The Identity Code: The 8 Essential Questions for Finding Your Purpose and Place in the World

This is not just a book to read. DO THE EXERCISES! I have never been so powerfully drawn to do the work in any other book. THEY ARE UNIQUE. The cascade of ah-ha!s lead to definitive, doable, exciting, bliss-following action. I am not some light-weight seeker but a young, successful retiree who's experimented and dabbled for years in solutions to existential issues. At core though, I am a guy who wants to DO something with all his heart and draw upon my real strengths. You know, "follow my bliss." This book helped me finally pin down exactly what my bliss is. I would further recommend getting the book either new or 'clean' used. You will want to make notes and underline in your copy. If you're ready for some honest, patient introspection that results in a plan, this is the book for you.

This book is a gift to all "free thinkers" who want more clarity in their own identity. It provides you with the knowledge to appreciate everything this world has to offer and allows you to find your true purpose in it. This has become my "bible". I carry it every where I go and promote it whenever the situation presents itself. Don't miss this one!!!!

If you want to: Get your bearings; Discover your true identity (which may surprise you); Discover your message to the world; Live out your message day by day; Find out who your real friends are; Change yourself and your world a day at a time: THEN READ THIS BOOK. You will find no book or self-help program better than this!

In this elegantly concise book, the author details how identity is "the source of your uniqueness and potential. Exercise and express it and it will grow ever deeper and more powerful in its impact on your life and the lives of others." Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) noted that self actualization is the intrinsic growth of what is already in people, "or more accurately, of what the organism is." Using his experience in corporate brand consulting, Larry Ackerman details key aspects of how our identity can be explored and made more true and authentic, leading to not only greater self actualization, but our ability to `do right' by other people. Your identity, he notes "is the living lens through which you can safely engage the world, make informed decisions, and thereby fashion a life that you, and others, can trust." One of the most central questions or aspects is that of "gift" - our purpose or passion. He notes that many people may find it hard to accept that everyone can find and express a purpose: "The idea that each of us is born with a particular gift that informs what we might do with our lives scares people. The thought that you may actually have something akin to a purpose can be unnerving." Our identity, he declares, is "fixed, transcending time and place, while its manifestations are constantly changing." With helpful exercises that accompany the clear explanations of the eight "essential questions," we can better understand how unique we are, and make a more powerful and positive impact with our lives.

This is a book that, however you feel about "self help" literature, will get you thinking. Ackerman's process for distancing yourself to get a fresh perspective on your life is fascenating. His concept of identity is insightful-- as are the rules that he sets out. Ackerman not only outlines crucial questions for evaluating your potential, he includes, at the end of each chapter, a set of practical exercises for accomplishing the task. Whether you embark on the journey Ackerman recommends or simply find this book a source of introspection, it is a volume well worth reading.