Why I wrote this book:

Every person deserves to live the life that they want to live, without judgment, jealousy, or fear. I have seen so many talented people fall short of their potential, and it is usually because of other people’s expectations or the need to conform to society or the fear of failure and in rare cases a fear of success.

We all need to protect our joy. Otherwise, it can be stolen from us in an instant.

The story of Alice is etched into my mind.

Alice (not her real name, as I know that she would like this to remain private) lived in state housing with her family, her husband, and two children and was the main income earner. One day she thought to herself, “Wouldn’t it be great to own our own home?” and so she asked payroll to take some money out of her pay each week so that she could surprise her family and buy the house that she lived in from the government. They had lived there for so long that the price was discounted and affordable, and she felt it was her opportunity to use some of the money she earned to secure her future. Alice saved for years and did not tell anyone about her plans—I don’t know how she kept it secret for so long.

Sadly, when Alice was close to her savings goal, she could not keep it to herself. She was so filled with joy at her achievement that Alice told her husband. He told his family and within a week everyone asked her for money and by the end of the month, she had nothing left. Alice told me that she would never save again, and I could see the sadness in her eyes, and I knew that her "joy had been stolen". Alice had been made to feel guilty about having money and was then shamed by people who were supposed to love her into helping them with their problems. Alice could not say no; she was made to feel guilty and ended up letting her dream slip away.

Alice’s joy was taken away from her, all because she allowed people to take it from her.