A sure-fire plan.

Guidance is often the missing ingredient in making a dream come true. But help has arrived from an unlikely source: Stedman Graham, chairman and CEO of SGA Inc. and Graham Gregory Bozell Inc., a sports and entertainment management and marketing firm in Chicago. In his instruction manual for success, You Can Make It Happen, he outlines a nine-step program that can help you achieve your goals.

Graham draws on past personal obstacles--including a failed attempt at making it to the NBA draft after college--to provide his own brand of direction to those looking to bounce back from disappointment. Referring to his previous discomfort with only being known as Oprah Winfrey's boyfriend, Graham explains: "To know yourself is the first, and most important, step in the process of pursuing your dreams and goals."

The book uses anecdotes and worksheets to accompany each step. For example, in step three, "Develop Your Travel Plan," Graham instructs readers to write down goals, construct the steps to move toward them, describe two actions necessary to get started and set a deadline for completing those actions. Although the anecdotes are occasionally longwinded, they do add personality to the otherwise tutorial-styled content.

While his blueprint alone won't guarantee success, it does offer helpful advice: "We all come equipped with essential tools to help us as we endeavor to make our way successfully in this world," says Graham.

You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan for Success by Stedman Graham (Simon & Schuster, $23)