What to Do When You're Frustrated

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." 
- Robert Burns

FRUSTRATION:
- a feeling of anger or annoyance caused by being unable to do something; the state of being frustrated
- a deep, chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs

Have you ever felt like this..?

Things you planned didn't work out the way you expected. You're annoyed, irritated, upset, just plain mad and you don't know who you should be mad at.

You want to yell but there's no one around to hear you. You want to vent but nobody wants to listen. You want to bang your head against the nearest wall but you don't want to hurt yourself, and there's no wall around, anyway. 

Like Charlie Brown would say...AAUUGH..!!!

Let's face it, things go wrong when you least expect it, that's a fact of life. A big disappointment or a major letdown makes no difference. It feels just as bad. 

When these things happen we all want to crawl into a fetal position, sit in a corner, suck our thumb, and just plain feel sorry for ourselves because life's "unfair." We can feel like everything is against us, that nothing is ever going to work out right for us again. 

All hope is lost, or it's gone completely, never to return.  At least that's the way things seem.

Not only that, you can feel distracted along with being upset. When your plans don't work out it can be very easy to get off track. You can get so turned around you don't know which way is up.

You want to do something but you don't know what to do, where to begin, what should happen first. You want to get started but you feel like unless you do everything all at once, you haven't accomplished anything. 

All you know is that you want to get rid of that helpless feeling you're experiencing, and you want to do it fast. Like five minutes ago...yesterday, if possible.

You don't know what to do first, but you know you want to accomplish something so you don't feel like you're wasting your time.

Rather than letting emotions overwhelm you to the point of feeling helpless, even powerless, keep some things in mind:

1. Recognize that everybody experiences what you're going through at some point in their lives. It is common to all...

"Be still, sad heart! and cease repining
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

2. Do something on your "to do" list. Take a positive step, no matter how small, so long as you move forward. Slow progress is still progress. Don't beat yourself up because you're not moving as fast as you think you "should." 

At this point nothing's more important on your list than anything else; just find something to do...and DO IT!  GET GOING..!!!

3. Look at your setbacks differently. They may not be all that discouraging after all. What you thought was a roadblock may really be a detour. Who knows that it could be a turn in the direction you really need to go, and you just don't see it that way yet. 

Just because you get down emotionally from time to time doesn't mean you have to stay down. Get back to your feet, keep your chin up, and stay focused on your mission.

And before long you can look at your problems just like B.J. Thomas did back in the day, call yourself free, and say in your heart,

Nothing's worrying me...

That's all for now, gotta run. Until next time, remember:

Keep it simple... See ya!

A Good Life Is Like a Good Meal...You Must Make It So

"He who regards the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap." - Ecclesiastes 11:4 AMP

Outside of sports or movies I don't watch much television. Very few programs spark my interest. There is one exception, however: The Food Network. (Hey, I'm a guy! I like food...it's only natural, right?)

I like the format of the shows, especially the competitive ones. As a sports fan I can appreciate the nature of the contests. My favorite show is a program called Chopped. The theme is very simple:

Four chefs...
Three rounds...
One champion...

...and they all have to create a delicious three course meal from the mystery ingredients hidden in their food baskets. Each dish is judged on creativity, presentation, and taste.

The challenge of the show is that you never know what you're going to see in the basket (like Forrest Gump's "box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get.."): 

You may see something that makes no sense at all...

You may see something you never thought could be part of any meal (appetizer, entree, or dessert), or worst of all...

You may be asked to use an ingredient you've never seen before in your life! (I call it the "What the..?" moment)

You may not like what you see, you may wish you had something else (or something easier to cook), but none of that matters. You must use the items you've been given and create a dish from them. And you don't have much time to do it: 20 minutes to create an appetizer, 30 minutes each for the entree and dessert.

The theme of the show is very simple: take the situation in front of you, do the best you can with it, and in the small amount of time you have create the best possible outcome.

What a great lesson we can all learn from this show to apply to our own lives, but sadly very few people do. Why? I believe there are two reasons:

We believe others are responsible for changing our situation for us, or...

We believe situations should just work themselves out on their own.

