You Can't Build Skyscrapers on Swampland (Unabridged‪)‬

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

Like most 18-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?