I WROTE THIS POEM IN 2019, AMIDST WHAT I WOULD
consider the darkest moment of my life, and I have carried it with me ever since. Perhaps it, along with the experiences I will share with you throughout this book, will provide you with a hope that your own power lies within your own chaos as well. I dedicate this book to anyone who is stuck inside their own chaos. I hope you find my story to be a guide as you discover your own power. My life and the events that I will share with you have taught me many lessons. The greatest of which is to keep going, no matter what.

"You'll be dead or in prison by the time you're eighteen:' "You only joined the army because you will never amount to anything else:' "You are just a people pleaser:' "Why can't you be like your brother and just fly under the radar?" "Don't even think about joining the army, you'd never make it through Basic Training:' These words have burdened me for years. And now, as I write them, I choose to release the weight they've placed on my shoulders. I share my story, hoping it will touch as many people as possible. And maybe the reader will find those words "familiar" in their mind. Who has not been denigrated by people they care about? "If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid:' I heard that quote a few years ago, and I must say it speaks volumes about the early version of the Nick I once was.

I have learned throughout my (short) life that people are the answer. Everything starts with you evolving into a better version of yourself. It is a moral obligation, if you crawl out of the depths of your own hell, that you reach back and you help others. Thus, Power in Chaos has come to light. This is my story, my strength, my vulnerability. You are not what happens to you. None of us are. We are what we do with what happens to us. The ashes of my chaos have formed a beautiful forest for me to venture into and draw from different trees of wisdom, knowledge, and faith. I'm twenty-eight years old, and this is my story so far.

Today, as I write this book, I am a business owner of two companies. I am heavily involved in leadership throughout my community, but above all else, I am a husband and a father. I have spent twelve years in the Iowa Army National Guard. During my time in the military, I have traveled to sev­eral parts of the world-from Germany to Kosovo. I've met leaders on all fronts. Both military and civilian entities have recognized me for acts of heroism. But I am no hero; I am just a regular man. My wife, Taylor, and our two daughters are the fundamental reason for who I continue to become. I am an entrepreneur, a husband, and a father. My story, and the advice within it, stems from my life experience and dif­ferent measures I have taken to invest in myself to strive to be a better version of who I was before.

I have a father, a mother, and a stepdad. Please read to the end to see how the story comes out. I have five siblings: Tyler, Shelby, Kylie, Jesse, and Jo-Jo, but only Shelby and I share both a mother and a father. All of us reacted to our upbringing in our own ways. Tyler lives with his children and girlfriend; his responsibility is to be a father to his chil­dren. Shelby's journey has landed her in Missouri, where she is happily married to her wife, Tina. Kylie has pursued a marriage to a wonderful man, and they share a beautiful life with two happy and healthy kids. Jesse and Jo-Jo are both still in school and, with the ever-evolving world around them, aspiring to be the best they can be. Jesse works for my com­pany, HomeRevisions.