ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book has been a long, emotional journey. I hastily started writing down my philosophies on life in 2003 when I thought I merely had months to live. Since I found out that I have a bit more time left to on this earth, my writing and thoughts have developed gradually, as I’ve reminisced about my past, triggering more and more memories that have had the greatest impact on where I am today, and figuring out by trial and error the best way to impart everything I have learned up until now into this book, so that anyone reading it can take something—hopefully positive— away with them. Writing this book has been a cathartic, heart-wrenching process and I couldn’t have done it without the help of Henrietta Tiefenthaler and Darby Connor. It goes without saying that I would like to thank my wife, Claudia, for her unconditional love and support, my children for being their unique selves, and my boss, Ricardo Salinas, who gave me an opportunity to start a new life when I reached the crossroads.

King Solomon warned in the book of Proverbs: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Today, our society is in dire need of vision and innovation. From the beginning of time, enterprising individuals, companies and nations were created through the driving force of powerful visionaries who have brought us to the place where we are today. Social, economic, educational, medical, communications and political progress have all been conceived by the power of vision.

However, most of us are trapped in a time warp of the past, suffocated by the traditions of past experiences, unable to embrace an ever-changing, socio-economic and political environment. Even more enslaving are the constrictions we, as creatures of habit, put on ourselves. By remaining complacent in the comfort of routine, we prevent ourselves from moving forward and exercising the full capacity of our potential. Our comfort zone enslaves us.

We reach a certain level of knowledge which enables us to get from one day to the next. We have mastered the skills we need to pay the bills and get by within our community, with sufficient future prospects to provide us with a sense of security. This is how we live in our comfort zone, but it doesn’t necessarily challenge or reward us with a sense of accomplishment. It’s more likely to leave us wanting to be.