7:45 A.M. EST
Great Morning!
I spoke to a friend this morning, and we discussed growing into your purpose and dissecting your journey. He explained that he grew up in an era where people did not speak about their doings – yet be labeled a snitch—a period where people did not take pictures because of the fear of Johnny Law’s ever watching eye. Long story short, as we got deeper into the conversation, I uncovered a trend that many people experience while growing up and even as adults. I’ll use a story to help guide the thought:
A young man was walking down the halls of his high school, seemingly ignored by everyone. He had a strong desire to be accepted and noticed that one guy, in particular, got a lot of attention. He would hear people talk about how tough and cool the guy was every day. One reoccurring theme was how the tough kid would never smile and would always have a mean demeanor and look. It dawned on the young man that if he copied/followed suit, he too could be cool and no longer ignored. So the following weeks, the young man practiced not smiling and walking the halls with a mean and tough look on his face. Eventually, people were asking what was wrong with him and treating him like he mattered, some even were fearful. One day the young man, with his newly found popularity (if you’d call it that), went to the restroom and ran into the original tough kid. The tough kid asked the young man what was wrong and why he looked so mean recently. The young man explained that he was tired of being ignored and wanted to be like him, so he copied him. The tough kid looked perplexed and oddly enough a bit sad. Then smiled and reached in his mouth and pulled out his front teeth. He proceeded to explain that the reason he looks so mean is that his stepfather knocked his teeth out, and his mother couldn’t afford to buy him implants, so he wears false teeth, and he is afraid that if he talks too much his teeth would fall out of his mouth. The young man was astonished by the story but realized the error of his ways.
The story highlights the importance of following your own path because you never know how treacherous someone else's life journey may be. Learn to love yourself and relish in your journey. Revel in the fact that you have mountains to climb and bruises to acquire. You are becoming your best self and will have a story to tell a young person/people along the way.
- Aaron Johnson
