We’ve all been in situations where we felt like giving up. Breakups, betrayal, losing a job — all of these are tough. It’s hard to get through them, but challenges make us stronger, even if it sounds like a cliché. There’s nothing in life we can’t handle.

The Story:

After college, I got my first real job in IT and met a girl at work. She had a baby, but the dad wasn’t around. We got married, bought a house in the suburbs, and a couple of cars because that’s what I thought we were supposed to do. Two years later, we were both unhappy, and she found comfort with another man. I was completely lost. My marriage fell apart, my work contract was ending, and I was really depressed. Then my father bought me a plane ticket to Los Angeles, where two of my close friends lived. That one simple act changed everything. I went to LA, had a great time with my friends, and they convinced me to move in with them. I went back home, filed for divorce, sold the house and cars, and packed up to leave. That was 20 years ago. Since then, I’ve remarried an amazing woman, we have two incredible kids, and I’ve lived in LA, NYC, and now Denver. I’ve traveled a lot, partied with rock stars, and laughed until it hurt. I can’t even imagine what my life would be like if I had stayed with my first wife. I saw her once, many years later, at a wedding. She apologized for what she did, and I told her not to be sorry and thanked her for it.