What Is The Secret Of Success
Saturday, October 30th, 2010What Is The Secret Of Success
I have always wondered what was the secret of success, and it all made sense after listening to Earl Nightingale’s recording of the Strangest Secret. I’d like to share the main points of what he discussed, and encourage you to apply the secret of success in your life.
Nightingale discussed that out of 100 people that start off around the age of 25 and retire at 65, only one person will be rich, four will be financially independent, 5 will still continue to work, and 54 will be broke. He raises an interesting point – if all of them started off in similar circumstances, why did only 5% become successful? The reason for this disparity is that only 5% understood and applied the secret of success.
Before revealing the secret of success, Earl Nightingale provided the best definition of success I have heard. Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. If a person is working hard towards a predetermined goal, he is a success. If he is not working towards that goal, he is a failure. Nightingale points out that the opposite of courage is not cowardice, but conformity. Most people believe that life is shaped by circumstance, and they end up following everyone else. When someone is asked, “Why do you work?” He or she often replies, “Because I have to” or “Because everyone else is doing it.” Most people simply have no idea of the answer to this question. Those who are successful, however, know that they are progressing towards a worthy ideal. They have a purpose, and know exactly why they work. For example, if a school teacher loves what he is doing and knows he has a purpose to educate people, then he is a success. Success is someone who is doing a predetermined job, because he decided to do it deliberately.
So what is the secret of success? Why do so many people work hard without achieving anything, while others seem to be working with minimal effort, but seem to get everything? Do they have the golden touch? The answer is that they know and apply the secret of success – We become what we think about. Nightingale notes that this is the one thing that scholars throughout the ages agree upon. Let me repeat, we become what we think about. If you think in negative terms all the time, you get negative results. If you think in positive terms, you achieve positive results. If you think about nothing, you become nothing. Napoleon Hill said it best in his book Think and Grow Rich, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”
People who apply the secret of success look for the circumstances they want. If they can’t find them, they create them. If you want to achieve great heights of success, make sure to plant a goal in your mind. Plant the seed, and then take action by working towards that goal. What you think now will determine your future. The mind is like a field – whatever you plant in it, it returns anything that you plant. Now that you know the secret of success, make sure to apply it and join the ranks of the top 5%.
Kris de Leon is an Internet Entrepreneur, Small Business Consultant, and Attraction Marketing mentor. To learn more about The Secret of Success and how to apply it, check out some skills training videos on Attraction Marketing.