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Your Will

9/25/2015

1 Comment

 
You don’t have to compete; others will take your place. Yet, when you sit back and remark upon their failures try to refrain from thinking “I could do better.” There are many could-bes and may-have-beens laying amongst the bones of history, people who didn’t care enough to try and were ground to dust beneath the heels of time.

“This isn’t a game!” you said. “How dare you reach above your place. Who do you think you are?” Your lack of concern or interest in resisting now sounds suspiciously envious of those who sacrifice to win. You lack the know-how and replace it with the hatred of defeat.

There is a simple solution to the problem, one you need to be re-acquainted with any time your thoughts stray. Keep your eyes on the prize. Throw your being into every task without thought for impossibility. You don’t have to understand now, that will come later as experience opens your mind and your humanity evolves.

Life is competition my friends, the only one that matters, and there will always be obstacles in the way of your happiness. There will always be naysayers and doomsdayers, chains to constrict, and walls to obstruct. You will be assaulted with nevers, can’t, impossibles, and it’s already-been-done. Ignore it all and set mind and energy to the task at hand.

Keep your eyes on the prize and everything will fall into place. Your progress may be incremental and slow, but eventually effort is rewarded with an increase in awareness of ability. Every step is purchase gained – a demonstration of desire, dedication, and drive. The opponent, you might ask. “Who and what am I fighting against?”

You’re fighting against anything that thwarts your goals, anyone who stretches your time, any place that limits your imagination. The enemy is everywhere, and can take many forms, but the most dangerous and insidious resides in the mirror.

The prize does not define you any more than the journey or its obstacles. Your will does. The prize then must be worthy if it means using every ounce of effort to achieve it. So it bears remembering one factor determines the next minute, hour and day until a string of years have been fashioned into a life. Your will. There is a very good reason why it’s free.

1 Comment
florence B.
10/4/2015 05:13:46 am

Jeez Lyle ! I do like your pieces ! I'm speechless ! Thank you !

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    Author

    In the time he has been incarcerated, Lyle May has earned an Associates in Arts degree with a social science emphasis through Ohio University; paralegal certification through the Center for Legal Studies; and is currently working on his bachelor’s degree. He has published two articles in The Wing, an international newsletter for death penalty opponents, and is hard at work writing a second memoir detailing his experiences on death row. When he is not writing Lyle enjoys sci-fi and fantasy novels, calisthenics, and dreams of freedom.

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    Lyle welcomes comments to his blog.  However, because Lyle's case is still pending, he will not be able to respond to any questions or comments that you may have.

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