DJBThereForYou

If you open yourself to the world, the world will open itself to you.

I truly, truly believe that. While talking with a close friend, he made me realize that this belief is underlying in almost everything that I do.

A couple of years ago (and well before this realization), I created a DJBThereForYou Twitter handle and Facebook page. I wanted to put myself out there for people on a more accessible level. I love to help people. All people. Not just the people I know and love but also the people who are out there alone. The people who are dealing with the things I have been through. Depression. Bullying. Failure. Lost love. Anxiety. Illness. Financial Despair. Addiction. Death. Abuse. I've seen all of those things in my life and they're not fun. I know from experience that these conditions can lead to hopelessness, fear and loneliness. You can feel trapped for days, weeks, months, sometimes years. There isn't a light at the end of the tunnel. So, I hoped that DJBThereForYou would put more light out there.

For myself, I've been the boat and I've been the anchor. I'll explain because that's a weird thing to say otherwise.There are times when I'm cruising and the water is at my mercy. Killing it. Feeling good. There are times when I'm literally holding myself in the same spot motionless, without progress, seemingly without hope. Stuck in the bottom. Feeling like the bottom is where you belong.

We all want to be the captain of our ship but, sometimes, it's hard to captain your own ship. If you're reading this, you're probably aware that the last month hasn't been easy for me. Because I was the anchor, I couldn't be the captain. Without a first mate or a crew, my boat was barely floating. But when you're underwater, you can't see what's above the surface.

We need a crew on our boat. Life is an ocean not a lazy river.

If you open yourself to the world, the world will show you your crew.
Sometimes it's hard to know who was willing to join you all along. I've been really lucky. My boat is never going to sink because I have the best crew. In my darker days, I forget that. Then, my crew pulls me in, talks me up and reminds me who I am. Knowing how it feels to have a crew is motivation enough for me to volunteer to be on your ship. Knowing what you can accomplish with a crew is inspiration enough to put myself out there in everything that I do.

So many of you have helped me sail. So many more of you have offered to. When you're the anchor, I want to pull you back into the boat. I want you to see the crew who is happy to work hard so your boat sails. They're there. They're there for you.

I'm there for you, captain. You've got this.

@DJBThereForYou