Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success: Discovering Your Gift and the Way to Life's Riches (16 page)

When I receive an award and my wife is sitting in the audience, it's so much better because she is there to witness it. When I got my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the best part was that my children were able to share that moment with me. The blessing, too, was that my friends and colleagues were there to celebrate the moment with me. Dr. Phil spoke a few words of congratulations, Ellen gave a speech that was filled with kind words, and Cedric and the entire cast from
The Steve Harvey Show
were there. I got to share this grand moment in my life with the people who matter the most to me.

When you understand that God blesses you to become a blesser, it can open up your life and transform it. The more our creator trusts us, the more He can trust us with.

When I give to someone less fortunate, as much as it can change their life, it actually does even more for me. When I send a child to school who otherwise couldn't afford to go, God will now put me in a position to receive more resources to send ten more kids to school. Some of you might ask, “Steve, why are you taking your money and sending kids to school?” I would ask you this: “Why do I keep getting the money to send all these kids to school?” When you understand that God blesses you to become a blesser, you will realize that giving back will become an important part of your success.

I don't know if you have noticed, but when rich people get together, they support each other's causes with checks—big checks. The less fortunate may not be able to do that. They sometimes don't support each other's causes on any level, even when they could share in ways that don't involve money. Rich people do because they get it. They view sharing as a fundamental obligation.

What do you think the Met Gala ball is about? All the media shows is the fashion, but the Met Gala is really an event that allows people to give money to a worthy cause, in this case the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It makes people feel good to give back. In big business this principle is called ROI, or return on investment. Successful people understand that giving back ultimately improves their bottom line. Successful people are conditioned to give. When you understand how powerful giving is, you will have more to give.

You don't have to be rich to comprehend this principle. You can start on a smaller level. You can give time at the local food bank. You can spend time helping your aging father with errands. You can volunteer your time at a college fair.

My mother also taught me, “To whom much is given, much will be required.” The requirements are great to those who have been given a lot. As you climb higher, you are going to have to become more of everything. The more you get, the more will be required of you. You have to take more meetings, become more articulate, and be a better manager of time. I don't like reading teleprompters, but now that I am on television, I had to get used to them. I tape too many shows, too many sets, and talk to too many people to remember everything. So I had to learn how to read teleprompters. To whom much is given, much will be required. I had to become more efficient and more proficient.

If you don't adhere to the requirement part, then the giving part stops. Let me be as frank with you as I possibly can: I don't mind taking the time to write this book and compile this information because I realize how blessed I am to be able to do this. I have been beaten up in the process of learning this information. I have taken a lot of hard knocks while learning this information, but it doesn't prevent me from taking the time out of a very busy schedule—as a full-time radio host, a full-time television host, a full-time game show host, a full-time husband, a full-time father, a full-time businessman, and with a full-time touring schedule—to stop and write a book that I hope will benefit others. I have an obligation at this point in my life to educate people and to give them the tools that will help them become more successful. It's now an obligation.

There is no need to get mad at the pastor who has a collection plate circulating when you are sitting there benefiting from the Word and his message. You can't get mad at the bank for making money off your money, because the bank is holding it for you. You can't get mad at the CEO of the United Way because of the large check he gets. He is helping hundreds of millions of people. You can't get mad at the process. Instead, learn from the example. Become one of those people who are willing to share, educate, gift, help, inspire, lead, and push. Afterward, watch to see what comes your way.

People think that the more money you get and hang on to, the more you will have. In the short view that is true. But eventually the calling is going to come because to whom much is given, much will be required. If you make the money and try to hang on to all of it, God can no longer trust you with the requirement side, so the giving ceases. Just ask anybody who's ever had it all and then lost it. If they are honest with you, they'll attest to this principle.

Success is not just about your ability to achieve, but also your ability to serve through sharing. True success lives in our legacies. If you are able to serve as a model for the next generation, those who grow to greater levels will be as much your legacy as your own accomplishments.

Another key to true success is thankfulness and gratitude. These emotions are demonstrated by sharing with others. Your success shouldn't only be for you; it should also be a blessing for others. I'm talking about really getting to the core of what fuels your gift, what's going to sustain your gift when there are more days in a month than money in your bank account, and what it takes to stand confidently in your vision against all the odds.

By now, you know that your gift is that thing that you do and can do better than nearly anyone else. God isn't going to just open up a door of opportunity for you to use your gift if you're not doing your part to use and share your gift whenever you can. Matthew 25:23 says, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” When you master the “few” you get the “many.” When you really love your craft, you don't mind doing it for free or taking the time to mentor someone coming up in the ranks behind you.

You have acknowledged your gift. As you begin to walk in your gift, SUCCESS will begin to follow you wherever you go. Pay it forward.

If I acknowledged all the people who have helped me get to this point in my life where I'm in a position to write about success, we would run out of paper. Let me just sum it up by saying that I want to thank everyone who has had any hand in any measure of the success that I have attained—you know who you are, and I want to thank you all.

I would like to thank all the people who have played any role and any part. You have been much to me. I want to thank my mentors, even those who have mentored me without even knowing me. I want to thank people who've written catchy and wise sayings. I want to thank you all for that because without you, I don't know that I would be where I am today.

My acknowledgment is to God Almighty, the Creator. It is my belief that God sent all of you my way. Right or wrong, good or bad, positive or negative—you were all placed in the path to create the person that I have become. Although I am an unfinished product, I thank God for who I am and where I am. I thank Him for all of you. I thank Him most of all for His grace and His mercy. I thank Him for His forgiveness. I thank Him because He is not a dream
killer
, but a dream
fulfiller
. I thank Him for all of His guidance, His words, His Scriptures. I thank Him for my life. He is the reason for everything that I am today; He is the backbone of it all.

I would like to thank my children—Brandi, Karli, Morgan, Broderick, Jason, Lori, and Wynton—for providing the constant inspiration for me to be my best for them. I so desperately want to be a man for them to model and admire long after I am gone.

Signed,

An Imperfect Soldier for Christ,

Steve Harvey

STEVE HARVEY
, the author of the
New York Times
bestsellers
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
and
Straight Talk, No Chaser
, began doing stand-up comedy in the mid-1980s. In 1997 Harvey toured as one of the original Kings of Comedy, along with Cedric “the Entertainer” and Bernie Mac. The comedy act would later be the subject of Spike Lee's feature film
The Original Kings of Comedy
. Steve Harvey is now the host of his syndicated daily talk show and the game show
Family Feud
, in addition to his nationally syndicated
Steve Harvey Morning Show
on the radio. He is also the founder of the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation.

Discover great authors, exclusive offes, and more at
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.

Act Like a Lady,
Think Like a Man

Straight Talk,
No Chaser

Cover design by Robin Bilardello

Cover photographs © Robert Ector

ACT LIKE A SUCCESS
,
THINK LIKE A SUCCESS
. Copyright © 2014 by Itzy. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

ISBN: 978-0-06-222032-5

EPub Edition September 2014 ISBN 9780062220349

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