When you enter High School.  As an elite athlete, you’re all set.  Instant popularity, admiration and attention from teachers and students. I had the world in the palm of my hand,Actually was like the palm of my pitcher’s mitt.  But like most high school students, I got acne. Got it really bad. So bad, they had me take Accutane.

And for all of you who don’t know what Accutane is, it’s a chemo medication drug that you use to clear up your acne. And for me, it had really bad side effects, It stiffened up all my joints, My shoulder joint was so stiff that couldn’t lift my hand above my head.

So it’s no more baseball team. There’s no more pitching. The tribe that I identified with evaporated, gone forever. And felt like I was floating, nothing good type of floating where you feel like everything is natural. But the floating where you don’t know where you are, You don’t know where you stand. And you certainly don’t know who you stand with.

Fast forward to college.  I was numbing that human connection that I lacked with Vivance, Adderall and binge drinking.  Senior year of college, that Vivance, Adderall and binge drinking was accompanied with antidepressants, Lexapro, Wellbutrin, just to ward off the thoughts of suicide.

This persisted two years after college until one morning, I woke up at 7am. In my small bland Chicago apartment.  And I don’t know why this day was different. But I know why I took action.

I set a 90 day goal to lose 20 pounds and to be completely sober. So around noon that day, I ran across the street to the pizza shop. And no, I didn’t get a piece of pizza. I grabbed the free calendar off the checkout counter, and ran back to my apartment and marked off 90 days.

And It wasn’t easy.  I didn’t feel like I was making progress around day 46. I broke down and cried in my shower. I have no idea why I cried. I felt like maybe my brain was reconnecting. And I didn’t think I was making any progress. Until day 94. I was at the YMCA and I looked down at the scale. 162 pounds. I was 22 pounds lighter and completely sober. And I gained confidence. I gained a lot of confidence. And like any logical, confident person, I told my boss Hey, I’m quitting my job. And I’m going to move from Chicago back to Cleveland into my parents basement to start my own business. And that business grew and it’s doing really, really well. But better than that. I met high impactful entrepreneurs along the way, in Facebook groups, and at conferences. And those entrepreneurs, They love me. They support me. They motivate me just like my baseball team.  They’re my new tribe.

So if you’re struggling with depression, anxiety, numbness, loneliness, set a 90 day goal. Stop at nothing to achieve that goal. And you’ll find the tribe that was for you for the rest of your life.