I am a Black man in America . . . and I am privileged.

While growing up, author Brian Thomas might not have considered himself privileged. The biracial son of a Black father and a white mother, he watched his parents struggle against racism and bigotry, and witnessed the strain this sometimes placed on their relationship.

Yet he also saw them fight their way into the middle-class, which allowed them to buy a nice home in a school district that provided Brian and his sister with a solid education. He now realizes that their sacrifices and determination to provide a better life for their children were what put him in a position of privilege.

In spite of the benefits his upbringing afforded him, Brian had to overcome immense hurdles, including two kidney transplants. And his experiences have shown him that regardless of circumstances, success is within everyone's reach.

The Privilege Race explores what it means to be privileged in America and provides a roadmap for you to build a bridge between the life you're currently living and the one you want to live:

• Learn about your mental conditioning, to better understand the source of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
• Determine what you genuinely want from life--not what you've been told you should want.

• Develop a mindset of what's possible, instead of focusing on the impossible

You have the ability to break any generational hardships holding you back. When you stop listening to the false narrative that privilege is something reserved for white people, you can be empowered to seize the life you're meant to be living.