My Second Birthday is an inspirational memoir chronicling the life of Dan Weecks leading up to and following a near-death experience from a lightning strike at age 17. This formative moment, his ‘second birthday’, provides a unique perspective as Dan navigates adversity and self-discovery. After being struck by lightning on July 2nd, 2010 while mountain biking through the Austrian Alps, Dan’s life completely changed.
The book follows Dan’s unconventional upbringing between the Arizona desert and ancestral Austria. This unique upbringing and array of eclectic experiences makes for an engaging story that’s both entertaining and enlightening. After cheating death, he wrestles with a renewed outlook while recovering. Dan evolves from student to budding entrepreneur before he discovered childhood aspirations of becoming an airline pilot. He pursued intensive training and turbulence within the aviation industry itself.
The memoir shares poignant stories from Dan’s time as a pilot, the disillusionment that led him to leave his aviation career, and the crossroads that guided him to a new calling in artificial intelligence and services for aging adults. Throughout Dan’s winding journey, he overcomes repeated adversity and leans on the wisdom of mentors, friends and family. My Second Birthday highlights the importance of maintaining your core values and moral compass despite external pressures and self-doubt. Dan’s story encourages readers to stay true to themselves, and shares relatable tales of crossroads, difficult decisions, and unexpected twists and turns. Dan invites readers to reflect on their own encounters with change and evolution.
The book explores the search for meaning, embracing confidence over arrogance, and learning from mistakes to forge one’s own path. My Second Birthday offers inspirational takeaways for readers on topics like finding purpose through service, maintaining integrity, and how our response to struggles can define us.
With eloquent storytelling and insights, Dan invites readers to reflect on their own encounters with adversity and evolution. His story will resonate with those experiencing their own ‘lightning’ moments, crossroads, or desire for a fresh perspective. The book explores universal themes like the search for meaning, integrity, confidence vs arrogance, and learning from mistakes. Dan offers reflections and hard-won wisdom that can help readers in their own lives. For those interested in aviation, it provides a raw behind-the-scenes look at pilot training and the airline industry from Dan’s firsthand experiences.
My Second Birthday is an uplifting memoir of perseverance, self-discovery and making the most of second chances. Dan’s unconventional upbringing laid the foundation for the resilient person he became. His lightning strike gave him renewed appreciation for life that guided future choices.
For those seeking motivation in overcoming obstacles or rediscovering purpose, My Second Birthday delivers hope and perspective. Dan’s willingness to chart his own course makes for a relatable journey of highs, lows, and hard-won wisdom.
To follow the book’s progress and be notified of its availability, subscribe to our free newsletter. To learn more about Dan, visit DanWeecks.com.