Letter to My Younger Self: “It’s Going to Be Okay”

A letter to my younger self…

Hey Tommy,

It is going to be OK. All the failures have simply been stepping stones for you to improve yourself. All those times you felt extremely inadequate, in the classroom, on the baseball field, and as a son, they get better.

You have been able to pour yourself into people because people have poured themselves into you. Jesus wants to turn the world upside down through you.

Grades are not everything. Just because you failed assignments, tests, courses, and even the whole sixth grade, it did not make you a failure. As a matter of fact, you eventually get your Masters degree, and you did it with a 4.0. You even taught a college course at a Bible College. Not bad for a sixth-grade flunky.

Somewhere around 1998 and 1999, you begin to see yourself differently. All the failure and inadequacy you felt as a kid and even as a young adult begin to change and you begin to discover who God made you to be. You are in for the ride of your life.

There will be rocky roads ahead. At times, life will seem like it is crumbling around you. But keep holding on. God is preparing you for a journey that is out of this world.

You will eventually meet the girl of your dreams, you will have two crazy and wonderful kids, and all four of you will be on a journey together as you all climb to your God-given potential. Remember to grab hold of those things that are most precious and, at times, let go of those things that are hindering your growth. Some people will love the progress you are making, while others will hate you for it. Make sure you keep the right people in your life.  Those who would rather hinder your journey than join you, let them go.

So, hang in there. It gets better and, at times, it gets worse, but it all leads to getting great, and you do not want to miss that! It will turn your world upside down!!

Be thankful you are here, because other people are sure thankful you are here. You have made a difference. You have never settled, you have lived with enthusiasm, and you are turning the world upside down!

Enthusiastically,

Your Future Self

Tommy Lanham is an award-winning speaker, personality strategist, and world-changer.  He was a regional finalist for the Toastmasters International Speech Contest in 2019, making him one of the top 100 speakers in the world! Tommy Lanham is the epitome of enthusiasm. It oozes out of him.  He’s obsessed.

At 12, he was a sixth-grade flunky.  At 22, he was kicked out of college because of a .8 GPA.  (You read that right—a.8 GPA.) After 6 years, he completed his undergrad degree with an unimpressive 2.3 GPA.

Then something happened. Tommy discovered the power of goal-setting, personality strategy, and an enthusiasm mindset.

Tommy calls these, “The 8 Decisions.”  He has developed these key decisions over 25 years of successfully coaching, training, and motivating people to reach their God-given potential.

Tommy is on a mission to break out of the monotony of the mundane and mediocre so you can break through to your ENTHUSIASM Zone.