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TheSuccessPrinciples

Your 30-day journey from where you are to where you want to be
1
1
NEW YORK TIMES

BEST-SELLING CO-AUTHOR
#Chicken Soup for the Soul
Jack Canfield AND Janet Switzer
Success Is a Journey!
What Do People Say Who Have Traveled With Us?
Jack Canfield doesn t just give you hype. His down-to-earth style
made it easy for our associates to relate and follow through. We
have seen a tremendous increase in our associates commissions,
as well as their attitude and self-esteem.
John Assaraf, RE/MAX of Indiana
You would have been thrilled to attend our recognition banquet
Saturday night. Five of the [salespeople] inducted into the
President s Circle, our top managers and consultants, recalled
your presentation last year and how it gave them the vision and
strategies to achieve their success.
John Zucker, VP Mktg
DONCASTER, A Tanner Company
At all levels, there is new confidence and commitment. District and
Branch managers and their staffs are taking risks, making decisions,
pushing through fears, asking for what they need, and are working
better as a team.
Elliott Brown, Regional Vice President, Citicorp
We couldn t have reacted more positively to your message. Our
group has been through experiences that left us feeling splintered
and war-weary. For the first time in a long time, people began
expressing hope again that we can accomplish even our loftiest
goals.
Jill Miller, Corporate Marketing Director
Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation
A Johnson & Johnson Company
The Ten Steps to Success are proving to be very valuable tools for
our staff. Thank you for generating such excitement, improving
our associates feelings of self-worth and for presenting so many
lessons in a very short period of time.
D.A. Garrett, Human Resources
General Electric Capital Corporation
Without exception, the feedback could not have been more positive.
People are speaking about the lasting impact you had on them...
your sincerity and enthusiasm, and how these qualities made the
subject matter come to life and have a realism and relevance to
their everyday lives.
Patrick O Sullivan, Director, Sales Training
Westec Security, Inc.
Our group truly enjoyed your presentation. I understand most of our
folks gave you a #1, our highest rating, on the evaluation sheets.
You did a super job.
James J. Westervelt, Vice President
ITT Hartford
You lead participants on a journey of self-discovery that is
fascinating and fun while being solidly founded on research and
experience. Your handouts are eminently useful.
M.A. Armour, Director of Meeting Services
International Credit Association
Your powerful presentation influenced even the most staunch, hard
core nay sayers. You have a great ability to teach and I was most
impressed with your style. You had a tremendous influence on our
employees, and that type of impact is worth paying for.
P.S. Downs, Minnesota Power
The response was unanimous: You were completely on target and
had obviously done your homework and been responsive to what
we needed you to focus on at our convention. The topics...very
effectively supported and reinforced the rest of the agenda. Your
material was perfect...One Director of Corporate Stores said, Jack
should be a given at every convention. That says it all!
Marla Rosner, Vice President, SUPERCUTS
I m making major changes in all areas of my life as a direct result
of the skills I learned. The safe environment you created allowed
me to stretch in ways I never would have thought possible. My
business skills and interactions are enhanced... and my personal
life is opening widely.
Linda Claire, Director, International Admin
Neutrogena Corporation
I have been able to awaken and utilize my talents like never before. I
have not only helped people change their lives, but I have changed
my own as well. Each new week brings exciting opportunities.
Thank you for all your guidance, encouragement and friendship.
Todd McNally, Monogram Bank
For me, the training provided an opportunity to look at how I ve
been working in my organization and to consider options for
changing my style, intent and behavior. My goal is to take the
skills and integrate them into my presentations.
Judith Schuster, Training & Development
SmithKline Laboratories
Fantastic and Ability to communicate with warmth and
understanding were just some of the comments that were given
after your program. I will highly recommend your program to
anyone...it was so relevant and offered participants outstanding
take-home value.
Lola Green, Seminar Chairperson
Young Presidents Organization
Members were riveted to your instructions. They were intrigued
by your insightfulness in working with couples...They were moved
to tears and to standing ovations. You were humble, vulnerable,
human, humorous, witty, playful, outrageous, flexible and totally
present.
Raymond Aaron, Director
The Millionaire Club
My growth in relationships has been phenomenal. I am able to
take action to make things happen in my life. I feel so blessed to
have been able to experience Self-Esteem 101 and realize the
benefits daily. My self-imposed barriers go down with much less
effort now.
Tom Abbott, St. Louis
One of the best programs we have ever seen at Honda. This is
a wonderful program for people, managers, trainers... anyone. It
brings together many disciplines, technologies and approaches
that helped reinforce energy.
Dominic Cirincione
Manager, Training & Development
American Honda Corporation
[Your program] may well have been one major factor in an attitude
upswing within my reporting people. Nine out of ten have
participated in the program in the past eighteen months.
Abbot Knowles, Manager
New England Telephone
I was struggling to find a vehicle that would help my people focus on
what we really wanted and give us the tools to achieve those goals.
People emerged from the training powerful [and] goal-oriented...
with renewed respect for themselves and their co-workers. STAR
gave us a dynamic message and the tools to continue applying
the concepts long after the program s end.
Diana Clark, District Sales Manager, AT&T
A shot of Jack Canfield is just what we need occasionally to remind
us how truly wonderful it is to be human beings. My personal
and professional life is enriched because of your tapes. They re
magnificent!
Didge Pearson, Senior Mgr, Membership
Assn for Information & Image Mgmt
I have found the tapes to be very effective in helping to slowly and
solidly change my life. Not in the slapdash overnight explosion other
self-empowerment experts promise, but in a more consistent and
effective way that I feel growing inside me everyday.
Marie Jones, California
Janet Switzer is one of the best minds on the planet with a unique
talent for producing profits I can bank. She s easily made me
hundreds of thousands of dollars with her simple strategies. I
know she does the same for companies in all sorts of industries.
She can do the same or more for you.
Mark Victor Hansen
co-author of the New York Times #1 bestselling book series
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Janet Switzer is the genius of choice for lots of very smart
companies across the country. She ll find a way to bring in the
money when everyone else has failed she understands budgets,
risks, people and the bottom line. If you can get her to put you on
her schedule, consider yourself lucky but don t call her unless
you re serious about making money.
Macrae Ross
independent growth and management strategist
I once saw Janet produce a highly specific and fully articulated
strategy within eight minutes of meeting a business owner and
hearing about his business. In just 40 minutes at my office, Janet
provided me with an entire and fully integrated campaign for
launching a new product to a market we were totally unfamiliar
with. For you not to realize the same kind of results when you work
with Janet is highly unlikely. She s the most creative and skilled
strategist I know. And her practical and proven programs boast
an enviable record of success.
Nelson H. Dodge
Director of Marketing & Communications
Xircom [acquired by Intel]
In reviewing the accounting records of a company I was involved
with, I was amazed to see that Janet Switzer had earned that
company over a million dollars in just 42 weeks. She turned a
profit center that was hardly worth the effort into the most profitable
division in the company. $169,147 $122,138 $150,849 were
typical months. Not only were these impressive numbers, the
market presence this success created allowed the company to
become, hands down, the industry leader in this arena. The
whole strategy was brilliant, calculated, masterful and highly
effective. Simply amazing! Retaining Janet Switzer, and trusting in
her strategies, was unequivocally the best decision they had made
in over a decade of doing business.
Gary Handwerker
CEO, Handwerker Consulting,
Business Systems Specialists
Janet gives so much more than she gets from any relationship.
With her help, I ve sold more than 150,000 books and become a
best-selling author. Now, I check with Janet before virtually every
marketing activity I undertake. In fact, her marketing radar is
uncanny. If Janet has the time to work with you, don t hesitate!
You ll not only discover a great mentor, you ll meet a loyal and
devoted friend.
Cynthia Kersey
Popular keynote speaker and author of Unstoppable
In a world that echoes with the dubious claims of thousands of
so-called experts, Janet Switzer doesn t just talk she delivers.
She s savvy, practical and reliable and the profits she creates are
nothing short of extraordinary. Her programs make companies tons
of money, while they leave business owners saying, Why didn t I
think of that? She takes a little money, combines it with a lot of
expertise and creates profits beyond your wildest dreams.
Michael Hutchison
Former Vice-President of Sales & Marketing and
Developer of Anthony Robbins Mastery University
Robbins Research International
TheSuccessPrinciples

Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
Jack Canfield AND Janet Switzer
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Copyright © 2004 by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this pu
blication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, m
echanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise without the written permission of the co-authors.
Disclaimer: This manual and accompanying audio program is designed to provide in
formation about the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding
that the publisher and co-author(s) are not engaged in rendering legal, accounti
ng or other professional services. If legal or other expert assistance is requir
ed,
the services of a competent professional should be sought.
It is not the purpose of this manual or of the accompanying audio program and/or
seminar to provide and reprint all the information that is otherwise available
to the author and/or publisher, but to complement, amplify, supplement and direc
t you to other information and texts readily available. You are urged to read
all the available material, learn as much as possible about the subject and to t
ailor the information to your individual needs. The resources listed in this man
ual
are for information purposes only and such listings do not constitute referrals
to these service or product providers. Publisher and/or author(s) cannot be held
responsible for remedies to reader for any loss or damage experienced in dealing
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Every effort has been made to make this manual and the accompanying audio progra
m and/or seminar as complete and as accurate as possible. However,
there may be mistakes both typographical and in content. Therefore, this text sh
ould be used only as general guide and not as the ultimate source of information
.
Furthermore, this manual contains information available and current only up to t
he printing date.
The purpose of this manual is to educate and entertain. The author(s) and/or pub
lisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity w
ith
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ectly by the information contained in this book.
If you do not wish to be bound by the above, you may return this publication to
the seller for a full refund.
The tradename The Success Principles, its associated logo and trade dress are trad
emarks belonging to Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer.
Chicken Soup for the Soul is a registered trademark of John T. Canfield and Mark
Victor Hansen. Audio portion recorded at Master
Tracks, Santa Barbara, California, www.mastertracks.net. Music written and perfo
rmed by Douglas McKenna © 2003 Douglas McKenna.
[email protected].
Publisher: The Canfield Training Group Media Contact: Success Network Internatio
nal
P.O. Box 30880 107 North Reino Road #415
Santa Barbara, CA 93130 Newbury Park, CA 91320 U.S.A.
(805) 563-2935 (805) 499-9400 fax (805) 499-9470
fax (805) 563-2945 www.thesuccessprinciples.com
www.jackcanfield.com [email protected]
Table of Contents

Introduction ...................................................................
................................................................................
. 7

1 E+R=O: What Responses and Outcomes Can You Change?............................

..................................... 9
2 Success Is a Learned Behavior: What Milk Have You Spilled?....................
.......................................... 13
3 Discover Your Unique Purpose: What Were You Put on This Earth to Do?..........
.................................. 16
4 Decide What You Want: Chances Are It Wants You!...............................
.............................................. 21
5 Visualize Your Way to Success: Create Compelling Pictures in Your Mind .......
..................................... 25
6 Stay Focused with the Total Focus Process: What s the Best Leverage of Your Time
and Talent? ........ 28
7 Create a Mastermind Group: Help Is Just a Phone Call Away ....................
.......................................... 31
8 Practice the Rule of Five: What Steps Will You Take? .........................
.................................................. 35
9 Ask for Feedback: Are You Moving in the Right Direction? .....................
.............................................. 38
10 Respond to Feedback: Adjusting Your Success Roadmap..........................
......................................... 41

Meet Jack Canfield..............................................................

