Early in my life, I faced great challenges. I could not be a child like my siblings or my classmates. My journey was different. In my school, I learned about schizophrenia and physical violence. My teacher was very powerful. As an adolescent I lost my way. I became a ward of the court and completed my high school education while living in a state group home. In 1989, at age twenty-six, I met an exemplary professional who began to show me the way. For the next twenty years and beyond, I learned lessons of discipline, love, and respect for self and others. Soon, my life's success began to unfold. At age twenty-six, I received my life's primary gift. In 1999, I became on fire for my life, because of the excellence that I had witnessed in another person. I began to dream of talking to the world about the excellence that lives within each one of us. I relocated my life to the desert Southwest. It was there that I began to hear my heart's song and awaken to the excellence of my life's journey. It was there that I discovered the wisdom of my life's teachings. I believe that no matter what circumstances you may find yourself in, excellence is present. And, no matter how desolate you may feel, when you find the fire, the inspiration, and the music of your heart there isn't anything that can keep you from living your life's dreams. "