Letters To My Son

“Let’s be the ones racing onto the track to be there for our loved ones who might have stumbled and hurt themselves. Let’s be strong enough to accept help from others and when we stumble and injure ourselves.”

Pain can break us or make us wiser. Suffering can destroy us or make us stronger. Fear can cripple us, or it can make us more courageous. It is resilience that makes the difference. Nothing lasts forever. And this too shall pass.

And the enemy is always watching. Waiting. Looking for that moment of weakness. Looking for you to exhale, set your weapon down, and close your eyes, even for just a moment. And that’s when they attack. So don’t ever be finished.

When you have immersed yourself in that which you love - time is your heartbeat. And when you have not, it’s a subtle warning sign whispering of roads untraveled and gifts unopened, singing reminders that you must realign that time can’t ever be stockpiled or saved. It’s loyal to no one person.

Do you know what it is to write and direct for yourself? I like to think consciously about my own story, the parable of my life, especially now than I am well into my final act. I intend it to be all about love.

“You can choose to follow your heart always. Then you can be in the middle of hell and still experience inner peace and happiness. You can stay in your state of bliss, and hell will not affect you at all.”

Do you notice the beat of your heart, the comfort of a hot shower, or the milk in the refrigerator? They won’t be appreciated if you don’t pay attention to them. When did you last tell yourself, “thank God my heart is beating.”

When two people have very different values or beliefs, it can be difficult to resolve conflict. It is important to remember that conflict is a normal part of any relationship. The key is to learn how to resolve conflict in a healthy way. It is possible for oil and water in a relationship to work.

We live in a culture that barrages us with images of a life, that all smart, attractive, successful, or otherwise good people are entitled to live. It’s a life of wealth, physical beauty, perfect careers, great health, abundant comfort, and lots of blissful photos online to prove it. Because of this, entitlement runs rampant.

Our struggle with impermanence, causes much, if not all, of our suffering. We don’t want things to change, we want things to be the way we want them. And when they are not, we’re stressed out, frustrated, disappointed, grieving, mourning, wishing things were different.

The only thing a person can ever really do is keep moving forward. Take a big leap forward without hesitation, without once looking back. Simply forget the past and forge toward the future. I know it’s easier said than done.

Focus on what you can offer the world. Leave behind your self-centered concerns about whether your job is just right. Instead, keep your head down and plug away at getting really damn good at what you do. No one owes you a great career. You need to earn it and the process won’t be easy.

You choose the happiness of this moment, over the pain of the past. You are in charge of how you feel, and today you are choosing happiness. You deserve to have an amazing life. You are here to live, not just exist.

Give your emotions her name. Let your mind and body know that it’s safe for you to see what hasn’t been seen, to feel what hasn’t been felt, to voice what hasn’t been said. Move toward yourself, not away from pain.

You deserve more than a chapter. You deserve to be the book they can’t stop reading. Let it hurt. Let it heal. Let it go.

Cutting people out of your life, doesn’t mean you hate them, it simply means your respect yourself. Not everyone is meant to stay. It is time to write a new story.

“Make your core principles, and come up with your own oath to self. Make sure it is aspirational, and that it challenges you to strive and achieve, and live by it every day”.

We create the situation, and then we give our power away by blaming the other person for our frustration. No person, no place, and no thing has any power over us, for we are the only thinkers in our mind. Our thoughts and beliefs are not set in stone. We could always choose to change them if they are not serving us in a positive way.

The challenges we face In life can help us to grow and become stronger. It also highlights the importance of remaining vigilant and adaptable, even during times of prosperity. By recognizing the cyclical nature of history, and embracing the lessons of the past, we can help to create a better future for ourselves and for those around us.

We exchange a promise with our partner to be there for each other, knowing that we are not perfect, knowing that we will screw up and make mistakes. But it does not give us a free pass. Marriage means making an effort to resolve conflicts, effectively, to be honest, and kind, to appreciate each other.

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing”. - Helen Keller.

Life is a gift. It’s a gift when things are hard. It is a gift when they are easy, it is always a gift. So don’t let your losses define you. If you get back up, it is nothing short of a victory.

When it hurts, know that it’s hurt worse and you’ve persevered. When you experience loss, know that it’s not about what’s gone, but what you now have, and will keep with you forever and most importantly, know that you can always step into a new pair of shoes. You can always reinvent, re-create, you are never defined by something that happened in the past.

Maybe you’ll have a revelation, an aha moment. But you have to make yourself ready to listen. The calling that you here is often the echo of your own efforts. You want to know what your purpose is. I can’t tell you. I can tell you that, whatever it is, you’ll have to work for it. Your purpose will not be found; it will be forged.

“Frankl came to see that his unfinished work kept him sane. Mental health is based on a certain degree of tension, the tension between what one has already achieved, and what one still ought to accomplish, or the gap between what one is and what one should become”.