So right out of the gate, I’m going to tackle what this article is NOT about. That is, it is not about me giving up on my soccer quest. However, what it is about is how the site I initially set up to help people got spun around and how it’s time to set it all straight. If you’ve been paying attention to the Facebook posts and updates, I’ve spoken a lot about Vlogs, and video highlights and the like. Now this is where I went astray.
I initially set up AFL to help people, to motivate people, and do so by leading from the front. What AFL was starting to become I found was a site whose mindset was to get the most traffic, whose videos need the most views, and eventually, turn it into a financial gain. What the hell is wrong with me?! This isn’t why I set it up, but this is definitely where my head was starting to spin off to. Why you may ask? Truthfully, I’m not sure. I guess it had to do with the fact that I’m very passionate about this kind of stuff, and would love to make a career in the field; I wonder if this had anything to do with it. Also, absolutely had to do with the fact of popularity. I want my message to reach as many people as possible. I want every single person with chronic disease, or anyone who has ever been told they weren’t good enough to do something to read what I have to say and decide they really are good enough to try. This is my only goal.
With this new invigoration, with this new mindset and goal in the spotlight, it’s time to change things up at AFL. It’s time to get right back to where I started. But where exactly is that, and what could be expected from AFL? To answer this question, all I can say is that I will be writing about my journey. This site is about shrugging off obstacles and smashing through roadblocks. It’s not always easy but it’s not always hard. I’ll write about that. I’m tackling a sport that I have little experience in, and will be starting up as an outdoor league goalkeeper for the first time in my life. I’ll be writing about that. I live with a chronic disease, whose only cure is to remove the organ from my body. Surgery is my last option, and I will do everything in my power to avoid it. I will be writing about that. And last but not least, at 26 years old, I am attempting to do something that people tell 16 year olds not to try because they are too old already. I did a quick google search and I couldn’t find a single semi-pro or pro player who picked up their cleats at the ripe age of 26 years old. I will definitely be writing about that. As you can see, I have a lot to write about and if you haven’t noticed already, I like to spit out words. I’m sure once I get going again, it’ll be hard to stop me.
All that being said, I did get a little too optimistic with all the Vlogs, and video highlights, and the hope of all this wicked media promotion stuff. I can’t promise that this is going to happen. I operate AFL basically by myself, and I do the best I can but I think I was a little too excited when I spoke about all this stuff. That being said, no high hopes on this stuff but I am hoping to start Vlogging for those who don’t feel like reading paragraphs of stuff. Maybe I’ll make it a podcast! There I go again, shooting off my mouth without really thinking. Let’s hope for a podcast but who knows.
Anyway, that’s it for this article. I just wanted to get that out. I have been feeling like AFL has been a bit diluted nowadays and truthfully it drives me crazy. We are going back to the start. It’s going back to being all about chronic disease, motivation, and smashing through those barriers in life. There’s no more teaching, no more telling you how to live your life (those posts annoy the crap out of me). It’s all about what I know, what I’ve done, and where I’m going. Who knows, maybe something else will work better for you. Whatever the case, AFL is here to help.
Lastly, the contact page has been properly set up, so if you have any questions or comments, any articles you would like me to touch on, feel free to drop me a line through the contact page. I’d love to hear your story and answer your questions.