{"product_id":"the-life-you-imagine-isbn-9780609807187","title":"The Life You Imagine","description":"Ever wonder what it would take to turn all of your dreams into reality? In \u003cb\u003eThe Life You Imagine\u003c\/b\u003e, All-Star New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter shows how you can use the same game plan that helped an eight-year-old boy who fantasized about playing baseball for the Bronx Bombers grow up and become MVP of the 2000 World Series. With the help and support of both of his parents, Derek developed a practical program that would assist him in achieving all of his personal and professional aspirations-and now he shares his secrets to success so that you can get closer to living your dream, too. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this inspiring, information-packed book, Derek provides you with the ten lessons that have guided him throughout his life on and off the field, from his dream of being a gifted, hardworking athlete to his goal of becoming an active community leader. Using personal stories from his own life as a student athlete in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and as a Yankee team player, Derek writes about the simple steps that put him on course for success, including:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* Setting your goals high and finding the right role models\u003cbr\u003e* Being serious but still having fun \u003cbr\u003e* Challenging yourself daily and not being afraid to fail\u003cbr\u003e* Surrounding yourself with a strong supporting cast \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFilled with rare family photos and pictures of Derek playing for the Yankees, \u003cb\u003eThe Life You Imagine \u003c\/b\u003eis an intimate look into the life of a superstar athlete -- including the remarkable relationship he has with his family, what it's like to play with the Yankees, and how he's used his baseball celebrity to found the Turn 2 Foundation, a drug and alcohol prevention program for kids.Derek Jeter is the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees and the founder of the Turn 2 Foundation. He divides his time between Tampa, Florida, and New York City. \u003cbr\u003e Jack Curry is a baseball columnist and reporter for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives with his wife in New Jersey.I was about eight years old as I walked along our thick carpet, past the pictures   of my grandparents on the hallway walls and into my parents' bedroom. I announced   that I was going to play for the Yankees. They were already in their pajamas, but   they patiently listened to what their skinny son with the wavy brown hair and green   eyes had said, and then told me the type of thing I was aching to hear. They told   me that I could do anything I wanted in life if I worked hard enough and stayed dedicated   to it, which was like offering me season tickets. Forget about lounging in the box   seats, because, in my mind, I was heading straight for the dugout. Before I was nine   years old.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e My parents could have gently put me off and told me to go to sleep that   night, but instead were receptive to my dream and talked about what it would take   to achieve such a difficult goal. They sat me on the edge of the bed and told me   that if I was serious about being a professional baseball player, I had to realize   I wouldn't just be competing against players from Kalamazoo or from Michigan, but   against players from all over the world. Everyone in the Westwood Little League where   I played wanted to be a major leaguer, my mother and father emphasized. The competition   to be good enough to make it to the majors will be ferocious, they told me. But I   didn't blink. I didn't focus on that right away. I had a dream and I was ecstatic,   because they didn't say it couldn't be done -- just that it would be tough to accomplish   this goal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I used to imitate announcers doing play-by-play, with me as the star,   of course. \"Deep to left,\" I'd bellow, \"and that ball is gone! Jeter has done it   again!\" I probably weighed 70 pounds with two rolls of quarters in my pockets when   I was eight, so the idea of me hitting a ball 420 feet someday was just a dream.   When all of my questions about being a Yankee were exhausted that night, my parents   told me it was time to go to sleep. I went to bed, clinging to the blanket and to   my dream. My dream remained with me, from the time I was eight until the time I was   18, and it stays with me now. It never left. It got stronger. It kept pushing me   to get exactly where I am today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I think we should all set goals in life and set   them high. I did that, and my parents encouraged me to do it, which is one of the   main reasons I am where I am today. I had a vision about playing baseball, and my   parents used that positive vision to establish guidelines that would enable me to   grow as a person while I pursued my dream. From setting high goals to dealing with   growing pains, to surrounding myself with trustworthy friends, to understanding that   the world can be an unfair place, to obeying and loving my parents, to thinking before   I acted, I was learning about life while I was yearning to be a Yankee. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But it   all starts with setting goals -- we all need them. Whether your goal is to play for   the Yankees or to win the pie-eating contest at summer camp, goals are what motivate   us to do better. My ultimate dream was to play major-league baseball, but I had smaller   goals along the way. No matter how elated I was on that night in my parents' bedroom,   I wasn't going to be a major leaguer at the age of nine. I chased my dream through   smaller goals. Making the Little League All-Star Team, starting on the high school   varsity as a freshman, making all-district, making all-state, and so on, until I   eventually wound up at shortstop for the Yankees. But, believe me, there were dozens,   even hundreds, of small goals that led me to the point where I finally became a Yankee.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We all have to start somewhere. Think about it. What do you love to do? What are   you good at? What is something you would like to do for the rest of your life? These   are important and serious questions, questions that you might not feel like answering   before you graduate from high school. Some people even get to college, or after,   and still can't answer them. But you really should think about them as soon as possible,   because when you find that interest, that goal that excites you like nothing else,   you'll want to open your bedroom window and yell it to anyone with ears: Guess what   I'm going to do with my life!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A feeling will envelop you and you'll treat that goal   like it is the most important thing in the world, acting the same passionate way   I used to act about baseball. No matter who asked me what I wanted to be when I grew   up, I told them I was going to play baseball and I was going to play for the Yankees.   I was so confident in my abilities and so consumed with my dream that I wanted to   shout out my intentions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e If you don't set goals, you're not going to have dreams,   either. The goals are the achievements along the way to get you to your dreams. Dreams   don't just happen, and you're not going to make your pursuit easier by being lazy   about it. The longer you wait to decide what you want to do, the more time you're   wasting. It's up to you to want to do something so badly that your passion shows   in your actions. Your actions, not your words, will do the shouting for you. People   will see how devoted and prepared you are as the captain of the debate team, and   they might say, \"One day, that kid is going to be a great lawyer.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Once you've set   goals and pondered what kind of dream you want those goals to lead to, it's extremely   helpful to have someone who can support you. It might be your parents, a sibling,   a teacher, or a friend, but we all need somebody who is going to be there to prop   us up when things aren't going well and to keep us levelheaded when things are going   very well. My parents provided this for me.The New York Times Bestseller","brand":"Crown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44885411299557,"sku":"NP9780609807187","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780609807187.jpg?v=1767740234","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-life-you-imagine-isbn-9780609807187","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}