Category: Opinion

You Can’t Please Everyone…

The world is a pretty big place, but it’s getting smaller by the decade. With a constantly growing population and a mingling of said population, there’s never been a more prominent mixing of cultural backgrounds, beliefs and ethnicities. And that’s a beautiful thing. One of my favourite things has always been getting to know and learning about different cultures from the people I’ve met and interacted with.

Interaction and understanding is not always an easy thing. After all, with a current world population of 7.9 billion people (roughly), there’s bound to be some difficulty when it comes to everyone getting along. And that makes a lot of sense, honestly. After all, there are so many barriers to effective communication and oftentimes very little appetite to acknowledge them, interaction and understanding can seem difficult.

It’s important to recognize that some people simply CHOOSE not to understand. After all, everyone has the same rights and responsibilities when it comes to good communication. One has the right to communicate. One also has the right to be acknowledged and heard. Being understood is an entirely different story. But one has the responsibility to make an effort. one can’t simply say, “Fuck ‘em, I don’t get it.” There has to be some effort on both sides to ensure proper communication and understanding.

An important thing to bear in mind is that you can only control what you say and mean; you can’t control what the other individual may understand or how they react to it. That’s where the saying comes from. You know the one, “I can only control my words, not how your react to them?” You can say something extrememly reasonable and in no way offensive but the person you’re speaking with may still take offence.

There’s not much you can do about that besides explaining that wasn’t your intention. Unless it’s a hill you wanna die on, you could even swallow your pride and apologize, whether you meant to offend or not. It takes more maturity to acknowledge that it isn’t the comment but whether the other person feels offended that makes the difference. Although it isn’t your job to fix their problems for them, recognizing that people who get hurt and take offence at everything are having a rough go of it.

The other aspect is that you’ll never be able to please or mesh well with everyone. Some consider themselves to be “people pleasers” but realistically, with almost 8 billion people on the planet, you’ll never please everyone and it isn’t your job to do so. Learning to be okay with the fact that some may not like what you say or do is an important step towards reducing suffering within your own life and moving forward with a smile on your face as opposed to a crease in your forehead.

All of these things being said, as long as you’re a good person and do good things, everything else will sort itself out. be honest but never hurtful. Be truthful but never intentionally insulting. So long as you do those things, how the other person perceives you or your communications becomes an aspect that THEY need to work on and it isn’t your job to fix any of it. Food for thought… ☯️

Some Sleepy Facts For A Monday Morning…

It’s the start of the work week for most, and I’m sure we can agree that all of us would prefer to roll over, pull our blankets in closer and just keep sleeping until Monday goes away. Much like Garfield, most people aren’t fans of Mondays. ever wonder why Garfield hates Mondays so much? It’s not like he has a job to go to or any responsibilities. But I digress…

The topic of today’s post is about naps. I love naps. I often think back to my youth, when I would have had much more free time to grab a nap here and there but neglected to do so. It reminds me of my son, who outright refuses to nap and I keep telling him he’ll regret that choice when he gets older and no longer has the option. Our two-year old still gets put down for a nap and even when he fights it, ends up getting some sleep. Ah, the innocence!

I’ve written about naps in several previous posts and the reality is that naps are actually beneficial, as long as you don’t overdo them. Like everything else in life, there needs to be a balance. But if you nap in reasonable increments for short periods of time, they’ve been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, improve one’s memory, increase productivity and improve one’s mood. In Japan, nap periods during the workday are encouraged as they’ve already acknowledged that it increases the company’s overall productivity.

I once worked in a call centre (please don’t hold that against me) and they had a break lounge with dim lighting and soft, plush chairs for a staff to use their 15-minute breaks to grab a quick snooze. I was taken aback at the prospect that someone could actually nap for that short a period of time. But once I tried it a few times, I was surprised at how much good it did. Some experts I’ve read about have explained that sleep happens in four stages of a cycle, starting with the “falling asleep” stage, followed by the slowing and relaxing of the body, followed by slipping into deep sleep and finishing off the cycle with rapid-eye movement sleep, or what’s known as REM sleep.

So how long should one nap? This is a deeply debated aspect, since most professionals tend to agree that naps shouldn’t be TOO long or you risk falling into a deep sleep that will negatively affect the remainder of you or day and potentially prevent proper sleep at night. For the most part, I’ve always read that a 15 to 20-minute nap was enough to get you to the relaxing and slowing of the body stage, without allowing you to slip into deep sleep, which can be much more difficult to come out of.

