‘Flip or Flop’ Personality Tarek El Moussa Gets Candid About His Personal ‘Trauma’

Former Flip or Flop star Tarek El Moussa got personal on his Instagram page Tuesday by exploring the impact his own trauma and hardships have had on his life.

El Moussa posted a screenshot of the quote “Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think you’ve lost time. There is no short-cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.”

The quote is credited to Asha Tyson, the author of How I Retired at 26!.

El Moussa added his own persona reflection in the caption, and asked his fans if they agreed with the sentiment.

“I ask myself daily- would I be a different person today if I didn’t experience all the trauma I went through? The answer is yes!! I’m better today from trusting that I am resilient, I’m a fighter and I have the ability to bounce back from any situation,” El Moussa wrote.

The 36-year-old thinks life gives you two options when you face a difficult situation. “Option one, throw in the towel and crawl up in a ball..option 2 light the towel on fire, kick the ball and come out 10 times stronger than when you went in,” he wrote.

He continued, “If anyone is down or experiencing pain do this!!!!! Make the decision NOW to stand up and fight! Fight for you! Fight for your family! Fight for your life! It’s yours and no one else’s. Only you can control your future…make the decision to make it the best future possible and leave the past in the past!”

El Moussa and his fellow Flip or Flop star Christina El Mousa split in 2016 and finalized their divorce in January. The couple share two children, 7-year-old daughter Taylor, and 2-year-old son Braydon.

In 2013, El Moussa also survived thyroid cancer and testicular cancer. He recently told Us Weekly he was sure he was “going to die.”

“I literally filmed ’til the day I went into my surgery, and within two weeks after, I was back on camera,” El Moussa said in December. “It was definitely difficult to do, but it definitely pushed my mental strength to the limits… I just kept moving forward.”

Things are looking up for El Moussa though. Earlier this month, he celebrated “new beginnings” after buying a new house in Costa Mesa, California for $2.28 million.

However, on Thursday, TMZ reported that El Moussa is suing a realtor for swindling him out of a $35,000 deposit for a house. The realtor has been arrested for doing the same thing and had his real estate license revoked.