I have toyed and struggled with the thought of compiling this book for a long time; almost 35 years, in fact. Since graduating from West Point in 1974, I have visited over forty countries in my military and business career. Everywhere I've been I have looked for articles or stories that I could include in this book. Many short stories came from friends and sources marked '-Unknown.' This book is dedicated to young people everywhere and written for their benefit. I realize that many young people today would rather buy a CD or DVD rather than a guidebook or an owner's manual- a book about how to improve their lives from just an average Joe. Some young people will only get this book if a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or probation officer gives it to them as a gift. I hope it is a gift worth keeping and sharing. Today, young people struggle with finding good examples of role models. My first role model was David Cortez while attending Rhodes Junior High School in San Antonio, Texas. David was a ninth grader and our Student Council President. He helped me with my successful 'political' campaign to be the next Student Council Secretary. I thought David 'walked on water.' David came from a strong family. He was smart, athletic, and good-looking. He had a beautiful girlfriend. David's story has a sad ending. He went on to Jefferson High, where he also excelled. He married his girlfriend- the girl of his dreams. A few years later, she tragically died in a car accident. Not much later in life, David, still a widower, died of a mysterious illness, leaving behind two young daughters. This book is about making the world a better place by showing you examples and ways to be a better, more productive, more caring person and citizen. It's about many of life's experiences and encompasses recurring themes and the more recurring in this book; the more important I view them in the development of a young person. To some the sequence may seem chaotic, but life is also at times confusing and disorganized. And not everything will go your way. Life's not fair. I had fun compiling this book, but I also cried and laughed. I hope that everyone reading this book will find at least one single passage or story that will cause them to reflect on it by saying, "I needed to read this today!" Please enjoy.