Believe in your heart that it's possible for you, and strengthen that belief by looking for proof (success stories) all around you. Then, find the best in the business, learn from them, start taking massive action, and monitor your results to make improvements! That's about it. Oh, and make it fun... enjoy the process!
Bryan Kumar

Brought to you in partnership with Rod Beckwith - http://mrjv.com

Highest Education: Bachelor's of science

Year Started Business: 1996

Type Of Business: Information publishing (online)

Target Market: Beginning to advanced online marketers interested in making money from the Internet quickly or improving their existing business

Best Month (Gross Revenues): $37,000

Hours Worked Per Week During Startup: "I had a full-time job at the time, so I was mostly working nights and weekends on the business—about 25 to 30 hours."

Hours Worked Per Week Now: "I should really be doing more since I don't have the full-time job anymore, but I'm still putting in about 25 to 30 hours."

Favorite Business Magazines: "I don't really subscribe to magazines. I usually just buy a book, sign up for a course, or attend a hands-on crash course if I need to invest in a specific area. I feel that's a much better investment of my time, since I get a lot more information a lot quicker instead of bits and pieces each month."

Favorite Business Books Or Authors: Money & Power: An Interview with a Crazed Marketing Genius at http://www.about-secrets.com/sfi.htm and just about anything else by Allen Says, as well as Eugene Schwartz and Jay Abraham—"These gentlemen teach you more than just business and marketing principles. They go a lot deeper. They discuss the 'core' understandings of what makes a person successful. And everyone should learn as much as possible about that, including direct-response marketing and especially copywriting. Understanding human behavior and the psychology of selling are crucial to success."

Relaxes By: Keeping a fun, light, creative work environment—"I perform a lot better that way. Other than that, I meditate, hike, spend time with friends and loved ones, and laugh a lot. I also enjoy good music."

Keeps In Shape By: Working out three to four times per week with weights—"And I also try to get a 30-minute walk into the day whenever possible. Good health is extremely important to balancing the rest of my life out. Rest is also just as important. If possible, invest in a good bed, even if it costs four figures. You'll be amazed at what a good night's sleep will do for your health, your creativity, and your overall performance and success!"

Favorite Part Of The Job: Helping people reach (or at least start to work toward) their goals—"It's just a great feeling to help someone who's struggling and make their situation a little better. Even if all you do is give someone 'hope'—sometimes that's all they need to break out of the old beliefs and behaviors and work toward a better life. I also like writing and just being creative since my words are the instruments I use to reach most people."

Least Favorite Part Of The Job: Dealing with junk mail, i.e. spam—"Every smart business person should start collecting physical addresses from customers (with their permission, of course). We just don't know how this continuing spam problem will affect us when the dust settles."

Companies Admired: "I've lost my faith in much of the corporate world. I'm more a fan of the entrepreneurial spirit and the small-business owner who realizes the customer is the reason he or she even has a business."

Favorite Quotes:

It is the mind that maketh good of ill, that maketh wretch or happy, rich or poor. - Edmund Spenser

No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

If we all did what we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. - Thomas A. Edison

The Person Who Most Influenced His Life: "My mom. She instilled in me the core values and beliefs that help me everyday: Believe in yourself. Be true to yourself, your values, and your dreams. And never, ever give up. Treat others with respect; we're all doing the best we can with what we 'believe' we've got. Help others whenever possible."

Heroes: "I don't really have any heroes. I am, however, very grateful for writers, teachers, and educators—those who came before us, learned the great lessons in life, and were willing to share those gems with others."

Special Business Achievements/Honors: "I've never been one for awards or trophies. I usually compete only with myself. That's the healthiest form of competition—to try to beat my own record, over and over again. It keeps me moving forward. Other than that, it's always great to hear from a customer who's excited about the results he/she is getting."

Months Before Achieving A Profit: Three months...After the learning phase, Bryan was able to see a profit.

Books/Tapes/Reports Authored: How to Profit From The Internet in 24 Hours or LESS... Guaranteed!
(http://www.about-secrets.com/24report.htm); How to Create Profit-Producing Sales Letters By Getting Inside Your Customer's Head! (The Psychology of Selling) (http://www.about-secrets.com/psych.htm); Money & Power: An Interview with a Crazed Marketing Genius...
http://www.about-secrets.com/sfi.htm—"I continue to get great testimonials for this, even from some of the top marketing names."

