There are a lot of men out there right now who are stuck, quiet, and trying to figure things out on their own. What we’ve got in here…most of them don’t have. And I know for a fact that some of your stories, your experiences, and even just the way you talk about this stuff could help someone more than you realize. So I’m asking a few of you to record a video. Nothing fancy. Phone is fine. There’s no time limit here. Could be 30 seconds, could be 5 minutes. Could be one video or a few different ones. Say what you need to say. No script. Just talk like you would to a buddy. If you want a bit of direction, here are a few angles you can run with: – Who you are and what your life looks like right now – Why you joined Anchored and Ready – What you’ve gotten out of being in here (even if it’s just one thing) – A moment where something clicked for you – What you’d say to a guy who knows he needs something but hasn’t taken the step yet – What “doing the work” actually looks like in your day-to-day life – Something you’ve struggled with that you’re starting to get a handle on Or just hit record and tell your story as it comes. No structure needed. If you’re up for it, send it to me on WhatsApp. I’ll likely use parts of these to speak on different topics and share them online, because your voice and your experience matters. This isn’t about polished content, it’s about real men talking about real things. No pressure at all. But if you’ve got something to say, say it.

Today as I’m picking up my girls from school my youngest; who is 9, hands me a bookmark. The book mark and a punch if confetti. The bookmark discusses what is coming for a test tomorrow and the magic of this confetti that helps become restful , reduce stress, and be ready cone the morning to do your best. Now, generally I would go off into a banter on schools standardized everything cresting an anxiety rich environment for the young…. However, true as that is in our school systems, the opportunity of building on a way to practice reducing school based anxiety, while creating a fun environment at age 9 is an opportunity perhaps they did not exist when I was a kid. Being intentional on how to educate kids and students on curriculum as well as adding tools to manage stress and anxiety is something I admire here. Here we are learning these tools as adults, after years of just doing it as we are told or, suppressing feelings with multiple substances, and kids in the 3rd grade may actually develop better self managing behaviors than I could ever dream of.

The last few weeks have been a grind. And I've loved every minute of it. Jumping into a new company, helping lead a rebrand, building systems and processes from scratch, getting social media dialed in and ready to launch. That's not light work. There were late nights, decisions without clear answers, and plenty of moments where I was figuring it out as I went. But somewhere in the middle of all of it I noticed something. I wasn't dreading any of it. Most of us have spent time grinding on things that felt hollow. You put in the hours, you do the work, but something's off. You can't name it but it's there. That low-grade drain that follows you home and sits with you at the dinner table. This was different. Because I believe in what I'm building. And when that's true, hard work stops feeling like punishment. It still costs you. Time, energy, mental bandwidth. But it gives something back. That's the difference. A lot of us have forgotten what that feels like. Or we stopped expecting it. We told ourselves work is just work, that fulfillment is for weekends or retirement or some future version of life we'll get to eventually. We got comfortable being numb. We settled, and we called it being realistic. That's not realistic. That's giving up with better vocabulary. You don't need some massive life overhaul to find it again either. It can start with something small. Learning a new skill. Picking up a book that actually challenges you. Starting the thing you've been putting off for six months. The feeling is still available to you. Most men just stopped going after it. Stop tolerating a life you wouldn't brag about. The people you love are watching you. Your kids, your partner, the men around you. They're not just watching what you do. They're deciding, based on you, what a man's life is supposed to look like. What's possible. What's acceptable. Make it worth watching. This life doesn't wait. Go all in on something real.

Most guys never go back and face the version of themselves that needed them the most. They just keep moving forward, carrying it, letting it bleed into their decisions, their reactions, their relationships. We’re not doing that. This week, you’re going to write a letter to your younger self. Not the version you’d post online. Not something polished. The real one. Here’s how this works Grab a pen and paper. Go somewhere quiet. No distractions. No phone. This is not a 5-minute exercise. If it feels easy, you’re doing it wrong. Your letter needs to hit these points 1. Tell him the truth about where he was at. What was he scared of? Where did he feel like he didn’t measure up? What was he carrying that nobody saw? 2. Call out the moments that actually mattered. Not general life advice. Specific moments. Where things went sideways. Where you felt lost. Where something stuck with you. 3. Own your mistakes. No blaming other people. No excuses. Where did you screw up? Where did you avoid, quit, or take the easy way out? 4. Tell him what he needs to hear, not what sounds good. Not clichés. Not “everything works out.” What would’ve actually helped him back then? 5. Show him who he becomes. What do you build? What do you survive? Why does he need to keep going, even when it doesn’t make sense? 6. Set a standard. What kind of man does he need to become? Not motivation. A standard he has to live up to. A couple rules: No surface-level writing. No generic lines. No rushing it. If it doesn’t make you stop and think while you’re writing it, you’re holding back. *Optional, but I recommend it* Read it out loud when you’re done. You’ll feel it differently. Most guys avoid this kind of work their whole lives. Don’t be that guy.

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