When neither of these things happen we get upset, we yell, we cry, we whine about how "unfair" life is. Then we sit in a corner, suck our thumb and wail "Woe is me," or "Nobody knows the trouble I seen," 'til the cows come home.

I got two words for you Bucky...  

Boo Hoo...!!! (You want some cheese to go with that whine..???)

Face it, most times we caused the trouble ourselves. It's our own fault. More than anyone or anything, we created our own problems. Our biggest challenge is what we see in the mirror. We just won't admit it.

But as long as we believe others "should" fix our situation for us, solve our problems, as long as we expect others to drop whatever they're doing and come running to save us from ourselves, nothing will change. 

Things will stay broken, and so will we, always needing repair, and we'll have no one to blame but ourselves. To think otherwise means only one person is being fooled...guess who?

Larry Winget, author of "You're Broke Because You Want to Be," has the best response for this mindset:

"Stop being a victim! No one else is to blame for your situation. Your life is a reflection of the choices you have made. If you want a better life, then make better choices. When you do, you'll find that taking credit for your successes feels a lot better than blaming others for your failures." - from "Victimhood: A Privilege You Can No Longer Afford," pages 3,4

Everybody gets confronted by circumstances they'd rather not deal with in life. That's the fact, Jack. Everybody has a "What the...?" moment. That's a fact, too.  Into every life a little rain must fall, so the saying goes. But everybody handles these moments differently. That's why some move ahead while others fall behind.

Knowing all this, the choice is yours. Handle the situation or the situation handles you. Your call. Lemons in your life can't become lemonade until your attitude gets sweeter than the situation you face. 

Comprende?

So take a tip from the chefs on Chopped. No matter how strange the mystery "ingredients" are that found their way into your basket, you can still create a dish that suits you best. 

Bon apetit!

That's all for now, gotta run.  Until next time...

Keep it simple...See ya!

Watch Out For H.P.S.

"For the Scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain, and again, the laborer is worthy of his hire." - I Timothy 5:18 AMP

I remember reading a children's story called Henny Penny many years ago.  It teaches a valuable lesson we can all learn.

As the story goes, Henny Penny wanted to plant some wheat so she could bake bread. She asked her friends to help her. They refused. Her request (Who will help me..?) was always met with the same answer:

Not I! Not I! Not I!

To which she said, Fine, I'll do it myself, which she did...every step of the way:

Buying the seed...
Tilling the ground...
Planting the seed...
Watering the seed...
Digging up the weeds...
Cultivating and harvesting the crop...
Grinding the wheat into flour...
Taking the flour home to bake the bread...

Every step of the way, she asked the same question (Who will help me..?) and got the same answer (Not I! Not I! Not I!)...

...that is until the bread was baked, and she took it out of the oven to cool. One last time she asked (don't know why she did, but that's how the story goes...)

Who will help me eat the bread..?

All of a sudden, everybody changed their tune...

I will..!  I will..!  I will..!

But Henny Penny didn't change HER tune!

She said, No! I will do it myself... and that's what she did.

This seems like nothing more than a cute bedtime story, but there's more to it than that. It makes a valid point.  This story demonstrates human nature, most specifically what I like to call H.P.S. or Henny Penny Syndrome. Let me explain.

Though there are exceptions, anytime someone rolls up their sleeves to get something done, it is next to impossible to find friends, family, or anyone in your immediate circle to help. 

Everyone runs for the hills, so you wind up doing much of the heavy lifting on your own. If that wasn't already bad enough, the ones who won't support you will also do their best to discourage you, drag you off course, find a way to make you give up. 

When you do something different it upsets the apple cart, so to speak, and anything that disturbs their peace of mind must be stopped.

But let them find out you're starting to enjoy some success, and that your hard work is being recognized as something special, and what do you suppose will happen..?

They'll come running out of the woodwork so they can join you in the spotlight, that's what!

"I'm so proud of you!"
"I knew you could do it!"
"I always had your back...you know that, right?"

And who could forget the classic line they always use to steal your thunder...

"Now I KNOW you won't forget all the people that helped you get where you are today..."

This is the Henny Penny Syndrome in full effect...

When the time comes to work, nobody wants to get in the flow...

But when the time comes for the rewards, everybody wants to bask in your glow...

But as I said before, it's human nature. That's what people do.