......................................................................... 43
Meet Janet Switzer..............................................................
......................................................................... 44
Conference promo................................................................
.........................................................................45
Introduction

One of the greatest myths in this world is that we re entitled to live

a great life. That somehow, somewhere someone is required
to fill our lives with continual happiness, enticing career options,
empowering family time and blissful personal relationships simply
because we exist on this planet. We expect these things and
when they don t show up, for many of us at least, it s someone
else s fault.
But perhaps the greatest truth in this world and the one lesson
we hope this program will help you learn over and over again is that
there s only one person responsible for the life you enjoy here.
That person is YOU.
If you want to be successful, you have to take 100% responsibility
for everything you experience in your life. From the level of your
achievements to the results you produce, to the quality of your
relationships to the state of your health and physical fitness
even responsibility for your feelings, your income, your debts...
everything!
This is not easy.
In fact, most of us have been conditioned to blame something
outside of ourselves for the parts of our life we don t like. We blame
our parents, our bosses, our teachers, our friends, our co-workers,
our clients, our spouse, the weather, the economy, our astrological
chart, our lack of good golf clubs anyone or anything we can pin
the blame on. We never want to look at where the real problem
is ourself.
There is a wonderful story that is told about a man who is
out walking one night and comes upon a man down on his knees
looking for something under a street lamp. The passerby inquires as
to what the other man is looking for. He answers that he is looking
for his lost key. The man offers to help and gets down on his knees
and searches for the key. After an hour of fruitless searching, he
says to the man, We ve looked everywhere for it and we have not
found it. Are you sure that you lost it here? The other man replies,
No, I lost it in my house, but there is more light out here under
the a streetlamp.
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
How many times do you look for the answers to your problems
outside yourself, when the answer lies within? It is you who creates
the quality of the life you lead and the results you produce. No one
else!
Choose Now to Make a Change
Our final admonition to you as you start down your path to future
success, is that you have control over just three things in your life the
thoughts you think, the images you visualize and the actions you
take. How you make the most of them determines the outcomes
you experience in life.
If you don t like what you are producing and experiencing, choose
now to change your responses. Change your negative thoughts to
positive ones. Change what you daydream about. If you don t like
the way people treat you, say something about it or spend your time
with different people.
If you keep doing what you ve always done, you ll keep getting
what you ve always gotten. In fact, if what you are currently doing
was capable of producing the more that you are seeking in life,
the more would have already shown up. If you want something
different, you re going to have to do something different!
While this audio program will give you the strategies and
principles that are proven to help you acquire the success-filled life
you want, ultimately, you are the one who will execute these strategies
and incorporate these principles into your everyday life
The day you begin to do that is the day your life will begin to
change for the better!
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
1
1
Take 100% Responsibility for

Your Life With E+R=O

Bob Resnick, one of Jack s earliest mentors,teaches a simple,
yet powerful formula we believe should be the primary rule guiding
your successful life:
E+R=O
Event + Response = Outcome
Stated succinctly, every outcome we experience in life is a direct
result of how we respond to an individual event that occurs.
Sometimes that event is an unexpected opportunity that shows
up. Other times, it s a crisis we didn t see coming. But in any case,
it s just the way things are the existential reality of our life.
So how can we create the best possible outcome in relation
to an event we have no control over? By taking responsibility and
changing the way we respond to that event. Take a look at these
two examples:
Event: You are given a $1,000 bonus.
Response: You spend it on a weekend trip.
Outcome: You are broke.
Event: You are given a $1,000 bonus.
Response: You invest it in your mutual fund.
Outcome: You have an increased net worth.
Can you see how your response and your response alone
can significantly improve your life, or alternatively, keep you exactly
where you are today?
Successful people know that how they respond can mean the
difference between advancement and riches or regret about what
could have been. In fact, one of the greatest differences between
successful people and those who would merely like to be, is how
they respond to the opportunities in their life.
How often have you reacted with fear or I can t when opportunity
knocks? Have you walked away from a life-changing opportunity?
Or worse, did you fail to recognize and respond to opportunity that
actually appeared as a crisis or other disaster?
Take a look:
Event: Your co-workers continually miss deadlines, forcing
you to work late to bring projects in on time.
The definition of insanity is continuing
the same behavior and expecting
a different result.

Alcoholics Anonyous
Response:
You grumble to your wife, but say
nothing to you co-workers or boss.
Outcome:
You end up working late most nights,
straining your marriage and family relationship.
Event:
Your co-workers continually miss
deadlines, forcing you to work late to ring
projects in on time.
Response:
You investigate ways to streamline the process, then
quietly present your better plan to the boss.
Outcome:
Your boss creates a special job title for you, giving
you more oversight on projects, which leads to
increased responsibility, a year-end bonus and
an increase in salary.
The truth is...when confronted with a negative event, successful
people look for ways to transform that negative into an opportunity
for achievement and greater success.
They simply respond differently.
Do You Blame Events for Your Outcomes?
Of course, responding differently means you must give up
blaming the event itself. This is very difficult. Our conditioning
has trained us that when something doesn t work, we blame what
happened rather than our reaction to it: the traffic that made you
late for an important meeting, the bounced check that made your
husband mad, your parents who still treat you like you re 12, the
company take-over that eliminated your job.
Does this sound familiar?
If only my boss would give me enough time to do the job...If only
my husband understood what I m trying to do with the kids...If only the
kids would clean up their rooms...If only we had a better economy...If
only they would stop such-and-such...I would feel better.
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
Stop blaming and complaining!
Understand that the E s (the events) aren t responsible for the
O s (the outcomes) you experience in life.
Complaining Simply Means You Know
There s Something Better
Complaining about the Events won t help you change your
outcomes, either.
Isn t it interesting that many people who stay in bad situations
never complain. Why? They simply don t know any better. They
don t know that things could be better.
But complainers know exactly what s available to them.
In fact, when you hear someone complain, what they re really
saying is, I know things could be better. I have a point of reference
of something better which I prefer. I know the difference between that
ideal and the situation I m in now. But I m not willing to risk creating
that other, more desirable scenario.
It s simply easier and less risky to complain.
And it s certainly easier than responding the way successful
people do. If successful people don t like the situation they find
themselves in, they either:
(a) work to make it better, or
(b) they leave and go somewhere else.
The truth is...for as fast as our society moves today, things are
likely to change anyway. Left alone, bad situations often get worse.
But you can do something to change them if you re willing to
take 100% responsibility for your life. It s up to you to do something
different.
Do You Ignore the Yellow Alerts?
Most people are surprised to hear that they re usually notified in
advance about the negative events that occur in their lives. Like
the yellow alerts in the old Star Trek television series, you receive
advance warnings in the form of tell-tale signs, comments from
others, gut instinct, your intuition that warn you of impending doom
and give you time to prevent disaster from happening.
You have time to change your response (R) in the E+R=O
equation.
You can act, as successful people do facing facts squarely,
doing the uncomfortable and taking steps to change the outcome.
Successful people don t wait for disaster to occur, and then blame
something or someone else for their problems. They respond in time.
They prevent things from going too far.
Life Becomes Much Easier
Once you begin responding decisively to signals and events as
they occur, life becomes much easier. The feelings of hopelessness
and lack of control go away. You start seeing two kinds of improved
outcomes both internal and external.
Old internal dialogs like: I feel like a victim. I feel used. Only
bad things happen to me, are transformed into, I feel better. I m
in control. I can make things happen.
External outcomes like, Nobody comes to our store. We missed
our quarterly goals. People are complaining the new product doesn t
work, become outcomes like: I have more money in the bank. I lead
the division in sales. Our product is flying off the shelves.
Eventually, as you respond regularly to these yellow alerts, you
begin to see events without needing these advance warnings. You
begin to anticipate problems.
And, you mature in your thinking.
Finally, you can accept the fact that you are the one who has
created the way things are. You took the actions, you thought the
thoughts, you created the feelings and you made the choices that
got you to where you are now.
You are the one who ate the food. You are the one who stayed
in that job that you hate. You are the one who married him. You are
the one who wanted kids. You are the one who abandoned your
dream. You are the one who ignored your intuition. You are the one
who decided to go it alone. You are the one who decided you were
damaged goods. You are the one who trusted him.
And, come to think of it, you re the one who said yes to the
dogs, too.
It was you!
You Either Create It or Allow It to Happen
You alone have the power to make something happen in your
life, whether you actively create it or passively allow it to happen or
continue. This goes for outcomes that are both good and bad.
When you confront a guy in a bar who is twice your size and
say to him, You re ugly! then find yourself in the hospital with a
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
broken jaw it s easy to see you created that outcome.
But what about those outcomes
that are more difficult to see?

Let s say you work late every night. You come home tired and
burned out. You eat dinner in a stupor, then sit down to watch
television. You are too tired and stressed out to do anything else
like go for a walk or play with the kids. This goes on for years.
Your wife asks you to talk to her. Later, you say. Three years from
now you come home to an empty house and a find note that she s
left you and taken the kids.
You created that one, too!
Of course, in this kind of situation, it s easy to gloss over the
obvious with self-righteous arguments like, I was working hard to
make a better life for my family. I m entitled to watch a ball game
every now and then. I was a good provider, wasn t I?
But perhaps the worst outcomes are those we simply allow
to happen, whether through inaction, neglect or unspoken
agreement.
You didn t sign the petition when it came in the mail, and
now there s a microwave tower in your neighborhood. You didn t
demand counseling the first time he hit you, and now the abuse
has gotten worse. You didn t follow through on your threat to take
away privileges, and now the kids rooms look like a war zone. You
didn t go back to school, and now you are being passed over for a
promotion. You didn t demand an audit, and now your partner has
disappeared with the money. You didn t leave when you saw the
drugs, and now you are in jail.
When you allow outcomes like these to happen, be aware that
you are not a victim. In fact, you can safely take credit for standing
passively by and letting it happen. You didn t say anything, make a
demand, say no, or leave.
Like the yellow alerts we talked about before, there were signs
that you chose to ignore.
You didn t acknowledge the alert or act upon it because that
would have required you to do something uncomfortable. Whether it s
confronting your spouse or speaking up in a staff meeting or leaving
the premises, you are the only one who can respond to a yellow alert
while there is still time to change it, reverse it or save it.
My good friend, former Congressman Ed Foreman once said,
Winners are those people who make a habit of doing the things losers
are uncomfortable doing.
Don t fail to respond to a yellow alert because it s easier, more
convenient, less uncomfortable, less confrontational, keeps the
peace, doesn t require taking risks, or confirms your low self-image.
Take action! Don t allow negative outcomes to be your fate.
The E+R=O Partner Process
Begin with a partner asking you the following questions, with you answering verb
ally. If no partner is available, feel free to write the
answers in the space provided.
1. What is a difficult or troubling situation in your life? ____________________
_____________________________________________
2. What pay-offs or benefits do you get for keeping it like it is? _____________
____________________________________________
3. What costs do you pay for keeping it like it is? ____________________________
________________________________________
4. How do you create it or allow it to be like it is? __________________________
__________________________________________
5. What are you pretending not to know? ________________________________________
______________________
6. What do you want? ___________________________________________________________
___________________
7. What actions could you take and what requests could you make to get it? _____
___________________________
8. When will you do that? ______________________________________________________
_____________
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
How Would You Respond Differently?

The following scenarios include inappropriate responses and undesirable outcomes

. How would you respond differently
in order to change the outcome?.
Poor Response / Undesirable Outcome Your Response / More Desirable Outcome
Event:
Response:
Outcome:
Your boss dumps last-minute projects on you
You stay late to finish them 2-3 nights a week
Your family life suffers and your wife is furious
Event:
Response:
Outcome:
Your boss dumps last-minute projects on you
You discuss the problem with your boss, offer solutions
and now ask early in the day about any deadlines.
You feel more in control in the workplace, get home on
time and your family relationships improve. Your
teenager s rage problem diminishes and he s doing
better in school. You have time to share in household
duties now so your wife is less resentful and more
loving and supportive.
Event:
Response:
Outcome:
The house remodeler says permits aren t needed.
You believe him even though you re not sure.
The electrical wiring was poorly done, not inspected
and now you re paying even more money to have it
re-done because the lights don t work.
Event:
Response:
Outcome:
The house remodeler says permits aren t needed.
Event:
Response:
Outcome:
You now get 500 cable channels with DSS.
You spend your entire evening channel-surfing.
You mindlessly eat snacks after dinner and balloon to
230lbs. Following your lead, the kids watch, too,
instead of doing their homework. You end up yelling
at them and their schoolwork suffers for lack of
concentration and help from you.
Event:
Response:
Outcome:
You now get 500 cable channels with DSS.
Event:
Response:
Outcome:
You lose your job and now the creditors are calling.
You ignore the calls and letters and don t investigate
options for reducing your payment or negotiating
better terms.
Your credit rating is ruined, you have 4 judgments
against you and now that you just got a new job,
they re garnishing your wages and causing you
embarrassment with your new boss.
Event:
Response:
Outcome:
You lose your job and now the creditors are calling.
Event:
Response:
Outcome:
she s
A friend approaches you with a business idea.
Even though the business sounds wonderful, you let
your husband tell you it s too good to be true, so you
don t even investigate. You tell your friend no.
Your friend s idea was sound, the business took off
and now she s quitting her lackluster job because
making $9,000 a month. You re still stuck in a job you
hate, so you re jealous and harbor resentment about
your friend s success.
Event:
Response:
Outcome:
A friend approaches you with a business idea.
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2
Success Is a Learned Behavior

One of our favorite stories is about afamous research scientist who

had made several very important medical breakthroughs.
He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked
him why he thought he was able to succeed so much more than
the average person, to be so much more creative than the average
person? In other words, what set him so far apart from others?
He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from a lesson his
mother taught him when he was two years old. He d been trying to
take a bottle of milk out of the refrigerator, when he lost his grip and
spilled the entire contents on the kitchen floor. His mother, instead
of scolding him, said, What a wonderful mess you ve made! I ve
rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk. Well, the damage is already
done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk before we
clean it up?
Indeed, he did. And, after a few minutes, his mother continued,
You know, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have
to clean it up. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a
towel, sponge or mop. Which do you prefer?
After they were finished cleaning up the milk, she said, What we
have here is a failed experiment in how to carry a big bottle of milk
with two tiny hands. Let s go out in the backyard, fill the bottle with
water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping
it. And they did.
What a wonderful lesson!
The scientist then remarked it was at that moment he knew he
didn t have to be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that
mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new which
after all, is what scientific experiments are all about.
That bottle of spilled milk led to a lifetime of learning experiences
experiences that were the building blocks of a lifetime of world-
renowned successes and medical breakthroughs!
Taking Inventory of Your Life Successes: What Milk Have You Spilled?

