The first line of the acknowledgments section in virtually every book goes something like this: to list everyone I want to thank for their contributions to this book would be a book in itself. You really don't know how true that is until you write your own book.

I've written six books and each time I finish one, I make the people around me promise that they'll punch me in the eye if I say I'm going to write another one. Needless to say, I make sure to have ice packs at the ready. It seems like books are written by one person in solitary confinement in a cabin in the Berkshires or the French Alps. But rarely is that the case. This book and all my books are better because of the people around me. My family, friends, colleagues, and clients offer their ideas, relentlessly, at times. You and I are the better for it. So, if you determine that what I've put on paper has merit, you can thank the people around me. They're the ones who deserve the credit. I just form the sentences while holding an ice pack on my eye.

Amy, Jake, Leo, and Ruby…the goodness in all of you is the fire that fuels me. So is college tuition.