| A new editor asked me if it really is possible for everyday Americans to build a seven- or even eight-figure net worth. Absolutely. I'm living proof of that. And my experience is not unusual. I come from a middle-class background. I grew up in the South in a home without air conditioning. (The public schools I went to were also not air-conditioned.) As a young man, I worked a succession of tedious, brain-dead, low-paying jobs, including maintenance on a truck terminal, night shift in an auto parts warehouse and waiting tables in a tavern. I lived in modest accommodations, drove a beater car (the stereo was worth more than the vehicle), virtually never ate out, owned no valuable possessions and spent little on entertainment. Most would say my prospects for becoming wealthy were slight. I had no great genetic gifts, no connections, no inheritance, no mentor, no networking skills - and no network. However, I did have two things going for me: an intense curiosity about how the world works... and a love of reading. With no other options, I turned to something widely derided in academia and the mainstream media: self-help books. Sage Advice From a "Basic" Place Most people will tell you it's crazy to think you will change your life by reading books. They're wrong. Books changed mine. In fact, I can't imagine how I would have succeeded without them. My parents and friends knew nothing about building wealth. And my co-workers were as broke as I was. So I turned to books like Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. Here's what the author recommended... - Smile.
- Be genuinely interested in other people.
- Talk in terms of their interests.
- Make them feel important - and do it sincerely.
- Remember their names and use them.
- Be a good listener.
Basic? Absolutely. But I'd never heard this advice before. And who could dislike anyone who embodied these qualities? | 
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