Well, <b>recovery is going great</b>. It feels like it's been about a million years, and sometimes I feel like I've nearly forgotten what it's like to walk on my own two legs...but <i>I'm almost out the other side of this.</i><br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5P9fxLf5gTQ/VFcIPEXRcNI/AAAAAAAALBw/ru3d_DZFaME/s1600/attitude.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5P9fxLf5gTQ/VFcIPEXRcNI/AAAAAAAALBw/ru3d_DZFaME/s1600/attitude.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>It's been almost 6 weeks since surgery. This week I start working my way off the crutches.&nbsp;<b>Victory.&nbsp;</b>I've been doing my best to set myself up for success this whole time, from "Moment Zero" with the injury all the way through now. Proactivity and a positive attitude have gotten me pretty far. <b>Attitude can make or break you. </b>And I don't just mean dealing with injuries...<br /><a name='more'></a><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">It's easy to give up.&nbsp;</span></b><br /><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>You're injured...</b>that's it, I'm ruined, I'll never be the same.&nbsp;</div><div><b>You stopped going to the gym for 3 weeks...</b>I can't show my face there again.&nbsp;</div><div><b>You got a divorce...</b>I'm already THAT undesirable, working out won't help anything.</div><div><b>You haven't started...</b>It's never worked, it's never stuck, and it's never going to. Why bother?</div><div><b>The list goes on.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Any of these could plant you firmly on the couch never to be seen again...it's all about what you do next. Do you take the high road and plan for 5 steps from now, or do you wallow in the misery of the moment?&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fDPXv2JdPeE/VFcN9gQXcpI/AAAAAAAALCA/n_0RaT1HWZU/s1600/reasonquit5.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fDPXv2JdPeE/VFcN9gQXcpI/AAAAAAAALCA/n_0RaT1HWZU/s1600/reasonquit5.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><div><b>Many of the greatest achievements of our time</b>&nbsp;would not have happened if someone had given up. <b>You simply can't let a bad attitude get the best of you.</b>&nbsp;Michael Jordan failed so many times it made his head spin...but how many people are wearing Air Jordans today? Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was 4 years old...and...well, I think we know how THAT turned out. <b>Get my point?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Focus on the positive. Focus on what will drive you.</b>&nbsp;Is it your family? Is it loved ones? Is it a particular goal? Is it <i>doing something for <b>you</b>?</i>&nbsp;Whatever it is, find it, focus on it, and let it <b>push you</b>&nbsp;to achieve things that would otherwise be forever out of your grasp. <b>Need some motivation from the outside?</b>&nbsp;Seek friends who will empower you. If you need it, <b>there is a support system </b>just waiting for you to call on it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>You are bigger than this...</b>whatever "this" may be. Every victory you can claim is important, even the little victories that seem insignificant.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>At 5 weeks out of surgery I was on a stationary bike working my knee. At just under 6 weeks, I'm already gearing up to start really hitting the gym hard. I'm <b>already planning</b>&nbsp;my next race. <b>Attitude is everything,</b>&nbsp;and my attitude is that I'm getting back into it as fast as I can.&nbsp;</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BhkEI3Tzlow/VFcP0nHPB3I/AAAAAAAALCM/sNr2U3lWRGA/s1600/myvictory.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BhkEI3Tzlow/VFcP0nHPB3I/AAAAAAAALCM/sNr2U3lWRGA/s1600/myvictory.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><div>Broken bones heal, torn muscles mend, cuts, scrapes, bruises...they vanish in an instant...<i>but a broken spirit might not - and that's what negativity brings</i>. <b>I don't let it get there. </b>I'm through being beaten down. Now, <b>I will not </b>be broken. When I fall, <b>I will get back up</b>&nbsp;stronger than before. This is my personal victory every single day.&nbsp;<b>Find Your Victory...</b>and embrace it.</div></div>