Alex Gaskarth's Therapy Speeches
- Alex Gaskarth: Be yourself and fuck everything else, alright?
- Alex Gaskarth: Always be who you are. Do not let anybody change you.
- Alex Gaskarth: You’re stronger than they’ll ever be.
- Alex Gaskarth: Believe whatever you wanna believe, love whoever you wanna love, fucking dance whenever you wanna dance.
- Alex Gaskarth: This goes out to anybody that feels like they need help. Remember to always be who you are, you are the fuck shit. No one can change that. Don’t let them.
- Alex Gaskarth: This is for anybody who has been afraid of stand up for themselves for who they ore for who their friends are. There is no room in the world for intolerance people. It’s 2011, let’s grow the fuck up.
- Alex Gaskarth: This next song goes out to anybody who has ever been told that the way they think or the way they feel is the wrong way to feel. Anybody who has felt betrayed by their friends, or their family. Always be yourself no matter what.
- Alex Gaskarth: Here’s to the kids who try their hardest to be good enough for someone who doesn’t care. Who listen to the same song dozens of times because the lyrics mean a lot. Who deserve so much more than they get and are willing to fight for it. Who give all they are to someone who doesn’t care. Who try to be someone their not just so that someone might be proud.
- Alex Gaskarth: I’ve met a lot of people since we’ve been here…And a few of ‘em…have told me that somewhere down the line, one of our songs has helped get them through a tough time…. And I wanna say that when somebody tells me that, it feels better than anything else in the entire world…. When we started this band, we had no idea that we were gonna get where we are now… And I have to say that being half way across the fuckin’ world playing for all you beautiful people feels amazing…. But when people tell me that our songs actually affect their lives, and help them get through things….. It makes me wanna play this song, because I think when I wrote this song, it was a song that helped me get through a really tough time…. And if you know it, I need you to sing it as loud as you can… It’s called Therapy.
- Alex Gaskarth: This goes out to anybody who has ever been put down or called crazy, to anybody who’s ever felt like people have a free pass to walk all over them, to anybody who’s ever been made to question themselves or their beliefs or their values. It goes out to anyone who’s ever felt like they’re opinion doesn’t matter, or like the way they think is the wrong way to think. This goes out to anybody who feels like the way they feel, is the wrong way to feel. It goes out to anybody who has ever been told that they’re alone, or who has ever felt alone. It goes out to anybody who feels like they can’t live their life the way they want to live it. This goes out to anyone who’s ever been the victim of someone else’s bullshit, or been held down, or been singles out. It’s for anybody who’s ever been afraid to stand up for themselves for who they are, or for who their friends are. It’s for anybody who has ever been made to doubt themselves, about anything in their lives, by anybody else. Do not let anybody convince you otherwise about who you are, okay? It’s something that happens all the time, and it’s fucked up. This goes out to anybody who has ever been put down, or made to feel like they need help, when all they really need is a hug. To anybody… anybody who just isn’t quite sure where they belong. And it goes out to all of you. Be who you are, no matter what. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise; you are who you are, and that is the most beautiful thing in the world. . There’s no room in the world for intolerance, people. It’s 2011- lets grow the fuck up. There are some bad fucking people man and we all go through it. But, I can tell you this, I can tell you that no matter what you are fucking beautiful. You really are. Don’t take other people’s shit. Believe what you want to believe, live how you want to live, and don’t put other people through the same bullshit, be nice. This song is called Therapy, and it goes like this.
“Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. Think only of the best, work only for the best,and expect only the best. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you.”
—Christian D. Larson
Coping with Failure
1. Expect mistakes and knocks as they’re a normal part of life. The chances are you’re not any worse than other people!
2. Remind yourself that, on the whole, you are good enough. You may not be perfect – but at least you’re trying. It take courage to step out, and to get up when you fall down. Just being willing to do that is a true mark of success.
3. Don’t over-react. It is better to stay calm, to maintain your composure and choose how you’ll respond. A knee jerk reaction often leads to real regret.
4. Try not to think or worry about how others see you. Don’t let other people determine your self-worth.
5. Put a positive slant on a bad experience. What can you learn from this that moves you closer to success? What can you laugh about with friends; what can you see as humorous?
6. Fix your focus on your goals, then look ahead and keep on going. Don’t let a setbacks deflect you from your purpose and your dreams.
New Jersey committee approves bill banning ex-gay therapy
advocate.comThis week, the New Jersey Assembly Women and Children Committee unanimously approved a bill that would ban therapists from practicing ex-gay “conversion” or “reparative” therapy on minors.
The bill already passed a Senate committee in March and will now move on to the full Assembly and Senate for votes, though it’s unclear whether Gov. Chris Christie would ultimately sign it into law.
The bill, modeled after California’s landmark legislation passed last year, would outlaw “sexual-orientation change efforts,” also known as “reparative therapy,” by licensed professionals on minors under 18 years old, forbidding psychiatrists, social workers, and other licensed mental health providers from engaging in attempts to “pray away the gay.” The “therapy” has been condemned by every major mental health organization in the country, with the American Psychological Association calling the practice harmful.
“Studies and personal testimony have shown this practice creates irreparable harm on young people struggling to come to terms with their sexuality,” said Democratic assemblyman Tim Eustace, one of the bill’s sponsors.
Every single study has found that conversion therapy does more harm than good, especially on minors. We really need to get the ball rolling on making this a nationwide ban. Keep it up, New Jersey.
Therapy - All Time Low (Live At Slam Dunk South 2013)
the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced
