Jack Canfield's Top 7 Success Tips

"Jack, if you had to give me just a few (under 10) pointers to success, what would you say? What's your best of the best advice?"

When I wrote The Success Principles, I had a hard time whittling my repertoire of material down to the best 64 principles. I had a lot more than that after having spent years working with top leaders throughout the world and gathering my treasure chest of wisdom. Even today, I get asked all the time for a cheat sheet to my advice that can be digested in a few short pages rather than a whole book. So that's exactly what I've done. Here's the Cliff's Notes version of my success principles. These are so brief and to the point that you can create a document to have nearby at your desk or posted on a refrigerator. Use these 7 keys as your daily reminders. They should be a source of inspiration, motivation, and, of course, success.

1.) Evict Entitlement and Take Responsibility. One of the greatest myths that is pervasive in our culture today is that you are entitled to a great life and that somehow, somewhere, someone is responsible for filling our lives with continual happiness, exciting career options, nurturing family time and blissful personal relationships simply because we exist. But the real truth is that there is only one person responsible for the quality of the life you live. That person is YOU.

Everything about you is a result of your doing or not doing. Income. Debt. Relationships. Health. Fitness level. Attitudes and behaviors. That person who reflects back at you in the mirror is the chief conductor in your life. Say hello!

2.) Be Crystal Clear Why You're Here. Each of us is born with a life purpose. Identifying, acknowledging, and honoring this purpose is perhaps the most important action successful people take. They take the time to understand what they're on this planet to do, and then they pursue that with passion and enthusiasm.

If you don't know what you're supposed to be doing, then just tune in to the signals around you. Looking toward others for help and guidance is helpful, but don't forget to stay tuned in to yourself--your behavior, attitude, likes and dislikes, and life experiences. Identify what's working and what isn't. If you need to, write it all down. You might be surprised by what you discover.

3.) Decide What You Want in a REALLY BIG Way. It sounds so simple, but here's the problem: I see plenty of people who are overly-busy yet who feel unsatisfied and unfulfilled. They are physically tired, spiritually drained, and far from where they'd like to be--as if they've been running on a treadmill going nowhere fast. Why? Because they haven't clearly mapped out what they want and then taken the steps to get there. Rather than identifying specific goals, milestones, and dreams (and I'm talking BIG dreams and goals here), they go through the motions day in and day out tackling unimportant tasks. They end up...you guessed it...going in circles and wasting lots of energy. In the meanwhile, they grow increasingly uninspired and out of touch with their authentic selves. This, of course, sets anyone up to living a life out of balance.

One of the main reasons why most people don't get what they want is they haven't decided what they want. They haven't defined their desires in clear and compelling detail. What does success look like to you? Not everybody's definition of success is the same, nor should it be.

Don't let your inner devil's advocate (or that incessant but unimportant To Do list) inhibit you from dreaming big. As soon as you commit to a big dream and really go after it, your subconscious creative mind will come up with big ideas to make it happen. You'll start attracting the people, resources, and opportunities you need into your life to make your dream come true. Big dreams not only inspire you, but they also compel others to want to play big, too.

4.) Believe Anything Is Possible and Leave the Complaint Department. Scientists used to believe that humans responded to information flowing into the brain from the outside world. But today, they're learning that instead we respond to what the brain, based on previous experience, expects to happen next. In fact, the mind is such a powerful instrument; it can deliver literally everything you want. But you have to believe that what you want is possible.

As you commit to believing in yourself, also make a commitment to toning down the complaint department. Look at what you are complaining about. I'm fat. I'm tired. I can't get out of debt. I won't ever get a better job. I can't stand the relationship I have with my father. I'll never find a soulmate in life. Really examine your complaints. More than likely you can do something about them. They are not about other people, other things, or other events. They are about YOU.

5.) Fire Up the Faith in Yourself. If you are going to be successful in creating the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen. Whether you call it self-esteem, self-confidence or self-assurance, it is a deep-seated belief that you have what it takes--the abilities, inner resources, talents and skills to create your desired results.

Have unwavering faith in yourself, for good and bad. Make the decision to believe that you create all your experiences. You will experience successes thanks to you, and you will experience pain, struggle, and strife thanks to you. Sounds a little strange, but accepting this level of responsibility is uniquely empowering. It means you can do, change, and be anything. Stumbling blocks become just that--little inconveniences to navigate.

6.) Turn Paranoia on It's Head. Imagine how much easier it would be to succeed in life if you were constantly expecting the world to support you and bring you opportunity. Successful people do just that. Don't assume the world is a brutish, unwelcoming, and difficult place to be. Try thinking the opposite! And turn paranoia inside out.

7.) Make a Goal and Go with It (Even If It's Risky). Experts on the science of success know the brain is a goal-seeking organism. Whatever goal you give to your subconscious mind, it will work day and night to achieve. To engage you subconscious mind, a goal has to be measurable. When there aren't any criteria for measurement, it is simply something you want, a wish, a preference, or a good idea.

