From Kevin Atlas

 

My name is Kevin Atlas. It’s a cool name, right? I actually chose it on my own. I think it’s more fitting for a man who has traveled to all fifty states and seven continents except for Antarctica in my first thirty years of life. I’m a globetrotter, a philanthropist, and an entrepreneur, and I’ve come a long way from being the son of an electrician. No disrespect to my father, Wayne, or to my given name, Laue.

 

I changed my name simply because I’ve outgrown it. Allow me to explain. I was a crippled boy in a broken household who couldn’t even pass a class until high school. I was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, and I also had a speech impediment. I had to witness both of my parents pass away before their time. I wasn’t given much in life, so I had to learn, adapt, hustle, and transform.

 

You see, that kid who faced so much adversity has grown up to become the face of a three-billion-dollar company. That “crippled boy” accomplished his dream of becoming the first D-1 basketball player to play with a disability. That young man with ADHD, dyslexia, and a speech impediment now travels to speak to hundreds of thousands of people around the world as a motivational speaker.

 

To me, Atlas represented a fresh start, a completely new beginning. I chose it not because I think I can carry the weight of the world on my shoulders but because I am determined to do my part to help. It takes a lot of shoulders to lift up the world and change lives. My life is truly a rags-to-riches story. I can’t deny I am blessed. I can’t pretend it was easy. I spent more nights crying myself to sleep than I can count. But through the stress, depression, and defeat, I found happiness.

 

And that happiness is what I want for you because, simply put, you deserve it. Everyone does. The truth is that most people are too fearful to get out there and work for it. I wrote this book in hopes that I could help you grow from the knowledge I’ve learned on my own journeys. I want to help you find what you’re passionate about. Hopefully, the story of my travels, my challenges, my triumphs, and my failures can inspire you to get off the sidelines of life and get in the game.