Crossing the Desert: The Power of Embracing Life’s Difficult Journeys

My good friend and founder of Baha’i Teachings, Payam Zamani, has written a memoir called Crossing the Desert: The Power of Embracing Life’s Difficult Journeys. Payam and I have collaborated on many projects together, such as this animation introducing the Baha’i Faith, but perhaps what I admire most about Payam is his willingness to dive into projects head and heart first and see them through to completion. I am thrilled that his book is now out and available for purchase.

Here’s what Payam had to share with us about his book:

Can you tell me a little bit about the book?

This is a book about my journey. Growing up a Baha’i in Iran, becoming stateless and a refugee, ending up in the US without my parents, navigating entrepreneurship and taking a company public and ultimately trying to figure out how we can elevate business to serve humanity. The foundation of this journey has been my spiritual values and beliefs grounded in the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. 

Can you tell me why this was an important book for you to write personally?

I wrote this book for that teenager on the other side of the world who needs hope, for the entrepreneur who needs to navigate the inevitable challenges associated with building a business, for that CEO or employee who feels disenfranchised with how businesses operate. I’ve written this as a testament to the power of facing our struggles in life as launching pads for greater opportunities for success, however you may want to define success.  

What were some of the challenges you faced in writing the book?

While not easy, this has been a therapeutic process. Not just remembering some of the experiences but digging deep and trying to understand the why’s and how they each came about. There are many parts of this book that I have a hard time reading without shedding a few tears. 

What do you hope readers walk away with after reading the book?

Challenges are inevitable. All crisis are followed by victories. The key is to have the courage to move forward with optimism.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

My current focus is on the role we each can play to influence capitalism as currently practiced. The current state of business in the US and most countries is simply untenable and has to change. And there lies a major opportunity for massively improving the world and contributing to the betterment of humanity.

Thanks, Payam, for sharing this with us! 

You can purchase Crossing the Desert from a variety of book retailers such as Amazon.

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Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.