You Are NOT Alone
By: Chad Grills
Tags: Tech, Mental Health, Startup, Business, Life

“I’m here with you.” -Supposedly this is the message Robert Downey Jr. wrote on the wall while in rehab for those who would be there in the future

Just like the existential issues facing the world, the BIG questions in our own lives aren’t so easy to answer. Sometimes you have to enter a season of rebuilding, and part of that means self-work.

No matter the specifics of what you’ve been through, eventually you’ll have to face your demons and either defeat them or be defeated.

This year, I am facing my demons and rather than keep my journey hidden, I’ll be sharing what I am learning along the way.

Me on the right

As Mission continues to build a new kind of original content studios and streaming platform, we want to give the superfans who have been with us from the beginning an honest look at the building process. Stories can last thousands of years, and building a media company on a quest to reach that Holy Grail of storytelling is hard.

But as any mission-driven person knows, achieving a vision is a path with countless twists and turns. Sometimes there are setbacks along the way. Sometimes these setbacks are setups for opportunities you can’t even imagine now.

It’s been said that everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

This couldn’t be more true.

Up until late last year and since I was a kid, I’ve been fighting a battle with trauma, depression, PTSD, and body dysmporphic disorder. Some of the trauma was intergenerational. Some was not. By “fighting” I mean this battle has almost killed me multiple times.

The most important thing to remember about whatever battles or demons you’re facing is… it didn’t start with you. It’s not you that is the problem. It’s not you that caused it. It’s not you who is to blame. In fact, looking for anyone to blame (and scapegoat) is the most insidious trap of all.

After realizing that it’s not my fault, the next step for me was looking for the perfect people to help.

Once we’re ready to stop blaming ourselves and others, we can begin the search for the right help.

For me, I had been to therapy and psychiatrists as early as the 6th grade.

They didn’t speak my language. They didn’t have any testimonials from happy kids they had helped. They didn’t have any empirical demonstration of “curing” or helping people struggling with what I faced.

So I kept looking. I kept hoping. I kept researching. But most importantly, I didn’t stop.

Now, after finding the “perfect” professional help and protocol with a track record of success for people in my shoes… And after traveling the world, deploying in the military, building cool things, starting a family, etc…

I am convinced that THE only skill required to find the perfect help you need (or help for someone you love who is struggling) is persistence.

Definition: firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition

That’s it. There might be nights and days and more pain than you can ever articulate. But in order to complete your quest for healing, you need to be persistent.

Keep going. Never stop. Eventually, you’ll find the perfect help.

So what does the “perfect” help look like?

(Side note: This, and all content we produce, are for entertainment purposes only. We’re not professionals, we’re advocating you find the right/perfect professionals for you!)

First, you’re looking for as close to perfect as you can find. “Perfect” is the ideal, and there will be many times along your journey where you’ll have to settle for as close to perfect as you can find.

For me, I was searching for the ‘perfect’ professionals to help me. It was clear I had severe PTSD, depression, it had been with me since I was a child, and my attempts to self medicate were failing. Now I was ready to start healing and cure it.

I learned everything I could. Eventually, I found scientific backed research that pointed to the healing path and cures I needed. I educated myself. I contacted dozens of professionals familiar with this work. I applied to dozens of clinical studies to cure PTSD.

Eventually, I found a group of professional MD’s, Phd’s, and therapists that had been working to cure PTSD and extreme depression with much success. Many of them had been through what I was going through. I heard and listened to several testimonials from people who won with their help. They were also located close to my home.

After years of persistence and searching, I’d finally found as near perfect a team of professionals as I could imagine.

Proximity to the closest idea of “perfection” you can imagine is crucial.

I couldn’t find professionals that actually helped or could cure what I was battling… for my entire life. I did my best but was unable to find the right help until I had lived in Silicon Valley for a few years. The beautiful thing about California and the Valley was I met people who spoke my language.

And eventually, after an NDE (Near Death Experience) late last year and with the help of a few loved ones, I was able to get in close proximity to the “perfect” help.

So if you’re lost or hurting right now, consider getting in closer proximity (whether online or in the real world) to the communities and professionals with a track record of helping people like you.

It’s been said that proximity is power. (And by choosing to stick with following a newsletter and media company like us, we know you’re on the right path.)

Don’t be afraid if you’re entering a season of rebuilding.

By facing your demons, you’ll know how to defeat them.

Remember that this battle didn’t start with you, and you aren’t the only one fighting something similar.

The near-perfect professionals are out there and it’s never been a more exciting time for those looking to heal themselves.

Get in proximity to their research and communities online, educate yourself, and win your battles!

Last month, I started working with the right team of professionals for me on a radical new protocol to cure PTSD.

I’m never looking back. I’ve played the game of life for three decades now with my brain and biology stuck in a state of fight or flight.

I’m giving that game up for a new game, an infinite game.

Numb to the pain (no more?) so I keep a smile

It’s a bright world out there, and I guess those who are persistent enough are the only ones who get to see it.

Stay persistent. You are NOT alone. I’m here with you.

Subscribe to follow me on this journey at Mission.org or listen to Mission Daily podcast.