Pain has a way of influencing one's perspective on life, but it is that same pain that connects us all together and shapes who we are as individuals. As much as we try to avoid pain by any means, it is inevitable that we experience it. The Essence of Time is a book about turning my pain into triumph; lessons turned into principles are now embedded into the man I am today. This book saved me from myself. Initially I was documenting how I felt when I was in undergrad, but later in life when pain really emerged, this book became a tool to navigate difficulty and choose healing.