Stepping into your authentic life can be difficult. There are pitfalls of ego, of convenience, of modern society's pressure to put yourself out there before you've even figured out what you really want. It's easy to lose yourself along the way, conforming to those around you, obsessing over trivialities, letting fear drive your actions. Fortunately, though, you're not the first one to walk this path . . .

On these gorgeously illustrated pages, you'll find the hard-won wisdom of media mogul and social entrepreneur Tavis Smiley, who rose from humble roots in a cramped Indiana trailer to become a critically acclaimed host of television and radio, as well as an impactful philanthropist. Through his relationships with cultural luminaries such as Maya Angelou and Quincy Jones, and personal mentors such as Rosa Parks, Peter Jennings, and Smiley's own sagacious grandmother “Big Mama”—not to mention the lumps he's received through the years—Smiley has learned what it takes to live your best life. Here, he offers both a guidebook and a toolkit to help you get on track, whether you're just setting out on your own or whether you need a course correction to keep marching toward your dreams.