I remember the moment.  It was a warm February afternoon in 1991.  My friend, Doak, took me to the foyer of his lake home and showed me his bookcase.  It was filled with what he called "success books".  They were arranged by author in alphabetical order. With energy and excitement, he told me of the impact these readings had on his life.  With heartfelt conviction, Doak said that he wished he had learned these success lessons when he was in school.  He felt that they would have made him better prepared for life.  That was a pivotal moment for me, somehow setting my life on a seemingly predestined course.  I could tell that this moment was meant to be.  I needed to know the names: Norman Vincent Peale, Denis Waitley, Zig Ziglar, Napoleon Hill, Clement Stone, Og Mandino, Orison Swett Marden, Brian Tracy, Les Brown, Stephen Covey, Anthony Robbins, Jack Canfield... the list goes on!  Once I tuned in to Doak's message, I was off on a new adventure called my life.  With my old life behind me and a new-found freedom, I was ready to pursue my true calling in life... the character message.  Once my mind had been stretched by this experience, there was no going back.

These many years later, I am still intrigued and amazed by these ideas in sincere and compelling ways.  I am drawn to the message, and I am consumed by it.  Just the pure mention of reaching your true potential sets my mind and spirit into motion.  I'm ready to read, ready to work, ready to learn.  Life simply doesn't offer enough time to learn and to master all of the wisdom.  But I will spend my life trying, anyway.  I've always been driven: to learn, to do my best, to accomplish great things, to push past mediocrity in order to achieve excellence.  So, these ideas were welcomed wisdom.  I was ready to enter a whole new world.  But the door of opportunity is heavy.  You have to push.  I'm always exhilarated by the effort!

This book is the crowning culmination of my journey.  All of the miles, all of the effort, all of the learning-- are wrapped up in this one title.  So, kick off your shoes-- and walk in mine for awhile.  As you do, give thought to all of the lessons I have lived and learned.  I hope that these ideas from the past will help you in your travels to the future.  I wish you joy in your journey to personal, academic, and professional excellence.  These strategies will help get you there!

- Deb Austin Brown