The Way We Were

Remember when you believed the world was good—and that you could make it better?

We don’t start out cynical.We start out on fire.

Young, full of good intentions, certain we can fix the old broken system, change the world. We live by an unshakable inner code: we help people, we give, we trust. We have ambition, but we won’t crush someone to get ahead. If anything, we’d stop and pull them up with us.

But then the world starts teaching us its own rules. We get burned. We learn that someone will stab us if we’re not careful. We see that without some cunning, we may never earn enough to buy the version of “success” we’re sold—the mansion, the luxury cars, the curated life. So we adapt. We harden. Some even start to believe that greed is the only way to make it.

The problem is… the “anything goes” model has a cost no one talks about.You don’t pay for it with money—you are the currency. Yes, those are little pieces of your soul you’re quietly trading away. The soft edges of your spirit wear down until you barely recognize yourself.

Will I be on the cover of Forbes? Probably not. Not when I keep working with clients who can’t afford to pay me, or when I run a nonprofit that offers free programs. But I’ll tell you this—I sleep well at night. I am proud of who I am. And I believe the light you put into the world always finds its way back to you.

Blessings are everywhere, waiting. All you have to do is remember who you were before life told you to be someone else.

And if you’re reading this feeling like you’ve lost a piece of yourself along the way—know that you are not alone. Just take a deep breath and remember. Go back to the version of you that believed in kindness without conditions. That version is still in there. Feed it. Protect it. Let it guide your choices, even when the world tells you it’s naive. Love anyway. Trust anyway. Even if you’ve been burned before. The scars just prove you were brave enough to try. Because staying true to yourself isn’t weakness—it’s the quiet kind of strength that can’t be bought, sold, or broken.

Dedicated to the young soul who reminded me that wisdom isn’t about age—it’s about having a pure heart. May your spirit remain strong as you grow, and may the world never dim your light.