True Story

It can be awesome and exciting to contemplate the achievements of inspired entrepreneurs, but when it comes to figuring out their sources of inspiration, most people just feel confused. Bestselling author Stephen Covey and leadership consultant David K. Hatch help cut through that confusion in Everyday Greatness: Inspiration for a Meaningful Life (Rutledge Hill Press, $24.99) by taking a collection of stories about inspiring people previously published in Reader's Digest and adding commentary, analysis, reflections and other annotations. The result is an instructive and, yes, inspiring look at high achievers from many walks, including entrepreneurs such as Walt Disney and people who have succeeded in multiple areas, such as actor and athlete Chuck Norris. One characteristic common to all of them is persistence. These inspiring people may have quit one or more times, but they always got back up, or they didn't get into this collection.

This article was originally published in the December 2006 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: True Story.