I’m Jai, a 25 year old from Australia. Some of my favourite hobbies are gaming, Muay Thai and snowboarding (though I sadly can’t do any snowboarding in QLD). I wish I could say that I also love reading books and visiting libraries, but to be honest, I much prefer a good audiobook.
Something I do have a genuine interest in is people and how we interact with ourselves and others. This is why I started this blog and my YouTube channel. I find learning about social skills, emotional maturity and self-development exciting.
If you have share these interests, I hope you’ll find what I write enjoyable too!
What Brought Me Here
Growing up, I was always very timid and unsure of myself. Never the outgoing type. When I reached early adolescence, I started to experience a lot of social anxiety.
I remember when I was about 13, my Dad and I were about to see a movie and decided to get some food first. He always ordered for me. But this time he encouraged me to order for myself. I wanted to cry. I hated talking to strangers, or even speaking up at all.
Now, I’m sure this is a fairly common experience, but these feelings of anxiety never really went away. I have so many memories of this anxiety holding me back, even through to my late teens and after I finished high school.
My first few years as an adult were not easy. Similar to a lot of people at that age, I felt directionless. Overwhelmed by the pressure of responsibility and true independence.
So, whenever I could, I shut myself inside and used gaming and marijuana as an escape from the real world.
It’s obvious to me now, but this wasn’t the healthiest approach to dealing with my feelings. Consequently, after about a year of living this way, my anxiety skyrocketed and I fell into a depressive rut.
I became addicted to weed, addicted to gaming, addicted to shutting myself in. Eventually, it got so bad that I was prescribed antidepressants.
At this point, it had never crossed my mind that my actions could have been causing these negative feelings. Instead, I blamed it on my past, my brain and any other external factor I could.
At the same time, my relationship with my girlfriend was falling apart, and we were close to breaking up. This really scared me. So much so that I was scrambling to figure out a way to make it better.
Then, I had a realization that changed everything.
I can’t remember the exact moment, or the exact thought at the time. But, I had most important perspective shift of my life up until that point.
I was responsible for the situation I was in. For the feelings I had. For my unhealthy lifestyle.
If I wanted my life to change, I had to change it.
Learning to take accountability for my life was a massive step in my growth as a person. It definitely wasn’t easy, though. I struggled a lot, and I didn’t become a new person overnight.
I have spent the last seven years trying to become a better person and I still have a long way to go. But, I have made a lot of progress. I am happier and more driven than I ever have been in the past.
What To Expect
I want to share my honest, real experience with self-development. Every post will be genuine. No acting like I have all the answers. Instead, I just want to share how I have been able to make positive change in my own life.
There are so many experts in this field, but sometimes it’s hard to take on advice from someone who seems like they’re years ahead of you. But I am an average guy. I hope to show others that if I can change, then you can too.
I hope you enjoy the content on this blog. Thank you! 🙂