What did you learn each time you achieved something new?
How did you have to stretch in your ability? In other words, what
skills did you acquire what techniques did you learn, and what
realtionships did you fom that helped you achieved significant
success i your life?
We ll be inventorying your life s successes in just a moment, but
as you do, remember that success is a learned behavior. We succeed
when we try new things, when we move outside our comfort zone,
and when we make new contacts that can help us in our journey.
The more you acknowledge that you are successful (and the
more you acknowledge what you already know), the better prepared
you ll be to benefit from the success training you ll experience in this
workbook. Let s start working on your success now!
To start the process of taking inventory: Divide your life into
three parts for example, if you are 45 years old today, your three
parts would be 0 to 15 years, 16 to 30 years and 31 to 45 years.
Then list three successes for each time frame and list what you
learned as you achieved that success.
The Early Years: Age _______ to Age _______
Successes I Achieved Success Lessons I Learned (use additional sheets if necessa
ry)

1.
2.
3.
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The Middle Years: Age _______ to Age _______
Successes I Achieved Success Lessons I Learned (use additional sheets if necessa
ry)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Most Recent Years: Age _______ to Age _______
Successes I Achieved Success Lessons I Learned (use additional sheets if necessa
ry)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
Now let s take a look at the next five years...your immediate future what comes to
mind immediately. In future days, we ll be building
which we ll be working on over the next 30 days. What do you want on these thought
s with step-by-step strategies for developing and
to accomplish? What would you like to achieve? Quickly jot down achieving these
specific goals!
The Next Five Years
Successes I Will Achieve What Knowledge, Skills, Habits, Self-Disciplines, Relat
ionships and Resources
Will I Need to Develop to Achieve These Successes (use additional sheets if nece
ssary)

1. _____________________________________________________________________________
_ __________________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________
_ __________________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________
_ __________________________________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________________________________
_ __________________________________________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________________________________________
_ __________________________________________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________________________________________
_ __________________________________________________________________________
7. _____________________________________________________________________________
_ __________________________________________________________________________
8. _____________________________________________________________________________
_ __________________________________________________________________________
9. _____________________________________________________________________________
_ __________________________________________________________________________
10. ____________________________________________________________________________
_ __________________________________________________________________________
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3
Discover Your Unique Purpose:

What Were You Put on This Earth To Do?

Janet and I discovered long ago what we were put on this earth
to do. We determined our purpose in life, our right livelihood. We
discovered how to inject passion and determination into every activity
we undertake. And we learned how purpose can bring an aspect of
fun and fulfillment to virtually everything we do.
Now we d like to help uncover the same secret for you.
You see, without a purpose in life, it s easy to get side-tracked
on your life s journey. It s easy to wander and drift, accomplishing
little.
But with a purpose, everything in life seems to fall into place. To
be on purpose means you re doing what you love to do, doing what
you re good at and accomplishing what s important to you. When you
are on purpose, the people, resources and opportunities you need
naturally gravitate toward you. The world benefits, too.
With a life purpose carefully developed and clearly stated you
suddenly have a basis for making all your major life decisions, for
setting a lifetime s worth of goals and for pursuing one activity or
goal versus another.
Not only will thinking about and pursuing your life purpose get you
to where you want to be, it will make the journey more enjoyable!
In this chapter, you ll learn that your greatest challenge will be
to discover and use your natural talents, resources and abilities to
their highest and best use for you your family and the world.
Let s get started now!
What s In a Mission Statement?
The Life Purpose of Some of History s
Greatest Names
Surprisingly, some of the greatest names in history have had
some of the simplest personal mission statements. Titans of industry,
leaders of major world governments, entertainment giants have
all had a definitive life purpose that drives their daily actions, helping
them create great successes and positively impact generations of
people.
Take Thomas Edison, for example: His stated mission was to
create inventions that people needed, that people would pay for and
that would be profitable. Imagine having that mission statement as
a road map to guide your daily actions! If an activity didn t fit that
formula, you wouldn t work on it. Period. If something was getting you
off track in life, you d be able to recognize its short-comings before
spending too much time, energy or resources on it. If something
didn t fit all the criteria, you d move on to the next thing that did.
See the kind of focus a stated purpose or mission statement can
give you?
Let s look at other historical figures that have had a
stated purpose that guides their actions and energy:
John F. Kennedy: To put a man on the moon in this decade.
Andrew Carnegie, American steel industrialist, founder of the
public library system, and at one time the richest man in the world:
To spend the first half of my life making as much money as I can
and the second half giving it away.
Stanley Mason, inventor of the Band-Aid, disposable diapers
and other consumable consumer products: Create one invention a
year that will generate $10 million a year in royalties forever.
Jack Canfield: To inspire and empower people to live their
higest vision in a context of love and joy.
Finding Your Personal Life Purpose:
The Why Behind Everything You ll Do
Have you ever written down your life purpose? If not, ask yourself
this question: If I were provided with everything I wanted and needed
to release my full potential and achieve my highest vision, what would
my purpose be?
Finding your purpose is really discovering what you were put
on this Earth to do. Your purpose can tell you what to accomplish,
for whom, how to accomplish it and in what time frame. When you
discover your purpose, life flows effortlessly. Opportunity seems
to fall in your lap. Resources and relationships find you easily.
Small successes build upon one another to create unstoppable
momentum.
But how does purpose differ from goals or action plans?
Purpose is the why the reason you create the goals you
create and pursue the activities you do. It s the reason you strive to
achieve the results you re looking for.
Goals are merely the what you ll accomplish and action plans
are simply the how you ll accomplish those goals. Without purpose
as the compass, goals and action plans are meaningless.
To determine your life s purpose to develop it in crystal-clear
words that are compelling to you and others take time now to
complete the exercises that follow. Then, finish by writing your own
heartfelt personal mission statement.
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
Life Purpose Exercise
1. List two of your unique personal qualities, such as enthusiasm and creativity
.
2. List one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting wi
th others, such as to support and to inspire.
3. Assume the world is perfect right now.
What does this world look like? How is everyone interacting with everyone else?
What
does it feel like? This is a statement, in present tense, describing the ultimat
e condition, the perfect world as you see it and feel it.
Remember a perfect world is a fun place to be. For example: Everyone is freely e
xpressing their own unique talents. Everyone is
working in harmony. Everyone is expressing love.
4. Combine the three prior subdivisions of this paragraph into a single statemen
t.
Example: My purpose is to use my creativity and enthusiasm to support and inspir
e others to freely express their talents in a harmonious
and loving way.
There are several ways to approach defining your purpose. We learned this versio
n of the life purpose exercise from Arnold M. Patent.
You can reach Arnold Patent at 28172 Via Chabas, Mission Viejo, CA 92692. (949)
770-7769. www.arnoldpatent.com.
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Finding Purpose in Your Career: Are You Where You Need to Be?
Why do I have the job I have? __________________________________________________
______________________________
What purpose or higher good am I serving?_______________________________________
_____________________________
Who does my work serve?_________________________________________________________
__________________________
Do those people need what I provide?

Yes, absolutely!
Maybe. I sometimes wonder.
Not really. They could easily do without it.
What do they do with what I provide?____________________________________________
______________________________
Do they, in turn, help others with what I give them? ___________________________
____________________________________
Could I provide it differently, in a way that would better enable people to pass
on the benefits? _______________________________
Is there integrity in what I do for a living? _________ In what way? ___________
________________________________________
Is integrity lacking in what I do for a living? _________ In what way? _________
_________________________________________
If I could be doing anything I wanted to do, assured that all my living expenses
and material needs and desires would somehow be fulfilled,
would I be working at this job?

Yes, absolutely!
No, I d leave tomorrow.
If not, how can I alter this job and make it into something I can be passionate
about? ______________________________________
If this job ultimately isn t for me, how will I start transitioning into something
new? ______________________________________
Are there any negative aspects to my work?
No
Yes Am I the source for that? ____________________________________
Can I change any negative aspects?
No
Yes How? _________________________________________________________
Can I achieve my purpose only in this job? _____________________________________
__________________________________
How else can I achieve my purpose, if not in this job? _________________________
______________________________________
Can I stay in this job and achieve my higher purpose?

Yes
No If yes, how? If no, why not? __________________________
If I could wake up every morning, excited to face the day and eager to get to wo
rk, what would a day like this look like? __________
Finding Purpose in Your Marriage or Committed Relationship:
Are You More On Purpose as Two?
When you first met your spouse or partner, what activities were you both passion
ately interested in? __________________________
What goals for your future did you both share? _________________________________
___________________________________
Did you ever write down those goals?

Yes
No If not, when will you do so? _______________________________________
How have you pursued or met those ______________________________________________
_____________________________
What vision did you originally have for your relationship? _____________________
______________________________________
How could the two of you better support each other in reaching your full potenti
al as individuals? ____________________________
Do you get that support now?

Yes
No If not, what needs to change? ___________________________________________
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Finding Purpose in Your Family Relationships: What Were You Put on This Earth to
Do?
Are you still close to your parents?

Yes
No Your grandparents?
Yes
No Other seniors in your
family?

Yes
No
What s the most important reason you stay in touch with these seniors ?______________
________________________________
Do you participate in frequent family activities with these seniors ?
Yes
No What kind? ____________________________
Do you have children?
Yes
No
What are the most important lessons you ll teach them in your lifetime? __________
_____________________________________
What s the greatest hope or aspiration you have for their future? ________________
______________________________________
How important to you is that future? ___________________________________________
_______________________________
What steps do you regularly take to support that future? _______________________
_____________________________________
Does your family, including your children, support the activities or pursuits th
at interest you most? __________________________
In what way do they support you? _______________________________________________
_______________________________
Does your family regularly participate in any activity that serves a goal or gro
up of people outside your immediate household?
Yes
No If yes, what is it? _________________________________________________________
____________________
How did you get involved in this activity? _____________________________________
________________________________
Would your family like to participate in any activity that serves a goal or grou
p of people outside your immediate household?
Yes
No If so, what is it? __________________________________________________________
___________________
What might each family member do to support that desire or effort? _____________
_____________________________________
Have you all committed to that plan by writing it down on paper?
Yes
No If not, when will you do so? _______________
What specifically would you expect your efforts to accomplish? _________________
___________________________________
Finding Purpose in Your Civic Activities: Does Your Calling Shine Through?
Are you active in organized civic groups? Yes Service Organization(s) Yes Social Clu
b(s) Yes Hobby Club(s) No None.

What is your reason for joining and staying active? ____________________________

____________________________________
What satisfaction or enjoyment do you get out of these groups? _________________
______________________________________
Do any of your groups serve others as a regular activity or stated goal? _______
__________________________________________
Do you participate in those activities? ________________________________________
__________________________________
Have you taken on leadership roles in these groups? _________ In what way? _____
_____________________________________
How do these groups serve to further your career or personal goals, even if they
just provide relaxation time? ___________________
Has meeting other members led to good things happening in your life outside club
activities? Yes, absolutely! No, I wish it would.

What kinds of surprising benefits have resulted from your club associations? ___
_______________________________________
What other groups might you join that would further your life goals? ___________
_______________________________________
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Finding Purpose as an Individual: What s the Best Use of Your Time, Talent and Pas
sion?
What are your best talents? ____________________________________________________
______________________________
Are you using those talents every day?

Yes, absolutely! In what ways? ___________________________________________

Not really. I could do better. In what ways? _________________________________
If the world at-large could benefit from your talents, how would they benefit? _
___________________________________________
How would they access your talent? _____________________________________________
_______________________________
How might you make your talent more available to the world? ____________________
__________________________________
What takes up the majority of your time now? ___________________________________
_________________________________
What would be a better use of your time? _______________________________________
________________________________
How can you change your schedule so you have more time for this better use? ____
_______________________________________
Putting It All Together: Defining Your Purpose

Now it s time to put thoughts together into a single statement that summarizes who
you are and what you are doing here...a single statement that explains
what gives you zest for living...what gives you a sense of joy, creativity and s
pontaneity that enables you to live every day more passionately than the last.
Determining what provides you with enthusiasm, excitement and fulfillment will h
elp you develop a purpose for your life one that not only satisfies you
personally, but serves the world, too. Complete the statements below to give you
the clues you need to write your personal statement of purpose.
Whether in my career or in my private life, the activity I am most passionate ab
out and have been most passionate about over time is
The reason I m so passionate about this activity is _______________________________
_________________________________
I could pursue this activity full-time if I _____________________________________
_____________________________________
I could thrive in my family and committed relationships, while at the same time
pursuing this activity, if I ________________________

This activity serves others in that it __________________________________________

___________________________________
When I daydream, the life I visualize for myself includes _______________________
_______________________________________
When I m at the end of my life, I hope to look back on my life and be satisfied th
at I accomplished ________________________________

I know I will have led a life of meaning if I ___________________________________

______________________________________
Now combine all your thoughts above into the single statement below a statement
that explains a life pursuit you can be passionate about and dedicated
to long-term a statement that explains what drives you, what keeps you enthusiasti
c and what brings you fulfillment. That s the definition of a powerful life
purpose! The best use of my productive time, heartfelt effort and passionate ded
ication is to
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Decide What You Want:

Chances Are It Wants You!

