Guest post by Sean Sheppard, Founder of Embrace. Growing up as an only child, I was accustomed to thinking only about myself, and through high school, college and graduate school, I was completely self-absorbed. My friends and I were womanizers, we smoked pot, sold pot, partied, and fit the bill of your typical “college party-goers.” This selfishness eventually took a toll on my overall well-being, and I came to a point in my life where I looked at the worst part of my day was the point where I left the house to deal with other people. I was in an extremely negative place at the time and focused on everything I didn’t have. As the economy downturned, so did my personal finances and my Columbus, Ohio rental property went into foreclosure. What I thought was bad before, was nothing compared to this. I turned to God for guidance and strength, and began spending my time at the Salvation Army helping the homeless. During my time volunteering, I came to the realization that people had it a lot worse than I did, so I decided it was time for me to make a positive change, not only for myself, but for the community. For the first time in a long time, I gradually started feeling better about the person I was. With barely any money of my own, I found joy in giving back to my community and helping the less fortunate. I had discovered my true calling in life, and slowly but surely, I was able to get back on my feet.