Five Christmas Songs That Need to Be Retired

It is the holiday season, and while I enjoy listening to my preferred genre of pop punk all year round, I am not a total Scrooge. I do like some Christmas music. While I do not like to listen to it for months upon end, a week or two’s worth in December is plenty tolerable. That said, there are a handful of Christmas songs that absolutely NEED to be retired, or take an “indefinite hiatus” at the least. These songs cause reactions ranging from cringing to wanting to take a sledgehammer to any listening device within swinging range. Without further ado, here are the five songs I want retired immediately.

5. Silver Bells. To be honest, I had no issues with this song until recently, and I probably need to give you some background for this one. For whatever reason, it has been a lifelong goal for my sister to learn the art of harmonization. She and my mom practice harmonizing with one another on a fairly regular basis, and for some inexplicable reason they have chosen Silver Bells as their harmonization practice song. While in general I have no issues with their singing melodies, I can not say the same for their harmonies. I do not like it. Buttons likes it even less. This song needs to go.

4. Frosty the Snowman. In general, I prefer my Christmas songs to be cheerful in nature. There is one notable exception to this. I prefer the drearier lyrics to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I have no real reason why; I just do. A song about a magical snowman and his subsequent demise does not work for me. I remember watching the animated Frosty feature as a four year old and being horrified that Frosty melted away. I wholeheartedly disapprove of this song.

3. Here Comes Santa Claus. For the most part, I do not like Santa-related songs. I have no issue with the idea of Santa or feel like he is stealing Baby Jesus’ thunder, but I do have an issue with the inanity of most Santa-centric songs. This song was, is, and will always be awful. To make matters worse, Billy Idol has even recorded his own version. That right there should be enough of an example of how awful this song is.

2. Wonderful Christmastime. I respect the accomplishments of The Beatles. I believe Yesterday and Here Comes the Sun are among the finest songs of any era. This song, however, was a major miss for Paul McCartney. If this song had been written by almost anyone else, it would not have gotten the continued airplay that it has over the past thirty-plus years. When Paul himself admits it was not one of his best efforts, the song should be put away for a while.

1. The Christmas Shoes. If you have known me for years, you probably expected this to be tops on my list. I loathe this song. If you wanted to know how to write a horrible song, make tons of money off it, and severely agitate me in the process, you would need to look no further than this song. There are no redeeming qualities to this song whatsoever. It is easily the most depressing Christmas song I have ever heard. It makes Frosty the Snowman sound like Joy to the World (the Christmas song, not the Three Dog Night hit) in comparison. I know some people have been touched by this song. I get that. But for every person who is touched when hearing this song, there are at least ten people who are awkwardly uncomfortable to the point they want to crawl out of their own skin or forcibly remove their eardrums with a screwdriver. How this song warranted making TWO awful movies based on it is beyond me. I hate this song. I will always hate this song, and it needs to disappear from the earth. It was awful in 2000. It is still awful in 2011.

Observations While Exercising, or an Exercise in Observation

It is probably common knowledge that I enjoy working out almost as much as I enjoy making dry sarcastic responses to 90% of the questions I am asked over the course of the day. I enjoy going there to make myself better. It clears my mind and improves my body. I have spent a significant amount of the time at the gym over the past three months, and while I have been there, I have made a number of observations.

• While there is not a necessarily right or wrong way to work out, there are ways to work out that can make you significantly more toolish than you need to look.
• There is no need to grunt, scream, and moan at the end of a rep. You are not Serena Williams.
• Going extremely slowly on the elliptical 90% of the time and then at a breakneck speed for the last 10% does not make a good workout. It does, however, make a broken elliptical.
• Treadmills are like urinals. Do not take the treadmill directly next to someone unless it is unavoidable.
• Your workout may work for you. Mine may work for me. Please do not go from person to person extolling the virtues of your workout. You’re like the Jehovah’s Witness of the gym.
• Good workers at the front enhance the whole gym experience. Bad workers make it very difficult to enjoy the workout. Charter Fitness does a very good job with this for the most part.
• While I’m on the subject of Charter Fitness, I miss the Cardinal Fitness brand. Moreover, I miss the Oak Park Avenue location.
• Screaming at your son during his workout like you’re Bobby Knight does not make you the next Jillian Michaels, nor does it win you any nominations for Father of the Year.
• In general, the toolishness of the patrons of the gym is directly correlated to which portion of the gym they spend the majority of their time in.
• Charter Fitness Radio is absolutely awful. I could go the rest of my life without having to hear “Mony Mony” again.
• I am probably alone on this one, but I personally do not understand the appeal of working out with other people. It may be my lone wolf nature coming out, but I don’t understand the need for community during quite possibly the most individualistic thing I do over the course of my day. Working out only directly affects me.
• That said, always be cordial when running into an old acquaintance. Smile, say hello, and then continue on in your routine.
• Working out does not give you an excuse to show your awful tattoos. Some of those are best covered up.
• Despite being surrounded by people that say and do horribly obnoxious things, work out as hard as you can. Keep working hard, and keep getting better.