Sometimes we need to make just one initial goal to get started, and that's okay. At least it comes with a few actions to achieve. A first step simply can be making an immediate change in a single area in your life. Are you unhappy about something that is happening right now? Make requests that will make it more desirable to you, or take the steps to change it yourself. Making a change might be uncomfortable and overwhelming for you. It might mean you have to put in more time, money, and effort. It might mean that someone gets upset about it, or makes you feel bad about your decision. It might be difficult to change or leave a situation, but staying put is your choice so why continue to complain? You can either do something about it or not. It is your choice and you have responsibility for your choices.

Bear in mind that you have to be willing to change your behavior if you want a different outcome. You have to be willing to take the risks necessary to get what you want. If you've already taken an initial step in the right direction, now's the time to plan more steps to keep moving you forward faster.

Isn't it a great relief to know that you can make your life what you want it to be? Isn't it wonderful that your successes do not depend on someone else?

So if you need just one thing to do different today than you did yesterday, make it this: Commit to taking 100% responsibility for every aspect of your life. Decide to make changes, one step at a time. Once you start the process you'll discover it's much easier to get what you want.

© Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield is America's #1 Success Coach, co-founder of the billion-dollar Chicken Soup for the Soul brand, and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to be more accomplished and have more fun in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessPrinciples.com

 

Comments

[Caitlin Price]

Love this, thanks for the advice!

[Plakias]

Some excellent points made here. In the end, it's all about self-belief, joined up with solid work, combined with a dash of inspiration. If a person can get all that together, then success is never too far away, unless Lady Luck's REALLY got it in for you! On that note, DubLi's a pretty good example of those principles, I strongly suggest you check it out!

[NevaforLeadership]

Fantastic article, Jack. You are the best.

[seawolf77]

Kind of your average pyscho babble BS but I disagree with 6. The world (aka republicans) are against you and will do EVERYTHING in thier power to make sure you fail at whatever you do unless you are one of them, which you must be, since all of them continually try and persuade you that such paranoid thinking is just that, since it makes thier job of sabotaging you that much easier if you believe that's not what they are doing. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE DOING.

[Tim Ellis - Huffpost Blogger]

I am usually leery of lists like these, because they tend to devolve into "if you think it, it will come" magical thinking (see "The Secret" for a good example of terrible advice).

But this is quite reasonable.

The biggest obstacle in many people's lives is simple lack of direction. People know what they DON'T want - but until you know what you DO want, you won't be able to work towards it. The number one piece of advice I give people is to figure out what they really, truly want in life, and then think about various paths to get there. Once you have an idea of what you need to do to get somewhere, all you need to do is work at it.

One quibble - we are not "born with a purpose." Purpose is something we give to ourselves and our own lives. It's not about finding a purpose - it's about creating one. And anybody can do it.

[LifeChangeStartsNow]

I do not agree with you at all, my man.

When we "create a purpose" that is called a goal. And anyone can do it and be really good at it - when one acts on it. A purpose is something totally different. Jack's right. Each person has an innate gift - something they're really good at that fires them up. A passion that motivates them to get up everyday and look forward to it. A person whose job is his or her passion would not consider it work. That my man is a purpose.

I know a middle aged man who only ever wanted to work on cars from the time he "smelt the oil in a garage" when he was a kid. He's been doing that for decades now. He's gifted and his garage is very well known. He cannot even conceive of doing anything else. He loves his life so much. That is his purpose, his life's work. His wife left him because he had no "ambition".

Everyone has something they are good at that makes them special. Too many of us just don't give it the respect or attention it deserves.

[OtayPanky]

For a thoughtful, balancing perspective on the American penchant for "positive thinking", I recommend reading Barbara Ehrenreich's new book, BRIGHT-SIDED.

[bmonaghan]

According to the Blue Zone Studies, one of the keys to a long healthy life is.. believe it or not... drinking herbal tea! As crazy as this sounds, there is a lot of evidence to why this is the case.

http://www.prlog.org/10402490-homegrown-herb-and-tea-releases-five-blue-zone-herbal-teas-for-longevity.html

[NevaforLeadership]

The Blue Zone Studies?!

A lot of good herbal tea will do me, if I am not eating healthy food, exercising or planning my life!

[Nosybear]

Strong survivorship bias: What's never mentioned in these works is how many absolute losers exhibit exactly the same traits. It's true of this list of seven, of Covey's list of seven, of any list of traits - only the winners, the survivors, are studied. While, granted, you're probably not going to succeed without some combination of them, the probability you could exhibit the entire list and fail is never mentioned.

[Ssebo]

Yip. Absolute losers exhibit exactly the same traits.

Take responsibility. Losers always say “I am responsible for my own misery”.
Be clear why you’re here. “I am here to be a loser”.
Decide what you want. “I want to be a loser in a BIG WAY”.
Leave the complaint department. “Losers don’t complain”. Sure – not even to them selves?
Etc.

Stick to possibilities - not probabilities - that you fail when exhibiting the entire list. Or read up on some psychology / "scripts ppl live"; "games ppl play" etc.

What's you're favorite game Cat? "What can you expect from a poor nosy bear like me?"

