Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The American Dream, Revisited: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results
    The American Dream, Revisited: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results
    The American Dream, Revisited: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results
    Ebook123 pages1 hour

    The American Dream, Revisited: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results

    By Gary Sirak

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    True stories that reveal why hard work and determination still count—and how the promise of America is still very much alive.
     
    The book is a collection of compelling stories from people that overcame a variety of adversities to achieve their American Dream.
     
    Featuring accounts of people facing a wide variety of challenges and coming from a wide variety of backgrounds, this book will turn skeptics into believers by way of everyday life examples. It instills inspiration and hope—reminding us that no matter the obstacles, this is still the land of opportunity.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateJan 6, 2017
    ISBN9781630479657
    The American Dream, Revisited: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results

    Related to The American Dream, Revisited

    Related ebooks

    Small Business & Entrepreneurs For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Budget Travel Tips Straight from a Financial Planner's Own Family Trip Abroad

      Oct 2, 2018

      When my husband and I revealed that we were making a dream of spending three months abroad in Spain with our three kids a reality, the people we told were happy for us ... but we could almost see the wheels turning in their heads. Hmm, three months,

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Top 10 Estate Planning Tips in a Time of Coronavirus

      Jun 16, 2020

      It has arrived: the unexpected, potentially life-threatening circumstance you had in mind when you set up your estate plan, and now you're feeling really relieved that you took care of it before the emergency struck. Right? Even if you haven't alrea

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Smart Tips for Estate Planning: Write Your Will Like George Washington Did

      Aug 9, 2019

      Estate Planning for those you love can dramatically alter the course of your family for generations. In his last will and testament of 1799, George Washington, laid out a clear vision for his legacy. He bequeathed the "use, profit, and benefit" of hi

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Unlock The Value In Your Home

      Jun 29, 2022

      Unlock The Value In Your Home
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      How To Prepare To Work With A Financial Planner

      Feb 6, 2022

      The hardest part about planning for your financial future is figuring out where to start. You already took the first step by performing your due diligence and selecting a financial planner. Now it is time to meet them to discuss your current situatio

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      How to Stop Feeling Crushed for Time

      Oct 28, 2020

      Sparingly these days do I find myself thinking I’ve got some time to kill. Time has a way of making itself scarce. I’m like some Pleistocene hunter-gatherer, always scavenging for more. For that matter, isn’t “killing time” a rather misleading phrase

      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      ’Tis The Season To Be Sceptical

      Dec 1, 2021

      Everybody thinks there is a stock-market Holy Grail: a method, a technique, an algorithm, a repeatable process that guarantees stockmarket success. And they’re right. I’ll tell you what it is: “Predicting the future.” Predicting the future is the sto

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      How to Create a Retirement Income Stream

      Apr 7, 2022

      During your working years, your largest income stream is generally from employment. When you retire, however, your income will likely need to come from a variety of sources, such as retirement accounts, after-tax investments, Social Security, pension

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      With Markets Down, Is Now the Time for Young People to Invest?

      Jul 13, 2022

      “Should I invest some of the cash I've been sitting on?” I work with several successful young professionals who have done well in the past decade – building careers and businesses that have generated substantial cash flow and are poised to build a si

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Choice

      Nov 25, 2022

      Dear subscriber, I am very sorry to tell you that after 54 years Choice Magazine is to close and this will be the last edition to be published. We have been forced to take this sad step due to rapidly escalating costs of printing. Magazine presses us

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      20 Books for This Summer

      May 28, 2023

      20 Books for This Summer
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      How to Invest for Retirement If You’re Over 60

      Mar 7, 2022

      Retirement planning is a key component in holistic financial preparation for you and your family. However, many people find themselves nearing retirement age with little to show for their many years of work. While it may feel like you are heading tow

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Keeping Up With The Joneses

      Nov 6, 2017

      Keeping Up With The Joneses
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Latino Leaders

      Sep 20, 2024

      Latino Leaders
      13 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Biggest Financial Barriers Facing Black Americans … and Strategies to Tackle Them

      Feb 19, 2022

      There are many well-known historical disparities in the American financial system that have contributed to the current wealth gap between Black Americans and their White peers. The denial of access to wealth-building homeownership and education benef

      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Addressing America’s Financial Literacy Crisis Begins at Home

      Jan 23, 2022

      We’ve known for some time that many Americans struggle with understanding finances. Unfortunately, it’s a problem that appears to be worsening in our country. I was startled to learn that only 34% of Americans can answer at least four of five basic f

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The American Dream, Revisited

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The American Dream, Revisited - Gary Sirak

      1

      WHY I

      WROTE

      THIS BOOK

      Mostly brilliant, not sure why you don’t put this much thought and effort into every assignment. Sometimes, Gary, you lack focus.

      Ivividly remembered those words, written by my high school English teacher, Mrs. Giltz, next to the A on one of my assignments. The timing for recalling her mostly positive comments was good. It was 1969, my first day at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and I had to register for classes and declare a major.

      I was clueless as to what choices to make until I recalled Mrs. Glitz’s words. I decided to focus on the mostly part of brilliant and discount my occasional lack of focus. I declared English as my major with an emphasis on American literature. That decision led me on a path to my introduction and subsequent lifelong fascination with the American Dream.