2011 in List Form

I know that there is still about two weeks left in the year, and I will wait until the 31st to compose my annual “Year in Review” post, but I thought now was as good a time as any to do another listing post. I enjoyed doing it last year, and it’s a bit of a mental break during my twelve days of writing. So, enjoy!

2011 was a good year in many areas. It was easily the best year for music in recent memory, and the television shows I watch were better in quality than they were in 2010. The year was full of great personal moments as well, and I am happy to share these with you! Mind you, these are ranked by my personal preference. I don’t consider myself to be the preeminent source for any of these things, but I do like what I like. This just gives you a better glimpse into my personal pop culture

Albums
1. Panic! at the Disco – Vices & Virtues
2. Bayside - Killing Time
3. Mayday Parade - Self-Titled
4. Forever the Sickest Kids – Self-Titled
5. New Found Glory - Radiosurgery
6. The Artist Life - Impossible
7. Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math
8. Twenty Twenty – Small Talk
9. Yellowcard – When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes
10. Mat Kearney – Young Love

Songs
1. The Artist Life – Dear Suzanne
2. Forever the Sickest Kids – Keep On Bringing Me Down
3. Twenty Twenty – Get Down
4. The Swellers – Nothing More to Me
5. Panic! at the Disco – Trade Mistakes
6. Cobra Starship – You Make Me Feel
7. New Found Glory – Drill It in My Brain
8. The Anix – Warning Signs
9. Mat Kearney – Sooner or Later
10. TV on the Radio – Will Do

New Bands (to me)
1. Mumford and Sons
2. The Getaway Plan
3. The Artist Life
4. The Swellers
5. Twenty Twenty
6. Amos the Transparent
7. Driving East
8. Joshua Radin
9. Shirock
10. Kiros

TV Shows
1. NCIS
2. NCIS: Los Angeles
3. Burn Notice
4. White Collar
5. Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Sports Moments
1. Marshawn Lynch’s Touchdown run vs. the Saints
2. CM Punk winning the WWE Title at Money in the Bank
3. Derrick Rose being named MVP
4. The Pittsburgh Steelers LOSING in the Super Bowl
5. The Dallas Mavericks winning their first NBA Title

Places to Eat
1. The Grand Buffet
2. Granite City
3. TGI Friday’s
4. Noodles & Company
5. Fuddrucker’s

Classes to Sub*
1. Mrs. Reeves’ 5th Grade at Meadow Ridge
2. Ms. Nemec’s 7th Grade at Century
3. Mr. Gill’s 8th Grade at Century
4. Mr. Helmuth’s P.E. at OJ
5. Mr. Carriel’s 5th Grade at Meadow Ridge
*While I enjoy my subbing position, none of those classes pale in comparison to the enjoyment I get from doing my job at Huntington.

Websites
1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. A World of Words
4. Sporcle
5. Stickam

Personal Moments
1. Going to Decatur with Dan and Andy to see The Graduate, March 25
2. Going with Rob to see WWE Money in the Bank, July 17
3. The outlet malls in Michigan City with my family, October 1
4. Getting on the scale and seeing it read 183 pounds, November 11
5. The Graduate’s Farewell Show in Chicago, August 28
6. Lunch with Staci, August 15
7. Monday Night Raw in Rosemont, March 28
8. My 24th Birthday, April 4
9. Going downtown with Heidi and Andy to get my pea coat, October 30
10. Black Friday in the city, November 25

On Goals, Part 2: Attacking Goals

This is the second of a two-part miniseries concerning the topic of goals.

