18 Parables Of Success

18 Parables Of Success

By Saleem Rana

18 True Stories That Teach You How To Be Successful

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: A Change of Mind

…………………………………………

7

CHAPTER 2: Quest for Freedom

................……………………………...

16

CHAPTER 3: The First Space Strike ....................…………………………...

23

CHAPTER 4: The Lucky Lease ………………………………………………

31

CHAPTER 5: The Restless Boy.................... ……………………………….

37

CHAPTER 6: The 2nd Day Of Creation.......... ……………………………….

44

CHAPTER 7: Victory over the “African Bug”…………………………………

53

CHAPTER 8: Around the world on $80......... ……………………………...

60

CHAPTER 9: The Automatic Champion........... …………………………...

65

CHAPTER 10: The High Flyers.. ………………………………………………

71

CHAPTER 11: The Millionth Pebble........... ……………………………….

81

5

CHAPTER 12: The Right Bid....... …………………………………………

88

CHAPTER 13: The Stunning Failure........................ ……………………………... 95

CHAPTER 14: One Took the High Road........... …………………………...

101

CHAPTER 15: The Bridgehouse ………………………………………………

107

CHAPTER 16: The Inspired Boy.................. ……………………………….

115

CHAPTER 17: The Proud Chemist.............. ……………………………….

121

CHAPTER 18: The Royal Road.................... ……………………………….

131

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Chapter 1

A Change Of Mind

Napoleon Hill, the famous inspirational writer, once met a reader who became a millionaire after reading one of his books.

The book, Think and Grow Rich, transformed Bill

McCall of Australia from rags to riches.

When Bill was 19 years old, he sold hides and skins. failed

miserably.

Congress.

Two

years

Again, he failed.

later,

he

ran

for

He

Federal

In desperation, Bill went to

the library to read about success principles.

There, he

found Hill’s book.

Although he read the book three times, he failed to see how to use the success principles. reading,

something

shifted

Then, during the fourth

within

him,

a

flash

of

inspiration, and his life changed.

7

Years later, after meeting the author, Bill McCall, now the Honorable William V. McCall, now a director of 22 familyowned businesses, and now a man as rich as the people whom he had once read about, narrated the moment his life fell into place.

“I was reading Think and Grow Rich for the fourth time while walking leisurely along a business street in Sydney. And then it happened! front

of

a

meat

It happened suddenly.

market

and

glanced

up.

I stopped in And

in

that

fraction of a second I had a flash of inspiration.

“You

see,

I

‘Autosuggestion.’

was The

reading

Chapter

subheading

Influencing the Subconscious Mind.’

was

Four ‘The

entitled Medium

for

Now I remember that

when I was a boy my father read aloud from Emile Coue’s little book Self-Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion.”

“It was you,” Bill said to Napoleon Hill, “who pointed out in your book that if Emile Coue was successful in helping individuals avoid sickness and in bringing the sick back to good

health,

through

conscious

autosuggestion,

8

autosuggestion anything

could

also

one

might

else

autosuggestion’:

be

used

to

desire.

acquire ‘Get

riches

rich

that was my great discovery.

or

through It was a

new concept to me.

“You

know:

conscious

autosuggestion

is

the

agency

of

control through which an individual may voluntarily feed his subconscious mind on thoughts of a creative nature, or, by neglect, permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find their way into the rich garden of his mind.

“When you read aloud twice daily the written statement of your

desire

attention,

for

and

money

you

see

with and

emotion feel

and

concentrated

yourself

already

in

possession of the money, you communicate the object of your desire

directly

repetition thought

of

habits

to this which

your

subconscious

procedure, are

you

favorable

mind.

Through

voluntarily to

your

create

efforts

to

transmute desire into its monetary equivalent.

“Let me say again:

It is most important that when you read

aloud the statement of your desire through which you are endeavoring to develop a money consciousness, you read with emotion and strong feeling.

9

“Your ability to use the principles of autosuggestion will depend very largely upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire until that desire becomes a burning desire.

“When

I

arrived

home,

out

of

breath

for

running,

I

immediately set down at the dining room table and wrote: ‘My definite major aim is to be a millionaire by 1960.’”

The Honorable William V. McCall, the youngest person to be a member of the house of parliament, achieved his definite major

aim

to

be

a

millionaire

four

days

before

his

deadline.

The Success Principle

Use the power of autosuggestion to create your destiny.

The Principles At Work

In

the

parable,

business.

He

Bill also

McCall failed

failed at

at

at his

running bid

for

his

own

Federal

10

Congress.

But, instead of feeling crushed and incompetent,

he chose to research success principles.

Now, once again, his mettle was tested.

Although, he read

the book three times, he could not figure out how any of it applied to his own life.

Most people would not have read

the book more than once, assuming they even got as far as finishing it in the first place. times.

McCall read it three

Then, on the fourth reading, in the midst of it, he

had his moment of inspiration.

The point to note here is that the information in the books was circulating in his mind from the very first reading; he was, in a sense, continually priming the pump.

Upon the

fourth reading, then, the moment he needed happened...the moment

of

inspiration,

when

insight

and

emotion

all

commingled in one thrilling flash of recognition.

He framed his moment of inspiration into a document which governed his future.

The document was a contract.

a promise to himself.

It was

It declared that by the year 1960,

he would be a millionaire.

He stated the exact amount that

he

year

desired

money.

and

the

exact

he

intended

to

have

the

He was clear and unequivocal.

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He

read

this

contract

conviction, twice a day. having achieved his dream.

out

loud,

with

passion

and

He envisioned himself as already His subconscious went to work

in manifesting that dream into a reality.

In your own life, you can follow the same steps.

You can

prime your subconscious to tell you what you really want in your life.

Read books that will stimulate your thinking

about your desire.

Then, when you have your moment of

inspiration, which will occur because of

your focussed

attention, you can write out a contract to yourself.

State

your major definite aim and the time you expect to acquire it.

Now read your statement to yourself–twice a day, out

loud, with passion and conviction.

This

procedure will

answers and it will

activate

your

mind

to

come

up

with

motivate you to take action.

Although this process is easy to understand and simple to apply—don’t subconscious

underestimate mind,

you

it. awaken

When

you

powerful

awaken thoughts

your and

feelings that will propel you to the future you desire. You will be able to change any limiting situations.

You

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will be able to transform your life.

Life is too short to

be miserable, too short to deny yourself the life of your dreams.

Here are a few questions you could ask yourself to plan this amazing journey.

1.

Questions about your interests. doing?

What things do you do well?

What do you enjoy

Can you isolate one of

these things that you enjoy and do well and make it into a definite

major

obessession?

purpose?

What

is

your

magnificent

What gifts do you bring to this planet?

How

would you like to be remembered?

2.

Questions about meaning.

Why do you want to do this?

How will it bring out the best in you? others?

How will it sustain you?

How will it benefit

Can you make money at

it?

3.

Questions need?

about

you

What

resources

do

How much time and money do you need to start?

do you need to learn? Do

resources.

need

to

join

Do you need an

you What

to go back to school?

organization?

Do

you

need

to

13

purchase special equipment?

Do you need to move to another

city to find the best opportunity?

4.

Questions about support. expert in this field? books?

Who can help you?

Who is an

Do you need to learn from their

Do you need to attend a class they are offering?

Do you need to spend time with them in person?

5.

Questions about persistence. your mission? go wrong?

How can you stay true to

How will you motivate yourself when things

How much endurance do you have?

How will you

resist the temptation to give up when obstacles arise?

6.

Questions about completion. this goal?

When will you achieve

What steps might be involved?

these steps take?

How long do

How will you know when you’ve finally

achieved your dream?

7.

Questions about models. did they do it?

Who else has done this?

How long did it take?

How

Did they have more

or less opportunity than you when they first started?

14

The Bottom Line

When you map out what you want, you let go of the trivial tasks that clutter up your thoughts.

When you focus on

achieving a definite major purpose, your life will assume an

energy

and

unity

that

will

be

exhilerating.

Self-

discipline will appear spontaneously.

You can keep this energy of vital purpose alive by reading your self-promise to yourself upon arising and before going to bed.

15

Chapter 2

Quest for Freedom

The Nazis stormed into the house of Stanislavsky Lech, who was

Jewish,

packed

them

herded into

the

an

entire

family

overcrowded

out

train,

at

filled

gunpoint, with

the

stench of death and despair, and sent them to Krakow.

Then, before his eyes, Lech saw his entire family shot. Somehow, he managed to live from one day to the next, in a numb,

oblivious,

zombie-like

awaited his own death.

state.

Impatiently,

he

But one day, he realized, that his

own death was not an unavoidable truth.

He could, in fact,

do something about it: he could make an attempt to escape.

Once

he

had

execute it.

made

his

decision,

he

didn’t

know

how

to

He only knew one simple thing: his decision

16

was irrevocable, and, somehow, he had to find a way to act on it.

As the weeks passed into months, he interrogated his fellow prisoners.

“How can we escape?” he would ask.

nuisance, an irritation. “Stop

hurting

He became a

“It’s hopeless,” they would echo.

yourself,”

they

would

plead.

Some

would

abuse him openly; others would turn away in silence.

In turn, he rejected their answers, their silences, their overbearing himself,

and

despair. I

will

There find

has

it.

to This

be

a

is

way,

my

he

told

revenge:

by

surviving I will prove that the Nazis aren’t invincible and that they don’t have complete control of our wills and that they can’t do what they like with us.

Each day he would run a dialogue through his head. I

choose

continue

to to

conditions.

escape be

a

from victim.

this

nightmare. I

will

not

I

“Today

will

accept

not

these

I am a man, with rights and dignity, and I

will, so help me God, find a way to let the whole world know about what is going on here. no doubt in my mind. now?

I will escape.

There is

How can I escape today, perhaps right

There is a weakness in their security.

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They cannot watch us every minute.

There is something I

need to find, and I will find it today, something that I have

overlooked,

something

that

will

There is a weak link here, somewhere.

bring

me

freedom.

I will find it.”

The urgency of his question pounded on his heart and mind every waking moment, and it followed him into his dreams.

Then, one day, as dismal as any other, he saw what had been before him all along.

The Nazis would let the corpses of

naked men, women and children, shot because they were too weak to work in the labor camp,

pile up on the ground

before a truck would come and haul them away. efficiency,

the

truck

would

only

come

when

With typical there

were

enough bodies to fill it up.

Hiding behind a bush, he stripped off all his clothes, then dived into the mound of corpses.

He lay still, pretending

to be dead, the nauseating odor of death all around him. He lay there for a day. him.

He did not flinch.

More corpses were thrown on top of Finally, the truck came.

Rough

hands pushed his inert body into the truck.

18

In the truck, many more hours of horror passed.

Finally,

his body was dumped into an open grave.

He waited until nightfall before climbing out.

The sweet smell of

night,

the

fresh

breeze,

filled

his

lungs as he ran twenty-five miles to freedom.

The Success Principle

Insist on your question and an answer will emerge.

The Principle At Work

In the parable, Lech thought the unthinkable—how to escape from

a

maximum

unendurable—lying

security for

hours

death with

camp—and fetid

endured

corpses.

In

the an

extreme situation, he pushed his level of tolerance to an extreme.

His

only

other

choice

was

to

waste

away

and

finally get shot or gassed when he was too weak to work.

19

He survived for only one reason: he made a decision to survive and he stayed with that decision. forced him to ask how. today?

How

question.

can

He

I

did

How can I escape?

escape not

ask

now? a

He

The decision

How can I escape

asked

relative

an

absolute

question:

Is

it

possible to escape?

His question forced him to expand his perception and to expand his belief in what was possible.

It also forced him

to act, with courage, with immediacy.

He asked himself a absolute question, a quality question, and he expected an answer from his creative mind. quality

question

paved

his

way

to

freedom.

It

This was

a

question that empowered his perception, his creativity, his courage.

He did not ask why questions.

speculative, discursive, vague questions.

He did not ask He asked how,

and in asking how, he found what would work.

In your own life, you will never be pushed to such an extreme situation, but your own pressing needs, your longstanding frustrations,

would

benefit

tremendously

if

you

asked an absolute question, a high-quality how question. If

you

were

to

follow

up

this

question

with

absolute

20

committment, patience, and discipline your perception would expand to allow more information into your mind. find

a way to stretch

possibilities.

your

belief-system

to

You will

allow

You will find creative answers.

more

And, of

course, you will find the courage and conviction to follow through with your insights.

The right question will solve your problem.

You are always

asking questions and answering them; this is part of your internal dialogue, casually referred to as thinking. But

real

expecting

thinking an

is

answer.

asking It

is

a

quality

sticking

question

with

the

and

question

until the right answer appears in consciousness.

To ask is to receive. good

questions,

example,

you’ll

financial

One creates the other. receive

pressure

is

good one

of

If you ask

answers. your

might be tempted to ask, why am I so poor?

