<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NAkxElSncQE/VMY591sJsVI/AAAAAAAAUZ0/RPvlQ_mYbBM/s1600/6a00d8341bf90553ef01a511da034e970c.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NAkxElSncQE/VMY591sJsVI/AAAAAAAAUZ0/RPvlQ_mYbBM/s1600/6a00d8341bf90553ef01a511da034e970c.png" height="280" width="320" /></a>There have been <b>A LOT </b>of mornings lately where I've woken up and asked myself <i>"Why?"</i>,&nbsp;<i>"what was I thinking?"</i>, etc.<br /><br />Most mornings, I simply don't want to get out of bed. <b>Most</b>&nbsp;mornings I'm seriously questioning my decisions. To train for a winter marathon...to train for a marathon <b>period</b>... to work out 6 days a week...<br /><br />This isn't the first time I've questioned myself like this though...and the answer is usually the same every time.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>WHY?</b></span><br /><br /><div><b>WHY on God's green earth </b>would I choose to put myself through this? I have a <i>perfectly good </i>couch to sit on, lots of tv/movies to watch, games to play, and books to read. I don't need to work out 6 days a week...I CERTAINLY don't need to train for a freaking MARATHON...in the <b>winter</b>...in <i>half</i>&nbsp;the time people normally train...</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Something must be wrong with me</u>.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I mean, </b>how can there NOT be? Every time I&nbsp;reach my goal...every time I achieve a new height...I just push right past and keep going higher.</div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Shouldn't I be satisfied?</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Shouldn't we <b>all</b>&nbsp;be satisfied? I have lots of friends who have (I think I said this recently) had some <b>great</b>&nbsp;achievements lately. They've lost a ton of weight, they ran their <b>first 5K!</b>&nbsp;Shouldn't that be it? I mean, they thought they'd never run a 5K...and they finally checked that off the list. WHY are we still going...and pushing...and refusing to be satisfied?&nbsp;Aren't we done? Pack it up and go home? Did what we came here to do?&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">No.</span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_weZpaEHnlk/VMmr83P3p9I/AAAAAAAAUmc/1Ye3GTSNLzE/s1600/10844183_759041854143376_9339086_a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_weZpaEHnlk/VMmr83P3p9I/AAAAAAAAUmc/1Ye3GTSNLzE/s1600/10844183_759041854143376_9339086_a.jpg" /></a></div><div><b>If that were the case, </b>we wouldn't have cars. Or planes. Or freaking <i>bikes.</i>&nbsp;Walking was enough, why push it and figure out how to go farther, higher, or faster?</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>We must continue to challenge ourselves.</b>&nbsp;We <i>owe </i>it to ourselves. We <b>deserve</b>&nbsp;more. Why should we settle for <i>mediocrity?</i><b style="font-style: italic;">&nbsp;</b>If you have the <b>drive, determination, </b>and <b>motivation </b>to get where you are now, <b>why</b>&nbsp;wouldn't you reach for that <i>next level </i>of achievement?</div><blockquote><i>"Work like there is someone working twenty-four hours a day to take it all away from you"</i> - Mark Cuban</blockquote><div>You must be <b>hungry</b>&nbsp;for success. You must <b>believe</b>&nbsp;that <i>you have not yet <b>reached</b>&nbsp;the mountain-top.</i>&nbsp;This is one of those cheesy quotes, but your desire for success <b>must be greater</b>&nbsp;than your fear of failure.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">I could go on for days.</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The bottom line here</b>&nbsp;is that the moment you stop trying and settle for where you're at is the moment you have given up. It's the moment where you forfeit all the hard work you've put in and begin to backslide into mediocrity. And y'know what? <b>You deserve more than that.</b>&nbsp;You were <i>meant</i>&nbsp;for more than that.</div><div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5RM0XbSwKvo/VM91eU5yvPI/AAAAAAAAU2Y/2MLN2rnsor0/s1600/pukefaintdie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5RM0XbSwKvo/VM91eU5yvPI/AAAAAAAAU2Y/2MLN2rnsor0/s1600/pukefaintdie.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><b><br /></b><b>Always reach higher.</b></div>