[Sheri Whitethorn]

Great concise advice; like a book condensed into a basic desk reference. I'm going to do what he suggested and keep this close to my desk for ongoing reference.

[Bariis]

Same here.

[NevaforLeadership]

Jack Canfield is one of the best motivational writers and speakers around. He also happens to be extremely genuine.

[GetRidOfWires]

I like the part about taking personal responsibility for yourself. The rest kind of devolves into random power of positive thinking stuff. You can't be successful in a vacuum. Sometimes you need other people to help you move up. I consider myself successful, but I know that along the way, other mentors helped me get where I am. If you lack contact with the right person at the right time, it is hard to take another step up the ladder.

[simplejourney]

I think the author is acknowledging that successful people create their opportunities. If you take a step then the world opens up in the different way to you than if you were to not make that first step. The key after that is following through. To me what separates the successful people from the less successful is perseverance.

[DanBest]

"it can deliver literally everything you want. But you have to believe that what you want is possible. "

Utter BS. If you are a quadraplegic due to a severed spinal cord you cannot will your way out of the wheelchair. Anything MAY be possible, that does not make it probable, nor is it contingent on your positive attitude.
Here is the unadulterated truth:
You are going to die. Either before your time which means you leave this planet sooner than you want and leave a smoking hole of grief behind you or you die old and watch everyone you love slip off of this mortal coil.
If you need the viagra of positive thinking to get beyond that reality then fine. Personally I believe we live in a beautiful, horrible world and I embrace the good with the bad. To me that is what being human is all about.

[dongarb]

"The Universe is indifferent."

- Don Draper

you know, the handsome guy from Mad Men

[DanBest]

I hear it's pretty cold out there too.

[Kathleen Smith]

Why not just say 'GET OUT THERE AND JUST DO IT". That would be much shorter.

[NevaforLeadership]

If you get out there and just do it without a plan, future picture and goals, you will just end up running around in circles.

[Citizen54]

Nice advice but it won't solve the problem millions of Americans are facing: No job. No money. No prospects.

Positive thinking and realizing one's "purpose" in the universe sounds pretty, and apparently works for some people, but one's thoughts cannot change certain fixed realities. But it's fun to think so, isn't it?

[etiennemacchias]

You're quite a pessimist there.

I think this is a notable list. Even if one has no job, money, or prospects, dreaming large and pursuing your goals will certainly better one's quality of life.

[gypsy508]

No job, no money, no prospects works fine if what makes you happy is being homeless.

[theycallthewindmariah]

Creative people can survive as long as they stay healthy. Creative people don't wait for jobs, they make them. They look for what other people need and find a way to fill that vacuum.

[PenguinLinux]

Manifest your reality.

So shall you perceive it, so shall it be.

The only limitations you have are the ones you believe in and place on yourself; because who you are is who you choose to be.

Do not let others define you, nor should you define anyone else. Instead, define yourself and live honestly. Others will see you as you really are.

What you believe is a possibility.
What you choose is a destiny.

- Ron Schreiner

[NevaforLeadership]

Your thinking is faulty. No job, no money and no prospects are not fixed realities.

Jack's advice goes way beyond positive thinking. It includes ACTION. The only way millions of Americans with no job, no money and no prospects can get out of their predicaments is to create action plans, with crystal clear future pictures, broken down into goals for the different life categories, such as career/job, finance, family, fitness, etc., in turn broken down into daily goals. Only they can help themselves out of their situations.

Really hard to face, but that is the reality of it.

Life goals and action around those goals are what separate the successful from the unsuccessful.

[T Pol]

I'm going to go out on a limb here, having faced some pretty bleak times myself. No job, no money, no prospects -- believe it or not, that's not the end game. If I'm all those things, then the rules still apply -- my definition of success would change to surviving and moving toward A job, A money pot, A prospect.

I know people who are out of work, without money and without prospects. Some of them are losing their homes soon. What are they doing? Some are contacting every person they know looking for work. Some are contacting every government agency and non-profit organization they can find to get financial help. Some are doing odd jobs. Some are planning a move. One family is going to lose their home. By contacting everyone they know, they have a place lined up where they can stay rent free for up to a year in return for taking care of the property. They have to pay their own utilities.

In other words, they have a plan and are taking action to make something change. I'm not saying times are going to be easy for anyone. The Bearing Witness stories on this blog tell you how bad the reality is.

But even in such times, to get through them, you have to persevere and planning how to do that is what heightens the odds of doing just that.

My take, anyway.

[JacqueItch]

Excellent points, Mr. Canfield.

The only thing that seemed missing from your condensed list is the moral consideration:
how our actions affect others, affect the world.
I know you are writing here for the sane everyman/w­oman-----b­ut the psychopaths who lack a conscience- -empathy- -could interpret what you suggest as tailored to their pursuit of narcissistic achievement without regard for who or what gets damaged in the process.

Since many of the Wall Street crowd, political leaders, lawyers, and corporate leaders are psychopaths we need to add in to your advice the sincere urging that whatever action is considered first meets the criterion of causing no harm, yes?