01/12/2026
2025
The year I decided to unapologetically be myself.
Looking back at the beginning of last year, I was completely lost. My lifelong dream of playing college basketball had been shattered, and I left a place I truly wanted to call my home.
People kept asking how I was handling it all so well. But the honest, ugly truth? I wasn’t. Not even close.
You don’t always see the cracks in the moment—how deep they run, how much they hurt. That’s why reflection is so powerful. Looking back gives us those quiet, hard-earned bits and pieces of truth: the pain we ignored, the strength we didn’t know we had, the lessons that slowly start to heal us and help us grow.
For years, it felt like every step forward, everything I dared to chase, slammed into another roadblock. It was exhausting, and it hurt more than I ever let on.
At some point while recovering from surgery I realized things needed to truly change for me, I needed to change how I saw myself and the world around me-my thinking needed to be entirely reset. I saw that every roadblock I’ve encountered throughout my life I would blame myself religiously to the point where I’d shut out everyone around me, and try to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. But what good does that do? What’s the point of ridiculing yourself for the things you cannot control?
As a man, there’s this crushing, unspoken rule: you don’t show the cracks. You don’t let the tears fall. You don’t admit when the weight is too much. Opening up feels like admitting defeat—like if you let anyone see the real pain, the fear, the anger, the loneliness, it somehow makes you less strong, less worthy. Part of being truly strong—maybe the hardest and most important part—is acknowledging your faults, your limits, your broken pieces. When you stop pretending you’re unbreakable, you finally start healing. You give yourself permission to grow. It doesn’t matter who you are, how strong you think you are or should be, we aren’t built to handle everything on our own, it’s absolutely okay to ask for a little help sometimes.
I’ve come to realize that we can’t control most things around us—the events that happen, the actions of others, or even pure bad luck. What remains fully in our hands is our own inner world—our thoughts, emotions, habits, and next steps. Sure, owning up to our mistakes is important for growth, but don’t let that accountability be an invitation to spiral into self-blame or endless negativity. Respond to adversity in a way that align’s with your values: calm over anger, kindness over resentment, action over rumination. And don’t get me wrong I know that it’s absolutely easier to say all this than to actually follow through on it but over time, this can shift everything—not just how you feel, but the opportunities that can open up in response. We are all so much stronger than we actually believe.
Flash forward to this moment in time: I’ve accepted my faults and the things I can’t change. I truly believe that every door that closes is an opportunity for another to open. Right now, I am the happiest I have ever been. I have finally found the inner peace I was always searching for. I can’t wait to take on 2026 and leap even further toward my goals and dreams.
I don’t share this message to make anyone feel bad for me or to ask for sympathy. Instead, I want to show that even in your lowest moments—even amid the pains and struggles of this world—there is always a way forward. There is always hope, and we have to cling to it with all our might. My hope is by being outspoken, and honest with myself to the world that someone out there can find a little inspiration for themselves. As I’ve said before in previous posts, this is my entire goal with my photography business; to inspire and motivate.
Whatever dark path you find yourself on, there is always light at the end.