The World Sleep Society claims that naps should be less than 45 minutes. This makes sense, since slipping into “deep sleep” can make waking up difficult and leave you feeling groggy and make it harder to push through the rest of your day. There’s nothing worse than feeling as though your nap made things worse or made you more tired. The whole point is to gain a bit of rejuvenation, right?

I read an article where Dr. Sara Mednick, a cognitive neuroscientist with the University of California, explained how taking an hour-long nap can be ideal since you start to slip into REM sleep. This is where all the beneficial aspects of sleep start to kick in; body regeneration, immune system repair and improved cognitive function. And coming out of REM sleep is actually way easier than coming out of a deep sleep. Apparently. I hate waking up in general. I’d live in the matrix, if it meant I could stay asleep. But once again I digress…

Napping through all four stages of a sleep cycle can do wonders and if t you have the time for it in your day, can increase your productivity and mood significantly. But even if you have time, anything more than an hour, hour and a half and you’re looking at possibly interfering with the sleep you try to get at night. So it’s important to find some balance. If you grab yourself a nap and still feel tired and/or exhausted, it could be a sign of something else so you shouldn’t be afraid to discuss it with your doctor or medical practitioner.

Now if you’ll excuse me, as much as I’d love to keep napping I have to get on with my Monday. perhaps the day will bring an opportunity for a snooze. We’ll see… ☯️

On The Road To Recovery…

It’s been something of a rough week. This head cold has totally kicked my ass and made me feel like I was dying. Okay, okay, maybe I’m exaggerating just a bit, but I was on a downer there for a while. It started last Sunday night when I realized that my throat was feeling scratchy and my nose wouldn’t stop running. As I’ve often mentioned in the past, just about every little bug that floats by latches on to me, thanks to good ol’ Type-1 Diabetes.

I worked from home for a few days in order to recover. This is a definite advantage from previous jobs I’ve held, where my presence was actually required and things couldn’t be done virtually the way I do them now. I think it stands to reason that one can’t work from home as a police officer but even prior to that; working from home as a restaurant or pharmacy manager wasn’t a possibility, either. This usually meant going into work, even when I was feeling sick. This is a terrible thing, and not something anyone should have to endure.

I’m making it sound a bit more dramatic than it needs to be. After all, I had a small head cold, I wasn’t dying. But the sad reality is that not everyone has the benefit of continuing to work from home when ill, or the benefit of paid sick days. I think we can agree that everyone has bills, debts and responsibilities and not everyone can be absent from the job for several days to recover. And some employers are unfortunately cruel enough to worry only about their bottom line and may take action against an employee who does. I’ve been there.

Luckily, such is not the case for me now. I’m blessed to have an understanding employer who not only provides me with paid sick days but also has policies allowing remote work, so I was able to keep hammering through while sitting in my jammies and downing cold meds like they were tic tacs. Granted, it’s important to remember that pushing yourself is not always a good thing, either. It’s important to allow the body some genuine rest and even when you’re sitting at a desk, it isn’t comparable to lying down and staying warm and hydrated.

Allowing yourself some recovery time, even for common colds (which there’s no such thing, FYI) is an important step towards maintaining one’s health and wellbeing. It’s also extremely important as it relates to good Diabetes control and blood sugar management. I had a couple of readings this past week that will likely make my endocrinologist’s eyebrows raise but I worked it out. No matter what your work or life situation, just remember that you can’t work and pay the bills if you get worse and end up hospitalized.

Take the time to care for yourself first. Then you can hammer at the challenges of life afterwards. As I’ve often said and written, you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone/anything else. That’s a hard lesson for any of us to embrace, especially when we’re committed to what we do and the responsibilities we have. But self-care ALWAYS has to come first. Food for thought…☯️

Loyalty Is Paper Thin…

Life rarely cares about one’s plans. I’ve said this often. Quiet waters also make for the dullest sails and your ship won’t go far without a little wind. But once in a while, you have to ask yourself, when do the choppy waters calm? It seems to me that I’ve been dealing with almost two decades of people leaving for various reasons. Depending on the arena they happen to be playing in, that departure can leave voids that make things all the more difficult.

