Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to the Live Inspired podcast, Monday morning moments with John O'Leary.

I record these so that you and I can begin are December 13th and every day in awe and on fire with the burst of inspiration. So here we go. Get ready

to rock and roll, my friends. You got to figure that out, man. You got to figure that out, man.

And with this bit of unrequested advice from an unexpected counselor, my friend Antonio Neves' life began to change for the better. Applying the lessons he

learned throughout that change, however, would benefit all of us in our journeys going

forward during this season. Let me explain. Although Antonio grew up in a small town, surrounded

in poverty, and enjoyed few examples of success around him.

He became an accomplished young man. He completed high school, then graduated college, moved to New York,

landed a coveted role as a host of a popular show on Nickelodeon and married the love of his life.

Antonio, he had it all.

And then he almost lost it all.

Through missteps and misfortune and some personal mismanagement, that success began to fade.

He lost his job, then his financial freedom, and then his former joyful confidence in who he was and who he could become, that began to fade as well.

To escape some of the stress and some of the disappointment of his life, Antonio would occasionally sneak out of his apartment.

He'd walk around the corner of the building for some privacy, and he'd have a cigarette

by himself. To ensure his wife would not be able to smell it on him, he would bring a mint for his

breath and then a yellow rubber kitchen glove to protect his hand from the smell of smoke.

One afternoon, while having a cigarette, Antonio,

was approached by a gentleman who was homeless.

The gentleman asked for a cigarette, Antonio obliged,

and the two smoked together while making small talk.

As they finished their cigarette and their chance encounter,

...