I can feel something inside me say "I really don't think you're strong enough."

Challenges.                        
We stand tall.                    
The brute force                  
and the distaste of            
others will always lead
me to want nothing
more than to say
goodbye to all
that I know.

This poem is as unlike me as it gets. I am the overly determined person who doesn't like it when others rain on my parade. Yes, I know, the glass is NOT overflowing with positive energy and commitment. I'm no fool. At the same time, it's important to be optimistic.

I don't start something halfheartedly. I am in it to win it. I give it my all, and am not satisfied until I can sense that I have made great strides and changed something for the better. While it's simple to simply allow things to "continue on as they always have and always will", this particular mindset is the one that makes me most determined to be open to change. Traditions will have their place, and while there are those traditions I love dearly, it's important to also stay in the present.

My mindset has been in the wrong place lately. My worries have led me to focus less than I should. My attentions have been pulled away by matters that I cannot influence as heavily as I wish.

What I can do is stay strong, keep working hard, and always keep in mind that a to-do list is not a contract for each and every day, but rather that I need to make sure to stay sane and balanced with all that I do. While I appreciate the additional responsibilities that others have entrusted me to execute, I also am concerned that no one, least of all myself, has a real understanding of what I am supposed to do to make this all become reality. I'm sure I'll figure it. Eventually.