If,

for

issues,

you

The problem

with this question is that you’ll find reasons to justify your poverty.

If, instead, you ask, how can I become rich?

you’ll look for ways to increase your skill, you’ll dig deep to find your talents, or you’ll learn ways to manage your money.

21

Above

all,

remind

yourself

of

playwright George Bernard Shaw: they are and say ‘why?’

the

famous

words

of

“Some men see things as

I dream of things that never were

and say ‘why not?’”

The Bottom Line

“Questions,” noted Success Coach Anthony Robbins, “set off a

processional

effect

that

has

an

impact

beyond

our

imaginations.”

When we question our limitations, we see how they’re only assumed

limitations.

When

we

things, we birth science or art. high-quality collective

questions, barriers

to

we

question

the

nature

of

And when we ask absolute,

break

down

comprehension,

personal and

we

open

and up

avenues to progressive action and fundamental change.

22

Chapter 3

The First Space Strike

On

Apollo

13,

the

crew

staged

history of space travel.

the

first

strike

in

the

The date was December 27, 1973.

Mission Control had sent more commands than the crew could cope with.

Commander General Carr put a stop to this when

he radioed in to Mission Control. much to do,” he complained.

“You have given us too

“We’re not going to do a thing

until you get your act in better order.”

He

then

shut

off

communications

for

12

hours.

The

astronauts used the time to catch up and enjoy the unusual view.

The Success Principle

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Success happens in small steps.

Scale down big projects.

Go for small victories. Over time, small victories add up to complete the overall goal.

The Principle At Work

In the parable, the space crew scaled everything down to regain

control

of

their

mission.

They

overwhelming situation to a managable one.

reduced

an

Here you have

an example of scaling down the element of time.

While the

projects remained the same size, they were extended over time.

They became more managable, easier to get done.

The key word here is managable.

Scaling down can also be done in terms of size.

A project

can be broken down into smaller units, into sub-projects. When the parts of a whole are disconnected, each part can be worked on. easier improve.

to

A system with fewer interconnected parts is

comprehend,

easier

to

control,

manipulate,

Science, itself, is based on boiling down the

vast complexity of nature into small, comprehensible units

24

of

information

called

scientific

laws.

Gradually,

the

completed parts are assembled into a whole again.

In your own life, when things get overwhelming, scale them down.

Either do less of them, diminish the size; or do

them all over a longer period of time. working at a level of competence.

Scaling down means

It means doing only a

few things, and one thing at a time.

Ultimately, smaller

scaling

wins.

down

Going for

means big

shunning

wins

creates

big

wins

high

for

stress,

confusion, loss of momentum and balance.

When a large problem is broken down into smaller chunks, stress is reduced in three ways. the pressure. is low.

First, a small win cuts

“This is no big deal.”

The price of failure

The pain of failure is minimal.

Consequently, you

are willing to try again and again, until you figure out the pattern which ensures success. There is less to do.

Second, it cuts demand.

And it is less strenuous.

“This is

all that needs to be done.”

25

Third,

the

Performance

level

exists.

of

anxiety

is

skill

needed

reduced.

A

is

sense

sufficient. of

competency

“I can do at least this much.”

What is a small victory?

A small victory is a concrete, complete, clear-cut outcome of modest value. trivial.

But

By itself, one small victory may seem a

series

of

victories

at

small

significant tasks, lowers resistance to opposition. victories

are

controllable

opportunities.

They

but Small

produce

visible results.

Small solutions single out and define problems clearly.

By

looking at specific, limited conditions of a problem, it is easier to find a solution that fits.

The problem is easier

to see and the solution easier to try out.

Small

victories

limits.

They

establisment “Burn

the

precisely. solutions.

emphasize

avoid

defining

stinks.” system “This

the

They

down.” is

what

importance

problems avoid They is

of

defining

diffusely.

open-ended define

wrong.”

“The

solutions.

problems They

more narrow

“This is the first thing we have to work on.”

26

Once a small victory has been secured, energy is released and powerful forces are set in motion that favor another small victory.

When a problem is solved, the next solvable

problem

appears.

This

happens

because

information

is

clear.

When our perceptions are sharper, more resources,

both inner and outer, can be tapped.

Small victories change a situation.

They stir up change.

Even when complexity does occur in the future, you will have the skills to meet them.

In time, more complex tasks

are handled with more mastery.

Small speeds

victories up

provide

learning

and

miniature experiments. insight

into

viable

numerous theories

information. adaptation.

Small

information attempts

They test theories.

strategies.

can

This

be

In

postulated,

little

are

They offer experiments,

numerous

strategies

tried out, until something clicks, a pattern is discerned, a meaningful solution appreciated.

Small victories are also more emotionally stable.

A small

defeat does not result in despondency, a small victory in exuberance.

Everything

is

relatively

even-tempered.

A

27

large,

sudden

victory

millionaires,

for

their

rapidly.

money

can

example,

be

overwhelming.

have

been

This

is

known

Lottery

to

different

lose from

all the

businessman who understands how to manage his money, even when it runs in millions, because he has built his business over a series of small victories.

Essentially, then, the best big victories are those that have arrived over a period of time as a series of small victories.

These victories have stability, balance, and

perpetuating power.

They have matured over time because

they have been built up over a process of events.

Big

corporations, for example, sometimes break themselves down into smaller departments to stimulate the creativity and dynamism of a small group.

Above

all,

when

you

initiate

a

small-scale

project,

or

break a large project into small-scale projects, there is less that can go wrong. cause

and

observed, trusted.

effect. tested,

There is a closer link between

Simple discarded,

patterns tried

can out,

be and

created, finally

Immediate feedback is available as to what works

and how long it takes.

Clarity of vision, managability of

28

tasks, immediacy of results – all these arise from pursuing small victories.

A

striking

example

of

the

cumulative

effect

of

small

victories is that of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980. February

of

that

year,

the

Pittsburgh

Steelers

By

in

the

National Football League had won an astonishing 88 games and lost only 27. broke

about

even

Under their coach, Chuck Noll, with

strong

opponents

landslide against weaker opponents. they

won

29

games

and

lost

26

and

won

by

fabulous

statistics

were

a

With strong opponents, games.

Against

opponents, they won 59 games and lost one game. their

they

based

on

small

weak Thus,

victories

spread over time.

Another

example

is

that

Liberation Movement.

of

the

rise

of

the

Women’s

The feminist campaign against sexism

did not make much progress when they aimed for the big victory

of

Amendment.

changing

legislation,

the

Equal

Rights

But through the smaller victory of desexing

language, they made successful inroads into changing the collective smaller

consciousness

reforms

worked

regarding and

were

women’s

rights.

adopted

with

The less

29

resistance because they tackled issues of a discernible, size, clarity, and visibility.

The Bottom Line

Small victories may not inspire much attention, but through methodical created.

persistence

something

large

and

awesome

is

Great men and women succeed moment by moment,

step by step, lifted up by one small victory after another, until they reach a lofty and impressive pinnacle of success and influence.

30

Chapter 4

The Lucky Lease

J. Paul Getty planned to enter the U.S. Diplomatic Service, but, when he got out of college, the Oklahoma oil boom caught

his

prospered

attention. in

the

oil

Since

his

business,

father he

was

had

already

irresistably

attracted to the prospects of wildcatting, and he decided to postpone his diplomatic ambitions for two more years.

He worked on other wildcatter’s rigs and borrowed money from his father to raise money for oil speculation.

His

father only gave him small amounts of money and demanded prompt repayment.

J.

Paul

Getty

spent

his

money

frugally,

and

also

saved

money through haggling over prices.

31

At first his speculations did not go well, and a diplomatic career looked increasingly inviting.

Then, early in 1916,

he secured a bargain price of $500 on a lease and the well he sank produced 700 barrels a day.

Suddenly, at the age

of 23, he made a fortune.

Years

later,

beginning. rich.

journalists

would

ask

him

about

his

lucky

They wondered how he knew that the well was so

He responded that he had gathered all the necessary

geological facts from experts and the spot appeared to have been a good one.

“But,” he added, “ as for actually knowing what the outcome would be that was impossible.

If there were a way to be a

hundred percent sure where rich oil deposits are, nobody would ever sink a dry well.”

“Oil prospecting is like any other venture in life, from getting

married

to

buying

a

car...there

is

always

an

element of chance, and you must be willing to live with that element.”

32

“If you insist on perfect certainty, you will never be able to make any decisions at all.

You will simply paralyze

yourself.”

The Success Principle Make a decision, and take the risk associated with it.

The Principle At Work In the parable, J. Paul Getty appeared to be incredibly lucky,

but

engineered. career—that

it

was

a

Instead of

the

of U.S.

luck

which,

continuing Diplomatic

in on

a

many

ways,

he

well-structured

Services—he

made

a

detour to the rich oil fields of Oklahoma.

Here he had the difficult task of raising money, which he did by working and borrowing. funds,

by spending

them

He then took care of his

frugally.

Initially,

he

hit

a

number of dry wells, but one speculation paid off for him. This last speculation was a calculated risk.

Yes, he was

lucky, but he also did his best to attract that luck.

33

A

notable

feature

in

his

“luck”

was

his

decisiveness.

After reviewing the geological data, he decided to act on it.

The data gave him odds on success, but it didn’t

guarantee

anything.

He

could

have

continued

to

investigate, postponing the decision to act.

But, in his own words, those

government

decision.

he did not want to be “like one of

commissions

that

are

afraid

to

make

a

They hold hearings, collect facts, stew and fuss

and keep very, very busy for months and months. while you know it’s just a sham.

After a

The appearance of action

is just a front to hide inaction.”

When you take chances, you risk defeat, you risk loss, but unless you play the game you may never win either. to win also means willing to lose.

Playing

Indeed, J. Paul Getty

lost often before he won.

Money losses.

management

enabled

him

to

continue

despite

his

Small losses enabled him to keep enough resources

to stay in the game.

Successful investors on Wall Street advise new investors never to gamble with their grocery money, because it has a

34

twofold effect: one, it jeopardizes their well-being; two, they are nervous when they invest and this clouds their judgement.

In your own life, you can use the following checklist to be a bolder and more prosperous person.




Find some area that needs investment of time, money, energy, and skill.




Calculate the risks.




Estimate the rewards.




Find the time, raise the money, harness the energy, and learn the skills.




Manage your resources so that you only take affordable risks.

Above all, remember that winning often involves risking, but risking does not mean gambling. don’t

evaluate

resources.

much

When

you

information take

When you gamble, you

and

risks,

you

you

use

review

all all

your the

available information and only commit what you can afford to lose.

The Bottom Line 35

Dr.

Abraham

Weinberg,

a

prominent

psychiatrist,

once

commented that passive people “tend to let life happen to them instead of using its opportunities in an asserive way. Often they are afraid of change itself, even change without risk.

They tell themselves, ‘I’m afraid of going into this

new situation,’ even when the situation holds no objective terrors

except

its

newness.

Instead

of

examining

the

situation and finding what the risks actually are, they simply drop out by saying, ‘No, it’s too much of a gamble.’ It may not be a gamble at all.

They are only making an

excuse for staying in some familiar territory.”

36

Chapter 5

The Restless Boy

One

Saturday

morning,

sermon to write.

a

minister

could

not

think

of

He simply could not get inspired.

a He

stared out of the window, at the birds splashing in the bird-bath.

His mind was blank, as was the sheet of paper

on his writing desk.

He also had to write a sermon under difficult conditions. His wife, out shopping, had left him with his son. it was raining, his son was restless and bored.

Since To keep

him occupied the minster tore a colorful world map out of a magazine.

He then shred the map into pieces.

“If you can

put it together, “he said, scattering the pieces on the floor, “I’ll give you a quarter.”

37

The preacher thought his son would be occupied with this game for some time. his study door.

But, in a few moments, his son was at

He handed him the completed map.

All the

continents were properly put together.

“How did you do it so fast, and so well?”

“I

just

together.

put

the

picture

of

the

man

on

the

other

side

I figured if I got the man right, the world

would be right, too.”

“Thank you for my sermon.

“You said a quarter!

Here.”

It’s 10 dollars!”

“And the ideas worth a lot more,” responded his father.

The Success Principle

When you are right, your world will be right.

The Principle in Action

38

In the parable is a wonderful lesson for us all. to start to change the world from is yourself.

The place Instead of

blaming the world for all your ills, improve yourself.

In your own life:

1.

Make a definite plan for success. this plan.

2.

3.

Fix a time limit to

Determine the benefits of your goal.

Hold on to a positive attitude.

See the best in any

situation.

Positive thinking heals your body and vitalizes

your mind.

A negative outlook is self-destructive.

Give your employer your best service.

Even if you’re

underpaid, you’ll create a twofold bonus.

First, you’ll

increase your level of skill, and this can taranslate to a higher

income

later

on.

