'Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom,' by Queen Latifah

May 5, 2010— -- Rapper, actress, singer and entrepreneur Queen Latifah encourages young women's self-esteem in her book, "Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom."

She talks about perserverence despite the odds, and uses examples from her own life as she urges women not to give up in the face of a challenge.

Read an excerpt from the book below, and then head to the "GMA" Library to find more good reads.

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. -- Winnie-the-Pooh

Looking up at that first mountain summit, more than four thousand feet in the air, I wasn't sure I could make it. It was at least fifteen miles, and the climb was steep. I'd never done a hike like that before. But there I was, with no choice but to put one foot in front of the other, making sure I didn't lose the fire trail and go wandering off in the wrong direction, or worse, fall down the side of a cliff.

It was seven a.m., I'd been up since five a.m. for a yoga class and a vegan breakfast, and my first thought when I started that trail was, "We're going over that?!" This all started early in September 2001, when I booked myself into a hiking boot camp in Calabasas, California, because I wanted to quit smoking. I picked up the habit when I was fourteen and managed to quit a few times, but smoking has a tendency to creep back into my life, especially when I'm working or stressing. A week in a healthy environment, doing nothing but hiking and yoga, was my way of separating myself from cigarettes and going cold turkey.

This retreat was just a house in the middle of the woods. There were no stores around. There were no phones, except for a pay phone on the wall in case of an emergency. We all slept under the same roof and shared meals at a communal table. It was a place where people came to get back to some healthy living, lose weight, get in touch with nature, whatever it was. I just needed to be in an environment that was free of distractions, where I could focus on something besides my crazy, hectic lifestyle.

We were expected to hike at least fifteen miles of mountain ranges a day for a week, and that first time out was intense. I was out of shape and breathing hard. But as I continued to walk, I noticed something. I was feeling lighter. My mind was clear of all thought except for the present moment. I didn't have time to think about all the problems in my life. Or anything else. I was just concentrating on my feet, trying not to trip on a tree root while observing the view, breathing in the cedar-scented air, and enjoying the sights and sounds of the woods. I was back to the primal, the essence of surviving and getting to where I was going.

Eventually, I made it to the top, and when I looked down at the valley below me and the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean in the distance, I couldn't believe how far I'd come. I felt so strong and powerful. I was so proud of what I'd accomplished. I did it!

That night at dinner, the leaders of the hiking group went around the table and asked each of us to share a thought we had from the day. Everyone had a little story to tell or an observation to make. But when they got around to me, the only thing I could think of to say was this: "I am stronger than I thought I was."

I didn't know I had it in me. There's more to all of us than we realize. Life is so much bigger, grander, higher, and wider than we allow ourselves to think. We're capable of so much more than we allow our-selves to believe. Box some seemingly mousy person into a corner and things will come out of her that you never would have imagined. If you push someone out of her comfort zone, she might perform in a way that she never thought possible.

We've all got so much more potential in us than we are willing to explore. We're all capable of second, third, and fourth acts. We're multidimensional beings, but we have a tendency to get trapped in a mind-set. We all deserve to get to that mountaintop and several more besides. We should be climbing the whole mountain range and enjoying the walk through all its peaks and valleys. And we can, as long as we remember to get out of our own way.

At the end of another one of those hikes, the other boot camp guests and I ended up on the beach in Malibu. We were so happy to be by the sea after several days in the woods, shut off in our own little enclosed world. I starting picking up rocks and throwing them in the water. Then I saw this one stone and did a double take. On it was an image of a man standing tall with one arm down by his waist and the other arm raised in the air with his hand clenched in a fist. It was a fist pump rock! I am not making this up. I believe in miracles, but trust me, I am not one of these people who see images of the Virgin Mary on a piece of toast! This was real. I showed it to the other people in the group, and they agreed—it was clearly a picture of a guy going, "Yeah, I did it!" It was like the universe was sending me confirmation of the message I'd gotten out of that week, and I was in a mental state where I was able to receive that message. In that moment, my mind was free of life's clutter and my eyes and ears were open to the signs. And guess what? Not only did I lose weight and improve my outlook, I quit smoking. Of course, it all got undone when I got back to New York City two days before September 11. From my apartment across the river in New Jersey I witnessed the attacks, and suddenly my world and everyone else's had changed. Recividism bit me on the butt, and I went back to my bad habits for comfort. I forgot my inner strength.

Whenever that happens, I pick up that fist pump rock and contemplate its message. It sits on the mantelpiece of my house in Los Angeles, and every time I look at it, I remember what it's like to feel like Superwoman.

We all need a little keepsake like that, especially these days. I know many of you are losing jobs or struggling to find work. It's tough for someone who has just faced a layoff. Millions of us are feeling lost right now. This is a scary time for a lot of people. Their industries are dying. Men and women who worked in factories or at newspapers thought they'd have jobs forever. What they thought they'd be doing until they retire may no longer be an option. There's no such thing as job security anymore. The film and music business are no different. People don't realize that even if you make a lot of money, you can lose it just as fast. Show business isn't exactly a steady pro-fession. One day you're hot, and the next day you're over. You never know.

But that doesn't mean it's over. Remember: You are stronger than you think. You have to go past what you think you can do, and then you have to go in and dig up some things inside you. Shake some stuff around. Take a personality quiz online. Tap into who you are as a person and then look around you. Go outside your comfort zone to figure out what you want to try, and when you hit on something that you like, you'll know it. When you're not watching the clock and you're completely absorbed in it, you'll know that's something you can dedicate yourself to 100 percent. That's the difference between a job and a career.