GETTING STARTED TIPS:

I'm starting a home business next month. I have a maximum of $3,000 in start-up capital. Where should I invest it?
First, get Money & Power and learn the core skills and secrets of both business and success. Next, invest in a powerful copywriting course that teaches you the psychology of selling. Finally, start seeking out mutually-beneficial joint ventures with other related businesses owners (i.e. ask them to promote your product/service to their customer base in exchange for a cut of the profits.) Your total cost is less than $180! You can get it all from here: http://www.about-secrets.com/sfi.htm

I've just started a home business. My spouse has given me six months to make it work. Any advice?
Sure. First of all, find the best experts (or resources) in the field who can reliably teach you the fundamentals and the shortcuts (or just use the resources given above). You'll save a ton of time, money, and headaches. Don't start from scratch; use what's already out there: knowledge, affiliate programs, etc. Test things out first cheaply and quickly on a small scale. If it's a dud, you can drop it right there and move on to something better. Then, roll it out with full force after you're sure it works. Do weekly checkups on your system to monitor the direction and success rate of your system.

Seek out joint venture (JV) partners and start sending out at least one JV proposal letter (or make at least one JV phone call) every single day. All you really need is a few good JV deals to really get you making serious profits. But why stop there? Separate yourself from the rest of your competition by picking one specific area of that niche. Example: If you're selling products to the "online marketing" crowd, don't sell a general "how to market online" book. Instead, pick a specific area within that subject, such as "e-mail marketing strategies" and sell a book about that. You'll differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd within that niche, and you'll have much less competition selling the same product as you.

And don't forget to make it fun while also making serious commitment to give it your best...not just because your spouse wants you to succeed but because you want to. Always assume that you've only got one shot at making it, whether you're picking a product, doing a JV offer, creating a headline, writing an article, closing a sale, or whatever. Assume that if you don't give it your best shot, you may lose the opportunity forever. This will guarantee that you always perform at your best—your absolute best JV offer, headline, article, product, everything you do.

They say it takes money to make money. Should I try to get a small-business loan for my startup capital or just try to get by with my own limited finances?
I'm not a fan of taking out loans or borrowing money, and I don't recommend others do it either. Instead, pick up a little extra overtime (or give up a few sodas, lattes, dinners out, or whatever) and save up a few hundred dollars. Or start selling an informational product on the Internet to raise some cash. It's a lot cheaper and your investment risks are much lower. You can really get started with one in as little as 24 hours. My special report lays out the steps for you at http://www.about-secrets.com/24report.htm. Once you have some cash flow coming in, you can then use that to grow your business and/or fund your new business (if it's different from online marketing).

TECHNOLOGY & TOOLS:

How quickly do you adopt new technology for your business?
I let my business (and my lifestyle) determine how much of the new technology I adopt. I like to keep my "system" as simple as possible, with as few moving parts as possible. I don't jump to using new technology just because it's new. And, when I do invest in new technology, it's only after others have tested it out. Most of my sites are still pretty bare-bones. I don't want to impress people, I just want to sell."

How do you use e-mail in your business?
Most of my business is conducted via email. I offer a free newsletter and several free special reports when people subscribe to my mailing lists. I then send them occasional tips, reports, resources and promotions. I also use email to communicate with most of my customers, friends, and joint venture partners.

How do you utilize the Internet?
My entire business (for now) is based on the Internet. I use my Website to sell products and publish articles and reports. I use online credit card systems to take orders. I use e-mail (and sometimes an instant messenger) to keep in touch with my customers and partners.

How many of your own Website(s) do you have?
I have several, but these are the two main ones:
http://www.about-secrets.com and
http://www.prodesk.com (which is also a landing page for bryankumar.com, for now.)

I use them mainly for building my mailing lists and for selling informational products in digital format.

Do you use autoresponders?
Absolutely. I'm a huge fan of automating as much of my business as I possibly can to free up time. I use autoresponders to collect and store e-mail addresses when people subscribe to my lists. And I also use them to send out follow-up e-mails to them. You can set up over 50 messages that can go out whenever you want them to. It's one of the most amazing business tools ever.

If you use voice mail, what is your primary use for it?
To catch calls when I'm not available.

