Today is the official launch day for my new book, "You End Up Where You're Heading, the Hidden Dangers of Living a Safe Life."
For those interested, I'll start this blog by saying that for the next seven days, I'm discounting it on kindle to .99 cents so that everyone can buy it and enjoy it! Hardcover and paperback are also available at this link.
About four years ago, I first started down the path that eventually lead to this book. I noticed specific patterns in the lives of all of my most successful friends. That pattern was made famous by a man named Joseph Campbell called "The Heroes Journey." It has been made famous in movies from "The Wizard of Oz" to "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" and pretty much everything in between.
When we think of heroes, we think of William Wallace or Abraham Lincoln. But what I tried to bring about in this book is how we can all become the hero of our own story. What separates great people like Tim Ballard, the founder of "Operation Underground Railroad" and 2-time Super Bowl champion Kyle Van Noy from ordinary everyday people? What is it about them that allowed them to Face the Frontier, Cross the Bridge, and thrive on the Road to Trials?
In my own life, I had so many times when I almost turned back when I almost chose the safe road so that I wouldn't have to open myself up to the struggle of revealing my heart and transmitting my soul.
We live in a world where it is "easier" to sit back, play it safe, and stay out of the limelight. With great rewards, comes great struggles, and we are seeing the critics who are continually trying to tear you down every day.
They say the number one regret of the dying isn't the things they DID in their lives. Nope, the number one regret is the things they never did do. The dreams that died with them. The ideas and thoughts of grandeur that faded away into complacency and safety. I hate that. This entire book was designed to help you wake up and realize that the life you want is right there. It's on the other side of fear and can only be achieved by stripping yourself of someone else's expectations for what your life needs to be.
In my own life, I guilted and shamed myself for years because my life didn't look like the life of those around me. I was supposed to be married and having kids. I was supposed to be more "traditional" and follow the path of those around me. But I didn't.
For some reason, it just never felt right and so I chose my own path. Eventually, I found mentors who helped me discover that this map we call life was much bigger than I thought. I could only see what was right in front of me and it wasn't until they told me to step back and look that I could see how zoomed in I was. Throughout time explorers weren't rewarded very nicely. Sure they got fame and sometimes fortune, but they also got lost, diseased, and attacked and killed.
That's why settling became such a great option. Build walls, farm the crops, sit in, and protect what you have. But times have changed and we see every day that the real danger comes from dying a slow death. It's the job you don't want to go to or the boss you can't stand. It's knowing that you aren't living a life that you are passionate about. It's settling for less than you deserve.
I'm going to include the prologue from my book where I talk about my own life and the two paths that were facing me. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it and sharing it now with you. If you like what you read here, please go to this link on Amazon and order copies for you and anyone who's the life you want to change!
Also, I sat down with the co-author of this book, Cameron Carling, and we discussed the book entirely as well as the process to get in a podcast that launched today. Please click here to check out the show!
PROLOGUE
Two Potential Paths
Path 1: When the alarm goes off, you can't believe it's morning. Another day you're not ready to face. You check your phone, pushing aside the book you've been meaning to read on your nightstand. Your feet haven't hit the floor yet and your boss is already yelling at you through email. Why do you keep going back? After a rushed breakfast and too little time with your family, you're on the road for the thirty-minute commute to the office. As you hit the freeway on-ramp, all you can see are brake lights. Thirty minutes turns into ninety. You go from sitting in your car to sitting at your desk. More email. The picture next to your monitor of you and your friends at Yellowstone reminds you that you still haven't gone to a national park in all fifty states. After the baby, you got stalled at twelve. And then it was hard to get vacation. And the flights to Alaska are so expensive. Maybe next year. You crack open the single-use plastic containing your lunch. The turkey sandwich is drier than usual, so you settle for the chips. The guy next to you on the park bench is sweating profusely, his shirt sticking to his chest. You've lost your appetite. Back to the car. Sit. Back at your desk. Sit. Afternoon staff meeting. Sit. Your boss asks a question but it's more of a directive, "Can you have the quarterly report done by end of day?" The call home that you'd be late was received icier than usual. There's barely enough time to do all the yard work let alone have a date night. Back in the car. Sit. All the lights seem to be on in the house as you pull into the driveway. The mortgage was more than you could afford, let alone the electricity bill, but interest rates were so low, your dad said you'd be crazy not to go bigger. You look up and down the empty streets. Everyone inside, safe and sound. It's Wednesday. Spaghetti night. Again.
Path 2: You're already awake when they knock on your door. You lock eyes with your mission lead, and he gives you a confident nod. You're only a few steps out the door of your Mexican border-town motel when the beachside drug pusher offers you weed. You decline; you're looking for underage girls instead. But he's got you covered for that too, you just need to find boss Carlos. The adrenaline is building in your body. It's good to be back. You rushed out without breakfast, but undercover missions rarely follow a schedule. You were supposed to meet Carlos thirty minutes ago, but it's turned into ninety. You can't sit down; the alley you're standing in is covered in urine and garbage. A black SUV with dark tinted windows pulls up and the brake lights engage. Two armed guards emerge who seem like they shouldn't have even fit inside. You're scared, but the thought of having a successful rescue calms you down. Your stomach growls as the negotiation for the "party" drags on. You're thankful for the Spanish you learned on a previous mission as you haggle over the price per girl and the preferred location to make it seem legit. The guy standing across from you, an ex-Navy SEAL, briefly touches his shirt. You pray they don't see any of the hidden cameras. Carlos asks you a question, but it's more of an invitation, "Can you be back in two weeks?" The night arrives and Carlos parades the forty girls into the room. All the lights are dimmed. You're standing next to a handful of Special Forces guys in bad Hawaiian shirts. When the code word drops and you get "arrested" along with Carlos and his crew, you revel in their surprised faces. Every one of those girls, safe and sound. It's a Thursday or Friday, but it doesn't matter. A few hours later, you hop on a plane back to the States, excited for what challenges the next day might hold.
Two paths... Which one makes you feel more alive?