Eric Greenberg’s story is one that Americans love to hear — an entrepreneur’s journey from modest beginnings to extreme success, shattered by breathtaking loss and ending in an 11th hour comeback with a book that tells the tale.
Greenberg is the author Generation We: How Millennial Youth Are Taking over America and Changing Our World Forever. The book tells about how young people can empower themselves and others through entrepreneurial ventures, civic involvement and taking an active role in transforming the way we educate the next generation of leaders.
Greenberg has spent his entire career in Silicon Valley tech. In 2006, he suffered a $15 million loss in an entrepreneurial venture and hit rock bottom. After traveling the world, losing a substantial amount of weight, and taking stock of his experiences, Greenberg wrote down all he’d learned in Generation We, and published the book in 2008.
Greenberg recently ventured inside San Quentin State Prison to tell his story to participants in The Last Mile (TLM), a self-help program that teaches inmates about bringing socially responsible ideas into the business world. In the Q-&-A session after Greenberg’s presentation, the inmates asked questions about how they can use entrepreneurship and social innovation as avenues to self-empowerment.
Greenberg also spoke about what prompted him to write the book: “The young people in the world are not engaged enough. I wrote this book to motivate them.” Unsurprisingly, Greenberg believes people must take the initiative to help themselves; however, he also believes the first step is removing roadblocks to educational opportunities.
Greenberg spoke about his ups and downs in the business world. Reflecting on his comeback from the $15 million loss, he said, “The only reason people choose negativity is doubt. I never gave up on myself. I worked on myself for seven years. There is no successful entrepreneur who’s angry. The key thing to work on is getting rid of doubt and anger. Learn how to love yourself. Everyone can do something to make their lives better.”
Greenberg’s also talked about seeing the ugliness and the darker side of human behavior — from famine to genocide — during his world travel. This gave him the insight to make meaning out of his own darkest moments. “You had to look at it in the eye. You can’t fight darkness if you shutter from it. How can I talk about it if I didn’t see it?”
Ultimately, Greenberg concluded that hope and belief in oneself are the keys so self-empowerment.
“Now matter what, you’re still human beings, and everybody has a redeeming value,” Greenberg said. “I urge you all to be the change you want to see. The Last Mile is a program that will help you get there. The day we lose our optimism is the day we lose.”
A full book review of Generation We: How Millennial Youth Are Taking over America and Changing Our World Forever will be published in a future edition of San Quentin News.
