The Call to Adventure: When My World Started to Change

For nearly two decades, I served as a federal prosecutor enforcing U.S. immigration laws. I believed that justice required tireless work within the system to protect both the country and those seeking refuge.

But 2017 changed everything. While working in Washington, D.C., I witnessed the “Muslim Ban” unfold. Families were separated, and the laws and Constitution I swore to uphold were weaponized to justify discrimination and power grabs. My sense of justice collided with reality.

Even then, part of me wanted to stay—to fix the system from within. But my foundation cracked: my trusted colleague left, I was passed over for a promotion, and the agency’s culture became unrecognizable. Staying became impossible.

Crossing the Threshold: From Grief to Awakening

This was not my first personal challenge. In 2011, I lost my mother—my guiding light. The grief was suffocating. My body rebelled, leaving me with tinnitus, a ringing in my ears that seemed to echo my heartbreak.

Faced with a choice—let grief consume me or find a way to rebuild—I turned to mindfulness, journaling, and creative expression. A therapist encouraged me to write daily letters to my mother. This practice eventually led to my first book, The Magical Guide to Bliss, and, incredibly, to standing on stage with Oprah Winfrey in 2014, where she encouraged me to live the life I wanted.

That book became a bridge, guiding me out of government service in 2017. If I could not transform the system from within, perhaps I could transform myself—and inspire change from the outside.

The Road of Trials: Learning the Power of Wu Wei

Leaving my legal career felt like both death and rebirth. I had long believed justice required relentless struggle—that change only came through resistance. But through my studies of Eastern philosophy, I discovered Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching, where the concept of Wu Wei—effortless action—offered a radical alternative (Lao Tzu, trans. Mitchell, 2009).

Lao Tzu teaches that true power flows like water:

    •    Water does not force its way; it moves naturally.

    •    It does not break obstacles; it flows around them.

    •    It adapts, reshapes, and eventually transforms even the hardest stone.

This ancient wisdom revealed that I did not need to fight every battle to create change. I could align with the natural flow of life, directing my energy where it could do the most good (Laozi, trans. Feng & English, 1972). This understanding shifted everything. Rather than exhausting myself resisting a broken system, I could flow toward joy with a community focused on creativity and connection—what we now call the Happiness Revolution.

The Ultimate Revelation: Creation is More Powerful Than Resistance

We live in a time when fear and control dominate. We saw it on January 6, 2021, when the U.S. Capitol was stormed. We see it in global conflicts and the erosion of democracy. Power structures want us to believe force is the only way to create change.

Lao Tzu offers a profound alternative: true power comes from creation, not opposition (Laozi, trans. Mitchell, 1988). What if the most revolutionary act is to cultivate joy in the face of despair? What if building a new world is more effective than tearing down the old one?

Wu Wei offers us a roadmap:

1. Flow Where You Are Needed

Rather than exhausting yourself in losing battles, ask: Where can my talents make the greatest impact? Instead of fighting rigid systems, flow into spaces where change is possible (Watts, 1957).

2. Water Finds the Cracks

If the front door is locked, flow around it. If the system resists change, build something new alongside it. If power resists confrontation, flow around it and create something entirely new (Lao Tzu, trans. Mitchell, 2009).

3. Joy is Revolutionary

Authoritarianism thrives on fear. When we cultivate lives of creativity, meaning, and connection, we become harder to manipulate. Fear-based systems collapse when faced with widespread joy. Every time we choose joy, we dismantle fear’s grip (Ben-Shahar, 2007).

4. Act Locally, Think Globally

You may not stop global corruption overnight, but you can transform the energy in your immediate environment. Every act of kindness or creative contribution sends ripples into the world. We can’t prevent war tomorrow, but we can shift the energy of our communities today. Every small act of kindness and truth-telling helps create larger change. 

Returning with the Elixir: Flow into the Next Chapter

In the hero’s journey, the protagonist returns home transformed. My journey—from grief to creative awakening—taught me that lasting change does not always come from force. (Campbell, 1949).

Water wears down rock not through power, but through persistence. Oppressive systems dominate temporarily, but movements rooted in joy and authenticity endure. By aligning with flow, rather than fighting upstream, we preserve the energy needed for long-term transformation.

I could not change the government from within, but I could transform myself—and through that transformation, contribute to cultural change. When I surrendered to the flow, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, I found my true voice. That evolution became my second book: Butterfly Awakens: A Memoir of Transformation Through Grief.

Conclusion: The Happiness Revolution and Eastern Philosophy

This is not passivity—it’s strategy. It’s about choosing joy, creativity, and connection as intentional acts of resistance. It’s understanding that sustainable change comes from aligning with the natural flow of life. This is how Eastern philosophy shapes the Happiness Revolution—reminding us that change begins within and flows outward like water.

This is the path I’ve walked, and I’m happy to meet you on your own hero’s journey here. History will not repeat if enough of us refuse to play by old rules. We flow where we are needed. We create what cannot be destroyed.

That is effortless flow. That is Wu Wei. And that is how we create a world worth living in—together. What’s next? I can’t say for sure—but based on the evidence, I’m confident it will bring more happiness.

References

Lao Tzu. (2009). Tao Te Ching (S. Mitchell, Trans.). Harper Perennial.

Laozi. (1972). Tao Te Ching (G.-F. Feng & J. English, Trans.). Vintage Books.

Laozi. (1988). Tao Te Ching (S. Mitchell, Trans.). Harper & Row.

Watts, A. (1957). The way of Zen. Pantheon Books.

Ben-Shahar, T. (2007). Happier: Learn the secrets to daily joy and lasting fulfillment. McGraw-Hill Education.

Campbell, J. (1949). The hero with a thousand faces. Princeton University Press.