3 Things I Learned From My Nervous Breakdown

Happy Friday everyone!

This feels like I'm writing the manifesto at the beginning of Jerry Mcguire. Lets do it.

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting lately. Some good, some bad. As many of you know, I had a nervous breakdown in November of 2018 from excessive sleep deprivation.

It taught me a lot. It was my breaking point.

I literally was living in an AirBnB, apt hunting. I attended Clever Talks and was a speaker on stage and attended 12 hour days meeting amazing veterans that I had only known online like Patrick Mudge and Steven Kuhn. I was averaging 3 hours of sleep and also working on my Tactical CEQ program.

Friday I drove from Clever Talks straight to Air Force drill and did my PT test on Saturday. Its pushups, situps, waist measurement, then run as fast as you can to complete a 1.5 mile sprint. It pushed me into some mania.

Sunday night I drove back and Monday I started a new job. Yay, an hour commute each way.

Closed a $1500 deal on my lunch break and realized I was LOSING money being in a cubicle.

The entire week I was harassed by the job placement guy at an agency about paperwork. He was a real prick. During work hours, I would get voicemails, emails, and texts demanding I drop what I was doing, log in and complete forms on their shitty website that didn’t work half the time.

Still sleeping 3 hours a night.

Friday, I went to the bathroom and locked myself in a stall. Sitting there, head in hands. I listened to my voicemail. It was Agency Guy screaming at me to get some forms done.

I walked out, drove to Balboa Park and cried next to a tree for an hour.

I’d had enough. I called a suicide hotline just to talk to someone. Then I checked myself into a nice hotel and slept.

The next day my dream apartment opened up. I never went back to that job. I went full time business strategist and magazine owner and put Steven Kuhn on the cover of SHIFT Advanced Life Design.

I’ve had a stressful few weeks lately. Too many projects converging, not enough fun time, being pulled in a lot of directions. I’ve learned a few things from some of the business minds I have interviewed and I have gained some knowledge from my own breakdown.

Lesson 1: Your business runs off of YOU

You need to do internal work for your business to grow.

*Spiritual Growth

*Journaling

*Fitness

*Self Education

*DAYS OFF (capitalized to emphasize importance)

*Balance

*The Love From Others

If you are out of shape, arguing with people, in a loveless relationship, and struggling to turn a profit, its time to be honest with yourself. Change starts with you.

Currently I’m 15 pounds over my regular weight. I cant remember the last time I had a day off and Monday I had 7 different projects/people to attend to. I was getting a little close to the edge. Oh yeah, and some Air Force paperwork from 3 years ago is long overdue and my taxes need fixing.

These small things can set us off. When they “value stack” vertically, they can shut us DOWN.

Yesterday it bled over. I hosted a group call and people could tell that I was off. I didn’t even want to do the call but I realized the importance as people started showing up. I realized that my energy was WAY off and finally just did a few small tasks and wrote off yesterday as a shit day.

Lesson 2: Accept sadness, depression, and bad moods as temporary renters but not homeowners

Entrepreneurs are strange.

That’s why I love them. The creativity, the rollercoasters, the sheer brilliance of their lives. But it’s a fight. You know why?

We develop EVERY ASPECT OF OUR JOBS.

Every fucking decision must be made. EVERY ONE.

There are going to be days where you just feel off. Guess what? It happens to everyone. Even the shiny smile dickheads on your Facebook ads promising you easy wealth and the rented Lambo.

Have a strategy for bad days, but don’t make it a crutch. Some people smoke pot, some go feed baby goats, some visit a favorite relative. Understand your programming and what brings you LEGIT joy. (I’ve been ordering Iron Man Graphic Novels and I caught myself doing something really weird reading them. I was smiling.)

Don’t let depression or a bad experience last too long in your mind. I hit a 3 week span where I could not remember the last time I was genuinely happy and realized it was time to change.

Remember: YOU DESERVE HAPPINESS

Lesson 3: Have some form of therapy or release

Tuesdays are great in my FB group (Link: )

We have a group post where we air our grievances, bitch about our companies or just talk about the nuances of life. But in a funny and positive way.

Highest engagement thread EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

Its healthy bitching and I LOVE IT. We keep it funny and constructive but we AIR THAT SHIT OUT.

My newest therapy? I go outside to my balcony, sit on my Wayfair patio set and read business books while listening to Moby. Its WONDERFULLY relaxing and keeps me grounded. Iron Man Graphic Novels give me something to look forward to and keep my creative energy flowing.

Find what makes you happy and act on it.

Thanks for reading this. Its been a very strange trip but I still am amazed that a high school dropout that never thought he would go to college ended up like this.

I’m blessed to know you. And if you are having a bad time, REACH OUT TO ME. Its ok. You aren’t bothering me. I WANT to hear from you. Let’s fight that shit together.

Your friend,

Rob