, I feel the need to expound on that idea. To really answer the question, I believe we need to first define "What are your goals?"

All too often, I hear my athletes say things like "I think we should do longer METCONS: I'm weak in that area." The next day I hear "I think we should do more OLY-lifting: I'm weak in that area." The very next day... "I think we should lift heavy more often: I'm weak in that area." And the next day "I think we should focus more on gymnastics and body-weight movements: I'm weak in that area."

While they might be correct in their self-assessments, the truth is that we only have 24 hours in a day; 168 hours in a week. How best to spend those hours?

First we must define your goals. Then we must take action to meet those goals. 

If your objective is to squat 600#, then you do not need to be CrossFitting! We need to find you the best strength coach in the world (Travis Holley) and get you lifting heavy 4x a week. 

If your objective is to increase your clean & jerk and snatch to big-time kilos, we need to find you the best OLY-lifting coach in the world (Zach Thiel) and get you lifting OLY-style 4x a week. 

If your objective is to run a 4-minute mile or be an elite MMA fighter, we need to... well you get the point. 

I have yet to see anyone run a 4 minute mile, squat 600#, beat Brock Lesnar to a bloody pulp and show absolute proficiency in gymnastics. As of 2011, it is not physically possible. Elite level specificity naturally demands deficiency in other realms of fitness. This is one of the guiding principles of CROSSFIT. (If you haven't read this article, now is the time).

CrossFit the sport demands that athletes be average at everything. YES! We are the best at being mediocre in as many of the 10 general physical skills as possible: 

1. Cardio/Respiratory Endurance

2. Stamina

3. Strength

4. Flexibility 

5. Power

6. Speed

7. Coordination

8. Agility

9. Balance

10. Accuracy

The best CrossFitter (and "fittest" individual in the World) will be the person who has the highest level of fitness across these 10 GPS). They must be the best at being average. They might be more dominant in one area than another, but they most certainly will have practiced and refined all of them. 

Which brings me back to your goals. What are they? If you want to be strong, you must lift heavy weights. If you want to increase cardio/respiratory endurance, you must METCON (it's a verb now). If you want it all, I have no better answer than to CrossFit. I have yet to see a program that integrates the 10 general physical skills as well or as evenly as does CrossFit. 

***Tangent*** I also have clients who ask me what they can do to build stronger, more defined abs. I say deadlifts, back squats, overhead squats. Not what they want to hear, but the truth. What can I do to get ripped? Eat these foods, not those foods (abs are made in the kitchen I tell them) - NOT what they want to hear, but the truth. What can I do for my chest? Biceps? Legs? Shoulders? I tell them, "You're doing it right now... You're CrossFitting!" The look on their faces tells me I'm speaking in a difficult to understand dialect of Mandarin, although I know it's just not the answer they were hoping to hear. 

In our culture of immediate gratification, we want to hear that we can strap on an electro-hydro-monitorizing belly-blaster 5000 and magically get the body we want. We want to do thousands of crunches and bicep curls and hope that we look like the guy on the cover of Testosterone Monthly. We hope that by simply eating less of the shitty processed food that we already eat, our bodies will transform into those of the ladies on the cover of Shape magazine. Unfortunately this is not real, and this will not get you where you want to go. ***End Tangent***

I have found that the best way to a longer, happier, healthier, more fulfilled life is through the combination of 1) CrossFit, 2) yoga and 3) clean, solid nutrition. 

Consistency is the real key here. It's not a 9-5. It's a lifestyle.

You want it all? THEN YOU MUST CROSSFIT! (and give it time...)

YOU ARE NOT...

... your past. your future. your stories. your excuses. your timidity. your body. your mind. your conversations. your lack of integrity. your strengths. your weaknesses. your successes. your failures. your thoughts. your identity. here and now: you are the Self. acknowledge your human being. let it be. push it aside and be the possibility of anything and everything from nothing.

Time to get...

...CUTTHROAT.

*Games Season 2011*

Harmony.

Happiness comes when what you think, 

what you say, 

and what you do are in harmony.

-Gandhi

Have Faith

The great lesson is that the sacred is in the ordinary, 

that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, 

friends, and family, in one's backyard.

