What Counts Most Is How You Finish is a volume of collected wisdom that aims to pass down foundational life lessons to younger generations.
Author Shelia Payton is a black woman from the “integration generation” of African Americans who entered grade school after the end of school segregation. This book, originally written for her niece, is a sincere, plainspoken survival guide for life’s challenges by a woman who has overcome significant barriers.
The book presents short essays organized around seven thematic sections: “Being You,” “Taking Care of You,” “Dealing with People,” “Overcoming Challenges,” “Staying Focused,” “Achieving Success,” and “Making a Difference.” In “Being You,” Payton recounts her lifelong experiences as a “non-traditional” individual, facing bullying in her youth for being a “bookworm” and navigating professional environments where she defied gender and racial stereotypes. She advocates forcefully for self-acceptance: “I decided to be myself, and I’ve been happy ever since.”
Throughout, she offers direct, proverbial advice (“Your Body Is Your Temple, Take Care of It”). In one of the book’s most detailed essays, “Learn to Manage and Invest Your Money,” the author, a business world veteran, chronicles her journey to financial security in retirement, offering actionable guidance.
Money, however, Payton asserts, is a tool, not an end; Payton speaks movingly of the fulfillment that comes from service to others, urging readers to “live life on purpose” and “let your light shine.” Success is not simply a matter of luck, she notes, but the result of preparation, perseverance, and a commitment to one’s values and purpose.
Payton writes with the clear, direct precision of a journalist and business mentor and the heartfelt empathy of a wise aunt, transforming her personal trials and triumphs into a textbook on resilience, dignity, and grace. Its straightforward, encouraging tone makes it a great “adulting” starter pack for young adults, especially those in the African American community. Its faith-friendly tone also makes it a solid choice for church groups and book clubs.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.