EP 84. When you have the courage to take that leap and go for it, you don’t need to know how it’s going to work out.

This episode’s guest was just 17 when he was stabbed nine times. Prior to this life-changing experience, Ricky Roberts didn’t care whether he lived or died. After an abusive childhood, Ricky was full of anger and resentment. He thought about suicide frequently. He’d even put a gun in his mouth and played with the trigger.

But as he lay in the hospital bed watching the Emergency Staff work him, he realized he didn’t want to die after all. Instead, he wanted to learn how to live.

In the darkest of moments, Ricky had been thrown an unexpected lifeline. So he grabbed this second chance and used his rock bottom moment to transform his life.

Nowadays, life couldn’t be more different. Ricky is the author of seven books. He’s a youth advocate, a national speaker, and the founder of You Are Valued – an organization on a mission to inspire a movement of valuing others through community outreach, discussion, involvement, and inspiration.

And in this episode, Ricky explains how he can track this transformed, fulfilling life back to the day he was stabbed nine times.

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I felt the fear of death, and for the first time in my life, I realized that I didn’t really want to die. I just didn’t know how to live.

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Ricky’s story is proof that rock bottom can be the best thing that happens to you. That rock bottom can be the trigger and the catalyst that gets you back onto the extraordinary path through life.

Prior to the stabbing, Ricky was lost and out of love with life.

But after life showed him how precious life is, he discovered the courage, confidence, and urgency to not only live… but to thrive in the process.

Tune into this beautiful episode to hear:

• The powerful practices that helped Ricky transform his anger into gratitude
• Why skateboarding became Ricky’s escape and refuge
• How Ricky used journaling to make sense of his thoughts and emotions
• What fulfilment actually looks like
• Why you can’t ignore your truth
• Why you get when you give
• How to follow the clues and stay aligned to your truth

And much, much more.

This episode will relight a fire in your soul. It will give you hope that there’s peace to be found in the pain. It will remind you of the power you hold to change your life. And it will show you that you can be happy again – regardless of what you may be going through right now.

Ricky is proof that you can escape the darkness and transform how you think and feel.

And in this episode, you’ll discover some knowledge bombs that will help you do the same.

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The moment I think we give anything, we are automatically receiving because there is so much joy in giving our energy.

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Time Stamped Show Notes

[5:10] Ricky sent me his 6th book, Healing the Wounded Child Within, and within the first few pages I was blown away. He’s gone through more than many of us can imagine and I wanted to start there; particularly with the life-changing moment in which he found his purpose through tragedy. Ricky was stabbed multiple times and he says that’s where it all started; that was the “a-ha” moment that woke him up to the realization that he was allowing the abuse, trauma, pain, and anger from his childhood to control who he was.

He says, that night, the situation could have been avoided, however, he was filled with so much anger, pain, and resentment that he would seek out opportunities to engage in violence – on some level, it numbed his pain. Ricky had contemplated suicide multiple times throughout his life and it was that moment, in the hospital, where he was filled with fear and, for the first time, realized that it wasn’t that he wanted to die, he just didn’t know how to live.

[12:22] I ask Ricky how, after leaving the hospital and rehab, he started learning how to live? He says that he, very quickly, changed his surroundings, his outlook, and his belief in himself. What was simply intended to be a night out with his friends ended with him being in the hospital, fighting for his life. He says that led to him understanding the fragility of life, which helps him to look at every day as a gift and an opportunity. Being so close to death forced him to realize how important it is to enjoy life and to remain as positive as he can.

[21:48] I ask Ricky how he stays aligned with his truth? He says it comes down to being honest with himself, being honest about what his true and deepest desires are, and where his fulfillment comes from. He continuously checks in with himself to make sure that he stays centered and that the voice he’s listening to is his own, not that of society or expectations of what he “should,” be doing.

[33:17] We talk about courage and surrender. There’s the notion of having the courage to take action in an effort to create a shift when we’re not happy. At the same time, there exists an element of surrender. Ricky says the courage to bring about change, in whatever area of our lives, presents itself when we’re making the decision to take action; the surrender exists in the process of taking the action. We muster up the courage to go for it and then we surrender to the reality of the unknown, the fear, the obstacles, the questions and whatever else comes with having had the courage to make that decision.

[47:58] Ricky stays grounded with skateboarding, art, journaling, surfing, quiet times with his wife, quiet times alone, being out in nature, meditation, etc.. He says it depends on the day and what his needs are; he’s grateful for the many things that help him stay grounded. He also stays grounded by listening to Stay Grounded and many other awesome podcasts.

Ricky Roberts