I hugged a cactus. Maybe you should too.
I first learned about hugging the cactus from a famous speech.
Robert Downey Jr., of Iron Man fame, knew what it was like to be at rock bottom. Between addiction, reckless behavior, arrests, financial trouble, and shattered relationships, he had been there over and over and over again.
In a 2011 award ceremony, Robert publicly thanked Mel Gibson for providing support at a time when he was struggling. Gibson provided support, direction, and even a job. (Gibson cast Downey Jr. for a movie role originally intended for Gibson. That job, in turn, provided food and a place to live.)
Gibson also urged him to “hug the cactus.”
Hugging the cactus meant taking responsibility for one’s actions and being honest about the part of your soul that is ugly.
Gibson promised that hugging the cactus would result in humility and that life would take on new meaning.
There’s much more to the speech than that. But the part that both convicted me—and helped me the most was that peculiar phrase…
HUG THE CACTUS
To me, the idea of hugging the cactus was profound
Be honest with yourself. And about yourself.
The skeletons in your closet.
The secrets you’ve been hiding.
The uncomfortable truths you’ve been avoiding.
When I was a five-alarm dumpster fire, I couldn’t get better until I was first brutally honest with myself. And about myself.
It was only after I hugged the cactus that I knew I wasn’t okay—and that I needed help.
It was only after I hugged the cactus that I had a path forward to healing.
I continue to hug the cactus in my life. It’s never fun. But it’s always freeing.
How about you?
Maybe it’s time for you to hug your cactus, too.
This isn’t “rah rah” warm and fuzzy stuff.
But it’s important stuff.
I know, firsthand, there’s hope and healing on the other side.
I want that for you. So do the other people who love you.
Until next time, THANK YOU for making a difference.
With gratitude,
John Alan
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