Its October 18th 2023, I turn 38 years old today. Young people call me old, old people call me young. In reality I’m smack dab in the middle. Im young enough to still hold my own physically and old enough to hold my tongue when need be. Its a beautiful part of life, Im blessed in so many ways and have enough energy to run a gym, Echo Bike for 12 hours straight and play with three beautiful little boys I call my sons. Thats pretty awesome.
What I want for my birthday this year is 2 things, the first I want to encourage you and inspire you today. I want you to know that no matter what position you find yourself in today you have an opportunity to make something beautiful out of the deepest place of despair. Whether your overweight and need that to change or your financially in a tight spot and life is tough, until they bury you in the ground you have the ability to change your circumstance and it all starts with how you view yourself from the inside.
If there’s a voice in your head that calls you a fat loser or tells you you’ll never amount to anything important, that voice is a LIAR, its a lie from the devil as I believe we were all created in Image of God there is beauty in the fact that what we were designed for is so much greater than you actually believe. Somewhere along the way someone fed you a lie about who you are and its NOT true!
What is true? That when you set your mind, heart and soul to something you can accomplish the absolute greatest things, wanna lose 100 pounds? My Dad more than that this year at the age of 63. Wanna become financially independent? People have gone from bankrupt to millionaires by putting their heart and soul into a purpose. The first thing you need to do is get rid of this lie in your head that you don’t deserve it and can’t achieve it.
The next step is to know because its possible doesn’t mean its EASY, on the contrary my friend its going to be HARD and harder then you want it to be and guess what? the beauty of it all lies in the fact that it is that hard. Wanna know why? Because without that resistance you will NOT grow, you need to be and it MUST be hard for you to learn, to adapt to grow. Step 2 is accepting the fact that it will be hard and actually embrace the challenge, I LOVE IT!
Step 3 You show up everyday no matter the cost and you keep moving forward, don’t you EVER stop, make it your mission and make it big enough that it scares you and even better make it something that effects OTHER peoples lives is a positive way and you will be blessed in so so so many ways.
Im 38 years old today and Ive learned the most about myself and life in the hardest times, Ive wanted to quit, Ive wanted curl up in a ball and cry but I never stopped taking one foot over the other forward and I believe in you and what you can accomplish.
For my Birthday I ask for 2 things,
1. You take what I said to heart and pursue something in life thats truly worth living for, something that scares you and blesses others too.
2. Im on the pursuit of something that scares that absolute crap out of me with this 12 hour ride for the Orphans in Haiti, Im scared Ill bonk(“Bonking” is a term used by runners, cyclists, and other athletes to describe a condition where your muscles run out of fuel. Essentially, it’s when you’ve hit the wall and depleted your body’s glycogen (or energy). As a result, you can’t keep going and must stop)
Im scared ill not live up to the expectations Ive set for this ride and fail in front of everyone, Im scared Ill have a serious injury during the ride. But its not stopping me, its forging me, making me stronger and I except the terms. This ride means nothing without you, If you could donate on thedreamdealer.org and help us raise money for the Orphans in Haiti I would be so thankful and the best BDay present of all.
Love you all!
Coach Dan