Passport to Success by Jim Stovall and Greg Reid released in June in the Adventure, Self help genre.

Passport to Success is available now wherever books are sold including Amazon, Apple, and Target.

Jim Stovall, author of the award-winning book-turned-film The Ultimate Gift, and Greg S. Reid, author of the international bestseller Three Feet from Gold, bring you a powerful story about the importance of taking action on your dreams to fulfill your potential.
 
Alex Best thought he was on the surefire path to success—until, that is, he loses everything: his girlfriend, his dream job, his home, and, progressively, his sight. His initial reaction is to blame everyone else for his “bad luck,” but a timely meeting with an old friend and mentor transforms his perspective…
 
“You are your own greatest mentor…you know what you need; go take action.”
 
Looking for a fresh start, Alex sells his material possessions and embarks on a yearlong trip around the world. What begins as an attempt to see the sights he’d always wanted to while he still could becomes a life-changing journey of self-discovery. As he encounters new guides in each place he visits, he receives lessons about how to realize meaningful success. The greatest among these is that he needs to take ownership of his circumstances, recognize and seize opportunities, abandon excuses and fears, and combine initiative with perseverance to create and sustain positive change in his life.
 
The wisdom Alex gleans is available to you in this book: Stop letting ego, apathy, and fear limit your trajectory in life. Do away with the excuses that other people are responsible for your failures. Own your power and potential to build a life and legacy of success. Leave your mark on the earth by finding and living out your greatest purpose.
 
The most beautiful sight is the masterpiece of your life that is uncovered once you remove the debris that is keeping it hidden. Join Alex on the trip of a lifetime: with Passport to Success, you, too, can expose your greatness and enjoy the fruits of living with enthusiasm and intentionality.

Keeping his promise, Alex made it to the Himalayas a couple months later. He’d traveled mostly without an agenda, stopping at one place or another either on a recommendation from someone he met along the way or a whim. He’d learned that the Himalayas were vast, and he knew they were high, so he decided to start his trek through the lower areas, knowing he could always work his way up as he went.

One day he learned of a wise man who was on a mission to change the world, and the man’s story piqued his interest. Intrigued to learn more about him and his mission, Alex set out on a quest to meet the gentleman and learn more about him and his plans. After making several inquiries, he managed to learn where the esteemed man lived and immediately traveled to the somewhat remote village.

Knowing that the man was well known, even renowned in that area, he expected to find him speaking to an audience of thousands. Instead, he was surprised to see the wise old man talking to a small group of less than a dozen young adults, who were all sitting on the floor in front of a makeshift podium. Judging by their faces, they were giving him their undivided attention. But engaging with a couple handfuls of people wasn’t the same as changing the world.   

Alex didn’t get it. If this man had a mission to change the world, it was an unrealistic one. That was a feat that could only be accomplished by reaching scores of people at one time. He should be standing on the stage of a huge stadium or delivering his words of wisdom to hundreds of thousands at a time over the Internet. But this, this wouldn’t cut it. If he thought it would, he was only fooling himself. Realizing that, Alex felt compelled to speak up.

“Excuse me, sir. How are you going to change the world doing this?” he asked, spreading his arms out to reflect the small group around him.

The man looked up, his leathered and lined face depicting patience as he addressed the stranger.

“I am glad you asked, young man, and happy to answer. I’m going to change the world by teaching these individuals because they are world changers. They are teachers who will all shape the minds and hearts of the next generation.”

Thus far, the tourist wasn’t sold on the explanation. As a businessman, he knew that the man’s lofty goals could never be accomplished solely on such a small scale. Raising his eyebrows, Alex appeared doubtful, so the wise man patiently explained, “Over the decades, I’ve discovered that if you learn something, you change your life. If you teach something, you change another person’s life. But if you teach people to teach, you can do great things—you change the world.”

10 QUESTIONS WITH ALEX

What is the TLDR version of your life?

I had everything going for me and didn’t realize how clueless I was until I lost my job, my home, and the love of my life in one day. Then facing a diagnosis of possible pending blindness, I set out on a worldwide quest to capture a vision for my life. 

Is it okay to sacrifice one life to save ten? If you said yes, would you change answer if the one life was a friend’s life and the ten were strangers? If no, why not?

Obviously, we, as a society, have found it acceptable to sacrifice one life to save many. We honor military and first-responders who make this sacrifice. If a friend or loved-one of mine sacrificed their life to save others, it would be difficult in the moment, but over time, I hope that I would respect their choice. 

What should they teach in high school but don’t?

Our high schools should teach financial literacy and strategic thinking so that young people have the ability to form perspective in an evermore confusing world. 

Which movie or book do you think is ridiculously overrated?

Many people claim that Citizen Kane is the best movie ever made. I don’t understand it, and I don’t find it entertaining or informative.

Who would you most like to sit next to on a 10 hour flight and why?

I would like to share a long flight with Mother Theresa. I believe she would have many of the answers that I traveled around the world to find. 

You have $100 to burn, all your friends are busy and you have the whole day to yourself, what do you do?

Early in my life I would have spent it all on me. After my worldwide quest, I would buy a good book and then spend the rest of it helping others 

What makes you say “What was I thinking?” when you look back on your life?

How could I have possibly been unaware, in spite of all the clues, that my job was ending, I was being kicked out of my home, and the love of my life was leaving me. 

What is something you’ve done that you wish you could undo?

I wish I could undo the fact that I totally ignored the words and actions of my girlfriend that should have signaled to me she was unhappy.

What inscription do you want on your gravestone?

I recovered from my own failure, remade myself, and left the world better than I found it. 

If you could live your life again knowing what you do now, what would you change?

I would have paid attention to subtle signals that life gives us all that would have enabled me to keep my home, save my career, and maintain the most important relationship in my life. 

How much do you know about the world outside your country?

Before I set out on my worldwide quest, I knew virtually nothing of the greater world around me. Now I feel like I have a more global perspective. 

What should parents stop teaching their children?

Parents should stop teaching their children limitations and should replace it with possibility.

The Authors

Jim Stovall

In spite of blindness, JIM STOVALL has been a National Olympic weightlifting champion, a successful investment broker, the President of the Emmy Award-winning Narrative Television Network, and a highly sought-after author and platform speaker. He is the author of more than 50 books, including the bestseller, The Ultimate Gift, which is now a major motion picture from 20th Century Fox starring James Garner and Abigail Breslin. Five of his other novels have also been made into movies with two more in production.

For his work in making television accessible to our nation’s 13 million blind and visually impaired people, The President’s Committee on Equal Opportunity selected Jim Stovall as the Entrepreneur of the Year. Jim Stovall has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, and has been seen on Good Morning America, CNN, and CBS Evening News.  He was also chosen as the International Humanitarian of the Year, joining Jimmy Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Mother Teresa as recipients of this honor. 

For more information, visit JimStovall.com and follow him on Twitter (@stovallauthor) or Facebook (@jimstovallauthor).

(Greg Reid)

DR. GREG REID has published, co-authored and been featured in over 100 books in 45 countries. He has had 28 best sellers, including Three Feet From Gold and Wealth Made Easy. 

For more information, visit gregreid.com  and follow him on Instagram (@GregSReid) and Facebook (@Dr.GregReid)