When I left you last night, I let you ruminate on the thought of goals. There is no ideal difficulty level when it comes to setting goals. You must simply aim for that which you want and/or that which you have the capacity to achieve. Today we are going to stay on the topic of goals but shift gears a little bit.

Let’s say you have established a set of goals for yourself. How do you go about attacking these goals? Do you set forth a plan of action or do you dive headfirst? Do you give a little of your effort to all of the goals or do you attack one or two of them with ferocious intensity?

When I began to investigate my own responses to these questions, my life finally began to make sense. It was a true “Aha!” moment. I finally figured out the primary sources for my successes, my missteps, and my burnouts.

My goal-setting and pursuing has always lacked a sense of balance. While I have always been the type of person to set forth a plan of action (flawed or not) before doing something, I have always attacked a couple goals at a time with an extreme amount of intensity. A friend once described it as “persistent determination near the point of obsession". Many times that intensity has resulted in success, but at a cost. When I lost weight in 2008, I lost some maturity and industriousness in the process. When the bitter pills of 2010 led me to reevaluate my behavior and attitude, I regained a sense of self while I slowly lost control of my physical well-being. Heaven forbid I set my determination on a romantic pursuit. That intensity is a total recipe for large-scale failure and burnout. I have always tended to focus on one thing with such intensity and myopia that I quite often lose sight of the bigger picture.

If I have learned one thing in my life, it is the importance of balance. Balance in all areas is not a luxury; it is an absolute and inarguable necessity. When setting goals, drive is a good thing. Intensity makes things happen in a timely fashion. But we can never get so focused on one area that we let the other areas slip. In transforming our weaknesses into strengths, we must be careful to not allow our own myopia to create new weaknesses from areas that were previously strengths.

If this two day of discussion of goals has taught you anything, it has hopefully taught you the following things. First, it is great to set goals. Goals keep life interesting and stimulate personal progress. We must set goals that coincide with our desires and our determination. After we have set these goals for ourselves, we must determine a course of action. Remember that as in all things, balance is a necessity. Attack each goal with the proper effort and intensity, but do not let other areas of your life slip as a result of this intensity. Improvement in one area does not have to be made with a sacrifice in another area. Please, never stop setting goals and never stop achieving those goals. Aspire each day to be just a little bit better than you were the previous day. Just be smart about it.

On Goals, Part 1: Concerning Goals and Their Difficulty Levels

This is the first of a two-part miniseries concerning the topic of goals.

Most would agree that a life without goals is not much of a life at all. Goals are an absolutely necessary part of life. They keep things fresh and entertaining. They constantly give us something to work and strive for. A life without goals represents a life without growth. Whether or not the goals are ultimately achieved is irrelevant. The point is that it is necessary to push yourself toward something.

Many differ on the level of difficulty of their goals, however. Personally, I have always believed in aiming as high as possible. I hate what I feel are hollow victories. While I am not all that competitive with others, I have been driven by a deeply rooted desire to be the best. I do not say that in terms as crushing any and all opposition. By that I mean that I feel I am letting myself and (the few) others I care about down if I don’t shoot for as high a goal as possible. I absolutely hate what I call “hollow victories”. I believe I am capable of extraordinary things, so I set my goals thusly. I have aimed for the highest grades, the most beautiful women, and transforming myself into a physical and mental specimen in the quickest time possible.

While I have been blessed with success in many of my endeavors over the course of my life (in some instances achieving what many thought to be impossible), I am no stranger to failure. I am very familiar with things not working out, with falling just short, and with my best just being not quite good enough. I would be lying if I told you that each failure did not take something out of me. That said, each failure has refined me in the pursuit of my next goal. Every goal, both those achieved and failed, prepares me for my next goal.

There is a question that needs to be asked concerning goals: How high is too high? Honestly, it depends on the person. Everyone has a different capacity for goal-setting and achieving. Some are almost neurotically driven towards their goals, while others need external catalysts to serve as that metaphorical kick in the pants to push them onward. Some are willing to face failure, while others are crippled in fear simply from the idea of failure. One person’s hollow victory could be another’s great success. Do not compare your goals to the goals of others. Aim as high or as low as you feel, and work towards your goals. At times you may fail, but at others you will succeed. Figure out what you want, then go and get it. Let nothing stand in your way.

