Month: September 2019

A Fear For Me Part 2

Part 2

When I say all of this please understand me and what I’m trying to say. Lindsay my future kids and our family will always come first no matter what. But that feeling that has been forming in my gut from six years old to now hasn’t stopped. Always thinking I was going to accomplish and do something unique and special has never disappeared. 

I still feel that and I feel like I’m only begging and in the last few years, I feel like my life is only beginning and starting. When I say that I don’t want it to sound like I had a bad childhood that is far from the truth. I had an amazing childhood and blessed and lucky and more than I deserve. I have amazing parents that helped me whenever they could and did the best they could during my school years helping me with this learning disability and dyslexia I have.

She Can Read My Mind

This next part might bother some people and upset some. As much as I love Lindsay and I thank God for putting her in my life and I can’t say that enough. Even on the days we might argue or have a bad day or get upset. I want to give her the life that she deserves. But Lindsay knows my heart and I think knows me better than me most of the time. Which is scary because we haven’t known each other that long yet haha. We have only known each other for a little more than a year and a half.

Linsay knows what I struggle with every day. She knows the lack of confidence I have in myself and how hard I am on myself. Lindsay knows I’m a private person and it’s like pulling teeth trying to get me to open up sometimes. I’m a private person and the lies I told myself from a young age screwed me up. I never thought I would be good enough for the world and for a woman.

My Challenge

That’s why it’s hard for me to open up. It’s easy for me spilling out my emotions and writing them out like this. Writing with my heart and my head and having my hands put everything together for me on my blog is the easy part. But when it comes to me saying the words myself and speaking that way in front of people, it’s hard for me. 

I want more in life than being a good husband, father, son, brother, uncle, friend and whatever other words you can use. Those things are very important to me no question about it. But I truly believe God gave me this disability and dyslexia to do something positive with it.

Blamed The Wrong Person

For most of my life ages 6-25, I blamed God. I was jealous of people and of the world. I’m not smart like that person. I don’t have the bank account of that person and so on. Now from 25 maybe 26 to now I realized how wrong I was with my poor attitude and how I missed the big picture.

Getting diagnosed at age six, well I was a young kid when everything changed for me and when my struggles started to come alive. Now with going through school and battling everything I battled and struggled with. I now feel God put this disability on me for a reason now. What if instead of running from my weaknesses I embrace them? 

New Perspective

That’s when everything started to change. Now I want to help kids young adults and whoever needs help. My focus is on kids and young adults, but I’m 29 and an adult I still have my fair share of problems, we all do. 

Now I’m embracing my weaknesses and trying to turn them into positives and share that with the world and make a positive and healthy impact in the world. I want to leave the world a better place than when it was when I came into it. Is that going to be challenging ABSUTLEY is it going to be hard, of course. Will it suck somedays and I might question why am I doing this and am I doing the right thing? Yes, I might think that and wonder that maybe from time to time. But if I get an opportunity to help a young kid struggling in school or a 21-year-old struggling in life. Then I know I’m doing the right thing.

One Step At A Time

I’m not saying I’m going to change their lives or be the answer. If sharing my unique story helps and gives them a little motivation to keep going through the struggle. It makes them feel a little better. If I can tell them to embrace the suck and enjoy it because that pain and struggle they are going through right now will be the backbone that helps push them to be successful later in life then I’m going to open up and get out of my comfort zone because I feel it in my gut and in my heart that that’s why I was placed here on earth.

I feel if I don’t help enough people and open up more every day I’m falling.  I feel like I might be letting God down, Lindsay and you down but most of all myself. This wasn’t an overnight flip of a switch change in my life. Like everything it takes time and it wasn’t easy. It will take time and it won’t be easy for you either.

What Will You Do

No matter where you were at one point in your life. Whatever happened in your past doesn’t determine your future. Your life can change and it all starts with one decision. 

