Drew Gerald - Why Youre Still Stuck: How to Break Through and Awaken to Your True Self

I know the pain of being stuck. Intimately. Ive struggled most of my life trying to figure this all out, incessantly attempting to overcome the same struggles and plateaus, over and over again. I remember when a major company published me among the most prominent leaders in the field. It was validating, joyous, and a dream come trueI thought I had it made! And then three months later I was homeless.

Whats wrong with me? How could it be that I had such a success, yet couldnt even afford to live?

The perplexing thing was that this happened after years of self-help and being successful in business. I wasnt an amateur. Yet, it seemed that even after all of this workin business and on myselfI still wasnt enough. I had been trying to fix myself for a decade, doing everything I could not to feel so resentful, trapped, hopeless, undesirable, and lonely. I wanted to be accepted, to be loved, and to feel fulfilled as a man. I thought improving meant being more valuable, which meant being more desirable and financially successful, which would ultimately lead to all the things that could make me happier: abundance, love, connection, actualization, and impact.

I thought self-help equaled self-happy.

I went as deep as anyone could go. You name it, Ive tried it. Ive removed blocks and cleared negative emotions. Ive tried morning routines and building habits. I ate tonic herbs. Ive been hypnotized and experienced qi gong. Ive wrote affirmations on yellow sticky notes throughout my house. I used a gratitude journal, healed generational trauma, did energy work, detoxed, tapped, and even tried plant medicines. Plus, all the acronym modalities you can think of, Ive done em or something like em.

And you know what? They all worked; they were all helpful. I improved from all of it, and I would still recommend many of them for certain things.

but I still kept getting stuck. None of these things quite did it.

I was learning the most incredible things, improving my health, healing my traumas, having all these breakthroughsand despite all that powerful internal transformationmy life, relationships, and bank account looked worse than ever.

It baffled me. What was I missing? Did I just suck at life?

There wasnt a lack of work ethic, talent, knowledge, or capability, and there wasnt a lack of experience or success, either. I couldnt use these as a reason to justify my suffering because I had evidence that showed otherwise. Long before I became an author, I worked in the technology sector as a designer/developer turned entrepreneur. I began learning at fourteen, and then at eighteen, I built a physics and particle engine from scratch. I started this software company and ran it for seven years on my own. It served over 30,000 users, including many top brands you know and use daily. It was the first company and product I had ever createdproof enough that I was highly competent.

I applied myself the same way in my newfound teaching and coaching career. Gratefully, this led to that first publishing I mentioned. I was producing high value, life-changing content so what caused such a catastrophic failure soon thereafter? How was it that after diving into therapy and spirituality and being of serviceit seemed like I got wiser and wiser but less and less functional in the world?

Is that just how it works?

I chose not to accept that premisethere had to be a different way. I knew that others have prevailed, and so could I. It was clear that there must be something beyond smarts, talent, experience, hustling, connections, money, faith, spiritual knowledge, or emotional intelligence that factors into success and fulfillment. Something that wasnt stated in any of the well-known self-help or spirituality books. Perhaps a missing piece that escaped mainstream philosophies of performance, habits, mindfulness, healing, and success. An elusive something that makes all the difference.

My life quite literally depended on me figuring this out, and I was willing to do whatever it took to unravel the mystery and get unstuck. Not only from one situation, but unstuck in all areas of my life.

After many years of struggle and failure, I finally discovered whatitwas.

It changed everything for me, and its effect is felt in every word youll read. Its identity revealed between the paragraphs of each chapter. Its source reflected upon every page. Its validity found in the publishing of this book. Its truth echoed through each choice this philosophy inspires you to make.

If youre still stuck despite all the work youve already done, this book will tell you why and how to overcome this plateau once and for all.

Somehow, in some way, something is stuck in your life. Perhaps theres a problem or obstacle in your way that you havent been able to crack. Maybe youve been struggling to penetrate the same pattern, cycle, or level for years. Or, perhaps youre on the path of spiritual awakening and are looking to move past suffering altogether and discover the truth of who you are. Everybody is stuck on something.