The Power of One Book.

I remember the very first how-to book I worked on.

Body Express Makeover by Michael George — a classic diet and fitness book written by a celebrity trainer promising total transformation.

At the time, I was in my early 20s, had struggled with my weight for years, and figured — why not try? After all, I knew the author. I could ask him questions.

So I dug in. I ate according to his recommendations and started doing workouts in my graduate school dorm room, using canned vegetables as weights. I went for long walks in Central Park and Brooklyn, where I was living at the time.

And I transformed. I lost 20 pounds, but the effect was way more than that. I fell in love with fitness and the “high” I felt after working out. I started to question the habits that led to emotional eating and by doing so, began to question the limitations I had put on myself.

I also fell completely head over heels in love with how-to books.

As a lifelong reader, I had always enjoyed fiction and the feeling I would get when an author or story resonated with me. But this was different.

The result of these three hundred pages was feeling empowered, braved, and changed.

Talk about a before and after, am I right?