Life as experienced from the inside out, rather than the outside in, offers us a path to the elimination of labels that cripple our ability to love and care for each other with open hearts and open minds.
With a life in show business touched by relationships with stars like Michael Landon, Robin Williams, and the incomparable Betty White, Tom’s personal stories weave a tapestry that offer the reader concrete examples of his unique approach to inside-out vision. From the celebration of four glorious senses to the application of the power of instinct, Tom believes that we are all given the ability to expand every element of what it means to be truly alive. By accepting challenges as opportunity rather than failure, we can learn to turn all disadvantages into advantages and face those critical turning points that are common to all of us. Along the twisting highway of his personal journey, Tom has discovered the passion that fills him with the joy of purpose and the appreciation for the people he has been blessed to know. At a time when we are being torn apart by unspeakable violence, social injustice, and political cronyism, this book stands as a beacon of hope reminding us of the light that shines out from inside each of us, illuminating the unlimited possibilities of the human spirit to achieve greatness.
Tom Sullivan’s life is a testament to courage and challenge, gratitude and service. Born 3 months premature, Tom was given too much oxygen in an incubator that saved his life but cost him his sight. Sullivan’s achievements are remarkable despite the disability. Educated at the Perkins School for the Blind, Providence College, and Harvard, Tom excelled as a student and an athlete. Sullivan’s a member of the Wrestling Hall of Fame, a marathon runner, avid skier, and golfer who routinely shoots in the high 80’s. His career as a singer/songwriter has taken him to concert venues around the world, and his roles as an actor have entertained audiences on TV series like Highway to Heaven, Touched by an Angel, Designing Women, Mork and Mindy, and WKRP in Cincinnati. He also spent six years as a special correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America where his touching stories on people beating the odds became a Wednesday morning staple. He is the author of fourteen books and his biography, If You Could See What I Hear, was made into a highly successful movie in 1982. He notes that being married to his wife, Patty, and having his children, Blythe and Tom, are his greatest treasure and most important achievement. His formula for living is remarkably simple: “Challenge yourself to be the best person possible and in that effort, choose to make a difference in the lives of others.”