This document is the introduction and first two chapters of a book about discovering one's authentic self. The introduction discusses the author's life experiences that prompted self-reflection, and encourages readers to recognize their innate talents and abilities. Chapter 1 discusses feelings of being lost or unfulfilled in life, and how focusing on survival limits one's potential. Chapter 2 introduces the concept of an "inner critic" or ego that can get in the way of knowing oneself.

2. The
Ultimate
Identity
Theft
Coypright
©
2012
by
Maxine
Jones
The
trademarks
for
Stretch
Your
Wings
and
Fly
and
Transits
of
the
Soul
are
owned
by
author
Maxine
Jones.
All
rights
reserved.
No
part
of
this
book
may
be
reproduced,
stored
in
a
retrieval
system,
or
transmitted
by
any
means
without
the
written
permission
of
the
author
except
for
the
inclusion
of
quotes
in
a
review.
Cherry
Tree
Publishing
PO
Box
450962
Atlanta,
Georgia
31145
http://www.maxinejonesandassociates.com

3. Contents
Introduction ................................................................................ Page
i
Chapter
One:
The
Pain............................................................ Page
1
Chapter
Two:
The
Thief.......................................................... Page
5
Chapter
Three:
Magic
Wand
or
an
Old
Stick:
Using
Magic
and
Miracles
to
Plug
into
Your
Destiny............................................. Page
8
Chapter
Four:
Hints,
Nudges
or
a
Shove:
Do
You
Trust
Your
Intuition?.............................................Page
18
Chapter
Five:
Are
you
On
Your
True
Path?...................Page
29
Chapter
Six:
To
Be
Or
Not
To
Be:
Are
You
Connected
to
Your
Authentic
Self? .................Page
42
Conclusion.................................................................................Page
55
About
the
Author ....................................................................Page
58
i

4. Introduction
Why
ask
for
the
moon
when
you
can
have
the
stars?
—
Bette
Davis
in
ii
Now
Voyager
There
are
milestones
in
our
lives,
and
although
they
happen
at
different
ages
for
each
of
us,
and
for
different
reasons,
they
make
us
sit
up
and
take
notice
of
just
where
we
are
and
where
we’re
going.
For
me,
turning
50
was
one
of
those
milestones.
It
made
me
realize
that,
at
this
halfway
point
in
my
life,
I
still
had
a
great
deal
more
I
wanted
to
accomplish.
Maybe
you
have
also
had
some
event
that
stopped
you
in
your
tracks
and
forced
you
to
really
look
at
your
life.
A
time
when
you
questioned
who
you
were
and
where
your
life
was
headed.
That
wake-­‐up
call
was
an
opportunity
for
you
to
take
total
responsibility
for
all
aspects
of
yourself
and
to
recognize
the
enormous
assets
you
already
have
within
you,
assets
that
are
innately
yours
—
your
magnificent
self.
This
book
shows
you
not
only
how
to
recognize
those
assets
but
also
how
to
activate
and
direct
them.
Another
experience
that
made
me
re-­‐examine
and
re-­‐evaluate
my
life
was
watching
my
father
struggle
with
Alzheimer’s
disease
before
his
passing
in
2006.
I
called
on
all
elements
within
me
to
move
through
that
experience
with
understanding,
grace,
enlightenment
and
compassion.

