Oh, hey, old friend.

Where have I been?

Well, writing a book for starters. Maybe you've heard about it? Settling Down A Novel. It's good stuff. In fact please read the following review. That I may (or may not) have just made up.

"It's really funny," André M. Brown, professional husband, NFL watcher and reader of exactly one book for women. (Disclaimer: He read it at least 5 times. Maybe 10. He is an expert.)

Actually just writing doesn't even begin to encompass the massive amount of work I've been in the midst of. Yup, I dreamed up the story in my head, then sat on my ass for the better part of several years to write the words. But in addition, and more powerfully, I've been creating a vision for my voice that's way bigger than a book.

A movement if you will. A revolution even.

A call not to settle.

Not in love. Not in life. Not in happiness.

Not at your job. Or within your family. Not in your health.

Not in your clothes. Where you're supposed to live. How many kids you're supposed to have. The age that you're supposed to be married. Or stop wearing a bikini. Or give yourself a sensible bob haircut.

Do NOT settle. For anything!

Here's the thing in this life. We spend so much time asking for permission. Permission to be ourselves. Permission for our opinions to exist in the world. Permission to be validated. To be seen. To be heard.

Permission to live.

Why? I dunno. The best I can figure out is we feel less scared when there are rules to follow. Markers to gauge our lives. Things that we're supposed to cross off our cosmic to-do-list in order to feel like we're making progress. Or that we're doing things correctly.

We just blindly go along with tradition. Because you're supposed to. And that's how it's always been done. And because they say so.

Whoever the hell 'they' are.

But what if there are no rules. No right way to do things. What if you started asking: Who makes you the expert of everything, especially me?

I think you'd find the answers change. And if you're brave enough to shake things up, you will be better than okay. You'll learn that you can survive, and hell yeah, thrive, just being true to you.

So welcome. Or welcome back.

Let's do this. How 'bout we #DontSettle together.