The Holy Hand Grenade

Imagine tonight, as you sleep, God zaps you with a lightning bolt, and when you awake, you are living the perfect life. You get to wake up every morning from now on and do exactly what you were meant to do. You feel fulfilled and appreciated. You have no more concerns about having to impress anyone, and money no longer worries you. You are operating on all cylinders, and you feel full of life. The lack of stress in your life has a direct impact on your health, and you feel better than you have for years. Wouldn’t that be great?
Believe it or not, that is exactly what I expected to happen to me. So I waited for a lightning bolt, and I waited and waited.
There might be someone out there who actually did get hit by lightning and woke up to the perfect life, but I don’t recommend waiting for it to happen to you. There is a much better way that can work for almost everyone. I am not a natural conversationalist, and writing a book about anything seemed like one of the least likely things I would ever do. The reason I went through the ordeal of writing is that I found my passion, and once I found mine, it seemed as if everyone I spoke to told me they wished they could find theirs. So, in a way, I wrote The Holy Hand Grenade out of a sense of obligation to help others find what I found.
My favorite conversation starter – I actually need a pre-planned starter because I don’t normally talk to people I don’t know – is to ask about what they do. Since most people don’t like what they do or are biding their time until they discover their true passions, that question usually turns into a second question about what they really want to do. About 80 percent of the time, a person’s response to the question about what he or she really wants to do is “I don’t know” or “I wish I knew.”
That was my first clue that the majority of people don’t know what they want, aren’t passionate about what they are currently doing and don’t know where to start looking. They are waiting to get struck by lightning. Something inside me said that wasn’t right, and a mission to fix it started to grow.
I found a way to uncover my own real desires – and found what worked for me works for almost everyone. There are, however, a few things that can deter someone from finding his or her passion.

The world seems to get busier and more complicated every year. As technology increases, so does competition for your attention. Television competes with the Internet for viewers. Smart phones compete with pad devices for media usage. Billboards, radio, Facebook, Twitter, Google, television, wireless devices and magazines compete to market products for your consideration. All this competition for your attention makes it difficult for you to know whom you can trust for reliable information you need when making decisions.
In this “Information Age,” trust also has been shaken by institutions that were formerly trustworthy. Banks were once trusted to protect our money. The Securities and Exchange Commission was once trusted to protect our investments. Government was once trusted to do the right thing for the people it represents. The Church was once trusted to be ethical and moral. The Family was once trusted to teach values and be a safe haven for its members. Marriage was once trusted to be an institution of commitment between men and women who loved each other. All of these institutions have come under attack and are not as trustworthy as they once were or should be.
Recognizing that trust is an issue, I ask you to keep an open mind as you read the following pages. I am asking you to take a break from all of the noise of the world and to trust in – and think for – yourself. Two areas that are difficult for people to think about for themselves are religion and politics. Whether we want to admit it or not, our opinions about religion and politics are largely formed before we are old enough to reason for ourselves. Overcoming preconceptions in these two areas can be difficult but necessary in getting the answers you deserve.