Blogging Challenge - Day 2

Prompt: What inspires you?

Ronnie Radke inspires me. He gets a lot of hate and to some extent, I can understand where people are coming from because he has done some bad things, but I feel like people overlook all the good things.

I don't know his life story; all I know is what I've read on the internet, and you never can be too sure of what you read on the internet. From what he's said in interviews, he had a very difficult upbringing and little stability. His mother abandoned him, and he grew up among addicts, meaning it was practically inevitable that he would turn to drugs himself.

For those that aren't familiar with Ronnie and his story, shortly after releasing his first album with his first band, he was sent to prison. Whilst in prison, he got clean from drugs. I myself have never taken drugs, let alone been addicted, so I can only imagine how hard it must be to recover from an addiction.

Since coming out of prison, he's been completely sober. Sure, he's a bit rough around the edges and he sometimes acts without thinking first, but he's improving as a person every day. He's so aware of his flaws and he's constantly trying to become a better person. He said so himself upon being released from prison, that he thinks he deserved to be put in prison, not because of the crimes he committed, but because of the people he hurt. He's honest and accepts responsibility for his mistakes and I have the utmost respect for people like that.

He inspires me because of his unlikely success. Despite the background he came from, despite growing up without the love and support of a mother, despite having no positive role models, he followed his dream and I think that's incredible. So very few people believed in him but that didn't stop him. Against all odds, he did it. That inspires me no end because he is living proof that your past doesn't have to stop you from enjoying your future.