@BryanM99 - Totally! For a man to seek help means to admit weakness and a 'real man has no weakness', right? Complete BS! Perhaps in our definition of a real man, he "shows" no weakness but who doesn't "have" any weaknesses! Maybe we don't show it to women. Or other men. But we need to have someone that we can open up to. Find someone like that. Fathers, uncles, brothers, coaches, friends, role models, etc. We are social beings and need each other to bounce ideas with and learn skills with/from. A man needs to have a gang of friends. A man needs to form his tribe. Not in a social influencer way. A few good honorable men.
I know it's harder for some who are born and raised without fathers or good male role models or those who have had a difficult relationship with them.
I don't know your story but I can tell you this, you are unique. There's no one like you. You have value. There is something in you that someone somewhere needs and appreciates. You have potential. You just need to believe in yourself and not give up.
If I had a beautiful little delicate daughter, I'd slay any dragon to protect her. Why can't I do that for myself. I need to take myself out of this gutter and become the man I with to be.
I have many insecurities. I am unattractive, short, lack self-esteem and confidence, socially awkward and have no friends.
One of the things I have tried to try to overcome my insecurities is lifting weights. In just few months it has restored a ton of confidence in myself. I just want to be able to feel, if something was to occur, that I would be able to handle it. It just changes your whole outlook and gives you confidence in all other spheres in your life too.
It also reinforces the power of small repetitive actions done over time. Rome wasn't build in a day. You can become the fearless beast you'd wanna be if you just put your mind to it and never skip working hard every day. There is no substitute for hard work.
Don't be hard on yourself if you fail in the first try. Or second. Or third. Break down the goal into small bite sized tasks. It's easy to stomp down a thousand ducks one duck at a time, than fighting a duckzilla.
Also if you made mistakes in life, that's okay. You are not the person you were yesterday. We change. We learn. We grow. Don't listen to the haters. People who have compassion will understand. Watch your company and practice setting boundaries. You need to earn your respect.
I don't know if this helped, probably didn't. I think I just wrote random things things that I wanted to tell my younger self. I am still struggling with stuff. Some days are better than others. At the end of the day, I pat myself on the back for attempt, thank God for the opportunity and say I'll try again if I get another day. Stay strong my man. We need each other.