Second,

you’ll

win

sufficient

goodwill to attact the favor of your boss or a competitor. The more you give, the more you receive. 4.

Continue to learn more about your job.

Knowledge is

power, and power creates increased income. 5.

Work on being calm and even-tempered. bitter person is hard to get along with. positive

mental

attitude

comes

positive

An angry or Along with your

emotions.

This

enhances both your relationships and your health.

39

6.

Share your goals with others.

It is easier to achieve

something when you’re working on it with someone else.

If

your goal is too individualistic to share with others, at least get some moral support, some people to cheer you on your way. 7.

Put your faith in a higher power.

Such faith removes

many fears, like fear of poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of liberty, old age, and death. 8.

Avoid bad habits, especially those offensive to other people.

For

slandering. alcohol and

example,

Also

criticizing

avoid

cigarettes.

taking

in

others, toxic

gossiping,

material,

like

Why would you want to ruin your

liver and lungs? 9.

Plan your work and complete each day’s work. in your plan, ways to work more effieciently. for tomorrow what can be done today. its own demands.

10.

Include

Don’t leave

Tomorrow will have

Progress means moving forward.

Enjoy your work.

If you don’t feel enthused, it’s

time for a change. 11.

Concentrate on your work.

until

you finish

it.

Being

And stay at the same task easily

influenced

by

other

options and abandoning your plans when things go awry can be discouraging, and creates a sense of frustration and failure.

.

40

12.

Work in harmony with others.

ask for it.

Help people when they

Avoid arguing, gossiping, judging.

Each of us

is doing our best to survive as we know how. 13. what

Learn from your defeats. not

to

do.

Convert

Use your mistakes to learn

your liabilities

into

assets.

Consistently learning from errors and improving, enduring the learning curve, is necessary for success. temporary failure is only feedback. patience and committment. 14.

Remember,

Creative work requires

It takes time to be great.

Imagination is a two-edged sword.

On one hand, you

can create thoughts that expand your personal vision and empower you.

On the other hand, you can create visions of

doom that limit and frighten you.

Choose to imagine your

best

open

possible

outcomes.

Be

to

your

many

possibilities. 15.

Allocate a fixed percentage of your income to savings.

A part of all you earn should be yours to keep. source of great comfort to have extra cash.

Its a

Life is full

of surprises.

Things are going to break down unexpectedly.

Opportunities

are

going

to

arise

out

of

nowhere.

Be

prepared. 16.

Contribute.

others.

Allocate some of what you earn to help

The money may come back multiplied or it may give

a deep sense of satisfaction.

41

17.

Observe sound principles of

a mind, but a body, too.

health.

You are not just

Your body needs exercise, healthy

food, deep relaxation, a sense of pleasure, and sufficient sleep. 18.

Seek

people,

sound books,

advice and

the

when

you’re

internet,

confused. or

other

Refer

to

sources

of

information to get a wide spectrum of ideas and then decide for yourself what will best resolve your question. 19.

Live

with

reliability.

integrity.

Create

a

reputation

of

When people can trust you, you open up a

whole new world of opportunities.

Your handshake should be

as good as a written contract. 20.

Listen to your dreams.

Those you have at night, and

those which whisper in your heart during the day.

They may

reveal to you a path of great joy.

The Bottom Line

Positive change can come from each individual. just a few suggestions. Act on them. active.

Above are

Adjust them to suit your needs.

Also, add more on your own.

Keep the list

It is a schedule of your own evolution.

As you

become more balanced and poised in your life, as you become

42

aware of your own particular way of relating to the world and yourself, you create an example for others to follow. Your

positive

pebble

into

a

contribution lake.

The

to

life

ripple

is that

like

dropping

spreads

a

outward

creates other ripples.

Sometimes you may not be able to make people kinder or wiser.

Sometimes you cannot avert terrible events.

But

you can always work on your relationship with yourself and how

you

relate

to

others.

Slowly,

inevitably,

perhaps

subtly, as you change yourself, you will change the world.

43

Chapter 6

The Second Day of Creation

A

farmer in

Pennsylvania

decided

to

sell

his

farm,

but

before he sold it, he wrote to his cousin in Canada, who collected coal, and asked for a job. oil, which

In those days, coal

dipped from running Canadian streams, where it

was first discovered, was lucrative business.

The farmer, a sensible man, did not want to leave his farm without securing his livelihood so he wanted to make sure his cousin would hire him before he left. however,

His cousin,

was not enthusiastic about the proposal and wrote

back to discourage the farmer, arguing that the farmer did not know anything about the coal oil business.

This blatant rejection did not discourage the farmer.

He

simply sat down and studied all about coal oil, studying it from the second day of creation.

He read about how the

44

world

had

once

been

covered

with

rich

vegetation

which

eventually turned to coal beds, and when those rich coal beds were drained, they furnished coal oil.

The coal oil

worth pumping came up from living springs.

The farmer studied coal oil until he could almost see it and smell it.

When he believed he knew how to refine it, he wrote back to his cousin asking for a job again. had

painfully

studied

every

He spelled out

aspect

of

the

how he

business.

Reluctantly, his cousin invited him over.

The farm was sold well below market value as the farmer was eager to make his way to Canada to begin a new life of industry and prosperity.

The new owner decided that the first thing he needed to do was to see if the cattle had enough water.

At the brook,

behind the delapidated barn, he found a black-stained plank that appeared to have been placed years ago to throw dark scum onto the bank.

The plank separated off the clean,

drinkable water from the scum-laden water.

45

He

called

in

a

geologist,

who,

after

careful

tests,

declared that the scum was coal oil, worth an estimated hundred million dollars. coal-oil

that

stained

The geologist estimated that the the

plank

was

about

twenty-three

years old.

The new owner laughed at the irony of the whole

situation:

although the old farmer had studied coal oil

from the second day of creation, he had sold his own vast reservoir for a mere $833.

Success Principle

See the acres of diamonds in your own backyard before you go elsewhere looking for your fortune.

The Principle At Work

In the parable, the first farmer made a terrible mistake, one which cost him a fortune. Although he studied coal oil in depth and although he was the one who placed the plank that separated off

the scum, he did not think of seeking

his fortune from his own backyard. imagination.

His failure was one of

He simply could not imagine that a hundred

46

million dollars worth of coal oil was just sitting there behind his old barn.

He could not associate something as

familiar as the scum which he had first found twenty-three years ago with the unfamiliar industry of coal oil. farmer

was

an

intelligent,

sensible

man,

but

he

The had

a

psychological block which prevented him from observing the obvious.

He,

elsewhere,

looking

prosperity.

like

most to

of

us,

other

looked

people

and

for

his

places

fortune for

his

The grass has to be greener on the other side,

he reasoned.

In your own life, do you tend to look in the distance for your

own

fortune.

far...here, looking

not

Perhaps

there.

elsewhere

for

what

This your

you

need

pattern good

ingrained in you since childhood.

of

is

near,

not

thinking,

fortune,

has

of

been

First, you looked to

your parents for answers, then to your teachers, then to your employer,

and so on.

Always, the psychological habit

has been to look elsewhere for your answers. taught

to

look

within

yourselves

explore your own environment.

and

You are never

never

taught

to

Always, the emphasis has

been to look outwardly, to look elsewhere, to look away.

47

What could be nearer to us than our own selves.

What could

be a greater fortune to discover than our own love.

When

you can accept yourself just as you are, with all your warts and wrinkles, with all those extra tucks of fat, with all

those

scars

and

blemishes,

with

all

your

broken

promises and misadventures, then, and only then, can you begin

to

appreciate

your

own

power,

beauty,

integrity,

intelligence, and competence.

The first fortune found within is unconditional self-love. Personal power comes from learning to respect and listen to your own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.

How much do you think you’re worth?

Dale Carnegie observes

that we possess incredible riches, “riches exceeding by far the fabled treasures of Ali Baba.”

He asks, “Would you

sell both your eyes for a billion dollars? take for your legs?

Your hands?

What would you

Your hearing?

Add up

your assets, and you will find that you won’t sell what you have for all the gold ever amassed by the Rockerfellers, the Fords, and the Morgans combined.”

Schopenhauer once said: “We seldom think of what we have but always what we lack.”

48

The second fortune found within is time.

Do you squander

precious hours of your day just fumbling and, loitering? Yet this is your vital life-force ebbing away. your time.

Organize it.

Respect

Make the time of your life count

for something.

What are your values and how much of your time are you spending to fulfill those values? what you do with your day.

Draw up daily notes of

Organize the time of your life.

The simple idea of planning your day the night before will open up hours of creative, value-affirming time.

The third fortune found within is purpose. going in your life?

Where are you

Do you have a direction?

Is this the right direction?

Are you in the right place to

fulfill your inner yearnings?

Perhaps you could be in the

wrong place and doing the wrong things.

Perhaps you’re a

mathematician working as an accountant, or a writer working as a computer technician, or an artist trying to climb the corporate ladder.

While

financial

position

which

necessity does

not

may match

force your

you

to

talents,

stay you

in

a

should

49

commit your free time to developing your skills so that a time comes when they are marketable and can open up a way to live your dream job.

If you continue to do what you’re

doing will it lead to the life you really want?

Purpose

makes

life

worth

living.

Once,

in

Biloxi,

Mississippi, a news report told the story of a 24-year-old dancer who tired to commit suicide by jumping from a wharf. A young man dived in after her, hoping to save her life, but quickly remembered that he couldn’t swim.

He would

have drowned had the young woman not rescued him.

Thus,

saving his life gave her the will to live.

The

fourth

mistakes.

fortune

found

within

is

learn

from

your

Mistakes are the building blocks to success.

The more mistakes you make, the more you realize how not to do something.

Mistakes guide you to the right direction.

Basically, you have to fail your way to success.

“Failure,” observed the English poet, John Keats, “is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterward carefully avoid.”

50

And the fifth fortune found within is to nourish dreams. “Give things a chance to happen!” admonishes Richard DeVos. “Give success a chance to happen!

It is impossible to win

the race unless you venture to run, impossible to win the victory unless you dare to battle. than

that

of

the

individual

who

No life is more tragic nurses

a

dream,

an

ambition, always wishing and hoping, but never giving it a chance

to happen.

never

lets

it

He

nurses

break

into

the

flickering

flame....

dream,

but

There

are

millions...the schoolteacher who wants to go back for that master’s

degree;

the

small

businessman

who

dreams

of

expanding his business; the couple who has intended to make that trip to Europe; the housewife whose ambition is to write short stories for the fiction market. go on and on.

The list could

People dreaming but never daring, never

willing to say, ‘I can,’ never trusting their dreams to the real world of action and effort; people, in short, who are so afraid of failure that they fail.”

Above all, look in your own backyard for your own fortune. Instead of seeing the scum, see the rich coal oil deposits.

51

The Bottom Line

By

loving

image.

yourself, By

productive. passion.

using By

finding

scum

can

create

wisely, a

from

an

you

purpose, your

empowering can

you

mistakes,

self-

become

can you

more

live

with

can

move

By nourishing your dreams, you can find a

way to live them. them

time

By learning

toward success.

turn

you

in

And by doing all these things, you can your

own

backyard

to

rich

coal

oil

deposits and make a fortune without selling the farm.

52

Chapter 7

Victory over the “African Bug”

Many years ago, shortly after Dr. Maxwell Maltz opened his office

to

start

practicing

as

plastic

African-American came to see him. towered over the surgeon.

surgeon,

a

tall

Over six feet tall, he

He complained about his lip.

After examing his lower lip, he could find nothing wrong with it, and told his patient this.

The patient confessed that it was not his idea, but his girlfriend’s.

She had told him that she was afraid to be

seen with him in public because of his lower lip.

Dr. Maltz thought the man a dignified giant who had become attached to an overly critical woman.

53

Although there was nothing wrong with his lip, the patient insisted on an operation.

Thinking that an outrageous fee

would bring the man to his senses, Dr. Maltz said it would cost $1200. that

he

The ruse appeared to work.

couldn’t

afford

such

a

fee,

The patient said thanked

the

good

doctor, and even bowed courteously.

But, the very next day, the man was back, a little black bag in his hand.

He dumped its contents on the table, and

hundreds and hundreds of bills poured out. Twelve hundred dollars lay on the table; his life’s savings.

Dr. Malz was shocked, and saddened too, because he didn’t want to deprive the man such a huge sum of money.

He

confessed that he had merely quoted that figure to dissuade the money from having the operation. the

patient,

he

would

would do it for him.

find

another

In that case, said plastic

surgeon

who

Backed into a corner, Dr. Maltz said

that he would do it for a smaller fee on the condition that he tell his lover that he paid $1200 for the operation.

The operation was simple enough. he

cut

the

approximated

superfluous the

rims

of

tissue the

Under local anaesthesia, from

wound

inside

with

the

lip,

extremely

fine

54

silk,

and

bandaged

the

upper

lip

for

support.