Describe your computer system and how you use computers in your business.
It's a Dell system (Dimension series) with an 80GB hard drive and CD writer. It operates using Windows XP. There are also a printer and ZIP drive attached to it. Nothing fancy, really; it does the job. I don't have additional peripherals since I don't need them. I do have a DSL line (which I'm about to upgrade to cable) to connect to the Internet. Most of my business is done on the computer. I create my products, reports, articles, ads, and sales letters on it. I use it to create my Web pages, and graphics and to connect to the net to build and maintain my Websites. My computer is the reason I'm in business; I love it.

What software do you consider in the "must-have" category?
Anything related to e-mail is an absolute must. E-mail software, mass mailing software (to send out messages to multiple opt-in subscribers and customers). It also helps a lot to have your own word processing and Web page creating software. I also have a separate FTP software program, which is very handy.

What other technology do you use in your business?
Nothing else, really. My computer and e-mail takes care of most of it. Very rarely will I use a cell phone for business. Oh, I do have a hand-held personal organizer (Palm Pilot) that's pretty useful.

Name up to five personal favorite business URL's our readers can benefit from:

• http://www.about-secrets.com/sfi.htm—This book should be required reading for anyone who wants business (and life) success. You will also get free access to the Warrior Forum, which you can use to keep in touch with top business and marketing minds from all over the world. It's one of the best places in existence.
  
  
• http://www.prodesk.com/hosting/—The best place I know of where you can get a Web hosting account (for your new or existing site) and tons of other marketing products and resources that you'll have to pay separately for elsewhere.
  
  
• http://www.about-secrets.com/residuals.htm—Don't make the same mistake I did. Start building residual income sources today! You'll thank yourself down the road.
  
  
• http://www.about-secrets.com/mindmotivators—Learn about the 21 powerful mind motivators you can use in your sales letters to pull in more profits!

Of all the technology you use, rank the top three.

My computer, my Internet connection, and e-mail technology. Without these, I wouldn't have a business. In fact, that is my entire business! ;-)

MARKETING & ADVERTISING:

How do you market on the Internet?
By forming mutually beneficial joint ventures with other related businesses, by publishing articles and reports and offering others reprint/distribution rights, and as of very recently I've also started playing with Google Ad Words which is probably one of the best advertising tools around today.
http://www.about-secrets.com/google/

Approximately what percentage of your sales originate from Internet marketing?
At the moment, I would say about 95%.

How do you market in the print media?
I will place classified ads in papers and magazines, but it's very rare.

Approximately what percentage of your sales originate from marketing in the print media?
Less than 5% at the moment, due to the minimal use of it.

What other kinds of marketing do you utilize?
Word of mouth, which includes affiliates who promote my products for a cut of the profits (currently 50%); see http://www.about-secrets.com/affiliates.htm

Do you recommend using a toll-free number in advertising?
It really depends on the business and on the product being sold. If you're an online marketer, you don't really need it because e-mail and a Web page take care of most things. Because of the cost involved, I would only recommend using it if you have a high-ticket offline product. Create very specific and highly targeted ads to promote it, so you don't attract people who waste your time and money. I would also recommend that you use a recorded message (possibly the two-step marketing method) to further weed out those who aren't serious. It's all about targeting.

Where do you market?
All three, since I market through the Internet.

THE HOME OFFICE:

How should someone set up his/her home office to maximize its effectiveness?
The key things to consider are privacy and "feel." If you have children, noisy pets, or neighbors around, you should be able to close out those distractions by closing doors or windows. It also has to have an inviting/energetic/ motivating feel to it. If you feel negative emotions the moment you step into your office, something has to change (be it the niche, the wallpaper, whatever.) If you have a separate room in the house that can be used as an office, you can do that if it works for you. For example, my desk and computer are set in one corner of my bedroom. It works for me, and I don't have too many distractions around.

What, if any, ground rules have you established for yourself and family in order to operate a successful home business?
I want to be able to put in at least four hours of work per day. I can always do more if I feel like it. And if I decide to take a day off, I will have to make up the hours either later that night, or the next day. My family knows that in order to get my work done, I need to have minimum disturbance. I can even leave my door wide open and still get my work done peacefully. If they really need me, they know to knock (or call). Just explain to them that this is your "income source." That should take care of it. I try to spend quality time with my loved ones whenever possible (lunch, dinners, evenings, weekends, etc.). So it's a fairly balanced life, as it should be for everyone.

