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D.V., J.L., R.D., A.R., ARE YOU READING?
Ryan Rowe
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2004, 2:34am EST
Montréal, Québec, Canada

To the people mentioned above:

You can do anything you want, if you want it badly enough. There's nothing out there that can stop you. Set your goal, develop a strategy for reaching it, even for surpassing it. Believe in yourself. Be determined and focused. Don't let small setbacks de-motivate you. Everything is a challenge. Every part of you should come together to form a team. Gather your energy, your will, your ambition, your intelligence, and your experience, and push forward to meet your goals.

Whatever doesn't kill you ... only makes you stronger.

Inch by Inch speech from Any Given Sunday

Vocal by Al Pacino, music by Paul Kelly with Robbie Robertson.

MP3 available here

I don't know what to say really. * Three minutes * to the biggest battle of our professional lives * all comes down to today. * Either * we heal * as a team * or we are going to crumble. * Inch by inch * play by play * till we're finished. * We are in hell right now, gentlemen * believe me * and * we can stay here * and get the shit kicked out of us * or * we can fight our way * back into the light. * We can climb out of hell. * One inch, at a time.

Now I can't do it for you. * I'm too old. * I look around and I see these young faces * and I think * I mean * I made every wrong choice a middle age man could make. * I uh.... * I pissed away all my money * believe it or not. * I chased off * anyone who has ever loved me. * And lately, * I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror.

You know when you get old in life * things get taken from you. * That's, that's part of life. * But, * you only learn that when you start losing stuff. * You find out that life is just a game of inches. * So is football. * Because in either game * life or football * the margin for error is so small. * I mean * one half step too late or to early * you don't quite make it. * One half second too slow or too fast * and you don't quite catch it. * The inches we need are everywhere around us. * They are in ever break of the game * every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch * On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us * to pieces for that inch. * We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch. * Cause we know * when we add up all those inches * that's going to make the fucking difference * between WINNING and LOSING * between LIVING and DYING.

I'll tell you this * in any fight * it is the guy who is willing to die * who is going to win that inch. * And I know * if I am going to have any life anymore * it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch * because that is what LIVING is. * The six inches in front of your face.

Now I can't make you do it. * You gotta look at the guy next to you. * Look into his eyes. * Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you. * You are going to see a guy * who will sacrifice himself for this team * because he knows when it comes down to it, * you are gonna do the same thing for him.

That's a team, gentlemen * and either we heal now, as a team, * or we will die as individuals. * That's football guys. * That's all it is. * Now, whattaya gonna do?

SEIZE THE DAY.

Assorted Photos From My Latin American Backpacking Trip 2002-2003
Click here to read stories from that trip!

September 19th, 2002 A full moon party in a desert valley Mojave Desert, California, USA	September 27th, 2002 Camping out on the Baja Coast Punta Banda, BCN, México	October 2002 Facing a fear Teotihuacan, Mexico D.F., México
November 29th, 2002 Making new friends in foreign places Utila, Islas de la Bahia, Honduras	December 17th, 2002 Hiking in the jungle Montezuma, Puntarenas, Costa Rica	December 25th, 2002 Ascending Panama's highest peak Boquete, Chiriquí, Panamá