Pain is Temporary, Quitting Lasts Forever

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever." -Lance Armstrong

I think that if any one athlete in the world today knows something about enduring pain and hardship and then overcoming it to be successful then it would be Lance Armstrong. In 1996 he survived testicular cancer. He had a germ cell tumor that metastasized to his brain and lungs. His cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery and extensive chemotherapy, and his prognosis was originally poor. Yet he went on to win 7 consecutive Tour de Frances from 1999 to 2005. I would say that he knows the true meaning of never giving up. The man had cancer. he could have sat around and felt sorry for himself and then, when he did beat it, not want to continue cycling and no one would have said one bad word to him about it. I have often heard the quote, "pain is temporary, pride is forever." Lance truly knew the meaning of this. He had way too much pride to let this disease interfere with what he wanted in life. He was a cyclist who wanted to win the Tour de France and he did... 7 consecutive times. He felt pain, no doubt, but yes eventually that pain subsided and something did take its place. What took its place you might ask? Commitment, drive, determination, pride, self-assurance and eventually victory. The things that make a true champion. Lance knew that if he quit, the pain he felt would never go away. Because in the back of his mind he would constantly be asking himself what things could have been like if he would have stuck with it. By now we all know Lance's story. I'm not telling you anything that you may not have already known. But I felt it necessary to re-emphasize the point that in sports, and in life, quiting gets your no where. It solves no problems and it calms no fears. So even when the going gets tough, keep pushing. Because as Lance said, even when you feel pain, if you can press on, something will always come in to take its place.

"Winners never quit and quitters never win."-Vince Lombardi