Life Lessons

These writings are all just musings from my struggles and triumphs as I go through life. I am not an expert, and I always wear my heart on my sleeve. I believe in being authentic

Updated 9/9/2026:

Know Your Worth (9/9/2026)

Anxious (8/29/2026)

Hope (9/2/2026)

Pebbles and Boulders

Masking (8/29/2026)

Loyalty (9/7/2026)

Know Your Worth (9/9/2026)

I don't know if you realize how much you matter to others. There are people in your life who would drop anything in a heartbeat to help you. Your personality draws others to you, and you make others feel safe.

But do you understand your own worth? Do you know what you bring to the table?

So many of us go through life not understanding ourselves, and it is one of the biggest travesties that we can allow to happen consistently. You, as an individual, bring so much with you to any interaction that you should see yourself so positively. You matter so much to this world, and you cannot sit there and doubt yourself. Embrace the strengths that you carry with you. Embrace the hard times that you have journeyed through to get to this point.

Above all, you know your worth, and do not let others change that perspective!

I believe in you!

Anxious (8/29/2026)

One thing that I love besides writing is reading. Recently, I have been diving into self-help books, and one of the best I have read to understand myself is Attached by Amir Levine. It really helped me understand how I attach to people and why my anxieties take over, and it can also connect to my ADHD. In it, there's a quiz that gives you feedback and helps you identify your attachment style. I have been using it to dive into myself and reflect on how I can improve my bad habits and mindsets.

Hope (9/2/2026)

This is for all of you who are still wrestling with life. It is not a message that is long winded. I hope that you hear it and understand that I want you to believe it.

You are enough. You will achieve what you want. Your life is valuable and the people in your life would say how much you bring light and happiness. You have so much going for you. I believe in you. One step forward every day. You can glance back, but don't let that glance turn into a stare or anything beyond a brief acknowledgement. Keep pushing. Be happy that you are who you are and know that Hope lives within your actions, regardless of how small they may feel to you.

Pebbles and Boulders

When we talk about life, there are thousands of different stories that we could weave. However, one thing we can all experience is struggle. There are billions of lives on this little rock we live on in the middle of a huge universe. Billions of people who struggle on a yearly, daily, or hourly level. Being one of those billions, it is easy to compare our lives to others'. We can feel jealousy, we can feel admiration, and we can judge others for struggling with things that might not ever be an issue for us.

I want to talk specifically about others' struggles and how we may miss the mark as fellow human beings. Sometimes we sit there and see someone with a goal or an action we have performed many times before. We see them struggle and think to ourselves that they are not very strong. How could they not deal with the issues that I could solve without any issue? And this is where we fail.

There are those of us who can lift our problems, insecurities, and a variety of issues as if they were feathers. Our boulders blocking our path do not stop us from moving forward. Those boulders are light and can be cleared in no time. But other people may be seen struggling to muster 100% of their willpower to lift a pebble. The same pebble that we didn't even need to move out of our way.

But what if I told you that the pebble weighed just as much to that person as the heaviest of boulders? What if I told you of all the hardships that that person had already had to lift out of their way to get to that pebble? What if I told you that person has already lifted thousands of pebbles to get to this one that you see? Would your perspective change? I hope so.

Pebbles may seem like stepping stones to some, but to others, they might represent one of the hardest challenges of their entire lives. So before we offer our judgment, maybe we should look at the path that person has already walked to reach this exact moment.

Masking (8/29/2026)

I have struggled with my identity throughout my entire life. I have always tried to change and improve myself so that I would not be the same person I was when I was so unhappy. Recently, I had been the happiest I had ever been for an entire year. The mask was mostly down...but not all the way. I hid my struggles with ADHD. I hid my wants and desires. And so now I am trying to live mask-free.

But I still have to wear a mask. Professionally, I wear one every single day. I pretend to be the hero that students look up to. I always stay positive and show them kindness and grace that only I can give. I show my coworkers that I am THAT GUY. I don't turn down anyone's requests for help. I see others who are struggling with similar situations or completely separate things from what I am. And I give them a shoulder to cry on. I talk about their problems, and I offer solutions. But at the end of the day, I don't even know what to do about my own.

I have always had this stupid idea that the universe somehow always looks out for me. That no matter what, things will work out for me. I feel like a fool right now. I still have my mask on around friends and family. I still have to pretend that everything is okay.

I refuse to watch the newest Spider-Man movie because of a scenario that will hit too close to home. I don't know if I will ever be able to watch it.

But one thing my first-ever principal told me was that teachers and coaches have to be tough for our kids. We have to be actors on days when we really don't want to. We have to be superheroes and wear our masks every day to inspire the kids and be there for them.

So what does every good superhero do? They put on their mask and save the day.

Loyalty(9/7/2026)

Loyalty has always been something that I strive to uphold in my life.

Whether it is for family,

Whether it is for friends,

Whether it is for relationships.

I always show up for the people in my life. I give them my 100% devotion. I do not want anything in return other than the same show of loyalty back. I believe that by sticking to this value, I will surround myself with great people. I do the same thing with the student-athletes that I coach as well. They know that I am there for them and that I have their backs.

However, the loyalty I feel for people comes at a price they may not realize. Because I see the best in them and because I see them as people I want in my life, I hold them to a standard that remains unspoken but, for the most part, is understood. For those people to whom I am loyal, I show through my actions, my words, my gifts, and my time how much they mean to me.

But if that loyalty is broken from the other side, I have a hard time letting those same people have access to me as they have before. I do not want to pretend that I am high and mighty and can cast out judgment. But I am human. I do feel. I may try to hide my issues from the public eye, but the inner circle always knows. When the safety of my trust with someone has been damaged, I cannot help but try to create distance.

I still try to see the good in people. I even forgive people who have wronged me severely. People who have stolen from me, physically attacked me, even people who have dragged my name through the mud, I have forgiven. But when it comes to the loyalty that I have and give to others, it is easily given but extremely hard to earn back. If you are reading this I hope that you can look at those who are loyal to you and see what you have.