What are some of the advantages to working at home? What are some of the disadvantages?
Advantages: I don't miss sitting in traffic for an hour (or more) to get to work. I like the 30-second commute much better. :-) I don't spend the day in uncomfortable formal wear. Plus, I get to set my own hours, follow my own working style and pace. Disadvantages: In the beginning stages, it's easy to get distracted by family, kids, outside noises, and/or other activities. You have to discipline yourself, and you need to get organized and set some rules.

MANAGEMENT STYLE:

What part(s) of your work do you farm out?
Not too much right now. I do most of it myself. Sometimes, I will have an assistant help with the tedious, repetitive (but important) tasks like e-mail, site maintenance, backups, etc. so I can focus on other things. And if I'm short on time, I will farm out graphic design.

What part(s) do you feel should never be farmed out?
Anything that falls under the "building relationships" category, especially when interacting with joint venture partners. It's just as important as any other relationship in your life. We wouldn't send someone else to go out on a date for us or to work on a relationship with a loved one, would we? ;-)

Do you encourage or discourage Partnerships?
Forming partnerships is really about trust. If you can trust the other person and you work well together as a team, it can help lighten the workload. But, there are no guarantees. So, I would still set up a contract and get everything in writing, just to be safe. Money can sometimes taint people's judgment and good intentions.

Do you encourage or discourage hiring family members?
Again, it comes down to trust and how well you work together. For the most part, I would discourage it because I've witnessed way too many good relationships (with family/relatives/great friends) turn sour when money enters the equation. Although I haven't had this experience personally, since I've never hired anyone.

When legal issues arise, what's your usual response?
Don't ignore it! Get the right answers from your attorney (or hire one temporarily) and take care of the problem immediately. Sometimes, small and inexpensive problems can turn into major headaches if you ignore it or delay handling it. You can pay $100 now or $1,000 later. (This is true for problems in general.) Fortunately, these problems are rare if you take care of your end of the deal...by being honest, ethical, and communicating clearly. And put things in writing whenever possible.

MONEY & INVESTMENTS:

What are the advantages of earning a lot of money. What are some disadvantages?
Advantages: It gives you more time, more freedom, more control, and more choice over your life. That's the best part; it's also something we all deserve and can have. Disadvantages: It can sometimes draw the wrong people to you: leeches, users, and fake friends. So, you have to be at least aware of that. Also, it can sometimes cause envy and jealousy in others. You can't let that get to you. Some people would rather be jealous and angry at you than get off their butts and take some action towards improving their own lives.

Best general tax advice?
Pay your taxes on time! ;-) And put 30% of your profits aside in a separate account for tax payments. Also, learn as much as you can about tax laws and loopholes. Don't depend on experts all the time. Having your own business is one of the best tax shelters you can find, IF you know how it works. The more you learn about it, the more money you can keep for yourself, legally.

Best general investment advice?
Put at least 10% of your money away in a safe, fairly conservative investment vehicle. (Stay away from mutual funds. They're not what fund managers make it out to be.) Also, invest in residual income vehicles. These can really turn into substantial income streams for you down the road. I recommend:
http://www.about-secrets.com/residuals.htm

You're in business already, and you've just received a windfall of $20,000. What would you do with it?
10% goes back into the business, 10% into savings, 10% to charity—this is very important as it creates the "flow," and it just feels good to help others out. 30% goes into the tax account; don't wait till April 15th of next year to figure out where your tax money will come from. The remaining 40% can be used for play money; if you can't enjoy some of the money you're making, what's the point?

THE ROAD AHEAD

In five years I'll be...
Earning at least three times as much money without sacrificing my lifestyle, i.e. working the same number of hours or less. I will continue to enjoy spending time with loved ones, as well as on hobbies, travel, personal growth, etc. My ongoing goal is to simplify and automate as much of my business as possible. I don't want my business to ever grow so much that it starts affecting my lifestyle. My primary goal is to live an enjoyable and fulfilling life. That's ultimate success to me. If someone offered me five times as much money as I make now in return for my putting in five times as much work, I would decline the offer in a heartbeat. My quality of life comes first.

In 10 years I'll be...
Traveling a lot more, continuing to do what I love to do, whether it's this business or something else. If I decide to change my business, I'll give myself permission to do that. It's important for people to realize that you're never stuck. I also want to have enough money put away so that I don't "have" to work for a living if I choose not to. I'll work because I love doing what I do.

