Letter to my son

5:30 am, and your hand can’t make it to the alarm clock before the voices in your head tell you it’s too early, too dark and too cold to get out of bed. 💤

Aching muscles lie still in rebellion, pretending not to hear your brain commanding them to move. A legion of voices is giving you permission to hit the snooze button and go back to dreamland.

But you didn’t ask their opinion.

The voice you chose to listen to is one of defiance. A voice that says there was a reason why you set that alarm in the first place. So sit up, put your feet on the floor and don’t look back because we’ve got work to do.

Welcome to the grind.

For what is each day but a series of conflicts between the right way and the easy way. 

10,000 streams span out like a river delta before you, each one promising the path of least resistance.

The thing is, you’re headed upstream. And when you make that choice and turn your back on what’s comfortable, safe, and what some would call common sense, well, that’s day 1. 

From there, it only gets tougher. So just make sure this is something you want because the easy way out will always be there, ready to wash you away. All you have to do is pick up your feet.

But you aren’t going to, are you? With each step comes the decision to take another. You are on your way now, but this is no time to dwell on how far you have come.

You are in a fight against an opponent you can’t see, but, oh, you can feel them on your heels, can’t you? Feel them breathing down your neck.

Do you know who they are?

That is you!!

Your fears, doubts, and insecurities lined up like a firing squad ready to shoot you out of the sky. But don’t lose heart. 💗 While they aren’t easily defeated, they are far from invincible.

Remember, this is the grind.

There is a battle royal between you and your mind, your body, and the devil on your shoulder who tells you this is just a game, a waste of time, and your opponent is stronger than you.

Drown out the voice of uncertainty with the sound of your own heartbeat. 💓

Burn away your self-doubt with the fire underneath you. 🔥

Remember what you are fighting for, and always remember momentum is a cruel mistress. She can turn on the dime with the smallest mistake. She is always searching for the weak place in your armour, the one little thing you forgot to prepare for.

So, as long as the devil is hiding the details, the question remains: is that all you got? Are you sure?

And when the answer is yes, and you have done all you can to prepare yourself for battle, it’s time to go forth and boldly face your enemy.

The enemy within.

Only now you must take that fight into the open, into hostile territory. You are a lion in a field of lions, hunting the same elusive prey with a desperate starvation that says VICTORY is the only thing that can keep you alive.

So believe that voice that says:

you can run a little faster, 

you can play a little harder, 

and that to you, the laws of physics are merely a suggestion.

Nobody can judge effort. Because effort is between you and you. 

Every day is a new day. And every moment is a new moment. 

So now you have to show them you are a different creature than you were five minutes ago.

So rise and shine!