According to the common wisdom, I didn’t have the advantages you need to get to the top. Instead of having connections or running with the in-crowd, I grew up in a foreign country where English was my second language. Instead of getting an Ivy League education, I went to a state university. Instead of being one of the guys in a man’s world, I’m a woman.
The lesson is this: If I can use what I’ve got to get what I want, you can too.
You are good enough now. You don’t have to wait for anything, anyone, or any situation before you can start making a positive change in your life. You don’t have to wait until you get a new job, lose 15 pounds, move to a new house, get a new relationship, an existing situation improves, or hold out for any other reason. The time and place to begin working toward your goals is here and now.
—Part I, Chapter 1: Inside You

Many people go through life working and living without knowing what’s most important to them, trudging along in a life of others’ expectations. They have unconsciously accepted what they have learned from family and from society as to what they should be doing. There is no consideration of whether the roles they took on are really what give them joy and inner peace. They do not look inside for the answers even when they sense something is unfulfilling about their lives. They go through life waiting for something or somebody to tell them why they exist.
Others are so busy “doing” that they do not take the time to reflect on why they do what they do. They do not pause to question why they don’t feel joyful and fulfilled as they forge ahead, day after day. They go through their whole lives, never asking defining questions like these: “What is in me? What is my passion, my reason for being?”
— Part II, Chapter 3: Finding Your Mission

Be courageous. Embrace your life with enthusiasm and heart. You may be where you are by design or accident, but like it or not, it’s where you are. The only way to get to the other end is to go through the terrain surrounding you.
When you approach the challenges you face with optimism and faith, your body will respond to match your attitude. It will be relaxed and alert, slightly leaning forward, adjusting automatically to the terrain. Your mind will be anticipating the next several turns, processing data gathered by your senses, and making sure you’re as ready as possible for whatever you’ll face next. In this relaxed, confident state, you will be able to incorporate the intuition, experience, and wisdom you have learned from others along the way. Suddenly, you will find that the conditions that were so daunting before are easier to navigate.
To thrive in life and in business, you need integrity, heart, intuition, and tenacity. Regardless of the perceived or real obstacles you face, you must maintain your focus with resolve and spirit in order to achieve your goals.
— Part III, Chapter 5: Wisdom to Live By

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