I once was lost,
But now am found,

Was blind but now I see.

(John Newton, 1779, Amazing Grace)

Two centuries ago John Newton found himself adrift at sea, the master of a slave ship.  Somewhere he found the power to change and became the person we now remember him as, the author of the world-famous hymn, Amazing Grace.  Perhaps he found his true "identity."  You too can find your own inner identity in this ever changing world.  Larry Ackerman, a leading authority on organizational and personal identity can help you decipher your own identity code in his new ground breaking book, THE IDENTITY CODE: The 8 Essential Questions For Finding Your Purpose and Place In The World.

Ackerman maintains that the mythological phrase that you can "be all you want to be" is misleading as we each have our own individual "identity code" that "provides a complete map of how you were designed to live."  His book is laid out in eight essential sections, asking the reader to explore 8 important questions:

*  WHO AM I?: Define yourself as separate from all others
*  WHAT MAKES ME SPECIAL?: Unearth what you love
*  IS THERE A PATTERN TO MY LIFE?: Make the connections that explain past events and
        foreshadow your future
*  WHERE AM I GOING?: Use what you've learned so far to guide you on your path
*  WHAT IS MY GIFT?: Follow the signs of joy
*  WHO CAN I TRUST?: Take stock of who matters–and why
*  WHAT IS MY MESSAGE?: Declare yourself on the strength of your gift
*  WILL MY LIFE BE RICH?: Surrender to the pull of your identity

Each section is followed by exercises to help one upon his/her journey, ranging from simple to challenging and purchasing a journal along with this book would be recommended.

At first glance I felt this book to be quite "gimmicky," one of many such types of books on the market, but upon further reading I found the author to be quite sincere and the material worth reading.  If anyone, such as in the case of someone like John Newton, finds themself adrift in this world and truly wants to find out who they are and where they are going I would say go for it and purchase the book, seriously apply themselves to the material and do a little soul searching.  It is an exercise in living and finding out who we were truly destined to be.  Knock knock.  Who's there?  Hey, it's the real you!