Now, I go for honesty and transparency, and if you don't like it, then you ask for my thoughts. It's called constructive criticism and we should all be able to take it and grow from it. The challenge is that there are too many wimps out there who start crying the minute you call out a few truths.
' Poor little me.. Why are you so mean to me..' ' Poor little me… t's my parents…. ' … ' Poor little me…. you just don't get it…'
I've used all of those excuses in the past, so there is nothing anyone can say that I haven't used before. Bottom line is, that no matter what people say to you, it will always be within you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and move forward.
Who has heard the saying.. ' If only you could see life the way I see it… If only you could have lived what I have lived through… ' We learn and grow from everything we have gone through...
I didn't have the best childhood in the world; between the ages of 17 and 21 I saw and did things I never thought I would. A few years later I ended up sleeping in the streets because I couldn't even afford to go home at night. I've been beaten up, I've been put in hospital, I've had a broken arm from dealing with people I shouldn't, I was defrauded by the person I thought was meant to be my ride or die for the rest of my life… and much more that right now it's not relevant right now.
So when I have friends that I know have it easy and make excuses, I sometimes want to tell them, ' live what I lived through, then you might stop making excuses'.
Even when I got laid off, I never took a dime from the government. I couldn't even tell you what the steps are to claim benefits or where to go, because it was never an option for me. We all make choices that get us where we are today. All we have to do is find solutions. It is ok to ask for help, but don't play victim, don't abuse the system. Detach yourself from the negativity and learn from each experience you go through.
Even at my worst moments in life, I knew things would get better, because I have me, I am in charge of me, and no one else is.
Look at the Paralympics as an example. They are driven no matter their challenges. And a lot of them have more drive and determination than we do. Their courage and thirst for life should be an example of how petty we can be sometimes. We moan about the little things in life when what matters is inside of us.
I will never forget the time a homeless guy came up to me and asked if I was ok. He was asking me!! It was one of the first nights I had slept in the streets. I did not look like a homeless person. I was well groomed, I had a little suitcase with me, I was sitting on top of it, but it was really cold and I hadn't slept in 48 hours. I was shivering and I was a bit pale, when this guy came and asked if I was ok, he said I looked cold. That night changed my life. It made me reflect on everything I was doing, the situation I was in and for someone in a worse situation than me, to come and ask if I was ok, blew me away. That night even the street pastors (guys who make sure young people are ok in the streets) came to me asking if I was ok and if I needed a place to go. I remember feeling so ashamed that I was sleeping in the street that night that I made up an excuse saying how I had missed my last train home and the next one was at 6am and that I was ok.
It made me realize it’s not about what we've got, but how we react to what you have. I look around and have all these little possessions that mean nothing. When you are in the street it's only what you can carry that matters.
We need to learn to be more humble, to serve others, to stop buying things we don't need and think of those who are less fortunate than us, because trust me, anyone could be on the streets, you never know what may happen in the future which is why you have to make the most out of today. Create your own economy, your own survival kit.
Life will throw you a lot of temptations, you will relapse, you will make decisions that are not the right ones, and that is ok! As long as you learn from them and grow from it. Everything in life is either a blessing or a life lesson.
I am quite reserved and don't share much, but I love to help others, I love the feeling you get when someone else says thank you, when someone looks at you and says you are an inspiration.