One of these Michael's was depressed, anxious, hurt, broken, hidden, afraid or self-love, terrified of their potential, a liar, a cheater, a thief, a manipulator, impacted by trauma, having countless manic episodes, lost and in his own way, and blaming the world for his choices... Can you guess which one?

When I was at my lowest I was #depressed, #obese, a drunk, a drug-infused time bomb, a terrible partner, a poor communicator, selfish, and worst of all scared. I was terrified of what it would feel like to be happy. I was trapped in a #mindset of fear that I created. It was irrational and irresponsible but something I was born into and too frightened to turn away from. I carried myself in the exact way that I was supposed to according to the environment I came up in. I was born into chaos and my brain was programmed into a chaos autopilot. Anything I could do to hurt myself and others I did; from drinking and driving to unprotected sex with strangers to putting a gun in my mouth. I did anything that numbed me. I couldn't bring myself to deal with the things involving the darkness of my past and the torment that was festering inside of me.

Then, after another drug and alcohol-fueled night of chaos, I decided to start making changes. Over ten years ago I made the choice to Be Unbroken. It was a slow and excruciatingly painful process and it took years. I had to change my #diet, #lifestyle, and the way I treated myself and others. I had to step deeply into therapy, personal growth, trauma recovery, and educating myself through self-love, pushing my boundaries, and choosing to be the HERO of my story. The change I made to become healthy wasn't overnight and it's still something I actively work on every single day because I want to be better than I was the day before. I owe that to myself and to the people who are like me.

The reason I am sharing this is to let you know that you are not alone.