POWERFUL IDEAS:

What was the motivating factor that drove you to start your own business?
An extremely low threshold for mediocrity ;-) and for being bossed around. I always believed that I was destined for more. We all are. Everyone deserves a good life. Growing up, I was always told what to do. I never had a choice in the matter. So, freedom was always very high on my values list. When I got out on my own and started working for others, the idea of being bossed around for mediocre pay never sat well with me. I knew I deserved better. I knew I wanted freedom more than ever. I wanted to be my own boss. That's what really drove me to starting my own business. I think most entrepreneurs find out very early on that the daily grind is not for them. They refuse to accept mediocrity—something many others just accept as normal—without putting up a fight. If you hate your job but continue justifying staying there or being comfortable with your present state of affairs, you'll never find the courage nor the drive to break out of that lifestyle.

What role, if any, did your family play when you were getting your business off the ground?
Fortunately for me, they were supportive and understanding. No one should be allowed to get in the way of other people's dreams. That's the biggest sin you can commit. Foolish ideas aside, you should never take away another person's hopes and dreams. Sometimes that's all they have. And, you never know...they may just surprise you one day with their accomplishments. We all have the dream in us; it should be given a chance.

What motivates you now to continue building your business?
Being able to help others take control of their lives, seeing results in others, opening people up to new ways of thinking, and shifting their beliefs. Passing on the knowledge and strategies so others can create better lives for themselves and their loved ones. And, of course, I enjoy the money. I've been in a situation where I'd lay in bed at night, worrying about my water, heat, or electricity being cut off the next morning. I've been there, and I've been here. Here is definitely a lot better.

What's the best thing about being self-employed?
You have a lot more freedom, control, and choice over your life when you're working for yourself. That's the best part. You're your own boss; you set your own hours. You're in control of your time! If I decide to take a day off today and spend it with loved ones or on a hobby, I can do that.

How often do you read books and/or listen to or watch tapes for improving your business skills or knowledge?
At least 30 minutes a day. It's very important to invest in yourself and continue to improve so you don't become complacent. There's always room for improvement. Something can always be made better. That's really the beauty of life. People may see it as a negative, but if you can always improve on your business, that means you can always improve on your income level! There's no limit! But you must apply what you've learned. Knowing is not enough; it's just useless info if you don't implement it and get the benefit/results.

The most underrated activity in business is…
I want to say copywriting because that is an extremely overlooked area by businesses. But the most underrated activity would have to be testing. With testing and tracking, you don't have to be a genius. You can be an average marketer and still make great money if all you do is test things, track the results, and make changes accordingly. You also never have to "guess" at what works so you never risk a lot of money or time. If all you do is test something and improve 1% per week, the increase in your results (i.e profits) can be astronomical. One tiny change can sometimes create a huge increase in profits. You can turn all of your projects into major successes: test it out on a small scale first, inexpensively. Find the winning formula (i.e. "system") by testing each component and then roll it out with full force. Then, just repeat the formula over and over again.

The most overrated activity in business is…
Always chasing after "new" customers while ignoring your existing subscribers/customers. Finding new customers is great, but that's only one way to grow your business. People need to focus more of their time on strengthening the bond/relationship with their existing customers and subscribers abd getting repeat business from them by finding and offering quality products/solutions that make the customers' lives easier in some way.

What was the biggest obstacle you had to face when you were launching your own business? What's your biggest obstacle now?
My own mind. The hardest part was trying to convince myself that it was easy and that it was possible. Society somehow manages to drum into our heads that making money quickly is either impossible, wrong, or unethical. That's there's no such thing as a "perfect job" and that you have to slave away at a lousy job and sacrifice time with loved ones just so you can get a paycheck. None of this is true. So... many of us have to punch through this type of "negative conditioning" and negative beliefs before we can find success. That's the biggest obstacle. Currently, there are no major obstacles except the growing spam problem. Any online business would be smart to start collecting physical addresses from their customers with their permission. When faced with any obstacle, I just have to remind myself that there's always a way around it IF I spend more time focusing on the solution than on the problem. A little creativity can go a long way.

