I believe that no matter where your journey has taken you or how lost you might feel, you can always find your way to the path you were meant to travel.
Mine, when I look back on it so far, has had its many wild twists and turns. I’ve lost my footing a handful of times.
I’ve walked in directions I knew I shouldn’t have. I’ve experienced the darkest of darks to the brightest of lights.
And oh I struggled.
Deeply.
Like that soul wrenching struggle that squeezes the air out of your lungs.
I’ve raged against what had come to be. I’ve battled currents I couldn’t overrun. I’ve given up completely and been swept downstream by fear.
I’ve suffered at the hands of others in all the ways that you can. And while I watched everyone go out into the world and live their life to the fullest, I was left feeling so scarred and wounded that my soul was like it was Swiss cheese.
This wasn’t the best place to be.
I never asked for it, but surely enough it had arrived in full force and with conviction. What I soon discovered was that no matter how mad I was or how much others were to blame, it never fixed anything.
It only kept me trapped in the past drinking the same poison over and over again.
So, as hard as it was, I had to learn to own all of it.
The good, the bad and the ugly.
I had to accept that this was my story for better or for worse. I had to take responsibility for myself.
And here’s what came of that.
Strength.
Choice.
Light.
No longer did I have to see myself as a victim.
I could decide for myself how the pages of my story were going to be written even after ink was thrown all over many chapters of the book.
And even though I tripped up thousands of times trying to turn it all around, eventually I started to get some things right.
Then, some more. Then, even more. And with some learning and guidance, even more.
I dug myself out of pit that I never thought I would be able to get out of.
With ownership comes freedom. You let go of the things that harm your soul and make space for what’s meant to be.
It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to take time.
But the chance to really live beyond pain…that’s worth it.
Own it.
Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project