The Story
When an elephant is first born to help train the elephant not to run away. They tie a rope around one of their legs. The rope is strong enough where the baby elephant can’t break the rope. As the years go on and the elephant grows and gets bigger and bigger. The rope is the same, it never changes only the elephant gets bigger.
Wait, you’re telling me a full-size elephant is being tied down by this little rope? Do you know why? It’s because it was trained from a young age to believe they couldn’t break the rope. Even when they became a full-size elephant with thousands of pounds of strength and power inside of them. They still would always think back to those earlier years of being tied down from a young age.
Mindset
It’s amazing how the mind works and how once we get something in our head, positive or negative it doesn’t matter. Once that thought get’s in our head then we continue to feed off it and after a while, it can start to control us.
When I was six and diagnosed with my disability. I never thought I would see the day that I graduate school and receive that piece of paper I have been dreaming about. Praying and focused so much on graduating, that was always at the end of my tunnel waiting for me. I realized I’m not going to be able to graduate school. I’m not smart, I can’t read, write, well everything else that has to do with school. I’ll never be able to read fast I hate reading, I hate writing.
People Can Change
In the last four years I have almost read 50 books now, can you believe that? At 28 I have written three books all over 70,000 words in them. I have a blog and I have published 90 posts so far. I have a learning disability and can’t spell and suck with grammar and punctuation. How can a dyslexic kid who can’t read and write do that? What does that mean?
I’ll tell you what it means, it means that I stopped listening to my old self and changed. That rope was wrapped around my leg at six years old, and at 25 I ripped that post right out of the ground. I had enough, it was time for a change. That rope controlled me for 19 years. If I want to make something of myself then I have to do something about it.
Listen To Yourself
The rope is gone and I’m free, now what? I have no idea but I’m free, life is easier now right it’s all smooth sailing from here? Wrong, reality kicked in. I’m sick and tired of people complaining and giving up and not trying there hardest to go after something they want in life. I would know because that used to be me, I was lazy through my whole school career. I used my disability as a cop out and was expecting everything to be easy. News flash it wasn’t, the real world came and smacked me in my face.
I didn’t like where I was going in life and I didn’t like being held down anymore. At 25, I decided to fight for my life. Time after time pulling and pulling and I finally got out, I’m free now. I did it, now it’s time to work and now it’s time to start living for once in my life. I have these goals and I can’t accomplish them by being tied down. It’s time to see what’s calling my name.
Do you want to know what I kept hearing once I snapped that rope in half and became free? What I heard calling me was anything I want. I was free to do whatever and go where ever. It is 2018 and there are more than enough opportunities now to chase that dream of yours.
My Battle
Now that I have grown up, well when it comes to my nephews and nieces I still have to be the fun uncle. I recognized where I was and what I was doing and I didn’t like it. Life is short and life is so precious and we take it for granted far too often. I never used to like what I saw when I was looking in the mirror at myself. The hatred I had for myself and who I was, I wanted to be anyone else but me when I was a kid. It doesn’t work that way, this is the life I was given and these were the cards I was dealt.
What I can do and what you can do, is work with what you got. I decided to work with what I got and change my ways. Now here we are I’m 28 and hopefully going to publish my first book this year. I’m engaged and getting married in a few months. I have three amazing sisters, two parents. I don’t even know how many nephews and nieces I have now, 11 I think haha?
Reality Check
I shouldn’t be upset anymore about the issues and faults I have. I should be embracing what I’m good at now, not focusing on the bad. Well, that’s what I’m doing now, that’s why I’m writing this book. I’m sharing my faults and issues and lessons I have learned over the years so kids and young adults don’t have to go through what I went through. I don’t want them to get tied down and have that rope tied around their leg longer then it has to.
It sucks and it’s hard, but it doesn’t have to be like that all of the time. It’s about time we all start sharing more and opening up more. You never know who you might connect with and who you might impact when you open up. The lessons we learn and the life we see over the years is meant to be shared and passed on to others. It’s about time we all start sharing.
Your absolutely best writing so far Peter!! Thank you for sharing your heart and past with others. I am so proud of the man you have become and love watching your growth through your life!