All or Nothing...

If the only way to win is all or nothing, an unbearable expectation is placed on every action, every decision and every choice... and if we were to lose, all of our efforts would be valued at zero.

If my only choice is to give all or to give nothing, then the activities I enjoy, the people I spend time with, the charities I support, my job, my home, my life would all suffer... because giving all to one would mean giving nothing to another.

I may not win, I may not succeed; but if I have tried, then the result is not nothing. If I have learned something, the reward is not nothing. If I faced my fears and challenged some obstacle—even if I fail—I am not nothing.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I don't believe in all or nothing.

What I believe in is something.

I understand the concept of high stakes. I recognize that in a life-threatening situation, we may at times be called to truly "give our all". But in most of life, we need a balanced approach and a compassionate attitude towards ourselves and others.

We should be honest with ourselves about giving what we can, doing what we can, accepting what we can. We should try hard to move along the path we set for ourselves. We shouldn't give up, we shouldn't beat ourselves up... because we're not lazy or lackadaisical—we strive, we train, we make progress.

We achieve something, we believe something...we ARE something.