The Dream is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders and all major bookstores. You may want to call in advance to see if your local store has received their copies yet. If you’re in the UK and Canada – the book should be hitting stores shortly. I’ve also received many positive reviews from the folks that have already read it. Feel free to share these comments in this blog.

Here’s to never stopping, in reaching for the stars!

I will always remember 2008 now for 3 reasons: “The Dream”, Secret Millionaire, and Oprah. It’s always been a dream of mine to be interviewed by her and I’m glad I was able to share my story with her. What I didn’t expect was all of the positive support I would get after the segment aired. I’ve received thousands of emails over the last few days letting me know how I’ve inspired many to keep on dreaming.

So, first and foremost I’d like thank all of you for writing to me. Your words were priceless and I can’t thank all of you enough for the love and support you have given me. While, I still plan on going through all of the emails and responding to as many as I can – I wanted to share one special one with you from a 7-year old. Reading this – made a huge impact to me. It reminded me of all the reasons why I wrote “The Dream” – and realized it will make the impact I was looking for…

Name : XXXXXXXXXX

Company : Not yet. I’m only 7.

Email : XXXXXXXXXX

Phone Number: XXXXXXXXXX

Message : Hi G,

I saw you on the Oprah Show. Thank you for talking, to Oprah about being teased, in school. I am teased a lot; because, I have dyslexia. I think I am the least popular boy in my class. I’m trying to do what you told Oprah you did. I heard you say that you, “used the noise, for energy.” This is what I do, too.

I know wearing a turban and having dyslexia are not the same; but, we both turn negative noise into something positive. Hearing what you said, in your interview, gives me an extra boost of good energy.

Thanks,

XXXXXX

Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting the most powerful woman in the world, Oprah Winfrey. One of my dreams has always been to meet her and if I got the chance appear on her show. Yesterday – both happened. The show’s theme was “Young Moguls.” Her first guests were Mary-Kate & Ashley Olson and I was her second guest. During my segment, I discussed with her my childhood, core values, and upcoming projects including the book and Secret Millionaire.

If you get the chance – make sure to watch or TIVO the episode. It’s tentatively supposed to air next Thursday, October 23^rd 2008. Surprisingly – that day is also special for another reason. My book, The Dream, was fast-tracked and will be released early. It should be in bookstores and ship out from Amazon.com on October 23^rd (next week). If any of you read the book – I hope it inspires you to never stop dreaming and to always shoot for the stars. 

I think there is a big similarity between circus monkeys and the Congress these days. The similarity is that based on their popularity and actions this year – they seem to have the same IQ as circus monkeys. According to a recent poll, the Congress has an approval rating of 15%. Surprisingly, the President has a higher approval rating at 30%. The reason why? It’s very simple, they haven’t done anything. And, that lack of leadership has cost us dearly. Their mistake on Monday alone cost us $1.4 trillion in market value.

Today, the Senate took the leadership hat, went into office and tried to pass a different version of this “rescue bill.” They passed it AGAIN but this time with a 74 “yea” and 24 “nay” vote. The big question on everyone’s mind here is – will the Congress pass it? If they don’t – according to Warren Buffet – it would be catastrophic to the world economies come Monday. The sad thing here is that some of the congress that voted “no” on this bill went on TV – to discuss their reasons – and I was in utter shock. Since, it was obvious they had no real clue of why we needed this. They were oblivious to the magnitude of the situation here and should all be fired or resign. The Congress in essence, flexed its power for no apparent reason, but convinced Americans why we should never elect them ever again. The two biggest reasons why they didn’t pass this bill Monday was:

•    The Republicans claimed they got their feelings hurt when Nancy Pelosi spoke negatively about them and the President for getting us to this situation in her speech. So, they decided to vote against the bill. Pretty pathetic decision. I think most of them needed to get picked on more during school – so when they grew up – they could face “adult” situations and handle them more maturely.

•    They claimed they were inundated with people calling their offices telling them to vote against the bill. Like I said earlier – this is a clear fault on their side. Since, if these politicians actually did their job and educated people how their lives would quickly diminish in a matter of months if this bill didn’t pass – they would be begging to get this passed. And, secondly – how many times do people actually write “Hey Congressman – I’m for this bill. Keep up the good work.” But, hey if that’s what they want – all they need to do is tell us that “We’re incapable of making decisions, we have no clue what do – so here’s an email address, and we’ll tally up the people who want this and who don’t – and then we’ll vote.”

Bottom line is – as a leader – whether you’re a CEO of a Company, the President of the United States or a Congressman/Senator – the job requires you to make tough decisions. These decisions are tough because they aren’t always the most popular decisions – but as a leader – you vote for what you believe is right and you move forward. You don’t vote with your feelings or become afraid that your decision to do something right may hurt your popularity in the short term.

I’ve never written or watched this much about politics in my life, as I’ve done in the last few weeks. But in these few weeks – what I’m starting to realize is that the very core of America is falling apart. In 1985, my parents came to America because it was clear that this was the land of opportunity and the land where people made their dreams come true. In the last few weeks, that very core element of America is changing because of the lack of leadership we have in this government. If we are to be the same nation that allows individuals to achieve their dreams – then we need to have a strong government that can make decisions, not a circus.