My Gift to You

INTRODUCTION

From birth, we start our experiences of life, taking in all of its shapes, sizes, and patterns. We live, love, learn, grow, and carry on to the best of our abilities. However, if somewhere in the middle (between birth and death), you find yourself feeling as if you are locked in a dark and lonely place without a key, wondering why you are alone with only your ego (the voice inside your head) and the void (emptiness somewhere inside, perhaps inside your heart) to keep you company, then perhaps you wouldn't mind my asking what you have done to try to improve your situation. If you are like me, you can write a book about it. We all can, if we are willing to see ourselves as the author of our lives. So now you claim you have the key but have lost your pen - no worries! Being lost is only a temporary condition, as long as you keep looking. The key to finding what you are looking for is being in the right place at the right time. So now you claim you have lost your watch or smart phone - no worries!

Do you like feeling lost? I don't enjoy feeling hopeless, powerless, and inferior to the ego in my mind and the void inside my heart. Even when I enjoyed great successes, accomplishments, and dreams come true, there was always the feeling that something was missing. With all the wonderful people and experiences in my life, how could there be emptiness?

I started reading books that help to motivate and inspire readers to find the purpose and meaning in their lives. Every time I read, "The answer lies within," I wondered whether I was the only person in this world who didn't have a clue what that meant. I immensely enjoyed all of the books and became a better person for having read them, but I was still missing the answer key to my own life purpose and meaning.

Then it happened. When I stopped looking outside for the answers and started looking within myself, I activated a spiritual journey that started from a hopeless place and brought me to writing my very first book... the book in your hands. If you are reading this, I trust that our paths were destined to cross. I am so glad we are here together. Consequently, I also appreciate that I would not have arrived at writing this book if it were not for reading all the prior books and meeting all the amazing people who have previously crossed my path. I've learned that every single person, book, life experience, and conversation (spoken and written) potentially has a pearl of wisdom in it. It just takes a matter of time, perspective, and putting it into practice before we realize its essence and value.

While my spiritual journey started eight years ago, My Gift to You is the first book in a three-book series based on the most recent adventures. The premise for the book is spiritually-based but doesn't strictly adhere to any particular religion or belief system. I respect that each individual has the right to his or her own belief system. We do not have to conform to the same one. While my story is told through my own personal belief in God and the universe, feel free to substitute these names with your own belief system.

I believe that the paradoxes of life are there to teach us the depth and meaning of life by contrast while we search for the purpose and meaning in our own lives. My Gift to You is a story to help you remember and celebrate who you truly are.

This book is not a "how-to" insofar as achieving enlightenment or making your dreams come true. It's only aim is to awaken and remind you that within you is the dream, the compass, and the power to create.

I don't ask that you walk a mile in my shoes but merely walk a mile with me. All that is needed is an open mind and the willingness to discover what is waiting to be found.