One of the most amazing phenomenon you ll ever experience
as you incorporate The Success Principles into your daily life is the
unexpected phone call, the windfall financial benefit or the uncanny
new aquaintance that brings you exactly what you want or need
in order to achieve your loftiest goals almost as if it were planned.
Perhaps it s the Universe, rewarding your new goal-setting activity
and take-action attitude by harnessing all the forces at its disposal.
Or perhaps you ve worked hard and have grown yourself to the
point where you re finally ready to receive a benefit which had been
waiting in the wings all along.
But more probably, as researchers have now come to believe,
it may simply be a matter of your subconscience focusing on and
recognizing opportunity when it arrives.
Whatever the explanation, the reality is that what you want, wants
you. Your goals, desires and needs are patiently waiting to gravitate
toward you, once you decide what you truly want.
Of course, the main reason why most people don t get what they
want is they haven t decided what that want is. They haven t defined
their goals exactly in clear and compelling detail. After all, how
else can your mind know where to begin looking, seeing and hearing
if you don t give it specific and detailed goals to achieve?
Clarify Your Vision and Your Values
There s a very powerful technique for helping you define your
goals in vivid, colorful and compelling detail. But before using this
technique to write down your goals before defining the compelling
life you want for yourself, you first must know what your priorites
are. Priorities are wants that are personally important to you not
those you believe should be important or those you believe the world
expects you to value but what s truly important to you from the
deepest place in your heart.
Once you know your wants, you must also determine your core
values. What kinds of activities and priorities are in alignment with
your integrity? Which are outside your acceptable limits?
Think about it. You might want all the riches and material
wealth that could come from selling illegal drugs, but you might find
it very difficult to convince your mind and body of your enthusiasm,
especially if breaking the law and contributing to broken lives went
against your basic values. In fact, engaging in an activity you don t
agree with often causes low self-esteem, depression, despondency,
even anger. So be sure that what you want matches your values
and your life purpose.
Don t Live Someone Else s Dream
Be certain, too, that what you want isn t someone else s version
of what you should want.
Jack once met an anesthesiologist who made made $350,000
a year, but whose real dream was to work on cars. He had wanted
to be a mechanic, but he knew his mother wouldn t approve. Jack s
solution? Give yourself permission to buy a bunch of cars and then
work on them on the weekends. What the anesthesiologist wanted in
his heart didn t match his picture of what he thought he should be.
Unfortunately, the sad reality for most people is they simply
aren t honest with themselves. If they were, they would realize their
want to s are almost always bigger than their shoulds. Back
when Janet was 25 years old and still working for other people, her
company s Vice President asked her what she really wanted. She
replied, If I said I wanted to be President of the company, you d
tell me I shouldn t aim so high! But less than a month later, Janet
was promoted and given management of the company s flagship
product, which also happened to be America s top-selling software
program in its category.
Make an I Wants List
One of the easiest ways to begin determining what you truly
want is to ask a friend to help you make an I Wants list. Have the
friend continually ask, What do you want? What do you want? for
10-15 minutes, while jotting down your answers. You ll find the first
wants aren t all that profound. In fact, most people usually hear
themselves saying, I want a Mercedes. I want a big house on the
ocean. And so on. But by the end of the 15-minute exercise, the
real you begins to speak: I want people to love me. I want to express
myself. I want to make a difference. I want to feel powerful wants
that are true expressions of your core values.
Is Making a Living Stopping You?
Of course, what often stops people from expressing their true
desire, is they don t think they can make a living doing what they
love to do.
What I love to do is hang out and talk with people, you might
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
say.
Well, Oprah Winfrey makes a living hanging out talking with
people. And Jack s friend Diane Brause, who is an international tour
director, makes a living hanging out talking with people in some of
the most exciting cities in the world.
A woman once told Jack her favorite thing to do was to watch
soap operas. How can I make a living watching soap operas?
she asked. Fortunately, she discovered lots of other people loved
watching soap operas, too, but often missed their favorite shows
because they also had to go to work.
Being very astute, this gal created a little magazine called
Soap Opera Digest. Every week, she watched all the soap operas,
cataloged the plots and wrote up little summaries, so that if a viewer
missed their soap operas that week, they would know who got
divorced from whom, who finally married the doctor, and so on. Now,
this woman makes a fortune watching and publishing information
about soap operas.
See how it s possible to make a great living doing what you want
to do? You simply have to be willing to risk it.
Visualize What You Want
Have a friend read this exercise to you or audio-record it and
then listen back to it with your eyes closed. Pause about one minute
between each of the seven categories
Begin by listening to some relaxing music and sitting quietly in
a comfortable environment.
Then, begin visualizing your ideal life exactly as if you
are living it.
1. First, visualize your financial situation. How much money
do you have in your savings, how much do you make in income?
What is your net worth? How is your cash flow? Next What does
your home look like? Where is it? What color are the walls? Are there
paintings hanging in the rooms? What do they look like? Walk through
your perfect house visually, using your mind s eye.
At this point, don t worry about how you ll get that house. Don t
sabotage yorself by saying, I can t live in Malibu because I don t
make enough money. Once you give your mind s eye the picture,
your mind will solve the not enough money challenge.
Simply be honest with yourself about what you truly want.
Continue visualizing your perfect home. Next, visualize what kind of
car you are driving.
2. Next, visualize your career. What are you doing in your
career? Where are you working? Who are you working with? What
kind of clients do you have? What is your compensation like? Is it
your own business?
3. Then, focus on your free time, your recreation time. What
are you doing with your family and friends in the free time you ve
created for yourself? What hobbies are you pursuing? What kinds
of vacations do you take?
4. Next, visualize your body and your physical health,
your emotional and spiritual life. Are you free and open, relaxed,
perseverent, in an ecstatic state of bliss all day long. What does
that look like?
5. Then move on to visualizing your relationships with
your family and friends. What is your relationship with your family
like? Who are your friends? What are the quality of your relationships
with friends? What do those friendships feel like? Are they loving,
supportive, empowering? Could they be better?
6. What about your own personal growth? Do you see
yourself going back to school, taking training, seeking therapy for a
past hurt or growing spiritually?
7. Move on to the community you live in, the community
you ve chosen. It s ideal, isn t it? What does it look like? What kinds
of community activities take place there? What about your charitable
work? What do you do to help others and make a difference? How
often every week do you participate in these activities? Who are
you helping?
Write these things in the worksheet on the next two pages, as
you visualize them.
Share Your Vision for
Maximum Impact
Then, finally, share your vision with somebody. This can be very
uncomfortable. In fact, most people say, I can t share that! It s too
personal. It s too crazy. People will think I m flaky. But the truth is
half the people you talk to will want the very same thing. Everyone
wants material wealth, loving relationships, supportive family and
friends and time to help make a difference in our world. But too few
of us readily admit it. Sharing your vision helps your subconscious
mind become accountable to make it happen.
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Take a look at the examples below, then write your own visualized goals in the b
lanks provided.
What I Want Specifically Why I Want It Date I
Achieved It
FINANCIAL GOALS (income, savings & investments, debt reduction, credit)
1. By December 31, 2004, I will be earning $10,000 a month net pre-tax income.
2. By June 30, 2007, I will make the last mortgage payment on the house.
3. On September 1, 2004, I will begin saving $85/mo. for Matt s college tuition.
1. So Abby can quit her job and stay home with Matt.
2. To be debt-free after 15 years of credit slavery.
3. To give Matt the best start for his future career.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
CAREER / BUSINESS GOALS (new job, self-employed, sales volume)
1. I will start my own restaurant consulting business by September 1, 2003.
2. I will develop at least ten clients for the business by December 31, 2003.
3. I will find a financial partner to invest at least $500,000 by June 30, 2004.
1. I want to be free to earn as much as possible.
2. I want to develop a stable income quickly.
3. I want to expand, but only using outside resources.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
FREE TIME / FAMILY TIME (days off, trips, hobbies, special events)
1. Starting January 1, 2004, I will take off 3 weeks in May and 3 weeks in Octob
er.
2. Susan, Matt and I will go on a first-class Kenya safari in October 2004.
3. I will register for ground school August 15, 2003 and get my private pilot s li
cense
by August 31, 2005.
1. I have missed too much of Matt s childhood.
2. Susan and I both enjoy nature and exotic locales.
3. It s always been my dream to pilot my own plane.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
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What I Want Specifically Why I Want It Date I
Achieved It
HEALTH / APPEARANCE GOALS (lose weight, feel younger, eat better)
1. I will be at my ideal weight of 178 pounds by November 1, 2003.
2. I will consult a holistic doctor about nutrition and lifestyle by June 1, 200
3.
3. I will complete my laser eye surgery procedure by September 30, 2003.
1. I will need to eat better and work out to reach 178.
2. I have concerns about circulation and longevity.
3. I look better and feel more confident without glass__________________________
_________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
es.
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
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_________
_________
_________
RELATIONSHIP GOALS (family, mentors, business alliances, staff, civic)
1. I will re-establish communication with my brother by September 19, 2003.
2. I will approach Don Richardson September 9, 2003 about providing referrals.
3. I will begin holding staff trainings every week starting on July 15, 2003.
1. Making up will help me bring closure to Dad s
death.
2. This will help the business grow in reputation.
3. This will empower the staff and lessen my stress.
___________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________
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_________________________________
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_________
PERSONAL GROWTH (education, spiritual growth, therapy, training)
1. I will enroll December 3, 2003 & complete the Men s Basics course at church.
2. I will attend the September 23, 2003 one-day training on negotiating skills.
3. I will begin yoga four times a week commencing on July 17, 2003.
1. I have missed the spiritual guidance of male friends.
2. I would like to be more confident when negotiating.
3. I believe I will feel more relaxed.
___________________________________________________
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_________________________________
_________________________________
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE (charitable giving, church tithes, mentoring)
1. I will work up to regularly tithing a full 10% of my gross income by Jan 6, 2
004.
2. I will volunteer mentor at least one young entrepreneur starting Fall Semeste
r.
3. I will initiate a company-wide charitable matching program by Dec. 1, 2004.
1. I believe tithing helps me receive back ten-fold.
2. I wish I had had a veteran entrepreneur help me.
3. I believe matching gifts boost employee loyalty.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
5
5
Visualize Your Way to Success:

