Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness

Introduction

My Journey So Far

I was born on December 19, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock hospital in Hanover, New Hampshire. My parents had recently graduated from high school and would marry shortly after. They were not financially or emotionally ready to have a child, but through sacrifice and the help of their families, they made it work.

We moved around a lot when I was little, eventually settling in Upper Valley, New Hampshire, which is small-town America at its finest.

It is a slice of America where everyone knows everyone and where some of your high school teachers taught your parents. Every day your path crosses with people to whom you give a knowing nod as you go about your day.

Growing up, I always had tons of energy, and wearing a T-shirt that read, “Look out, here comes trouble,” was standard uniform. After my two sisters were born, they gave me new outlets in which to use my energy. I got grounded a lot for doing stupid little things to torment them.

My mother ran a day-care business out of our house. My dad worked numerous jobs, including doing tree work (which he went to college for), working at the post office, delivering potato chips, and for a while, running his own landscaping business. The importance of a strong work ethic was instilled in me at a young age.

I was also fortunate to grow up with both sets of my grandparents close by. We’d see them quite often, and although I loved them all, I was always closest with my dad’s father. He loved to fly airplanes, draw, and ...