The Life You Imagine: Life Lessons for Achieving Your Dreams

When Derek Jeter was eight years old, he walked into his parents' bedroom and told them he wanted to play for the Yankees. Instead of brushing off their young son, Charles and Dorothy Jeter worked out a plan with him to make his dreams a reality. This story is at the heart of The Life You Imagine, an inspiring, information-packed look at how Derek was able to go from dreaming about World Series victories to living them and how his game plan for success can help anyone achieve his or her own dreams.

Derek is not only a gifted athlete but also a hardworking player who believes success is not about being lucky but about setting goals early and sticking to them. With his parents, Derek created a plan for success that he's distilled into 10 lessons he still follows today. Using personal stories from his own life as a student athlete in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and as shortstop for the Yankees, Derek writes about how anyone can achieve his or her dreams by following some simple steps, such as setting your goals high, finding the right role models, being serious but having fun, thinking before you act, surrounding yourself with a strong supporting cast, and much more.

Filled with anecdotes and fully illustrated with never-before-published family photos and pictures of Derek playing for the Yankees, The Life You Imagine is an intimate look into the life of a superstar athlete. Derek talks openly about the remarkable relationship he has with his family and how they raised him to be hardworking, tenacious, and respectful of authority. He also shares details about what it was like growing up in an interracial family and how this helped define who he is. And he shares plenty of stories about the Yankees and baseball, too -- his training program, his batting and fielding techniques, what it was like to play on three World Series Championship teams, and how he's used his baseball celebrity to found the Turn 2 Foundation, which helps promote a healthy lifestyle for kids through drug and alcohol prevention programs.

"I always wanted this to happen, every at bat, every inning, every amazing experience that I've had so far. I always wanted to play baseball in the major leagues, praying that the Yankees would be the team that drafted me. I wanted to win World Series Championships and wake up every morning knowing that I loved my job."        
-- Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter is the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees and is the founder of the Turn 2 Foundation. He divides his time between Tampa, Florida, and New York City.

Jack Curry is a baseball columnist and reporter for the New York Times. He lives with his wife in New Jersey.