5. Living
through
that
life
experience
forced
me
to
develop
a
deeper
sense
of
self-­‐sufficiency,
something
I
now
recognize
was
a
gift.
I’d
like
to
share
with
you
the
insights
and
techniques
of
this
gift
so
you,
too,
can
be
physically,
emotionally
and
spiritually
empowered
as
you
face
challenging
times.
Did
you
know
that
you
are
your
own
central
processing
center?
You
already
have
within
you
total
responsibility
for
the
ultimate
design
—
and
control
—
of
your
life.
It
was
there
at
your
birth.
Imagine
what
it
would
feel
like
to
wake
up
every
single
morning
and
know
you
already
have
the
ability
to
generate
everything
you
desire
for
optimum
abundance,
health,
happiness
and
fulfillment.
The
talent
to
do
it
is
absolutely
there;
it
just
got
slightly
derailed
by
life.
This
book
will
show
you
how
to
optimize
and
enhance
the
quality
of
your
life
as
it
was
meant
to
be
iii
lived.
And
once
you
have
completed
this
process,
you
will
be
a
magnet
for
magnificent
joy,
happiness,
health
and
wealth,
using
your
personal
abilities
and
talents
in
ways
that
align
with
your
greatest
spiritual
principles.
You
will
finally
be
in
alignment
with
your
own
destiny.
You
will
discover
your
true
self,
your
ultimate
freedom.
For
30
years,
I
have
mentored
and
coached
individuals
and
organizations
on
ways
to
engage
their
innate
talents
and
abilities,
to
be
and
do
what
they
were
born
to
express,
using
many
of
the
techniques
shown
in
this
book.
And
my
goal
in
writing
this
is
to
share
my
insights
and
knowledge
so
you,
too,
can
connect
with
and
further
develop
your
own
distinctive
expression
of
self
and
be
who
you
were
meant
to
be
all
along.
So
where
do
we
start?
Let’s
begin
with
something
we’ve
all
shared:
The
Pain.

6. Chapter
One:
The
Pain
I’m
not
on
track.
I’ve
missed
my
turn.
I
need
GPS.
I’m
lost!
Are
you
truly
living
or
merely
surviving?
Fulfilled
and
complete
or
just
“hanging
in
there?”
All
human
beings
have
an
ego.
And
the
ego’s
job
is
to
make
sure
we
survive,
right?
Survival
always
comes
first
—
always!
We
come
here
and
learn
the
rules
of
survival
—
the
collective
agreements
that
ensure
not
only
our
own
individual
survival,
but
the
survival
of
our
species.
Because
I
said
so.
That’s
just
the
way
things
are.
We’ve
always
done
it
this
way.
These
are
all
language
of
social
agreements
that
we
follow
without
question.
They
give
us
safe
harbor
in
this
vast
unknown
that
we
all
inhabit.
But
in
learning
and
accepting
these
agreements,
how
much
of
ourselves
are
we
giving
away?
Or,
worse,
ignoring,
not
even
knowing
it
exists?
If
you
don’t
have
the
opportunities
or
tools
to
step
into
your
truth
and
the
potential
of
what
you
were
created
to
be,
if
you
just
leave
it
all
to
chance
or
living
life
the
way
others
tell
you
to
live
it,
what
eventually
happens?
Exactly.
You
run
out
of
time.
You
no
longer
have
the
time
to
answer
that
inner
calling
that
says,
Life
is
more.
There’s
more
to
me
than
this.
I
do
matter.
I
do
have
a
greater
purpose.
I
am
empowered.
I
am
my
own
authority.
There
really
is
a
greater
reason
for
everything.
I
want
to
be
free.
1

7. 2
There
is
a
part
of
you
that
says,
Maybe
sometime,
after
I’m
finished
with
school,
when
the
kids
are
grown,
when
I’m
done
paying
the
bills,
when
I’ve
helped
my
loved
ones
who
are
sick
or
aging,
when
I
get
the
perfect
job,
when
I
save
enough
money.
On
and
on
it
goes.
Well,
guess
what?
Life
happens.
That’s
its
job.
There
will
always
and
constantly
be
issues.
If
you’re
a
responsible
person,
you
take
actions
to
fix
things.
But
they
never
totally
get
fixed,
do
they?
Or
they
just
keep
coming
at
you.
It’s
overwhelming.
You
feel
like
it’s
pounding
on
you
and
you
alone.
You’re
struggling
and
feeling
constantly
sabotaged,
and
yet
no
matter
how
hard
you
try,
you
get
the
same
old
results.
You
begin
to
wonder
when
you
get
to
start
living
your
life.
Remember
that
movie
“Groundhog
Day”?
The
same
day
gets
repeated
over
and
over.
Is
that
what
your
life
has
become?
Don’t
you
want
more
than
that?
What
part
of
you
did
you
put
aside
or
lose
touch
with
while
you
were
busy
reacting
to
life?
I
hear
a
lot
of
people
say,
“Oh,
I
can’t
do
that.
I’ve
tried
a
hundred
ways!
I’ve
tried
everything,
but
it
still
doesn’t
work.”
Well,
no,
you
haven’t
tried
everything.
Let
me
show
you
some
things
I’ll
bet
you
haven’t
tried.
As
I
said,
your
ego
is
here,
first
and
foremost,
to
make
sure
you
survive.
But
you’ve
given
it
more
authority
than
it
was
ever
intended
to
have.
It
can
get
in
the
way
of
you
living
your
full
potential.
This
book
gives
you
four
ways
to
get
back
on
track
to
responding
to
that
part
of
you
that
you
put
aside
all
this
time.
That
part
that
is
filled
with
dreams,
magnificence,
magic,
freedom,
extraordinary
possibilities
and
joy.
That
part
that
the
wondering
child
within
you

