"Life is not meant to be given to you. If you want to grow your life, you must grow your person"

Like most eighteen year olds who had just graduated from high school, I thought I was ready to take on the world. I was dating and had a steady girlfriend, I had worked my way through competitive surfing as a top ranked amateur and could already dream about becoming a full-time professional. Most importantly, I had all the wisdom and guidance from my friends and relatives to help me understand how and what I should do to shape my life.

Less than five years later, I was going through a bitter divorce, filing for bankruptcy to escape a mountain of crushing debt, and for the first time in my life, experiencing complete and utter despair to the point where I could totally understand what could lead someone to the brink of taking their own life to escape the emotional pain that completely overwhelmed me.

What happened?