Brandon Steiner Book : A Lesson on Being a Positive Force

Brandon Steiner, the highly successful entrepreneur and sports marketer, has authored his third book, "Living on Purpose," which offers a plethora of advice and stories about faith, fortune, and fitness. The founder and CEO of Steiner Sports uses his book to share with others what "will lead you to an extraordinary life."

The Brooklyn native and longtime Scarsdale resident is frank in sharing the pitfalls of success, he says bluntly, "I had more money than I ever dreamed I could have . . . I should have been on top of the world, as all my hard work had finally paid off in a huge way . . . but I was emotionally bankrupt."

This third book strays away from his usual genre of the first two he wrote. Those focus on successful business practices. His latest venture digs into the importance of life-balance, and how to be successful in all aspects of life to truly be happy and enjoy it — something he has been able to realize.

Aside from being a successful businessman and a talented author, Brandon is a sought after media personality. He is frequent guest on 98.7 FM/ESPN-NY Radio and serves as the cohost of the YES Network’s "Yankees-Steiner: Memories of the Game" series.

He’s given talks at major universities, including Harvard and Yale, and at several Fortune 500 companies.

Steiner is dedicated to giving back to his community.

He was instrumental in helping found the Falk College Department of Sport Management at his alma mater, Syracuse University. He supports several charities, but one of his favorites is Family Services of Westchester, a not-for-profit organization that helps provide quality social and mental health services to its clients.

With Brandon Steiner’s help, the organization was able to open two group homes for teenage boys and girls who have no place to call home.

Mariano Rivera and Brandon Steiner have worked together since Mo’s early years with the Yankees. Their time together, which continues to this day, has impacted Brandon greatly.

Here is an excerpt from the book that depicts just how profound that impact is:

"Mariano and I have worked together for more than twenty years, and we’ve had these long conversations while I drove him to various appearances. Inevitably, those talks would turn to subjects of faith. I learned about the specifics of Christianity and how it differed from Judaism. We talked about divine intervention and ways to become a more faithful person, and I have to say, Mariano convinced me with his arguments.

"Our relationship started me on a journey of faith that I’m still on to this day. I never thought a skinny kid from Panama with broken English was going to have such a profound impact on me, but I’ve come to believe that God gives us signs and uses people to redirect our path sometimes. Whether we choose to acknowledge those signs is up to us."

Brandon also had a unique relationship with another former Yankee, Alex Rodriguez. After his suspension in 2014, Rodriguez reach out to Brandon for help mending fences with all those he had hurt and disappointed.

Here is what Brandon has to say about that experience with A-Rod, and what he learned:

"Mercy and forgiveness don’t always come to you when you want them. But when you do the right things consistently, you can move forward in a positive way. You might never get the forgiveness you seek; however, you can lay your head down at night knowing you did everything within your power to repair a fractured relationship. How the other person chooses to respond is up to them. Hopefully one day, they’ll extend mercy your way.

"Relationships are worth the effort, even when we’re asked to do more than what should be expected of us. Alex’s teammates, coaches, and fans didn’t have to forgive him after he was suspended. The team could’ve fired him, and baseball fans everywhere could’ve written him off as a lying, cheating failure. Many of them chose to fight for that relationship. For those who stuck around, years later, I’m confident they would tell you it was worth it."

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This article originally appeared in Newsmax.