Do the hard thing

I stood there with my hands sweating and a quiver in my chest.

Outside I could hear hundreds of voices rumbling.

I'd been preparing for this.

But I was still shaking with nerves.

And when the curtain pulled up, our rendition of the Footloose musical began...

I was Cranston, the bully.

A lead role when I had no prior experience and had never sung anything prior to a couple months before.

So there I am. 17 years old.

Terrified.

About to sing in front of a crowd of 500 people.

And you know what?

It wasn't easy, and my voice was a little shaky.

After all, public speaking is one of the greatest fears in the world, and that was a BIG crowd (for me).

But I f**king did it.

Felt so proud of myself after.

And proved to myself that even if something is uncomfortable, even if something is unfamiliar, I can lean into it and most often it leads to a sense of accomplishment and pride at having done something that a huge part of me wanted to avoid.

To this day, I love singing, and maybe I never would have discovered that if I'd said "no" to that lead role opportunity.

Which is a principle I've carried forward for years.

I wouldn't be who I am if I hadn't developed that borderline-insane-maybe-somewhat-masochistic drive to lean into whatever discomfort is required for my growth.

And I urge you to do the same.

Because a man who avoids resistance and discomfort can never fully realize his potential.

... and you're better than that.

Honor that fact.

By making choices that future you will be proud of.

And if what you've been avoiding is the unpleasant reality that quitting porn is harder than you thought, and you know it's holding you back but just haven't been able to truly stop, let's chat about how we can work together to help you quit in the next 60 days - and stay that way, for good.