Throughout this book, I will share stories of the people who have shaped my life. My father, despite his drug problem, was a giver and a man of peace. I don’t recall ever seeing him upset. Now, there were stories about how he wasn’t the kind of guy you wanted to mess with, but I never saw that side of him. Instead he came across like an intellectual. His mind processed numbers like a calculator and his memory was better than a Jeopardy contestant’s. Then there was my grandmother, who had a reputation of being strong and fiery, but shocked people with her modesty when they would praise her for a display of kindness when it mattered most. The greatest influencer of all may have been my brother. He was loyal to the family and looked out for all of us, even the adults. He was so driven at a young age that he unfortunately completed God’s to-do list early, and there was nothing left for him to do here. Finally there’s Aunt Roz. She was a cancer survivor and a fighter. The woman didn’t understand the word quit. She would become the person I modeled myself after. These people, along with the challenges I’ve faced, have all contributed to my understanding of purpose.