Jeff Johnson - Everything Im Not Made Me Everything I Am: Discovering Your Personal Best

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Copyright 2009 by Jeff Johnson

Published in the United States by: SmileyBooks www.SmileyBooks.com

Distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast Books: www.raincoast.com Published and distributed in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Interior Design: Jen Kennedy Author Photos: Phoenix White, Emkron Studios www.emkron.net

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The opinions set forth herein are those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of the publisher, Hay House, Inc., or any of its affiliates.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Johnson, Jeff (Jeffrey I.).

Everything I'm not made me everything I am : discovering your pesonal best / Jeff Johnson. -- 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-4019-2548-2

1. Self-realization. 2. Success. 3. Achievement motivation. I. Title.

BF637.S4J637 2009

158.1--dc22

2009019650

ISBN: 978-1-4019-2548-2

13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4
1st edition, September 2009
2nd Edition, October 2014

Printed in the United States of America

To Mom and Dad
for being my models and
Madison, Myles, and Malcolm
for being my inspiration.
I love you.

When Jeff first came to me about this book, I had to step back for a second and remember what I was thinking when I wrote Everything I Am. Its crazy, because so many people think they know who we are. They see us at the job or on the street and make assumptions about what were like. They swear they know our story, what weve been through, and who were supposed to be. But they dont know the half of it. Most of the time were trying to figure it out ourselves.

Because Ive dedicated my life to the pursuit of my purpose, Im not quick to hype someone I dont believe is for real. Jeff Johnson is for real. I remember the first time I met Jeff. He and I were on the same panel for one of Russell Simmonss Hip-Hop Summits back in 2004. When I heard him speakand more than that, when we had a chance to build with himI thought this guy is an asset to our community.

This book will teach you your best differently than any other book out there. Jeff first makes you deal with those hard questions that you sometimes dont want to deal with. Attacking all the issues that have been keeping you from being your best has to happen if you ever want to make your life what it was created to be. Everything Im Not goes deeper than just telling you how to get paid. It breaks down how to be your real self. As somebody whos won the plaques, the awards, and made the money, I can tell you that there is more to life than these things. Dont get me wrong, theyre goodtheyre actually greatbut theyre not everything. I know a lot of people who are getting paid, but are empty on the inside. This book is an A to Z on how to be fulfilled.

I recommend you read it cover to cover and share it with your friends and family. Jeffs words and thoughts are real in a world filled with fakers. Everything Im Not is guaranteed to inspire, empower, and help everyone young and not so young to be his or her BEST. Before you even start to read it, Im challenging you to do more than flip the pages. When youre done reading, answer the hard questions and then do the hard partBe YOU.

Kanye West May 2009

Stop the bullshit!

Harsh, I know. The words cut even now when I think about them. Not just the first or second, but the countless times in my past that I looked in the mirror blurting the obscenity and saw someone looking back who was falling short of who he was capable of becoming. Was the statement totally true? No. However, it was a reflection of how I felt about my level of effort, and thus the reality of certain aspects of my life. So the harsh self-evaluation was necessary for me to walk away from that mirror and attempt to create a new reality based on becoming my best and stop living in a state of mediocrity.

For nearly a decade, Ive seen people whove been standing in front of the same mirror. Ive traveled around the world speaking with professionals, young adults, and college students about everything from policy and political activism to popular culture and purpose. Ive lectured at Ivy League institutions and have conducted workshops at historically black colleges. Ive also counseled professionals in industries ranging from journalism to advertising, and consulted with elected officials at the local, state, and national levels. Through these experiences, Ive met some of the best and brightest people who are working to change the world for the better. However, during question and answer sessions, side conversations, post-event correspondence, and consulting sessions, it becomes obvious that these brilliant people are in front of the same mirror challenging themselves to be better. So, while they may not be beating themselves up or cursing themselves out, theyre looking for something more than their great opportunities, jobs, money, success, or even fame can give themthe fulfillment that comes from living ones personal best.