Create Compelling Pictures in Your Mind

Visualization may be the most underutilized success tool that you
possess. It can greatly accelerate the achievement of any success
in three powerful ways.
1.
Visualization will activate the creative
powers of the subconscious mind.
2.
Visualization will program the reticular activating system
in your brain to open up the doors of perception to notice
resources that were always there but were previously
unnoticed. It focuses the brain.
3.
Visualization will magnetize and attract to you the people,
resources, and opportunities that you will need to
achieve your goal.
This is simply how the brain works. None of us were ever taught
this in school. However, in the last 25 years, sports psychologists
and peak performance experts have been popularizing the power
of visualization. Almost all Olympic and professional athletes employ
the power of visualization.
I never hit a shot, not even in practice,
without having a very sharp, in-focus
picture of it in my head.
Jack Nicklaus, professional golfer
I visualized every step of the 400-meter race until I saw every
stride I would take.
Lee Evans, 1968 Olympic Gold Medalist
Most of us visualize on a daily basis, but we often do it
unconsciously and in a negative fashion. It is called worrying. What
happens to our bodies when we worry? We tense up, disrupt our
normal breathing, and psycho-physically prepare ourselves for failure.
Instead, learn to use positive visualization to prepare yourself for
success. As you do you will transform the energy that supports your
worrying into fuel for making your dreams come true.
Michael Gelb and Tony Buzan
Imagination s everything. It is the preview of life s coming
attractions.
Albert Einstein
Here is an excerpt from the forthcoming Chicken Soup for the
Athlete s Soul in which Olympic gold medalist Peter Vidmar describes
his use of visualization in his successful pursuit of the gold:
To keep us focused on our Olympic goal, we began ending our
workouts by visualizing our dream. We visualized ourselves actually
competing in the Olympics and achieving our dream by practicing
what we thought would be the ultimate gymnastics scenario.
I d say, Okay, Tim, let s imagine it s the men s gymnastics team
finals of the Olympic Games. The United States team is on its last
event of the night, which just happens to be the high bar. The last
two guys up for the United States are Tim Daggett and Peter Vidmar.
Our team is neck-and-neck with the People s Republic of China,
the reigning world champions, and we have to perform our routines
perfectly to win the Olympic team gold medal.
At that point we d each be thinking, Yeah, right. We re never
going to be neck-and-neck with those guys. They were number one
at the Budapest world championships while our team didn t even
win a medal. It s never going to happen.
But what if it did happen? How would we feel?
We d close our eyes and, in this empty gym at the end of a
long day, we d visualize an Olympic arena with 13,000 people in
the seats and another 200 million watching live on television. Then
we d practice our routines. First, I d be the announcer. I d cup my
hands around my mouth, and say, Next up, from the United States
of America, Tim Daggett. Then Tim would go through his routine
as if it were the real thing.
Then Tim would go over to the corner of the gym, cup his hands
around his mouth, and in his best announcer-voice say, Next up,
from the United States of America, Peter Vidmar.
Then it was my turn. In my mind I had one chance to perfectly
perform my routine in order for our team to win the gold medal. If
I didn t, we d lose.
Tim would shout out green light and I d look at the superior
judge, who was usually our coach Mako. I d raise my hand and
he d raise his right back. Then I d turn, face the bar, grab hold, and
begin my routine.
Well, a funny thing happened on July 31st, 1984.
It was the Olympic Games, men s gymnastics team finals in
Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus. The 13,000 seats were all
filled and a television audience in excess of 200 million around the
world tuned in. The United States team was on its last event of the
night, the high bar. The last two guys up for the United States just
happened to be Tim Daggett and Peter Vidmar. And just as we
visualized, our team was neck-and-neck with the People s Republic
of China. We had to perform our high bar routines perfectly to win
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
the gold medal.
I looked at Coach Mako, my coach for the past twelve years.
As focused as ever, he simply said, OK, Peter, let s go. You know
what to do. You ve done it a thousand times, just like every day
back in the gym. Let s just do it one more time and let s go home.
You re prepared.
He was right. I planned for this moment and visualized it
hundreds of times. I was prepared to perform my routine. Rather
than seeing myself actually standing in the Olympic arena with 13,000
people in the stands and 200 million watching on television, in my
mind I pictured myself back in the UCLA gym at the end of the day
with two people left in the gym.
When the announcer said, From the United States of America,
Peter Vidmar, I imagined it was my buddy Tim Daggett saying it.
When the green light came on indicating it was time for the routine I
imagined that it wasn t really a green light, but that it was Tim shouting
green light! And when I raised my hand toward the superior judge
from East Germany in my mind I was signaling my coach just like
I had signaled him every day at the end of hundreds of workouts.
In the gym, I always visualized I was at the Olympic finals. At the
Olympic finals, I visualized I was back in the gym.
I turned, faced the bar, jumped up and grabbed on. I began
the same routine I had visualized and practiced day after day in the
gym. I was in memory mode, going yet again where I d already gone
hundreds of times. I quickly made it past the risky double release
move that had harpooned my chances at the world championships.
I moved smoothly through the rest of my routine and landed a solid
dismount where I anxiously waited for my score from the judges.
With a deep voice the announcement came through the
speaker, The score for Peter Vidmar is 9.95. Yes. I shouted. I
did it! The crowd cheered loudly as my teammates and I celebrated
our victory.
Thirty minutes later we were standing on the Olympic Medal
platform in the Olympic arena with 13,000 people in the stands and
over 200 million watching on television, while the gold medals were
officially draped around our necks. Tim, myself, and our teammates
stood proudly wearing our gold medals as the national anthem played
and the American flag was raised to the top of the arena. It was a
moment we visualized and practiced hundreds of times in the gym.
Only this time, it was for real.
The Process for
Visualizing Your Future
The process of visualizing for success is really quite simple.
All you need to do is close your eyes and visualize your goals and
objectives as already complete.
If one of your goals is to own a nice house on the lake, then
simply close your eyes and see yourself walking through the exact
house you would like to own. Fill in all of the details. What does the
exterior look like? How is it landscaped? What kind of view does it
have? What does the living room, kitchen, master bedroom, dining
room, family room and den look like? How is it furnished? Go from
room to room and fill in all of the details. Is there a workshop, sewing
room, cabana, guest-house, pool or spa?
Make the images as clear and as bright as possible. Take the
time to use the power of your creative mind to create vivid images
of your goal.
The first time you create the image it will take a few minutes to
fill in all the details. After that, each time you revisit the image, it will
only take a few seconds to call up all of the images you have already
created. It is more like looking at a video or a set of slides that you
have already taken and developed.
Repeat this process for every goal that you have. Refer to the
goals you listed on pages 23 and 24 of this workbook as well as
any other short-term objectives and long-term goals you have in the
seven key areas of your Personal Master Plan.
We suggest that you write each of your goals and objectives for
the year as well as any longer term goals like financial independence
and a vacation home in Hawaii on a separate 3x5 index card.
Then, each morning when you arise and each night before you go
to bed, read through the cards, pausing after each one to close your
eyes and recreate the visual image in your mind of that completed
goal. Continue through the cards until you have visualized each
goal as complete and fulfilled. The whole process will take about
5 minutes.
If you are in the habit of meditating, you can do this after
meditating for maximum benefit.
This daily practice of visualizing your goals as already complete will
keep your subconscious mind focused on the realization of your goals.
And just like the guidance system on one of the smart bombs used
in the military, it will keep you on track until you manifest the result.
Adding Sounds and
Feelings to the Pictures
To add extra fuel and motivational power to the visualization
process, you can add the sensory modalities of auditory and
kinesthetic to the visual. This multiplies the effect many times over.
You do this by imagining what sounds you would be hearing and
what emotions and bodily sensations you would be feeling if you had
already achieved the goal.
For example, if you were imagining you dream house on the ocean,
you might add in the sound of the surf lapping at the shore outside
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
your home, the sound of your kids playing on the beach, the sound
of the cue ball hitting another ball on your billiards table, the sound
of your home theater system and the sound of your spouse s voice
thanking you for being such a good provider.
Then add in the feelings of pride of ownership, satisfaction at
having achieved your goal, and the feeling of the sun on your face as
you sit on your deck or the feeling of the warmth of the water as you
sit in your hot tub looking out over the ocean at a beautiful sunset.
What If I Don t See Anything
When I Visualize?
Some people are what psychologists refer to as eidetic
visualizers. When they close their eyes, they see everything in bright,
clear, 3D, technicolor images. Most of us, however, are non-eidetic
visualizers. That means we don t really see an image as much as we
just think it. That is perfectly okay. It still works just as well if you are
just thinking it rather than actually seeing it. You need to still do
the visualization exercise twice a day every day. You will be getting the
same benefit as those people who claim to actually see the image.
Don t worry about it-just do it!
If you are, like most of us, a non-eidetic visualizer, you will find
the next technique to be especially helpful.
External Pictures
You can also use external pictures, images and symbols to keep
your conscious and subconscious mind focused on your goals.
For example, if one of your goals is to own a new Lexus LS-430,
you can take your camera down to your local Lexus dealer. Ask a
salesperson to take a picture of you leaning up against your dream
car, or even better, sitting behind the wheel of the car waving out of
the driver s side window.
If your goal is to visit Paris, go down to your travel agent and get
a poster of the Eiffel Tower. Then cut out a picture of you and place it
at the base of the Eiffel Tower as if it were a photograph taken of you
in Paris. Jack did this with a picture of the Sydney opera house, and
within a year he was in Sydney, Australia standing in front of it.
If your goal is to be a millionaire, you might want to write yourself
a check for $1,000,000 or create a bank statement that shows your
bank account or your stock portfolio with a $1,000,000 balance.
If your goal is to have your book be #1 on the New York Times
best-seller list, you might want to photocopy the best-seller list, white
out the current #1 book, and type your book s title in it s place. Or
you might want to use your computer to create a newspaper article
declaring you the best-selling author of the year.
If your working on reaching your ideal weight, you can use your
computer to create a picture of your head on someone else s body
that represents your ideal body weight or shape.
Once you have created these images, you can place them one
to a page in a 3-ring binder that you review every day. Or you could
make a dream board a collage of all these images on a bulletin
board, wall, or refrigerator door somewhere where you will see
them every day.
When NASA was working on putting a man on the moon, they
had a huge picture of the moon covering the entire wall of their main
construction area. Everyone was clear on the goal, and they reached
that goal two years ahead of schedule!
Action Steps to Take
1.
Create a set of 3x5 index cards with one goal
written on each card.
2.
Set aside 5 minutes twice a day to review the
cards and visualize each goal as already complete.
3.
Find or create a picture that represents or symbolizes each
of your completed goals. Place these images on the pages
of a three-ring binder that you review every day, or place
them on a bulletin board, wall or refrigerator where you
will see them every day.
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
6
6
Stay Focused with the Total Focus Process:

What s the Best Leverage of Your

Time and Talent?

We believe you have inside of you a unique ability or area of brilliance

some one thing you love to do and do so well, you hardly feel
like charging people for it. It s effortless for you and a whole lot of
fun. And if you could make money doing it, you d make it your
lifetime s work.
Successful people believe this, too. That s why they put their
unique brilliance first. They focus on it. And they delegate everything
else.
Compare that to the rest of the world who goes through life doing
everything, even those tasks they re bad at or that could be done
cheaper, better and faster by someone else. They can t find the time
to focus on their area of brilliance because they fail to delegate even
the most menial of tasks.
When you delegate the grunt work the things you hate doing
or those tasks that are so painful, you end up putting them off you
get to concentrate on what you love to do. You free up your time...
you re more productive. And you get to enjoy life more.
So why is delegating routine tasks and unwanted projects so
difficult for most people?
Surprisingly, most people are afraid of looking wasteful or of being
judged as above everyone or of feeling out of control or of spending
money. Deep-down, they simply don t want to let go.
Others, potentially you, have simply fallen into the habit of
doing everything themselves. It s too time-consuming to explain
to someone, you say. I can do it better myself anyway. But can
you?
Determine What You re Brilliant At
Then Delegate Everything Else
The following exercise is designed to help you determine your
areas of profound expertise and those areas you really should be
delegating to others. Keep in mind that you re looking for the one, two
or three activities that bring you the most money, that bring you the
most enjoyment and that you could spend all day doing for free, but
you are so good at, you re paid handsomely by everyone who needs
access to your unique abilities.
Start with the box below.
Start by listing all those activities that occupy your time whether they re business
-related, personal or related to your civic organizations
or volunteer work. List even small tasks such as confirmation phone calls or Xer
oxing.
1. _____________________________________________ 10. ___________________________
__________________
2. _____________________________________________ 11. ___________________________
__________________
3. _____________________________________________ 12. ___________________________
__________________
4. _____________________________________________ 13. ___________________________
__________________
5. _____________________________________________ 14. ___________________________
__________________
6. _____________________________________________ 15. ___________________________
__________________
7. _____________________________________________ 16. ___________________________
__________________
8. _____________________________________________ 17. ___________________________
__________________
9. _____________________________________________ 18. ___________________________
__________________
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
Next, choose from the previous list those 1-3 things that you are brilliant at,
things that very few other people can do as well as you:
1. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
Name the three activities from the previous list that generate the most income f
or you or your company:
1. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
Identify any individual activities that appear in both boxes above. In other wor
ds, list activities that you are brilliant at and that generate the
most income for you or your company. This is the activity or area of expertise w
here you ll want to focus the most time and energy:
1. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________
Name any toxic tasks from the list on page 28 that you especially dislike doing or
that take too much of your time activities you would
gladly delegate to someone else if you could. You ll be transferring these tasks t
o the Complete Delegation Exercise on the next page:
1. _____________________________________________ 10. ___________________________
__________________
2. _____________________________________________ 11. ___________________________
__________________
3. _____________________________________________ 12. ___________________________
__________________
4. _____________________________________________ 13. ___________________________
__________________
5. _____________________________________________ 14. ___________________________
__________________
6. _____________________________________________ 15. ___________________________
__________________
7. _____________________________________________ 16. ___________________________
__________________
8. _____________________________________________ 17. ___________________________
__________________
9. _____________________________________________ 18. ___________________________
__________________
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
The Compelete Delegation Exercise

If you re a professional earning $75 per hour and you pay a

neighborhood boy $10 an hour to cut the grass, you save the effort
of doing it yourself on the weekend and gain one extra hour when
you could profit by $65. Of course, while one hour doesn t seem
like much, multiply that by 52 weekends a year and you discover
you ve gained 52 hours a year at $65 per hour or an extra $3,380
in potential earnings.
Similarly, if you re a real estate agent, you need to list houses,
gather information for the multiple listing, attend open houses, do
showings, put keys in lock boxes, write offers and make appointments.
And, if you re lucky, you eventually get to close somebody.
But let s say that you re the best closer on the planet.
Why would you want to waste your time writing listings, doing
lead generation, placing lock boxes, and making videos of the
property when you could have a staff of assistants doing all that and
freeing you up to do more closing? Instead of doing just one deal
a month, you could be doing a deal a week because you delegated
the less profitable activities.
One of the strategies Jack routinely teaches in his seminars
is called Complete Delegation. It simply means that you delegate
a task once and completely, rather than delegating it each time it
needs to be done.
Identify your Area of Brilliance in the gray box on the previous page,
then use the chart below to delegate other tasks in order to free up time to
focus on what you love to do.
v When
# from
Task To Be
Delegate
Hours Now
$ Value of
What Will You Do With the Hours
Date You ll
Delegated
Page 28
Delegated
To Whom?
Available
Those Hours?
You Just Made Available?
Delegate?
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
7
7
Create a Mastermind Group:

