Content

Everything starts with context and that is the whole point of this book.

I’m not one for plot spoilers but, the reality is, I am a Millennial.  

(As would be part of the audience I’m catering to in this book)

I know how overwhelmed we all can be at times. The level of filtering we do on a frequent basis is the result of the exposures we get from so much media put in front of us to consume.  

For this reason, the point of a chapter or section, the content, is brought up first in a tl;dr (too long, didn’t read, a summary), while the rest, the context, will be what elucidates the point. 

Or something like that.

Context is the point to everything and is the driving force behind anything we do. If there is one behavior I could influence the reader to instill it is to find whatever way works for them that allows them to feel more mindful of the contexts through which they frame their thinking.  

We frame our perception of the world in a way that always seeks to self-reinforce.  If you do not actively resist the desire to do this, you will find yourself always looking at content that lets you skim through life instead of looking for context that puts you down into the trenches where the work is happening and the gifts of life are yours to create.

Oof, how blue sky is that? Let's get more down to it.

The point of this book is to deliver tools and a philosophy around introspection to assist others with finding the context that enriches the content we experience in our lives. 

My intent is to provide you with ways to challenge yourself so that you can bring a stronger perspective to the problems you encounter in life with increasing strength and fortitude.  

The only thing I am trying to preach is to take a stake in your own life as if it were in your hands, because it truly is.  

You need to be a warrior standing guard.  A guard ready to strike against what stands in your way.

Only one person is ultimately telling you what you can or cannot do with your life, and that person is you.

If the result of this book is that I have conscripted you into joining the fight for your own life like it matters to you, then I will have achieved what I am aspiring for.  However, what I am minimally setting out to do is to influence you into thinking more about framing your thoughts with your genuine perspective.

How?

By being plain about who you are and what you see for yourself in this world, no matter how scary the thought of failing can be.

Forging a Sword You Can Wield is about how a person with OCD who spent their life accomplishing the dreams of many created a dream for themselves, an idea, that they could be enough for themselves.  It's about how they developed certainty in their own perspective within a mindset that frankly doesn’t permit certainty as a concept that exists in this world.  Certainty is a princess bride we all want to court but, instead, we have its ugly sister Reassurance by our sides while we spend our lives constantly seeking out the former.

This book is about forging a sword you can wield, which is a perspective you can stand behind.  It is a dream calling you into action, a life you can deem worth living for. Or, as I jokingly like to think, how to develop and tend to the consequences of having an ego that both enables your greatest accomplishments and your moments of self-sabotage. 

It's about how to cultivate an idea so powerful in yourself that nothing stands in your way, including yourself, from being able to live into the dreams you have for yourself. 

How to see the ways in which you can accomplish your goals of tomorrow, today.

There is a consequence to every way of being, every sword its dull edge, every perspective has its flaws, but it is best to have one in hand over none at all.  

It is my belief that understanding and being plain about your greatest fears and weaknesses is truly the key to unlocking what it means to feel self-expressed and actualize the things we want for ourselves in life.  

And it starts with admitting that you’re wrong.