Acknowledgments

This book would never have happened had it not been for the dedication of people, directly and indirectly, who contributed to its message. Though we are sure we will forget to mention many by name, we would especially like to thank the following people.

Michael acknowledges and thanks:

• My wife, Gail, for being my life partner for thirty-seven years. She is always quick to believe the best and forget the worst. She is the first person I want to see every morning and the last person I want to see every night. I love her more than words can convey.
• My five daughters and (so far) four sons-in-law, who bring such joy and fullness to my life. I am so proud of what each of them have accomplished in both winning at work and succeeding at life.
• My dad and mom, who now live nearby. Though they are in their eighties, I never hear them complain about anything. They are two of the most positive, encouraging people I know. They provided everything I needed to become the man I have become.
• My teammates at Intentional Leadership, LLC, including Suzie Barbour, Andrew Buckman, Chad Cannon, Kyle Chowning, Sylvette Gannon, Madeline Lemon, Stu McLaren, Megan Miller, Joel Miller, Suzanne Norman, Raquel Newman, Mandi Rivieccio, Danielle Rodgers, and Brandon Triola. Their commitment to pursue what matters most inspires me every single day. They have allowed me to focus on what I do best, while they handle the rest.
• My coaches who have taught me how to create extraordinary outcomes for my life and work, including Daniel Harkavy, Dan Meub, Ilene Muething, Dan Sullivan, and Tony Robbins. You have shaped my thinking more than you know.
• My dear friends, Ken and Diane Davis, who allowed me to spend a month at their cabin in the Colorado Rockies, so I could bang out the first draft of this book. This book would not have happened without their generosity.
• Finally, I’d like to thank my dear friend, Daniel Harkavy, who first taught me about life planning, coached me through the process, and held me accountable for the results. He is a living testimony to the power of a life lived on purpose.

Daniel acknowledges and thanks:

• Sheri, my beautiful bride of twenty-seven years. You have been my “one” since I first laid eyes on you at the age of eleven! You have been my biggest cheerleader, my closest friend, and the one who so wonderfully completes me. Thank you for always encouraging me to live my Life Plan. SHMILY.
• My kids, Allie, Dylan, Wesley, and Emily. You guys make life so rich and fun! It has been such a blessing to be your dad and to now have you as our very close friends! I so love you and am so proud of who you are!
• All of the additional kids that have camped out at our place. Sharing life, meals, and adventures with you has been awesome!
• My parents Mel, Lynne, and my second mom/mother-in-law Gloria and all of our sibs and their fantastic kids. May you never underestimate how much I love and appreciate you.
• To my amazing executive assistant and second brain, Lynne Brown. How you serve and help me to lead well and live my Life Plan is huge. You are such a difference maker, and the Harkavy family is so grateful for you!
• The entire Building Champions team. Each and every one of you play a significant role in the work we do. You have contributed to this book’s message as you have walked our many clients through this process over the past two decades. It is a joy to get to do this with you! Thank you, Todd Mosetter, for the work you did on this book. You helped me to make it better.
• Our thousands of Building Champions clients and friends who have gone through this process and helped to validate the impact Living Forward and Life Planning can have in one’s life.
• The first guy to introduce the concept of Life Planning to me, my friend Todd Duncan. Thanks for sharing this life-changing gift with me!
• And finally, I would like to thank my friend and partner on this project, Michael Hyatt. Your humble heart, voracious appetite to grow, and your incredibly abundant spirit have made working on this project a wonderful experience.

And finally, we thank:

• Joel Miller, our researcher and editor on this project. He worked tirelessly on the manuscript, knitting our voices together into one seamless whole. We could not have finished this project without him.
• Our literary agents, Rick Christian and Bryan Norman of Alive Communications, who believed in this project from the get-go and helped find a publisher who shared our vision.
• Our acquisitions editor, Chad Allen; copyeditor, Barb Barnes; and the entire Baker Books team who have believed in this project and worked with us like true partners.

Our hope is that this message and process positively impacts many!