- Abraham Maslow

Last night a small group of us gathered at Jeremy Thiel's house to watch The Secret. I hadn't seen it since November of 2008, and it was a brilliant reminder of the power of the LAW OF ATTRACTION and our ability to MANIFEST great things for ourselves through the power of our minds and unwavering, childlike faith. Thanks JT.

Sweat, play, suffer, learn...

...all before sunrise.

Kanye West - Runaway

Seriously considering taking up ballet...

Love me some videos!

Two great videos for the day -- Enjoy!

http://www.sicfit.com/speaker/5761-Carey-Kepler/video/409624-Were-Going-All-The-Way-This-Time-CrossFit-Centrals-Games-Training-Dec-10-Jan-11

http://www.sicfit.com/speaker/5761-Carey-Kepler/video/407207-CrossFit-Central-2010-Year-in-Review

Who's YOUR Coach?

Am I an idiot? This picture seems to suggest "Yes."

The following is an excerpt from Dan John's book Never Let Go:

"The coach who coaches himself has an idiot for a client.

Even a good surgeon doesn't pull out his own spleen. A good coach can't coach himself. Listen, I tried it for years and here's the problem: You simply don't have enough RAM to do it yourself. Yep, that's the computer term. You simply don't have enough space in your brain to do what it takes to train yourself.

First, designing a program takes a level of honesty people can rarely match. Oh, sure, we can all see the obvious with glaring faults and issues, but the fix might blow up some happy little beliefs you're afraid to confront.

Second, anyone can design a program or plan. I see it all the time. In coaching yourself, you have to follow this program. Will you give it the time to work, or, like me, immediately begin to tweak and change it so by week two the original plan is completely lost? I know this by experience... thirty years of it! Can you follow your own plan? Some can, like Clarence Bass, but most can't. Even Bass, by the way, changes quite a bit from book to book.

Third, do you have enough will to push through your own program and not find the easy way out? I'm a master of talking myself out of tough workouts and back into my rut workouts. Like Earl Nightingale used to say, "A rut is a grave with the ends kicked out."

Fourth, can you honestly address your weaknesses at the start of a workout, in a strange gym, or when other alpha males are are training near you? The moment guys who look like frat boys start training near me, I front squat. I'm not doing sets of triples in the pull-up when these guys are working their heavy tricep extensions. Bro. Sorry, my ego can't handle that.

I have another idea to help you with this, but let's continue to unpack this concept. Let's just say it the opposite way. On the Velocity Diet, I drank six shakes a day. Why? Chris said so. If I follow Alwyn's workout and you ask me, why? I answer, "Alwyn said so." When Dick Notmeyer coached me, the answer was the same: Coach said so.

Said so is genius. It completely divorces you -- and I mean completely -- from any responsibility for your training. Why seven sets of four? Coach said so. Why fish oil? Coach said so. It's an amazing moment of clarity; you can pawn off all your responsibility on someone else. It's genius."

What are your thoughts?

Never Let Go.

Never Let Go

This is the title of the book that I am currently reading... and THOROUGHLY enjoying. I picked it up at my parents house over the break (there was a break?) after I saw that my dad had another new book he was reading (dads have a way of knowing good books). My dad was also the one who told me my freshman year of high school that I should focus on  three lifts: the Squat, Power Clean, and Bench Press. Ahhh if only I had listened to him... But then I wouldn't have known-it-all.

The book is written by Dan John, and details his philosophy of lifting and living (as he has done much of both - more than me anyways). It is smart, witty, informational, and highly entertaining to anyone who likes to lift anything. If you are looking for an "old-school" philosophy and a no BS account of how things should be done, I highly recommend it. This guy doesn't reinvent the wheel, he takes off all the bells and whistles and makes the complicated simple. Outstanding.

2011: My Year

For me, 2010 was a year full of learnings, successes, trials and challenges. 

2011 will be a year unlike any other year. I can't wait. 

DON’T QUIT

Don’t quit when the tide is lowest,

For it’s just about to turn;

Don’t quit over doubts and questions,

For there’s something you may learn.

Don’t quit when the night is darkest,

For it’s just a while ‘til dawn;

Don’t quit when you’ve run the farthest,

for the race is almost won.

Don’t quit when the hill is steepest,

For your goal is almost nigh;

Don’t quit, for you’re not a failure

Until you fail to try.

-Jill Wolf