Help Is Just a Phone Call Away

One of the most powerful tools ever used by successful people
whether the world s richest industrialists from the early 20th Century
or today s modern icons of business is called the mastermind
group. Napoleon Hill first talked about mastermind groups in his
classic book Think and Grow Rich. And it s the one concept people
most reference when they credit any one thing with helping them
become a millionaire.
Andrew Carnegie had a mastermind group. So did Henry Ford.
In fact, Ford would mastermind with brilliant thinkers like Thomas
Edison, Harvey Firestone and others in a group they held at their
winter mansions in Coral Gables, Florida.
They knew, as millions of others have discovered since, that a
mastermind group can focus special energy on your effort in the
form of knowledge, resources and spiritual energy, too.
While you must always do the work of becoming a great success,
a mastermind group can harness and maximize the spiritual focus
behind your success. It s this spiritual aspect that Napoleon Hill
wrote about extensively. In fact, he said that if we are in tune with
THE mastermind that is, God, the Universal Power or whatever
term you use for the all-powerful life force, we have significantly
more positive energy available to us power that can be focused
on our success.
For Christians, the mastermind force that is concentrated in
mastermind groups is Christ himself, as described in this Scripture:
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there
am I in the midst of them.
Matthew 18:20 (KJV)
For others, the Universal Force could be thought of as the web
of overhead cable that links bumper cars to their energy source.
While you may be a single bumper car, you have a cable going up
that connects you to that greater source of energy which provides
the power you need to move forward.
In short, mastermind is both that power coming to us from
above from the God force but also that power which comes to us
from each other. Together, we know more and can focus more energy
than any one of us can alone.
How to Assemble a
Mastermind Group
A mastermind alliance is built of two or more minds
working actively together in perfect harmony toward a
common definite object.
 napoleon hill
you have to do it by yourself,
but you can t do it alone.
martin rutte
Choose people who are already where you d like to be in your
life or who are at least a level above you. If your goal is to become
a millionaire, you won t get much help if everyone in your mastermind
group is making $60,000 a year.
Of course, approaching millionaires can be scary. In fact, most
people faced with this recommendation reply, Why would anyone
want to be in a mastermind group with me if I m only making $60,000
a year?
The answer? You re the one putting the group together. You re
the one providing the arena. And while you may not be Muhammed
Ali, you could be just like Don King, Ali s promoter organizing,
supporting and building a forum for other people s growth and
masterminding needs.
The truth is many people at a higher level will want to become
involved simply because they then get to play at a game they might
never organize for themselves. The other people you re going to invite
are people they would like to be around, too.
When Jack did a keynote and pre-conference workshop for the
International NLP Conference, he had everyone make a list of who
they d like to approach for a mastermind group once they returned
home. One of the attendees was a psychologist in private practice
from New York who went home wanting to draft a psychiatrist from
the local major hospital, a major radio talk-show host, plus a number
of other people he was sure would turn him down.
Jack had said, Pick 5 people you d really like to mastermind
with, then create a back-up list. If any one prospect says no, say
next and move on to the next prospect on your list. Jack had
also directed attendees to call him in 14 days to report their results.
Without exception, the psychologist reported, Everyone I asked
said, Wow, what a great idea. I want to play.
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Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
The truth is, most people are not in mastermind alliances. And if
you can start one they d like to be involved with, they ll let you in and
open a whole new world for you.
While you may not get Ted Turner or Bill Gates, you could
probably get the major real estate developer in town. You could
probably get a business owner. You could probably get the publisher
of the local newspaper.
But you won t know until you ask.
Start with your list and work down. Maybe you ll end up with a
local columnist instead of the publisher someone who might be
a lot more helpful to you in the long-run.
If your goals are centered around a specific subject like starting
a new business or investing money, you might start a mastermind
group centered around entrepreneurship or investments. You can
always launch a general mastermind group plus a second mastermind
group centered around a certain topic area where you invite people
from the same field.
New Thoughts, New People,
New Resources
Of course, the ideal mastermind group brings together people
from different professional arenas people that are above you and
who can introduce you to a network of people you normally wouldn t
have access to.
While the benefits of masterminding with people outside your field
may not seem obvious now, the truth is we all tend to get stuck in
our own field of expertise, doing things the same way everyone else
in our industry does. But when you assemble people from different
industries and professions, you get lots of different perspectives on
the same subject.
Henry Ford was an assembly-line expert. Thomas Edison was
an inventor. Harvey Firestone was a corporate management genius.
So their mastermind group brought together diverse talent that could
lend different perspectives to one another s challenges, whether they
were legal, financial or human related.
Jack s first mastermind group included Chicken Soup for the
Soul co-author Mark Victor Hansen, relationship expert Barbara De
Angelis, a former editor of Playboy Magazine, real-estate mogul John
Assaraf and others.
Each one had different perceptions and life experiences that the
entire group benefitted from.
What s the Ideal Size for a
Mastermind Group?
The ideal size of a mastermind group is 5-6 people. If it is too
much smaller, it loses its dynamics. If it is bigger, it gets unwieldy
meetings take longer, some needs go unmet and personal sharing
is minimized.
Conducting a Mastermind Meeting
Ideally, each mastermind meeting should be conducted weekly
or every other week, for one hour, in person, with all members of
the group in attendance. Meetings can also be conducted over the
phone. But each meeting should follow the proven format described
below for insuring each participant stays involved and gets their
needs met.
Your group should also assign someone to be the Timekeeper
either the same person each session or rotating the task amongst
the participants. The Timekeeper insures each portion of the meeting
gets its allotted time, and insures that all members adhere to their
pre-approved time to speak.
We recommend that for the first few meetings, each member
gets the entire hour to familiarize the others with his or her situation,
needs and challenges while the other members brainstorm ways
they can support that person. During later meetings, participants
each get a small amount of time to update the others, ask for help
and get feedback.
Use the following outline for your meetings.
Step #1:
Ask for Sp iritua l Guidance By
Delivering an Invocation
Ideally, mastermind meetings should start with a request for
the group to be filled and surrounded with powerful spiritual energy.
Members can trade off delivering the invocation. Using whatever
spiritual belief structure the reader has, they ask the Universal Force
to assist the group with each other s needs.
A sample invocation that asks God or that higher power to be
present might be:
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
We ask now to be filled and surrounded with light, and our hearts
be open to receive guidance from the higher power.
Step #2:
Share What s New and Good
A good way to bond with others in the group and keep esteem
and excitement high is to each share a success story. Even small
successes achieved since the last meeting give others in the group
the feeling that this process is working. It s something I need to
stay involved with.
Step #3:
Negotiate for Time
While the normal weekly time allotment might be 10 minutes per
person, say that one participant needs extra time during this week s
session to discuss a particularly difficult situation. During Step #3,
they ask for the amount of extra time they think they ll need. Others
in the group may have their own challenges that week and need
extra time, too. Still others may decide to give up their time entirely,
as they do not have anything to discuss. Using the Timekeeper as
referee, each member negotiates for the amount of time they think
they ll need.
During the negotiating step, you ll often hear comments like:
I just lost my assistant and my receptionist
yesterday and I need time to talk about that.
Well, my Mom died this week and I need help
processing that.
I want to read you this new proposal I ve written
and get your feedback on it.
Well, I need to find a printing company in the
Far East and I don t know the first thing about
how to find one.
So members negotiate for time. Once the negotiation process
is complete and everyone agrees to the schedule, the meeting
begins in earnest. And the Timekeeper keeps everyone on time
and on focus.
But be aware: If the Timekeeper is not diligent about keeping
members on track, some members won t get their needs met and
the group will risk losing them as participants. Still others the
dominators or needy types may hog the time or turn their
brainstorming responses into a personal discourse.
Everyone deserves equal time and equal guidance. It s the
Timekeeper s job to insure this.
Step #4:
Individual Members Speak While the
Group Listens and Brainstorms
Solutions
What kind of discussions can you expect during a mastermind
meeting? I need contacts. I need referrals. I m lost at this new aspect
of my business. I m looking for an expert to help me develop this
idea. I need you to open your Rolodex. I need to raise $10,000.
After the allotted time of explanation, discussion and brainstorming,
the Timekeeper says, Done! and the group moves on to the next
member s needs.
Discussions can be personal, professional it doesn t matter. As
long as everyone is getting value, they ll stay involved with the group.
As long as you re giving value, everyone will want you to be there.
You ll find that groups tend to go through phases. They start out
fairly business-like, but as people get to know each other and begin
to delve into personal challenges like My son s a heroin addict or My
wife and I are having problems, they take on a special personal bond.
You and the other members can use the group any way you want.
Step #5:
Make a Commitment to Stretch
Once members have had their time to present, discuss,
brainstorm and gain feedback, the Timekeeper asks each member in
turn to commit verbally to something they wouldn t normally commit
to if they weren t part of the group.
The commitment needs to be a stretch.
It could be a result of what they heard from the group that day:
OK, I m going to make three calls to hire a new salesperson or
I m going to call John Deerfield at Consolidated and pitch my new
product.
This commitment insures everyone is continually moving forward,
which is the true benefit of a mastermind group.
Step #6:
End With Gratitude
Your group might end with a group prayer expressing gratitude.
Or you might go around the table with each member saying one thing
they appreciate about another person in the group.
Step #7:
Be Accountable
When members assemble the very next week, each member
needs to share something related to the goal they set at the previous
meeting. Did each member take action? Did they achieve their
goal?
You ll find the real value in mastermind groups is often the
accountability factor other members checking up on you to make
sure you meet your stated commitments. Of course, most people are
more productive when they have a stated deadline. The reality is if
you know you re going to be asked next week about the commitment
you made today, you ll take steps to accomplish it by next week s
deadline. It s one way to insure you ll accomplish a lot more.
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section One: Building the Foundation of Your Successful Future
Mastermind Group Planning Sheet

