In her first book, "The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives," journalist, author, and ABC News special correspondent and web show host Katie Couric compiles words of wisdom from over one hundred successful celebrities and public figures, many of whom she has interviewed. In the introduction, Couric lays out some heavy questions “we all ask ourselves at one time or another,” like, “How do you keep going when you want to curl up into a ball and never leave your bedroom?” and “How do you shut out the voices (including, at times, your own) that tell you you’re not good enough and you shouldn’t even try?” And then she and her mover-and-shaker pals, among them Jane Lynch, Meryl Streep, and Salman Rushdie, each take a crack at answering these questions.

"The Best Advice I Ever Got" is divided into ten sections, each one its own variety of pep talk. The very first section, “You’ve Gotta Have Moxie: On Courage and Self-Confidence” starts off with a quote from actor and all-American hero John Wayne: “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway,” which sets the tone for what’s to come. Entrepreneur, bestselling author, and youth advocate Wes Moore offers direct but effective advice along the lines of Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan -- “Have faith, not fear.” Actor, comedian, and writer Larry David, best known for his cult favorite television show Curb Your Enthusiasm, shares words of wisdom appropriately given to him when he was “a mere tyke” by his Uncle Julius: “Always be sure to curb your enthusiasm.” So, next time you have the urge to call your mom, your best friend, or your therapist wondering if your dreams are worth pursuing, give them the night off and listen to this excerpt from Katie Couric’s "The Best Advice I Ever Got" instead.