You are not alone in your worries & anxieties.
You are not alone in your fears.
You are not alone in your addictions or unhealthy habits.
You are not alone in your doubts and hopelessness.
You are not alone in your insecurities or misguided forms of self-validation.
You are not alone in your depression and or suicidal thoughts.
I for one am with you because I was once where you may be now. I empathize with you because I know what you may be feeling, all too well. I know the feeling of despair that comes with losing people you love or fatal heartbreak. The feeling of weariness from putting up a good fight through life that inevitably still feels like it isn't enough. The feelings of feeling like you aren't good enough.
You are not alone.
I was also really good at pretending everything was ok, just like you.
All of which makes me well aware that at some point, the water feels like it won't stop rising. You're drowning in a pool of good intentions that just came up short. The drugs and alcohol don't help as much anymore, and you feel like you can't reach the surface. Life has knocked the wind out of you. Yet I promise you, it's not over because you are not alone. Whether you decide to read this and just push it to the back of your mind, letting it accumulate dust overtime never really applying anything you may learn, or you decide to take what I have to say to heart.
Even if all you do is think about it or gain a little bit of reassurance; I am still with you.
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OK – I'd be lying if I said I have all the answers because my journey is only beginning.
That's not what this is about.
There are millions of "self-help" titles on the shelves, from millions of acclaimed authors, all more notable and accredited than me. Titles that they spent years writing and researching in efforts of providing you with the answers. I know because, I've read some of the best, written by the best and many of them led to the inspiration behind this. Inspiration derived from the one mere thing they all had in common, but this will not: they claimed to be able to "fix you." Or give you the tools / answers, to fix yourself. Time and time again, I'd read these books with chapter after chapter telling me what may be wrong with me and what I needed to do to change in hopes I'd live the life of my dreams. But I learned no one person's life is the same. Meaning that what may have worked for one may not work for another. And please don't twist my words here; those books were excellent reads, many of which did indeed help empower and impact my life with the writing on their pages. Which ultimately is the same thing I seek to do: impact and inspire your life with what will resonate with you throughout this piece. Note that I'm just like you – going through the motions, still reading those same books and listening to great teachings trying to get a grip on things. But most importantly, note that this is about celebrating the journey along the way. Knowing that all the books in the world couldn't have helped build Rome in a day. Loving your life, yourself, and the process while you're in the midst of it. This is not about the answers. It's about being a better version of yourself every day.
With that being said, I hope you're at a place mentally, where you are able to admit that odds are if you're in a sketchy spot, that you're there because of decisions you made that led to some really bad consequences. I hope that if you find yourself reading this, you are attuned at coming to grips with life and it's many lessons. Don't let the hype fool you, we always have time to grow – we have all the time in the world. There will always be trials, tribulations, "tests." It's how you handle them that truly defines your character.
The majority of us learn that the hard way. The majority of us have had to fail 6 times and get up 7 or repeat the same mistakes continuously. That doesn't change the fact that you're still pushing through. You're still trying and that's more than many can say.
I hope that if you're reading this, it resonates with you on a mental, emotional, and spiritual level.
I hope it helps you evolve and face yourself, head on.
I pray that if you're reading this, you don't think it's too late.