The

operation only took a half hour.

The

patient

changed.

returned

a

few

times

to

have

the

bandages

There was no visible scar because all the surgery

was done inside the lip.

Although the patient did not look much different, his whole attitude

changed.

After

the

stitches

were

removed,

he

crushed the doctors hand in a hearty handshake, thanked him profusely, and strode out of the room, a commanding figure.

However, a few weeks later he was back. recognized

him.

He

had

lost

a

Dr. Maltz barely

considerable

amount

of

weight, he stooped, his handshake was weak and timorous, and his voice barely audible.

“The bug, sir --the bug!” proclaimed the man.

“What bug?”

“The bug, sir –the African bug.

It’s got me, and it’s

killing me.”

55

Apparantly after the last stitches had been removed he had gone and seen his woman.

She had asked how much it cost.

After he had told her $1200 dollars, as the doctor had recommended, she had flown into a rage and claimed that he had cheated her of the money.

She revoked her love and

cursed him, promising a swift death.

Deeply troubled, the man had gone to his room. there for four days. to

open it.

He lay

A loud rapping on the door forced him

The landlady,

concerned about

his

unusual

behavior, had brought a “doctor”.

The so-called “doctor” listened to the man’s explanation about

the

curse.

He

examined

the

man’s

lower

lip

and

confirmed that he had indeed been bitten by the African bug. The doctor had tried to drive out the bugs with liquids, pastes, and strong potions, but the bug was too strong.

Dr. Maltz, examined the inside of the lower lip, filled a syringe with Novacain, then, after it had taken effect, removed the scar tissue.

56

“It’s

only

some scar tissue,”

he explained

to

the

man,

holding it up.

“You mean, there’s no bug, no African bug?”

“Never was.”

The man suddenly regained his full height. spread

over

his

face,

his

voice

courteous thanks, and he bowed.

boomed

A rich smile out

a

gravely,

Once again, he strode out

of his office.

A few months afterward, Dr. Maltz received a letter from the former patient.

Enclosed was a picture of a smiling,

handsome giant with a lovely girl beside him.

Emboldened

by his new appearance and his freedom from the illusion of the African Bug, he had met a new girl, courted her, and married.

The Success Principle

The

way

to

refine

your

personality

is

to

define

your

thoughts.

57

The Principle at Work

In this parable, the patient suffered from low self-esteem. His

girlfriend’s

critical

attitude

made

him

define

his

lower lip as a problem.

When this was resolved by having

his

his

lower

lip

thinned,

illusion to shame him.

girlfriend

created

another

After this hoax was exposed, the

man finally accepted himself, and went on to create a happy relationship.

In your own life, do you tend to exaggerate your minor flaws? When

Do you undermine your self-image with these flaws? these

flaws,

imperceptible

to

others,

loom

large

enough in your mind, you will find ways to confuse and sabotage your progress in life.

Your self-critical thoughts are toxic. as

a

garden.

instead.

Pull

out

all

the

Think well of yourself.

limitations

and flaws.

Love

Think of your mind

weeds.

Plant

flowers

Accept your perceived

yourself

just

as

you

are.

Remove the African Bugs from your own consciousness.

58

The Bottom Line

You refine your personality when you refine your thoughts. When you grasp the neurotic theme of your thoughts, then you

can

improve

your

personality.

Success

arises

from

positive self-esteem.

Life provides both positive and negative experiences.

If

you can appreciate the positive and choose to learn from the

negative,

then

you

move

your

personality

towards

positive Self-esteem.

59

Chapter 8

Around the World on $80

Jules Vernes adventure story, Around the World in 80 Days, stimulated

the

imagination

of

26-year-old

Robert

Christopher.

“Why,” he asked himself, “can’t I go around the world on $80.”

Bob’s first step was to list all the problems that he would face.

His second step was to note all possible solutions.

His third step was to take action!

He started by signing a contract with the Charles Pfizer Company, a large pharmaceutical company, to collect soil samples

from

the

various

countries

that

he

planned

to

60

visit.

Next he secured an international driver’s license,

obtained maps in return for a proposed report on Middle East road conditions, acquired seamen’s papers, and secured a letter from the New York Police Department to show that he

had

no

criminal

record.

Then

he

took

care

of

his

boarding by arranging for a youth hostel membership.

His

final step was to talk a freight airline into flying him over the Atlantic in return for photographs which could be used for company publicity.

Bob left New York City with $80 in his pocket.

He used his wits to travel around the world in 86 days.

He

saved

money

Newfoundland,

by

kitchen.

also

He

by

breakfasting

photographing travelled

the

free

by

free cooks bus

in in from

Gander, a

hotel

Syria

to

Damascus by taking pictures of a Syrian policeman who then ordered

a bus driver to transport Bob.

And he used the

same idea to travel free from Baghdad to Teheran.

This

time he took pictures of the staff of the Iraq Express Transportation Company.

61

Another idea he used to get free or inexpensive travel was to use cigarettes as a medium of exchange. cartons $4.80.

of

American

in

Shannon,

Ireland,

for

He used one carton to pay someone to drive him from

Paris to Vienna. train

cigarettes

He bought four

And he used four cigarette packs to pay a

conductor

fro

a

trip

from

Vienna

to

Switzerland

through the Alps.

Besides

cigarettes,

exchange.

Bob

also

used

maps

as

a

medium

of

In Bangkok, the owner of an expensive restaurant

fed him in exchange for a a set of maps and a detailed description

of

a

specific

area

that

Bob

had

travelled

through.

Bob finally came home to the U.S. as a crew member of the S.S. Flying Spray, which transported him from Japan to San Francisco.

Bob

proved

to

himself

that

any

given

aim

could

be

accomplished if he had faith in it.

The Success Principle

62

Any given aim can be accomplished with sufficient faith.

The Principle At Work

In

the

parable,

apparantly himself. set

his

Robert

impossible

Christopher

task.

He

set

wanted

himself to

an

challenge

He wanted to prove that he could do anything he mind

to

doing.

He

used

organized

thinking,

exercised initiative, self-discipline, and creative vision, and acted with faith and confidence.

In your own life, you can do apparantly impossible things as well if you can organize your thinking, and exercise initiative, self-discipline, and creative vision, and act with faith and confidence.

Above all, refuse to believe in the impossible.

You can do

anything you want once you set your mind on it and follow through with a positive plan.

63

The Bottom Line

Believe in your dreams and make them real by trying out all possible options.

When you’re sufficiently motivated to do

something—no matter how impossible it may seem—your mind will create ways to convert your dreams into reality.

64

Chapter 9

The Automatic Champion

“Babe” Didrickson Zaharias was a phenomenal athlete.

This

Texan ran, jumped, rode horses, and played basketball and baseball—with tremendous flair.

In the Olympic tryouts in 1932, she won five first places in track and field events.

In the games of that year in

Los Angeles, she won a gold medal in the women’s 80 meter hurdles, a gold medal in the javelin throw, and a silver medal in the high jump.

After the Olympics, Zaharias turned to golf.

Although she

started from scratch, she won the National Women’s Amateur and the British Women’s Amateur.

65

The press hailed her as a “natural athlete.”

They often

referred to as an “automatic champion.”

But the real story behind Zaharias fairy-tale success was her painstaking diligence. Her success came from studied repetition. she

undertook,

persistent.

she

was

She was neither

methodical,

In every sport deliberate,

and

“natural” nor “automatic.”

When, for example, she played golf for the first time, she did not automatically master the game.

Instead she studied

the game carefully, covering all its complex skill sets, under the tutelage of the finest golf teacher she could find.

She looked at all the elements of the golf swing,

broke it down into parts, then put it all together in a fluid movement.

Besides

using

an

analytical

approach

to

understand

the

game, Zaharias also locked the information into her motor nervous

system

through

exhaustive

practice.

She

would

spend as many as 12 hours a day on the golf course, hitting as many as a thousand balls.

Her hands would often becomes

so sore that she could hardly grip her club.

She stopped

66

only long enough to tape up her hands before picking up the club again.

The Success Principle

You can learn to do anything really well if you study and practice it.

The Principle At Work

In the parable, Zaharias learned to play golf the right way.

She started out by hiring an exceptional teacher.

She analyzed each part of the golf swing then put them all together in a fluid motion. hours

a

day.

sacrifice. successes

She

She practiced for about 12

exercised

self-discipline

And she didn’t doubt herself. had

created

an

enduring

and

self-

Her previous

self-confidence.

She

believed that if she applied herself she would be a golf champion.

She proved this belief true.

Zaharias took a risk.

She risked her reputation as an

athlete by trying something new.

She also risked the time

and money it cost her to perfect her new sport.

67

Above all, she was methodical in the way she went about inventing herself as a champion golfer.

She chose a gifted

teacher, studied all aspects of the game, and put her new knowledge

into

practice,

converting

theory

into

motor

learning, coordination, and stamina.

In your own life, you can model her success strategy.

Learn how to master your area of endeavor the right way. Start out by finding the people and books that will make you exceptional.

Seek out the best sources of information

that you can afford.

Analyze each part of the skill you wish to master, then put it all together to create a fluid, form.

Develop first a

theoretical understanding, then a practical one.

When you

practice your knowledge, your work will flow and appear effortless.

Practice relentlessly.

Spend long hours practising.

Keep

a regular schedule for your activity.

If you have long

gaps

some

between

practice,

you

will

lose

momentum

in

68

mastering your skill.

The cumulative effect of practice

will make you exceptional.

Self-discipline will come from imagination.

When you can

create a burning desire by imagining your ultimate success, self-discipline will happen spontaneously.

If you don’t

have a burning desire, you may want to rethink your goals. Unless you feel passionate about your goals, the smallest obstacle will throw you off course.

Believe in yourself.

Recall all the previous successes

you’ve had in your life.

Use these memories to build an

enduring self-confidence.

When you believe that you can do

something, you will find a way to make your belief come true.

If you methodically prepare for your own particular game, like Zaharias did, you will find yourself on the way to mastery.

The Bottom Line

69

It isn’t easy to become exceptional at anything. learned

the

translated

skill burning

relentless practice.

of

training

desire

to

into

be

Zaharias

phenomenal.

methodical

study

She and

This is what you, too, must learn if

you wish to master anything.

70

Chapter 10

The High Flyers Dick and Jay sat on the ground outside the shed.

The rain

pelted down on them. They stared in disbelief at the lake of mud all around them. The Piper Cub slumped in the mud a few feet in front of them.

Neither a wet bird nor muddy

squirrel could be seen.

"It's

going

to

be

like

this

for

some

time,"

said

Jay,

gloomily, "according to the weather report."

Dick feebly told the joke about the weatherman who left town because the weather didn't agree with him--but neither of them laughed.

The rain fell without remorse.

"Boy, boys, boys," said a beautiful woman with auburn hair. She

had

a

fresh

complexion.

She

wore

a

wet,

slightly

muddy, mauve dress. She sat down between them, covering them with her pink umbrella.

71

Dick kissed his wife on the cheek.

He reached down into

the vanilla box for his sandwich. The box tumbled out of his hands and landed in a puddle. It floated.

"That's

it,”

shouted

Jay.

He

grabbed

Dick's

elbow.

"Don't you see— that's it!”

It only took a day to add the inflated pontoon boats to the Piper Cub.

Now instead of wheels, it had floats.

Now,

instead of the muddy runway, they used the river.

But another calamity waited:

a lightning storm.

A bolt of

lightning struck the hut, shattering it.

Without an office, it was hard to run operations.

Dick, however, found a solution.

He bought a chicken coop

from the farmer down the road for $25.

"One last yard," said Dick, talking to the old mare.

The

mare grunted as it dragged along the chicken coop.

72

After propping up the chicken coop, Dick began whitewashing it.

"There," said Dick, slapping on the last coat.

He stepped back to join his wife, Doreen, and his partner, Jay.

All of them admired the bright chicken coop.

It

proudly bore the blue legend "Wolverine Air Service."

"Soon,"

said

Dick,

"Millions

will

be

flying

their

own

planes. They'll come to us and we'll teach them.”

“And it only cost us $200 to get this Piper Cub," added Jay.

“Airplanes will swarm the air, the way cars do the ground," predicted Dick.

Just then a freckled-faced young man came up to them.

"Is this your school?" he asked, squinting at Dick.

"Have you come for lessons?" asked Dick.

73

"Darn right!"

"We’d love to teach you, but we don't know how to fly!" confessed Dick.

A few days later, however, they found a flight instructor. Dick straightened out the sheaf of papers on his ramshackle desk as the last interviewee walked out of the shack. He looked over at Jay. "Well?" Jay nodded. "I like him."

"Then we have a new flight instructor," said Dick, smiling broadly.

The next

day,

Dick

and

the

new flight

instructor

stood

outside the chicken coop office.

