FOREWORD: Why am I writing this and who is it for?
After about 5 years of thinking about writing a book, I finally decided it is about time. Life is so beautiful but so complex at the same time. Life can be so full of joy and love but also so empty, without meaning and miserable.
“Wouldn’t it be great if I could have all this knowledge when I was 15 years old?” is a sentence that came to me a couple of years ago. What if I could read a book about what I know now back then? Would that change me in any way?
We all know that there is no book that could change your “operating system” from just reading the book, but what if I could somehow go back and influence me at my age of 15 years with the “manual for life”? Let’s imagine that at such a young age I would meet my 50+ years older self and that guy would give me such a book … Would I even consider reading it?
“Hey Saso, I’m you at the age of 52 and my biggest wish is that you read this! This is the book that I wrote for you. You will get to know all the secrets of life, everything I’ve learned so far. It will help you immensely. Please, read it. It will change your life!”
So, this book was written for younger me. This is the book that I would like to read when I was about 15. As I know this can’t happen here are at least three reasons I could think of that this book can be helpful:
- This book is for my two daughters.
Dear Nola and Vita, my love for each of you is something that it is very hard to explain in words. It is the brightest sunny day, the most gentle morning summer breeze of fresh air on my face, it is the best thing that happened to me. It is the most precious long hug of all.
You know, you two are my biggest gift in my life. My biggest love. My biggest joy! I love you to the Moon and back. I love you to the end of the universe and back. I love you now and I will love you forever. Even when I will no longer be here with you. This book is for you. I know you will want to read it. It is who I am. It is what I think about life, friends, love, joy, nature, work and more. I hope you learn a ton and that you will want to implement some of my thinking in your own lives. - This book is for young, passionate and fearless YOU (as I once was).
I know that you already feel that you want to achieve great things in your life. You might not know exactly why you are here and what your real purpose is, but that’s OK. You will soon figure it out. This book might give you a head start over your peers or maybe you will just read something and it will stay within you until you can use it someday in the future. Or maybe, just maybe it will give you some food for thought in some specific area of life that you haven’t yet started to think about. Remember. Life is great! Yes, it is complex, it can be painful sometimes, you will win, other times you will fail miserably, you will be praised by some and ridiculed by others. You will fall. Get up again and again. Never give up! And don’t forget! Take time for yourself. Regularly! Start finding out who you really are. Not what others think about you. - It is also for you, my dear reader. Yes, you!
You are holding this book in your hands and wondering:”Should I return this book? Will I get my money back? This guy wrote a book for himself and / or his daughters, why did I buy this? This book is not for me at all. Don’t worry. I know there are some parts of this book that you will love. Even if you have a lot of experience and a bit more than 15 years, I believe that you will find a lot of great ideas to implement in your own life. If not, please send me an email at hi@life-manifesto.com and I will give you your money back. No questions asked!
But if you will love “life manifesto” could I ask you for a favor? Could you give a copy to a friend that you think might benefit from reading this? Big thanks! I love you.