When I was a little bit younger, my grandfather would make a point to pull me aside every so often and say, Eddie, you are stronger than you think you are.

You know, at the time, it didn't really resonate with me, right?

I kind of smiled, act appreciative, and moved on.

But then that thing called life happens, you know,

when you start to see the ups and downs, you experience the hardships.

And no one's there to tell you how to act or how to handle it but your

response is what makes all the difference and I look back now to that message and

can't help but wonder if I'd be where I'm at today without it because it's not

just a reminder it's not something that goes on a sticky note and hangs on a wall.

It's so much more.

It's the reason that I can navigate through change, through loss,

the reason I don't fear failure.

See, nothing ever happened that I couldn't get through.

And you don't realize that unless you look back. If you decide to rise to the occasion you will.

You're 100% capable of doing more than you ever imagined.

Reality is a narrative.

And you are always stronger than you think you are. Life is not some puzzle to be solved.

It's never about hiding or worrying or eliminating all bad fortune. It's about

knowing that you can and will get through everything, that nothing can push you down and keep you there.

Maybe the worst is yet to come. Maybe it's not, but the best of you. That is undiscovered.

And through the very hardship that you once feared,

you'll be able to paint a portrait of the new you,

...