Preparing to soar after hitting rock bottom
If I would have had a glimpse of the challenges that were about to take place within the first six months of the year, I would have said: “That’s way too much, I won’t be able to handle it.”
Losing a significant amount of money, our marriage being tested in ways we hadn’t experienced before, and the uncertainty around the health of our child—all tangled together and hitting us at the same time. Needless to say, it was a brutally trying season for me, my wife, and our children.
It was the summer of 2022 and I found myself laying in bed, paralyzed by depression once again. But this time, something was different. The deep spiritual work and personal development I had prioritized over the previous two years had given me the tools to begin picking myself back up.
Most importantly, though, I had a support network—a circle of people that carried me, guided me, and stood beside me in the darkness. Throughout this period I learned:
About Shame:
Shame thrives in silence. It tells you to keep quiet, to hide, to pretend. But the moment you give voice to it—share it, speak it out loud—it begins to loosen its grip. It loses its power. Speaking about shame, even in a whisper, is an act of courage and liberation.
About Self-Compassion:
I was tired of being the lone warrior—always powering through, pushing forward, and refusing to rest. I began to learn that life wasn’t something to fight my way through. And when the rhythm changed—when life became unpredictable, painful, or chaotic—I could soften up, drop the armor, and dance with it, rather than resist it.
About Life:
One of the greatest myths we carry is that life is supposed to be easy. But it’s not. Life is fu#%&! hard. It’s messy. It’s unpredictable and sometimes downright brutal. And that’s not only okay—that’s life. That’s what makes it real.
About Spirit:
I was reminded that no external achievement could ever fill the void I felt inside. The chase never ends when it’s only about what’s outside. However, what we cultivate in spirit becomes a compass, a source of fulfillment that no outward success can replicate. Accomplishments in the spiritual world stay with us forever. Follow your spirit. It knows the way.
Sometimes it’s when we feel most alone that we discover we are not alone at all. Those dark moments didn’t come to drown me; they came to wake me up. They cracked something open inside of me—a deeper awareness, a new beginning.
It was then that I learned a meaningful lesson that has changed my life ever since: it is in our deepest crises that we can encounter our deepest truths and connect with an inner-strength that we didn’t know we had. It is from the greatest depths that we find the strength to reach new heights.
With Gratitude,
Abi
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