Rebe11ion

For those of you that missed the “letter writing assignment” that was on the direction sheet for measurement day (I understand some people just genuinely missed it), I wanted to put out to the Rebe11ion world what I ask of you…

I have asked all of you on the Rebe11ion to write a letter to yourselves explicitly detailing your hopes, expectations, fears, and anxieties you have going in to this challenge that is due by the time of your first boot camp (this Friday/Saturday) I want you to write it from the perspective that you are addressing your FUTURE self. Write from the point of view that you are talking to a companion who you wish nothing but the best for, but need to express your fears and worries to for fear of bottling it up and not being able to fully submerge yourself into this experience.

This is meant to show you the difference in how you feel in the beginning of the challenge to being able to read it like a time capsule at the END of “The Rebe11ion” when you will be a completely different person. Consider it a before and after photo of your heart and soul.

As an example, I have enclosed my letter to MYSELF so that you not only see every bit of me, but get what I’m going for. I WILL NOT read this, these are strictly for you. I will hold on to these and give them back to you on the final measurement day. This was EXTREMELY impacting to a lot of people last challenge so I highly advise you take this very seriously. Thank you Rebels!

Dear Josh,

Here we are again, and here we are finding out that it never gets any easier, less thrilling, or less rewarding. It’s hard to imagine where everything is at now without constantly thinking of where things started, and you need to not let that intimidate you as much as it does. It’s a point of pride, not anxiety that “Team Josh” grew into “Team Hulk” and has blossomed with a rebel yell into a beautiful “Rebellion.”  I guess the thing you need to stop focusing on is the higher you go, the longer the distance the fall is. The more people that rely on you, the more people to let down. The higher the excitement and expectations, the easier it is to be disappointed and underwhelmed. You should focus a LOT more often on the fact that others aren’t viewing it that way. You should always remember that the “Rebellion” is bigger than you now, and that’s a GOOD thing. That means that everyone understands they are responsible for their own experience and that the burden is OFF of you a bit, not on you! The excitement has spilled over into a ripple effect that reaches to those that have never even MET any of us! That’s where the beauty lies… A positive seed has been planted that grew a positive flower so tall that it’s seen from miles around, we just so happen be standing at the base of it feeding it water and directing the sunlight at it.

I can tell you right now that the person writing this feels a whole hell of a lot better after expressing those anxieties out loud, so I hope the person reading this now feels validated. No, scratch that… I KNOW you will. You wouldn’t be able to type all of what you just typed out if you didn’t realize the bottom line to be true. That’s one of the things I really love about you, is your unwavering commitment to your passion, even if the unknown is super scary. In the end, that’s the essence of the journey… Not what you get at the end of it, but being completely ready to give your all even if failure could prove to be catastrophic. 

I know right now you’re scared of the unknown, but hasn’t that been what’s made you, you? The whole world now knows EVERYTHING about you. For 12 years you held on to that act of bullying that fortified your future yet did NOT define your past. Everyone knows my battle with bulimia and depression is something I have openly shared, chronicled, and put out there as a hopefully springboard for change for SOMEBODY out there, and it’s working! So, what is there to be scared of big fella? 

At any rate, you’ve got this… I hope you kept your head up the entire time and stand by the rebel fist and primal scream you brandish on your heart like a badge of honor. No matter what happens, just remember that I love you. Never forget you are the ruler of your own destiny. Always keep at the forefront of your mind that no one is going to give you anything. Most importantly… I hope you were able to utilize the once in a lifetime opportunities that have presented themselves over the next three months to change the lives of as many people as possible. Above all else, I hope you are able to achieve just that.

– Josh

See you all sooner rather than later!

– Rebel8