One Million and One

"You've been here a million times before."

I was on the pull-up bar, in the workout, with very little sleep and not much left in the tank on my fourth day of workouts, wondering how the f-ing-hell I was ever going to finish the round (let alone the workout) and this is what my coach said to me: "Lis, you've been here a million times before."

And it hit me: Oh yeah, I have. A million times. This feeling is nothing new to me. I've been hit like this before. I've been beaten and stomped and left for dead, here and in a million situations in life, and you know what?

I rise. Each and every time.

I pull myself back up from the floor, the bar, the pavement, the desk, the grass, whatever, and I have back at it.

Because I'm a lot of things in this life but I'm no quitter.

I won't give up. You can hit me, beat me, slap me, stomp me and I'm still getting back up.

Each and every time.

There's nothing and no one built in this life who can stop me.

My spirit is unconquerable. My drive cannot be disabled. I will stand fast and deliver.

Like the man Woody Guthrie sang: "Nobody livin' can ever stop me ... Nobody can ever make me turn back."

And the Japanese have a saying: "Fall seven times. Get up eight."

Yeah, well I'm rising 8. And 9. And 10.

I've been here a million times and I'll rise 1,000,001.

And so will you. I'm counting on it. See you in the gym.