8. remembers,
that
gives
you
the
power
to
be
you
and
live
your
life.
Your
real
self.
And
once
you
get
to
know
that
real
self,
once
you
start
to
access
other
parts
of
you
that
you’ve
never
had
a
relationship
with,
never
communicated
with,
had
no
clue
were
even
there
except
in
a
far-­‐
away
memory,
you’ll
truly
be
able
to
connect
your
dreams
into
your
everyday
life.
We
all
get
messages
from
within
but
don’t
know
how
to
apply
them
or
even
what
they’re
about,
because
they
are
always
partial.
Hints,
nudges,
bits
and
pieces
of
information.
This
book
helps
you
bridge
the
gap
between
the
life
you’ve
been
living
and
what
you
know
deep
inside,
what
was
buried
over
time
in
disappointments,
discouragement
and
confusion,
what
was
called
“impractical,”
“crazy”
or
“out
there.”
We’re
going
to
pick
up
that
buried
part
of
you,
fluff
it
up
a
little
bit,
re-­‐connect
with
it,
clean
up
the
mess
and
voilà!
You’ll
finally
start
to
shine
like
a
diamond.
You
will
finally
be
free
to
be
your
true
self
and
fulfill
your
destiny.
We
are
amazing
beings.
But
often
it
is
a
crisis
that
shows
us
that,
a
seeming
coincidence
that
turns
out
to
be
a
miracle.
Permit
that
rising,
exciting
expectation
that’s
hidden
inside
you
to
come
forward
and
help
you
accomplish
wonders
in
times
of
need.
What
sits
within
you
are
gifts
and
gifts
and
gifts
of
brilliance
that
were
run
over,
buried
or
left
behind
because
of
life
circumstances.
And
that’s
3
The
Pain.
The
following
four
chapters
contain
short,
fun
quizzes
to
show
you
just
what
you
do
and
do
not
know
about
yourself.

9. 4
• How
magical
are
you?
• Do
you
trust
your
intuition?
• Are
you
on
your
true
path?
• How
close
are
you
to
living
as
your
authentic
self?
Read
on
to
learn
just
what
The
Thief,
your
ego,
was
created
for
and
how
it
can
get
in
the
way
of
you
knowing
your
true
self.

10. Chapter
Two:
The
Thief
Arianna
Huffington
has
a
great
name
for
that
inner
critic
that
resides
in
all
of
us.
She
calls
it
“the
obnoxious
roommate.”
It’s
someone
who
definitely
has
a
place
in
the
household,
yet
you
still
wish
it
would
really
shut
up!
Or
it’s
the
voice
in
the
chorus
that
thinks
it
sounds
lovely,
so
it
sings
louder
than
anyone
else,
but
unfortunately
off-­‐key.
It’s
our
ego.
As
human
beings,
we
absolutely
have
to
have
an
ego
in
order
to
function
on
Earth.
But
we’ve
given
it
authority
over
a
whole
lot
more
than
it
was
ever
designed
to
handle.
We’ve
put
it
there,
we’ve
enshrined
it
in
that
position,
so
we
don’t
even
recognize
when
it’s
being
inappropriate.
We
think,
Well,
that’s
who’s
supposed
to
be
calling
the
shots,
and
whatever
decision
it
makes
is
what
is
supposed
to
happen.
But
that’s
not
true
at
all.
It
isn’t
that
the
ego
is
evil
or
needs
to
be
obliterated;
it
just
needs
to
be
guided
back
to
what
it’s
actually
supposed
to
be
doing,
which
is
a
much
smaller
role
than
we
have
assigned
it.
But
what
happens
when
we
try
to
guide
it
back?
It
rebels.
It
will
do
just
about
anything
to
preserve
its
position,
because
it
is
convinced
that
it
knows
best.
If
you
do
anything
that
threatens
that
authority,
it
sees
that
as
your
taking
action
that
will
eventually
harm
you.
Remember,
the
ego’s
job
is
to
make
sure
you
survive.
The
extent
to
which
it
is
prevented
from
exerting
its
influence
is
the
extent
to
which
you
put
yourself
at
risk
for
acting
on
what
the
ego
considers
faulty
information
–
which
is
anything
other
than
what
5
it
says.

