Best Kept Secrets

By Joseph West

Life does not discriminate upon who it imparts its ups and downs. Joseph believes his/your choices in any situation can lead to the desire to transform these circumstances. Joseph’s writing is a vehicle in which he releases his creative psyche to express his emotions. His writing is raw, from the heart, and very unapologetic. He hopes you the reader will find comfort in it during challenges of your own, and that his coping skills will shed light for the ones who remain unhealed. His goal is to capture the humanity of the people by the stories he is telling in order to get closer to his own humanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joseph West
• Release date: Dec 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463629642

Joseph West

Welcome to my Bio, Born in North Africa just a few miles from the Egyptian Nile, I moved to Los Angeles at the age of 13 seeking a better education. After studying interior design at UCLA, I worked at an interior design firm where I learned what it takes to make a home look beautiful both inside and out. My next journey began in 1992 as a real estate consultant.During my 23 career journey as a real estate consultant, I realized that being a successful negotiator and strategist was not enough to satisfy my appetite for life, so I began my soul-searching process. I found out that doing business with the right consciousness along with respect for human dignity is the perfect recipe for success. Seven of those years I mastered the world of social media and won the 2012 blogger of the year award.In 2015 and in the spirit of “Change is the only thing that is constant” I decided to embark into the world of South Florida. I always knew that Living close to the beach will allow me to see the world from a different lens. With my spiritual practice and being a strategist for a few decades, I became :Real Estate Broker/ RecruiterCertified training coachBook Author in 2017Book author in 2018Social media and branding strategistIn 2017 I published my 1st book, an autobiography titled “ Without Family Ties “. It is an emotional and spiritual awakening through a series of relationships, business endeavors, and personal obstacles. Available on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble and iBooks.In 2018 I became a Real Estate Broker that does not sell real estate but focused on :Recruit the finest talentTeach /mentor Business Conscious PracticeManage and develop the talents from zeros to heroesBranding StrategistIn late 2018, I published my 2nd book ” Best Kept Secrets “. The book is about capturing the humanity of the people by telling my own stories in order to capture my own humanity. Available at Amazon, Kindle, and iBooks. The books are my own personal stories to connect with others in the most maximized way possible.I am poised to provide YOU with a new outlook on productivity, efficiency, and accountability. I love being of service and I look forward to doing better today than yesterday. Above all, I value human contact and always-developing close personal relationships.

Book preview

Introduction

What I know for sure: when my life goals and dreams came to a complete halt and not from a lack of effort, knowledge or desire, I knew something was seriously wrong.

Something had to change and not from the outside. I had to examine every belief system I had been practicing for the past sixteen years and I needed to make decisions not based on what was comfortable for me, but what resonated with who I am.

First I needed to find out who I really am and learn to practice being free of shame and guilt, letting go of insecurities and learning forgiveness.

One Christmas Day, my neighbor gave me a present and said, This is because I know you like to write. It was a small black notebook with words at the top reading, Best Kept Secrets.

Here are mine.

A Meeting With an Astrologer

I am settling down beautifully in South Florida after a move from California. I’m figuring out where things are, what the culture is like and how to navigate through the alluring beaches, thick humidity and beautiful tropical rain. I’m quickly learning the differences between Los Angles and South Florida.

Shortly after my arrival, in April of 2017, I saw a well-known astrologer. I’m not much for astrology readings but a reading was highly recommended to me by a trusted someone, so I did it. The astrologer looked at me and then down at the charts and said, Your mother did not have a happy time having you. This pronouncement was followed by a question: Do you write?

Me: I like the creative aspect of writing, but I am not a writer by any means.

Astrologer: You should write.

That’s when I decided to pick up my notes and continue my book Without Family Ties, a first-effort published in December 2017. The astrologer continued with another question: How is it going in the romance department?

Me: Nothing since 2009.

Astrologer: You will meet someone very soon, slightly older than you are, but be open. Your move across country was wise and will create a shift to a higher level. You came to this lifetime for two reasons and two reasons only—to love and to self-love.

She continued, asking about my occupation.

Me: I recently moved to South Florida and finding a labor of love is like finding a needle in a hay stack.

Astrologer: You are finishing a process that began 30 years ago. (She in fact pinpointed a transition I began in 1991. It was the beginning of my real estate career, which ended before I moved to South Florida). You are going to your next level but this will not end until December of 2017.

Me: But…it’s only April.

Astrologer: I know, it is change for the good, be patient and do not take it so dramatically. You need to be in a place where you can be creative and thinking outside the box, otherwise you will not succeed. The change is happening and it is in your house of work. Take this time to work on yourself or the change will not take place.

That pretty much summed up my desire and my frame of mind, but December seemed so far from April. The astrologer concluded the meeting by making sure I understood that this reading is for a year cycle, from the time of this reading April 2017 to April 2018.

I took her advice to heart and I grabbed every opportunity I could between the time we met and December to reflect, repair, connect, study, to visualize my desire, to manifest my future, and to do what is most difficult for me to do: be patient with the process.

I Am a Beach Lover

On Sundays at the beach (my favorite time of the week), I meet all sorts of people. There are those I call the regulars, I am one of them. One day I met this guy who approached me speaking in Spanish. That's one way to lose my attention. I have no idea what he said so naturally I replied that I don't speak Spanish. He asked if I speak English. I replied in my most arrogant voice, What did you think that was? He walked away and I was glad he did.

Some weeks later on the beach the same person approached me and said hi. This time I said hi back with some level of politeness and he introduced himself. His name was Ron. Ron was Jewish, grew up in New York and has owned a hair salon in South Florida for 20 years. It was small talk, a bit mindless, but we eventually found mutual interest and exchanged phone numbers.

I invited Ron to come to one of my conscious business lectures, hoping he would find value in it but no such luck. He came to the lecture not because he was seeking information or knowledge or get to know me. Ron came because he does not like to be alone for long periods of time.

Falling In Love

I was not ready to put the idea of dating or finding the perfect match aside just yet. I remained on dating websites and nothing but freaks came out of them. One day I was checking my messages on a site and I found one from a stranger saying he likes my profile and wants to meet me.

Right away I was thinking… here we go, another disappointment in the making. His name was David. David was:

• from the Midwest

• big, husky and corn fed

• an avid beach goer

• a Cancer sign, although he behaves like a Gemini. I could never sustain a Gemini as a friend let alone date one. They are the extreme opposite of a Sagittarius, my sign.

In my previous book, I explained that this physical description of David would be just what the doctor ordered, as they say. However, I now have no faith in the dating world and who could blame me? Dating is dysfunctional and close to insanity but I’ll save that for