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Live Your Truth

Everyone has their own journey. Be proud of yours.

By Luca OPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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With Mental Health Awareness week coming to an end, I felt compelled to post something after seeing so many amazing people using their platform to inspire those around them.

I've spent the past year or so being very open about my struggles with my own mental health for two key reasons. The first being that I wanted to explain why I'm the way I am and what I choose to fight for, whilst the second reason is to accept my past struggles and to bury them in the past. Overall, it’s been a fantastic experience and the feedback has been beautiful; however this particular post isn't about me, it's about the power of living your own truth.

A world that is overwhelmed and dictated by social media, branding, and the 'perfect' picture has led to a false sense of normality in our own lives. I'm not breaking new ground by saying that and the fact that we accept it and still use it to be the measure for our quality of life is alarming. The difference for me is that I'm not here to tell you that what you see isn't reality; I'm here to say that you should take pride in your own reality and your own life.

I've grown to the point where I am able to somewhat wear my scars with pride. The vast majority of those scars aren't physical, but they'll be with me to the end of my time here on earth and I'll never let go what I've overcome to get to where I am now.

Whether you've seen me talk about my journey with therapy, sexuality, and ongoing battles with depression, I use my voice to show that in spite of that I live my life with love, happiness, and a purpose to one day help millions of people overcome their own issues to live the life they deserve. I chose to use the stones that life had thrown at me to build my platform to serve those around me.

"When you hit rock bottom, remember this: While you're struggling, rock bottom can also be a great foundation on which to build and on which to grow." Rick Rigsby 2017.

It takes great courage to be open about what troubles you on a daily basis and I appreciate it's not for everyone to post their battles with mental health on social media or in public forums, but even accepting and understanding it privately can allow you to move forward whilst also being conscious of what people around you may be going through.

This blog is not to downplay what any person has gone through in their life and I know there's a lot that people deal with that I cannot begin to understand, I just want anybody who reads this to know that although you cannot change what your past is, you do have the power to dictate how it effects your future and therefore how you perceive your past to be. A phenomenal example of this is the Me Too Movement.

I want to leave you with a passage that initially came from Marianne Williamson and was later adapted for the 2005 film, Coach Carter, with Samuel Jackson.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.Your playing small does not serve the world.There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.We are all meant to shine as children do.It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone.And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

The very definition of courage is to do something in spite of fear and I dare you to be courageous in living your truth and your best life whilst empowering others around you to do the same.

I want to thank you for reading this blog and to everybody who's helped me through my mental health battles. In the famous words of Timo Cruz, "I just want to say thank you, you saved my life."

Love Luca x

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About the Creator

Luca O

A young man steadily building a platform to encourage open dialogue about mental health through my own experience. Come on in!

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