It’s a phenomenon I’ve unfortunately seen in many arenas. In karate, I’ve had students that I’ve contributed months and years of training to, only to have them walk away to join a different style or dojo. One good example is a young guy I trained for several years. He started training with me when he was in his early teens and eventually stopped coming to class. He showed promise, but it wasn’t until years later that I found out he had joined Tae Kwon Do. If that wasn’t enough of a piss-off, he considered himself better off. He wasn’t a big fan of how long it took to promote or gain stripes on his belt and that seemed to be all that mattered to him. He certainly got that quickly enough, in Tae Kwon Do. Good for him.

I’ve experienced the same in some of the professional circles I’ve walked in. I’ve managed and trained staff for twenty five years. In those years, I’ve seen many people come and go. And with good reason; some of the industries I’ve worked in weren’t conducive to retaining staff. I’ve had to learn to make my peace with people taking my time and resources to learn and develop, only to leave me a short time later. One comes to expect it, especially when it involves the fact that some folks are simply expected to move on eventually. It hits a bit closer to home when it’s someone that you thought would stick with you for longer.

I had to experience this, recently. I took someone in, trained them, developed them and made them what they are. Although that loyalty should have bought me a longer and more substantial period of time with them in my inner circle, I found out recently that they would be moving on. Someone close to me commented that it seems as though everyone seems to leave me eventually. That definitely seems to be the case. Maybe this phenomenon will come to an end, eventually. Who knows? ☯️

Are You In The Goo…?

Not everyone is as avid a cartoon fan as I am, so maybe I should provide some background on that title. I watch a show called American Dad and there’s an episode where the main protagonist usually sticks his family into vats filled with goo and VR attachments, rather than spend holidays with them. It’s horrible from an actual family perspective but hilarious from a cartoon one. But the actual goo I’m referring to in today’s post, refers to change. Not change in environment or job or even goals but change within oneself, which tends to be the most difficult change of all.

I found the image above somewhere online, last week. I can’t quite remember where but it doesn’t matter. It resonated deeply enough for me to save it at the time, so I thought I would share it. The statement, in and of itself, makes a lot of sense. People always tend to assume that once a caterpillar seals itself up in the cocoon, it comes out having “grown” into a butterfly. The process is actually incredibly complicated and does, in fact, require the majority of the caterpillar’s body breaking down into its constituent proteins.

Despite popular belief, it isn’t completely “goo,” there are a number of organs that stay intact. And it would have to, right? Many people go through this kind of a transformation. It’s never easy and the outside world will usually do very little to accommodate one’s transformation. But if you manage to fight your way and suffer through being reduce to your constituent parts, you’re almost guaranteed to come out more beautiful than when you started. And if you feel that you may not be, it doesn’t mean you aren’t; it may simply mean that your transformation isn’t done yet.

As the image says, if you’re a mess wrapped up in blankets, don’t just keep going. Take a moment to let yourself heal. Take a breath. Take two. Allow yourself to see the path you want to pursue before shedding your cocoon and coming out changed. And be sure to change only in the way that you choose to. Food for thought… ☯️

The Pebble In Your Shoe

The title refers to a much-referenced quote by Muhammed Ali. The full quote reads, “It’s isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out. It’s the little pebble in your shoe.” It’s usually referenced to represent how the smaller challenges are what usually wear you out along your journey, as opposed to reaching the ultimate goal. That being said, it can also apply to one’s physical health. I recently wrote a post about things one can expect when living with someone who has Diabetes. if you missed it, you can read that post here.

Illness and pain are subjective to the person and it can be REALLY hard to compare oneself to another person. A paper cut can seem like a trivial pain to one individual, while another individual may do everything to avoid using that hand until the paper cut heals. One person may work through a common head cold, going to work and even attending fitness sessions while they recover. Another person will be completely on their ass and on the edge of debilitation from that same head cold. It’s all subjective and dependent on the person and their tolerance.

As much as I’d like to agree that one should just toughen up, hammer through and beat any illness before it beats you, there’s something to be said for taking the time to recover, even when it’s something minor. People tend to forget that the symptoms we feel are not only part of the overall illness but also part of the body’s defence mechanism. A good example is a fever. People tend to try and take medication to reduce or eliminate a fever. In truth, the fever is the body’s mechanism to kill whatever is making the body sick. That’s why it’s important not to ignore symptoms and to allow the body the time it needs to recover.

