My name is Sully. I’m 35 years old. My life has expanded so much more than I ever dreamed. I have created a beautiful world for myself and family and have surrounded myself with quality individuals. It’s a very different reality than the one that I knew in high school.
Sully talks about his bullying history on the Morning Surge – February 23, 2022
Between the ages of 13 and 15 in my early high school years there was nothing that I wanted more in life than to be considered one of the “cool kids”. That was the absolute ultimate for me.
I rode the bench in basketball and fell out of the popular crowd quickly in the eighth grade so I racked my brain of how to get back into the good books of the “cool kids”.
I always had a wit to me and was quick on my feet. Low on advice and direction, I decided to use that albeit favourable trait in the worst possible way and I became a bully.
I verbally picked on a few kids and I have regretted my actions for every second of my life ever since.
Life is about elevating others and not pulling them down. I wish I knew this valuable lesson in high school and spoke out to others about the pain and insecurity that I was going through.
I was dealing with a major identity crisis and in turn hurt others in the process. I have so much regret in my life from that time, but I also have developed a slight bit of remorse as well.
While I would never advocate for bullying and I stand 100% against it in every shape and form, I no longer look at bullies as these big tough imposing threats. I now know the cause behind it and have experienced the sadness firsthand.
Bullies are dealing with hurt and crisis and that’s where their aggression stems from. They lash out because in their mind – and in my mind at the time – I thought it’d make me stand out.
Regardless of if you’re the bully or the victim or just a bystander, you have to speak to somebody and put your feelings into words. It’s so hard to do and can be extremely scary, but it’s the only way you won’t live with the regret that I have endured throughout my entire life.
The most valuable lesson that I’ve learned is that beginning a conversation – no matter how scary that may seem – is vitally important.
Be vocal, never hide, be proud of who you are, learn from your mistakes and always try to right your wrongs.
Comments