Preface 3 so remember to keep talking to them and also to keep a database. I am forever reading the brilliance of the ages, writ- ten hundreds and thousands of years ago—the works of Plato, Mark Twain, Shakespeare, the apostle Paul, and the stories of leaders like Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan. All departed from physical form long ago but have left us their wisdom contained in the pages of books. As you move through the writing journey and your book starts to get read, you’ll realize that you have the power to in昀氀uence through your writing. Maybe you’ll 昀椀nd opportunities to speak on stages to further illumi- nate your readers and fans. Eventually your book could grow into an enterprise of writing and giving speeches and seminars. From there, even more opportunities can blossom, such as o昀昀ers to speak at universities. I have been given ten honorary doctorates from di昀昀erent universities, which has been a delightful way to leverage my platform and share my message. Best of all, through your book, you are leaving a printed legacy that will last for all time. Your descendants into many generations will revel in reading their ances- tor’s work. 吀栀at’s an inspirational legacy worth leaving. Writing o昀昀ers more opportunity now than ever in history. Of the 7.8 billion people living on planet earth, approximately 4 billion are literate. My goal is to get every-