#FiveMinutes

By Ryan Donald

Reveal. Listen. Heal.

This guy’s walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep; he can’t get out. A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, “Hey you, can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up “Father, I’m down in this hole, can you help me out?” The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. “Hey Joe, it’s me, can you help me out?” And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.” The friend says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.” – Aaron Sorkin.

Due to a serious illness, I suffered through significant emotional trauma. So severe, in fact, that I never thought I was ever going to get better. Until I did.

This is the story of how I found my way out of my hole, and it is a method that I continue to practice and coach to this day. My greatest hope is others will find it helpful, and that their soul will find relief.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ryan Donald
• Release date: Jan 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781983780813

Book preview

Dedication

You! This is dedicated to you!

If you are reading this, it is because you are hoping to heal

yourself or a loved one, and for that I applaud you!

And I hope that this book finds your soul. 

The only people who change the world,

are the ones who believe they can.

The most beautiful people I have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.

- Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Prologue

Compassion is empathy free from bias;

Passion is bias free from empathy.

Over the years I’ve sort of developed the sense that I’m wired differently from most people. I see things differently, I experience things differently, I understand things differently, and I reflect on things differently from most people. I am backed by an almost unbridled passion and enthusiasm. I seldom do nothing; the concept simply doesn’t exist in my vocabulary. Even now. Sometimes I feel as though I’m bordering on genius, other times I feel as though I’m bordering on crazy. And really I don’t care where I am on the spectrum, or how many times the needle bounces back and forth, so long as I am rocketing forward going Mach 2 with my hair on fire. There is a lot to experience in the world, and in my lifetime, I try to bite into all of it. This has provided me a not only a high level of education, but also some life experience and wisdom. Now if this sounds conceited, I can assure you that it is not the intent. I feel as though I have something important to contribute, and as of yet, I have not found to right vehicle to contribute it. This is simply the most honest answer I have to the question Why are you writing this?.

Having twice recovered from cancer, I am frequently approached by friends or family members, or even strangers, to give advice to a third person that has recently been diagnosed. And every time I am approached, I try to help. I