It’s me, the man you dreamt you’d be (kinda haha).
The man you didn’t know you wanted to be.
I know that you’ve got lots of questions.
I once asked em all too - Hell, I’m you! (haha)
I’ve came here to give you my point of view.
My view on life, to try and help you calm that tornado you’ve been living through.
I’ll try and convince you that even though you can’t see it right now, all of these experiences will be all worth it. Spoiler alert - You’ll have a wife who loves you, a baby girl who adores you and that’s all that will ever truely matter. Please don’t ever forget that part.
Yep, I know, right now all you’re doing is trying to impress a bunch of people in your life and survive the nights so that you can see the sunrise of tomorrow. This is draining and oh so exhausting, but, right now, it’s a necessity to get to a much better place. I’m proud of you, hang in there.
Oh, I also know that feeling!
That vice you feel in your chest…
That pressure inside your head..
That feeling of suffocation…..
I wish I could tell you I’ve found a way to manage it. I haven’t.
To be honest, you haven’t even felt the half of it yet.
For that, I’m sorry, I'll keep working on it, I promise.
I can see you now. I can see your 14 year old face.
I know you want relief from your stress.
You’re sitting in your room, headphones blaring to drown out the sound of the day, to help drain away and muffle out the screaming in the lounge room. I can see your doors shut, in an attempt to block out all the things on the other side.
The drama, the drugs, the life - I get it, you’re only 14 years old, how else can you escape.…
I know you’re doing your best, I know those people beyond the door are also trying to do their best, they just don’t know any better. It’s not anything YOU did.
I feel your insecurities, the negativity in your head.
I wish I could help, but it’s hard to help, when what you’re about to go through will make the man talking to you right now.
I feel a little hopeless, but I can’t help. It wouldn’t be right to.
You’re about to learn a lot of skills, gain knowledge about life and have many experiences - this is life, do the best you can.
I see the tears in your eyes.
Please know, you’re not the only one who’s lonely. It’s ok to be sad. Don’t hide it, talk to someone.
Them late nights laying in your room thinking if anyone notices that you’re even here, will one day turn into you laying on your amazing and talented daughters bed, chatting to her for hours about “stuff”. You’ll never want these moments to end.
You’ll wake from this nightmare soon, you’ll feel less lost, less abandoned, less fearful of life. The anxiety will peak and taper off. That's normal - treat it life a gift.
Because it's all ok, you’ll wake to a dream life. A perfect life.
People will tell you daily that, without you, they wouldn’t be the same. That you changed their lives, inspired and motivated them.
That you were there for them when they found things hard, you’ll be there for them with a ready ear and heart full of empathy and all this, comes from what you’re about to go through. It has a purpose, trust it.
Strap in, hang on tight, this is for all of them people out there.
The ones reading this and nodding along.
This is your hand held high, knowing that life threw its punches and although you had to take a knee a few times and a helping hand from others to get to your feet, you were never down for the count.
You’re doing it for yourself but at the same time, helping the people.
There’s strength to be learned here.
It’s sad to hear, I know.
However, it’s the journey, and it’s OK. You’ll be ok.
