I never know how to start these things… should I be witty? Serious? Use a quote? Post a song? Tell you a joke? Anyways.

2017 was a big year for me in many ways… probably too many to list. Some major milestones include; my responsibility at Five Four (soon to be Menlo House) grew exponentially, I made new friends who already mean a lot to me, I was able to strengthen the relationships with my old friends from back home while giving them a taste of life in LA, and I completed my second solo tour of Europe in which I saw some amazing new places and met some amazing new people (and re-visited some of my favourite places too – shout out Venice, Italy!).

Also, my Nana passed.

I’ve written about this twice in the past so I don’t want to dwell or re-hash topics I’ve previously spoken about with her… but I am still processing her passing and realizing new things as I do. If there was ever a year for personal growth, this year rivalled that of 2014.

Without getting into detail about a situation I am putting in the past – there was an incident this summer that really rocked me to the core. It combated everything my Nana tried to instill in me from both a respect & moral standpoint, as well as really threatened the life I am building in LA. As a result – I’ve been battling a lot of personal demons that I have bottled throughout the years. This hasn’t been an easy process, and I am still working on myself (and will continue to do so each and every day). As hard as it was to go through a situation that goes against what you believe in and try to stand for… it also taught me a very important lesson:

Everything I do is bigger than me.

Too often we think shortsightedly about how our actions impact ourselves and how we look as a result. It’s easy to get distracted by the little things and lose sight of the bigger picture. The truth of the matter is – our actions impact not only ourselves but everyone around us. We need to remember that other people are affected by what we do, in both a positive and negative way. The big picture includes more than one person. I lost sight of that this past summer and had to be brought back down to reality as a result to realize this – the hard way. Combine that with really trying to get back to the root of what my Nana taught me growing up and you now understand where I’m at currently.

To be honest – it kills me that she isn’t around to see where my life is at. I wish she knew that I was finally OK and have a pretty good thing out here in California. Life worked out and it’s all thanks to her.

Actually, it’s beyond that. It kills me that she isn’t around so that I can share this life with her. It’s not fair that she doesn’t get to experience the benefits that she worked all those years to provide me.

By no means am I the richest person in LA, or the most famous. I am comfortable though, and I am happy. I’m turning 28 in a week… where I’m at right now is owed to the sacrifices she made to get me here. This life I’m living isn’t just for me. It’s for her. Even more important of a realization… it’s not just for me, and it’s not just for her. It’s for my family back in Newmarket. It’s for my friends back in Toronto. It’s for my friends here in LA. It’s for Five Four. It’s for my future spouse.

Everything I did, and will continue to do, is bigger than me.