Empowering Tomorrow’s Achievers

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The SUCCESS Foundation is on a mission to inspire 10 million teens.

When 10-year-old Dalton Sherman took the stage at the SUCCESS Foundation™ Celebration on March 28, he opened with a simple question, “Do you believe in me?” With enthusiasm, this young man stood before a crowd of 400 and shared a message that aligns with the SUCCESS Foundation’s passion: improving young people’s lives through hope, education and personal development.

The Mission
The SUCCESS Foundation’s mission is to inspire teens by introducing them to personal-development books and audios. Its founder, Stuart Johnson, shared that his personal experience instilled in him a desire to give back, specifically to teens.

At 15, Johnson was given a copy of Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone. Johnson says the book’s message had a profound impact on his life. Johnson channeled his independent spirit into a series of entrepreneurial endeavors. After seven or eight attempts, he finally found a product and a service that he was able to transform into a successful business, VideoPlus Inc. A central element of Johnson’s business is providing a variety of resources that empower people to grow personally and professionally. When SUCCESS magazine became available for purchase, Johnson knew the publication could extend the reach of personal development to a much broader market. Today, SUCCESS Media™ offers books, CDs, DVDs, live seminars and, of course, SUCCESS magazine, as tools to empower people to achieve their goals. The impact of the message Johnson read as a teen has stayed with him, and he says his hope is to continue to spread that message, not only to the readers of SUCCESS magazine, but to teens around the world.

In 2008, the leaders of SUCCESS Foundation took the message of The Slight Edge, a book written by Jeff Olson and, with Olson’s blessing, developed it into a book and abridged audio CD for teens. The message is that little things—seemingly insignificant choices—matter. In fact, they shape the course of a person’s life. The result is a book and audio CD set, SUCCESS for Teens™, that presents personal stories from teenagers who have made everyday choices—from study habits to their choice of friends—with a Slight Edge mentality.

Today, the SUCCESS Foundation staff and a dedicated team of volunteers and donors are on a mission to inspire and empower tomorrow’s achievers. “Our goal is to get this book and audio into the hands of 10 million teens as soon as possible—for free,” Johnson says. “I don’t think we have 10 years or 20 years. This generation is our future—we need to get the message out now.”

A Successful Beginning
The March 28 event marked the official launch of SUCCESS Foundation. In addition to the moving speech by Dalton Sherman, attendees heard from keynote speaker and author Stedman Graham, The Slight Edge author Jeff Olson, and business coach Lamar Collins, as well as several successful teens.

Every dollar given to the SUCCESS Foundation goes towards putting a SUCCESS for Teens book or CD into the hands of a teen. To date, SUCCESS Foundation has distributed 650,000 SUCCESS for Teens books and audios. Donations make it possible to supply the materials free to schools; school systems; churches; and youth development programs, such as Boy Scouts, 4-H and Boys & Girls Clubs.

For more information on how you can help inspire the next generation, or to request copies and view the new Teen Speak video, visit www.SUCCESSFoundation.org.

Additional Reading

• Eight Hours Can Change Your Life
• In Pursuit of Personal Growth
• Women of Influence