I grew up in Providence, RI. Survival was the rule of the concrete jungle. Paved streets full of potholes, shattered glass, and rusty barbed-wire fences were the views from my apartment window for nearly a decade. Despite its hidden dangers, I was drawn to a concrete canvas surrounded by bright lights, tall buildings, and thick smog. A city boy at heart despite the shootings, and racial street wars.

Love was emotional blackmail. My fear of rejection crushed any hope of finding peace. All that remained were scattered fragments of unrest. True happiness lay dormant by the hands of pain.

Drums helped fuse a flow of positive energy. Music was my vehicle to convey time. For years, I hid behind a curtain of vanity to mask the scars. But those short-lived illusions gave way to the power of addiction. Such morbid fascination led to internal debates of jittery narcissism, colored hallucinations, and gruesome overdoses.

My descent brought me to the shadows of deception. I was hooked on cocaine, and by the age of 26, I spiraled even lower in the grips of despair. Those synthetic lies landed me in jail for a few months.

In 1997, my partner at the time was also recovering from addiction. Unfortunately, she wasn’t on the same page, even though we had children and were clean for over a year. She fell back into her old ways, and I refused to abandon all that I had restored. By 2000, we separated.

I moved home with my parents, after the judge granted me custody of our two children. But the road was tough. I was left with nothing. No car, $2 in my bank account, and no job. My ex defaulted on child support payments.

It was time to put my life together. I used my faith and prayer. I started meditating and speaking to the Universe. Bible passages were revealing hidden codes that I hadn’t noticed before. It appeared there was a universal matrix that was supernaturally responding to our frequencies.

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.”

Feeling inspired, I quickly began writing my wants and needs in my journal, believing I would receive them. I’d see them in my mind before they happened. Doors of opportunity were opening. I was connecting with other energies, and they were responding. It started with a job, car, and something as simple as having a cell phone. I bought a computer. I was networking with individuals in the music scene with friends I hadn’t seen in a while. The stars were aligning. The celestial roadmap to my life became clearer. I was writing my script. It seemed that I was always at the exact place I needed to be.

Having a desire to get back out playing music, I started going to clubs and watching my friends’ bands play. I’d sit there visualizing myself on stage so much that I could taste it. Within no time, I was back playing. Then it hit me! Sound drives our influence to deepen our understanding of universal harmony. Musicians are atmospheric conductors who use rhythmic vibrations to manifest life out of chaos.

By the time The Secret was published, I was well on my way to knowing The Secret. My faith put everything into perspective, as The Secret validated what I always believed. “Believe in the things you want, and you will receive them.”

Today, 20 years later, my children are all grown up and living life. I’ve been blessed with a beautiful wife, beautiful grandchildren and I own my own home. I’m working on a book that tells my whole story, along with doing some television work as a consultant. And music is still a big part of my life.

Here’s the kicker; my charge from years past was recently expunged. The prosecutor who put me behind bars ended up becoming a lawyer. Little did I realize that he’d be my attorney to have the charge expunged.

My passion has shifted onto helping those dealing with addiction, abuse, abandonment, and anger. These are the pillars of destruction that can destroy our future. We all have a story to tell about hardship, but we can learn to rewrite our narrative and combat those emotions with affection, attraction, action, and accomplishment.

Life is a collection of downloads. See the lie, decipher the truth, and reconstruct your path.