“You are not who other people say you are. You are free to form your own identity, free from the guilt and shame of the past. You are worthy of more!”- Doug Dane.
Doug Dane is a survivor who has risen above a past filled with kidnapping, abuse, and violence to experience a life of freedom, gratitude, and thriving relationships. Now acting as an international keynote speaker and mindset mentor, he has turned his personal experience into a duplicable system to help people discover their identity and live a life free of guilt or shame, outlined extensively in his debut novel Mistaken Identity: A Guide To Letting Go Of A Past That’s Holding You Back.
With his first-hand experience in tow, he’s on a mission to guide those struggling to overcome a troublesome past, a brighter future, or themselves and their families.
In his debut book, Doug speaks about his path of healing, patience, finally having the strength to move away, and choosing not to hide his difficulties. He pushes the conversation with his personal story of unfairness, hurt, and lack of understanding. This experience affected him later, which stopped him from having all sorts of freedom, especially in his mental and emotional space.
With the support and a space to heal, he has successfully shared his experiences that many can relate to.
One of this book’s most potent themes is mistaken identity.
Many may not know what mistaken identity is. First and foremost, it isn’t about someone participating in a crime and taking your identity. It’s about feeling like you’re not good enough and don’t deserve the success you’ve worked so hard for. Through this experience, others might notice you’re dealing with a strong case of mistaken identity.
Mistaken identity is forged within a specific mindset regarding an individual’s ideas of Succeeding and doing well. Many will get stuck and struggle, causing them to question themselves.
As young children, people constantly tell us what is wrong or correct. Society tends to condition and program this mindset into us at a very young age. And we understood what would come with praise, validation, and love.
People struggle daily because we must be taught about our true selves. We start imitating and copying our parents based on their actions. We’ll go ahead with accepting what we’re told about ourselves, whether genuine or untrue. But when you’re not doing well, you’ll receive condemnation and judge yourself as a unique individual.
Others give us our mental image of ourselves. It is how people see us, and we just accept it. This is a circumstance of mistaken identity.
In Doug’s new book, he wanted to paint a picture of how he and many others struggle with dealing with mistaken identity. He believes that by holding on to his past, he had to strive for perfection in the present and, finally, his future. He assembles his journey where we, as readers, can view his transformation journey through his story.
People constantly ask Doug: “How did you go from a violent and traumatic childhood to being comfortably successful?”
His answer is this: Many may need help seeing how he pulled it off and still be able to place things together within a formula composed of a step-by-step.
Doug has broken free of this rigid mindset through dealing with the unbalance of being a mental and emotional person. This knowledge gave him the understanding to create this book. This healing book allows you to stay in a positive and unstuck place.
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