The Effort Is the Flame
It is not the crown that marks the brave…
Nor only those who win the race…
But those who rise each time they fall…
Who encounter defeat with quiet grace…
The path may twist, the skies may weep…
Hands may tremble, the shoulders ache…
Yet step by step, you still proceed…
Not for applause, but for your own sake…
You would not control how far you go…
Or what the world may choose to see…
But in the mirror, the truth always shines…
You tried your best, which sets you free…
So, plant your heart in what you do…
Let doubt and fear be like passing guests…
For in the end, the truest gold…
Is found in simply trying your best!