If you had told me years ago that I would be standing in a room in the middle of India with three of the ten richest people in the world, I would have said you’ve gone off the deep end. But that’s exactly where I found myself last April, standing next to a software and tech titan, a social disruptor, and a petroleum and telecom mogul.

I had a big smile and grin on my face as I took it all in, knowing this kid from the blue-collar streets of Flint, Michigan, had really come a long way. I was the last person that should end up here. I grew up in a broken home, with no connections and a secret that no child should ever have to keep.

In that moment, I knew that I was not there because I was born into money or because I was just lucky. No, I knew I was there because I had mastered what I believe is the single most important skill to change your life: the ability to connect. I had cracked the code on how to build powerful and meaningful relationships and partnerships.

For many decades, I didn’t realize my results were limited by my thinking. I didn’t realize that we can never outperform how we truly think and feel about ourselves.

That was the big lie I bought into for decades. I would start projects or businesses and hope I would achieve financial success, but I always felt that it would bring a little luck or something outside would have to happen for me to get what I wanted. When things didn’t go as planned or I didn’t get the results I wanted, my self-image further deteriorated.

I found myself investing in riskier ventures, chasing shiny objects and deals that were pipe dreams. The end result was that I was in debt, depressed, and ready to give up.

I was a victim, blaming those who had harmed me, insulted or offended me, or wouldn’t help me in the way I wanted to be helped. The date was December 1, 2009, when everything changed.

I woke up to a text that read, “You’re fired.” Everything gone in an instant. No job, no money, and nowhere to go.