Our new book Code to Joy starts with a question that came from a woman named Stefanie.

It was a really, really good question.

In fact, Stefanie’s question was so poignant, and my coauthors, Drs. George Pratt and Peter Lambrou, felt it was so important, that it became the catalyst that ended up spurring them to write this book. So we decided to give it its rightful position of honor, as the central theme of the book’s introduction.

Here, you can see it in the book’s Table of Contents:

Introduction: Stefanie’s Question
Chapter 1. An Interview with Yourself
Chapter 2. Seven Limiting Beliefs
Chapter 3. The Flea and the Elephant
Step 1: Identify
Chapter 4. A Disturbance in the Force<brStep 2: Clear
Chapter 5. Your Personal Code to Joy
Step 3: Repattern
Chapter 6. Anchoring
Step 4: Anchor
Chapter 7. Taking it to the Next Level
Chapter 8. A Rich Life
Conclusion: A Deeper Joy

The “Stefanie” of the introduction is a patient of George and Peter’s. (As with all the dozens of case stories we tell in the book, her name and various biographical facts have been altered to protect her identity.)

Stefanie was a wildly successful businesswoman, wife, and mother who, despite all the good fortune in her life, had seen everything start to crumble. From the outside she was the very picture of success. But inside, she didn’t feel successful.

She felt miserable.

What’s more, Stefanie’s inability to experience the joy that by all rights she should have been experiencing was starting to take its toll. Her business was bordering on bankruptcy. Her health was starting to suffer.

“I’ve seen the best psychiatrists,” she said. “I’ve been on every antidepressant. I’ve read all the books and articles about mood issues. I’ve read everything and tried everything, but that unhappiness still persists—and I don’t know why. Everyone tells me I have nothing to complain about and everything to be grateful for. And I know they’re right. But knowing that doesn’t make it better.”

And then she asked The Question:

“Why aren’t I happy?”

The book provides an answer to that question and a path to changing it.

In my next post, I’ll share what became of Stefanie.