At twenty-three the author lost his father, broke his leg, lost his job, and spent a year below the poverty line. He thought his life was over. He decided he was the problem and began taking notes.
This short personal growth book is the field guide that came out of those notes. It is written for a life reset after job loss, injury, or a year that flattened you. You can finish it. Then you can use it.
The center of the book is the Wheel of Values. The wheel has ten spokes: Family, Appearance, Friends, Attitude, Finances, Career, Fellowship, Health, Direction, and Recreations. You score each spoke from one to ten. The lowest number is the spoke that is dragging. You work that spoke first.
Ten short chapters walk through a calm mind, better thoughts, gratitude, faith in yourself, meaning, goals, health, money, relationships, and habits. Each chapter includes laws you can read aloud and a small practice you can do the same week: a walking meditation, a way to quiet a loud inner voice, a gratitude habit, a worry process that ends in one next step, a purpose card, and a swap for your worst core habit.
This is not a research study of happiness. It is a short self help manual for scoring your life and taking one action. Read it when you need a clear next move, not another theory.