Braxton Amundson

“You never know what people are going through, be kind, always.”
This is a photo from last year in Ibiza. I’m so proud of myself looking back. I spent most of last year sober. I still went to parties and still lit up the room dancing and exuding joy as always. Very often, people would ask me what I was on because nobody was shining brighter than me, and I would always tell them I was high on life—greater than any drug. Since then, I got off track. I forgot that real joy comes from the power I have within. It’s been a battle thinking I could balance moderation. Maybe that’s even true, but it’s not about me. I’m a leader and people follow my example. One of the biggest lessons I learned in leadership is I look at my space and the challenges my loved ones are facing and I ask myself, “How can I have my breakthrough so that they can have theirs?” As I elevate, my levels of sensitivity to the degrees of excellence I’m off become harder, but at the same time, I become stronger. I’m committed to growing myself to be a stand for healthy living for others. If you’re reading this, I invite you to do the same. You have the power in you to make a change more extraordinary than you can possibly imagine, and it starts by letting go of your vices. It starts by having the tough conversations with the people you love and letting go of behaviors from the past to live a life worth living. The past doesn’t define you. It’s up to you to grow from everything and be the person you were destined to be

A few weeks ago, I went to LA to take a training on relationships and one of the assignments was to speak to my 3 year old self and tell him about the man he grows up to be. Despite everything I’ve gone through, I can proudly look my infant self in the face and tell him he should be proud of who he grows up to be. He becomes a man who is a rock in the face of adversity. A man who loves ESPECIALLY when it’s hardest. Who chooses to forgive ESPECIALLY when it’s hardest. Someone who gets knocked down 99 times and gets up 100. Someone who not only handles challenges, he welcomes them because he knows on the other side of the obstacle is a greater blessing waiting for him. In the words of Rocky Balboa: “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, it’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.” At this point, I don’t care what life throws at me, I’m going to continue being a man that my 3 year old self can be proud of. Continuing to hold true to the values I was raised on. I’m the richest person in the world because I know exactly who I am and what I’m committed to and no matter the score, no matter how much time is on the clock, I will win the game. I invite you to adapt this mindset. You have within you so much more power than you can possibly fathom and when your actions align with creating a world that brings joy to everyone around you, magic will happen.