A Fear For Me

Can Fears Be Healthy

I know I have talked about fears a lot. But I think it’s normal to have fears and a good thing. I think fears help you to feel alive and help you to keep living and moving forward. If you don’t fear anything, then what are the chances of you wanting to pursue something new or challenge yourself to get better and grow in life?

A fear for me that popped in my head recently and don’t ask me where this came from. One day this thought just hit me. What if I publish all the books I was meant to create and write. I made enough money to have writing and speaking be my full-time job. Even though I don’t think I can call it a job, I would call it a blessing and an awesome opportunity. I finally accomplish my third big goal in life and become a father.

Blessed

After accomplishing those goals that I have been so focused on and had tunnel vision on for so many years. What if after accomplishing all of this and I still don’t feel accomplished or I feel I have more to prove to myself or the world? The next question is who do I need to prove this to? Myself, the world, my peers that didn’t believe in me? Which I don’t think I know many people that didn’t believe in me. They might have thought my dreams and goals were big and crazy, well they aren’t wrong they are big and crazy.

This is why this thought bothers me and I’m not sure how to take it. Right now, I’m a very lucky man. I’m married to my beautiful wife, I have a great family on both sides. I have 20 nephews and nieces, I think, I dont know it’s alot. I have amazing people around me. A job that I make a decent income, not great but enough that helps us pay off some debt and helps Lindsay and our future look a little better and more promising. She has an amazing job and makes good money and we have a house and an awesome Pit Bull name Bella. Now we have a new book out about Bella and I helped my wife pursue something she never could have pictured, becoming an author.

I’m A Lucky Man

The reason why I feel so lucky and blessed is that I look at my past and where I was and where I am now. I never thought I would get here. I never thought I would get married, and in two weeks Lindsay and I will be celebrating our one year anniversary.

With that said I have an amazing life and excited about the future. But why do I put all of this pressure on me and keep telling myself I have something to prove to people? I know it’s in my head. Like I said I never had a teacher or someone tell me, Peter, there is no way you could ever publish a book in your life. You’re stupid you have Dyslexia and when you graduated high school you know you probably have the same IQ of a middle school kid? I didn’t have any of that negative feedback.

Me vs Me

Do you know the biggest person I have to prove that I have to be successful is myself? By proving myself, Peter Alexander Harrower that I so-called “made it in life” was always something I was searching for from a young age. I put all of this pressure on me when I was younger. I don’t need to consider myself successful by how big my bank account is. When I was younger I thought that determined it, but that’s not true and I was wrong. Do I want money and want to make enough money to have writing provide a great life for my family absolutely? But I dont think I should have to apoligize about that. Money is not what got me into writting all of those years ago.

I feel like I need to prove to my old self that it doesn’t matter where you were at one point in your life. It doesn’t matter what you struggled with or still struggle with. I’m dyslexic and still hate reading, and slow with it. But now I’m a two time published author and can put that on my life resume.

Work Hard

If people would ask me before what I do for a living. I would just say I work for my dad and I write on the side. Now, if they ask me that question, I can say I’m an author and I also work for my dad. I’m not saying that to brag and think I’m a big shot, that’s not it at all. If you read my book you will understand why I say that now.

I never thought I would become an author, it took four years working on my book. I have been working on my first book on and off for over eight years now. This wasn’t something I picked up yesterday. I’m trying to push myself so much and so far, to prove not to myself now but to the world and kids that with a little hard work and determination. The opportunities in front of them are endless. They can accomplish whatever they want in life.

Just Getting Started

The thing I struggle with the most sometimes or most times, is not enjoying the moment and the accomplishment. I always thought I would cry when I healed my book in my hands for the first time. The first time that happened I didn’t feel anything, it made me so mad and it scared me. That’s why I feel like I’m only beginning. I feel like I have a lot to prove and there is a lot more I can do in my life now and in the future.

Part 2 next week, stay tuned.

