Introduction Dear Reader, Hi! I’m Kristen, and I’m happy to meet you. At the time I’m writing this book, I’m in my early 40s, and I recently went through a profound transformation in my life. I admit, prior to this transformation, I already had a pretty cool life. My family (husband, daughter, and myself) all had good health, friends, family, and successes under our belts. I had nothing real to complain about. But that didn’t stop me from complaining about trivial things. Champagne problems, right? So, we grabbed life by the balls and decided to “sell it all and travel the world.” The first year, we traveled all over Europe. It was exciting and fun, but I realized I was actually running from something―or more precisely, from a lack of something―using travel to escape from a life in which I felt no sense of purpose or direction. Overall, I had a positive attitude about my life. My cup was usually half-full, but something was missing. My life had no magic. Traveling distracted me enough that I could ignore trying to figure out what to do with my life, but it also brought with it a fair amount of stress, as you’d imagine can happen when living in foreign countries, bouncing from one city to another, living out of a suitcase, and constantly moving around. With a child. Prior to leaving the U.S., I had delved fairly deeply into your run-of-the-mill mindfulness meditation. I had also come to embrace a general Taoist philosophy of seeking balance and “going with the flow,” rather than stressing about things that are beyond my control. Both of these helped give me peace, and I was pleased enough with the results. Still, there were too many days when I woke up feeling lost, reluctant to even get out of bed and start my day. Why was this? I was a “quite happy” person, right? I felt blessed and fortunate. So, why did I still have so many days where I let anxiety and worry grip my heart? For the first six months of our world travels, I relied upon gratitude, meditation, and Taoism to get my ass out of bed. It worked pretty well, but . . . I didn’t sparkle. I wasn’t shining. I felt all this potential inside me, and I knew, deep down, that I had so much to be happy and grateful for, that I should be shimmering gold and flying high like an eagle. But I wasn’t. If you are familiar with my blog (KristenHelmstetterdotcom), then you probably know the rest of the story. But for those of you who are new to meeting me, after seven months of travel abroad, I had a breakdown. I experienced my dark night of the soul as I grappled with my lack of focus and direction. It was hard and scary, and I felt paralyzed. However, you can’t have a rainbow without the storm, and that breakdown ultimately began a process that resulted in my breakthrough. In that breakthrough, I discovered a new and improved way to live. I also discovered a process. A process with results that feel almost miraculous, and that anyone can do. From that time until this moment as I write this, I’ve undergone the most amazing transformation. I’ve found my spirit, my focus, my shining light, and I now soar like the eagle I knew I could be. I’ve unleashed my bliss. There were a handful of techniques that contributed to my epic transformation, which I’ve previously outlined in my blog. One of the key techniques, or ingredients, to living my legendary life is what I call “Coffee Self-Talk.” I’ve discussed it briefly on my “blog, but I had a lot more to say about it. So I wrote the book you’re now reading. It would absolutely rock my world if something in this book sparks light in your life. My mom always says, “If you get just one good recipe from a cookbook, it was worth it!” When you read this book, my hope is that you’ll get one (or ten!) ideas that transform your life. My goal in writing it was to have it help you live a happier, healthier, and epic life. Now is your time to come alive, and today is the start of your happiest life. As you implement the tips and techniques described in this book, you will become happier, and you’ll become madly in love with your life. Come fly with me. You deserve it. We all do! Love, Kristen