Have you ever had the feeling that life is passing you by? That somehow, somewhere, you took a wrong turning, and that you’re not living the life you should be living? That you’re not the person you could be, if only…? In this stunningly wide-ranging and fascinating book, Andrew Jenkins takes the reader on a journey of exploration into just how these feelings arise, through the development of what he calls the ‘acquired self’, and how, by making use of the extraordinary plasticity of our brains, we can re-educate our thoughts and behaviours and return to our ‘authentic selves’ - and have happy, effective and fulfilled lives. Andrew has read and studied widely, and his book draws on some of the most recent discoveries in the neurosciences, but it is far from being a dry academic study. In writing this book he has one single aim, and that is to provide a practical guide, with carefully sequenced exercises, through which his readers may rediscover their joy in living and develop their ability to act effectively and well.