Coming Soon: The Pressure Was the Point

A glimpse inside one of my most meaningful books yet.

As we prepare for the official launch of Journey to Himself this August, I’m filled with gratitude and anticipation—not just for that book, but for what follows.

You see, Journey to Himself is just the beginning.

Behind the scenes, I’ve been working on a whole series of books called The Shape of Meaning. Each one explores a core metaphor of the human experience—grief, growth, purpose, connection—and offers a way back to yourself through story, reflection, and metaphor.

One of those books is called The Pressure to Grow. And if I’m being honest, it might be the one I feel the deepest in my bones.

This book is rooted in a single truth:

You were born to grow.

Not just physically—but mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

And you were never meant to do it without discomfort.

In fact, the pressure is the point.

Below is a small excerpt from the final chapter of The Pressure to Grow. I’m sharing it now because it feels like a good place to start—not at the beginning, but at the moment of realization.

A reminder that you’re not broken.

You’re just becoming.

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Excerpt from Chapter 12: The Pressure Was the Point

You started as a seed.

Small. Hidden. Full of potential.

You stretched toward light.

You reached through darkness.

You broke, molted, rested, rose.

And you realized:

The pressure didn’t hurt you.

It revealed you.

It cracked the shell that could no longer contain your truth.

It pushed you to examine the roots that could no longer support you.

It carved out space in your soul

for a new kind of life to take root.

You didn’t just survive the pressure.

You became you in it.

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I can’t wait for you to read this book—and the whole series it’s part of.

Each one offers a different lens, a different metaphor, a different truth. But all of them share this belief:

You are not lost.

You are growing.

And there is meaning in the shape your life is taking.

Thanks for walking this path with me.

— Joe