Hey everyone!

Well, we made it to 2021.  I don't know about you, but last year was both incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding.  Between the pandemic, the social unrest, and the political drama, it was a lot to take in.  At the same time, writing this book became a huge part of my life.  I wrote things that made me laugh, as well as things that still to this day make me cry.  I wrote things that, at first glance, seemed too impossible to be true.  As the year progressed, so did my writing, and my understanding of this story.  

With a relative calm over the holidays, it seemed as though 2021 was going to offer a bit of a respite.  And then, six days into the New Year, the Insurrection at the Capitol happened.  The good tidings of Christmas and New Year's were cast aside as we saw Nazi and Confederate flags in the halls of Congress.  Thankfully, the peaceful transition of power between U.S. Presidents took place without further incident, though the unrest simmers unseen beneath the surface.

February 1st will mark one year since this pre-order campaign began!  As I logged onto the Publishizer website, I saw the video I had posted to kick this campaign off.  Looking back, I recorded that video in my corporate office.  I was clean-shaven, in great shape, and a little uncomfortable in "rushing" a book idea I wasn't completely familiar with.

Today, I haven't been back to my office for nearly 8 months.  I have the fullest beard I've ever allowed myself to grow and, while I'm still in pretty good shape, I'm not feverishly pushing myself at every moment to prepare for or complete a spartan obstacle course race.  If anything has changed, it's the comfort level I have with this story.

I am definitely leaning towards sharing my journal entries as the basis for the book.  At this stage, I'm just not sure how I would synthesize this into a seamless story other than to share the raw honesty of my writing as it happens, day by day.  Oh, and it definitely will not be called Being.  If you're familiar with the spiritual teacher Ram Dass, he came out with a book of the same name recently, and I think that's perfect.   I have come up with about fifty different names for the title and I'll know when I've found the exact one.

What can I tell you about this project?  It has become more than I ever thought possible.  It has challenged me as a writer, and called me to the carpet regarding my beliefs.  Aside from all the magazine articles and blog posts I wrote last year, I have roughly 500 pages of handwritten notes and journal entries.  I'm getting ready to do some tv spots for my promotion of The Lighthouse Keeper and, when asked about this book at the end of interviews, I think the best way to sum it up is...this story is going to be so beautiful, people are going to struggle to believe that it's 100% real.  That's really exciting to me.  Truthfully, this is the story I've wanted to tell my entire life.

Also, I want to do something special for everyone who supported me with their pre-order.  I don't know how yet, but I am going to give each of you an early version of the book.  My first drafts in April of last year are still a little surreal.  Simple words arranged in such a way as to generate powerful images and thoughts.  Maybe I'll write them all by hand.

The year that Jack Canfield mentioned at his Mastermind last March has loomed large in my life over the course of these last ten months.  The fact that the anniversary of him saying that is in the not too distant future is both thrilling and a bit of a relief. I'll be back next month or early March with another update.  If all goes well, I hope to be able to share the title with you when you hear from me next.

Focus on the beauty of living today, and be kind to everyone you meet!

David