I’ll fully admit that I’m bad with pushing through. I recognized this last weekend when I started to feel a bit off but continued to do yard work, chores around the house and prepare meals. By the time Sunday rolled around, I started to seriously feel like shit. It was all in my head and I don’t mean that I was imagining it. My head felt heavy and foggy, my nose wouldn’t stop running, despite there being no airflow through it. I ended up sleeping downstairs and spent most of the night up, tossing and turning, taking nasal spray every couple of hours, which we all know is WONDERFUL for the body…

At time of posting, it’s begun to pass and I’ve returned to the office. The important thing to remember, is not to ignore illness when it hits. I don’t need to remind everyone that absolutely EVERYTHING affects Diabetes and as a result, even a small head cold can have nasty results. Take time to rest. This can be tough, depending on one’s adulting responsibilities. Not everyone has the sick days available to take a few days to recover from a cold, especially if they need to save them for more serious illness down the road. Given the way of the new world, maybe you can work from home. That’s what I did, for a couple of days.

The important thing to remember is that your health has to come first. Small colds and illnesses can seem menial but like the small pebble in one’s shoe, it can wear you down worse than the mountain you face. And because this is me and given the subject matter of today’s post, stay hydrated, test your blood often and if your body is weary, for the love of the light, SLEEP! Take rest when you need rest and can get rest. Trying to hard to push through can weaken one’s body further and lead to worse illness. Food for thought… ☯️

All Things Good And Bad…

I’ve written a handful of posts about things you should never say to someone with Type-1 Diabetes… And without getting into any of them, let’s agree that there is a shit ton of different things that, unless you have or know someone who has Diabetes (and even if you do) you should never say/ask them. It’s not as bad as being asked about one’s faith, orientation or personal beliefs, but asking about one’s medical status and/or requirements is right up there. I’ll step off my soapbox now and get to the actual point of today’s post.

Although there are plenty of things you shouldn’t assume or say to someone with Diabetes, living with one can be all the more difficult. More often than not, people don’t know what they’re get into when they become involved and begin to live with someone who has Type-1. Because of this, I consider my wife to be one of the strongest people I’ve ever met because she puts up with more of my shit than a wheelbarrow could hold. But previous relationships haven’t fared quite as well. They’ve ALL ended up on the losing end, mostly because despite claiming they understood certain aspect of Diabetes, they really didn’t. And now, let’s get into a list of things you can expect while living with someone who has Diabetes…

  1. We’re moody as shit: People in general don’t tend to realize that fluctuating blood sugars affects just about every system in the human body. Every. Fucking. System. As a result, people with Type-1, even when properly controlled can experience mood swings and crankiness. This happens even when it seems as though it shouldn’t and although most of us do our best to control it, it’s important to remember that it isn’t personal. It’s also not an excuse, and someone who regularly gets pissed for no good reason should look within and consider some better control methods.
  2. There’s medical stuff all over the place: I have at least three glucometres. I have boxes of sensors, insulin reservoirs, vials and various Diabetic equipment. It can get tedious and take up space. If we could live without it all, we would but the reality is that every piece of medical equipment in our environment is necessary for good control and our overall health.
  3. We get sick with EVERYTHING that floats by: “Man-flu” notwithstanding, our immune systems make it so that we catch every cold, flu and annoying bug that happens to float by. As a result, we tend to get sick a lot and some people tend to interpret this as being a hypochondriac or even Munchausen. The truth is, it’s more annoying to us than it is to you, despite the fact you may have to deal with us being sick, often.
  4. There are unfortunate “surprises”: Picture this… You meet someone you make a connection with, you go on a few dates and before you know it, you end up back at their place or they end up at yours. The evening starts heating up and clothing starts falling off… Before this slips dangerously into a steamy romance novel (I’m not sure I’d be great to write that genre), you notice tubes and devices attached to the other person’s abdomen. Turns out they have Diabetes and are using an insulin pump. maybe even a CGM, making them look like a bad, 80’s B-movie cyborg. Communication and forthcoming is important. It’s totally one’s right to choose not to share that information but for the Diabetic in the equation, it’s important to recognize that the topic will come up eventually, so you may as well be open about it.
  5. Plans will get cancelled: The unfortunate reality is that if one is suffering from an extreme high or low (blood sugars), they may not necessarily want to go out to whatever plans were made, be it a restaurant, a get-together or otherwise. It may even interrupt and kill the mood if one is seeking some “quality” time. But it can make things difficult for just about any plans one may be seeking to make.
  6. Everything takes planning: I saved this one for last because it’s the one that grates on my soul the worst. Even the smallest of things require intricate planning. Going out on errands for an hour? Gotta test my blood, remember when I ate last and have a contingency plan in the event I suffer a low, depending on where I’m going. Karate class? That’s even worse. Even if my blood sugars are fine, I need to consider how my blood sugars will be affected depending on whether we have a more cardio-heavy workout or if it’s more technique-based. Fast-acting carbs are a must, and I have to be ready for the embarrassment of stepping out of class early, should m y blood sugars refuse to cooperate.

