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DEDICATION

To my beloved mother, Eloise Vera Harvey, who was a devoted Sunday school teacher for forty years. She blessed my heart and soul with the gift of faith. My faith has been the cornerstone of my existence and of everything I have overcome and of everything that I am, and for that I love her so, and I miss her ever more every day.

To my father, whose sole job was to teach me manhood, and that he did, and he imbued me with an incredible work ethic, for which I owe him my entire career. Thank you, father.

To Marjorie, my wife, who came along and allowed for everything that my parents instilled in me to rise to the top. She has been an inspiration, a motivation. She is the love of my life. She is much of the reason I am who I am. I love you, girl!

CONTENTS

Dedication

Introduction:

Your Gift Is Calling .  .  .

Are You Ready to Answer?

Part One

WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

  1.   “I’m Tired of Myself”

  2.   Fear and Failure

  3.   Take the Lid Off the Jar

Part Two

DISCOVERING AND EMBRACING YOUR GIFT

  4.   The Dash Between Perishing and Sacrificing for Your Dream

  5.   Not What You Are Paid For, but What You Were Made For

  6.   Knowing Your Gift and Putting It into the Right Vehicle

  7.   Understanding the Makeup of You

  8.   Climbing the Mountain to Reach Your Dreams

  9.   You Have to See It to Believe It

10.   Man on a Rope

11.   There Is No Self-Made Man

Part Three

MAXIMIZING YOUR GIFT

12.   Tale of the Tape

13.   Never Be Afraid to Reinvent Yourself

14.

Part Four

CREATING YOUR LEGACY

15.   Healing Your Haters Through Success

16.   Life’s Magical Balance

17.   God Blesses You to Become a Blesser

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Also by Steve Harvey

Credits

Copyright

About the Publisher

INTRODUCTION

Your Gift Is Calling .  .  . Are You Ready to Answer?

There I was riding on a private jet with Cedric “the Entertainer. ” We were being flown from the set of The Steve Harvey Show to a city where we were going to perform as the Kings of Comedy—when it was just me, Bernie Mac, and Ced. Everybody in the passenger cabin on the jet was asleep. When I looked out the window, I could see the lights sparkling in the city below. Next thing I knew, tears were streaming down my face.

At that point, I hadn’t taken full inventory of my life and all of my blessings and achievements. I couldn’t believe that I was sitting on a G3 jet that was sent by the tour promoters. I thought, Look at what my life has become. I had been told that I would never amount to anything. But I had made it through the miserable carpet-cleaning business; selling insurance, which I didn’t enjoy; the weeks on the road with no gigs; quitting my job; homelessness; and getting laid off. I realized that I had been through a lot.

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of accomplishment flooded over me and the tears continued to flow. It hit me that my dreams were coming true. I had wanted to be one of the premier comedians in the country, and it was happening. The announcement of the tour gave us a title—the Kings of Comedy—and then we came out and proved it to be true. We became the largest-grossing comedy routine of all time. The tour took in $58 million! My dreams were coming true right in front of me. That was the first moment, on that jet, that I recall feeling success—really feeling the joy, contentment, and true alignment with God’s purpose for me.