(Here is my notes on studying Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret, circa 1956. His audio program can be found on Youtube, and its transcription is widely available online. Hope it will inspire you to realise your worthy ideal too!)

Earl Nightingale was an American radio personality, speaker and author, best known for his teaching on the subjects of personal development.

At the beginning of his audio program The Strangest Secret, Earl Nightingale suggested that out of one hundred 25yr-old Americans only 5 will be successful by the time they turn 65.

What happened to the other 95? What has become of their dreams, hopes, plans… and why is there such a large disparity between what these people wanted and what they actually accomplished?

Firstly, how should we define success?

A worthy ideal is subjective to interpretation, so it is up to each of us to find our own path.

Rollo May, the distinguished psychiatrist, wrote a wonderful book called Man’s Search for Himself, and in this book he says: “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice… it is conformity.” Therefore it is our responsibility to think independently.

Do You Have A Goal?

“You can't hit a target you cannot see, and you cannot see a target you do not have.” - Zig Ziglar

People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going. More importantly, the reason to have a clear goal is because the key to success (and the key to failure) is this:

We Become What We Think About

This is the Strangest Secret! Actually, it isn’t a secret at all, but it’s strange because not many who have learned it can truly get it.

Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman Emperor, said: “A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.”

Disraeli said this: “Everything comes if a man will only wait … a human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it, and nothing can resist a will that will stake even existence for its fulfillment.”

William James said: “We need only in cold blood act as if the thing in question were real, and it will become infallibly real by growing into such a connection with our life that it will become real. It will become so knit with habit and emotion that our interests in it will be those which characterize belief.” He continues, ”...only you must, then, really wish these things, and wish them exclusively, and not wish at the same time a hundred other incompatible things just as strongly.”

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

We become what we think about. A person who is thinking consistently about a clear and worthwhile goal is going to reach it. (Note to self: goals can be revised along the way, take one step at a time, at first it’s alright not to be able to see the end.)

As You Sow, So Shall You Reap

The human mind (Note to self: subconsciousness) is much like a farmer’s land. He may plant in that land whatever he chooses (Note to self: consciousness.) The mind, like the land, will return indifferently what he plants.

The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn’t care what we plant, be it a concrete and worthwhile goal, or confusion, fear, anxiety... what we have planted must return to us.

Our mind can do any kind of job we assign to it, but generally speaking, we use it for small jobs instead of big ones. So decide now. What is it you want? Plant your goal in your mind. It’s the most important decision you’ll ever make in your entire life.

Think about your goal in a relaxed, positive way. Picture yourself in your mind’s eye as having already achieved this goal. See yourself doing the things you will be doing when you have reached your goal- where are you? How do you feel? Who are you sharing this moment with?

Every one of us is the sum total of our own thoughts. We are where we are because that’s exactly where we really want or feel we deserve to be, whether we’ll admit that or not. Each of us must live off the fruit of our thoughts eventually, because what you think today will mold your life and determine your future. You’re guided by your mind.

“I remember one time I was driving through eastern Arizona and I saw one of those giant earth-moving machines roaring along the road with what looked like 30 tons of dirt in it and a tremendous, incredible machine and and there was a little man perched way up on top with the wheel in his hands, guiding it. As I drove along I was struck by the similarity of that machine to the human mind. Just suppose you’re sitting at the controls of such a vast source of energy. Are you going to sit back and fold your arms and let it run itself into a ditch? Or are you going to keep both hands firmly on the wheel and control and direct this power to a specific, worthwhile purpose? It’s up to you. You’re in the driver’s seat. You see, the very law that gives us success is a double edged sword. We must control our thinking. The same rule that can lead people to lives of success, wealth, happiness, and all the things they ever dreamed of and that very same law can lead them into the gutter. It’s all in how they use it … for good or for bad. That is The Strangest Secret!”

Don’t concern yourself too much with how you are going to achieve your goal and leave that to a power greater than yourself. All you have to do is know where you’re going. The answers will come to you of their own accord, and at the right time.

Start now.

For the next 30-days follow each of these steps every day until you have achieved your goal.

• Write on a card what it is you want more that anything else. Make sure it’s a single goal and clearly defined. Don’t show it to anyone, but carry it with you so that you can look at it several times a day. Think about it in a relaxed, positive way each morning when you get up, and immediately you have something to get out of bed for, something to live for.

Look at it every chance you get during the day and just before going to bed at night. As you look at it, remember that you must become what you think about, and it’s really yours the moment you write it down and begin to think about it.

• Each time a fearful or negative thought comes into your mind, replace it with a mental picture of your positive and worthwhile goal. And there will come a time when you feel like giving up. If you should find yourself overwhelmed by negative thoughts, it’s ok! Simply start over again from that point and go 30 more days.

• Your success will always be measured by the quality and quantity of service you render. We’ve got to be of service first before we can expect reward. Be of service, build, work, create! Do this and you’ll find there is no limit to the prosperity and abundance that come to you.

Practice Makes Permanent

Take this 30-day experiment, then repeat it with another clearly defined goal... then repeat it again. Gradually, your new habit will form, until you find yourself one of those wonderful people to whom virtually everything is possible.

Wish you love, success and peace!