This week I met a man that tried to end his own life; someone intervened and after only three days of seeking help, he was thankful that he did not succeed. Last week I got a call about another fella I knew, he will never have the opportunity to discover the fallacy of the thoughts that drove him to suicide. We have been involved with group therapies and personal development for many years. We have met thousands of people who suffer from their own thinking and perceptions; many never discover how to overcome the seeming burden of their own existence.

Each of us suffered from self-destructive thoughts yet we’re completely unaware of it. These distorted perceptions developed slowly over a long period of time and appeared perfectly normal. Evidence to the to the contrary was there yet rationalized away. Anyone could see the destructive and illogical behaviour except us; deep seeded beliefs combined with fears perpetuated the illusion in light of overwhelming evidence. It seems that if we become physically or emotionally trapped, only imminent death will force us to attempt the unthinkable, assuming we don’t lose hope and just give up. Life can get off track for anyone. It may seem very unlikely or improbable but it occurs much more commonly than it should.

Even if we realize we are having problems, what can we do? Personal change can seem as hard as cutting of your arm to save your life but it doesn’t need to be. This is not a psychology book but rather a layman’s view introducing some of the complexity and challenges of just being human. This book discusses many techniques for feeling comfortable and contented. We discuss some of the reasons things get off track and some ideas for how to make changes. This is an introspective review of how personal change can occur. One size does not fit all so we provide a number of ideas which we have personally witnessed making profound changes in many people’s lives including our own.