Great thread and terrific opening post, John.

I've met the 'Nicodemon's' lies so often I've started to regard them as bogus spooks in a carnival Fun House. How frightening and powerful they all seemed the first time around. But how absurd and powerless they've come to seem in time.

I would add the Monster that was once the most frightening of all: the terrible Black Bird I used to fear would come and steal my quit at night. Yes, a part of me once saw failure as happening just that way: something coming from the sky, something too big and too powerful for me to fight against it. Of course, I feared the same Black Bird would swoop down from the heavens and put twenty pounds on my waist when I quit.

When we give time a little more time, though, we see: the whole battle is fought in the moment...and that, praise be, is the one thing over which we do have some control. If I watch my ounces, my pounds will take care of themselves. And if I stay positively on my toes throughout the day, my quit can whip any Black Bird.