If you had to start your business all over again, what would you do differently?
I would probably be a lot more committed and put a lot more positive pressure on myself from the very beginning. We often times don't demand the best from ourselves and never come anywhere near our real potential. I would do what I do best and pay other experts to take care of the other pieces. You can also barter the services if you don't have the cash. I would also set up and start building residual income streams from Day 1. It's been one of the hardest lessons for me. I prejudged my future opportunities based on past negative experiences. My past negative (and costly) experiences with offline MLM companies left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't want to have anything to do with MLM's in any shape or form. Later on, I learned that the MLM structure, combined with a solid product and the power of the Internet, can be an incredible income generator. If you plug into residual programs right now and slowly work on building them while you work on your main online business, a year from now you could have a few thousand dollars coming in every month, with not much additional effort on your part. A year from now, you can look back at your choices and either be thankful that you started today, or you can look back in regret wishing you had done something a year ago (as I did).

What was your worst business decision? Why?
Not deploying viral marketing strategies more forcefully from the beginning. I started out very slowly with this. It was a fairly new concept back then, and I'll admit I didn't realize the importance of it right away. Had I taken advantage of viral strategies more effectively, I would have a much bigger subscriber base, a lot more customers, and obviously more profits along the way.

What was your best business decision? Why?
Embracing the online marketing and digital product delivery models. With this business model, I don't have to physically be there for a customer to view my sales page, order the product, or have the product delivered to her immediately. I can be wherever I want, doing whatever I want. Not too many businesses can offer you that freedom and flexibility.

What do you consider to be the main keys of your success? Why?
Taking responsibility for my life and realizing that if I wanted to change my situation, I had to "change" it because no one else would do it for me. And, if I didn't do it, then I had no right to complain about my situation. I had to gather the courage to step out into the unknown. I had to get off my butt, go find the answers, and then take lots of action till I started getting the results I was after. I had to believe in myself and believe that it was possible for me. I had to shift from poverty thinking to thinking BIG. We tend to limit our thinking based on our past performances, experiences, and beliefs about what's possible. That's a mistake. The reality of what's possible is mind-boggling. The only limits are the ones we place on ourselves.

What's your success philosophy?
Dream Big! Desire it! Commit to making a change in your life. Pick something you enjoy doing and have a passion for, or you won't last the long haul. Something that creates value for others. Then, find someone who's already getting the results you're after, get the shortcuts/trade-secrets from them AND learn from their mistakes so you don't waste time making the same mistakes. Don't reinvent the wheel; ask lots of questions! Take lots of action, and persist! There is no such thing as failure; it's only a learning mechanism to help us become better and move forward. If this weren't true, none of us could have learned to talk, read, write, or even walk! So learn faster—double your failure rate and you'll quadruple your success rate! Most importantly, choose a business that fits your lifestyle, not the other way around. You MUST pick the lifestyle you want to be living first and THEN design the business around that lifestyle. Most people do it the other way around and end up with a business that limits them, a business they don't enjoy working on.

What about you has changed the most since finding success in business?
I'm more relaxed now and, therefore, am able to help more people now. When you don't have to worry about money all the time, you can stop focusing on survival and start focusing on giving and contributing. Interestingly, that's what draws more success to you. The lesson: If you start giving now instead of worrying about money, success will find you. If there's ever a time in your life when you're not making enough money, just ask yourself this, "Am I creating enough valuefor other people? Am I giving?" It's really that simple. Create value in other people's lives and they will reward you with money. It's an even exchange. I also learned that you have to be open to receiving. You can't be successful if you're a martyr. Give with an open heart but also receive just as openly. There's nothing wrong with receiving. It's the natural order of life. But most people are conditioned to feel bad about receiving, especially money. That's what cuts the flow and puts them out of balance. Finally, when people trust you with their hard-earned money and their livelihood, you have a huge responsibility. You have to be honest with them and only give them what you feel is the absolute best, after testing it out yourself. Anything less would be cheating them. And if I don't have an answer to their question, I'm not afraid to say "I don't know." I'd rather send them to another expert than give them a theory or half-baked idea.

What is the legacy you hope to leave?
I want to leave the world a little better than I found it. Knowing that I made a difference in people's lives, opened them up to new ways of thinking and to new and greater possibilities. That I helped, encouraged, and challenged them to take action and demand a better life. I want to leave knowing that I made my little contribution to society and humanity. I think we all want that on some level.