"How are you going to pay me?" asked the flight instructor, a tall man with thick dark hair and brilliant blue eyes.

"Cash," said Dick, unruffled.

"But you said a moment ago that you don't have any money?"

"I don't," confirmed Dick, "but they do."

74

The

flight

finger. Jay

instructor

turned

He had to chuckle.

whooping

in

a

group

around

to

follow

Dick's

On the edge of the field was of

three

eager

students,

all

trussed up in flight gear. They were wet to their thighs from wading across the river.

"They'll be the first to graduate," affirmed Bob, the new flight instructor.

This is the story of Richard M. DeVos and his high-school buddy, Jay Van Andel, who came home after the Second World War convinced that the aviation business would be the trend of the future.

The Success Principle

The only limits are those that you set up for yourself. Limited thoughts create limited people.

The Principle At Work 75

The parable reveals seven of the essential keys to success.

The first key is self-confidence. in their dream.

Richard and Jay believed

They had no market survey to convince

themselves that flying lessons would be profitable.

They

had no real airport, no personal flying experience, and no particular skill in selling lessons. They grasped the big picture and colored in the details as they went along.

The second key is persistence.

They persisted in the face

of severe setbacks.

These setbacks would have been enough

to dissuade anyone.

They could have backed down without

losing face. They didn’t have a runway –so, they improvised and used the river.

Then, they lost their shack – so, they

bought a chicken coop.

Then, they had students, but no

flying instructor – so, they hired one. had

a

flying

instructor

but

no

money

And finally they –

so,

they

found

students.

The third key is purpose.

They set themselves up the big

goal of teaching flying lessons.

76

Before they could meet this goal, they set out to achieve smaller ones…they needed “runway” of sorts, an office, a flight instructor, and students. after

another—relentlessly.

aimlessness.

They met one sub-goal They

did

not

display

They didn’t slip into helplessness.

Because

they held to their purpose, creative ideas moved them from one step to the next.

They never allowed themselves to

feel that they were “going nowhere.”

The fourth key is recognizing that success is based on the law of averages.

Success is not all of one piece.

did not succeed every day.

They

Often it may have seemed that

they would not succeed at all.

But behind every obstacle

there was a way around.

The

fifth

success.

key

is

the

willingness

to

pay

the

price

of

They were willing to buy an airplane based on

speculation.

They believed that they could find students.

And they believed that they could find someone to teach these students.

They paid the price of success by taking

on risk and by working smart to make those risks pay off.

The sixth key is to enjoy the experience. both

interested

and

involved

in

the

Since they were

venture,

they

were

77

enthusiastically

committed

to

resolving

whatever

issues

arose.

The seventh key is to be willing to be original.

They

decided that flying lessons would be popular and decided to create a school.

They created their idea from scratch.

There were no other successful models they could imitate.

In your own life, you can use these success principles.

Choose to be self-confident.

Believe in your dream, in the

evidence of things not seen.

Choose to be persistent. Persist even when things go wrong. Don’t turn back when you hit an obstacle, go over, under, around, or through it.

Choose to act with purpose.

Start out with a purpose and

when things get difficult, hold on to your purpose.

Let

your purpose empower creative ideas and breakthroughs.

Choose to play the battle of averages.

It doesn’t matter

how many times you fail; you just need that one success to break through to a new level.

For example, it doesn’t

78

matter if you get turned down by a number of employers; you just need one job to be employed.

Choose to pay the price for success.

When you choose to be

successful, there is a price that is required…it may be risk-taking, money, time, effort, anxiety.

Be willing to

pay the price before you even start.

Choose to enjoy the experience. adventure.

Any new undertaking is an

Immerse yourself in the movie of your own life;

enjoy the twists and turns of the plot.

And, finally, choose to be original.

Even if your idea is

not new, try and find a new angle to it; make your idea special, exceptional in some way.

Above

all,

when

you

choose

to

get

your

dreams

off

the

ground, refuse to believe in limits. Every problem has a solution.

Every obstacle has a way

around it.

The Bottom Line

79

Find ways to stretch your beliefs about what is possible. Break free of self-imposed limits.

80

Chapter 11

The Millionth Pebble

Rafeal Solano, his back bent, his shoulders crushed by an invisible weight, sat on a boulder in the dry river bed. He lifted his head up slowly. in

a

low

voice, his

words

It weighed a ton. almost

He spoke

incomprehensible.

He

mumbled again to his two friends.

“I quit.”

They stopped gathering pebbles and looked at him.

“I can’t go on.

I don’t believe in it anymore.”

The sweat glistened on his brow.

The brilliant sun had

parched his face to a network of fine blood vessels.

Dark

shadows outlined his eyes.

81

He held up a pebble in his hand.

“The next one will be a

million”

He threw the pebble down.

It bounced off another stone and

lay shining in the sunlight.

The year was 1942; the country, Venezuela.

Long hard months had passed for the three men prospecting for diamonds in the watercourse of their native country. They had worked relentlessly, driven by greed, by passion, by an outrageous hope for the future.

They had stooped and

gathered pebbles from sunup to sundown.

They had fought

off discouragement with talk about how they would spend their

new

pebbles.

found

wealth.

But

all

they

ever

found

were

Now, as they all faced each other, their clothes

were torn and filthy, merely rags, clinging to their gaunt bodies.

They stank of long months of unwashed sweat, which

had soaked into skin, hair, and what was left of their clothes.

“Pick up another pebble,” urged one of Rafael’s friends. “Make it a million.”

82

Solano sank down on his knees and sank his hands in the sand.

He wriggled it around in the moist sand until he

touched

a

large,

hard

object.

He

pulled

out

encrusted pebble about the size of a hen’s egg.

a

sand-

He bounced

the heavy pebble in his hand, a little surprized by the weight of it.

His friends watched in awe as he brushed the

pebble clean.

The millionth pebble, the largest and purest diamond ever found, dealer.

The

was

sold

in

New

York

to

Harry

Winston,

a

jewel

He paid Rafael Solano $2,000,000 for the diamond.

millionth

pebble

was

affectionately

named,

The

Liberator.

Success Principle

When all else fails, persist.

The Principle At Work

In the parable, Rafael Solano and his friends had a wild dream.

There was nothing sensible about this dream.

It

83

was, in fact, so far-flung, so outrageous, that a sensible person would have dismissed it at the first thought. wanted to find diamonds.

They

After much inquiry, they found a

spot that had a reputation for being a possible site.

The men worked long and hard in apparantly futile labor. They

kept

each

others

spirits

up,

and

when,

at

the

999,999th pebble Rafael Solano was about to give up, his friends pushed him to continue.

Then as if on a cue, the universe gave back the men a millionfold return on their sweat equity.

After months of

not having the slightest clue that they were in the right place, suddenly, quite unexpectedly, a diamond showed up, and it was a diamond of such epic proportions that they did not have to try any more.

In your own life, if you have a dream, follow it.

No

matter how wild, outrageous, and improbable it may seem. If possible travel on your journey with friends who will support you.

Friendship can keep your faith alive long

after your energy and hope have been worn away.

84

Another thing you might want to do is to go where your probability of success is greatest.

When

you

work

long

and

hard

at

the

apparantly

futile,

remember that your sense of futility is a lie; it is merely your conditioned mind reminding you of your limits; the lie seeks to eliminate your future promise.

Sooner

or

later,

you’ll

get

results.

Unless

you’re

searching for something as random as a diamond, you’re less likely to have to try 999,999 times before you get results. Chances are that your returns will be faster, much, much faster, a hundred-fold faster.

Above all, in the throes of failure persist. can initiate success.

Persistance

When talent and effort have been

exhausted, persistence will carry you through to the end. Sometimes all that is needed to change a hopeless situation is hanging on until you find the millionth pebble.

In the memorable words of Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never, never give up.”

85

The mass appeal of movie-character Indiana Jones is that he symbolizes the quality of persistence.

No matter how bad

things get, he keeps on trying one more time.

Eventually,

somehow,

despite

every

reversal,

he

breaks

through to his goal.

You, too, must learn the art of persistence.

Persist when

you’re

completely

all

fail.

Persist when you feel hopeless.

exhausted.

Persist

when

efforts

You will find your

dream if you can persist long enough.

You

may

sometimes

sometimes win

win

through

through broad

sheer

talent.

luck. But,

You

may

eventually,

neither luck nor talent will be enough, and the principle of persistence is all that you will have left.

In the end,

it may be that persistence is your only abiding friend.

It

will pull you through all the pain, all the toil, all the hardship.

In

the

long

run,

persistence,

more

other trait of success, makes a true winner. pays.

It pays handsomely.

and adaptation.

than

any

Persistence

With persistence comes learning

With persistence comes luck and change.

86

To

succeed

learn

anything,

to

feel

how

in

failure.

Let

learn

confident

no-one

and

how in

to the

nothing

endure midst

deter

adversity, of

you

obvious

from

your

heart’s desire.

Water persistently washing against the hardest rock will eventually erode it away. Be as water.

“Beware

of

no-one

Spurgeon.

more

than

of

yourself,”

said

Charles

“We carry our worst enemies within us.”

you give up, you let yourself down. at success.

When

You lose your chance

You also lose your self-confidence.

The Bottom Line

Persist!

Stick to what you set out to do.

even if it doesn’t seem worth it. circumstances change. failure,

poverty,

Physical energy, moods,

The darkness passes.

loneliness

and

Stick to it

In the face of

obscurity,

persistence

brings you success.

87

Chapter 12

The Right Bid

Conrad Hilton relied on his hunches to make his fortune. His

intuition

was

so

finely-honed

that

it

was

uncanny.

Although he denied any psychic talent, he was often baffled by the accuracy of his intuitions.

“Most of the time I can reconstruct the circumstances of these hunches,” he confessed, “and I can figure out in a general way where it came from.

I mean I can explain it—

not completely but enough to make it less strange.

There

have been times, though, when I couldn’t come up with a good explanation.”

Once his remarkable intuition helped him buy a prestigious old hotel in Chicago.

The sale was based on sealed bids.

All the bids were to be opened on a select day and the hotel would go to the highest bidder.

88

Some days prior to the deadline, Hilton offered a bid of $165,000, but that night he went to bed feeling restless and did not sleep well. mind.

The next morning he changed his

“It just didn’t feel right,” he said afterward.

increased

his bid to $180,000.

This

was

just

He

right—he

outbid his close rival by a mere $200.

The Principle At Work

In the parable, Conrad Hilton had a strong desire to win the bid.

Although he made a calculated guess at what to

bid, it did not feel right and he tossed and turned all night long.

In the morning, he upped his bid.

His new

figure was arbitrary, but it was perfect.

His hunch arose from the wealth of knowledge stored in his subconscious.

He had been in the hotel business ever since

his purchase of a hotel in Texas as a young man.

He had

spent many years learning about the field and must have gathered a staggering number of facts.

89

In bidding for the Chicago hotel, he was consciously aware of the value of the real estate, the owner’s estimate of its value, and his competitor’s ideas about how much to stake.

Based on this understanding, he placed his first

bid.

However, while he slept, his brain probably ruminated

over

numerous

subtle

pieces

of

information—perhaps

the

personalities of the owner and the other bidders, perhaps a remark

heard, perhaps

similar

property,

the

and

memory

so

on.

of

a

offer

This

on

another

nonspecific

and

unconscious information forced him to raise his bid by an additional $15,000 when he woke up the next day.

Thus

while

he

made

a

rational

decision

based

on

his

conscious knowledge, his subconscious went through its own files during the night, and, upon awakening, prompted him to increase his offer.

In your own life, it is possible for you to go beyond your conscious remarkable

knowledge powers

of of

a your

situation

and

intuition.

tap

into

Perhaps

the your

intuition will help you move toward a fortune or move away from a disaster.

90

Dr.

Natalie

Shaines,

a

New

York

psychiatrist,

says,

“A

hunch is only as good as the sum of past experiences that produces it.

You can trust a hunch only if you’ve had

experience in the situation it deals with.

I often do

intuitive things in treating patients, for instance. have hunches about what will or won’t work.

I

I trust these

hunches because I’ve had a long experience in this field. I take them to be true perceptions on a nonconscious level. But if I had a hunch about some field I didn’t know—let’s say a hunch about making a killing in soybean futures—I wouldn’t trust it.

It couldn’t be a true perception.”

So far, we can deduce two important features to a hunch. One,

they

must

experiences.

be

based

on

a

strong

database

intuition about somebody you just met. may

be

similar.

based

Someone,

on

unconscious

perhaps,

who

For example,

The feelings you

memories

looks

of

someone

similiar,

similar clothes, talks in a similar way, and so on. all

these

past

Two, you must trust them.

Intuitions with a weak database are suspect.

have

of

memories

don’t

allow

for

the

person’s

wears But utter

uniqueness.

91

In romantic relationships, for example, the attraction may be to the person’s shadow side.

