"The height of our joy is tied to the depth of our sorrow"

2023 kicked off with big health commitments. Yoga every morning. Intermittent fasting. Training with a physiotherapist for my missing ACL. But a month ago, I injured my back while simultaneously getting a lung infection. To this very day, I haven’t exercised properly.

So it fucking sucked. Luckily my now close friend Nick checked up on my mental status. He noticed that I sounded sad on the phone. I was feeling a lot better about myself until I had too much time on my hand. The inner critic had more space and time without all the busyness.

So it fucking sucked. But with constant, and I mean constant, reading and diving into stoicism… I reminded myself that there is always an opportunity to be better. To love my fate. To find the opportunity in the obstacle….

So I sat with it. I gave the inner critic the space it always needed to have. To let it rip me a new one. And then another new one. And when I thought it was done, it ripped me another new one.

Until I saw the hurt and scared child beneath all that anger, rage, violence and frustration. Then I started trying to love that hurt child.

Now the hurt child has more space to play in the present with the adult Don. 

It’s an intense title but it’s the start of true self fulfilling self love… My new podcast episode is titled “Hello friend, it’s ok I hate myself too”. Please check it out.