Amy Eliza Wong - Living On Purpose: Five Deliberate Choices to Realize Fulfillment and Joy

PRAISE FOR

LIVING ON PURPOSE

To say that Amy Wong changed my life would be putting it mildly. Anyone interested in getting out of their way and unlocking their creative reserves should read this book. And then read it again!

ANURADHA MURALIDHARAN, Chief Operating Officer at Expensify

Who doesnt want to finally feel at home in their own life, relationships, and profession? Amy Wong offers a compelling book to guide you away from self-imposed limitations and toward a path of intention, leading to an authentic and joyous life.

ADAM GAZZALEY, MD PhD, David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Executive Director of Neuroscape at University of California, San Francisco; coauthor of The Distracted Mind

Living on Purpose has taken me by surprise. In a lifetime of exploring the terrain of the human heart and mind, I find Amy Wongs understanding and wisdom to be deeply refreshing. A case in point, Amy illuminates the nature of rejection and its impact throughout our lives in a wholly unique way. Making this discovery in the pages of her book will bring readers closer to themselves and help them to navigate the world with greater openness and freedom. Amy is an emerging teacher whose brilliant light youll want to keep an eye on.

BARNET BAIN, author of The Book of Doing and Being and producer of the Oscar-winning film What Dreams May Come

Amy Wong has written a powerful book about what living on purpose truly means. Insightful, candid, and engaging, its a must-read for anyone ready to go from succeeding by accident to thriving on purpose.

MIKE ROBBINS, author of Nothing Changes Until You Do

If youve ever desperately wanted something, felt held back by self-doubt, or wondered what was next (i.e. if youre human!), please read this smart, gentle, personal, and so true book by Amy Wong on how to live on purpose. Wongs approach is truly originalworld-class coach, mathematician, and trusted girlfriend. I love this book. Its a life-changer

BETHANY SALTMAN, author of the critically acclaimed Strange Situation: A Mothers Journey into the Science of Attachment

Amy Wong has created a greatly needed and highly practical guide on how to shift foundational perceptions into the inherent confidence, purpose, and joy that lives within all of ussomething especially valuable during these challenging times. She gets to the core of what holds people back from living their best lives and presents clear steps to make real change. Read it and experience a profound shift in your personal and professional life.

OWEN OKEEFFE, Managing Director and Global Head of Technology M&A at Morgan Stanley

An incredibly relatable, fun, and practical guide that will lead you away from persistent dissatisfaction and fears of not being or having enough. Read it and share it. Its a game-changer.

ERICA LOCKHEIMER, Vice President of Engineering at LinkedIn

Engaging, warm, and empowering, Amy Wong offers a compelling guide to an authentic life of joy and freedom. This book has the power to change our individual and collective lives.

SHAUNA SHAPIRO, PhD, author of Good Morning, I Love You: Mindfulness + Self-Compassion Practices to Rewire Your Brain

This is a wonderful guidebook. Its a delight to read and filled with relatable insights, easy-to-follow practices, and powerful tools. In a warm and inspiring way, Amy Wong offers an unapologetic road map to getting out of your own way and moving toward a life lived with meaning and intention.

CHRIS PAN, founder of MyIntent.org

As a culture, we have numbed ourselves to the ability to lean into our true aspirations and live an authentic life. This eye-opening, moving book will help a lot of people break free from the mental habits that hold them back.

CHIP CONLEY, founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality and author of Wisdom at Work

Amy Wong has written a must-read guidebook for anyone wanting to break out of the uncomfortable cycle of not enough and escape from the rat race once and for all.

DR. DIANA HENDEL, former hospital CEO, executive coach, author of Responsible: A Memoir, and coauthor of the award-winning Trauma to Triumph

BrainTrust Ink

Nashville, Tennessee

www.braintrustink.com

Copyright 2022 Amy Eliza Wong

All rights reserved.

Thank you for purchasing an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright law. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder.

This work is being published under the BrainTrust Ink imprint by an exclusive arrangement with BrainTrust. BrainTrust Ink and the BrainTrust logos are registered trademarks of BrainTrust. The BrainTrust Ink logo is a wholly owned trademark of BrainTrust.

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Design and composition by Greenleaf Book Group and Sheila Parr

Cover design by Greenleaf Book Group and Sheila Parr

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication data is available.

Print ISBN: 978-1-956072-02-0

eBook ISBN: 978-1-956072-03-7

Part of the Tree Neutral program, which offsets the number of trees consumed in the production and printing of this book by taking proactive steps, such as planting trees in direct proportion to the number of trees used: www.treeneutral.com

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

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First Edition

For my mom and dad,
who fanned the flames of my passions, guided me when the path wasnt clear, and trusted me to follow my instincts when it was.

Can you imagine a world where each of us awoke each day with a feeling of deep engagement in our lives? A world where self-compassion, honesty, and connection were the norm? Can you imagine yourself waking up every day with an inner feeling of true joy and happy anticipationthe kind of feeling you had as a child on a special day of celebration?

Do you remember having days when you couldnt wait to get out of bed to see what magic was about to happen?

That kind of excitement comes from knowing and honoring whats true for you at your very core. And while many of us start out with an unbroken connection to ourselves, very often this way of living gets fractured, and we begin to live a life that isnt authentically our own. We do this for various reasons. We have rent or a mortgage to pay. We must feed and clothe ourselves. We may have other mouths to feed, including our beloved dogs and cats. For most of us, as we set off on our own as young adults, our primary reason for getting a j.o.b. is to take care of our basic survival needs. We live the lives we do, and then sometime down the road, many of us find ourselves standing on a precipicesurveying where we have come toasking ourselves, How the heck did I get here? Maybe all weve been doing is living the life thats in front of us, the one that meets our needs, rather than the one that feeds our souls. Something is missing, and theres a nagging question: What is that something? A sense of meaning? Optimism? Purpose? Passion?