A Note From the Author

Dewayne Sims

I have lived a life that many envy. From the outside, it is easy to see the education, career, accomplishments, and possessions—all real and all things for which I am grateful.

For much of my earlier life, however, I was chasing a picture: getting a good job, buying a house, getting married, having pets, becoming a parent—all the things that were supposed to create a wonderful life. There were significant accomplishments during those years, but there were also failed relationships and lessons I had not yet learned.

I eventually discovered that life wasn't about chasing a picture. It was about creating my own—building a life that includes happiness, meaningful relationships, personal accomplishment, and contentment.

When I think of a great example of success and contentment, I think of George Luz, one of the soldiers portrayed in Band of Brothers. After the war, many of his fellow soldiers achieved conventional measures of success as business owners or in prestigious careers, while George Luz returned home, raised a family, and lived what appeared to be a relatively ordinary life—or so it seemed. Near the end of his life, he wrote, “It’s been a wonderful life.” When he died in 1998 at the age of 77, more than 1,600 people attended his funeral—a testament to his character and the lives he had touched.

That is the kind of success and contentment I wish I had understood how to pursue when I was younger.

In the pages of this book, I encourage my younger self to continue pursuing the qualities that contributed to my accomplishments while sharing the life lessons that might have helped him build stronger relationships and find greater contentment when he reached his own reflective years.

I hope my children, grandchildren, and those who follow will read what I have to share and find something that helps them build full and contented lives.

I hope you may benefit as well.

Sources:

Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters.

Band of Brothers, Episode 10, “Points,” HBO.