son rise.

a letter to my son & younger self.

begin each new day as a new life.

speak clearly, but do not seek to be understood.

love dearly, but let love go. do not suffocate it.

people will throw the word ‘love’ around like it’s a feeling, but it’s not. love is an action, and it’s synonymous with sacrifice. can you still love those you’ve sworn to even when you don’t feel like it?

as much as other people might expect from you, expect even more from yourself.

under promise and over deliver.

be punctual (do as i say not as i do).

never show your true face to those you do not trust, or share your dreams with those who want to see you fall.

people will lie to themselves and to the world to justify their choices. don’t take it personally.

never lie to protect yourself or make yourself look better. if you must, lie to protect others.

avoid alcohol, drugs, and gambling. not because those who use them are weak, but because your mind is uniquely obsessive (and if you’re my son, you’ll probably hate the taste of alcohol anyway).

never believe what they’re saying about you.

what they call ‘God’ is real, but anybody who tells you they’re sure about what it is probably hasn’t thought deeply enough about it.

often, you will be overwhelmed by your feelings. feel them, do not run from them. but understand that feelings ≠ truth.

sometimes you gotta put your feelings in your pocket and make shit happen anyway.

people will diminish you, tell you that the things you’ve accomplished have been given to you by chance or by charity. they will think differently of you because of the color of your skin and the texture of your hair. they will smile in your face and whisper about you behind your back. FUCK them.

limit your use of foul language.

cry (but never let anyone see your tears).

love your woman.

protect your sister.

make your mother proud.

train your mind: master things. learn how to cook, learn an instrument, learn more languages than i did.

train your body relentlessly. lift heavy weights. run far, run fast.

never forget that everything we do is for each other:

choose dancing with those you love over dancing on the graves of your enemies.

i lived in such a way that i would be a better man than my father,

live so that one day you

will be a better man than me.