I forget now whether it was a famous football coach, a former president, or a positive-thinking teacher who put on his wall the motto, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" -- probably all three of them. In any case, I am aware of the fact that there are some people who pride themselves on being able to get motivated in tough situationns, to face head-on the tough issues. "Give it to me straight, Doc," they say to the surgeon, "I can handle it." They sign up for courses from the roughest professor on campus, not in spite of, but because she hasn't given an A since 1953. They arenn't drafted by the Army; they volunteer for the Marines. No Novacaine for them at the dentist, no sir. Unlike many others, these folks don't whine; they don't grumble; they don't look for the easy way ou…