On Professional Contentment

As a fan of both the NFL and the NBA, I paid attention to the lockout proceedings that both leagues dealt with this summer and fall. I know many people have many varying opinions on both lockouts, and the purpose of this post is not to argue that. I will say that in both lockouts I sided with the players. I felt the owners were not being entirely reasonable. I also was of the belief that the owners undervalued the drawing power and importance of their players to the league as a whole. Yes, these guys are getting paid millions to play a game that most of us have spent our lives playing (with varying levels of success and skill), but they play at such a high level that their individual and collective skill-sets are integral to the league as a whole. Nobody wants to watch replacement players with skills not unlike what one would find at his or her local rec center or playground (unless that playground is New York’s Rucker Park, of course).

After having said all that, it may come as a surprise to you that I do not feel the same way about strikes in my particular area of expertise: education. There is a significant difference between teacher strikes and strikes in professional sports. Our replacement level talent is as skilled as or even more skilled than what is out there. There are thousands of qualified teachers waiting to get in the game. Due to the economy, those chances simply aren’t as prevalent as they once were. A lot of us are sitting on the sidelines. Some have gotten fortunate enough to stay in the profession as substitute teachers. Others have had to get jobs entirely out of the field. In this day and age, having a full-time job with diminished benefits beats not having a job in your profession 100% of the time.

At this point I want to make something abundantly clear. I am not trying to paint anyone as a greedy moneygrabber. Everyone does what they feel they must due to their own unique circumstances and sets of needs. I just want to bring attention to this from the perspective of someone one the outside looking in.

To those disgruntled with their current employment, as I stated in my Thanksgiving post, the key to happiness is found by wanting what you have and finding contentment with that which is bestowed upon you. Life is rarely perfect. There is no joy in being a malcontent. Find satisfaction in what you have. You are much more fortunate than thousands of others.

I am a firm believer that good things will happen to those who work hard and do the right thing as often as possible. I have found favor in my current job because I have made a concerted effort to work as hard as I can cheerfully and without complaining. Things may not be perfect. They rarely are. Work hard and want what you have. It could be a whole lot worse.

Growing the Beard

Being the absolutely amazing guy that I am, this year I have decided to give a gift to you, my readers. For the next twelve days, I will be providing you with a new piece of writing each day. Some will be lighthearted in scope and delivery, while others will be more serious in nature.

One of my favorite non-social networking websites is TVTropes.org. It’s a fun compilation of common themes found in not only television but also in other forms of entertainment. It gives a detailed description of the trope then provides multiple examples of that trope. Today, one particular trope, “Growing the Beard”, caught my attention.

Named for the marked improvement in quality of Star Trek: The Next Generation after Commander Riker grew a beard, the site defines Growing the Beard as “…the definitive moment when a television show becomes better in quality.” Many (if not most) good television shows have one of these moments, the defining eureka where everything finally clicks.

I thought about this trope and if it applies to people in unscripted life, and I immediately concluded that it does. I decided to delve a little deeper in that train of thought and figure out my “Growing the Beard” moment. What surprised me is that I have had a number of these moments in my life, defining moments that brought me into a successful chapter of my life.

The first “Growing the Beard” moment I had occurred in two parts over a span of five months from late 2002 to early 2003. After I started “Inside the Mind of Jakob Duehr”, I began to come into my own in terms of figuring myself out, but I hadn’t quite put all the pieces together. That happened in March 2003 when I decided to leave Palos Bible Church and return to Stone. I covered that in detail in my apologia, so I will not rehash that here. Those two decisions affected my life in a drastic way.

The next “Growing the Beard” moment occurred over the summer of 2008. When I finally decided to take control over my physical well-being, everything turned around. I felt better, I certainly looked better, and I gained the confidence that had been never been part of my repertoire. It helped me immeasurably during my student teaching, and it brought me into one of the happiest periods of my life.

The final “Growing the Beard” moment, incidentally, occurred when I shaved my beard in July 2011. I was just getting started in my job at Huntington, and I was still pretty beaten down mentally and emotionally from two years of bitter pills. When I shaved the beard and into the facial hair I currently have (and had wanted to grow for many years), I realized that facially I looked like the person I always wanted to be. It restored a very minute amount of my confidence. I then started to act the way I always wanted to act. I became a harder worker. I complained less. I even lost all the weight I had regained and have gotten into the best shape of my life.

I am not delusional enough to believe that my facial hair has a Samson-esque effect on my life and that shaving it would hasten my personal destruction. What I will say is that life has its ebbs and flows, and it is foolish to believe that things can never turn around. Sometimes all it takes is a little something. It could be as easy as growing a beard.

