I need you to be honest with yourself this Friday. Are you bold enough to acknowledge your addictions?
I am addicted to success. By success, I mean the process of growing into the best version of myself. You can read more about my journey and receive guidance along your unique path in my latest book, Dear Brother. My internalized addiction to growth fuels my drive for writing, exercising, and learning.
I must also have an addition to responsibility because this week we added an Italian Mastiff to our family of five.
Addiction is the unspoken member of every family. No one likes to talk about it at family gatherings, but it exists. Your addiction may have a positive twist similar to my drive for improvement, or it could have strong self-destructive tendencies.
Put it another way, some forms of addiction produce benefits, whereas others can lead to lethal consequences.
This week we witnessed the drug addictions of hip-hop giant Earl Simmons, DMX, push him into life support. From reports, we learned that a drug overdose spiraled into a heart attack. At the time of this writing, his condition is not looking great.
It appears that inside the dog barks and raspy rhymes of DMX's songs, a man struggled to let others hear his pain.
DMX's music was part of the soundtrack to my teenage years. The classic song, "The Ruff Ryder's Anthem," was my anthem as I drove my momma's 88 Volvo back in the day. Growing up, I didn't know if his music was entertainment or an accurate reflection of his life. From his current health status, we now see the lights of truth in the albums of Dark Man X.
Addiction is powerful and thrives through our actions and thoughts.
Some of us are obsessed with negative thinking. We constantly look for everything wrong instead of what's right about the situation. In academia, we call this perspective critical and possessing it comes with intangible and tangible prestigious awards.
In addition to DMX’s health condition this week, we watched moments from the trial involving former Minneapolis Police officer Derrick Chauvin. The testimonies, including former and current police officers, support that Chauvin suffered from a history of racist perceptions that led to the killing of George Floyd.
Maybe, you don't have an addiction to success, drugs, or negative thinking. Good for you. Would you be willing to recognize your addiction to technology?
Last Friday, the internet signal went out at my home. We paid the bills, but something happened with our router that disrupted service. Due to the Easter holiday, we were without WiFi for five LONG days.
Trying to keep three young children entertained with reading and playing outdoors worked for about 24 hours! The kids wanted to play Roblox, talk with their friends on Skype, and search YouTube. My wife and I wanted a break.
Without access to the internet, the children had multiple petty fights. They needed every ounce of our attention to fill in the missing gap of online connectivity. The holiday weekend was not restful or extremely productive, but we had plenty of memorable family moments together.
Not having the internet at home for five days became a blessing in disguise. It forced me to reexamine my relationship with technology. I realized that I spend more than enough time in front of the computer and with my phone.
What will you do today to get more in tune with your addictions?
You can write about your addictions for ten minutes.
It’s possible to unplug from the internet for the rest of this afternoon to give you some time to think without distractions.
Ask a friend or family member what they see as an addictive behavior in you.
For some of us, finding solutions to our addictions will be discovered through professional help or the assistance of a spiritual leader.
If you’re struggling with any form of addiction, you have options.
Awareness is the first step in climbing the stairs to a different way of living your best life. Share this blog post with one person battling an addiction today.
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