I Am Potential: Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams

252 Pages·2008·0.91 MB·English

by  Patrick Henry Hughes

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I Am
Potential
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I Am
Potential
Eight Lessons
on Living, Loving,
and Reaching
Your Dreams
Patrick Henry Hughes
with Patrick John Hughes and Bryant Stamford
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
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Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish
their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear
in this book and Da Capo Press was aware of a trademark claim,
the designations have been printed in initial capital letters.
Copyright © 2008by
Patrick Henry Hughes, Patrick John Hughes, and Bryant Stamford
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
Alternate editions for the visually impaired are available through Benetech at
www.benetech.org.
design by jane raese
Set in 11-point Sabon
Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this book is available
from the Library of Congress.
First Da Capo Press edition 2008
isbn 978-0-7382-1298-2
Published by Da Capo Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
www.dacapopress.com
Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases
in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations.
For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the
Perseus Books Group, 2300Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103,
or call [phone], ext. 5000,or e-mail [email protected].
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To Granddaddy—I miss you
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Contents
Foreword ix
chapter 1
When Life Gives You Lemons,Accept Them and Be Grateful 1
chapter 2
Do All You Can to Change What You Can 21
chapter 3
Pursue Your Passion as if Your Life Depends on It 49
chapter 4
Be the YouYour Mother Would Be Proud Of 75
chapter 5
The Best Personal Heroes Can Be Found Close to Home 107
chapter 6
Set Your Course,Then Burn the Map 137
chapter 7
Love,Given Freely,Multiplies and Returns 165
chapter 8
Live Each Day Like the Last Day of Summer Vacation 203
Resources 227
Acknowledgments 231
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Foreword
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
—matthew 5:9
I have seen firsthand the power of Patrick Henry Hughes to
transform tens of thousands in an instant. And the beauty of
it is, all who were present, including Patrick Henry, were un-
aware of what was taking place.
I’m a big University of Louisville Cardinals fan, and I al-
ways attend the home football games. The first time I wit-
nessed Patrick Henry “marching” with the Louisville band at
halftime, I admit I choked up. There he was, sitting in his
wheelchair and playing the trumpet while his father expertly
guided him through the halftime marching routine, meshing
perfectly with the other two-hundred-plus band members as
they crisscrossed the field.
The transforming event took place in November 2006,
during a football game between the University of Louisville
and a major Big East conference rival. Sitting in the visitors’
section across the aisle from me were five thousand rowdy
fans, many of them wearing sweatshirts painted with nasty
phrases about Louisville. They were throwing ice and debris
into our section, not to mention the fighting words laced
with obscene gestures coming our way.
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