Found myself thinking of Dele Alli this morning, as I often do, but not for the reasons one might think. To me, Dele’s is a story of perseverance & perspective. It’s a shame that the life of a man who fought his way through poverty, as well as sexual, emotional, & physical abuse, is one that’s regarded as a cautionary tale. There are countless battles that he has fought, is fighting, & will continue to fight that we will never know about, and that’s where his perseverance has brought about a new perspective in my life. This is a man who seemingly had the world at his fingertips, yet still couldn’t escape the demons of his past, but, in today’s world of prioritizing the self over the collective, it’s very easy to condemn him for the sins he has publicly suffered rather than acknowledge how far he has come. There are two distinct lessons I have taken away from this: 1. You can climb to the top of any professional setting in the world, achieve unlimited success, & accomplish every goal you ever sought out to, but there will still be a contingent who will harp on your failures. Do not listen to them. 2. We must fight the overhanging cloud of cynicism being pushed down on us by world events. Try everything you can to connect with your common man. Every single one of us has struggles, dreams, insecurities, but it’s easy to look across the room & dehumanize someone else’s journey because we are lost in our own. Now more than ever, we the people are in need of help, & there will be times where we are both the suppliers & the recipients. This is a charge to be kind, be empathetic, and look out for your common man. #coys