Roads To Success 1

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The Best Stories

I believe that the best stories engage us because they have strong, believable, interesting characters.  The best novels, motion pictures, television shows and news stories all involve dimensional, well-developed characters.  True stories especially catch my attention when they are about an exceptional individual.  Real people, often ordinary people doing exceptional things or meeting unusual challenges; those stories make me sit up and pay attention.

In 1999 I had the opportunity to participate in what would become one of the most fulfilling jobs of my career, and through it I met more than my share of remarkable, fascinating people.  Interesting characters, all of them; ordinary in many ways but exceptional in the way they chose to live their lives, the way they still live their lives today.  Each of them had experienced failures, and some had staggered their way through personal tragedies, but ultimately all of them achieved a level of success that most people can only dream about.

The word “success,” especially in the Western world, is generally equated with financial, material success.  Absolutely; these people I refer to are all successful in that way.  But they have something else, as well, something based in faith that ultimately makes them and their stories inspiring.

The vehicle that served as my introduction to these remarkable individuals was an independently produced television series that would eventually be titled Secrets Of Success.  I wrote and directed more than thirty episodes over a period of several years.  For some time I have wanted to document the stories of a few of the most interesting of those people featured in the series.  The time is right, and this blog seems to be a practical venue for what I have in mind.

So, stay tuned, check back often, tell your friends, and most of all, please be patient.  It may take a little time to tell these stories because I want to write them well.  Consider this post the official prologue of what is to come; the next post will provide some necessary background information and then we will get right into the first story.

© 2011 Philip Kassel