Wanting What I Have (And Being Thankful for It!)

I will be the first to admit that the tone of some of my recent posts was a bit more harsh than what many of you are used to reading from me. If my 9th Grade Health/P.E. teacher, Ms. Tolefree, was reading them, she would likely say that they were full of "cold pricklies". I do not apologize for that. I said what I felt needed to be said at the time. With that said, I feel like taking a much warmer tone in this post.

It both amazes and amuses me that it took an episode of Burn Notice for me to finally come to a realization that I had been nearing for some time but could never quite reach. Though Jeffrey Donovan's line delivery style takes some getting used to and there are more explosions than necessary, it's not a bad little show. But I digress. There was a line that the show's current arch-villain, Anson, said that really stuck to me.

You know what the secret to happiness is? Wanting what you have.

For so long I have walked the fine line between being a settler and a malcontent that I have not taken the time to enjoy what I have. And to be honest, my life really isn't that bad. It is not perfect, but very few ever reach their own personal utopias. Having everything that I ever wanted would not be the best thing for me. I know what I have and I know where I want to be. I've taken steps in the right direction, and I have full confidence that I will continue to do so both in the short-term and in the long term. But this post is not intended to be a Humble-Brag. I want to share a few things that I am thankful for.

In no particular order, I am thankful for the following:

1. Two jobs that not only are in my desired field but also accomplish my career objective of putting kids in a position to succeed. The bad days at work truly are few and far between.
2. Friends that have the same interests as me or at least pretend to in order to create some of my best memories of 2011 (concerts, WWE shows, etc.)
3. Family and friends who put up with me. I could be described as "unique" at best and "difficult" at worst. I realize this, and I am thankful for those willing to take on the challenge of dealing with me.
4. The return of the self-motivation I once lost. I took hold of my physical well-being and got things to where I wanted them to be. The amount of time I spend in the gym has been just as good for my mind as it has been for my body (at least when I'm not harassed about some nonexistent credit card issue).
5. People who live across the continent that have taken a genuine interest in my life and are there to provide encouragement when necessary. One of the perks of living in 2011.
6. Great music to enjoy and share with others. I have some big plans for 2012 concerning my love of good music and the WWE.
7. The ability to use this as both a medium for getting my thoughts and opinions across and as a release so I do not lose my mind. In this year alone, this blog has been read in nearly 50 countries.

There are numerous other things that I could express my gratitude for if pressed. I truly do not live a bad life. I am learning that while I still have goals to reach, there is nothing wrong with wanting the things I have and finding happiness in it. And for that, I am thankful.

On Professional Respect and Adulation

One thing that bothers me about American society is that our society as a whole sets very bizarre and misplaced hierarchies for a number of things. Earlier this year I went to war with those of undeserved celebrity, and I have no desire to regurgitate any of that. I do, however, want to touch on something that has been on my mind for the past month or so.

This post was largely inspired by a comment a close friend of mine made. He was cheering loudly for another friend, and I told him that his cheering was quite spirited. His reply (more or less): “I’ll cheer just as loudly for you when you do something worth cheering for.” That stuck to me.

American society reveres some professions and reviles others. This disturbs me to absolutely no end. We glorify some and turn our collective nose at others. It is ridiculous.

I said I would not beat the dead horse of undeserved celebrity, so I won’t, but I will say that it is absolutely ridiculous that anyone who gets their face on television or their voice on radio suddenly gains instant credibility. Actors, athletes, newscasters, and even reality television stars are absolutely fawned over. The vast majority have done nothing do merit such affection an adulation. They are not your gods, so stop worshiping them.

This next section may get me into hot water, but I am not looking for your agreement; I am merely stating an opinion. I truly believe that the American military gets too much attention. As a country, we put significantly more focus on the exploits of our military than other nations. Some would say it’s due to our immense patriotism, while others would argue that our “patriotism” is nothing more than thinly veiled ethnocentrism. Yes, there are some good things that are done, but most are doing nothing more than following orders, and at this point those orders are to wage war on nations with ideologies that our higher-ups have deemed hostile.