11. Let’s
say
you
want
to
have
an
adventure,
something
you’ve
never
tried
before.
Will
the
ego
let
you?
Maybe
not.
The
ego
maintains
your
comfort
zone,
and
adventures
and
risk
are
about
stepping
outside
of
that.
We
all
have
demonstrable
evidence
that
we
can
survive
in
our
comfort
zone.
All
that
exists
outside
of
it
is
suspicious,
so
we
avoid
it
entirely.
But
you
want
to
take
the
risk
anyway,
so
you
really
have
to
find
a
way
to
deal
with
the
warnings
the
ego
keeps
screaming
at
you.
You
tell
it
to
shut
up,
you
redirect
it,
misrepresent
to
it
what
you
are
doing,
help
it
think
that
it’s
within
the
comfort
zone.
There
are
many
techniques,
but
basically
you
need
to
get
yourself
out
of
the
direct
obedience
to
that
voice
in
your
head,
the
obnoxious
roommate
that’s
saying,
Don’t
do
that,
you
can’t
handle
that,
you
don’t
know
what’ll
happen.
You
may
have
thought
the
ego
was
the
dispenser
of
wisdom
resulting
from
logical
observation
of
your
life
and
any
higher
intuition.
You
thought
it
was
the
highest
voice
you
could
listen
to,
right?
You
thought
it
was
really
you.
But
you
hadn’t
yet
made
contact
with
your
soul.
Once
you
start
working
with
the
ego
and
understanding
its
place
in
your
life
and
why
it
has
that
place,
it’s
much
easier
to
deal
with
ego
as
6
a
part
of
your
human
experience
and
not
all
of
it.
The
ego
is
not
evil,
it’s
not
a
villain,
it’s
not
a
saint,
its
not
a
hero.
Its
just
part
of
life.
As
long
as
you
ask
the
ego
to
do
what
it
was
designed
to
do
and
give
it
nourishment
to
do
that,
then
it
functions
well
like
any
other
part
of
life.
It’s
still
singing
in
the
chorus,
but
it’s
moved
much
closer
to
its
actual
place.
Its
volume
blends
much
better
with
the
rest
of
the
chorus,
the
whole.

12. Ready
to
connect
more
with
soul
and
less
with
ego?
In
the
next
chapter,
we’ll
find
out
just
how
magical
you
are.
7

13. Chapter
3:
Magic
Wand
Or
An
Old
Stick?
Using
Magic
and
Miracles
to
Plug
into
Your
Destiny
After being in Harry Potter, I believe a bit more in magic than I did
before.
– Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), actor
Believe
in
love.
Believe
in
magic.
Believe
in
Santa
Claus.
Believe
in
others.
Believe
in
yourself.
Believe
in
your
dreams.
If
you
don’t,
who
will?”
–
Jon
Bon
Jovi,
musician
Every
time
I
go
to
a
movie,
it’s
magic,
no
matter
what
the
movie’s
about.
–
Steven
Spielberg,
film
director
Magic.
What
images
does
that
word
bring
up
in
you?
8
Houdini?
Hogwarts?
Harry
Potter?
Abracadabra?
All
of
the
above?
Of
course.
But
magic
can
be
expressed
and
experienced
in
many
more
ways
than
through
sorcerers,
magicians,
enchanters
and
wizards.
Or
even
movies.
It
can
be
present
in
your
life
every
single
day.

