Greatness Is a Choice

ETHAN PENNER is widely recognized as a pioneer in the fields of real estate and finance, with 30 years' experience in those areas. In 2011, he was selected as one of the real estate industry's 65 Living Legends by Real Estate Forum.

Foreword by Julius Erving xv Prologue - Greatness Is a Choice xvii Part One: The Greatness in You Chapter 1 You Must Admire Yourself 3 Chapter 2 What Is Your Life's Purpose? 5 Chapter 3 Prayer Is Powerful 7 Chapter 4 Be Human 9 Chapter 5 Risk Is Life 11 Chapter 6 The Specter of Death 15 Chapter 7 Time Is Everything 17 Chapter 8 The Ground Beckons 19 Chapter 9 Sacrifice Is a Prerequisite for Greatness 21 Chapter 10 We Must Honor Our Body 23 Chapter 11 You Have the Potential for Magic 27 Chapter 12 Life Is Hard for a Reason 29 Chapter 13 Work Is Not a Four- Letter Word 31 Chapter 14 Personal Responsibility 33 Chapter 15 The Steep Price of Dishonesty 35 Chapter 16 The Bubble of Joy 37 Chapter 17 Don't Share Your Unresearched Opinions, Please 41 Chapter 18 Fulfilling Potential Is Fulfilling 43 Chapter 19 There Is No Discipline, Only Faith 47 Chapter 20 Qi 51 Chapter 21 Music Is Eternal 53 Chapter 22 Finding Peace and Joy in Nature 57 Part Two: Finding Your Greatness In the World Chapter 23 Choosing Whom to Share Your Life With 61 Chapter 24 The Debilitating Effects of the Victim Mentality 63 Chapter 25 Duality 65 Chapter 26 Honor Your Ancestors and Your Legacy 67 Chapter 27 Take Care of Each Other 73 Chapter 28 There Will Always Be Hatred 75 Chapter 29 Everyone Is a Philosopher, Teacher, and Student 77 Chapter 30 Giving Advice Is Senseless 79 Chapter 31 Life Is an Improv 81 Chapter 32 Kindness and Generosity Are the Highest Levels of Selfishness 83 Chapter 33 Mastery Is Simplicity 85 Chapter 34 The Best Ideas Survive Open Debate 87 Chapter 35 The Ripple Effect 89 Chapter 36 Sexuality and the Importance of Sexual Energy 91 Chapter 37 Emotions Often Block Truth 93 Chapter 38 We All Screw Up 95 Chapter 39 The Kid in the Playground 99 Chapter 40 The Unique Love of a Parent 101 Chapter 41 Comfort in the Herd 105 Chapter 42 Inertia Destroys, Always Go 107 Chapter 43 More Is Not Better 109 Part Three: the Foundations of a Great Society Chapter 44 The Importance of Timing 113 Chapter 45 Trusting Our Instincts 115 Chapter 46 Freedom 117 Chapter 47 Most of Us Never Notice 119 Chapter 48 Pro-Cyclicality Can Be Crushing 123 Chapter 49 Racism and Discrimination Are the Domain of the Dumb 125 Chapter 50 Democracy Depends on Education 127 Chapter 51 Physical Safety Is the Cornerstone of a Healthy Society 129 Chapter 52 The Hunger for Security 133 Chapter 53 Integrated Systems and Intersections 135 Chapter 54 Earth Is a Giant, Challenging, and Diverse School 139 Chapter 55 Government Is Inherently Dangerous 141 Chapter 56 Equality Is Not the Point 145 Chapter 57 Government Is a Company and Taxpayers Are the Investors 147 Chapter 58 The Persuasion Industry 149 Chapter 59 The World Is Self- Correcting 151 Chapter 60 Teaching People to Fish 153 Chapter 61 The Treadmill of Life Is Moving Too Fast 155 Chapter 62 The Truth About Money and Finance 157 Chapter 63 Capitalism . . . 161 Chapter 64 . . . Not Cronyism 163 Chapter 65 The Limitations of Capitalism 165 Chapter 66 Canaries in the Coal Mine 167 Chapter 67 Class Envy Is a Dangerous Poison 169 Chapter 68 The Basis of Cynicism: The Milgram Study 171 Chapter 69 A Final Thought . . . The World Won't End 173 Acknowledgments 175 About the Author 177 Index 179