“It’s impossible said pride. It’s risky said experience. It’s pointless said reason. Give it a try whispered the heart.” – Unknown

You have to want to fight for it.

I mean really fight for it. You can’t half-ass anything. You must go all in and anything short of that will result in failure.

And that’s the truth.

I know because I’ve been there, on both ends of it, failing miserably for years and finally crossing the finish line. I know what that pain is like. In fact, if you are interested in reading about that, go back to day 0 of this blog and begin there. You can go on the entire journey again with me.

I know what it’s like to feel stuck.

Stuck. Really stuck. There’s a post way back that have those words in them. I know what it’s like to feel completely trapped in a space that seems to be getting smaller second by second. I know what it’s like to feel like there’s a massive crushing weight on your shoulders bringing you down into the ground, and at the same time, a pressure coming from the inside that wants to break everything open.

My journey wasn’t an easy one, and the truth of the matter is that it still isn’t. But here’s the thing…

I see pain, discomfort, struggle, and challenges a lot differently now.

When I started this journey, to be dead honest, I hated who I was.

I felt like I was emotionally all over the place, I had no control in my life, I was destructive in my actions with my own life and in relationships and I just felt like a tornado most of my days. No peace really lived in that place at all.

But what I see now very very clearly is that all of those struggles, everything I’ve gone through the past 5 years has pounded me into the person who I am today.

Out of the most unloving of relationships, I was taught what it was really like to love someone.

Out of quitting on myself and completely giving up, I was taught the importance of dogged determination and never saying die. 

Out of having no passion for anything, I was given the opportunity to find my passion and then follow it. 

Out of being consumed by darkness, I found out how to paint a more beautiful picture with those dark colors and light the candles of others hearts along the way. 

Out of all of my fears, I was taught how to live with them and continue down a faith-based path towards my dreams.

I’ve been taught many things, but I had to live in those darker places first.

Who ever said that a flower couldn’t bloom in a pitch black room?

But here’s what comes out of all of that…

The next step. Betting on yourself. You see you get to a point where you actually build confidence, integrity, love, passion, desire, ambition…the list goes on…into your life and you look at what you are capable of and know that it’s time to take the leap into the unknown.

You start to build something that is uniquely your own and invest into yourself. Because honestly, if you look back at all that has happened to and see what it has made you into today…and you don’t forget to skip the next step which is understanding that you will be molded into the person you need to become if you chase after your dreams…you will have faith.

You will know inherently that you should bet on what you are capable of and know that you are in good hands.

But it’s an art.

Because when you bet on yourself, all of your demons come out to play to make you quit because you’re now completely in the land of the unknown and you have no idea what’s right around the corner. It’s scary, and if you let it, it can be thrilling.

Those qualities that you have gained throughout your life are the things that are going to keep you in the game. They will guide you through tough times and through the dark parts in the path you cannot see the reasoning for. When I stopped looking at myself as deficient and believed that I had everything I needed to begin my journey – I finally started moving.

I finally left the harbor and even had enough faith in my heart to burn everything else down that I didn’t need anymore. I subtracted from my life because I knew that I could only bring so much. And what did I find there?

I brought myself, my foundation, the memories of my life, my closest friends, family, and network of support and my willingness to constantly learn and explore.

That’s all I needed. That’s all I brought.

So here’s my encouragement to you this morning.

If you’re in a place where you feel stuck, make a decision to start your journey today. Whatever you are struggling with, decide that you are going to face it today. Don’t worry about 2 days from now, 5 months from now or what may arrive 2 years down the line. Face what you need to face today.

Because if you continue to wait, those problems or situations you know that you need to deal with become stronger and stronger and will continue to kick your butt in ways that you couldn’t ever imagine. Running from your problems doesn’t make them go away, it just makes them harder to deal with when you HAVE TO come back to fix them.

So today is the day…

Today is your day. There’s a hero inside all of us, we just need to step into the moment to finally become the person we were always meant to be.

Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project