I Was Blind

Missed Out

I can’t say when this thought first popped up in my mind, but I would say from an early age. I always wondered what it would be like to be blind or deaf. If I had to pick one I would think being blind would be the hardest one. But I guess realistically the hardest one would be the one you have it doesn’t matter which one. But here’s the kicker, for most of my life, looking back I was blind and didn’t even know it. Not the normal blind you think, I was blind from the world and not taking advantage of it. I was blind and let the world past by me more then I would like.

I can’t say this enough. When I vent and talk to you about my struggles my negative mindset or the dark parts of my life. Everything I share with you is what was going on between my ears. All of those bad thoughts and my poor attitude was inside of my head. Growing up I had an amazing family and had both parents. How many people can say they had both, unfortunately, not many. I can’t stress how lucky and blessed I am for our relationship.

Mind Tricks

Ever since I was a kid in the back of my mind I tried making my life, my story, worse off than it actually was. It’s unusual and sad, I know. I thought if I had people telling me I won’t be successful then that would motivate and push me more in life to make something of myself. Thinking to myself that I could turn a negative and bad situation into a better one and use all of the negativity around me to push me to be better. But instead, I didn’t have that. I had great people around me and supporting me. Things had to change and I had to be the bad person and that negative person to push me and make myself believe I wouldn’t be successful and help push me out of my comfort zone myself.

I was so focused on figuring out what God wanted me to do. Thinking to myself what’s my purpose in life and what does he have planned for me. Now having that mindset is not a bad thing and I won’t apologize about thinking that way and having that attitude towards life. But I will say one thing with having that tunnel vision and searching for my ultimate purpose. It did prevent me from enjoying the moment and enjoying the ride alot more.

Wouldn’t Change A Thing

I didn’t enjoy the moment as much as I should have or could have. But overall it was a bumpy ride and I wasn’t happy. I hated who I was and the person I was. I was a loser trying to search for my ultimate purpose and start fulfilling Gods plan for me.

How I saw my world and my version of it was a dark tunnel. I was at one point and at the other end was God’s plan and purpose for me. So why wouldn’t I want to go find it? I did want to find it, but the only thing is I wanted it now and my way and wanted to start living it right away and start enjoying myself more. Little did I know in my early 20s was the hardest couple of years of my life and it was all a part of the journey I was supposed to be on.

Part Of The Journey

I was so focused on finding the light at the end. Looking for that big red exit sign for my purpose and calling, I missed one important thing, I missed life, I missed living and enjoying the ride. I only figured it out a few years ago but everything I went through was all part of my journey that I was supposed to go on. For years I thought I screwed up and missed something or messed something up. Everything I went through I now know was all part of my journey.

Now looking back could I have made some better decisions, well, of course, we all could play that game. The what-if game, but what good really comes out of doing that? Is it natural to play that game and wonder, of course, it is? Is it wrong to play that game, sometimes and I think it has the potential to end up hurting us more than doing good?

Turn The Light On

I was blind for so long and was caught up in my little world. In my head, I never thought I could find a way out. Thinking that tunnel I was in was going to go on and on for the rest of my life. I never thought I was going to get out. I didn’t know which way was the correct way I kept getting turned around and it felt like I was backtracking.

But that’s life sometimes we don’t know which way is the right way, which decision or opportunity is going to be best. Sometimes you have to go with your gut and think which feels right. Now I can happily say I can see now and its amazing what I see but it’s also a little sad.

Part of me wanted to be mad with my poor attitude towards life. Thinking at everything I missed or didn’t do. But the other side of me is thinking, there is so much darkness in the world and its sad. What’s also sad is there is also so much good in the world. But for some reason, the bad is more interesting to people and sticks with us more sometimes. I think it’s about time we start turning some lights on in the world and make that darkness disappear for good. That last line is a line from The World Through Bella’s Eyes, coming out soon.

