My Personal Epic

Like every epic, mine is about a young hero who starts off with very little confidence in his own abilities. He goes through a bunch of challenges and adventures and learns about himself along the way as he undertakes some great task. Hopefully, in the end, he accomplishes something amazing, benefitting the world and becoming a true Warrior.

I started this blog to share my experiences in overcoming my personal shortcomings. We all have them, and I was especially aware of mine. Because I've overcome a lot of internal challenges, I know what it's like to be battling with yourself.

I’ve come a long way, and all of my personal development has been consciously driven; I knew how I wanted to end up, what abilities I wanted to have, and I set out a plan and program to train myself to accomplish those goals.

I know how difficult it can seem to change the most fundamental thing in our lives: our selves. In ever epic, the hero overcomes monsters that represent his war with his own internal demons. I’ve fought more of these little battles than I can remember, and I have made it my goal to find the best ways to succeed and grow as a human being and a Warrior.

More importantly, I know what it feels like to be faced with something that seems totally impossible and to make it happen anyway, against all odds and expectations.

• In high school, I was convinced I was a totally worthless human being and was extremely lonely. By studying and applying positive psychology and Buddhism, I was able to help myself and become a strong, confident young man when I left for college.
• The thought of approaching and talking to a girl used to leave me paralyzed. I was 'the friend' or was just pitied by girls. After two personally demeaning relationships, I decided to learn how to be an assertive male and to understand what made a guy attractive. I spent a year forcing myself to meet women in order to overcome this crippling fear. As a result of my self-imposed training, I was able to approach and date a beautiful, strong, smart girl, with whom I am planning to travel the world this year.
• For most of my life, I've been scrawny and weak. I was scared of bigger guys and had no confidence in my body. Finally, I decided to change it all and live up to my personal heroes. Within a year, I had gained twenty pounds of solid muscle, developed enough strength to deadlift twice my body weight, and could do handstand pushups. I am now an avid CrossFit athlete and practice gymnastics and martial arts.
• My parents gave me the opportunity to become a pilot at an early age, but doing so required that I learn how to be an assertive decision-maker under stressful conditions. I spent a year of high school in exhaustive training, dragging myself back to the airport week after week despite discouragement and mental and physical burnout. I even failed my first pilot exam. But I had dreamed of being a pilot my entire (short) life, so I stuck with it until I passed my flight test with flying colors, and went on to get my instrument rating.
• Throughout my life, I've been afraid to step out of the protective but confining bounds of authority and the status quo. When I graduated college and decided I didn't want to live a cookie-cutter life, I realized I would have to break out. So I did. I turned down two offers for 'real jobs' in order to pursue my own vision of my life. I'm still working on it, but things are going pretty well.
• I didn't like the fact that being in college meant poor eating habits, and as I started learning about healthy eating, I also learned about the corruption of industrialized food. I decided to completely change how I ate, so I could feel good about what I was putting in my body. The hardest part was the social pressures and isolation; I lost a girlfriend because of my refusal to eat sugar and processed foods. I made it work, and along the way have inspired a lot of people to do the same.

These are the challenges that characterize my life up to this point. I see them as chapters in my Warrior's journey, monsters and labyrinths that must be overcome for me to realize my potential. Obviously, I don't have all the answers, but I've come a long way.

I believe that the best way to change your life for the better is to change yourself, and that's where I've always started. I hope to inspire others who might doubt that they can change their lives.

Please feel free to contact me through the comments if you have any questions or would like to share your own personal epic.

Fight on, Brave Warriors!

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