When I think of my PawPaw, I'm reminded of this scene in the movie "Secondhand Lions":

My favorite part of this scene is when the teenager ask Hub McCann "Who do you think you are, huh?"

Hub responds: "I'm Hub McCann. I've fought in two World Wars and countless smaller ones on three continents. I led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and tanks. I've seen the headwaters of the Nile, and tribes of natives no white man had ever seen before. I've won and lost a dozen fortunes, killed many men and loved only one woman with a passion a flea like you could never begin to understand. That's who I am."

Here's a man that knows exactly who he is. He isn't trying to be anything special or flashy. He is a man that cares about the little things in life. Nowadays, people run around and try to be something they're not, even though who they are is perfectly fine. Our world is so sped up and running at a high rate of speed that we fail to really take the time to slow down and discover who we are and what we want.

What's your identity?

Your identity is simply who you are as a human being. This world of people is lacking identity. We have a bunch of people running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off. We fake it until we make it, right? The sad part is that most of the people that fake it never make it, and they end up in their beds on the cusp of death wishing that they had spent a little bit more time discovering who they were than who the world wanted them to be. All humans want to be is accepted by this world, but the world will never accept you until you accept yourself. Learning to love you for you is essential.

For far too long we've walked through life like a bunch of zombies just trying to make it to the next paycheck or to the next summer break. Life isn't meant to be lived that way. Life is meant to be enjoyed.

It's hard...I know. I fail to just stop, look around and think about how incredible it is that we're all here on this earth. But, when I do slow down, I have this incredible sense of gratitude for all of the things that are around me.

We're not defined by the clothes we wear, the expensive food we eat, or the material things we collect in life. I feel hypocritical because at times I find myself wanting all these things because of the way that they temporarily make me feel.

I recently walked into a shoe store "just looking" at the shoes. Lol. You know how that ended.

Anyways, the great personal development isn't developed in a couple of days. It could take years to figure out who you are and what you want out of life. I've learned this recently because I'm stuck not knowing what I want to do for the rest of my life once baseball is over. There's so many different options that I want to explore and pursue. However, I can only choose one path. That's a lot more difficult than it sounds I promise.

I'm not writing some big long article about how you should do this or do that. All I want you to do is slow down, look around, and appreciate where you are and who you are. God created each and every one of us to be our own unique self. You only get one life, right? Find out who you are as a person and find your passion. Once you've done that, strive after that passion and the goals that you set before yourself.

That's all I've got.

Short and sweet.

Till next week.

Peace out.

God Bless,

Tyler Payne