NOT LIKE THEM

INTRO

Welcome, Timeless, This is a story about a man who chose a different path, not the loudest, not the easiest, but the one that leads to peace, purpose, and God. Pierre invites you into the quiet but powerful transformation of a young man who decided to walk away from the noise of the world in pursuit of something deeper. It’s a reminder that success doesn’t always come with flashing lights or cheering crowds. Sometimes, it comes in the stillness of early mornings, in the strength to say “no,” and in the decision to stand firm when everyone else is running the other way. If you've ever felt like you don't quite fit into the world around you, this story is for you.

Enjoy

Pierre sat on the old park bench, notebook in hand, jazz drifting through his AirPods. Nat King Cole played softly, each note sinking deep into the stillness of the morning. While the world rushed by in a blur of schedules and noise, Pierre found clarity in the quiet. He’d been coming here every morning after prayer, sketching his thoughts, dreams, and scriptures in the worn leather notebook his grandfather had given him.

A year ago, he wouldn't have recognized himself. Back then, Friday nights meant loud clubs, cheap liquor, and empty mornings. But now, he craved stillness—something more permanent than the neon-soaked high his friends still chased.

His boys didn’t get it.

"Pierre you're too serious, bro," Kareem laughed last weekend. “You're wasting your twenties, man. Come out with us! The club’s packed on Fridays. You remember Kayla? She's askin’ about you again.”

Pierre smiled politely but declined. Again.

He used to say yes. To everything. To fit in. To feel something. But God had started whispering into the cracks of his soul, calling him out of the chaos and into something deeper. He started reading Proverbs. Then Romans. Then Ephesians. And the more he read, the less he wanted the world’s empty offers.

“You’re really not coming?” Justin had asked him, genuinely puzzled. “You don’t even drink anymore? You tryna become a priest or something?”

Pierre chuckled, but it stung.

“I’m just trying to live different. I want more than hangovers and drama, man.”

Justin shook his head. “Bro, you sound like a 50-year-old man. Always in that blazer and listening to... what is that, Mozart?”

“Chopin, "Pierre corrected.

Justin burst out laughing. “You wild.”

But Pierre didn’t flinch. He knew who he was becoming.

At night, instead of club lights, Pierre read scripture under warm lamplight. He filled journals with prayers and business plans. The Lord was reworking his mind, clearing the fog of his past, showing him who he could become.

He started waking up early, working out, eating clean. He dressed in crisp shirts, wool trousers, loafers, what his friends called “old money vibes.”

“You tryna be one of those TikTok aesthetic boys now?” Kareem joked one day.

But Pierre wasn’t chasing aesthetics. He was chasing purpose.

There was something about timelessness that pulled at him. He admired men of discipline, legacy, honor. He studied them. Their lives weren’t built in clubs or around cheap thrills, but through sacrifice, stillness, and principle.

He started saving, investing, taking online business courses. He tithed consistently. He volunteered at church. He was building something, brick by brick and God was his foundation.

Meanwhile, his friends were still hungover by noon on Saturdays, their weekends lost in a fog of smoke and regret.

They laughed at his music, but he loved it. Miles Davis in the morning. Beethoven at night. There was depth in the melodies, something his friends didn’t hear.

“You know no girl’s ever gonna come over and vibe to that grandpa music, right?” Justin said.

“Good, "Pierre said. “I’m not looking for girls who want vibes. I’m looking for a wife who values vision.”

They didn’t understand. Not yet. Maybe never.

One night, Pierre was invited to a rooftop mixer hosted by a local entrepreneurs’ group. He almost didn’t go. But something told him he should.

There, he met Elijah, a 33 year-old who owned a design firm and quoted scripture between strategy tips. Elijah saw something in Pierre, a younger version of himself.

“You don’t need the world’s approval,” Elijah told him. “You need God’s direction and discipline. Keep walking the narrow road. It’s hard now, but it leads somewhere.”

Pierre left that night feeling more affirmed than he had in months.

By now, the invitations to clubs were less frequent. His friends still teased him, but from a distance. Some of them even started asking quiet questions.

“How did you stop drinking? ”Where do you find peace? ”Do you really believe God can change you?”

Pierre answered honestly. He wasn’t perfect, but he was being perfected. Every day, he chose discipline over distraction, silence over noise, faith over fleeting pleasures.

Months passed. His savings grew. His spiritual life deepened. He launched a small online brand based around men’s grooming and classic living, blending his love for timeless style with his walk in faith. It wasn’t flashy, but it was real and it was growing.

One evening, after locking up the church following Bible study, he sat alone in his car. Rain tapped on the windshield. He prayed aloud, a soft smile on his face.

“Thank You, God... for calling me out. For showing me that success isn’t being seen it’s being faithful.”

Pierre's journey wasn’t loud. It didn’t come with viral posts or roaring applause. But it was steady. Real. Eternal.

His friends might never fully understand why he walked away from the lights. But Pierre knew he wasn’t missing out. He had found something deeper.

While the world danced for likes, Pierre walked in purpose.

And that was more than enough.

OUTRO

Thank you for taking the time to read Pierre's story

This story is for anyone who’s ever felt out of place while trying to do what’s right, for those choosing purpose over popularity, faith over fleeting pleasures, and quiet growth over loud approval.

May Daniel’s journey remind you that it’s okay to walk a different path. Keep going. Stay grounded. And trust that God sees the work you’re doing in the quiet.