My story

In 2017 my —until then seemingly successful— life crashed.

At that time I nearly killed myself but I was stopped.

The crash was a blessing in disguise.
A year later I was able to admit that I messed up my life and decided to start afresh.
I went on a quest to create and live a life of meaning, joy, and abundance. A quest to grow my very own Tree of Life.

This is my story.

If you met me in 2016 you would think my life is pretty good.
High-ranking manager with a matching salary, a gorgeous girlfriend, a big house, and a German executive car.
From the outside, it all looked perfect.

Yes, there were a few hiccups.

I was heavily overweight and in February 2016 I had heart surgery.
But health problems are part of a job description at that level, aren’t they?

Oh, and there were some heated exchanges at home, behind closed doors.
But that’s normal too, isn’t it? Every couple has a row from time to time, right?

OK, it’s true, I had quite a lot of debt. Who doesn’t?
My income was big enough to pay for everything. There was no reason to worry.

Until…

In 2017 my relationship broke down. It shattered my heart.

I needed to get out of the city, where every corner shouted at me her name.
I moved 100 miles away, leaving the job and everything else behind.

I was unemployed.
Deep in debt.
No income.
Little cash.
Homeless.

A friend let me crash on his sofa for a while.
Immediately, I started looking for a new job.
It was hard because I was in such a mess from the breakup.
Every recruiter could see that I was not okey.

Finally, I’ve managed to get a job.

A couple of days before the start of my new high-paying job, I lost my driving licence.
The job I was about to start involved a lot of travelling.
All those speeding tickets came back and bite me in the ass exactly at the worst possible time.

That was the last straw.

I am a man who always helped others and was able to resolve any problem.
Now I lost all confidence.
The situation dragged on.
I maxed out my credit cards.
It was getting worse and worse, until, deep in a depression, I attempted suicide.

You’re reading this, so obviously, the suicide didn’t work out. I was stopped.

If you are in a bad place and keep thinking about suicide,
please read my guide on how to deal with suicidal thoughts.

That failed attempt led me to where I am today.
I realised that I was out of my mind, went to a doctor and asked for help.
Over time I went from psychologist to psychiatrist and in mid-2018 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

It changed everything.

Some people would have given up at that point and just let life happen to them.
For me, it was a wake-up call. At last, I understood myself.
I realised, that I messed up my life by doing stupid things.
It did not matter that I was ill.
I did them.

How I behaved mattered.

It was time to wise up.
And so, I set on a journey.
A journey to create a life of meaning, joy, and abundance despite my illness.

I’ve read books and articles.
I’ve watched videos and listened to podcasts.
I’ve studied everything I could get my hands on.

It was hard. My brain played games with me all the time.

I had panic attacks.
Self-doubt seeped in at any time.
I cried more times than I care to remember.
Not being able to sleep with worry was a constant occurrence.

But I persisted.

There might not be a cure, but many people became successful despite similar setbacks.
Churchill had bipolar. So do Catherine Zeta-Jones and Russel Brand.

At that time I started journaling.
Journaling helped me to let go of self-pity and resentment.
I would not be where I am today without journaling.

I tried to find a comprehensive system for life change.

However, the Personal Development industry seemed preoccupied with a focus on career, money, and relationships. I could not find a single program aimed at creating an all-encompassing life guide.^

With no option to copy someone, I started to systematize the scattered knowledge I gained from different parts of the Personal Development industry.

I filled several refill pads with notes, comparing and compiling different ideas.
I selected promising ones and tested them. Kept what worked and discarded what not.
Over time I learned a lot of things from many different fields.

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Social studies
• Philosophy
• Religion
• Behavioural analysis
• Motivation
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• …and many others.

It took a lot of time and effort.

I analysed hundreds of books, articles, videos, podcasts, sermons, etc.
Nearly fifteen hundred pages of handwritten notes in five refill pads.
I filled several journals with personal reflections and ideas.
It was a lot of learning, summarising and testing.

I spent countless hours researching and meditating on the laws our world and our lives are guarded by.

Finally, I created a foolproof system to create a full-scale, in-depth, all-encompassing life guidance.
A system that helped me when I was in a rut and kept me out of a mess most of the time.
A system which enabled me to define, design and create a life based on who I am.

Now I live that life.

Based on Psalm 1 and other texts from the Bible*, I named the system the Tree of Life Quest.

Blessed is the one 
who does not walk in step with the wicked 
or stand in the way that sinners take 
or sit in the company of mockers, 

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, 
and who meditates on his law day and night. 

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, 
which yields its fruit in season 
and whose leaf does not wither— 
whatever they do prospers. 

Notes:

^ In April 2023 I saw a Mindvalley ad on Facebook for a Lifebook by Jon and Missy Butcher. I went ahead and watched their webinar. This is the life system I was looking for but couldn’t find. It is possible that if I encountered Lifebook in 2018, I would use it and I wouldn’t create Tree of Life Quest.
Both programs are different. And both have some things in common.
If you want to change your life and my style is not your cup of tea, you should check out Lifebook. Is Tree of Life Quest better than Lifebook? I believe so. Firstly, I offer the whole concept for free in a DIY format. The scope of Tree of Life Quest is more in-depth and more comprehensive. (Hey, I made Tree of Life Quest, remember?)
But whichever program you will use, the main thing is that you’ll do something to change your life. Use Tree of Life Quest or use Lifebook, it doesn’t matter. JUST DO SOMETHING.

* If you are an atheist or for some other reason you think that the Bible is outdated, I would urge you to open your mind. The Bible is an ancient text and it has a lot of wisdom even for a non-believer. A lot of personal development authors cite from the Bible. There are many timeless principles in it, you might be really surprised by some of them.

Tree of Life Quest is a framework, a philosophy of life. It combines two things, theory and practice.

1. Philosophical principles and concepts of what is important and why.
2. Practical how-to tools, step-by-step guides and actionable fast-working tips.

The Tree of Life method keeps me focused on the things that matter to me. The best thing is, it’s a living organism, not a rigid structure. Once set up, it grows on its own, like a tree. It takes a few minutes per day to check if everything I plan to do is helping my Tree of Life to thrive. It’s also easy to spot a poison before it enters my schedule.

The first implementation was not easy. I was in my very late forties when I embarked on this journey. Trying to save a big tree takes time and some hard work. There is no way around it. But, hey, my life was worth it.

After five years of study, trial and error, I can say that my life is entirely different.

It is 2023. I am happy. My life has a purpose. I am thriving. In the Tree of Life Quest, I am sharing with you not only my own journey of self-reflection and growth. I am giving you a tool that you can use to change your life. After all, there is more to life than working & paying taxes.

If this sounds good, welcome to the party.

The Tree of Life Quest framework is a philosophy of life focused on building a balanced meaningful life. The three core tenets of the Tree of Life quest are: