Awaken

15Discoveries

My life is an unfinished canvas, a work in progress. I wrote this book to look back on what I have experienced and learned so I can illuminate the path forward with greater clarity for myself and, I hope, for my readers. I have sought answers to timeless questions that are relevant to all humans: How can we stay true to ourselves? How can we live in alignment with what we're meant to bring into the world? How can we manifest love and strength in equal and full measure?

Our lives are amalgams of countless forces and influences, some subtle and others obvious, propelling us forward and sideways and sometimes backwards in seemingly inexplicable ways. But ultimately, each of our lives is a journey toward purpose, coherence, inner peace, wholeness, and healing. I navigated the journey in my own way. You may find other pathways. But our goals are the same: to find and live our purpose, become whole human beings, and heal the traumas that lie buried within ourselves.

This book was the easiest and the hardest to write of all my books. It was easy because at one level it was a straightforward process of excavating my memories from a crowded and eventful life. But it was also the hardest thing I've ever done because it was painful, even traumatic, to relive difficult memories, come to painful realizations, and confront harsh truths.

In the end, this is neither an exercise in self‐flagellation nor self‐absolution. It is about learning to live from the inside out, rooted ...