My story is of one very bad decision and the ripple effects on my life and everyone I met and everything I did. From what I thought was the pinnacle of professional success as an accountant to the depths of broke, shame, sad, lonely, scared and back. Of the endless steps I took, both consciously and unconsciously to rebuild my life and my businesses, not once, not twice but multiple times. It is the beginning of a narrative that spanned almost 30 years, but that started as a young child in an average middle income family in Canada.
For years, I fought the nudges to share my story fearing how it would come back bite me and my family and friends but like the never-ending pounding and pressure of water at a dam, my story could no longer be kept locked up in the dark.
It is a story of missteps, of a belief that no matter how long it took I could figure things out, of harsh and hurtful judgment, me judging me and others judging me, and of triumph and success. It is a story of survival, of inspiration and of discovery of the person behind the mask, and the seasons of growth.
As you follow my story, you'll learn the lessons I faced and the things that pushed, pulled and literally yanked me through some of the toughest and seamingly unsurmountable challenges. And you will see that, above all else, resilience and persistence and patience are the triad of essential characteristics of a life that lives into it's potential.
So sit back, shut your eyes and share the next 18 minutes with me.
