You can't escape your past

I was at the gym last night. Saw a 30 something year old guy who was clearly there to lift. I noticed him struggling with the barbell. I offered to help him, and he was like no, no. I'll just do this on my own. He starts to lift, and the weight starts to fall. He's like, ok. I give him my hands, and he starts to lift with the weight. We get the weight up, and he's like thanks. We start talking, and I find out he was a powerlifter for years in his 20s, and had to give it up. He had shoulder surgery. And he's like, I'm trying to get back into lifting heavy, but it's just too much for me. It hurts too much. And then we start talking about his kids, and he has two young boys. I find out he had a vasectomy, and it failed, and his wife got pregnant. And then I find out he's divorced. And he's like, I couldn't be a good husband. I was so tired all the time. I had to work 60-70 hours a week to support my family. I was so exhausted. I had to give up on my dreams, and just do whatever it took to get by. I was like, man. Sorry to hear that. I know what it's like to sacrifice. And he was like, yeah, I had two boys in three years. I was exhausted. And I was like, you know, when you were 25. Did you think you'd be 30, married with two kids, and working 70 hours a week to barely make ends meet? And he was like, no, I never thought I'd be like this. I wanted to be a bachelor, traveling the world. And I was like, bro. Your 25 year old self is your past. And you can't escape your past.<br><br>This is the reality of life. We can't escape our past. It's the choices we make that determine the direction of our lives. And if we're not careful, we'll find ourselves in situations we don't want to be in.<br><br>So if you're a young man, and you see other young men around you, living their best lives, you can bet your ass that it's because they made the right choices, and are working towards their goals.<br><br>You can't escape your past. It's the choices you make that determine the direction of your life.<br><br>And if you're a young woman, and you see other young men around you, living their best lives, you can bet your ass that it's because they made the right choices, and are working towards their goals.<br><br>You can't escape your past. It's the choices you make that determine the direction of your life.<br><br>&#x200B;