A

classic

story

in

psychotherapy

is

that

of

the

co-

dependent person who is attracted to the secret alcoholic. While

this

may

seem

to

have

all

the

enchantment

of

intuition, it is, in fact, something else entirely.

Another form of pseudo-intuition is wishful thinking. you

want

something

to

happen,

associated with intuition. hope.

you

simulate

the

When

emotion

This is not intuition; it’s

“A lot of bad hunches are just strong wishes in

disguise,” notes Dr. Natalie Shainess.

Intuition is a thought followed by a strong feeling.

It is

available to people who are in touch with their feelings, but

it

can

be

confused

with

emotions

compensation or wishful thinking. your

intuition, you

tricky issue.

silence

it.

of

psychological

Yet, if you don’t trust Intuition,

then,

is

a

You have to trust it to make it work and to

keep it active.

Yet, when it comes, it has no rational

basis for itself.

92

Basically, the rule of thumb is to ask if you have a strong database for the intuition and to ask if you can afford to risk following the intuition to verify it.

Since intuition appears irrational—you don’t know why you know what you know or why you feel the way that you do—you may be tempted to smother it with reasoning.

But intuition can’t be figured out; it can only be tested out.

Excessive reasoning informs your subconscious that

you simply don’t trust it. child to speak up.

It is like shouting at a shy

Inevitably, the child only becomes more

withdrawn.

An intuition, according to Dr. Gendlin, represents feeling about a total situation absorbed by the mind. conscious

mind

can

absorb

only

a

limited

Since the amount

of

information and can only think sequentially, most of the information is shunted off to the subconscious mind. because of this that analysis is futile.

It is

It is like a bank

hiring only a single employee to run the whole bank.

The Bottom Line

93

Dr.

Abraham

Weinberg,

a

New

York

Psychiatrist,

advises,

“Keep forcing yourself to perceive more than you see.

Keep

asking yourself, ‘What are the vibrations here, what do I feel?’”

Also, soft

when facts

you’re along

learning with

the

about hard

something, facts.

Soft

feelings and impressions, which are subjective. are measurable data, which are objective.

collect facts

the are

Hard facts

This way you’re

telling your subconscious that you consider it a valuable ally in your total observation.

94

Chapter 13

The Stunning Failure

When Willis H. Carrier was a young man, he worked for the Buffalo Forge Company in Buffalo, New York.

He remembered

that one of his toughest projects was the installation of a gas-cleaning Company

at

device Crystal

in

a

City,

plant

of

the

Missouri.

Pittsburgh

While

the

Glass

device,

designed to clean gas as it burned without damaging the engines, worked properly,

it

was

new

and

had

only

been

tried once under different conditions.

As Willis worked on this project, problems arose – because, while

the

Stunned

by

device his

did

work,

failure,

it

Willis

did got

not

work

nervous,

properly. upset,

and

physically ill, and he obsessed about the malfunctioning device to the point of

insomnia.

95

Finally, in a fit of desperation, Willis decided to think his way out of his problem.

His first step, he decided, was to fix himself; the device could

wait.

Worry,

he

decided,

had

rendered

him

ineffective.

After much thinking, he came up with a peace-of-mind plan. His plan, he believed, would allow him to get a handle on resolving

the

mechanical

problem.

To

his

surprize,

it

worked so well that he used the plan for the next 30 years.

“I

analyzed

the

situation

fearlessly

and

honestly,”

he

commented, “and figured out what was the worst that could possibly

happen

as

a

result

of

this

failure.”

It

unlikely that he would be jailed, shot, or hanged.

was The

worst that would happen is that he would be fired and be forced to look for a new job.

Also, his employer would

lose $20,000, which could be written off

as a tax loss.

“After discovering,” he concluded, “the worst that could possibly happen and reconciling myself to accepting it, if necessary,

an

extremelly

important

thing

happened:

I

96

immediately

felt

a

sense

of

peace

that

I

hadn’t

experienced in days.”

After reconciling himself with his possible fate, Willis calmly devoted the rest of his time to trying to resolve the issues with the gas-cleaning device. several

tests,

he

estimated

that

his

After running

company

needed

to

spend another $5,000 to buy some additional equipment which would solve the problem.

The

additional

equipment

worked

and

the

company

made

a

profit of $15,000.

“I probably would never have been able to do this,” Willis summarized, “if I had kept on worrying because one of the worst

features

about

ability to concentrate. and

there

decision.

and

worrying

is

that

it

destroys

our

When we worry, our minds jump here

everywhere,

and

we

lose

all

power

of

However, when we force ourselves to face the

worst and accept it mentally, we then eliminate all these vague imaginings and put ourselves in a position in which we are able to concentrate on our problem.”

97

The Success Principle

When

you

face

your

problems,

you

can

find

remarkable

solutions.

The Principle At Work

In the parable, Willis figured a way out of his problem by first working on his own mental fog, then focussing on the problem.

He thought his way to a successful attitude by

imagining the worst scenario.

This method alleviated his

fears because he brought them out in the open and faced them.

Once this was done, he moved on to exploring the

problem by running tests, coming up with some empirical data, and investing more resources, time, money, and energy to fixing the problem.

While his approach was somewhat

paradoxical – he had to contemplate failure before he could open himself up to look at success – his method did the trick.

In your own life, you, too, can move beyond your stuck states by contemplating all the possible consequences of

98

your own particular situation. work in your life?

What is it that you want to

What inner obstacles prevent you from

achieving the successful outcome you desire?

Once you have

confronted your own fears, pulled the emotional skeleton’s out of your mental closet, then you will be ready to take stock of your current situation, look at it objectively, and try out new strategies.

You may have to pull on a few

resources to manage the situation.

Thus, there are several stages of problem-solving.

First, get clear on your vague fears and imaginings. them out in the open.

Second, emotional

once

you

Confront them.

have

some

congestion, look

empirically.

Bring

at

inner your

clarity, problems

freed

from

objectively,

Ask yourself, “What needs to happen here to

make things work out?”

And

third,

apply

what

resources

you

can

harness

to

resolving your problem.

Above all, find your way back to faith in your situation. When you believe in yourself, when you can rekindle the

99

flame of hope in your heart, when you can reanimate your brain and your nervous system – then the creative solution to your problem will arise. illusive,

obstructive

Once you clear the vague,

emotional

blocks,

your

mind

will

function clearly and well.

The Bottom Line

Once you confront a problem head on, you’re halfway there to resolving it.

Turning your back on problems, avoiding

them, and procratinating only makes them more substantial and terrifying.

Once you face your fears, you can begin to

solve your problem.

Once you have brought your fears to

light, courage returns, and with courage comes hope, and with hope, creativity, boldness, and magic.

100

Chapter 14

One Took the High Road

Anne and Maggie grew up in the same Chicago suburb, went to the same high school, college. company,

and then went to the same junior

They also went to work for the same insurance and

both

were

hired

to

work

in

its

billing

department.

Although

the

two

women

had

similiar

socioeconomic

and

educational backgrounds, there was an obvious difference, which affected their careers.

Anne was extroverted and

friendly, while Maggie was introverted and reserved.

In

the company cafeteria, for example, Anne would always talk to the people who shared their table, while Maggie would read the newspaper or poke the food around her plate.

Since the company was huge, Anne made many new friends.

most people were strangers. Maggie made only a few.

Anne

101

enjoyed talking to strangers and finding out about their lives.

She

fascinated

also

her.

enjoyed Maggie

exchanging

seldom

ideas.

joined

the

unless an attractive man joined their table. Maggie

sat

quietly,

frequently

bored,

Humanity

conversation

Usually

while

her

friend,

gesturing animatedly next to her, engaged in conversations.

One day Anne chatted with an old man who worked in the personnel department. careers.

The conversation turned to women’s

She confessed that she had long since learned the

skills needed to do her job and hoped for more challenges.

A few days after this conversation, the old man stopped Anne in the corridor.

He mentioned a job opening in the

personnel department and he offered to help her transfer if she were interested.

Although the new job was another secretarial job, requiring a low amount of skill, and paying as little as the previous job, Anne enjoyed it – because part of her responsibility was to interview people who resigned. out the reasons for their leaving.

Anne tried to find

She learned how their

job could have been more attractive.

102

Meanwhile, Maggie stayed on at Accounts Receivable.

After two years, Anne became a full-time interviewer, and now spoke to those who wanted to join as well as those who wanted

to leave.

One

outgoing employee

was

her

friend

Maggie, who had found a better paying secretarial job.

She

was leaving, she said, because no special opportunities had come her way.

Two

more

years

were

to

pass

Assistant Personnel Director.

before

Anne

became

the

Her main responsibility was

to assess and address the main career problems of women employees.

One day an executive recruiter called her on behalf of a bank. over

The bank had been experiencing costly difficulties sex

discrimination

among

employees.

They

were

prepared to pay a handsome salary to a Personnel Director who knew about women’s job rights.

“How did you hear about me?” asked Anne, curious.

The executive recruiter confessed that it had been in an extraordinary

way.

He

had

initially

contacted

a

woman

103

college professor who had written about gender problems in a

labor-relations

journal.

The

professor

Anne, who had attended one of her seminars.

had

recalled

She recalled

that Anne had spoken to many participants and had suggested numerous

ideas

to

them.

She

had

also

spoken

to

the

professor about some innovative job ideas when the two of them had accidentally met on campus.

The professor had

been impressed by Anne’s friendliness.

Anne joined the bank, becoming its Personnel Director.

She

doubled her salary and improved her career profile.

Maggie, meanwhile, had married and quit her previous job. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last and she returned to secretarial work.

The Success Principle

When you are warm and outgoing, people and opportunities come your way.

The Principle At Work

104

In the parable, Anne and Maggie both shared many things in common – except for personality.

Anne was curious about

people and life, Maggie was indifferent and withdrawn.

Anne,

consequently,

attracted

opportunity

ideas and skills wherever she went.

and

gathered

She made an impression

on the old man she met in the company cafeteria and on the professor whose seminar she had attended.

Both recommended

her for advancement. Between these events, however, Anne developed a knack for interviewing people.

This gave her enough information and

experience to leverage the prestigious bank job.

Maggie,

unfortunately,

relationships.

never

developed

any

skills

in

Consequently, on the job and in marriage,

she did not find a way to learn how to express herself.

In your own life, you can create your own luck by learning to become more open and curious about people and life. the

long

opportunity experiment.

run, than

the the

gregarious reserved

person

person.

Spend one day being reserved.

next day being gregarious.

attracts Try

this

In more

small

Then spend the

Note the difference.

Which was

105

more fun? Which attracted more “luck?” Which brought out more of the best in you?

106

Chapter 15

The Bridgehouse

Mr. Galen Litchfield, the manager of Asia Life Insurance, was in Shanghai when Japanese troops invaded.

This was in

1942, after the invasion of Pearl Harbor.

A

Japanese

assets.

Admiral

was

Litchfield

liquidation.

sent

was

to

liquidate

ordered

to

He didn’t have any choice.

the

assist

company’s in

this

He could either

cooperate or face the grim consequences of certain death.

He was ordered to compile a list of the company’s assets— but there was one block of securites worth $750,000, which he left off the list because they belonged to the Hong Kong organization and were not part of the Shanghai assets.

107

Still, he feared the Admiral’s wrath should the omission be discovered.

And it was discovered—soon afterward.

Litchfield

wasn’t

in

the

office

when

the

discovery

was

made; only the head accountant.

Litchfield received the chilling new on a Sunday afternoon. The accountant told him that the Admiral had flown into a terrible

rage.

He

had

stomped

and

cursed

and

branded

Litchfield a thief, traitor, and scoundrel.

Litchfield knew the consequences of defying the Japanese Army.

They

Bridgehouse!

were

grim.

into

the

The name alone filled people with fear.

It

was a torture chamber. had

committed

Bridgehouse.

He

would

be

fling

Litchfield had personal friends who

suicide

rather

than

be

taken

to

the

Other friends had died in the Bridgehouse

after only ten days.

Now it seemed Litchfield himself was

destined for the chamber of horror.

Litchfield Y.M.C.A.

went

to

the

typewriter

He wrote out two questions.

in

his

room

The first:

in

the

What am

108

I worrying about? had

used

problem.

this

The second:

technique

for

What can I do about it? years

whenever

he

Now, the answers might save his life.

He

had

a

Writing

down the answers to these questions clarified his thinking.

He wrote that the problem was that he was afraid that he might be thrown in the Bridgehouse.

“What,” he asked himself, “would he do about it?”

He spent hours answering the second question.

He came up

with four possible courses of action and weighed each one.

One, he could try to speak to the Japanese Admiral.

But

the

the

Admiral

spoke

no

English.

He

could

use

interpreter, but this might only irritate the Admiral, for he was an irrational and cruel man who would rather let the sadists in the Bridgehouse deal with interrogations.

Two, he could try to escape.

But his chances were slim.

