Let’s talk about Wholehearted Living!

Ok…I said something today on Twitter that really kicked my ass (at the heart level). I decided it was time to stop “talking and start doing”.

“Everyone has potential but potential doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t do anything with it!”

I have wanted to blog, tried to blog, committed to blogging but I have never simply “blogged”.

I have written blogs. I have posted blogs. I have written about my journey. I have written about my faith. I have written about my recovery. I have written about culture. I have written about small business. I have written about coaching and living the life of your dreams.

I have done the work of “blogging”….but I have never stuck with it.

I haven’t stuck with it because I didn’t have a huge following that was promoting my blog, sharing my posts or interacting with my ideas. I quit because I felt like my voice didn’t matter…hell at one point I was convinced that I didn’t have a voice.

I allowed the fear, doubt and insecurities that I have dealt with my life to date influence my present life. I allowed the opinions of others to shut me up and silence me. I have allowed the thinking of the “empire” to penetrate my heart and support the belief in my heart that nobody wants to hear what I have to say because in reality I have nothing of value to bring to others.

You know what? It’s simply not true!

I have a longing in my heart to speak, to write, to share, to influence others and to help steer and guide the hearts and minds of men.

Oh, while we are at it…you know being vulnerable and all, I have TRULY held the belief that I don’t have anything to share with men. You know where this belief stems from, the belief that I am not a “real man” and that no “real man” would ever listen to me. Guess where that belief came from…the emasculation that has take place in my heart by my mother, step mother, ex girlfriends and wives, weak minded men and a society that is committed to shutting me up.

Enough. Truly - Enough is Enough!

I know I am not the only one but I have been through some shit in my life and I have something to say about all of it; being bullied in middle school and high school, working through my military experience, physical - sexual - emotional abuse (by men and women in my life), sever debt that nearly bankrupted me, dealing with tragic death of loved ones, starting a business, losing a business, buying a house and foreclosing on that house, navigating two nasty divorces, working through my personal recovery from addiction, navigating through blended families, having to set boundaries from toxic relationships, dealing with a crisis of faith and coming back from that in a healthy manner, working through depression and anxiety issues and much much more.

I have learned a great deal from each and every experience mentioned in that life and I want to share those discoveries with those that need to hear it. You can’t tell me that I don’t have a voice and that there aren’t others that need to hear it.

So let’s talk about Wholehearted Living!

As I stated earlier in the year, I am focusing on the following:

CourageConnectionC(K)indness

And these values lead to the following sub-actions:

VulnerabilityBelongingLove

All of these areas of focus will lead to Wholehearted Living.

For me, Wholehearted Living means that I have found balance, I have success in each of the areas above by focusing on them on a regular basis and doing the hard work of giving them prominence in my life. Wholehearted Living means that I am going to lean into my potential and STOP talking about it…I am going to START doing it!

(remember the quote from above….I had to close the loop for you)

I recently got a fire in my heart to get back to going after a Wholehearted Life. I am tired of seeing men kicked down by life, by society and by themselves. I am tired of feeling that I am alone and that we are all living in a hopeless state. I am tired of feeling like life is a lost cause….with no hope to find out what it means to find balance in life. I’m tired…and I have decided to do something about it.

I don’t know how often I am going to blog but I am going to blog.

I don’t know what I am going to write about but I am going to write.

I don’t know if anyone is listening but I am going to continue to share my voice and opinion and look for a tribe of men (and women) that need to hear what I have to say.

I am Donavon. I am going after a Wholehearted Life and this blog is a simple representation of what I am going through on a daily basis. Like it or Not…I would love to hear your thoughts, connect with you and talk about how we can all get to the place of Wholehearted Living together in this crazy life in which we live!