The Problem With Me

The problem with me is me.

I am always getting in my way.

Always telling myself I can't do it.

Drilling into myself that I'm not strong enough.

I give up before I have even had the chance to try.

I throw in the towel because obstacles seem too insurpassable.

I wave the white flag before I've seen my opponent.

I bench myself to avoid looking a fool.

I fear the merciless crush of failure.

It haunts me in everything I do.

Clawing at me.

Feeding the urge to give in.

The problem with me is me.

I keep myself from trying.

I make my obstacles insurpassable. 

I submit to the possibility that failure is an option.

No more.

No more will I be the reason.

No more will I fear the possibility of failing.

No more will failure be an option.

Never again

Never again will my inaction be my down fall.

Never again will I submit to fear.

Never again will a white flag fly above me.

The problem with you is you.

You put obstacles in your path.

You decide to throw in the towel.

You decide to give in to defeat.

The only thing in your way is you.

Make the choice to get out of your own way.

Once you see the truth of my words nothing will stop you.

You have the potential to be anything, the only person in your way is you.

Author's Note

I came to the realization that this is true about a week ago. Since then I have quit smoking and my relationship is flourishing. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you identify the true cause of your complications.

Reviews

[Missy Lorraine]

WOW!! When I told you to write about self-reflection, this is not what I expected.

It's a little rough around the edges as most new pieces are, but really quite insightful. As they always say, the first step to fixing a problem is admitting there is one. So the fact that you put yourself out there like that says a lot about who you and is such an admirable gesture.

"I fear the merciless crush of failure.
It haunts me in everything I do.
Clawing at me.
Feeding the urge to give in."

This stanza is my favorite. It's extremely well-worded and flows beautifully. Out of all your poems and stories that I have read thus far, this one is by far my favorite. Also, I would like to commend you on your use of parallelism. The only thing I would change is your punctuation. Like I said before, it flows quite nicely, but adding a few commas in place of periods might help connect your ideas and enhance the flow even more.

Other than that, very well done Anthony. I look forward to reading many new pieces by you.