"Excellence withers without an adversary." Seneca
A worthy opponent.
I love it when the winner of a game bestows this title on the person/team they just played.
It’s gracious and humble. It’s an acknowledgment that the victory was even sweeter because it didn’t come easy.
That’s what I always want to be. A worthy opponent, whether the opposition is a real person or it only feels like someone has paid life a small fortune to try and kick your ass.
Whatever the case, I don’t want to go quietly or easy. Fuck that. You’ll get it out of my cold, dead hands.
But sometimes, I forget that I am a fighter. I get shaken up and confused. I feel out of control. It’s disorienting, like I've lost my true north. I stay in my funk for a bit, but eventually I give myself a pep talk. Soon enough, I remember who I am. My 'give 'em hell' attitude is back and it's time to get back to work.
Look, none of us gets out of this alive. But that doesn’t mean we have to just take what’s handed to us with a pathetic shoulder shrug and a bowed head. What you’re born into is not the final answer. What has happened to you thus far isn’t the end of the story. Shit can be turned into sugar. New paths can be forged. There will be obstacles - even coming from within; however, we have to keep pressing forward.
Sometimes you fight your heart out and still no victory.
That’s OK. The battle begins anew every day.
Persist. Fight. Win.
Let’s get to it.
