Synopsis

The Problem

Most people think discipline means never slipping, grinding harder, or relying on sheer willpower. That picture leaves little space for real life. It feeds guilt, burnout, and the idea that discipline belongs only to a select few. Research shows most resolutions fail within weeks, not because people don’t care, but because life interrupts—and current self-help advice rarely addresses that.

The Solution

Returning: The Gentle Art of Finding Your Way Back offers another way. It focuses on comeback speed: how quickly we return to what we value most after drifting. Instead of punishing slips, it teaches how to use them as cues to realign. The book combines lived experience, science, and practical tools to make discipline flexible and sustainable.

Key takeaways include:

* Shifting mindset from rigidity to realignment

* Anchoring actions in purpose rather than pressure

* Designing systems that make returning easier

* Using metrics to know when to adjust instead of forcing through

Why Me

I write from lived experience and from building systems as an engineer. Through my newsletter Self Disciplined, I’ve shared this philosophy with hundreds of readers, many of whom have found relief in seeing discipline differently. The ideas behind my Adaptable Discipline framework are still growing, but they’ve already proven to resonate deeply and are beginning to spark ripples beyond my immediate community.

Sales arguments

• Newsletter: Self Disciplined has 515 subscribers, ~3,500 monthly reads, and over 1,000 Substack followers.
• Network growth: While I don’t yet have direct access to well-known authors, I am building collaborations within Substack and connecting with creators in the personal development space. These relationships provide natural channels for amplification.
• Concept validation: My post “What If You’ve Been Measuring Progress the Wrong Way All Along?”—introducing the idea of comeback speed—became my most viral piece to date, with 652 reads, 71 likes, 19 comments, 27 restacks, and 8 new subscribers. This response shows strong resonance with the book’s central concept.
• Only 19% of people keep their resolutions after two years (Norcross & Vangarelli). Forbes Health (2024) reports just 9% of adults successfully keep theirs. The WHO formally recognized burnout in 2019, and Gallup (2023) found 44% of employees experience daily stress. Together, these trends show that willpower-driven discipline doesn’t match real life.
• ADHD affects roughly 3% of adults worldwide, and the number jumps closer to 6–7% when you count those with clear symptoms but no formal childhood diagnosis. Rigid systems often backfire for this group, while flexible, skills-based approaches—like CBT, executive training, or ADHD coaching—deliver far better results. Returning takes that same spirit: a humane, adaptive way forward for anyone who’s felt broken by traditional models.

Similar titles

• ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction—from Childhood through Adulthood — Edward M. Hallowell, MD & John J. Ratey, MD; Ballantine Books; January 12, 2021.
• The Let Them Theory — Mel Robbins; Harmony Books (Penguin Random House); July 9, 2024.
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones — James Clear; Avery (Penguin Random House); October 16, 2018 (still top-selling, with reissue activity in 2023).

Audience

Returning is written for adults ages 25–45, especially millennials and younger Gen X professionals navigating ADHD, executive dysfunction, or burnout—an audience that’s rapidly expanding, with 6% of U.S. adults now diagnosed with ADHD (CDC, 2024) and 44% of employees reporting daily stress (Gallup, 2023). They connect directly to the book’s solution: learning to redefine discipline as comeback speed—returning quickly and gently after setbacks—instead of relying on willpower or rigid systems. Beyond this core, the book also appeals to the broader self-help and personal growth market of readers interested in building sustainable discipline and resilience, similar to the audiences of Atomic Habits and The Power of Habit.