The Japanese kept track of him all the time. check in and out of his room at the Y.M.C.A.

He had to

If he did get

caught trying to escape, he would be shot.

109

Three, he could stay in his room and never go near the office again. suspicious.

But, if he did, the Admiral would become Soldiers would be sent to get him and they

would throw him into the Bridgehouse.

Four, he could go down to the office on Monday morning as usual, pretending that nothing was wrong. Admiral would have cooled off by then. be too busy to remember.

Perhaps, the

Perhaps, he would

Or, perhaps, the Admiral would

give him a chance to explain why he made the omission in the list.

After

long

favorable.

deliberation,

the

fourth

option

appeared

It offered him the best chance of survival.

As soon as he had made the decision and made a committment to follow it, a wave of relief swept over him.

Exhausted,

he went to bed and slept well.

When

he

entered

the

office

there, smoking a cigarette. said nothing.

on

Monday,

the

Admiral

was

He glared at Litchfield but

Six weeks passed, and still the Admiral did

nothing to bring up the topic.

Then—the Admiral was sent

back to Tokyo.

110

The Success Principle

Make a decision and act on it.

It could even

save your

life.

The Principle At Work

In the parable, Galen Litchfield’s experience illustrates the importance of arriving at a decision. a no-win situation. one.

He was caught in

Any decision could have been the wrong

There was no way for him to resolve this dilemma.

However, not making a decision is also a decision. choosing to act impulsively, and not rationally.

It is

There are

also consequences to this.

The failure to arrive at a decision causes a person to go round and round and round in maddening circles.

The person

ponders over the same information over and over. this

failure

breakdowns.

to

grasp

a

problem

that

creates

It is nervous

Once a decision is made, a clear, definite

course of action opens up.

Once a decision is acted on, a

flow of courage and energy opens up new possibilites.

111

There is no guarantee that the decision is correct.

Not

making a decision, however, can result in disaster.

If

Litchfield had not

made

a

decision,

he

would

have

been

nervous in the presence of the Admiral.

This may have been

seen

The

as

an

admission

of

guilt.

can

arrive

result:

the

Bridgehouse.

In

your

own

life,

you

at

a

decision

in

a

baffling situation by writing down four steps.

Step one:

Write down what the problem is.

Step two:

Write down what you can do about it.

Step three:

Decide, or choose, what to do.

Step four:

Act on it as soon as possible.

This method should not be underestimated because it is so simple.

It is efficient, concrete, and strikes at the root

of the issue.

Decision-making puts an end to an endless

loop of fact-finding and increasingly bewildering analysis. Once sufficient facts are in, and once sufficient analysis has been done – make a decision and act on it.

112

Decisions are powerful because they lead to action.

Action

is a positive effort to resolve the problem.

Sometimes problems do go away on their own. need decisive action. more information.

Sometimes they

Sometimes you need to wait to get

But whether you decide to ignore, act,

or wait – do decide rather than wallow in uncertainty.

Seldom are decisions life and death issues.

Often enough,

you have to make the wrong decision so as to later on arrive at the correct one.

It is not possible to be wholly

accurate, but it is possible to find the right route by taking all the wrong ones first.

It is self-destructive to refuse to confront a situation. When you deal with it, you’re on your way to resolving it.

Above all, decide.

Waite Phillips, one of Oklahoma’s most

prominent of oil men, once said.

“I find that to keep

thinking about our problems beyond a certain point is bound to create confusion and worry.

There comes a time when any

more investigation and thinking are harmful.

There comes a

time when we must decide and act and never look back.”

113

The Bottom Line

Once

you

available

have

made

facts,

swing

a

careful into

decision

action.

Avoid

reconsideration, retracing your steps. of William James:

based

on

the

hesistation,

Follow the advice

“When once a decision is reached and

execution is the order of the day, dismiss absolutely all responsibility and care about the outcome.

114

Chapter 16

The Inspired Boy

Ben Cooper, the son of a poor immigrant tailor, lived in a disheveled

neighborhood

in

St.

Joseph,

Missouri.

The

family was so poor that they could not eat everyday.

They lived in a small home...and Ben was assigned the task of heating it.

He would pick up pieces of coal near the

railroad tracks, collecting them in a coal scuttle.

This

task embarrassed him and he used the back streets to avoid meeting children from his school.

What made the task particularly unpleasant was a group of boys would

who delighted wait

until

in ambushing him.

he

had

filled his

These coal

three

scuttle

boys

before

pouncing on him, beating him up, and scattering his coal all over the street.

115

They laughed as they watched him run home crying.

Ben lived in a constant state of dread.

Then, one day, Ben came across a book that changed his life.

The book was Robert Coverdale’s Struggle by Horartio Alger. Ben identified with the young hero, a boy about his own age,

who faced great odds.

But, unlike Ben,

the young

hero faced his tormentors with unflinching courage.

Sitting in his shabby kitchen, Ben slowly read every one of Horatio Alger’s books.

He forgot about his own cold and

hunger.

elsewhere:

His

mind

was

immersed

in

tales

of

courage.

As the winter wore on, he fed his soul and warmed his heart with these stories.

Something began to change inside him.

He began to feel bigger, more substantial.

He began to

feel within himself the birthing of a hero.

116

One day, between readings, on his way back from his coalgathering trip, he spied three figures slinking behind a soot-stained wall.

Usually, he would have turned on his

heels and fled to the safety of his home, but today there was something else alive inside of him, something bigger, more substantial.

He continued walking toward the wall. Unconsciously, his grip tightened around the cold steel handle of his coal scuttle.

He

braced

himself.

flying before they pounced. right on the forehead.

His

scuttle

was

already

It hit the leader of the pack

He went down like a large sack of

cement.

Alarmed at this unexpected aggression, the other two boys turned and fled.

Ben gathered up a few chunks of coal and

threw it at them.

He chased after them, but they were

bigger and faster than he was and made a clean escape.

Returning back to his coal scuttle, Ben found the leader sitting up, a dazed look in his eyes, an enormous welt over his eyebrows. and,

Ben raised his right arm threateningly –

to his surprize, the boy jumped to his feet and began

to run.

117

A big chunk of coal bounced off the back of the fleeing boy’s head.

The Success Principle

When

we

begin

to

live

the

life

we

imagined,

we

become

bolder and more adventurous.

The Principle At Work

In the parable, Ben Cooper was raised in a slum and his dire

poverty

reinforced

his

feelings

of

low

self-worth.

Although he would come home beaten and crying and without coal,

his family

did not

support

Ben

in

his

terrifying

predicament.

Ben was alone in a harsh world.

He found solace in a virtual reality, the fictional world of Horatio Alger.

Immersed in this world, he absorbed it

into his thoughts and feelings.

Fictional heroes inspired

him to discover his own grit and determination, his own

118

courage

in

the

face

of

adversity.

In

time,

they

transformed him from servility to indignation.

His new attitude pushed him to act out his fantasies. real life, he developed a source of personal power. no

bigger,

no

stronger

than

before,

but

his

In

He was complete

absence of fear, his sudden transformation terrified his bullies.

In your own life, you can similarly choose to be nurtured by identifying with someone who has succeeded.

By relating

to someone, whether through reading about them or actually associating with them, you can stop relating to your own ingrained negative attitudes.

While your bullies may not be physical, like Ben’s, but more

subtle,

like fear

and

self-doubt,

by

assuming

an

image that inspires you, by pretending to be someone bigger and stronger, someone more capable, you can overcome your own particular demons.

Assume an image of power and act out your fantasy.

When it

is acted out in the real world, it assumes a life-force of its own which will pull you into a positive future.

Your

119

whole personality will be transformed by the experience of changing a wish into an event.

The Bottom Line

The only way past fear is through it. holds you back.

Fear is a wall that

It stymies your personal power.

Fear is a

source of torment, a bully who will beat you down until you face it and fight back.

120

Chapter 17

The Proud Chemist

A young chemist who worked in a small mining company, took up a better paying job in New York, hoping to move up to doing

pure

research.

Neither

approved of his decision. would

be

a

rude

contrast

his

wife

nor

his

boss

His wife thought that city life to

the

peace

mountains and the abundant trout streams.

of

their

native

His boss, the

President of the mining company, also had his doubts and invited the young man to take his job back if he returned within six months.

For the young chemist, the taste of the Big Apple turned sour after only a few months.

121

The glamor of the city faded and his job conditions changed considerably. executive

who

The had

job hired

changes him

occured

was

when

stripped

the

of

power

transferred to another division of the company. went

a

whole

realm

of

possibilities

that

senior and

With him

would

have

gradually opened up for the young chemist.

Although the potential opportunities of the job had changed overnight, the young chemist, a proud man, decided to stick it out rather than face the humiliation of going back home and admitting that he had made a mistake.

In addition, the young chemist had invested a considerable amount into his new job.

He had invested money to move his family, buy and furnish a suburban home, and in numerous incidental expenses. invested time in making the move.

He had

And he had invested

effort in learning new skills, attending company-sponsored seminars and night classes to supplement his education.

Six months passed, then a year passed, then several years. As the years passed, the chemist, now not as young, became

122

invested in the company’s bonus plans that rewarded long service.

After

many

years, the

chemist

found

that

he

was

simply

marking time toward retirement.

His ideal job in pure research was now no more than a distant

pipe

dream.

He

worked

in

the

dull

area

of

purchasing and quality control.

The Success Principle

We need to be flexible, and bold, if we want our life to have growth and meaning.

The Principle At Work

In the parable, the young chemist slipped into inertia.

As

the years went by he lost his courage to pursue a career of his choice.

123

When his New York job fell apart, he let his pride get in the way of heading back home and starting over.

He also

had the choice of looking for another job in New York.

He

was also unwilling to cut his losses with the time, money, and effort he had invested in.

While

persistence

and

consistency

are

often

touted

as

essential success principles, they can also work against other success principles: flexibility and sound judgement.

The

antithesis

to

the

story

of

the

young

chemist,

who

doggedly stuck to his investments, is a famous story on Wall

Street.

It

is

the

story

of

a

stock

market

speculator, the late Gerald M. Loeb, who died in 1975.

He

understood the value of flexibility and made a fortune from applying this simple distinction.

In his book, The Battle for Investment Survival, he used a specific formula to maximize his gains and minimize his losses in the fickle stock exchange.

Using this formula,

he took advantage of the boom in the 50’s and 60’s and survived the market fall in 1969. His principles are still valid in today’s market and in other areas of life, too.

124

This is how the formula worked:

1.

Select a stock to buy.

2.

Make your selection on the basis of rational factfinding, expert counsel, and intuitional judgement.

3.

Recognize that despite your thorough research of the stock, it’s future is still uncertain.

4.

After you buy the stock, several things might happen:

a) The price might fall. b) The price might rise a short time before it falls. c) The

price

might

rise

for

a

long

time

before

it

falls.

Only one pattern is certain: sooner or later the price will fall. 5.

When the price starts to fall, wait for it to fall at least

ten

losses.

to

fifteen

percent.

When

it

does,

cut

Sell out at the chosen percentage level.

about waiting for the price to rise again. you get hurt.

your

Forget

Sell out before

Loeb’s formula, in essence, is that you must

be willing to accept only small losses.

125

6.

As long as a stock rises, consider it a

success, but

as soon as it falls below a certain level drop it like a hot potato.

In your own life, recognize that there are many situations in life that are like the stock market: they fluctuate, sometimes appearing positive, sometimes negative.

The best

way to deal with these events is learning how to maximize profits

and

related

to

minimize careers,

losses.

These

relationships,

situations

projects,

can

be

practically

anything which has a life-cycle.

Also, isn’t.

sometimes

Emerson

consistency

is

a

virtue,

sometimes

it

Often, you have to decide. once

said

that

hobgoblin of little minds.

a

foolish

consistency

is

the

The key word here is “foolish.”

Sometimes one needs to be consistent to break through to a higher level of understanding and achievement, as in, for example, a research undertaking.

And sometimes one needs

to re-evaluate a situation to see if it is leading you to where you really want to go, as in, for example, the career of the chemist.

126

Success has a knack for elaborating two illusions. the illusion of mastery. control.

One is

The other is the illusion of

But life works on a different principle...the

principle of change and uncertainty. rather than fight it.

Recognize this fact,

We all know stories about people or

corporations, who appear to have mastered their particular discipline and who appear to have complete control of their outcomes,

then

when

conditions

change

they

fall

apart

because they are still operating on those skills that once worked.

Flexibility,

then,

or

fundamental

success

flexible.

Humankind

adapatation

principle. has

been

The

to

change

dinosaurs

flexible.

is

were

a not

Magnificent

civilizations have flourished during their era of expansion and flexibility, but when they created inflexible rules of control and conditions changed, they collapsed.

How much

more fragile, then, is the average person, who is living in our

fast-paced

world.