With all this being said, there is something you should know. This is how you overcome H.P.S. :

Just like Henny Penny, you get to decide who joins you when its time to celebrate your success. You get to choose who shares in your moment of triumph. Nobody gets to walk with you in the sunshine, or rain on your parade just because they say so.

Your success is your reward for all your hard work. Remember that. You earned the applause and the accolades; nobody can take them away.

Nobody has the right to make you feel guilty for working when they decided not to, or for the triumph you achieved without them. You didn't succeed at their expense, and you're celebrating at their expense either. 

If you gave them a chance to work beside you and they turned it down, then you have no reason to feel ashamed about celebrating any success you achieved for the work you did. They had the same opportunity to succeed that you had, and passed it by.  That's their problem, not yours.

So keep this in mind the next time you're confronted with a bunch of Not I's (or Not Interested's) who won't work with you, leaving you on your own to figure things out. Don't be surprised when they "suddenly" transform into I will's that pretend they helped you get your hands on the prize you sought once they see you got the ball rolling without them.

When that happens, you can smile in the midst of all that pretense and say in your heart,

No, I did it myself...

...because that's just what you did.

That's all for now, gotta run.

Until next time...

Keep it simple... See ya!

Every "Good for Nothing" Is Good At Something

"Close friends and relatives, while not meaning to do so, often handicap one through 'opinions' and sometimes through ridicule, which is meant to be humorous. Thousands of men and women carry inferiority complexes with them all through life, because some well-meaning, but ignorant person destroyed their confidence through 'opinions' or ridicule." - Napoleon Hill

In Chapter 10 of his book Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn, entitled "Bad Experiences: The Perspective for Learning," John C. Maxwell tells the story of Giuseppe who lived in California. He was a proud man who earned his living as a fisherman, working hard to support his family. He believed his profession was honest and honorable and assumed his sons would follow in his footsteps. Fishing was not only Giuseppe's livelihood, but it was also in his blood. Fishing was his passion.

As expected, Giuseppe's sons followed in his footsteps and became fishermen too. All except one, that is. Little Giuseppe, named after his father, did not share that passion. He didn't enjoy fishing at all; the smell of fish made him sick. This greatly disappointed the father, who openly expressed his feelings about the son's lack of interest in fishing. He often ridiculed his son, calling him "good for nothing Joe," as the father believed anything the son did that had nothing to do with fishing was a waste of time.

Giuseppe offered to work in his father's office, repair the nets, anything he could do to prove himself worthy of his father's favor, but it was no use. Shining shoes and delivering newspapers to bring in money wasn't good enough for the elder Giuseppe either, despite the fact that Joe's pay helped the family make ends meet. Since it didn't involve fishing, the father saw no value in it. 

It seemed all Joe's hard work would never be recognized or respected by his father.

As it turns out, Giuseppe's "good for nothing" son really was good at something. Where the father saw Joe as lazy and lackadaisical, others saw a sense of calm, focus, and seemingly effortless grace. They also saw a young man who took pride in his profession, who worked just as hard as his father did. Joe was a fierce competitor who did everything possible to excel. He had a burning desire to succeed, to win.

As a young man Joe moved east to pursue his profession. You see, Joe hated fishing...but he loved baseball. And while his father saw no value in anything Joe did outside of fishing, millions of baseball fans saw nothing wrong with the way Joe played. They called him Joltin' Joe, because he played so well, every inning of every game, at a steady, consistent level of dependability and excellence. When asked late in his career why he played with such intensity despite being injured he simply replied, "Because somebody out there may have never seen me play before." 

Joe earned the respect of fans, teammates, even opponents. Ask any fan of the New York Yankees and they'll tell you about Joe DiMaggio, the kid from San Francisco whose father once called him "good for nothing," the man who became not only a baseball star, but a legend. 

Just like Joe, all of us have some unique gift, talent, special ability that is as natural to us as breathing. But don't think for a moment that the people in your midst, whether friends or loved ones, will always recognize the talents you possess, or even support the pursuit of your goals and dreams as you seek to develop those talents. 

