Welcome to a book about how to change your life. It's written online as a counter to those billions of published words which promise self-improvement and attempt to sell you some simple formulae guaranteed to help you make your dreams come true.
The books won't work! That's why there are so many - people keep buying them, hoping the next will reveal the secret of change, success, or escape from whatever plagues them.
There is only one secret to changing your life – do something different, don't waste time reading books which offer simple guidelines, promise to reveal some universal truth or secret, or which tell you to think positively and imagine your world getting better.
So what do you do? Don't repeat past mistakes, don't get trapped in the mindset which got you where you are. Don't do something random or ill considered. Stop, think, review your life and hopes. Be self-critical, but be compassionate with yourself. Be sceptical of anything you read or hear - question, doubt, check alternatives and critical viewpoints. And consider the stories you don't write! It'll take effort, it'll take confidence, it'll take motivation, it'll take luck ... it may involve pain, it probably won't be easy.
The reason I invite you to read this book is because it will encourage you to do something about your life. There are no simple solutions or proven formulae for sustained change, I won't delude you into thinking there are, but I invite you to question, to think, to make decisions and take action for change.
You'll make the changes, this book won't make them for you! If you want to change your life, it's your own sense of purpose and reward for achievement which will provide the motivation to continue.
This is a 'book', written online. It's FREE. There are no catches. I'm not asking you to buy anything, I'm inviting you to think for yourself and question who you are, why you're looking for advice, what you're looking to change (and why), what you've learned already, what you need to 'unlearn'. All you have to invest is your time and intelligence ... and effort.
Welcome to a love affair with life, written by a man who spent much of the last twenty years flirting with the romance of suicide and escape. I'll explain what I mean by 'romance' later. Let's just say I'm determined to put aside melodrama and rediscover passion. Passion is the fuel for change.
Welcome to a book about you. We'll probably never meet, I've no idea what concerns you or why you came to this website. I can't tailor my writing to your individual needs, I can only write in general terms. Think of "The Stories You Don't Write" as me starting the conversation you'll continue with yourself, friends, family, and people in your community.
This is a book about honesty, the honesty of self-understanding and the unveiling of the lies which shaped your life. It's a book about the nature of human consciousness, a book to prime you in speculation, scepticism and wonder. I'm not offering an easy route - it's a challenging one, and you will meet with disappointment.
Welcome to a book which is as much a work of fiction as it is a 'scientific' analysis of human psychology and behaviour. I'll encourage you to write your own novel or autobiography so you can replace the stories you don't write, the stories you didn't write.
Welcome to your future self.