I for one have never understood the near canonization of our troops. We treat them at the level of angels or someone who should be seated at the right hand of the throne of God Himself. Here’s the honest truth, and something people may hate me for saying: They’re doing their jobs. There is no draft. Every single member of the military CHOSE that position for one reason or another. In this economy, it’s not a bad decision by any means. If every businessman was given a party upon their return from an international business trip, the only businesses that would be thriving would be the establishments that are throwing the parties! Some might tell me that they are protecting our freedom. I don’t see it that way. We have not fought a war primarily on our soil since 1865. More appropriately, they are defending an ideology.

Our fallen soldiers are constantly referred to as heroes. I would never intend to downplay any death. I respect the decisions made by those who chose that life. I just wonder what makes them more of a hero than the construction worker who died while fixing a road. His life was sacrificed to protect the safety of those who travel that road. What about the worker who died attempting to fix a downed power line? Why should his efforts be marginalized?

The purpose of this post is not to attack the military or any other profession. It really isn’t. I respect what they do. I once paid $20 for the most poorly crafted pin ever to show my support for the troops. I just don’t think we should exalt any profession over another. Everyone does what they do to get by. Some live a dream while others bite the bullet.

As a substitute teacher, I have seen both sides of the reverence spectrum, depending on which school I was subbing at. At one school I have not always been treated with a great deal of respect. Conversely, at the other school, I am treated like a conquering hero. One of the teachers told me that it is like having a celebrity in the building every time I am there. The students mob me in the halls, and the teachers bend over backwards to make sure everything is in order.

Honestly, I think my reception should be somewhere in the middle. It is nice to be loved, but the teachers are the real heroes there. All I do is teach their lessons.

So what am I trying to get at here? We all have a job. Some of our jobs are glamorous. Others are not. No job should be vilified (within good reason), and no job should be overly revered. Treat the person who cuts your hair or takes your order at Steak ‘n’ Shake with the same respect as you would your favorite celebrity. Give substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, janitors, cafeteria staff, and full time teachers equal amounts of appreciation for the jobs they do. Always be grateful for the work others do, most of which goes unnoticed. Professional respect and adulation should not have any strings attached. We all have a job to do, and most of us do our best to make it work. We all deserve to be noticed.

The Fleeting Nature of Success

I haven't written for a while, largely because I was displeased with the quality of my last piece and wanted to preserve the quality of this blog. Hopefully this piece is more coherent and less disjointed.

To say that it has been an interesting month would be an understatement. I would go so far as to say the last three years have been "interesting", so to speak. In this case, "interesting" is probably most synonymous with "unexpected". Things have not gone as I had foreseen at all. I don't think there is a singular aspect of my life that even remotely resembles my vision for my life from 10, 5, or 3 years ago.

Part of that can be attributed to the fact that for far too long I have tried to meticulously plan the details of my life well in advance. As my friend Dan said last week at dinner, "I don't think you've fallen behind the curve as much as you have always planned so far in advance and set extremely high goals for yourself." Another part can be attributed to the fact that I could not see my future or the variables over which I had no control. The final part, however, is entirely my responsibility.

At some point in time, I stopped being successful (at least "successful" at the level to which I had grown to expect from myself). This post is not meant to be a "HumbleBrag" in the slightest, by the way. For the first twenty-one years of my life, I set lofty goals and generally achieved them. I got exceptional grades in school and in my student teaching experience. I accomplished goals in both basketball and tae kwon do that many did not believe I could achieve. I lost over 25% of my body weight in four months. Success to that degree is not particularly common.

Unfortunately, my high degree of success began to disappear once I got my bachelor's degree. In a short amount of time I went from being on top of my world to wanting to crawl in a hole and hide. Multiple discouragements hit, and complacency sunk in. Life becomes difficult when your confidence is shaken. I entered into a slow but steady downward spiral. The successes began to disappear. I went from believing I would to doubting I even could.

I hit a low point this week when I stepped on the scale for the first time in over a year. I knew I had put on a little weight, but I was horrified to find out that I had put back on over half the weight I had lost. I worked so hard to achieve a goal, and I got to a point where I rested on that success instead of working to maintain it.

So what have I learned? Success is not permanent. It is more than a mountain to be climbed. Once goals are achieved, work must be done to maintain the success. It never ends. In some cases, new goals need to be set. I know I will drop the 22 pounds I want to shed (at this point, I've already dropped 4 pounds). For me, the quickest way to get to the top of my world is to continually push myself to be better. I miss the view from the top. I'll be back there soon.