A great leader.
A great father.
A great husband.
A great athlete.
A great man.
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At some point, a man must push himself past the paradigm of Peter Pan into the propensity of transforming pain into power.
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Most men settle for a life of perpetual adolescence, their lack of grit celebrated by the masses, as anything more formidable, more focused, more fierce should be deemed “toxic.”
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Yet, men like us must lean in to the opportunities and situations that confront the niceties of our adolescent desire to “fit In” and to be “all things to all people.”
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You must cultivate a resiliency that fights back the most ferocious flood, building an ark of mind, spirit and body able to withstand that waves of life’s continual flood of adversity.
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You must dig deep into the traumas of your history; removing the stories, patterns and habits of familiarity to become the man you’re called to be.
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You must define success for yourself, removing the people, environments and ideologies that would serve to keep you sedated, stuck and seemingly impotent of purpose.
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You must choose transformation over acceptance.
You must choose purpose over pain.
You must choose forgiveness over frustration.
You must choose resiliency over relegation.
You must choose sight over sedation.
You must choose compassion over contentment.
You must choose maturity over mayhem.
You must choose standing tall over slumped shoulders.
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You must choose to fight, daily….
Not against any person, but against the complacency of your mind’s desire to wander, your body’s desire to remain stagnant, your ego’s desire to be right, your hearts desire to remain protected, your history’s desire to remain as truth, and your pain’s desire to project.
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This is not easy.
This is not nice.
This is not quick.
This is never finished.
This is the work we commit to daily.
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Not every man is called to be the greatest doctor, greatest philosopher or the greatest businessman…
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But EVERY man is called to be great as he surveys himself in the mirror, and in the eye’s of the family he leads.