Having Diabetes can be tough, but refusing to own one’s truth and face what needs to be faced will make it even tougher. I know some people with Diabetes who have refused to take the appropriate steps and be open and communicative about their condition. Such is their right. But all of them I’ve encountered are in the ground, now. A pretty morbid reminder that being open and willing to talk to the people in your inner circle about your Diabetes is a key component in maintaining healthy control. And last but not least, you should NEVER compromise your health to accommodate someone who won’t understand or isn’t willing to meet you halfway. That’s why I’m so lucky. Food for thought… ☯️

Bring On The Pain…

When one becomes a parent, we usually hope and pray that our children will inherit our better traits and values. We hope that they’ll be strong, healthy and develop a wisdom that will allow them to push forward and make a positive presence within the world. At least, that’s what I hope for my sons. But of course, life rarely cares about one’s plans and things don’t always turn out the way we’d LIKE them to. This is why, instead of a strong martial arts acumen or a love of books or making exercise and fitness a priority within his life, my son has chosen one of my lesser-enjoyed traits: he’s a fuckin’ klutz…

Now, don’t get me wrong… I love Nathan. He’s my first-born son, he looks like me, clings to me and watches my every move. So when I say he’s a klutz, I say it with affection albeit a mild tinge of frustration since there are so many other aspects he could have prominently at the forefront. Last week, while walking on my at-home treadmill, he wiped out. This caused him to face plant and roll on his shoulder off the edge of the treadmill’s belt. He busted open his upper lip and bruised his right shoulder pretty good.

The wound on his upper lip, now scabbing and nearing removal

He worked it off like a champ, despite my letting him know it was okay to cry a bit if he needed to let it out. What was worrisome is that he still had a week of school left. In my experience, some school staff become a little overzealous and will assume some dark things when they see a child come to school with new injuries. And even though I don’t think Nathan would lie or make something upon, children have an unfortunate propensity for making shit up if they think it sounds cool or they’re trying to please or agree with another adult.

Luckily, he made it to the school finish line without an issue but that didn’t stop him from hurting himself further. once school was done, my wife took the boys out shopping on the day before Canada Day. Since we were heading into the summer, she bought Nathan one of those plastic tubes that spray water. You know the ones; you stick the tip in water and pull back the tube and it fills, then you push hard and it can squirt almost twenty feet. Well, she got him one of those on the condition that he not use water in the backyard without my permission and that it wasn’t an “everything” toy… It was only to be used with water.

Only my child would manage to self-inflict an injury this way…

So while we’re hanging out outside last week (this was on the same day that a rabbit came to visit), he had been playing with the water tube, using a bucket I made available and told him he could refill it a couple of times, not wanting to waste TOO much water. he came running into the garage at one point with tears in his eyes and showed me his arm, as pictured above. I asked him what happened and he told me he pinched his arm with the water tube.

Now, I’m pretty good at picturing things and I have a pretty solid imagination. But I just COULDN’T wrap my head around how in the holy hell that he managed to hurt himself that way. I had him demonstrate and even to his credit, it took him a couple of tries before he could replicate exactly HOW he had managed to hurt himself. Turns out he was holding the tube almost rifle-style, with the plunger in his right hand against his left pec and pulling the tube towards him instead of pushing the plunger towards the tube.

The result was he pinched his flesh and caused the abrasion in the crook of his arm. All things considered, I think that hurt him and had him more upset than smashing his face did. It didn’t stop him from playing further, but I couldn’t help but think that only my son would be that awkward as to cause an injury with something completely safe that shouldn’t have caused said injury. Que sera… I’ll take his being clumsy and self-injurious over his being diagnosed with Diabetes, any day. ☯️

Happy Canada Day!

Canada Day is my country’s national holiday and is always observed on July 1st, every year. It stems from the Dominion of Canada being formed on July 1, 1867 and was actually called “Dominion Day” until the Canada Act came into force in 1982, at which point the holiday was renamed to what it’s known today. The holiday usually consists of parades, fireworks and of course, the singing of our national anthem.

It would be ignorant of me not to acknowledge the issues and challenges that my country has faced in recent years. I won’t get into them, as they seem pretty pale in comparison to what some other countries have to contend with. But it’s never been a harsher time for people in my county, with controversy, political and financial issues as well as matters of ethnicity, personal beliefs and even a ridiculous notion by some to rename the holiday away from “Canada Day.”

Despite all of these issues and concerns, it’s important to remember that a country is not considered the sum of its shadows. If this were true, current allied countries and territories wouldn’t be considered “allied.” If you study history in depth, you’d be hard-pressed to find ANY country that hasn’t had some dark stains in their story. Canada is no exception. But one must consider that while it’s important to remember the past in order to prevent its repetition, there really is only one direction in which one can move, when considering history: forward.

I love my country. I consider it a privilege to have been born here and live in a country as free as it is. in fact, under the right circumstances you might even catch me tearing up while singing the national anthem. I have no illusions that there aren’t issues but I feel it’s important not to let those negative issues cloud the positive. Positivity is truly the only the way to move forward. I don’t usually write about such things, as I try to keep my blog on a particular track.

Amidst all the controversy and societal issues, don’t lose sight of the fact that today is a day of celebration and should be treated as such. Take the time to acknowledge your pride and your belief in who you are and where you’re from. The entire world is rich with people who make it beautiful. Taking this one day to acknowledge that you’re one of them is an important step in living a positive life. happy Canada Day, folks! ☯️

If You Spill A Bag Of Marbles, You May Wipe Out Trying To Pick One Up…

It’s an odd thing to me, how some people feel it necessary to stick their noses into other people’s affairs. And no, despite that snarky opening line, I’m not bitter, angry or pissed at anyone. If anything, I’m genuinely curious. I’ve seen this happen in almost all areas of life; work, personal and recreational. I’ve always fancied myself as being the kind of individual who stays in his own lane, works hard and makes an effort to be efficient in all things that I do, and work to repair the issues when I fail at that endeavour. But for some, it seems almost impossible to avoid the allure of either wanting what they have or commenting on how they do things.

If I take karate as an example, I’ve frequently seen students become angry or upset at seeing other students promote when they haven’t. Instead of looking into the REASON why they didn’t promote, they seem to find more value in being unhappy that someone else did. That’s a very odd stance to take, especially when you consider that only genuine way to promote in a traditional martial art is to work and train hard and make yourself ready for promotion. But I it sure doesn’t stop some people from being bitter when they’re overlooked.

If I take work as an example, it amazes me how many people are utterly consumed with focusing on other employees activities; when they come and go, how they perform their duties and what they’re doing while they’re on the job. When one is busy poring over these concerns, it can be easy to forget to perform one’s own duties and worry about one’s own job. Not a good approach towards ensuring one’s progression and advancement in the workplace.

From a personal perspective, we’re looking at folks who tend to stick their noses in other people’s personal lives. I have to admit that I’ve been guilty of this on many occasions, myself. Sometimes it can be hard to keep from commenting on someone else’s choices, decisions and lifestyle, especially when it conflicts with ours. In some cases, many cases, it can lead to hard feelings, ended friendships and damaged familial relationships.

The important thing to remember is to stay in your lane. And this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t express concern to someone, if that’s your end goal. Showing concern to others is important and shows one’s compassion. But if you’re training towards specific fitness and martial arts goals, focus on THEM, not the other students around you. When you go to work, don’t worry about the fact that a co-worker takes an extra fifteen minutes on their lunch break; rather focus on ensuring you follow the rules and stick to your duties and entitlements.

Focusing on others will never help you or be a healthy way to approach life. The only way to progress and improve in life is to look inward. Focus on oneself and push yourself to grow and improve. Only through this method will you be able to help others because you can’t help others if you haven’t Fort helped yourself. Stay in your lane! You’ll be all the better for it. Food for thought… ☯️