Rather than flog yourself over a slip, embrace it as simply an integral part of the process of change. Punish yourself and you’ve just made a second mistake – because holding yourself to an unrealistic standard... is a pattern that can lead to defeatism. A shame spiral that can take you out of the game altogether. And the game is all about long-term sustainability over short-term temporary gains.

I felt bad, yet I knew I’d made the right choice. I was following my heart.

I have come to appreciate that great beauty lies in destruction.

And to all those out there who feel stuck, lost, in a rut, or just unable to transcend habits or behaviors that no longer serve you, understand that we are with you. You are all an integral and vital part of this movement. Keep rising. We are with you in each breath and in every moment. This book is for you.

Because she understood what I was only then coming to realize – that safety isn’t just an illusion, it’s a cop-out. I know it sounds trite, but there’s simply nothing like a near-death experience to remind one of the impermanence of everything. And living imprisoned by fear only to die with regret over dreams postponed was a life neither of us was interested in.

The only way through was to surrender – to.

Our minds are mischievously clever. Time and again, they pull us back to the past and yank us forward into the future. Our perception of the world – and the story we tell ourselves about who we are – is completely colored by half-baked memories and imagined projections. But in truth this is all illusion... The only objective truth is the present moment – the now.

You can stand in the light. And you can set a positive example. But you simply cannot make someone change.

The prize never goes to the fastest guy,” Chris replied. “It goes to the guy who slows down the least.” True in endurance sports. And possibly even truer in life.

We are all capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to be... So let’s hit reset. Let’s begin anew the process of stepping into that person we always wanted, and deserve, to be.