Summary

In 2008, Brown was invited to give a talk at a special event called The UP Experience. After seeing the list of high profile speakers who she would share the stage with, Brown "freaked out" and felt like a huge impostor (31). She faced serious writer's block as was unable to develop her talk, crippled by the memory of a past failure. Five years before, Brown felt she had bombed a talk after the organizer subverted her message and encouraged her to talk about "the how-to part" instead of "the things that get in the way" (34). In discussion with her husband Steve, Brown realized that quick "how-to" lists for happiness don't work and aren't true to Brown's message or research. We can't skip over the hard stuff or ignore the obstacles if we want to truly grow and change. Brown...