      One of my first English classes was an American literature survey course taught by Professor James G. Denham. Every week The memory brought a smile to my face which faded rapidly after one of the students referred to the American Dream as the American disaster. we read a novel by a famous author: Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, Sinclair Lewis, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few. Professor Denham focused our weekly classroom discussions on the American Dream and how it was portrayed in each novel. He was witty, had a wry sense of humor and relished our classroom discussions. He loved to incite arguments—pro and con—regarding the American Dream. Professor Denham would build a case for the dream’s existence or non-existence and then let us students battle it out.

      Seventy-five percent of the class felt the American Dream was already history. The anti-dream sentiment was not surprising considering what was happening throughout the United States in 1969. As students, we protested the Viet Nam War, a mandatory armed forces draft, and women’s rights. The unsettling political atmosphere that existed on campus was also reflected in our classroom.

      In spite of my support regarding the aforementioned protests, I found myself in the minority in Professor Denham’s class. I argued that the American Dream was still relevant, debating with passion and even anger during some of our discussions. The funny thing is I never knew the origin of my passion until I started writing The American Dream Revisited. In chapter 3 you will learn why I take the American Dream so personally.

      Fast forward forty years. I was sipping a mocha at Karma Café, one of my favorite coffee shops in Canton, Ohio. It was early in the morning and I was looking over my schedule for what I expected to be a busy day when four university students sat down at the table behind me. Quite by accident, I overheard a discussion that piqued my interest.

      The students were talking about the American Dream and whether or not it existed. Just like that déjà vu set in. I flashed back to Professor Denham and my college class in the late ‘60s. The smile that memory brought to my face rapidly faded after one of the students referred to the American Dream as the American Disaster. Two of his friends agreed with him, calling the Dream irrelevant and dead. Ironically, it was three against one, the same split as in my American literature class many years prior. I wanted to join their discussion and it took all the restraint I could muster not to pull my chair up to their table, but I wisely resisted and just listened. The three argued the United States was no longer a land of opportunity, but a land of disappointment. Their reasons were college debt and a tight job market. The fourth student at the table agreed his college loans were a problem, but just an obstacle he could overcome once he graduated and went to work. He attempted to explain his plan but never got the chance. His friends refused to listen. After a while they tired of the topic and switched conversational gears, at which point I tuned out.

      I left Karma Café that morning with some very bad karma. My intention of sipping my mocha and getting focused for work was destroyed. The students’ conversation disturbed me. Here were three future college graduates with their entire lives ahead of them and they had already given up. I could not let go of their conversation. It even invaded my sleep. During one of my restless nights, I decided to fight back and began planning The American Dream Revisited; Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results.

      My goal is simple. I want to inspire as many people as I can to explore the opportunities and possibilities that exist in their lives. I firmly believe the American Dream is still alive, well, and living in the United States.

      So grab a cup of coffee from your favorite coffee shop and join me on my journey in search of the American Dream—and some good karma!

      The power of encouragement cannot be overlooked. It has been so important for me throughout my life. Without question Mrs. Giltz’s notation on my paper proved inspirational and for that I am thankful.

      2

      AN HISTORIC

      PERSPECTIVE

      I admit it. I am guilty as charged.

      My crime is that every Friday night, I—along with seven million other viewers—watch the reality television show, S hark Tank. The show, which debuted in 2009, invites entrepreneurs to present their products and ideas to a panel of highly-successful, self-made business men and women. I enjoy the creativity of the entrepreneurial contestants as they attempt to convince one of the millionaire/billionaire sharks to invest in their ideas. The show is well produced with dramatic music, suspenseful time-outs, spirited banter, and competition among the sharks to close a deal. Those entrepreneurs lucky enough to appear on Shark Tank and join forces with one of the sharks receive expert business advice, financial backing, and impressive connections. The sharks and contestants often reference the American Dream when describing their efforts to make it in the business world.

      Shark Tank may be giving voice to the American Dream in the twenty-first century, but it was Horatio Alger in the nineteenth century who first popularized the concept.

      In 1865, Alger wrote a series of stories for a youth magazine called Student and Schoolmate. The stories were so successful that Alger compiled them into his Ironically, even though Alger spent his life writing about the American Dream, he never named it as such. first and most famous novel, Ragged Dick: Or Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks. His book’s impact was twofold. On one hand, Alger focused on the uplifting, rags-to-riches story of the main character, Dick, a poor shoeshine boy living on the streets, earning pennies by shining boots. Dick bettered his life through hard work, determination, courage, honesty, and luck. The book also drew attention to a social problem plaguing New York City. Thousands of abandoned youth were homeless, starving, and living on the streets. The popularity of Ragged Dick caused a public outcry that forced New York City to take action. With religious organizations leading the way, the homeless youth of the city began to receive food, clothing, and shelter.

      Critics panned Alger’s work for being simplistic and repetitive, but he went on to write over a hundred books with the common theme of self-improvement through education, strong morals and hard work. Alger became one of the most popular and successful authors of his time. His novels were instant best sellers and inspired millions of readers to improve their own lives.

      Ironically, even though Alger spent his life writing about the American Dream, he never named it as such. The term first appeared in print in 1931 in The Epic of America, by James Truslow Adams, an American author and historian. He named and defined the American Dream as: That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement… regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.

      I believe for many people the stories of achieving great success and wealth depicted on Shark Tank epitomizes today’s definition of the American Dream. The opportunity

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1