As

technology

accelerates,

many

skills become obsolete and there is a need for flexibility in adapting to coming changes.

Change is part of life.

Learn to navigate your course in

life by the winds of change.

What you have invested in the

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past is not a sure indication of what you will need in the future.

There are mainly two reasons for making a change. opportunity seize it.

has

floated

into

sight

and

you

must

One, boldly

Two, opportunity has been lost and you need to

move away before things get worse.

How

does

one

balance

flexibility

with

consistency?

Consistency should be pursued as long as resources last and there

is

a

predictable

possibility

that

things

can

get

better. Flexibility should be pursued when you could be making more progress

doing

something

else

with

the

resources

you

possess.

While flexibility and consistency are opposite principles, there

is

a

time

for

each,

and

that

is

why

both

are

legitimate success principles.

Another interesting duality closely linked to flexibility and consistency is the duality of pessimism and optimism. While in most cases, pessimism is destructive and optimism constructive, there are exceptions.

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Healthy pessimism can be constructive and naive optimism can be destructive.

Healthy pessimism is accepting that things can go wrong and preparing to meet it with solutions. account, for example, is a solution.

Opening up a savings You’re saying, in

effect, I may not always be making as much money as today, or you could be saying, I’m preparing money to invest in future

opportunities.

Either

way,

you’re

meeting

the

future with a solution for a problem or opportunity.

Naive optimism, using the same example about savings, is choosing not to save, because you believe that things will always flow smoothly.

Change is something inherent in life. we insert into our lives.

We can elect to change.

this is not a simple proposition. sake,

for

beneficial.

the

sake

of

It is also something Again,

Change, for its own

excitement,

is

not

always

Change prompted by boredom or restlessness is

often too haphazard to be successful.

In the job market,

for example, it is a loss of momentum to simply hop from one job to another.

It is a gain in momentum if the change

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is intentional, if it is a movement from a lower state to a higher

state,

a

movement

to

more

opportunity

or

more

earnings.

The Bottom Line

A college professor at the University of Michigan, Dr. E. Louis Mahigel, was once a professional poker player.

He

said he learned valuable lessons about flexibility from the game.

“An

outstanding

characteristic

of

the

successful

gambler,” he noted, “is that he knows how and when to get out of a hand and cut his losses.

Of course, he knows all

the mathematical odds by heart, which gives him an edge over most people he hustles, but his main edge is in the area of emotion.

When the odds say he probably won’t win,

he doesn’t argue; he just leaves his money in the pot and lays down his cards.

The chronic loser isn’t emotionally

equipped to do that.

He’s so desperate not to lose his

investment that he takes wild chances to protect it.”

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Chapter 18

The Royal Road

Nicholas Darvas, escaping his war-torn homeland, Hungary, sought

refuge

in

Turkey

in

June

however, he faced a new crisis.

1943.

In

Istanbul,

Now, he had no friends, no

money, no knowledge of Turkish, and no citizenship.

He

risked

of

starvation.

specialness.

He

also

risked

losing

his

sense

He didn’t want to be poor and hungry for the

rest of his life.

No, he had fonder hopes for himself.

wanted to thrive.

He wanted to be an outrageous success.

He

After the penniless 23-year-old exile fought off immediate peril, he turned his mind back to dreams of glory.

He

analyzed

He

dismissed

his

situation

numerous

appealed to him.

by

options.

listing

his

talents.

Only

one

talent

Only one sang to his soul.

really

He loved to

dance.

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Yes, he finally decided, he would be a dancer.

Dancing fit his personality.

In dancing, he had only to

display the grace of his body in motion. to be witty or eloquent.

He did not have

He was basically a shy person.

He would be different, special, unusual. amazingly well.

He would be the best.

he would be the best of the best. finest theaters in the world. audiences.

He would dance No, better still,

He would dance in the

He would dance to packed

He would flit, like a butterfly, across the

stages of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. be a firefly of the night- life.

People would talk about

him long after he had left the stage. rave about his performances. attention.

Newspapers would

Agents would compete for his

Yes, people the world over would be willing to

pay a high price for the joy of seeing him dance. watching him, people would be enthralled.

No, world-famous.

Just by

They would be

inspired by his power, speed, grace, agility. famous.

He would

He would be

His life, he decided, would be

one of splendid, dancing, uplifting motion.

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Slowly the images took shape in the theater of his mind. He

eagerly

outlined

how

he

would

achieve

his

lofty

ambition.

He considered a powerful twofold plan.

One,

he

practise

would

learn

until

the

he

latest

could

dance

steps.

perform

them

He

would

smoothly,

effortlessly, flawlessly.

Two, he would market his talent to the world.

Talent alone

might land him numerous engagements in Turkey, but it would not open up the rest of the world. people,

the

wheelers-and-dealers

He had to let the top of

the

entertainment

industry, the influential managers, producers, and agents know that he existed.

They would learn that he was someone

to watch out for, someone who would make them popular and very, very rich.

He

rehearsed

daily.

He

practised,

himself, the latest dance steps.

as

he

had

promised

His clumsy feet moved

gracefully after hours; his heavy legs rose off the ground, as

if

levitating,

voraciously...devouring

after the

months. the

He

read

international

dance

133

magazines.

He learned avidly...about the styles of the the

best dancers.

He investigated their favorite locations,

where only the elite performed.

Gradually, after years, as he exposed himself to the world of dance, a map emerged in his mind.

He saw a royal road.

It led to the glittering, night-lit cities, where the top dancers mesmerized audiences.

The royal road he envisioned

in his mind took him from here to there.

Archimedes talked

about wanting to move the world with a lever – but he, Nicholas Darva, would spin it around on the balls of his feet.

On

the

route

to

success,

Turkey

would

be

the

first

milestone.

He would make himself well-known in his new

homeland.

Then,

he

would

spread

butterfly blossoming in the light. Middle East.

his

wings,

like

a

He would dance in the

He would dance in Europe.

Eventually, he would dance in Paris.

From Paris, he would

leap across the ocean and dance in New York.

New York, he

decided, would be his ultimate destination.

In New York,

he would establish his presence, and from there on he would be invited to dance in all the big cities of the world.

He

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would dance around the world. was invincible. decided.

He was Nicholas Darva.

His fate was inevitable.

He

It had all been

It was as good as done.

With his plan in his mind as clear as a vivid dream, he prepared for New York.

Now he spent three afternoons a

week watching American movies. culture.

He wanted to understand the

He wanted to capture the American heart.

In these movies, he saw the dance routines that Americans loved.

But, he looked deeper, beyond dance, into trends,

fashions in drama.

He saw a wide variety of movies.

discerned

Vague

Ideas

trends.

came

to

him

and

patterns

he

wrote

floated them

something elusive he was tracking down. question

There

was

It was subtle, a

floated before him when he awoke in the mornings.

There

before

Elusive,

mind.

dreams

patterns

nuances.

down.

his

half-remembered

were

of

in

He

him,

but

he

together into one synergistic whole.

could

not

put

them

Then after months of

accumulative musing, the ideas began to fall into place. He saw dance trends in non-dance movies.

For example,

In gangster movies, gun-shot victims reeled a number of times

before

dying.

Americans,

he

discerned,

loved

135

exaggeration, larger-than-life stuff, heroic proportions to their drama.

Since the audience loved drama, he would give it to them in his dance routines.

Another

trend

also

emerged.

Suspense,

intrigue.

plots were full of mystery, confusion, surprise. create a choreography full of these elements.

Movie He would

The audience

would find him unpredictable, surprizing, sensational.

A time came when he did indeed dominate the dance stage of Turkey.

He found occassional work in the Middle East.

He

now moved to the second part of his plan: marketing.

Since he could not afford to buy the promotion he needed, he created a sort of mail-order business.

He gathered the

names and addresses of all those responsible for hiring dancers

in

France,

in

Europe,

and

in

New

York.

He

assembled a gargantuan list of theatrical agents, managers, and night-club owners. sent

them

regular

Every week, without failing, he

mailings

--

letters,

pictures

and

newspaper clippings about his latest dance routines.

He

sent notices of when and where he would be performing next.

136

He sent publicity releases whenever he could, where-ever he could.

Slowly, these unknown people started to respond.

They wrote back to him, they visited his acts, they invited him to their clubs.

His dream was emerging, attaining an

energy and mass that even surprized him.

One day, in New York,

in his dressing room, he looked at

himself in the mirror and smiled. spine.

A shiver ran up his

He was looking at the highest-paid dancer in the

world.

Later

on

blueprints

in for

life, other

Nicholas

Darvas

fields.

He

created

thrived

imaginary

and

enjoyed

outrageous success in everything that he tried.

He went on

to

theatrical

become

producer,

a a

multimillionaire, real

estate

a

successful

tycoon,

an

international

businessman, and a Wall Street wizard (who made $2,000,000 in the Stock Market).

The Success Principle

137

A

clear

plan,

a

flexible

strategy,

and

an

invincible

determination will create your dream, no matter where you start at from.

The Principles at Work

In this parable, Nicholas Darvas focussed on his strong points.

He didn’t dwell on his weaknesses.

strongest

asset,

love

formidable asset.

of

dancing,

and

He chose his

built

it

into

a

Since he was shy, he found an ambition

that worked around that social liability.

After finding his heart’s desire, his bliss, he dared to dream big; he dreamed the biggest, boldest dreams that he could think of. he

wanted

to

unforgettable.

He

then

He wanted to do more than merely dance – be

phenomenal,

translated

continued

created

a

best

of

the

best,

He wanted to be famous.

his

dream

First, he developed talent. he

the

to reality-test

feedback

loop

into

two

managable

plans.

Second, he marketed it. and

between

refine his

his

inner

Then

plans.

He

desires

and

138

imaging and the outer world of possibility, working and reshaping forms of dance that were already in existence.

He took action with unbending intent.

He put his twofold

plan

things

into

reach.

effect

by

doing

practical

within

his

He researched and rehearsed the latest dance steps.

He subscribed to international magazines to keep abreast of his chosen profession.

In line with his goal of dancing in New York, he set about learning about dance forms in the United States. studied audience response in general. he learned to see cultural patterns. Americans

loved

drama

and

He also

By watching movies, He noticed that since

suspense,

he

built

his

choreography around the element of surprize.

After

mastering

his

talents,

pathway to his success.

he

developed

the

second

He learned how to sell himself, to

broadcast his talents to a captive audience of night-club talent agents, managers, and owners around the world.

Throughout

this

limitations. developing

journey,

he

refused

to

believe

in

He also displayed self-confidence, prior to

his

talents

and

connections.

He

put

faith

139

before experience.

And, he took risks, investing time,

money, and energy into his project.

In short, he dreamed big, developed elaborate plans, and then acted boldly with unbending intent.

In

your

own

life,

you

can

implement

all

the

important

aspects of planning your royal road to success.

Here are

some pointers:

1.

Isolate your strongest talent. points. skill.

2.

Forget about your weak

Use your precious energy to master one particular Focus on your best quality and be a success at it.

Forget about your personal flaws. they don’t get in the way.

Make choices where

While it may be possible to

change maladaptive conditioning, consider this as another venture.

Build

upon

your

assets.

Once

you

have

sufficiently strong assets, you can go back and take care of your liabilities. 3.

Dare to dream big.

Why bother with half-measures?

Compromised dreams have no power to energize and excite you into

action.

Even

if

you

Playing never

it

measure

safe

is

a

up

to

an

losing

proposition.

absolute

standard,

140

you’ll

be pushed

much

further

than

you

would

have

ever

Break your big plan into small, managable parts.

See

dared to go. 4.

the big picture, then figure out how to make it all fit together. 5.

Stay in touch with the outer world.

Keep abreast of

the latest trends and use them in your plans. what is relevant. on the market.

Learn only

Avoid obsolete techniques.

Keep an eye

Note where it is, where it’s moving, and

orient yourself accordingly. 6.

Stay out of the shadows. to get noticed.

Make some noise.

Find a way

Frank Sinatra broke into show business by

standing on a table and singing. sang to a top local producer.

He was a waiter and he Similarly Darvas sent out

unapologetic news bulletins to people who neither knew nor cared about him; but he eventually got them interested. Create a way to help people help you. 7.

Learn audience.

about

your

market.

Isolate

your

target

Study what interests you; make it fun, bold, and

exciting. 8.

Refuse to believe in limitations. create

limited

people.

“The

sky,”

correctly reminded us, “is the limit.” said:

as

Limited thoughts Wayne

Dyer

has

Napoleon Hill once

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe,

141

it

can

achieve.”

When

you

doubt

your

competence

question your options, you lose vital energy.

and

You need

this energy to press on with your goals.

The more original

your ideas, the more critics you’ll find.

Don’t add to the

inertia by adding your own name to the list of critics. 9.

Above all, plan, dream, and act.

10.

And

when

you

fail,

learn

from

your

mistakes,

and

continue.

--The End--

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