The day the Sun went out.

You can't just measure a man by the number of victories he has. You must also look at how that man handles defeat. STRENGTH doesn't mean you win all the time haha real strength means you can lose gracefully. No matter how great you think you are... NOBODY is undefeated. We've all lost our share of battles. But all that matters is how we accept our defeat. Do we run home, crying and pouting?? Or, do we brush ourselves off and continue in the war? "We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems." - John W. Gardner (1912 - 2002)

There is going to come a time in our lives, when we are completely alone. No teammates. No coach. No cheerleaders. No fans.

Just us.

And, at that moment, we decide what kind of person we are. Do we make excuses? Do we duck and hide? Do we try and sneak around? Or do we step up nose to nose with our adversity? Do we keep swinging until our arms fall off??

"A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory." - Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

The only person who can stop us, is ourselves. We must FULLY believe in ourselves, and our cause. We must act with pride. And, we must never doubt our own abilities and strengths. There are PLENTY of other people to do that for us hahaha WE must stay vigilant.

We must know that on the battlefield, the only thing we can ask for is survival. We all want the BEST of EVERYTHING but it doesn't work like that haha. We must just be happy with what we've already got!! "I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who overcomes his enemies." - Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)

I must follow my heart, and let my desires go.

"It is the nature of desire to never be satisfied, and most men live only for the gratification of it." - Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) we ALL need to start realizing how already gratifying our lives are! Take a deep breathe.... YOU'RE ALIVE!!! And there is no point in gaining the World, if you're only going to lose your soul. Like they say, the best things in life are free. We've just got to be H A P P Y it's that simple!

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

I feel really good today. I (obviously) have been feeling a lot healthier since I've quit drinking and smoking... but even mentally, I feel great! Habits are hard to break, yes. And BAD habits are even harder to break haha but I'm pretty proud of myself. A month or two ago... I don't know too many people who would tell you: "yeah, Matt can just STOP drinking beer and smoking weed" but look at me now! :-)

I've realized that I want more control over my life.

"Happiness depends upon ourselves." - Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)