Hello Conor!, I hope that this message finds you in good health and happiness.

I will start at the beginning and hope that this answer is sufficient. About six or seven years ago, I was happily married with 3 young, wonderful children. I had just turned a new leaf after my manufacturing business was devastated by fire and I had purchased a men’s hair salon and barber shop. I learned, within one month, to cut hair and to provide my customers with hot towel, straight blade shaves. Things were going well.

After less than a year, I was involved in a terrible car accident which left me disabled. Not wheelchair disabled, but with enough fractured vertebrae to put a stop to barbering.

Within six months of not being able to work, the barbershop was gone along with any savings I had managed to accumulate. This was quickly followed by a diagnosis of lung, prostate and colon cancer.

My wife decided that this was too much for her and we divorced. I am 51 years old. I have been writing, mostly fiction, in the form of screenplays and devouring any courses and information that I am able to lay my hands on but it is getting increasingly difficult to focus or concentrate on a goal.

As impossible as it may be to answer, my question to you is this: How do you start over? When your best option seems to be to give up, how do you carry on? Forgive me for my my candor and for this seemingly impossible question, but I watched your TED talk and I thought that you might be able to offer some sort of suggestion.

I thank you for your time and for your consideration. I’m really not sure why I felt that I should write to you, specifically, or why I thought you might be able to help, but I truly appreciate any response.

Best regards, Michael