​

​

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here.

Who Writes The Script?

Who's line is it, anyway?

​

JOSH HOLLADAY

May 21, 2024 | Issue #27 | Read Online​

---

Dear readers,

Stick with me through the following exercise.

Because, there just might be something fantastic and bright at the end.

​

Meet Sam.

He's an official "dude."

Cool. Collect. Confident. Casual.

Certainly, stereotypically speaking, we could write his story for him just by looking at him.

Assumptions and all.

No?

Well, he wasn't always this way.

What you may not know is that Sam left home when he was 14 and a half.

It was the booze, mixed with his father's anger after every bottle.

It got ugly and Sam got out of there.

Aunt Kelly took him in, though his uncle protested. She was his saving grace when it came to his GED and so much more.

Now, he's still wandering, reaching to find himself.

Seems he doesn't have much of a future in him given his upbringing.

Listen, we can cut him some slack, can't we, given his circumstances...?

Sam sure thinks so, and now expects others to make exceptions for him.

It's never his fault.

​

Hey, it's Jake

Life? Silver platter?

Since birth...you better believe it!

This guy was the envy of all of his friends growing up, and he liked it.

He was given much...too much.

He liked being the center of attention...

...pulling up in his Ferrari at the start of his sophomore year of high school.

He was known for his cruelty toward the "weak."

Thought he was of another kind, like one Herculian heir.

Arrogance had never seen the likes.

Wealthy.

Greedy.

It bit him in the end.

​

Here's Tony

"Hey, guys...Tony's coming. Come on!"

What you don't see in the picture, the moments right after it was shot, is the throng of kids that came running toward the 6' 8" giant of a friend.

As the story goes, Tony's mom gave him a skateboard when he was 9 years old.

He didn't touch it for 4 months.

But one afternoon, after a rough day at school, he came home, threw his backpack into his bedroom closet, and out popped the skateboard.

It fell onto the floor and managed to just barely touch his shoe, like it had reached out to poke him.

He stood there blinking.

Then, slowly, he leaned down and grabbed it.

Tony walked outside and rode that board, "Poke" as he's affectionately called it since that day....rode Poke for 3 hours till his mom told him it was dinner time.

Tony became the best in the neighborhood. Then the best in the school. County. The state.

He started hearing from sponsor's and competing internationally. He always thought it was kind of wild.

When he was 17 years old Tony started a non-profit convincing his sponsors to invest.

They did.

The whole idea, Tony has been reported to say, was to help young kids learn how to skate, and to help them create impecable self confidence.

But, the cause ballooned into something much bigger than Tony could have every imagined.

Tony is a keynote speaker now among other professional ventures that all stem from Poke, his childhood friend. He visits schools and gives away thousands of skateboards a year featuring inspirational quotes on the wheels, top, and bottom of the board.

Tony will never forget that day, long ago, when at school someone had claimed he wasn't good at anything. And Tony believed them.

But, it was on that very day that "Poke" arrived and proved to Tony that with a little practice and a lot of determination, there could be a place in this world for him after all.

Ride, Tony. Ride.

​

Final Thoughts

What you just witnessed was…life.

People do, swerve, evolve, crash, come out alright.

Sam. Jake. Tony.

Same picture.

Different stories.
​

Totally open-ended futures, no matter what the upbringing.
​

You could make up a thousand more stories from one image, on picture, and yes…you guessed it…

…from one human life.
​

When you look into the mirror everyday…you can see all kinds of things.

Ugly. Happy. Mournful. Exciting.
​

Limiting thoughts. Destructive patterns.

Liberating notions galore.
​

You might see the Sam in you, excuses, excuses, excuses. Nothing will ever change because of a haunting past.

You could see the Jake in you, better than, not just anyone, everyone. Invincible? Nope, sorry Jake.

Or, Tony. Who took something, a skateboard and his love for Poke’s companionship, and made one piece of wood and four wheels positively affect thousands upon thousand of lives each and every year.
​

Here’s the point.
​

YOU write YOUR script.

YOU choose YOUR story.

YOU are what…and who…YOU want…to be.
​

No matter what.

No matter what?

Yes, no matter what!
​

It’s hard. Wow, it can really be hard, this thing we call LIFE.
​

But, it’s worth it.
​

Takes time to “upgrade.”
​

But, it happens.
​

May I just say, don’t ever stop…
​

…my reader friend.
​

Keep going.
​

And one day, it will be okay.
​

Things will feel so much better.
​

Believe in YOU like so many others believe in YOU too.
​

The thing about Sam and Jake, and even Tony…for all of us is that hope and happiness are always there waiting in it’s fullest splendor…
​

…like the sun above the clouds.
​

…always there, always shining.

​

Here’s to your continued growth and brightest future,

--Josh

​

​

Knikki Hernandez | Founder Knikki Hernandez is a high school Spanish teacher in Central Virginia and author of the books Empowering Gen Z: Practical Lessons to Take Students From Z to A++ and Inspiring Gen Z: 21 Practical Lessons to Take Students From Glimmer to Glow. Knikki has a passion for the generational differences and created a ghostwriting agency. She and her team provide writing support so that people can share the stories of each generation. For access to her trainings, courses, and coaching sessions, please click here. (Think: Ghostwriting, Professional Editing, Book Coaching.)

---

DO THESE. BUT, I'LL ADD AN ADDITIONAL STEP THAT IS ABSOLUTELY PARAMOUNT...

1. Fix in your mind the exact thing you want and desire.
2. Determine exactly what you will give to get this thing.
3. Establish a date when you intend to posses or achieve this thing.
4. Design a picture of your life AFTER you've already achieved this thing and define in detail the feelings that you will feel. The more detailed the feelings, the quicker you'll obtain it.
5. Create a definite plan for obtaining this thing and begin at once to execute this plan, even before you feel ready.
6. Hand writer or type out and print, a clear and concise statement of the thing you intend to acquire, name the time limit, state what you will give in return for this thing, write out your life after you've obtained it and all the feelings associated with that achievement, and describe the plan in detail that you will execute to obtain this thing.
7. Read this written statement aloud every morning and every night. See and feel yourself already in possession of the thing that you desire.

---

Previous Issue: Prepare Your Fields​

Hey, by the way, If you were forwarded this newsletter Sign Up Here.

If you enjoyed this week's newsletter make sure you are subscribed by clicking above.

Life is all about sharing and helping without delay. So, please forward this issue to ONE person whom you believe may benefit from The OneLife Newsletter.

​

Got some design or web work to do?

• Hey, as a side note, if you are looking to get some design work done, website, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX)...I do that stuff. Just reply back with details about your project.
• Here are some examples below.
• A link to download my latest Ebook can be found by clicking here.

​

​