There may be someone in your life who thinks you're "good for nothing." But you must look deep within your heart to find out just what your talent is. That is what makes you stand out, what makes you most unique. While it may be true that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" (Oliver Platt), not everyone can recognize beauty when they see it, much less appreciate it.

It can be disappointing, even discouraging when the people closest to you fail to see your worth, but that doesn't mean you don't have any. Value is like sunshine on a cloudy day...just because you can't easily see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Here's what you need to do:

First, you must determine that you will find that value for yourself. Look inside, find out what makes you special, and embrace it. Don't look for approval from the outside, you won't get it. Approve first of yourself and your uniqueness, only then can you let others see it for themselves.

Second, and most important, ignore the criticism of people who don't recognize your uniqueness, or your value. Never let anyone's disapproval or ridicule shut you down, cause you to give up on yourself or fail to express your special kind of greatness. You have something to contribute to this world, some great service to perform. There is a void in this life that only you can fulfill. 

If you can do these two things, you will find yourself gaining a very special benefit, something you probably thought you'd never earn:
the respect of the people who once put you down. You can prove all the doubters wrong who laughed at you, made fun of you, tried to humiliate and embarrass you. One way or another, your critics will have to admit how much they admire you for remaining true to yourself, and for chasing your dreams.

Just so you know, the day did arrive when Giuseppe opened his eyes and saw his once "good for nothing" son had become a special man whose value others got to know and appreciate. The same can happen for you if you remain true to who you are rather than the one others think you should be.

Every "good for nothing" can discover he is good for something so long as he follows Shakespeare's timeless advice:

"This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not be false then to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!"
- Hamlet Act 1, scene 3, 78-82

That's all for now, gotta run. Until next time, remember:

Keep it simple... See ya!

What Matters Is The Company You Keep...And That Keeps YOU

Like a lot of people, I enjoy eating out from time to time. I might go to a fast food restaurant, a diner, or something more upscale. I may even go to a buffet restaurant, which I know some people don't care for, but to each his own, right..?

Anyway, I have a simple rule for going out to eat: there is no "one size fits all" mentality when it comes to such places. Just because I went to a Burger King or McDonald's or Subway on a particular day doesn't mean I'll visit every one I see. The name on the door may be the same, but each location is different. Everyone is not worthy of my time, my attention... or my money. For instance:

Several months ago I went to a particular Dunkin Donuts shop in town. Three or four of them are in the area, and I went to the one I thought was the most convenient because it was the closest...or so I thought. 

Big mistake!  Why? 

Because the folks who worked there did everything they could to make my visit a miserable one.  How you ask? Well, it had to do with their WiFi service. Let me explain...

I noticed the shop had Free WiFi, so I figured I'd use it while I was there. I was told I'd have to buy something to use their WiFi. No big deal I thought, so I bought a bagel and some iced tea and went back to my work. Then things got worse. 

The staff there told me I was staying in their store too long and it was time for me to leave. I was just minding my business, not bothering anyone. I even showed them what I was working on but they didn't care. They said I had to go. And not very politely, I might add. They spoke to me like I was a criminal. Very rude.  

(I later found out people went there to view some offensive videos on the shop's WiFi, but that had nothing to do with me). 

Things got so bad that I complained about it to the company, but all I got in response was an email from the franchise owner who tried (unsuccessfully, mind you) to explain his staff's actions, saying they had the right (so-called) to "encourage" me to vacate the premises. (A letter I still have, by the way)

After reading his email, I decided that replying was a waste of time. So I took my business (and my money) elsewhere. I chose other Dunkin Donuts' shops in the area to visit and I'm so glad I did. My experience at the other shops was much better; nobody bothered me at the other locations, no matter how long I stayed. (and yes, I used their WiFi, too)

The people at the first store never have to worry about seeing me again. Due to their lack of people skills (and goodwill), they lost not only my business but also lost the business of friends and family too...because you KNOW I steered them clear of that place, of course. (Good news travels fast, bad news much faster)

The negative experience I had at that Dunkin Donuts shop did not discourage me from doing business with any other Dunkin Donuts shops in the area. It just kept me from doing business with THEM. And since I had another place to go where I could enjoy Dunkin's products, it was that shop's loss and my gain.

