I grew up in a small town in rural North Carolina. My childhood was pretty simple and sheltered from the world. I spent very little time traveling outside of my local area. Success in my circle was simple. Be a good person, finish my education, get a job, work hard, and build a family of my own. I never attended public school as a child. I was homeschooled before it was fashionable. That allowed me to graduate with my high school diploma when I was only 15 years old.
My first job was working in a hardware store for my dad at 12 years old. I began working part time as a construction apprentice at the age of 14. By the time I was 16, I was a high school graduate working full time as a professional carpenter and brick mason. But that path of simplicity was no longer who I thought I should be. So, when my hometown no longer offered the opportunity to be that person, I enlisted in the US Army and left my hometown to explore the world.
I spent many years taking on challenges that frankly, scared the hell out of me. All of these were done chasing the person I felt I needed to be. Some of the experiences were incredibly rewarding and some of them landed me in some pretty suboptimal places. Along the way, I learned many lessons and obtained many scars, both emotional and physical. It was all on a path of continuous growth while seeking my ideal self. Now, I’m nearing the end of my military career and at almost 48 years old, am trying to understand where I fit in the world.
In mid 2022, I began writing on LinkedIn, then journaling, and now creating this project in an effort to understand and accept who I am. It has been the most psychologically freeing experience of my life and I want to encourage others to find their own voice. We all have a journey and it should be lived to minimize regrets. No matter our past experiences, we cannot change them. Furthermore, they shaped who we are now. We must move forward from the present. To start at now.