14. About
the
Author
Maxine
Jones
is
an
author
and
international
personal
and
professional
coach
who
specializes
in
uncovering
the
power
of
the
soul
to
develop
a
person’s
achievement,
fulfillment
and
heart-­‐
centered
success.
Her
life’s
work
is
about
helping
people
connect
with
the
deepest
part
of
themselves
so
they
can
transcend
the
ordinary
struggle
of
life
and
participate
in
creating
a
greater
world
for
us
all.
Since
1982,
she
has
worked
with
individuals
as
well
as
large
corporations,
unlocking
that
hidden
dialogue
that
changes
a
person’s
life
forever.
Maxine
started
her
career
as
a
marketing/advertising
executive
at
one
of
the
largest
firms
in
Chicago.
In
the
late
1990s
she
worked
with
Fortune
100
companies
to
research
the
impact
of
gender-­‐
based
physiological
differences
on
organizations,
leadership,
performance
and
achievement.
Through
her
seminars
and
retreats
for
executive
clients,
she
enabled
organizations
to
improve
the
contribution
of
women
in
the
workplace.
Leaving
the
corporate
world
to
pursue
a
career
better
matched
to
her
higher
education
and
spirituality,
she
trained
people
in
yoga,
massage,
health
and
wellness,
and
wilderness
survival
skills.
She
was
appointed
to
study
and
teach
Native
American
culture
and
selected
as
a
Fulbright
Scholarship
candidate
to
work
in
secondary
education
in
Tanzania.
In
Kenya,
she
participated
in
an
ecological
initiative
with
the
Smithsonian
Institution.
She
also
initiated,
developed
and
implemented
a
humanitarian
project
in
Botswana.
58

15. Maxine
realized
her
special
intuitive
powers
when
she
was
a
young
child
and
communicated
with
an
imaginary
friend
she
later
came
to
know
was
her
soul.
About
this
same
time,
she
met
an
African
elder
who
became
her
mentor.
Raised
by
two
highly
educated
parents,
she
was
always
encouraged
to
pursue
her
dreams.
Her
mother
was
a
theologian,
metaphysician
and
dietitian,
her
father
an
international
transportation
engineer.
She
trained
for
the
Junior
Olympics
in
gymnastics,
earned
state
championship
titles
in
swimming
and
diving,
and
became
an
avid
tennis
player.
Today
she
is
a
certified
scuba
diver.
Maxine
is
trained
in
nursing
and
holds
a
bachelor
of
science
in
psychology
and
a
master’s
in
human
resource
development
and
education
from
DePaul
University.
She
has
delivered
keynotes
and
led
seminars
and
retreats
on
health
and
psychology
to
audiences
as
small
as
30
and
as
large
as
1,500.
Today
she
delivers
customized
presentations,
seminars
and
retreats
on
the
power
of
the
soul.
Her
books
include
Desperately
Seeking
Purpose:
Uniting
Generations
in
Global
Consciousness
59
and
Stretch
Your
Wings
and
Fly:
A
Guide
to
Using
the
Power
of
Your
Soul.
In
the
Author’s
Words
I
am
a
writer,
author
and
speaker
and
enjoy
looking
at
life
in
new
ways,
asking
the
question
“What
if?…”
My
passion
is
to
support
our
changing
global
consciousness
by
empowering
one
heart
and
soul
at
a
time.
I
love
my
animals
with
all
my
heart:
Boo
Boo,
my
African
Grey,
a
lovebird
named
Rascal,
my
magnificent
Goldendoodle
Diego,
and
an
adorable
Coton
de
Tulear
CC
(Christ
Consciousness),
a
rare
dog
breed
from
Madagascar.

16. As
my
wisdom
emerges,
I
discover
I
can’t
buy
more
time,
so
deep,
heartfelt,
committed
relationships
with
all
living
things
are
most
important
to
me.
Those
closest
to
me
describe
me
as
fun-­loving,
confident
and
sincere.
I
am
an
optimist
with
traditional
values,
yet
liberal
in
my
thinking.
I
take
responsibility
for
my
life
experiences.
Essentially
happy,
balanced,
adventurous,
affectionate
and
responsible,
I
am
an
explorer
of
new
thought
and
love
supporting
others
to
be
the
best
they
can
be.
Maxine
at
age
5
talking
to
the
plants.
60
Maxine Jones
PO Box 450962
Atlanta, GA 31145
770-934-3819
http://www.connectwithyoursoul.com