Path to Freedom: Leading a Life of Joy, Impact, and Abundance
Many of today’s leaders, CEO’s and executives live their lives in a state of rush. Rush to catch up with time, rush to make more money, rush to stay ahead of the competition, rush to climb up the ladder and gain more power and prestige. This rush often leads to stress, relationship issues, illness and more. This book, Path to Freedom, offers a practical set of insights and guideposts to help you discover and live your purpose. Path to Freedom: Leading a Life of Joy, Impact, and Abundance by Nader Vasseghi is a non-fiction self-help book with the intent of guiding readers toward a genuinely fulfilling existence.
Many of today’s leaders, CEO’s and executives live their lives in a state of rush. Rush to catch up with time, rush to make more money, rush to stay ahead of the competition, rush to climb up the ladder and gain more power and prestige. They may be perceived as successful and meet all the external measures of success, but when you dig in and go deeper, you may find signs of chronic stress, broken relationships, health issues, lack of meaning and purpose, and a general state of unhappiness and unrest.
In my work with high performing leaders, I get the pleasure and honor to be their trusted advisor. Very soon after our conversation begins, and in response to a few penetrating questions, they drop their shields and show their true sense of frustration and dissatisfaction. It is lonely at the top, and they don’t get very many chances to speak about their deepest fears, desires and frustrations. This is where the real work begins. And we start exploring and co-creating a new possibility where they not only can lead a fulfilling life, but also can be more successful in their field of focus beyond their expectations.
This book sets the foundation for this work. In my personal experience, and in working with my clients, I have discovered that to create a truly fulfilling and balanced life, three ingredients of joy, impact and abundance need to be present simultaneously. It is like a 3-legged stool, where if one of the legs is weak or short, the structure is not stable. It is living inside the intersection of these three key ingredients that a life of flow and fulfillment is achieved. The state of rush for constantly doing more is shifted to a state of being in the flow, where thoughts, words and actions are synergistically and harmoniously aligned toward a meaningful purpose. In this state of being, we gain access, and operate from, our own innate creativity, wisdom and resourcefulness. We get to push less and get more done.
Leaders who lack the joy aspect, seem to conduct a mechanical and dull life. Leaders who lack the impact aspect, seem to conduct a life void of meaning and may feel empty inside. Leaders who lack the abundance aspect, seem to constantly struggle with limitations, restrictions and financial pressures.
My intention in writing this book was to make it as short, concise and practical as possible. The book is divided into four parts; each part focusing on a core topic of joy, impact, abundance, and freedom. Each part starts with an exploration of core concepts and insights, followed by a set of practical exercises and practices to help integrate the core concepts into daily life. And each part ends with a set of tools and resources that can help the reader go deeper into the subjects. The intention is not to add information, but to provide a framework for transformation.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite
Path to Freedom: Leading a Life of Joy, Impact, and Abundance by Nader Vasseghi is a non-fiction self-help book with the intent of guiding readers toward a genuinely fulfilling existence. Vasseghi leads with an introduction to his own personal journey and the positive transformation that evolved when everything he thought he wanted fell apart. Path to Freedom is separated by four interconnected but distinct parts: Joy, Impact, Abundance, and Freedom. Within these parts are targeted themes and an intensive look at what makes them relevant and important, a practice section for proactive involvement and thought from the reader, where to find additional material through tools and resources, and several quotes that work in harmony with the text.
Using a straightforward and succinct method of writing, Nader Vasseghi has a voice of encouraging authority that is as passionate and knowledgable as it is clear and informative. Path to Freedom refrains from the usual pandering of guilt and instead shifts the focus away from who we have been to who we have the potential to become. I found the greatest motivation through the second chapter, Impact, and in particular the task of removing ourselves from our comfort zones. He says, “Extending the realm of our possibility is no easy task if we are not grounded in who we are.” This is the type of book I’d wish I’d found when I was younger. It’s unlikely my younger self would have been open to a more internal approach to facilitate external change, but I’m so grateful to have come across it now. No doubt legions of others will be also.