Growing up on the streets of Brazil with his widowed hard-working mother, it wasn't unusual for Carlos Siqueira to dodge bullets or get robbed by thugs after selling bread all day at the age of seven. But he also grew up hearing stories of his late father's extreme generosity and dedication to helping scores of abandoned youth in their community, and Carlos-determined to uphold his father's legacy-refused to become another street-kid statistic.
With a level of resilience, curiosity, and resourcefulness atypical of his age, Carlos befriended the neighborhood thieves and learned from them-not how to steal, but why they chose a life so fraught with risk. These early inquiries sent him on a soul-searching path to understand and respect-not judge or disparage-people from all walks of life. Determined to seek the good in everyone and turn each negative situation into a positive, he quickly became a young mentor, helping people with fear, depression, or anxiety shift their mind-set.
But he didn't stop there.
Using his natural inquisitiveness, he honed his early entrepreneurial skills by interviewing business owners and asking what worked for them, what didn't, what gave them the most gratification, and what they would change if they could. By the time he fulfilled his dream of immigrating to the US at the age of eighteen, he was armed with real-world knowledge and insight more valuable than an MBA-and he put that understanding to work, first to learn English, then to secure a job.
After applying his tenacious work ethic in a handful of mediocre positions, he scored a door-to-door phone and Internet sales position, where he almost immediately became the top salesperson. But the accolades he received and the millions he earned with the company over time didn't come without a price.
After a bout with drug addiction, an uncharacteristic fall from his usual positivity, and a new baby diagnosed with a devastating condition that nearly destroyed his wife and their marriage, Carlos had to draw on his numerous life lessons-which are sprinkled like gold nuggets throughout the book-to re-engage with and reinvent the life and the impact he so desired to make.
Gaining wisdom from numerous self-improvement visionaries, from Napoleon Hill and Joseph Murphy to Zig Ziglar and Tony Robbins, he brought himself back from rock bottom by learning to harness the power of his imagination, unlock hidden resources, and overcome both internal and external limitations. In the process he left the company he worked for y and started his own company, where he now teaches thousands of people across the globe how to achieve the level of success, financial freedom, and personal gratification they had once only dreamed of.
Combining moving, hardscrabble life stories profound and empowering lessons that touch on every aspect of life, and abundant, concrete guidance for people in most any career, Work Like an Immigrant delivers a memoir-meets-business book that will connect you to what the American dream genuinely means, motivate you to discover and fulfill your true purpose, and inspire you to never reach for anything less than the stars.
