Chapter 1

It’s Your Life.

Own it sooner, rather than later.

Your life belongs to you. It does not belong to your parents, your grandparents, boyfriend, girlfriend, teacher, mentor, or spouse. In my view, your life is an extraordinary gift, and I’d go even so far as to call it a spiritual one. But this book is not about me—it’s all about YOU.

Growing up means owning up, too. On the day you were born, you possessed what I will call “raw material” that was beyond your control. You could not help who you were born to or what your genetics are, what the neighborhood was like, whether or not you were a natural delivery, or whether or not alcohol or drugs were involved. You had no control over your birth par ents’ jobs or careers (or lack thereof), ...

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