Phase Four is a simple text. This is intended to bring out the inner truths and to spark the light from within. I have had my share of darkness in the past, which I openly discuss and describe because in my experience, the fact that I have accomplished or succeeded in one direction means that I can accomplish and succeed again in a new direction as well.
I think that first and foremost, it is important and valuable to create that inner narrative. It is helpful to create that inner hero; to hear these words, perhaps in a voice that is unlike your own; as if it’s someone reading this to you in a voice with the sole intention of inspiring you and pushing you to reach your next best level.

I write this to you, tired as ever, and after a long shift at work and a sleepless night.
But as tired as I am, I write this to you as a person who made a commitment to do this; to reach out to you on a daily basis because I knew that if I give in once, it becomes easier to give in again. Next it becomes even easier to quit – which is why I go on and push myself to move in the direction of greatness.

Ante up . . .
I used to hear this at poker games.
This means the cards are on the table and it’s your turn to bet.
This means get ready to play the hand you have and be ready to gamble.
I say this here and now: Ante up.
But it’s not like you think. This isn’t a card game.
Not in the least –

Phase Four is about the realization that life is always happening. But more, this is also about the unseeable facts of life which take place. They happen to everyone, yet most of our pains and the majority of our personal discomforts are absolutely unseeable.
Yet, the world still turns.
I have been told, “Nobody cares.”
I have been told, “Suck it up!” Maybe this is true. Or maybe this is good advice.
I’m not arguing that . . .

When it comes to beating oneself up, there’s a saying that goes, “it’s time to put the bat down.”
I agree. People beat themselves up far too much and far too long.
It’s time to set those bags down.
Better yet, when it’s time to talk about rebirth of our sanity or at least find our sanity and maintain this to the best of our ability, the next best move would be to eliminate our frustrations.
However, in all fairness, dealing with frustration is part of reality.
Reality is part of life; therefore, denying our reality has never helped our sanity in the first place.

No one knows.
No one knows exactly how or what you feel. No one knows what the touch feels like from the tips of your fingers nor can anyone see the spectrum of colors through your eyes.
No one else knows this. Only you.
No one knows what a weight feels like in your hands or on your body. No one knows what it’s like for you to carry something on your back because, to them, their ability to carry weight or the sensation of weight is not the same.
No one knows what your muscles experience or what heaviness feels like to you.
Only you know this.

Whether we know the answers or not, there are questions which I have been asking throughout these journal entries. Hopefully, the questions are enough to make us think. Better yet, hopefully the questions I’ve been asking are enough to inspire us to act mindfully or to push us to reach for the next level.
But hey, this is life, right?
There is so much going on around us. Isn’t there?
Is there really a question why we lose our tempers? Is there even a question about why or how we freak out?
I say this honestly because I would rather attack my goals from an honest and humble perspective. I would rather be true to my thoughts than deny them. Instead of hiding my fears, I find justice in exposing them because they lose strength and now I see that I am stronger than my fears because, at last, I have the bravery to speak about them, out loud and in the open.

No one accomplishes their best goals or their dreams by moving at a half-hearted pace.
No one gets what they want by hoping or wishing. Even if they do, how can we keep valued dreams if we don’t know the worth behind the blood and the sweat that it took to make them come true?

Nothing happens when we move with unsureness or with regret. 
Whether the goals in our life or the dreams are as simple as waking up the next day, or if the goal and the dreams are more monumental, like getting up to walk again when the entire world says “you can’t,” nothing can be achieved without dedication or commitment.

It is clear now that no matter how we try, there is no getting away from ourselves. Since this is true and since it is also true that we never speak to anyone more than we speak to ourselves, then we have to be more than kind. No, now is the time for us to inspire our own greatness.
Now is the time for us to be heroic and to release the hero from within. Now is the time to prioritize ourselves and give ourselves the permission to let ourselves go and set us free.
Let’s take a minute and forget about the problems at hand. Let’s put our defects to the side and stop the motion of degrading ideas that teach us about our worst or negative qualities. Let’s switch gears for a moment. Let’s take a break from the outside world and step away from the common opinions or the intrusive advice, which seems to be plentiful around us. Instead, let’s change the way we prioritize ourselves.
But wait . . .
Where does this begin?

We have to remember that self-care is an action. Now that we are action based, it is safe to say that our sanity is a result of our actions as well.
No?
It is safe to say that by now, no one is a stranger to the sayings “seize the day” or “dare to be great.”
We all understand the optics of a good life. We know what this looks like to us. If we don’t know what a good life looks like, we understand the meaning of motivation and the need to improve.