Some of you have written and asked about how I came up with the people I profile in my book. It was random, really. I wasn't looking for big things or big people. Just big challenges -- oftentimes involving little people.
That, of course, has long been the mantra of this show. And it is why you'll be meeting "on this show" some of those people profiled in the book. Because I'm drawn more to people who've overcome a lot, than to people who’ve simply have a lot.
This Fleet Week, one particular guy's story comes to mind.
He came from nothing. He really had nothing.
He joined the service to fight for his country in World War II and took a big chunk of his measly military pay during World War II to give to charity.
He continued doing so after he left the service and got married and started a family. No matter how little he earned, a little he gave. And the more he earned, the more he gave.
He worked odd jobs -- pretty menial jobs – and sometimes several jobs. And, as the years passed, this man who had nothing, had acquired something.
He eventually became one of the world's first self-made billionaires and now is one of the world's biggest philanthropists.
He asks for no headlines or press, attention or dinners. He wants to leave a mark without leaving a nameplate.
His name is Jon Huntsman and he's the kind of guy I call a hero.
He's among the many you'll start meeting in this book and on this show beginning next week.
And that's why I'm optimistic about this country. It's why I'm optimistic, period. Because people like him embody the best in us.
Check out previous Common Sense columns and watch Neil Cavuto weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on "Your World with Cavuto."
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox