The following is an excerpt from Mark Matson’s new book, Experiencing the American Dream: How to Invest Your Time, Energy, and Money to Create an Extraordinary Life.

The world is an amazing place, and if you help other people, you are rewarded for the value you create. That’s been my father’s attitude ever since he was a kid.

At 10 years old, my dad would get up early in the morning, pick up a stack of newspapers, and sell them on the streets of Charleston, West Virginia. When he ran out of papers to sell, he’d get out his shine box to shine shoes for money. Always on the lookout for the next opportunity, he read in a comic book about how Cloverine Salve can be used to help soothe cracked and dry skin. So, he went into business selling it to coal miners to protect their hands.