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Hey bro,
This weekend I went camping with a few friends from high school up in the Adirondack Mountains.
The first night, we acted like we were 17 again.
We drank a few beers… Blew up a few cans in the fire. Haha
Told stories about the dumb shit we used to do…
And laughed until our stomachs hurt.
But the second night…
Something shifted.
The fire got quieter.
And the conversation got real.
We started opening up about life.
Our struggles.
The silent battles no one really talks about.
The ones we’ve fought—and the ones we’re still fighting.
Then I looked at one of my buddies…
And for a second, I didn’t even recognize him.
He looked… old.
Not physically, but in his spirit.
Heavy. Tired. Dimmed.
We’re in our 40s, yeah. But this was different.
He looked like a man who had slowly stopped living.
I asked him,
“When’s the last time you were genuinely happy?”
He stared into the fire for a moment.
Then said:
“Probably 22 years ago.”
That hit me hard.
Not because he said it.
But because I know he’s not alone.
There are a lot of guys walking around just like that.
Shoulders slumped…
Dreams shelved…
Living in quiet resignation…
Not because they can’t change—
But because somewhere along the way, they started believing the voice in their head.
You know the one:
“You’re too old to start now.”
“It’s too late for you.”
“Who are you to think you can live that kind of life?”
“Just be grateful for what you have.”
That voice?
It’s a liar.
A manipulator.
A thief of dreams.
And if you listen to it long enough…
You’ll look in the mirror one day and wonder where the fire went.
The truth is:
It’s not too late.
You are not too far gone.
And the life you want is still possible—
But only if you stop letting fear and self-doubt sit in the driver’s seat.
You don’t need someone else's permission to come alive again.
You need to make a decision.
A decision to rekindle that spark that you had when you were younger.
So here’s my challenge to you:
I dare you to start dreaming again.
Stop making excuses.
Ignore the voice.
Take the first step.
You might surprise yourself with how much life is still left in you.
Much love.
—Cory
“A man doesn’t grow old when his body ages, but when his dreams die, and he gives up on himself.”
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