Name of Mastermind Group I m Planning ____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________
My Personal Goals and Objectives for PlanningThis Group ________________________
__________________________________________________
List 12 People You Will Call to Join the Group. (ranked in order of preference)
Stop calling after the first 6 who join:
1. ____________________________________________________ 7. _____________________
_____________________________
2. ____________________________________________________ 8. _____________________
_____________________________
3. ____________________________________________________ 9. _____________________
_____________________________
4. ____________________________________________________ 10. ____________________
_____________________________
5. ____________________________________________________ 11. ____________________
_____________________________
6. ____________________________________________________ 12. ____________________
_____________________________
My script for pitching the Mastermind Group:
Example: Hi, John. My name is Jennifer Bentley. I m a software developer with a ne
w product for AS/400 systems that helps
e-commerce companies handle multiple billings and subscriptions. Though I m just s
tarting out, I ve gotten some interest from a number of people in forming
a mastermind group that would help all of us access new resources and discover n
ew solutions and perspectives that we probably haven t thought of before.
I especially wanted you to be in the group. I believe you d get a lot of value out
of it and I m not sure that you have your own mastermind group yet. Can I put
you down on my list? The group would meet every other week to brainstorm on each
other s challenges. We can do it in person, or the group might decide
to meet by phone instead. If you could have 5-6 other prominent CEO s working on y
our company s challenges or even your personal ones, would that be
something you would set aside an hour a week for? Jim McCutcheon has already agr
eed to be involved. I m not sure if you know him.
Accountability Partners
Instead of a mastermind group, you might choose to work with
a mastermind partner. The two of you could agree to a set of goals
that each is working toward and agree to talk regularly by phone to
hold each other accountable for meeting deadlines, accomplishing
goals and making progress.
You can also pitch your partner on your latest idea, saying
Here s what I m thinking. What s your opinion. How would you
proceed? You partner might agree to make a call for you, give you a
contact name, e-mail you some information they ve already collected
on that subject or other helpful tasks.
Then, every week, you agree to call each other to make sure
your partner has followed through. Knowing that you ll be reporting
to someone often provides the motivation to get the job done. This
is an especially useful relationship to develop if you re independent
and work from home.
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section Two: Taking Your First Action Steps
Practice The Rule of Five: 8 What Steps Will You Take?
Once you break down your goal into bite-sized pieces, you can begin
accomplishing the small tasks you ve determined will lead to achieving
your goal.
But be aware: Preparing to move forward isn t the same as
taking action itself.
In other words, preparation, research, planning, getting it
perfect these are all areas where people get bogged down in the
take action process.
Here s a story from Jack that illustrates this point:
When Mark Victor Hansen and I published the first Chicken Soup
for the Soul book, we were so eager and committed to making it a
bestseller. We asked 15 best-selling authors ranging from John Gray
(Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus) and Barbara DeAngelis
(Making Love Work) to Ken Blanchard (The One Minute Manager) and
Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled) for their guidance and advice.
We received a ton of valuable information about what to do and how
to do it. Then we visited with book publishing and marketing guru Dan
Poynter, who gave us even more great information. Then we bought
and read John Kremer s 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. After all
of that we were overwhelmed with possibilities. To tell the truth, we
became a little crazy. We didn t know where to start, plus we both
had our speaking and seminar businesses to run.
We sought the advice of Ron Scolastico, a wonderful teacher and
guide, who told us, If you would go every day to a very large tree and
take 5 swings at it with a very sharp ax, eventually, no matter how
large the tree, it would have to come down. How very simple and how
very true! Out of that we developed what we have called The Rule of
5. This simply means that every day we do 5 specific things that will
move our goal toward completion.
With the goal of getting Chicken Soup for the Soul to the top of
the New York Times bestseller list, it meant having 5 radio interviews,
or sending out 5 review copies to editors who might review the book,
or calling 5 Network Marketing companies and asking them to buy the
book as a motivational tool for their salespeople, or giving a seminar
to at least 5 people and selling the book in the back of the room. On
some days we would simply send out 5 free copies to people listed
in The Celebrity Address Book people like Harrison Ford, Barbara
Striesand, Paul McCartney, Steven Spielberg and Sidney Poitier. As
a result of that one activity, I ended up meeting Sidney Poitier (at
his request), and we later learned that the producer of the television
show Touched by an Angel required all of the people working on
the show to read Chicken Soup for the Soul to put them in the right
frame of mind.
We made phone calls to people who could review the book, we
wrote press releases, we called into talk shows (some at 3:00 in the
morning), we gave away free copies at our talks, we sent them to
ministers to use as a source of talks for their sermons, we gave free
 Chicken Soup for the Soul talks at churches, we did book signings
at any bookstore that would have us, we asked businesses to make
bulk purchases for their employees, we got the book into the PXs
on military bases, we asked our fellow speakers to sell the book at
their talks, we asked seminar companies to put it in their catalogs,
we bought a directory of catalogs and asked all the appropriate ones
to carry it, we visited gift shops and card shops and asked them to
carry the book we even got gas stations, bakeries and restaurants
to sell the book. It was a lot of effort a minimum of 5 things a day,
every day, day in and day out for over two years.
Was it worth it? Yes! That very first Chicken Soup for the Soul
book eventually went on to sell over 8 million copies in 39 languages.
At a $1.20 royalty per book, it made Mark and I rich.
Did it happen overnight? No! We did not make the best-seller
lists until over a year after the book came out a year! But it was the
sustained effort of The Rule of 5 for over two years that led to the
success one action at a time, one book at a time, one reader at
a time. But slowly, over time, each reader told another reader, and
eventually, like a slow-building chain letter, the word was spread and
the book became a huge success what Time magazine called the
publishing phenomenon of the decade. It was less of a publishing
phenomenon and more of a phenomenon of unending persistent
effort. Thousands of individual activities that all added up to one
large success.
What might you accomplish if you were to do a little bit five
things every day for the next 40 years toward the accomplishment of
your goal? If you wrote 5 pages a day, that would be a total of 73,000
pages of text or about 243 books. If you invested $5.00 a day 6%
interest, at the end of 40 years you d have amassed a small fortune of
$305,357.
A lot of people tell us their dream is to own a house in Hawaii or
buy a yacht. While we re excited for them, we also have to ask them
to get clear about all of the steps they ll have to take to get there.
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section Two: Taking Your First Action Steps
They need to complete the Mind-Mapping exercise in Chapter
13 (this is available in the full version of Success Principles) and talk
to an expert in those areas.
Take buying a house in Hawaii, for example: You have to find
out where the best locations are, decide which island, find out how
much homes cost there, determine how much money you ll need to
save, where you can get your financing, where you ll get your furniture,
how expensive that is and on and on. Then you can begin taking these
steps 5 a day until you achieve your goal.
Take Time to Plan How You ll
Practice the Rule of 5
While he didn t call it the Rule of 5, a seminar leader once said
that, in order to arrive at the life of your dreams, you simply (1) make a
wish-list of the activities, finances and lifestyle you ll be enjoying once
you get there (2) break down each wish on the list into the steps
you ll need to take to achieve it (3) choose a number of those steps
to achieve each week or month or year, and (4) achieve them.
Try that formula what we call the Rule of 5 for achieving the
life of your dreams or for achieving virtually any impressive goal
you ve set for yourself.
List Below the Goals You Made on Pages 23 and 24
1. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________
4. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________
5. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________
6. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________
7. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________
8. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________
9. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________
10. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
11. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
12. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
13. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
14. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
15. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
16. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
17. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
18. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
19. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
20. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
21. ____________________________________________________________________________
__________________
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section Two: Taking Your First Action Steps
(Xerox a copy of this blank sheet before completing this exercise for each one o
f your goals.)
List a Goal from the chart on page 36: _________________________________________
____________
Steps Needed to Accomplish This Goal Date You ll Accomplish This Step

a. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
b. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
c. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
d. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
e. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
f. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
g. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
h. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
i. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
j. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
k. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
l. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
m. _________________________________________________________________ | _________
_________________
n. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
o. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
p. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
q. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
r. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
s. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
t. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
u. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
v. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
w.__________________________________________________________________ | _________
_________________
x. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
y. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
z. __________________________________________________________________ | ________
__________________
Repeat this process for the other goals you set for yourself on page 36!
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section Three: Insuring Your Ongoing Success
Ask for Feedback:
9 Are You Moving in the Right Direction?

As you travel down your path to success from discovering your

purpose to visualizing your perfect life to setting big goals and taking
decisive action feedback will become a frequent companion on
your journey.
Every time you take a step, you ll get back information about
whether that was the right thing to do. You ll get data, advice,
help, suggestions, directions, even criticism that will help you
constantly adjust and move forward, while continually enhancing
your knowledge, abilities, attitudes and relationships.
You ll discover that not every action you take is one that will produce
a result. In fact, some actions will take you absolutely nowhere. Other
actions will catapult you forward. Still others will actually divert you from
your goal.
But be assured that feedback is a necessary and welcome aide
to achieving your goals and becoming a more confident, successful
person.
All Actions Are Really Experiments
Remember the E+R=O equation in Chapter 1? We learned we
can create more desirable outcomes (O) simply by responding (R)
appropriately to the events (E) that occur in our lives.
But how do you know which responses will deliver the best possible
outcomes? The answer is you don t. At least not at first. And until you
amass a body of proven responses you know will create the outcomes
you want, it s actually better in the beginning if you treat every step you
take as a new and exciting experiment. Take action and see if that action
produces the new, more desirable outcome.
Listen to the feedback you get.
On-Course, Off-Course,
On-Course, Off-Course
When Jack conducts trainings in self-esteem and peak
performance, one of the most illustrative exercises is one that actually
shows participants what it s like to take action. A volunteer acts as
the Goal, while Jack zig-zags his way toward it from the opposite
end of the room. The Goal is responsible for providing constant
feedback when Jack walks straight at the Goal, the volunteer
exclaims, On course! When Jack veers away from the Goal, Off
course! is the reply.
Commit to constant and
never-ending improvement.
source unknown
Notice we didn t say Jack is criticized, ridiculed embarrassed
or penalized for veering off-course. He simply hears information
that helps him re-direct himself toward the goal and arrive at his
destination.
Does Jack eventually get to his goal? Yes.
Is he on-course or off-course most of the time?
Who cares.
Is the feedback helpful to him? Absolutely.
So feedback is simply information.
Perhaps it s easier to think of feedback as the guidance system
on an airplane. The plane s computer constantly takes in data and
automatically adjusts the controls and other guidance systems. When
you drive your car, your arms are never absolutely steady. In fact, you re
constantly making tiny adjustments to your steering at all times.
Feedback is no different. It s just a mechanism to help you
adjust and get to the goal a whole lot faster.
Why We Need Feedback
In his book, The One-Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard tells us
that life is a lot like bowling. If we roll the ball down the lane but it rolls
underneath a blanket, we can t see the outcome of the ball hitting
the pins. We know something happened, because we can hear the
noise of the falling pins. But the game becomes boring because we
can t see how well we re doing.
The truth is humans are teleological mechanisms. We re goal-
seeking organisms. It s part of our nature to want to succeed. We
need feedback. Never seeing where the ball goes, never getting
information, is simply contrary to our nature.
Be Careful What You Wish For
Did you ever wonder why, despite all the feedback and external
assistance we get, some of our goals just don t get met?
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section Three: Insuring Your Ongoing Success
In his book, The DNA of Success, Jack Zufelt tells us that most
people accomplish only about 2 out of every 10 goals they set.
So what is it about those two goals that s different from the
other eight?
The two goals they achieve are typically the two goals they
really want. And they re willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish
them including accepting and responding appropriately to
feedback. They don t care if they look stupid, have to work extra
hard, get criticized or anything else they re totally passionate about
accomplishing that goal.
We ve all seen an example of the lazy neighbor boy who one
day decides he wants a skateboard. Suddenly, he s cutting the
neighbor s grass, saving his money and selling lemonade. When he s
earned all the money he needs, he buys his skateboard and turns
back into that lazy kid next door.
The problem is most people never get really clear about what
they want. If they wanted all their goals equally passionately, they
wouldn t give feedback a second thought. It would be just one more
step in accomplishing what they truly want.
That means that, once you decide what you truly want,
accomplishing it is just a matter of taking action and responding to
the feedback.
Listen, Listen, Listen
Feedback comes to us in various forms. It might come verbally
from a colleague. Or it might be a letter from the government. It might
be the bank refusing your loan. Or it could be a special opportunity
that comes your way because of a specific step you took.
Whatever it is, it s important to listen to the feedback. Simply
take a step and listen. Take another step and listen. If you hear
off course take a step in a direction you believe may be on-
course and listen. Listen externally to what others may be telling
you, but also listen internally to what your body, your feelings and
your instincts may be telling you.
Is your mind and body saying I m happy, I like this, This is the
right job for me, I m weary, I m emotionally drained, I don t like this as
much as I thought, I don t have a good feeling about that guy?
Whatever feedback you get, don t ignore the yellow alerts. Never
go against your gut. If it doesn t feel right to you, it probably isn t.
Ask for Feedback
As valuable as feedback is, the truth is, most people don t ask
for it. They don t solicit feedback. In fact, they often go out of their
way to avoid it.
Why?
Because most people are afraid to hear feedback. They re
afraid of feeling stupid. They re afraid word of their faults will get out.
Unfortunately, everybody usually knows your failings already.
If you re a teacher in school and the kids sneer, Oh, you got Mrs.
Smith. She s mean. You re gonna hate her, you can rest assured
everyone else is talking about you. If you re not getting along with
your wife, you can be sure she s talking to her sister, her mother, the
next-door neighbor, her co-worker everybody but the person who
needs to know her husband.
We often don t give others feedback for fear of their response.
Similarly, we don t ask people for feedback for fear of what we ll
hear.
The problem is, if we don t get the feedback, we can t change.
If we don t have new information, we can t make the corrections we
need to get closer to our goal.
That s why it s so critical to become dispassionately neutral to
feedback.
Some writers, for example, are exceedingly neutral first-draft
writers. They simply get words on paper that can be reviewed for
feedback.
Non-neutral writers, on the other hand, are so afraid to show
people their work for fear of the feedback they re going to get they
end up writing nothing at all.
Personal growth courses can help you get neutral. But so can
practice that is, repeatedly taking action and carefully listening to
feedback.
The Most Valuable
Question of All Time
One of the most powerful questions we ve ever used for soliciting
feedback is,
On a scale of 1 to 10, what has been the quality of
our relationship over the past period of time?
It could be over the past week, two months, the length of your
stay, the two weeks of your honeymoon whatever it might be,
the basic question asks What has been your experience using this
product or service? How have we met your needs? Is our relationship
what you expected?
For any answer less than 10, follow-up with,
What would it take to make it a 10?
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section Three: Insuring Your Ongoing Success
Of course, you may not choose to act on their comments, given
other priorities in your life, but at least you ll know what it would take
for the other person to experience a 10 in your mutual relationship.
This is critically important with children, spouses, clients, managers
and key customers. But don t avoid asking the question simply
because you re afraid you ll score less than 10. While you may
think the answer is a critical commentary on you, be aware that it s
just data.
How to Solicit Feedback
You can ask for feedback in person, by mail, by survey, by
phone call, by randomly calling your customers or by putting a card
in each hotel room.
Jack discontinued using a printer wholater called and said, I noticed
you haven t used me for printing lately. What would it take to start giving
me your printing business again?
Jack replied, Lower pices, on-time turnaround and pick-up
and delivery. If you can guarantee me those three things, I ll give
you a small portion of my printing and try you again. Eventually,
the printer won back most of Jack s printing because he beat other
people s prices, picked up and delivered, finished on-time and the
quality was acceptable.
Ask for Feedback Exercise
Janet knows of a CEO who took over a floundering business,
and instead of generating new accounts as everyone expected
spent his first 6 months on the job calling former customers and
recapturing their business.
What Would Have to Happen
Marcia Martin, an executive coach and communications consultant,
uses a similar technique for eliciting feedback that leads instantly to the
result she is seeking.
Stated plainly, whenever you want something done, simply ask,
What would have to happen in order for you to ____________?
Let s say you re not allowed to change your airline ticket, but you
approach the ticket counter anyway and ask, What would have to
happen in order for you to change this ticket?
It s impossible to change it, they might answer.
Yes, but if it were possible, what would have to happen? you
reply. Be persistent. You d be surprised how often you get the
assistance you need.
To help you ask for feedback more effectively, complete the grid below for each
of the projects, opportunities, relationships and situations
you re involved in. Decide if you ll ask via letters, phone calls, surveys or person
al contact.
What Feedback Do I Need to Ask for That I m Not Asking for Now? Who Do I Need to
Ask? When Will I Ask? How Will I Ask?
Example: Will this work? Is it sellable? How do I add more value? Is it missing
Customers; clients; By June 30th. Phone calls; personal
something? Where can I take it from here? How can I improve before taking the ne
xt industry experts; vendors; At national contact at convention.
step? other practitioners convention
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
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Section Three: Insuring Your Ongoing Success
10
10
Respond to Feedback:

