What is Lad Check

There’s a reason solitary confinement is thought to be the worst form of punishment in the world. Loneliness is the anti-thesis of the human spirit. Humanity, at its roots, is communal. We need each other. We need to interact with each other. And in a world where we’re supposedly more connected than ever, why is it that depression and anxiety are at all time highs?

That’s a question I’ve struggled to answer and a problem I’ve tried to overcome my entire adult life. This brand, this message, is my solution. To explain what that message is, I have to share the story behind it.

I moved into an apartment with my good friend “Sheriff John” about a year ago. I was single and going on dates, and on every one, he’d send me the same text. Just two words “Lad check”. He was just checking in on his lad. Making sure everything was going okay.

This turned into our thing. We’d send the text during the work day, during a workout, a grocery shop. After awhile, I noticed something happened when the lad check came through and I read those two words. I immediately felt happier. It was noticeable and pure and it shifted my pattern of thinking. It interrupted my usual negative train of thought and pulled me into a better place instantly.

How is it possible that reading two words can have that kind of power over me?

I’m what I, and most people that know me, would consider the stereotypical male. I’ve never truly talked about what I’m feeling with anyone; I've just dealt with it one way or another. Just like any other male. What I found with these lad check texts, was that they were filling a void for me. I didn’t want to talk about anything in particular, didn’t feel the need to unload any emotional baggage on my friend, but just knowing that he was there, thinking about me and checking in was such a powerful positive thought. He trained me to read two words and instantly feel happier. 

I’m fortunate to have a lot of amazing family and friends that I speak to regularly but it wasn’t until Sheriff John started lad checking me that it clicked on how strong words can be. Even two words.

The reason I’m doing this is because it genuinely works. Did it magically solve all of my problems overnight? Of course not. But it’s given me a very noticeable boost in my mood. And that has had a tremendous positive ripple effect in a lot of other areas in my life.

This brand is nothing more than a message. But its a powerful one that I believe is worth fighting for to spread.

Reach out. Stay connected. Check in on your lads. You never know how much it could mean to them.