Navigating a Life

Steve Briggs was a carefree youth who loved pleasure boats, pretty girls, and outrageous pranks. But the day came when he awoke to find his entire life capsized--his future beached on precarious shoals. Whereas once he was happy, prosperous, and healthy, now he was defeated, desperate, and doomed. How did he get to this terrible place? More important--how could he get out? In his thirties, Stephen Foster Briggs II had everything a successful businessman was supposed to achieve--a lovely wife, healthy children, a comfortable home, sea and snow vacations, and a promising career. Then catastrophes struck--one after another: His company passed him over for promotion. His career hopes collapsed. His family fell apart. He was bordering on broke. To top it off, cancer invaded his body, promising just six months to live. The privileges he was born into--the prominent family and friends he knew, the education he'd acquired, the travel experiences he'd enjoyed--all failed to help him now. He was alone. Ironically, only when he realized that he, and he alone, could turn his life around did the horizon begin to clear. He was the captain of his own life. He could navigate it or lose it. How Steve Briggs built his life anew is a fascinating journey of gumption and grit. A descendant of people who lived and worked by the sea (the name Briggs is derived from Old English for "bridge"), this modern-day sailor seized the sails of his own destiny. Navigating a Life is the intriguing account of struggle against discouragement and defeat toward success and service to others. Told with candor and humor, Briggs shares the insights he developed and the wisdom he acquired. This memoir of mending mistakes--his risky adventures and his inventive solutions--will surprise and inspire.