Are you the walking dead?
Henry Rollins: "I stopped processing ideas in terms of lyrics. One day, I woke up and thought: “I’m done.” My manager flipped out, but I’ve never looked back. I didn’t want to become a human jukebox playing old songs, so I filled the space the band took with films and TV and now my shows, my radio show and writing. At this point, I wouldn’t go back on stage with a band for anything."
There is a point in every timeline when the things we're doing no longer serve us. Emotional intelligence evolves, satisfaction shifts, and what once brought joy can become soul-sucking demons that leave us feeling run down, exhausted, and spiritually defunct.
”When I became a man, I put away childish things.” What is a man? Is it you at 18? Is it you as a husband or a father? Or is it the best version of yourself that you can be right now? Is that enough? Fifteen years from now, will you look back on the “man” you are now and say, "I was a good man"? Or will you think, "I had room to improve"? What are you doing right now to become the man you want to be when you're older?
You're on a journey from the day you're born, with the destination being the grave. The life you live is the result of every decision you've made. Your wins and losses, victories and failures, happiness and regrets all fall on your shoulders. No one else's. We’re all stumbling around, trying to figure out how to live in a way society expects. But on your deathbed, society won't be there. When you meet your maker, you'll be standing alone. “Well, they were doing it too” isn't going to cut it.
If your marriage is failing, you're miserable, you hate your job, you're broke, or you're distant from your best friends, it's up to you to fix it. NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE YOU. Everyone is living their lives, and you should be living yours. Sometimes the answer is to fight for things; other times, it's to cut ties and walk away. You have to weigh your life. Is what you're doing serving you, or are you the walking dead—empty, unfulfilled, and stumbling around the world, eyes glazed over, forgetting what true joy feels like? What have you done to change it? Are you so comfortable in your misery that you've forgotten what it's like to smile until your face hurts? What will you do about it?
I read that quote from Henry Rollins this morning and thought, "Good for you," and not from a fuck-you standpoint, but an honest, "I'm so happy for you." He doesn't even know I exist, but he's living his life on his terms, doing what makes him feel fulfilled. So many of us are the walking dead, stumbling around, waiting for the next thing to change our direction—maybe eat something and simply continue stumbling around, waiting... When was the last time you set something aside that didn't serve you? Have you quit drinking, started reclaiming your health, held your woman, and had a conversation that made your souls feel like they're touching again? Or have you accepted the life you're currently living, letting societal expectations dictate your happiness?
When was the last time you
created something?
FUCK BEING GOOD AT IT.
The likes don't matter.
Others' opinions don't matter.
When was the last time you had a purpose and did something simply because it made you feel good? It is never too late to reinvent yourself….
Change is a choice, and though it can be painful, who you become after shedding this version of yourself can be the person you've always dreamed of being.
You are the author of your own life….
