I’ve always said that you become what you hang around. It’s one of the main lessons in my book. I’ve also always preached against the negative effects of stress. 

I wish during the past decade I would have taken my own advice or at the very least realized the situation I was in. 

In 2007 (pic on the left) I was the most fit I’d ever been in my life. I was working in Toronto and following my dream of being a professional fighter. I was in every way what I’d consider to be an elite athlete. I was surrounded by some of the best, most driven people in the world. Stress was at a minimum and I was flying high. In early 2008 I left that life for a new career path. Fast forward to 2016 (middle pic) and life had taken its toll. I was still relatively fit but I clearly wasn’t the man I was before. 

In 2017 everything came to a head and stress overwhelmed me. It resulted in a life threatening disease and I hit a physical rock bottom. I fought the disease for months before healing. The question was how did this all happen? After some reflection I realized that I wasn’t surrounded by the same type of people that I was in 2007 and I found myself in a negative environment. I was surrounded by bad energy and stress. As a result of this my health and performance suffered. 

Right now (pic on the right) I’m back on the road to recovery. I’m dealing with Ulcerative Colitis but I’m more fit than I’ve been in a decade. My body is changing dramatically for the better. A remarkable comeback. It’s amazing after being so sick I can see the results I’m seeing. 

A huge part of that is I’m no longer exposed to the stress I was under and I’m again surrounding myself with the best. 

This has been a huge lesson learned. I wrote this because I want you to learn from it too. I almost got to a point of no return but I didn’t. Some aren’t so lucky. I’ll never let that happen again. Don’t let it happen to you. 

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