ONCE

Timely, deeply thoughtful—no better description for the book Once. Its pithy, monosyllabic title rouses a desire to get beyond its beautiful cover and explore. The book's point of departure is the sobering fact that while life may seem a revolving door, it is really a one-way journey. While aspects seem to repeat, they only share similarities with new occurrences, each event or opportunity is unique. Happily, Once insists that we can seize opportunities and possess the ability and right to self-define more than we know or practice. The book offers brilliant and easily accessible ways to a fuller, more rewarding existence. In his own words, author Dr Timothy Barrett makes it clear why he wrote: "I have been concerned about people living less than best lives for some time, starting with my own reflection based on the reality that there are no second chances, another chance, maybe, but no repeats." Well-worth heeding, Barrett is a physician and trained psychiatrist, a world traveler, former Olympian and intellectual who has written this highly readable and accessible small volume from a deeply personal space: the fount of challenging professional experiences and the courage and honesty to share personal experiences. Attracting international respect, Barrett maintains an active practice and, by invitation, has conducted workshops and participated in professional and government-level conferences on mental health worldwide.

Timely, deeply thoughtful—no better description for the book Once. Its pithy, monosyllabic title rouses a desire to get beyond its beautiful cover and explore. The book's point of departure is the sobering fact that while life may seem a revolving door, it is really a one-way journey. While aspects seem to repeat, they only share similarities with new occurrences, each event or opportunity is unique. Happily, Once insists that we can seize opportunities and possess the ability and right to self-define more than we know or practice. The book offers brilliant and easily accessible ways to a fuller, more rewarding existence. In his own words, author Dr Timothy Barrett makes it clear why he wrote: "I have been concerned about people living less than best lives for some time, starting with my own reflection based on the reality that there are no second chances, another chance, maybe, but no repeats." Well-worth heeding, Barrett is a physician and trained psychiatrist, a world traveler, former Olympian and intellectual who has written this highly readable and accessible small volume from a deeply personal space: the fount of challenging professional experiences and the courage and honesty to share personal experiences. Attracting international respect, Barrett maintains an active practice and, by invitation, has conducted workshops and participated in professional and government-level conferences on mental health worldwide. "These are the times that try men's souls." Here are words of the 18th century philosopher Thomas Paine, which perfectly capture the tenor of the angst-ridden, pandemic-weary, "what's next"- fearful 21st century, which has brought increasing stresses and losses. Even more important, Once is a needful alternative to social media platforms that emphasize overnight fortunes, exempting us from taking responsibility for our lives. Once offers the following pertinent points of Barrett's professional experience and beliefs with faith, humour and an undeniable intelligence and sincerity: Our failure to take advantage of opportunities because we do not call them opportunities; Our penchant for comfort-seeking… leading to mediocrity and preventing us from growing and developing into our best selves; Not understanding our uniqueness and therefore self-worth, leading to unfortunate comparisons; We have one chance to live this life, so let's do it to the best of our knowledge and ability; Last but not least, we must remember to never leave God out of the equation. Once is a cheerleader for life more abundant and should stand the test of time. It is not to be missed by people who value life or would like to learn how to do so joyfully.

Dr Timothy Barrett is a Bahamian from a family of gifted musicians and community builders. He is the son of the late Rev. Richard Barrett and Hilda Barrett and the grandson of Rev. Dr Timothy Donaldson and Mrs Mildred Donaldson. His early education was at Sands School, Eastern Junior and Senior Schools and the Government High School. He continued his studies at the University of Southern California, the University of the West Indies and the University of Manchester, pursuing psychology and premed, a degree in medicine and a postgraduate degree in psychiatry. The early part of his medical career was spent as a family physician but, since 1987, he has practiced psychiatry. At present he is Managing Director of Holistic Health Services Ltd and in private practice. He is also an Associate Lecturer for the University of the West Indies School of Medicine and Research, Bahamas. He is a past President of the Medical Association of the Bahamas and a past Chairman of the Medical Council of the Bahamas. For the past 26 years Dr Barrett has utilized his knowledge of human behavior and his talent for communication in the roles of Human Resources Consultant and Trainer for a number of business organizations. His suitability for this role comes from a combination of his practical life experiences, his commitment to lifelong learning and self-development, his love for people and his considerable skills developed while coaching various club and national sports teams. Additionally, for a number of years he was the visiting lecturer for the Master's Degree Program in Human Resources at the University of the West Indies' Faculty of Business in Cave Hill, Barbados. He has also been consulted by business organizations throughout the Caribbean, as well as by political parties in preparation for campaigning. His lectures and seminars cover a wide range of topics, including Team Building and Maintenance, Conflict Resolution, Stress Management, Effective Communication, Managing the Change Process, Personal Development and Leadership Development among others. Dr Barrett has been an ordained minister since 2006. In this role he lectures and preaches regularly on a wide range of topics. His passion, however, is for helping people learn how to maximize their brief time on earth and enjoy the abundant life that Jesus promised we could have. Timothy Barrett was an All-American at the University of Southern California and is a former international athlete, who holds the distinction of being the first gold medal winner in a field event in the history of the Bahamas. He held records for high school triple jump, national open triple jump and javelin for periods ranging from 14 to 18 years. He also represented The Bahamas on the '68 and '72 Olympic Teams, was a member of the National Soccer Team, the National Squash Team, and the National Volleyball Team and coached the National Squash and Volleyball teams. Dr Barrett developed an interest in the development of the voice and began taking voice lessons in 2002 with the late Pauline Glasby. He holds the distinction of being the first Bahamian to pass the Licentiate, Trinity College of London (LTCL) in music (voice) locally, which he did in 2007. At present he is also a member of the Bahamas National Symphony Orchestra playing the bass clarinet. His hobbies include singing, playing his instrument, learning languages, listening to jazz music, traveling, visiting museums and playing squash. He is married to the former Samantha Adderley and has four children, Tim Jr, Marc, Torriano and Joelle.