People in this book

Here is a list of some of the people included in this book:

• Desiree Amadeo, environmental activist and MIT engineering student
• Eric Babbitt, two-time cancer survivor and athlete
• Chris Barrett, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and author
• Olivia Bennett, artist
• David D. Burstein, filmmaker and activist
• Kari Byron, Artist, thrill-seeker, and pro MythBuster
• Ryan Cabrera, singer, songwriter, and artist
• Julie Marie Carrier, Miss Virginia USA, speaker, and author
• Jon Chu, film director
• Kendall Ciesemier, philanthropist
• Cameron Clapp, triple amputee, famous athlete
• Shivani Dixit, humanitarian
• Jason Ryan Dorsey, author, speaker, and mentor
• Amanda Dunbar, world-class artist
• Chelsea Eubank, entrepreneur and clothing designer
• Timothy Ferriss, world record holder, kickboxing champion, and #1 New York Times bestselling author
• Dustin Godnick, entrepreneur, author, and speaker
• Dr. Farrah Gray, entrepreneur, author, and speaker
• Kent Healy, author, entrepreneur, and speaker
• Joshua Heinzl, entrepreneur, toy store owner, philanthropist, and motivational speaker
• Andrew Hewitt, author, speaker, visionary for education reform
• Tyler Hinman, crossword puzzle champion and puzzlemaker
• Joel Kent Holland, III, journalist, producer, and entrepreneur
• Chauncey Cymoné Holloman, entrepreneur, designer, speaker
• Cameron Johnson, author, speaker, and entrepreneur
• Roy Juarez, Jr., speaker, entrepreneur, and humanitarian
• Anna Kournikova, international tennis pro and model
• Jasmine Lawrence, entrepreneur
• Margaret Lewis, humanitarian and aspiring documentary photographer
• Grant Lin, national scholar and student leader
• Gabrielle Linnell, freelance writer
• Kyle Maynard, author, speaker, and champion wrestler
• Danica McKellar, actress, author, and math-whiz
• Lin Miao, Internet entrepreneur
• Nathan Nguyen, entrepreneur
• Jason O’Neill, entrepreneur
• William Oliver, author, trainer, and entrepreneur

Forward by Jack Canfield

Before Chicken Soup for the Soul® was even a concept, I was working with teens as a high school teacher because I enjoyed helping young people discover their potential and do something exceptional with their lives. Today, I’m a little (okay, a lot) older than the average high school student, but my passion to help teens succeed is still very much alive. As a result of meeting so many incredible young people in my travels as a speaker and an author, creating this book has been an important goal of mine for a long, long time.  

Some of the most inspirational individuals I have ever met are teenagers. I am always impressed and reenergized when I hear their stories about how they have ventured beyond the limited expectations what we normally expect of teenagers to achieve extraordinary goals in their lives; overcome seemingly insurmountable physical, financial and emotional obstacles; or volunteered their time, started organizations and enrolled others in making the world a better place through service to their fellow man. As a result of this, I see today’s teens as a source of hope, change, and unlimited possibility. Now, more than ever before I see a generation of young people with amazing talent, potential, creativity, and compassion. I am confident that as the older generations pass the torch you will do a great job running the show and creating an ecologically sustainable, socially just, spiritually fulfilling world that works for everyone.  

I have spent my life hanging out with wonderful mentors, teachers and peers who have helped me push through my doubts, fears, and limiting beliefs so I could find my own inner strength, passion, and purpose and create an extraordinary life for me and my family. And as the editor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series for the past 16 years, I also have been inspired by the thousands of stories we have published of ordinary people who have risen up to do extraordinary things. So I know that reading the stories we have collected in this book will inspire and encourage you to do the same.

After co-authoring The Success Principles for Teens with Kent Healy, I was excited to work with him once again on this book. I met Kent when he was 17, and well on the way to becoming an extraordinary teen himself. He is a perfect example of how committing to take that extra step can lead to an extraordinary life. And Kent would agree that leading an extraordinary life is not about having natural talent or ideal circumstances; it’s about your own level of commitment to do something exceptionally well.  Through the stories included in this book, it’s our hope that you can see how you too can be extraordinary if you dedicate yourself to a dream, goal, vision, purpose or cause.

With love and best wishes for creating the life of your dreams…

Jack Canfield
Co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul®  series

Introduction

"If only I could do what they have done..."

Well, I’m here to say, “You can!”  And this book is proof of that.  In most cases, the only person holding us back is ourselves. Many of us believe that celebrities, super-achievers, and other accomplished individuals are simply smarter, stronger, wiser, and in some way, “better” than we are.  But the real story is quite different.  During the many interviews for this book, I heard one specific line come up again and again: “I’m no different than anyone else.  I just wasn’t willing to settle for any less than I could be.”  

Consider what John Holt, a respected educator, once said:

Charismatic leaders make us think,
     "Oh, if only I could do that, be like that."
True leaders make us think,
     "If they can do that … then I can too."
- John Holt

Each person in this book is a “true leader”—their stories and their examples will show you how you too can achieve something extraordinary. When I asked these remarkable individuals to share their lessons, insight, and journeys with me, they all jumped at the opportunity because they know that anyone can be successful IF they have the right tools—and being part of this book has allowed them to share their own valuable “success tools” with you.

There are fundamental principles that anyone can use to achieve extraordinary results, but instead of listing each ingredient of success I’ve asked those who have used these principles to put them in their own words.  This means, woven in these incredible true stories, lay the secrets to achieving extraordinary results in your own life.

[This is only part of the introduction]

Testimonials

"I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of such a great and awesome book for teens... and parents. Everyone has things in their life that they could improve, and sometimes hearing other people's stories can ignite some growth and inspiration."

- Ryan Cabrera, singer/songwriter

Specs

Paperback: 448 pages

Publisher: Chicken Soup for the Soul; 1 edition (August 18, 2009)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1935096362

ISBN-13: 978-1935096368

Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches

Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces

Order Info

All physical books (excludes ebooks) authored by Kent Healy and sold through this online store will be personally signed by him.

For bulk orders or questions, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call toll free: 1-866-928-COOL