The Book
Life is crazy. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, something comes along and smacks you into the reality that you don’t know everything- especially about who you are and what you can do. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my short time here on this planet it’s that I should always expect the unexpected, and try as best as I can to hang on for the ride. Life likes to play games. It will often place you in new and uncomfortable experiences- ones you may not think you’re ready for- and will seemingly require the world of you. But it’s all to bring you to the next level, get you to learn more about yourself, and give you a few more line items to print on the “things that I do know…” list. Oh, and by the way… despite what you may be feeling, you’re gonna be ready for the challenge (although you may not realize it until the end). That’s just how life works; or rather, how it has worked for me.
Case in point: writing this book. Although I figured at some point in my life I’d pen a book or two, I had no idea that I’d be crafting a collection of some of the most personal, exciting and vulnerable thoughts and moments of my life to date, and sharing them with the rest of the world. Writing a blog is one thing- there’s plenty of s p a c e on the internet- but putting a book together is something totally different. Sure, you may be thinking “a blog, a book… tomato, tomahto,” but there is a difference. Mainly, many of my relatives ain’t loggin’ on to nobody’s computer, let alone a blog, but they will pick up a book. The pages that lie before you hold my unapologetic truth; no holds barred. Some people aren’t ready to hear it, and for a while, I wasn’t sure I was ready to tell it. But I didn’t have a choice. This is bigger than me. So they, and you, will just have to listen.
I share my story for one reason: to pay it forward. I’m no expert at life, and I’ve been humbled to learn that I don’t know everything; but what I do know are my experiences and the lessons I’ve learned from them. Every pivotal, thought-provoking, and transformational moment of my personal growth has come by way of others sharing their truth and experiences with me. Those conversations have pulled me out of some dark and dismal times, but have also built me to face the challenges that come with growing up. Most importantly, they have assured me that regardless of how I’m feeling or how bleak the horizon may look- I am not alone, and I should not give up. I have no idea what the impact of this book will be, but if just one person can gain understanding, knowledge, confidence and/or peace from anything they read here, then I will be grateful and fulfilled.
I liken my life and my growth to the beauty of a sunrise. A heavenly masterpiece showing light brushstrokes of a troublesome purple, red hews of passion and curiosity, an orange crust of adversity and knowledge, and a bright yellow ball of promise and triumph. It is a non-stop evolution where the sky is the limit. Through darkness arises light; and through truth arises freedom. This is my truth. This is the Evolution Of A Man!
