Resilience is one of the greatest traits we can possess. Being able to adapt to challenging life experiences and carry on is a crucial part of being human, because we all face these experiences at one time or another. The process isn’t aways straightforward, however.
Consider the story of Greg Gaudet. Greg had what he calls a “picture-perfect childhood”, living in an upper middle-class community in Florida. Then, when he was 14, his father died of cancer in his arms. He was devastated.
Soon after, he began taking drugs and became addicted to them. Ultimately, he ended up putting himself through horrible experiences. He spent time in jail, and had guns pointed at his face. He stole from his family. “I even stole my mom’s wedding band and pawned my dad’s watch, which was my only inheritance from him,” he says.
Greg experienced drug overdoses and homelessness as his life continued to spiral downward. In 2010, he was homeless and then in jail. He had hit rock bottom. Then, he was able to get into a state-funded rehab program that was a huge turning point for him. He put in the necessary effort to overcome his addiction, and believed he could get past the demons.
Since then, Greg has moved to the island of Maui, where he started a real estate business, Maui Home Buyers. With a lot of work, the business has made him a millionaire. He now has the freedom to enjoy himself and make amends. “I get to surf every day,” he says. “I get to help my mom financially and repay her for all of the money, hard work and suffering she invested into helping me recover.”
Greg has a wife and a three-year-old daughter who thankfully have never seen him on drugs.
“My wife could never even fathom some of the stories I tell her about my past, because she just knows me as this driven go getter that was willing to do whatever it took to secure my family’s financial future,” Greg says.
That included working 40 hours a week at his day job in sales for a disaster restoration company, and 40 hours a week on growing his real estate business. Because of the success of his real estate business, he only needs to work five to 20 hours a week.
“I’m incredibly blessed that I have the choice of whether to work,” Greg says. “And I can choose not to work for many months and still provide my family with a very comfortable lifestyle. This all means that I get to give my family the most valuable gift of all—my time. For example, I was able to take my wife and daughter back home to Miami to spend two months with my mom.”
Greg still faces challenges and a few regrets. “I wish more than anything that I was not a drug addict so that I did not have to endure the suffering, and especially so that I could have saved my mom from all of the pain I put her through,” he says.
And overcoming addiction requires consistent, ongoing work, Greg says. “I am continuing to treat my disease of addiction by attending 12-step meetings, attending therapy, and doing whatever it takes to prevent another relapse,” he says.
Greg is grateful for his sobriety, his business and the financial freedom it has provided for his family. “I’m particularly grateful to my wife for her support,” he says. He tries to bring positivity into his life by focusing on positive thinking and surrounding himself with successful people. This helps him continue to realize his goals.
“There is no obstacle or challenge too great in life to prevent you from achieving what seems impossible,” Greg says.
I think one of the best lessons from this story is that instead of bemoaning his misfortunes and giving up on the possibility of being happy, Greg chose to take the higher and sometimes more difficult road of trying to live a life of fulfillment and joy. He made a conscious decision to be optimistic and purposeful. This is something we’re all capable of doing.
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”—Theodore Roosevelt
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