Strive

Epilogue

Without a struggle, there can be no progress.

—Frederick Douglas, American author and abolitionist

Your Personal Journey to Success Will Be Entirely Unique

By now, you have probably realized that while there are many roads to success, there is only one personal path for you to follow to find your dreams. But what does it mean to really strive in your life? Are there any pitfalls on the way to success? What are the real metrics of success?

My own success is unbelievable because I suffered so many setbacks throughout my life. I was abandoned by my biological father and suffered the constant absence of my struggling mother. My mother's extended family refused to care for me. I was a stranger in a strange land who did not speak the language and could not understand the blind hatred of others. I was a foster child, seized by the state from my suffering mother, whose complete mental breakdown was a horror she would never recover from. I was moved from foster home to foster home, trying to find someone—anyone—who would believe in me. I found, and lost, the true love of parents who believed in me and a father who gave his all for my well‐being. I suffered under the sheer rage of my youth, allowing it to poison my marriage and professional life. Poor posture and overwork led to the agony of a herniated disk. Unhealthy habits contributed to my poor health. I sank all my family's savings into businesses, only to see one nosedive no matter how hard I worked and another collapse ...