The document discusses how overcoming negative emotions can help make people better. It describes the author's struggle with negative thoughts and emotions as a child on family vacations. Through journaling his emotions and thoughts, the author realized his desires drove his emotions. By understanding the lies behind his thoughts fueling negative emotions, he was able to overcome them. This allowed him to grow into a better person and create an app, Roadmap, to help others do the same by understanding their emotions.

1. Why Overcoming Our Emotions Will
Make Us Better People

2. TiOluwa, can you
come over here?
(my friends call me T.O)
Yeah, I’m coming
Mom..

3. Every year, we drive to a random city
for forced family bonding our routine
family vacation

4. And every year, there’s some trigger
comments that get to me
Can you pick up your
clothes? They’re in a mess
on the floor..

5. For a regular person, this isn’t a big
deal. But for me..

6. Did you hear
that?
..Is she trying to
boss me
around?
She said, “YOU
BETTER CLEAN UP
YOUR MESS, NOW!”
As if SHE never has
things that are in a
mess!?
So..STOP TELLING
ME WHAT TO DO!

7. Yeah...I know

8. My mind over analyzes everything.

9. It takes small things..

10. And blows them out of
proportion

11. So I tend to struggle with negative
thoughts and emotions.

12. But since I inherited my dad’s calm exterior, I
can hide it behind a smile

13. There’s just one thing I can’t hide

14. For the rest of our vacation, I’ll look like him
but I’ll act like him..

15. He is the worst version of me
And I hate him
Mean ✅
Cold ✅
Passive-aggressive ✅

16. Now, becoming aware of “him” helped
me change a bit.

17. But I really wanted to help others
change..

18. So in the summer of 2014..

19. I know! I’ll create
Roadmap
Roadmap: an app to help
people change their habits

20. LETTING GO

21. FALL 2015

22. I was pouring hours a day into Roadmap
...with little success

23. Each version failed to help
anyone change because they
focused on habits...
...instead of the emotions
behind them

24. And then one day, when I was praying, I heard..
“Trust me”

25. Huh?
I mean, I do..
You know I do..
I want you to trust me
with Roadmap..

26. Ok, I’ll take a break for
today..
No, no, no. I want you
to trust me

27. When I understood what God was really asking, a
knot formed in my stomach..

28. He was asking me to stop working on Roadmap
...indefinitely

29. As you can imagine, this situation is hard to
explain to most people.
He told you to do
what?
Oh...um..ok
You mean, you’re not
just talking to yourself?

30. ...but I’m telling you. So..progress??

31. Anyway, after some tears, arguing..and more
arguing

32. But this is my dream!
And..I’ve been working
so hard!

33. Ok, FINE!
He helped me let it go

34. ...hardest decision of my 22-year old life
Obviously has had a great life

35. DESIRES DRIVE

36. The next few months felt empty..

37. It was the first time in 5 years I wasn’t working on
anything to help people grow..

38. Eventually, I realized I have SO MUCH to be grateful for..
Amazing Family & Friends ✅
A Great Job ✅
Life lessons ✅

39. And I started to understand why Roadmap was
so hard to give up

40. It wasn’t wrong to want to build something to
help people..

41. But...I just wanted it SO BAD

42. If I can help
people grow
then...
Just another
hour of work
and then..
If I can get this
to work, then
maybe..
It was all I thought about

43. And when I realized that, one thing
became very clear

44. My desires drive my emotions. But my
thoughts reveal my desires.

45. How My Desires Drive My Emotions
Extremely afraid of losing it Extremely demanding to have it
When I want something so bad, I’m either..
or
Stress, etc Anger, etc

46. And whenever I want something so bad, I think about it…
ALOT

47. My thoughts are like road signs
that show me where my emotions are going

48. Maybe my thoughts can
help me understand my
daily emotions too!

49. EMOTIONS

50. Doing without Roadmap for a year was actually...
freeing!

51. But as I wrote down my daily emotions & thoughts
I saw something I’ll never forget

52. My emotions often
to me

53. I’ll show you what I mean..

54. TO’s Journal: 01/15/16
Emotion: Stressed
Event: Going to a party where everyone will be drinking
Thought: "What will THEY think if I’m not drinking?"

55. Let’s break this down..

56. Emotion: Stressed
Event: Going to a party where everyone will be drinking
Thought: "What will THEY think if I’m not drinking?"
Buried in my thought is a desire. Can you see it??

57. Emotion: Stressed
Event: Going to a party where everyone will be drinking
Thought: "What will THEY think if I’m not drinking?"
I want people to approve of me.
Nothing wrong with that!

58. Emotion: Stressed
Event: Going to a party where everyone
will be drinking
Thought: "What will THEY think if I’m
not drinking?"
The problem is..I want their
approval SO BAD that i’m
stressed over losing it

59. But behind this thought is a tiny little
“What will THEY think if
I’m not drinking?"

60. “What will THEY think if
I’m not drinking?"
“If I don’t have their approval,
my life is over!”
This is what drives
my stress

61. ..woah

62. It was amazing to see the lie in the limelight

63. And I didn’t have to follow that lie
But I did have figure out what I believe

64. Is my life based on
others approval? NO!
Why not?

65. When I know what I believe, I finally have a
weapon for that nasty little thought
“What will THEY
think if I’m not
drinking?"

66. But..I still have to act on my belief:
go to the party and change be myself

67. Every time I overcome my emotions and act,
something wonderful happens..

68. I finally grow

69. THE BEST VERSION OF YOU

70. Later that year, I started Roadmap from scratch
with what I learned..

71. It’s cool to work on it...
without being consumed by it..

72. That year taught me to remember what’s
most important to me

73. But I also know I’m here to help others
understand their emotions and grow.

74. It’s what God did does for me
...and it’s ok if you don’t believe that

75. But I know we’re better people when we choose
to live by what we believe...

76. Instead of following our emotions..

77. But it’s always a struggle

78. Our emotions pull us in many directions. So we
must know what we believe in every moment.

79. And then fight to live it out.

80. In that fight is where character grows.

81. In that fight is where you’ll grow.

82. And after a win, I feel great.
I think you will too
he still fails a lot too

83. I hope you’ll join me on that road..
To The Best Version Of You

84. A few shout outs to..
Rushil & Mike: For giving me good feedback the first time I told a
story visually like this
Thu: for all your editing and honest feedback
My sister: the first person I told this story to
Rachel: She says, “your posts are so long” but reads them anyway

85. Roadmap is a smart journal that helps you overcome your
emotions and become the best version of yourself.
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inspire you to be your best!