Like many people, my childhood wasn’t exactly smooth-sailing. At age 12, my father abandoned us for 7 years of my life, leaving my brother and I to grow up in a broken home.

As a fat, red-headed, buck-toothed kid with ADD, OCD, and Dyslexia, and a name like Darrell Ashley, I was a pretty easy target for bullies… This often got me into trouble as I didn’t understand at the time how to channel my energy and unique gifts in a productive manner.

I was also born without 9 permanent teeth (which meant I still had 9 baby teeth well into adulthood) leaving me incredibly insecure of my smile. For nearly 50 years of my life, I dodged photos and avoided smiling at all costs until I finally committed to investing in my smile transformation... One of the greatest investments I've ever made.

Needless to say, I understand firsthand how it feels to be an outcast.

Unlike me, my brother was a 6’4 stud with straight-A’s and musical talent. While it wasn’t always easy living in his shadow, he always knew exactly what he wanted in life and never let anything get in the way of his dream to become a fighter pilot instructor in the U.S. Air Force. Steven was my greatest inspiration and role model after my dad left.

When I was 26, I received a heart-breaking phone call from his new bride screaming, “He’s gone! He’s gone! Steven’s gone!” I couldn’t believe it. My brother, my role model, my hero, had been killed in a fiery jet crash on a training mission at just 29 years old. I was crushed.

The week after his funeral, I lost my left eye in a fluke bungee cord accident on the trip home from collecting his belongings… Just 4 weeks before I would marry the love of my life, Lisa.

Without a system for processing all the trauma I had experienced in such a relatively short period of time, I turned to food and alcohol to soothe the pain, and quickly found myself in a self-destructive downward spiral.

By the time I reached rock bottom in 2009, I was 100+ pounds overweight, my health was rapidly deteriorating, my businesses were suffering, I was on the verge of bankruptcy, and the most important people in my life were slowly slipping away.

I was forced to face the reality that if I didn't start getting my life together immediately, I wouldn’t be around to watch my kids grow up... And that thought alone was the push I needed to finally start investing in myself and my family's future.

Through my own transformation, I realized that it's not enough to simply define the legacy we want for ourselves... we must LIVE IT every single day. My story is a testament to the power of investing in yourself first, and the potential for success in the face of adversity.

With the tools and systems I created to save my own life, my passion now is helping people of all backgrounds develop the skills and mindset needed to achieve their own breakthroughs in all aspects of business and life.

Regardless of where you're starting from, I challenge you to take that step... invest in yourself... say 'yes' to that opportunity... and start LIVING your unique legacy.