That experience also taught me something else very important, which I want to share with you. And that is this:

You are not entitled to anybody's time or resources. If they decide to invest anything with you it is a privilege, not a right. You should be grateful that they saw any value in you at all, and be quick to express that gratitude with an attitude of humility. It wouldn't hurt for you to say Thank you to them. I remember, my mother telling me back in the day you should always say thanks to someone who does something nice for you. That lesson still applies, even with the passing of time.

That being said, you should also remember this: 

People do business with people, not companies. People establish relationships with people they know, like and trust. This is just as true of business relationships as it is of personal ones. The name on the door doesn't mean a thing if the people inside turn customers away with bad attitudes, poor service, or both. 

Paraphrasing the late great Duke Ellington, your name don't mean a thing if you got nothing good to bring... Get my meaning?

So long story short, if you want to build a relationship, a business, a team, or anything of significance, you would do well to treat people who come across your path as the valuable treasures they are. Don't take them for granted, not even for a second. 

Because whether you realize it or not, those people can make your success...or break it.  The company that keeps you is just as important as the company you keep.

That's all for now, gotta run.  Until next time...keep it simple.

See ya!

You Can't Buy "Street Cred"

"Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips." - Proverbs 27:2 AMP

MASQUERADE: a way of appearing or behaving that is not true or real; an action or appearance that is mere disguise or show

CREDIBILITY: the quality of being believed or accepted as being true, real, or honest; the quality or power of inspiring belief; capacity for belief

Have you ever heard the saying, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression"..? I know I've heard it many times, and I bet you have, too. On the surface it seems to make a lot of sense, because after all, it pays to put your best foot forward when you meet someone for the first time, right?

Well, the answer is yes...and no. Let me explain.

Making a good first impression can be beneficial in the long run...as long as you are genuine. In baseball it is said that the quality most appreciated in a good umpire is consistency; the decisions he makes in the first inning are the same in the ninth inning. So it is in life; people want to know you are the same person tomorrow that they see today. They don't like flakes, and they don't like fakes. Many people seek to impress with pretense, only to have it backfire on them. Nobody can play a fake role for very long without dropping their guard at some point. When that does happen, and people finally get to see who you really are, you will lose something very valuable in their eyes: TRUST. And trust is something that is hard to keep, easy to break, and once broken, difficult to repair. They no longer trust you to show them who you really are, because you did not trust them to make an accurate assessment of you, based on who you really are, not who you appear to be.

Why do so many people pretend to be someone they're not for the sake of impressing others? Because they fear rejection. They fear that if people saw the real man or woman behind the mask, they may not like what they see. Truth is, we cannot arrange our own credibility with others; we must let others establish it for us. We cannot build our own reputation with phoniness, but we can surely destroy it.

Ever heard of "social proof"..? It takes place in the dating scene and applies just as much in business as to personal relationships. Here's an example:

A man may have trouble finding a date, much less a woman who shows him any interest. Females avoid him like the plague because he seems unappealing. But let just one woman find something about him that is the least bit interesting, no matter how small it seems, something that makes her feel good about herself, and suddenly he has more female attention than he can handle, women competing so hard for the attention that they seem to be stalking him; before long they're invading his space so much that he has to beat them off with a stick. (a nice problem to have, some men might say)

The same thing happens with a woman who isn't noticed by most men. All it takes is one man to shower her with any amount of attention or affection, be it large or small, for any reason at all, then suddenly she has men competing for her attention who didn't care about her at all before.  Why? Because her value was established in the eyes of another man. She was seen as a person worth getting to know better. And she didn't have to do anything to make it happen, other than letting people see her genuine self. No more, no less.

So what am I saying here? Simply this: if you want to make a good impression on people, whether it's the first one, the next one, or the all-important lasting one, the way to put your best foot forward is to be yourself. Don't worry about what others think, and don't pretend to be someone you're not. Be your own person, and trust the people you meet to make their own assessments about you, good, bad, or indifferent.

Don't brag about how good you think you are to others. Nobody likes a braggart, and even if what you say is true, you will turn people off by your overabundant display of self-importance and conceit. A haughty attitude never helps, and a humble spirit never hurts. Let others see that you are comfortable with yourself just as you are, even when you make the occasional mistake. People will relate best to those who help them to become comfortable with themselves, for better or worse.