Adjusting Your Success Roadmap

Asking for feedback is really only the first part of the equation. Once
you receive feedback, you have to be willing to respond to it. You
have to be willling to change if you want a result.
It doesn t mean you have to act upon all of the feedback you hear.
In fact, you may simply decide you don t want your intended result
after all. Sometimes, you get so much feedback to the contrary,
you abandon your approach altogether in favor of re-thinking the
original goal or strategy.
Asking for feedback, then responding, gets you closer to your
goal. The trouble is many people aren t willing or able to listen to
feedback and get on with what works. Their ego gets in the way.
Or their emotions do. They might hear negative feedback that
immobilizes them.
But the reality is, often negative feedback is extremely
beneficial.
Ask Yourself These Questions
Have you ever had negative feedback that was useful? If you only
got positive feedback might that be a disadvantage?
Could you accept that positive feedback is good because it tells
you you re on-course, but that negative feedback might also be good
since it merely tells you you re off-course? If you knew you were doing
something that wasn t working, wouldn t negative feedback make it
easier to adjust your plans and move forward?
If you are considering moving to another state to take a new
job, but suddenly hear that your intended employer is on the brink
of bankruptcy, wouldn t you look at that negative feedback as
beneficial?
And if you started a home-based business, but neglected to
file the correct forms with the county, wouldn t you want someone
to tell you?
In cases like these, negative feedback can be very beneficial. It s
how you respond that makes all the difference.
When Jack conducts his On-Course, Off-Course seminar
exercise with the volunteer at the other end of the room, he sometimes
asks, Why aren t you saying anything?
The volunteer replies, Because you haven t moved yet. If you
don t move, I can t give you feedback.
So Lesson #1 is that, in order to get feedback, you have to take
action. You have to take that first step. It may not be the right thing,
but at least it s a start. Perhaps you make your first sales call and
really mess it up. As you re leaving the prospect s office, you say
to yourself, Boy, I shouldn t have said that. I should have said this
instead. And I certainly shouldn t have kept quiet then. I should have
told them about and so on. That s feedback.
Don t beat yourself up over it just let it in.
Ways of Responding to Feedback
That Don t Work
While there are many ways you can respond to feedback, some
responses simply don t work:
(1) Over-Emotionalize the Feedback. Sometimes during the
seminar exercise, as Jack is walking toward the Goal, he hears
Off-course! so many times, he breaks down, sobbing, I can t
take it anymore. This is too hard. You re so mean to me. You re so
negative. I give up!
How many times have you received negative feedback and simply
gone to pieces over it?
It s easier not to overly emotionalize what you hear, if you
remember that feedback is simply information. Think of it as
correctional guidance instead. Like the airplane in the previous
chapter or the steering wheel in your car.
(2) Get Mad at Feedback That s Useful. As Jack once again
begins moving toward the other end of the room in the seminar
exercise, the volunteer might say Off-course, off-course! causing Jack
to reply, Nag, nag, nag. All you ever do is say critical things. You re
so negative. Why can t you ever say anything positive?
Well, how many times have you gotten mad at the source of
feedback that was genuinely useful?
Most people know about the two kinds of feedback positive
and negative. But there are also two other kinds of feedback: Internal
and external.
You get feedback from your outside world which might say,
Hey, your business is great. We re beating a path to your door.
Everyone wants to sign up for your program. That s positive external
feedback.
Negative external feedback, on the other hand, is when you
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Section Three: Insuring Your Ongoing Success
open your business and nobody comes. Maybe you opened in a
bad neighborhood, don t advertise, charge high prices, have poor
lighting, don t have enough parking, or whatever. So you need to get
feedback from people, asking, Why didn t you come? What would
encourage you to shop here? While the feedback you get may be
negative, it will certainly be feedback you can use.
(3) Don t Listen to the Feedback. Imagine putting your fingers
in your ears and determinedly walking off-course. The Goal in our
seminar exercise might be saying Off-course, off-course but you
can t hear anything because your fingers are in your ears.
Not listening to feedback is many people s response. They don t
want to hear anything anyone has to say. They re right, they know it all.
It s my way or the highway, they say. Take it from me, I know best.
The sad thing is, feedback could significantly transform these
folks lives, if only they would listen.
(4) Be Above the Feedback. People who believe they are always
right are often too good to listen to feedback. They know better. And
because they believe they re above the feedback often because of
its source they miss out on the benefits of hearing feedback and
applying it appropriately.
How to Step Away From the
Emotional Aspect of Hearing
Feedback About Yourself
One way to step away from any potential emotional pain of
hearing feedback about yourself is to mentally remove yourself
from the conversation. Imagine they re not talking to you. View the
feedback almost as if you re observing a conversation between a
customer and their dry cleaner, a student and his teacher, and so
on. The authority figure in your pretended scene is simply providing
information (feedback), while the other person is receiving it as helpful
data. Don t take it personally.
In his book, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal
Freedom, Don Miguel Ruiz details the four life strategies taught by
the Toltec shamans of Mexico. One of the agreements is to never
take anything personally. By taking things personally, Ruiz teaches,
we actually get in the way of the Universal Power moving us toward
our ultimate and best destiny. If we get out of the way and simply
see feedback as data, we work with the Universe as it helps move
us where we want to go.
Think of Feedback As Beneficial
One of the best-selling weight loss books ever published was
a book called Thin Thighs in 30 Days. What s so illustrative about it,
is that it was developed solely using feedback. The author, Wendy
Stehling, worked in an advertising agency but hated her job. She
wanted to start her own agency but didn t have the money to do so.
She knew she would need about $100,000, so she began asking,
What s the quickest way to raise $100,000?
Sell a book, said the feedback.
She decided if she had a book that could sell 100,000 copies in
90 days, she could make $1 per book and raise the $100,000. But
what kind of book would 100,000 people want? Well, what are the
best-selling books in America, she asked?
Weight loss books, said the feedback.
Yes, but how would I distinguish myself as an expert? she
asked.
Ask other women, said the feedback.
So, she went out to the marketplace and asked, If you could lose
weight in only one part of your body, what part would you choose?
The overwhelming response from women was My thighs. When
would you want to lose it? she asked.
Around April or May in time for swimsuit season, said the
feedback.
So what did she do? She wrote a book called Thin Thighs in 30
Days and released it April 15th. By June, she had her $100,000. All
because she asked the markeplace what it wanted and responded
to the feedback by giving it to them.
Virginia Satir was probably the most successful and famous
family therapist that ever lived. She wrote a book for parents called
Peoplemaking.
Virginia was once hired by the Michigan State Department
of Social Services to provide a proposal on how to revamp and
restructure the Department of Social Services so it would work better.
Sixty days later she provided the Department with a 150-page report
which they said was the most amazing piece of work they had ever
seen. This is brilliant! they gushed, How did you come up with all
these ideas?
She replied, Oh, I just went out to all the social workers in your
system and asked them what it would take for the system to work
better.
Feedback is a good thing. But you have to respond.
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Meet Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield is the founder and co-creator of the New York Times #1 best-sellin
g
book series Chicken Soup for the Soul.
With more than 55 titles in print and over 80 million copies sold in 39 language
s,
Jack is a world-renowned expert at warming hearts and changing lives.
But behind the empire Time Magazine called the publishing phenomenon of the
decade is America s leading expert in creating peak performance for entrepreneurs,
corporate leaders, managers, sales professionals, corporate employees and educat
ors.
Jack Canfield knows how to accelerate the personal achievement and career fulfil
lment
of workgroups and individuals everywhere. He is a compelling, empowering and
compassionate coach who has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals achieve
their dreams. Jack s latest success resource, The Power of Focus: How to Hit Your
Business, Personal and Financial Targets With Absolute Certainty (co-authored wi
th
Les Hewitt and Mark Victor Hansen), contains powerful strategies and techniques
designed to double your income and double your time off in less than three years
!
Jack s background includes a BA from Harvard University, a Masters degree
in Psychological Education from the University of Massachusetts and an Honorary
Doctorate in Human Behavior from the University of Santa Monica. For the past 30
years, he has been a psychotherapist, an educational consultant, and a leading a
uthority
in the areas of self-esteem, achievement motivation and peak performance.
Jack has appeared on over 200 television shows including Oprah, 20/20, Inside
Edition, The Today Show, Fox and Friends, The CBS Evening News, The NBC Nightly
News, Eye to Eye, CNN s Talk Back Live!, PBS, QVC and many others.
Jack is the founder of The Canfield Training Institute of Santa Barbara, Califor
nia. His
distinguished clients include Virgin Records, Sony Pictures, Merrill Lynch, Mons
anto,
Hartford Insurance, Glaxo Smith-Kline, Scott Paper, The Million Dollar Forum, Co
ldwell
Banker, Federal Express, TRW, Society of Real Estate Professionals, American Soc
iety of Training & Development, Ameritech,
NCR, Young Presidents Organization, Chief Executives Organization, General Elect
ric, Income Builders International, U.S.
Department of the Navy, Siemens, Cingular Wireless, Accenture, Bergen Brunswig P
harmaceuticals, Children s Miracle Network,
UCLA, The Council for Excellence in Government and hundreds of others.
He s addressed countless audiences internationally sharing his success strategies wi
th companies and associations in
20 countries on nearly every continent.
To bring Jack to speak at your next event, call Teresa Esparza at Souper Speaker
s (805) 481-0327. Or visit
www.jackcanfield.com!
The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be
Meet Janet Switzer

From her first job as campaign coordinator for a Member of Congress at

age 19 to building an international publishing company with over $10 million
in assets by age 29, Janet Switzer epitomizes the personal achievement
and professional accomplishment that comes from applying these proven
principles of success.
Today, she s the marketing genius and business growth expert of
choice for some of the world s top success gurus: peak performance
expert Jack Canfield, master motivator Mark Victor Hansen, marketing icon
Jay Abraham, Internet income expert Yanik Silver and Jesus CEO author
Laurie Beth Jones, among others. Additionally, Janet s counseled more
than 50,000 companies and entrepreneurs worldwide in leveraging their
intangibles and information assets for untold millions in potential windfall
revenue: Xircom (acquired by Intel), Chicken Soup for the Soul, Genoa
Technology, California Family Business Institute, $300 million newsletter
giant Phillips Publishing, Liberty League International, LifeTools UK, Biz
University Canada, Integrity Church International, affinity travel leader
Vantage Travel, Profit Advisors Inc. and Habitat for Humanity, among
others.
Janet is a nationally-recognized keynote speaker and Founder and
Editor of Leading Experts magazine as well as a contributing expert
to Mentors Magazine and numerous newswires and press syndicates.
She regularly speaks to thousands of entrepreneurs, independent sales
professionals, corporate employees and industry association members
on the principles of success and income generation. Additionally, she
helps achievers who are experts in their field attain worldwide status and
million-dollar incomes by building publishing empires around their business
strategies, training concepts, industry expertise and unique market posture.
Her multi-media short-course How Experts Build Empires : The Step-By-
Step System for Turning Your Expertise Into Super-Lucrative Profit Centers
is the industry s definitive work on the subject of developing and marketing
information products.
Janet makes her home in Thousand Oaks, California where she belongs
to Calvary Community Church and works with young people as a local 4-H
Club project leader a role she s enjoyed for nearly 20 years.
To bring Janet to speak at your next event, call (805) 499-9400 or visit
www.janetswitzer.com. To subscribe to Leading Experts magazine, visit
www.leadingexpertsinternational.com.

The Success Principles: Your 30-Day Journey From Where You Are to Where You Want
to Be