Struggles and obstacles are a normal part of high achievement. Inertia, laziness, and complacency must be violently beat back with the blunt sword of determination. Excellence only comes with a price, and sometimes paying that price will almost bring us to our knees.

This kind of talk is nothing new to high-achievers. They know the miles they've traveled and the resistance they've had to overcome. They understand that nothing great can be accomplished without a heroic struggle, often the long and drudging kind of struggle, requiring daily fortitude in the quiet, unseen moments that separate the best from the rest.

Most people, it seems, are not prepared for this. They dream of the lofty prizes, get starry-eyed at the glitter of success, but become bogged down along the journey. Uninitiated into the corps of the courageous, they don't always know how to respond. This is when the "Puffy Face" symptom sets in.

Perhaps you've seen it. The Puffy Face, that is. It's a condition that afflicts some people once they realize greatness will exact a price from them. Their eyes don't light up quite like before. Their step is no longer quick and light. Their smile is forced and wooden. But most of all, their entire countenance seems to bloat with self-absorbed doubt, as if all the unfairness in the world has assembled within their cheeks and chin. 

 "This is hard," their fat jowls seem to say, or "I'm not sure this is worth it," or "The grass is greener somewhere else, surely," or, "If God would have wanted me to succeed at this, He'd have made it easier!" or "Success can't be this hard for everybody else, something is unfairly stacked up against me!" And of course, with each passing excuse, their face puffs up even more.

Puffy Face is a quitter's disease. Avoid it at all costs. It is very hard to reduce the swelling and regain the countenance of a determined warrior, but it can be done. A return to the heroic will involve several antidotes, including reconnecting with one's purpose, refreshing one's dream, and counting one's blessings. The challenge seems to be that once a victim is afflicted with the Puffy Face, he or she is unwilling or uninterested in taking these remedies. Sadly, most Puffy Faces simply fade away into oblivion, blaming others as they go. They will never achieve anything of significance, taking their personal limitations and failures with them into the next endeavor, which, inevitably, will only eventuate in another Puffy Face episode, at which point the cycle starts over again!

 It would be much better to muster the courage to beat back the Puffy Face and push through the tough moments. The victory podium is worth it, and to be sure, there are no Puffy Faces there!