An Elora-based authour's book is on local shelves and was officially unveiled over the weekend.

Joseph Gibbons' Discovering Optimal is targeted at anyone looking to make a positive change, he says.

Gibbons is a "professor in Exercise Science and Lifestyle Management, and an accredited mental health first aid instructor and practitioner," according to the book's website.

Gibbons, who said he experienced burnout after becoming "an opportunity junkie," and saying "yes" to anything and everything in the employment field, explains his path back to wellness wasn't a straight line. According to the author, the book serves several purposes for the reader. It will allow them to define what optimal is for them, and also see their life through a new lens.

"This book is just designed for anybody who's looking for a change, it could be a small change or a big one," Gibbons explained.

"One of the things I try to help people do is to take a pause and really zoom out on their life, reflect, then try and build from that point," he said.

Copies of 'Discovering Optimal' sit awaiting purchase at Elora Centre for the Arts. All profits towards mental health initiatives. Photo by Riley Gillespie-Wilson.

A special "cover art print" is presented to authour Joseph Gibbons the night his new book was unveiled. Photo by Riley Gillespie-Wilson.

One method, or philosophy Gibbons found in his time researching, truly resonated with the authour.

"Something I stumbled upon that I found really interesting, and which is in the book is for instance the people of Okinawa, Japan," Gibbons stated.

"They don't even have a word for retirement, unlike us in the Western world, and they live by a motto called 'Ikigai,' which essentially means the purpose that you have each day," he added.

Gibbons gave examples such as a grandfather whose goal is to fish to feed his family each day, or a great great great, 102 year-old grandmother, whose Ikigai is to hold her infant granddaughter. He wants the book to be a cautionary tale, as he doesn’t want others’ starting point to be as low as his was, Gibbons adds.

You can find the book on Amazon or Indigo, or on a shelf at Barnes & Noble. All profits will support a children's mental health initiative: no charity has been chosen yet as Gibbons is in the process of finding one that best fits what he's looking to accomplish.

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