Beloved, I sincerely hope that these words will awaken something profoundly peaceful within you and, in doing so, act as a catalyst for my own inner calling. You can read this with an open mind. My aim is not to force new beliefs into you. I have very little to sell to you, except for who I am.

The purpose here is to invite you to awaken from the dream of compulsive conditioned thinking.

The Situation

I'm 40 years old and live in Finland with my wife, two daughters, and a three-years-old rascal dog. Life is relatively abundant and in balance.

Fifteen years ago, I started working in a software testing company, and since then, I have become a partner and a chairman of the board. The pay is quite nice by the average standards of the Finnish economy. Our clients are great, and my colleagues are lovely. I'm humbled to work with such people on the executive board and my team. I'm good at what I do, and I get to do my work primarily in my way—the culture of mutual trust in our company is quite unique.

It sounds like some paradise, won't you say? Despite everything, I'm having second thoughts about the meaningfulness of my job.

The Background Story

As a child, I was reticent, sensitive, and introverted, and I loved to express myself through writing stories. Whatever I wrote was intended only for myself. I was shy to reveal my writings to anyone, even my brother and parents. Then, life moved on, and the habit of writing slowly faded away. In early adulthood, I learned how to play by society's rules. I became good at playing the game of success. I knew what was expected of me in personal growth as well as in business.

Still, something didn't feel right. Deep within, I was still this reticent, sensitive, and introverted small child, and constantly neglecting that side of who I was, produced an inner conflict. For many years, I wasn't aware of this conflict because of an unceasing overflow of thought-based mind activity—the mental state in which most humans seem to walk through their lives, burdened by personal stories, inner conflicts, and silent suffering.

Six years ago, at the age of 34, a gradual inner transformation radically changed my perspective of life. Everything became peaceful, and the inner conflict disappeared. Nothing was wrong anymore. The focus of my life shifted from doing to being, from active to contemplative. Interestingly, this peaceful state of being unfolded in the absence of analytical thinking. As an educated person, I found this unsettling. After all, my achievements had always been products of intellectual activity. As my inner transformation deepened, I realized that this intellectual activity I had once cherished was only intellectual arrogance in disguise, which at best obstructed my ability for truly creative thinking.

I decided to make friends with my inner child again, and one day wrote a few pages of my observations about the inner transformation. Those few pages slowly turned into a book. And just as a child, I wrote it for myself, keeping it close to me so that no one else would see the book. Over time, however, I realized the message in that book could benefit someone else on the same path.

Now, those first pages have grown into seven books. Some of my writings resonate with eastern traditions like zen and buddhism, yet I do not claim to be even a novice in them; the confluence is mostly unintended and arises naturally. The books let you deepen into stillness and contemplate timeless issues of human beings:

• How to quiet your mind?
• How to find happiness?
• How to find peace?

Also, I've received some delightful feedback from the readers on how the writings have acted as viable stress management and anxiety self-help tools. That's good. That's sufficient.

A Few Words About Spiritual Awakening

My inner transformation is still ongoing, and I have a curious feeling it will never stop. This continuity is what spiritual awakening is actually about—not achieving something spectacular or becoming a charismatic person glowing with radiant light. Spiritual awakening is not the end of the road. It's about being aware of who you are here and now, unstained by the world and untouchable by time. This is sufficient. Nothing else is needed.

Embraced by spiritual awakening, everything's ordinary. You'll become more ordinary than the majority of people who are seeking to become extraordinary. Profound inner peace resides in the ordinary because it's an expression of who you are. Simply make space for yourself, and you will realize what I'm talking about. There's no need to withdraw into extraordinary spiritual states because ordinary life is truly a meditative process.

Why Am I Sharing the Message of Inner Peace and Awakening?

I believe that people deserve balance in their lives, which today's modern society does not intrinsically provide. I'm not talking about the balance in life situations, e.g. financial balance, balance in relationships, or success as defined by society's standards. Instead, I'm talking about living your life without constant psychological strain caused by excessive compulsive thinking—a life of peace and contentment.

Inner peace is our birthright as human beings. I sincerely hope you will regain it too.

What Comes Next?

I intend to make the teachings of inner peace and spiritual awakening available to as many people as possible. My current job in the software industry doesn't enable me to share the teachings as efficiently as my inner purpose calls me.

I'm delighted by the situation and curious about where life will flow from here.