Meet Maurice Lindsay, Author

Maurice Lindsay is the creator and author of Wake Up To Your True Identity, a personal development blog that helps people to wake up and embrace who they really are. For more on Maurice. you can follow him on Twitter and Google+. He also has a newsletter, Personal Prosperity: 10 Steps To A Prosperous Life.

1. How do you define personal identity?

Personal identity to me is pretty self explanatory--it's who you are. But the problem is most people don’t know who they are. See, everyone is seeking happiness and inner peace, but often they seek outside of themselves for it. Although it may sound cliché, happiness really does come from within. People that seek happiness from outside sources don't know who they are. And if you don't know who you are, then you will never be 100% happy.

A lack of identity is what plagues our society today. If more people knew who they are, then they would accomplish great things because our creator made us in his image and there is no one greater than God.

2. What do you think are some factors that prevent people from knowing who they are?

Well, after hundreds of personal interactions with people who live life not being true to themselves, the most common factor I see is the excessive exposure to negativity.

There is just way more negativity in the world than anything positive. I don't mean that there isn't anything positive out there, but you just have to look harder for it. But negativity--you don't have to look for it at all. It's in our faces 24/7. Turn on your TV and you will see it, cut on your radio and you will hear it, and walk down the street or ride through the town and you will witness it. So it's no wonder why we feed off negativity--it's everywhere.

The majority of everything on TV and everything played on the radio (especially hip hop) is negative. Yet we watch it and listen to it every day, feeding our minds with negativity and wondering why positive results aren't happening in our lives. Often, people aspire to be the entertainers and celebrities they watch and listen to. So if you look up to negative-minded people and allow their messages to consume your brain non-stop, then you will never be able to tap into your true self because you are not feeding off your own messages.

I could speak on this topic forever, but the main thing that prevents people from being their true self is themselves.

3. What created the wake-up call in your own life?

I was just tired of doing the same old things. My life was going in circles, and I wanted better for myself. I always had goals of being a successful entrepreneur, but instead I chose the life of a drug dealer...

A life that involved nothing but partying, drinking, smoking, and a bunch of one-night stands. Which seemed fun and exciting on the surface, but on the inside I was dying. I was living a life that was not true to my heart's desires, and year by year I became more and more angry as I watched myself become someone I was not.

Until one day I decided enough was enough. I had recently turned 25, and I no longer wanted to continue living such a meaningless life. I was at a real low point in my life and I just needed some peace. So I just got on my knees and cried out to God... And the rest is pretty much history.

4. When will your book be available, and what's it all about?

Wake Up To Your True Identity will be available in the fall of next year, but the official release date hasn't been set yet. The book is about how to embrace your individuality and create wealth by just being yourself, using my life as the example. The book breaks down seven major steps one must take to wake up to your true identity and live a happier, more fulfilling life.

5. How does your blog help you in maintaining your own path to positive change, and what is your goal in terms of connecting with your readers through your blog?

I absolutely love blogging, and I would blog whether my blog made money or not. Writing is therapeutic for me, and it gives me the opportunity to express myself in a way I wouldn't normally do.

But as much as I love writing, my readers are the most important aspect of my blog. Everything I write is in hopes to inspire them. The thoughtful emails and comments that I receive from random readers and loyal subscribers are what motivate me to keep writing meaningful content.

The goal of my blog is simply to inspire, motivate, and encourage others to wake up to their true identity.

Thanks, Maurice!