“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” - Calvin Coolidge

The time has come. I must begin anew.

I have tried--I really have. I have tried so hard that the word “try” seems completely inadequate. But then again, so do I.

Every day I sit for hours at my desk, willing myself to write. But words have been elusive, sentences evasive, and paragraphs--well paragraphs have been downright nonexistent. Part of me wished to believe that I had a massive case of writer's block, as if it were some disease in need of curing. But the whole idea of writer's block now seems like such a lame excuse, and whatever I am, I am not a man of excuses.

I keep telling myself, “Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.” But tomorrow never comes, because tomorrow is always a day away.

I finally realized that this problem of writer's block, at least for me, stems from trying to think of a different way to say what it is that I am actually trying to say. It's worrying that my own words aren't good enough.

I have given this project my absolute best. I have given this effort everything that I have--everything. And I have met with crushing failure at every step along the way. It has been a stuggle just to keep my head up anymore, and this failure weighs so heavily upon me that at times I actually have difficulty breathing. Knowing that my best has not been good enough is a wound that will not heal. Yet I am undeterred.

I will start anew, and I will continue to give my best, because my best now is better than my best then. My only hope is that when I am finally ready for the world, the world will finally be ready for me.

Am I tough? Yeah, I'm tough. Am I tough as nails? No, not tough as nails--tougher than nails. After all, a nail will bend if you hit it hard enough.

In fact, I now count my failures as successes and my losses as gains, because while these failures have caused me temporary pain, they also serve to guide me on the road to lasting success.

I have reached the point of no return; I cannot turn back now. I must press on.

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