Mo Anderson - A Joy-Filled Life

Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press

Austin, Texas

www.gbgpress.com

Copyright 2016 Mo Anderson

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder.

Distributed by Greenleaf Book Group

For ordering information or special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact

Greenleaf Book Group at PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709, 512.891.6100.

Book design copyright 2015 by Mo Anderson Trust. All rights reserved.

Cover and interior design by Caitlin McIntosh

Cover photography by Tyler Sharp

Typesetting by Swava Pearl Hooks

Cataloging-in-Publication data is available.

Print ISBN: 978-1-62634-288-0

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62634-289-7

1. Self-Help / Personal Growth / Success

Part of the Tree Neutral program, which offsets the number of trees consumed in the production and printing of this book by taking proactive steps, such as planting trees in direct proportion to the number of trees used: www.treeneutral.com

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

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First edition

Dedicated in loving memory to John and Audra Gregg, the most wonderful parents a child could ever have. They taught me so many of the lessons Im sharing with you.

by Ravi Zacharias

R ight at the outset let me say what a privilege it has been for me to know Mo Anderson. Her life, her wisdom, her tender heart for the needs of this world, and her contagious optimism have been an inspiration beyond anything I can express. So it is a delight to write a foreword to her book.

Mo has been incredibly successful. Her life story is punctuated with challenges and momentary setbacks, but also with an unshakable belief in values that are time-tested and beyond time. She recognizes that a dream career is not necessarily a precursor to happiness. Rather, it is the wisdom gained and applied over the years that brings the greatest joy. She has answered a call greater than herself.

From that depth of understanding, she encourages her readers to follow your dream, find your voice, do the right thing, and set high standards. But above all, in both poverty and success, she has found that the greatest dream of all is to know God and to know what He has intended for our lives. No matter what your belief on things transcendent, you will gain from reading this book. Whether you are in the throes of victory or in the grip of despair, this book will touch your heart where you need it most. The reason is evident right from the start. Mos pen reaches every heart in search of a dream to accomplish much and leave this world a better place. She is a bridge builder to people, even if they come from a completely different starting point.

So find a quiet spot, get comfortable, open this book, and dive in. Preparing the soul for a joy-filled life is more important than anything else.

With a smile on my face I say, thank you, Mo, for caring to share your heart with vulnerability and courage. Your life has touched mine, and many others. This book will spread the delight.

A mes, Oklahoma, is barely a speck on the map. The tiny, remote town sits off Highway #132 about eighteen miles west of Waukomis. Wheres Waukomis? Exactly! The area is mostly farmland and it was there I was born Imozelle Freda Gregg on May 12, 1937, to John and Audra Gregg. Friends called me Imo in high school. On my first day of college, someone referred to me as Mo and it stuck for the rest of my life.

In 1937, Oklahoma, along with the rest of the Great Plains, was still suffering the effects of the Dust Bowl, which had devastated millions of acres and sent thousands of people to the west looking for work. The country was also trying to recover from the Great Depression, which had begun in 1929. Other headlines that year included news that pilot Amelia Earharts plane had disappeared somewhere off the coast of New Guinea during her attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world. Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, Gone with the Wind. And Adolph Hitler had named himself fhrer, leader, of the German people, promising his Third Reich would last for a thousand years.

But as big as the world was becoming, my world was smaller. My dad was a tenant farmerthe land he worked belonged to someone else. He would pay the landlord a third of whatever came in from the harvested crops. It took another third of the income to seed and plant the next crops. Our family lived on whatever was left. We lived in poverty. We thrived on love. Materially we were poor, but spiritually we couldnt have been richer.

Those difficult times provided me with an amazing foundation for the rest of my life and blessed me abundantly. This book is dedicated to my parents, John and Audra, because so many of the lessons I will share with you flowed naturally from them. I hope you will be touched by them, just as I was. There is something deep and timeless about what they taught me, not just by what they said, but also by the way they lived: have a strong work ethic, live by a clear set of values, love others, live up to the promises you make, tell the truth, seek your deepest spiritual wisdom, count your blessings regardless of your current conditions, and communicate with God in prayer.

What I am eager, almost driven, to share is how my life evolvedthe challenges, the doubts and defeats, as well as the successes. How is it that the little girl riding on a big tractor and walking to school in her dress made from feed sacks ends up serving as the president and CEO of one of the largest, and most respected, real estate companies in the world? How could that little girl go from dire poverty to abundant wealth? It just doesnt seem possible. But it happened.

I want to pass along the wisdom I have been given: the lessons learned by a tenant farmers daughter. I want to share my journey with you. I want my grandchildren and future generations to know these stories, and even more importantly, the life lessons they taught me. I want anyone who reads this book to understand my perspective on what really matters in life. Having always been a teacher, I have a lesson plan to offer. It is my sincere desire that what I write will touch your heart, guide your actions, and inspire your life.

I prayerfully hope that through this sharing you will glean deeper insights into your own lifes values, and that my personal stories will bring to the surface memorable ones of yours.

The stories are real; some are tough and some are touching. All of them are extremely significant to me. Their lessons have sustained me when the going was rough and propelled me forward when the opportunities appeared. However, while the book is about my life, it is not an autobiography. The stories are used to illustrate the lessons, but they are not presented chronologically and they do not tell the whole tale; I might be embarrassed if they did.