When I grew up, I wanted to be Scarface… for real! My room was covered with Al Pacino posters, I’d pretty much memorised and recited all the infamous lines from that movie on a daily basis. That lifestyle was glorified and revered in the frequency I was raised in. The short story is that I was surrounded by crime, violence, drugs and the darker shades of life. Growing up life was a daily struggle and challenge and there really was no bright future to look forward to.

I’d spent my teen years fully immersed in that lifestyle pursuing this avenue. It was an interesting facade that life painted for me, if I became strong and powerful at all costs to earn respect on the streets, I could buy things that I didn’t really want, to impress people that I didn’t even like and then I’d be happy and successful. The irony is that I became more disconnected and miserable on this journey. Fortunately, the universe had a different plan for me, by the time I was 18 I had developed extreme addictions, I'd been shot, stabbed, struggled with depression, anxiety and eventually hit rock bottom where I tried to take my own life. This is the most challenging thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life, yet it’s also served as my greatest gift and blessing. Today I know that challenges are blessings in disguise, and they are simply meant to help us truly discover who we are and what we’re made of. It’s only our limitation of perception that prevents us from seeing this.

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