Gratitudes
You can only succeed in this profession if you have people in your life who support your work and believe in you—heart and soul.
It is with deep gratitude and appreciation that I acknowledge the many people who have attended my programs around the world. To every single person who has bought and read one of my books, I thank you first for allowing me to pursue my passion as an author. To all my coaching clients—seminar, retreat, and workshop participants—your heartfelt stories and fun and enthusiastic participation to grow your greater potential have inspired me to be my best. To everyone that I have met in my travels around the globe and on my book tours, you have enriched my life beyond measure by allowing me to be a part of yours.
To my co-author, Sardék Love, the impetus for this new edition came from your self-described journey in this unrelenting career and your rise to impressive celebrity status. More than being an awesome co-author, writer, on-stage personality, facilitator, and speaker, you are a man who makes integrity look attractive in today’s world. It has been an honor to work alongside you to create a book like this that I know will change the career trajectory of thousands. Beyond the book, your friendship, values, and kindness have meant the most to me. No matter what the deadline, challenge, or pressure—you always take the high road of dignity and self-respect. The day you stood on line at my book signing to purchase the first edition of Speak for a Living was a True North moment—something that was truly meant to be. Having you as a friend, colleague, and co-author has been a blessing beyond measure and I look forward to partnering with you for years to come in our Speak for a Living Success Academy and many other exciting adventures on this roller-coaster ride—also known as speaking and writing for a living!
Thank you to Phyllis Jask for your creative brilliance, editorial talents, eloquent writing skills, and the ability to make every book project appear seamless and flowing, when in truth, they are all-consuming, intense, and require heavy lifting at every turn. You are more than an editorial genius, you are the conductor of an amazing symphony called publishing, and it is through your extreme talents and loving ways that you bring out the best music from all of us. Beyond this, you have become one of my dearest friends these past 12 years and a most-respected colleague. You helped make the first edition of Speak for a Living a hit and now here you are again, taking Sardék and I to higher levels of publishing success. It is your inner light, patience, good-heartedness, and enormous range of talent for which I am forever grateful. This book would not be possible without you. I look forward to working with you on so many more exciting projects, including special moments with our families—in good times and tough times—I’m here for you always, as you have been for me. And you make the best homemade biscotti on the planet!
To Phil Studdard of Flip Design Studio, your creative energies and innovative designs always add style and class to my every project. You make it look so easy and flawless, yet I know and appreciate how much hard work goes into every table, figure, and cover.
Books don’t get published without amazing publishers at the helm. For this book, that’s ATD Press and their amazing editorial, marketing, and production team who worked on making this book a reality, including Sue Kaiden (who believed in the second edition from the start and launched the process), Amanda Smith, Caroline Coppel, Melissa Jones, Kristine Luecker, Deborah Orgel Hudson, and Jack Harlow. You spin all the plates without dropping any of them.
It takes more than a village to be an author and speaker. It takes a community of friends from all over the world—too many to list here—but you know who you are. Because of all of you, I get to live my passion. Thank you all for being the champions of my work.
Finally, I dedicate this book to the three most important people in my life—you are in my cheering gallery every day, allowing me to do what I must, like travel extensively and work long hours, to make a difference in people’s lives and live my dream. To my daughter Autumn, and grandchildren Nikolai and Noelle, you are my soul prints and the brightest stars that shine in my True North. Thank you for holding me in the light of your love.
—Anne Bruce
John Maxwell’s Law of Significance states, “One is too small a number to achieve greatness.” I am extremely blessed to be surrounded and uplifted by many great people whom I wish to honor here.
I’ll begin with my co-author Anne Bruce. On June 1, 2009, Anne signed my copy of the first edition of Speak for a Living. She wrote, “For Sardék! You are a great friend. Love, Anne.” As I walked away from the book signing, I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. For the first time, I had a road map to my future. Anne, your coaching, mentoring, and friendship have served as the foundation of the man I have become. No words can truly express just how honored and proud I am to have written this life-changing book with you. Thank you for being the incredible you and know that writing this book with you has been the greatest accomplishment in my career.
This book would not be as great as it is without the amazing talents of Phyllis Jask. Your tireless devotion to excellence was an inspiration I will hold dear in my heart for eternity. Your wisdom was the lighthouse that allowed us to navigate the book writing journey with ease. Thank you, Phyllis. You brought the best out of us because you are the best!
To the staff at ATD Press, I say a hearty thank you. Sue Kaiden, Caroline Coppel, and Melissa Jones—you enabled us to sharpen the saw to deliver a masterpiece that will live on forever. Amanda, your project management skills were out of this world. And to the ATD marketing and production team, your magic completes the package. Well done! It has been a great privilege to create this work of art with you.
To my loving wife, Thida Win-Love, and daughter, Latoshia D. Love, I dedicate this book to you for your never-ending love and support. You made this possible, and I love you for it.
Finally, to my dearest and closest friend George Purnell Munn. Our friendship began our first weekend as freshmen at Virginia Tech in 1986. We raised our families together. We celebrated our children’s accomplishments together. Gone too soon, I know you’re watching and smiling every time someone reads this book because they’re getting a piece of you through me. You will always be the model father, brother, husband, and son to me, and I dedicate this book in loving memory of you.
—Sardék Love