Be real with people. Be genuine, don't be fake. Let people decide for themselves who you are in their eyes. Trust that they will see you at your authentic best, and when the dust settles, you will have won a most precious prize:

RESPECT:  a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, important, etc.; a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, etc., and should be treated in an appropriate way; a high or special regard: ESTEEM

...and in the long run, that is the best "street cred" of all...

That's all for now, gotta run.  Until we meet again, remember:

Keep it simple...See ya! 

Champions Keep Going

"And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not relax our courage and faint." - Galatians 6:9 AMP

CHAMPION: WARRIOR (a person who fights in battles and is known for having courage and skill); FIGHTER (someone who does not give up: someone who continues fighting or trying);one that does battle for another's rights or honor;a winner of first prize or first place in a competition, also: one who shows marked superiority

There will be days when you wake up in the morning, and instead of having boundless energy, you sense you are in a fog. Instead of being ready to take on the day, you feel as if you were ambushed in your sleep. Your mind and emotions are clouded with doubt and uncertainty. You question your decisions, and second guess your motives. You wonder if what you are doing is worth the struggle you're going through, especially when your plans aren't coming into focus as fast as you expected. And worse, deep in your heart you fear that all the lazy critics and naysayers, the ones who would not support you, the ones who questioned your sanity in the first place for taking on this challenge instead of being lulled to sleep by the so-called "safe and easy" path of comfort, convenience and security they chose for themselves, may have been right after all.

If you read any of this and you can honestly say, "Yeah, that's me," or you have been all alone with your thoughts, plagued with doubt about your confidence, your competence, your ability to succeed, if you find yourself half way up the mountain to your goal, wondering in a fit of anxiety, frustration, fatigue, or even rage, if what you're going through is worth it, or if you are wasting your time, then my friend, I have two words for you...

Keep going.  

You heard me. I said...KEEP GOING.

The path to your goal includes walking through the valley of the shadow of doubt, death, and indecision. You are not meant to set up camp and have a pity party, but to find a way to forge ahead when mentally and emotionally you seem to be running on fumes.

"Champions find a way to keep going when there's nothing left in their tank." (Eric Thomas) 

There has to be a reason greater than you to make one more move, take one more step. There must be something, or better yet, something in your life who inspires you to keep going, someone who ignites your will to press on, because you can't bear the thought of disappointing them. 

Pro Football Hall of Fame player and former college coach Bill Curry speaks often of his playing days with championship teams like the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Colts, days when he wanted to quit because he didn't feel like getting hammered over and over again by the opponent on the other side of the ball. He said it was during these moments he would look to his left and his right where he saw teammates who were willing to take that same punishment for him, and for the rest of the team. When he saw this dedication on the part of his teammates, he said within himself, "I can't let them down," so he endured another play, another series, another quarter, another game in his illustrious career, all because he saw a goal at the end that was bigger than himself, a prize that was greater than the pain he faced during the course of each game he played.

So it must be with all of us. There must be a prize in our lives that outweighs the pain. In sports there is a saying, "Losing hurts worse than winning feels good." We all must find our own reason to push through, to keep going, to press beyond the point where the pain of losing, quitting, giving up, ever becomes a comfortable option. The pain of discipline must always outweigh the pain of regret. 

We must find for ourselves a special something, or someone, about whom we can say, "I can't let them down, because they're counting on me." We must find our own reason to keep going when we have nothing left in our tanks, when our mental, emotional, and spiritual reserves have long reached the "E" mark. We must do this because there is a reason for us that keeps us so motivated, so focused, and so inspired, we know the answer in such a way that the question never becomes an issue. In fact, we forget what the question is. 

Find your reason, and remember it often. Keep it in front of your eyes. Let it put the pep in your step, the wind in your sails. And should a moment of doubt ever threaten to creep into your mind again, just pull this weapon out of your arsenal and obliterate all traces of uncertainty, as well as the fear which tries to sneak up on you in disguise.

You're a champion, never forget it.  Press on, keep going, stay focused, and in due time, the prize you seek will be yours.

That's all for now, gotta run.  Be blessed, not stressed. And until we meet again, remember...

Keep it simple...  See ya!