Work On Yourself

What Do You Want

Work on yourself is very simple and straightforward. But how come for some, it’s so hard to do and it’s like pulling teeth to work on yourself? Now if you would have asked me when I was younger, working on my weaknesses and trying to get better. I would have been in that pulling teeth category unless it was sports then I might do it. I’m not saying I’m anything great but everything changed, now look at what I’m doing? I’m embracing my weaknesses and faults and my work ethic has changed.

If I hated working on myself and trying to talk about my flaws and weaknesses for most of my life growing up. How did I change, or more importantly what changed and why? Again I’m not saying I’m anything great or anything special I’m just talking out loud and trying to figure it out.

My Reality

I think it all started because I didn’t like myself. Sorry, that’s an understatement I hated myself. I thought I was a loser, not successful, no potential and thought God made a mistake in creating in me. Is this a stretch with what I thought, no this is the honest truth? These thoughts flood through my veins from ages 6-25. Now I’m not saying this for a pity party or for you to feel bad for me. This is what happened and I need to fix it, simple as that. I chose to have this mindset and think this way, now I need to fix it.

When I started writing over eight years ago. I started writing for one thing and one thing only. Writing gave me hope, writing gave me a feeling and purpose that I never felt before doing anything else. From 21 until now all I thought about was writing and becoming an author and doing that full time.

My Vision

What didn’t drive me and push me into the writing world was money and fame? I don’t like being the center of attention and I hate speaking and talking to others because I’m very self-conscious about my flaws and what I struggle with to this day and I don’t think I’m good enough.

Now did I dream and imagine what it would be like to create a career like John Grisham or J.K. Rowling, your absolutely right I did? But it wasn’t for the money and my own pockets. It was because I wanted to entertain others and help others and if money followed and it paid me enough to do this full time then that is an added blessing and bonus if you ask me.

Priorities

I want to entertain people, and I believe I can with my “flaw” of mine. That “flaw” you could say helped put this crazy idea that my dyslexic self could become a published author and go and write books for a living. Well, I have published one and it was the second greatest moment in my life. It was very close but getting married and finding Lindsay will still always be number one in my books, pun intended haha. Then if we’re lucky enough and we have kids one day, then it will go Lindsay, Kids then writing at number three.

I always thought getting married and having kids was going to be way harder for me than publishing a book. I didn’t like myself, I didn’t believe in myself, I hated and resented myself. From a young age, I always believed I was going to do something special, I just didn’t know what.

Real Life

Now my writing is opening up doors I never could have dreamed. For starters this coming year I will be going back to my old high school and working with some kids like me. That alone I can’t even fathom thinking about. Now I’m going to be going back and talking to kids about my story my experience and what I have learned. I feel like it was only yesterday I graduated from high school. Now I’m going back 11 years later as a friend, to try and help kids just like myself. Kids who might be in similar situations like I was at there age.

In about a week, I will be publishing my second book that I co-wrote with my beautiful wife. That’s something I never could have dreamed about, a lot of this I never dreamed about. None of this wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t keep working hard every day. Some days sucked, some days were hard, but others were great days and I’m grateful for all three.

Work Is A Must

I know it’s easy to focus on the bad and the bad sometimes always outweighs the good. Wait, that’s an interesting phrase, that would be a good blog post, ohh wait I did that. Don’t worry, it will be posted soon.

As long as you’re still breathing then you should always work on yourself every day, it should be a priority. Will it always be fun, no it won’t. Will it be hard and uncomfortable, of course? That’s why they call it work, it’s not always going to be fun. But it will make a bigger difference than you ever could have imagined.

Now Is The Time

That’s why I challenge you to always work on yourself. This phrase work on yourself came from Trent Shelton a great guy that I have been following for a while now. Never stop working on yourself. The moment you stop to work on yourself, I believe is the moment you give up on yourself and you don’t care anymore and are checked out.

That my friends is a sad way to go out. Just imagine if you worked a little harder, tried a little harder and gave a little more effort? Just imagine where you could have gone and what you could have done. Now is the time to stop imagining about it and start making it happen.