Onward in Pursuit At the beginning of this book, I posed the question of how we can pursue the promise of a “better and richer and fuller” life. In doing so, we addressed another fundamental question: What is the American Dream? I hope the 3-3-1 framework outlined in this book provides a useful way to think about both questions. Over […]

Purpose The third pillar of the American Dream is purpose. Purpose is perhaps the most misunderstood of the three pillars because people often imagine it must be something grand. We hear stories of great leaders, inventors, activists, philanthropists, and public figures who dedicated their lives to causes larger than themselves. Their contributions are admirable, but they can also create the […]

Belonging When I was a child, my father became a member of a newly formed social service organization modeled after groups such as Rotary and Lions. At the time, this seemed like an unusual commitment. My parents were not wealthy. In fact, they were rebuilding their lives after a period of significant financial hardship and near bankruptcy. My mother, who […]

Prosperity If there is one aspect of the American Dream that everyone recognizes, it is prosperity. Steve Harvey, who spent years living out of his car before becoming one of America’s most successful entertainers, was once asked on his show what the American Dream was. Steve’s response was simple: “The American Dream is the ability to achieve, and America makes […]

The American Mindset The American Dream is not merely a set of opportunities. It is also a way of thinking. As we have discussed earlier, throughout most of human history, societies were organized around the assumption that power belonged to a select few. Rulers made decisions while ordinary people adapted to circumstances largely beyond their control. The American experiment challenged […]

The American Foundations If prosperity, belonging, and purpose can be pursued anywhere in the world, what makes the American Dream uniquely American? It is a fair question. People build families in every country. They form communities in every culture. They find meaning through faith, service, work, and relationships all over the world. Many countries today enjoy high standards of living, […]

What is The American Dream? Ask a dozen different people to define the American Dream and you will likely receive a dozen different answers4. Most people do seem to be able to define a version of it for themselves. The paradox arises only because the symbols of the American Dream are not the dream any more than a diploma is […]

A Vision of the American Dream Most of us have been asked at some point to think about what we want our lives to mean. One powerful exercise is to “begin with the end in mind”, a technique popularized by Stephen Covey28. The questions are simple and ask you to imagine yourself looking back on your life from its final […]

For Better or For Worse This book can be read by anyone curious about America and the American Dream. It speaks most directly to those who see their community as home. It’s inspired by my own discovery that the Dream is not merely a collection of opportunities to be consumed but it is a vision of life to be built. […]

Origins of the Book The motivation for this book came from an unexpected source. As my son wrote his personal statement for college admissions, he was trying to picture the life he wanted to build for himself. Making money was important and so was a good education. But he kept coming around to being part of a community and having […]

Introduction We don’t wake up every day thinking about the American Dream, but as America celebrates its 250th birthday, it is worth pausing to ask how its promise can help us build the lives we truly want. In 1931, James Truslow Adams, in his book The Epic of America, defined the American Dream as “…a land in which life should […]