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While searching for a meaning or a purpose in life has always been of chief concern to people throughout the ages, modern society and consumer culture create a different quest entirely. How do we live up to the people we admire and strive to be like? What kind of status, purchase, or career can give us a sense of worthiness and contentment? And what steps can we take to move past the noise into a place of real actualization and meaning? In this book, the author shares his own journey, from the values and goals he set for himself in childhood to a transformative experience with a shaman in Brazil and every step of his self-discovery afterwards. Each truth and realization about life that is uncovered is given context through the author’s own experiences and shared with the reader.
Driving home the fact that the author is just a regular person and not an enlightened guru, the entire breadth of advice and lessons on display here is framed in an autobiographical style. Though not necessarily told in chronological order, each chapter is presented so that the revelations and knowledge unfold gradually, giving every section a compounding format that builds and builds over time. Through the process of the author telling his own story, the knowledge and insights gained in each highlighted moment assemble into a more complete picture that grows alongside Kennedy’s life story. This is an ideal read for those who prefer to receive lived advice and seek guidance from a down-to-earth, realistic source that won’t sugarcoat the valleys but also won’t undersell the tremendous benefits of self-improvement.
More than offering a simple how-to guide or step-by-step process, the author shares each step and misstep on his journey, arriving at each piece of wisdom organically. Not each leg of the trip is peaceful or easy, oftentimes requiring unlearning bad habits or letting go of long-held beliefs about one's sense of self. Kennedy refuses to be shy about the challenges and pain of transforming one’s entire perspective, revealing an accurate understanding of how much work and determination it takes to reach every landmark along the way. In these stories, he serves as a friend and mentor, one who has experienced each struggle and will coach others through to the other side, where peace of mind awaits those who persist.
Kennedy balances spiritual and emotional advice with real-world stories of family life, marriage, business dealings, and travel. Those who wish to embark on a similar quest but don’t know where to start or think it may be out of their reach can relate to the author’s friendly style and welcoming vulnerability. To help set this tone, he openly provides photographs of people and places that are special or significant to him. Even if many of the concepts discussed can be somewhat elusive or feel good on paper but hard to apply in the real world, this book's storytelling and teaching style give its audience confidence that they, too, can experience a similar metamorphosis. Despite the complexity of reinventing oneself in this fashion, this part-memoir, part-guidebook gives plenty of exercises and food for thought that anyone can try to emulate to achieve similar transcendence.
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