The theme of this book is self-destruction. Why we do it, when we do it, and how to stop it for our own good. Self-destructive behaviors are driven by coexisting but conflicting needs. This is why we resist efforts to change, often until they seem completely futile. But by gaining a breakthrough insight into our harmful habits, building emotional intelligence by better understanding our mind and body, releasing past experiences at the very bottom line, and learning to act as our best possible future selves, we can find our way out and reach our full potential. For centuries the metaphor of a mountain has been used to describe the great challenges we face, especially those that seem impossible to conquer. In order to conquer our mountains of challenges, we actually have to do the work within ourselves, such as unearthing and clearing our traumas, building our resilience, and adjusting our readiness to climb. Ultimately, we conquer ourselves, not the mountain.