Endorsements
Youre going to love this book! Paul provides truthful insight for ways to combat the biggest lies twentysomethings are believing. He gives practical action steps through winsome and engaging stories. You wont be able to put it down. He inspires readers to ask the hard questions and see how integral their generation is to the world. If you pick up this book, get two and share it. It will be helpful to whoever reads it.
Jonathan Pokluda , author of Outdated and bestseller Welcome to Adulting
As someone who struggled with believing a lot of lies during my twenties, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Paul Angone delivers so much truth in this book to combat the lies that can wreck our lives and relationships and keep us stifled from stepping out and using our gifts and talents to make a difference in this world.
Crystal Paine , New York Times bestselling author, podcaster, and entrepreneur
Life is confusing, especially in your twenties. This book will lead you out of the darkness and into the most thriving decade of your life. Its a must-read for any twentysomething, as well as teachers, friends, and parents of those who want to do more than wander.
Jeff Goins , bestselling author of The Art of Work
Miracles favor forward movement, Paul Angone writes in Lies , and this book will help you ditch all the unhelpful baggage preventing momentum. Our twenties are a pivotal time for foundation setting, and yet for so many of us they are rife with insecurities and upheaval. Instead of finding the steady ground we so desperately seek, its as if were straddling the fault line of tectonic plates that are set on creating one identity-shaking quake after another. In another one of his masterpiecesor happy little accidentsPaul brings his signature wit, grit, heart, and grace to reveal twenty-five new secrets: that each of the biggest beliefs holding us back are just paper tigers waiting to be brought to light.
Jenny Blake , author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One and Life after College
Just when you think youve got life figured out, the whole world gets turned upside down and you realize just how young and clueless you really are (just me?). Paul cuts through the crappy advice you see posted next to photos of white sand beaches on Instagram and nails the lies, fears, and insecurities I didnt even realize I was struggling with. Perfect read for anyone staring down their thirties like its the deadline for becoming a real adult. And if I had to pick one, my favorite lie that always gets me is #4!
Heath and Alyssa Padgett , hosts of RV Entrepreneur podcast and bestselling author of Living in an RV
This is the book I wish I had in my twenties. Its hopeful. Its inspiring. Plus, its packed with strategic insight into living a successful and meaningful life. If youre going through a full-blown quarter-life crisis or you just need a bit of a boost, this is a book all twentysomethings should read.
Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done
What I love about this book is how Paul focuses on the mind and the stories we tell ourselves in our twenties. The stories we tell ourselves are often based on unsubstantiated claims, and Paul does a wonderful job of unpacking how we can go from what we feel like we are supposed to do in life to who we are supposed to be in life. It truly is a great guide for anyone who feels stuck in life.
Tayo Rockson , author of Use Your Difference to Make a Difference
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
2021 by Paul Angone
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2021
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-2879-3
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
The author is represented by The Christopher Ferebee Agency, www. christopherferebee.com.
Dedication
To my daughter, Jlynn Joy.
May your life be filled with truth,
wisdom, and overflowing joy.
Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Introduction: Out on a Ledge
Lie #1 Success just happens
Lie #2 Im an incapable human being who is incapable of doing things that most capable people can do // a.k.a. I suck
Lie #3 Im the only one struggling
Lie #4 Ive missed my chance
Lie #5 None of this matters
Lie #6 Love is all you need
Lie #7 I better get mine
Lie #8 I deserve to be happy
Lie #9 Everyone is doing better than me
Lie #10 Im not good enough
Lie #11 I need to stay constantly connected
Lie #12 YOLOYou Only Live Once
Lie #13 Im such a failure
Lie #14 My life doesnt look like it was supposed to
Lie #16 But I worked so hard
Lie #17 I dont have the time
Lie #18 God, or the universe, is against me
Lie #19 Nothing good can come out of this
Lie #20 Finding my worth through what is social media worthy
Lie #21 Im well-informed
Lie #22 It needs to be perfect
Lie #23 What if it doesnt work out?
Lie #24 Following my dream will look sexy
Lie #25 Silence needs to be filled with noise
Final Chapter: The Twentysomething Declarations
Final, Final Chapter: Last Words of Encouragement
Big Thank-Yous
Notes
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
Introduction
Out on a Ledge
Where is that shouting coming from? I turn to my wife as I pause our late-night Netflix binge.
It sounds like its right outside our balcony. My wife glances toward our toddlers bedroom, hoping the noise doesnt wake them up.
We live in a sleepy San Diego condo community made up of young families and retirees. Screams and shouts at 10:30 p.m. are not the norm. We step outside on our second-story back balcony to see what the commotion is. And in an instant, we enter into a life-or-death standoff like Ive never experienced before.
Diagonally above us in the third-story condo and to our left, our neighbor is standing on his balcony railing that is as narrow as a balance beam. Two police officers below. A police officer at the opening of the door to the balcony. If he falls, hes at a distance that will either kill him or break every bone in his body.
Our neighbor is frantically yelling that he is going to jump.
From the shouts going back and forth, the police are there because of something our neighbor has done.
Our neighbor says hes done nothing wrong.
The shouts and screams escalate as our neighbor yells that hes not carrying a weapon, so the police officer should lower his gun. Then our neighbor, quite amazingly, while balancing on the railing, takes off all his clothes down to his underwear to show hes not carrying a weapon. He throws everything to the street below.
Hes almost naked. Is it so he can leave this world the same way he came in? Its what I start fearing.