On Personal Success

I really enjoy listening to this talk by Earl Nightingale from 1956. I find his words to be very empowering to the individual. This talk was originally recorded to a 2-sided record when Earl was 35 years old for a group of salesmen. It made such an impact that the salesmen requested copies to share with family and friends. The record was duplicated by Columbia Records and quickly sold a million copies, which earned Mr. Nightingale a gold record. In the talk, he starts off by defining success:

Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.

He mentions that the successful person is “working towards a goal and knows where they are going.” Unsuccessful people do not know why they do the things they do everyday. They go about their day without a sense of purpose, like a ship without a captain. Figure out what it is you want in life and work towards that goal everyday.

The average person believes that their lives are shaped by the circumstances that happen to them. George Bernard Shaw has this to say about circumstances:

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.

One of the keys to success is in realizing that “we become what we think about.” If you think in positive terms, you get positive results. If you think in negative terms, you get negative results.

Stop thinking about what it is you fear. Replace it with a mental picture of your positive and worthwhile goal.

Remember that it’s important to go about your day with a calm and cheerful demeanor, and “don’t let petty things annoy you and get you off course.”

YouTube Link (40 min): The Strangest Secret in the World by Earl Nightingale full 1950 (Click Here to Listen to the Talk)

Earl Nightingale was an American radio speaker and author. He wrote the book, “The Strangest Secret,” which economist Terry Savage has termed “one of the great motivational books of all time.”