An Overdue Fine I Don’t Regret
Jack Canfield’s – The Success Principles
I had started, liked, but not quite finished Jack Canfield’s book – The Success Principles – and was facing a dilemma. Return the book to the library, or bring it back after the business trip with an overdue fine. I thought I had gotten most of the advice from the book and was on the fence. (It is a sizeable volume, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to lug it around the airport) In the end I brought it, finished it, and paid the fine ($2.25) – and couldn’t be happier.
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TAKE 100% RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE
That’s a powerful statement, and the foundation for the material that follows in the book.
Jack’s advice revolves around this central point – however you are living it, you own your life. Do you find that you blame outside events for your failure to be where you want? If that is the case, you need to stop, understand that you are responsible for where you are in life, and start responding to the events around you in a way that will get you where you want to be.
If you are unable to take complete responsibility for your life, how can you bring success to yourself? Once you own up to yourself, you can work on finding the answer to the second principle – being clear on why you are here.
Life isn’t about having things, it is about finding your path – and doing what you love.
There are many sources that will give you advice on how to be a better lover, make more money, or how to be better organized, but The Success Principles takes one step back and explains what is needed to succeed at life itself.
You’ll have a tough time if you work towards something that is not part of your purpose here – so find that purpose, and then work towards it. Jack presents a tool that will help you get closer to understanding your purpose in life, and I’ll offer – have you ever found yourself in a position where you didn’t love what you were doing, and thought of it more as something you had to do, or something you were trapped into doing? Think how much better you could perform, and how much happier you would be doing something that really mattered to you.
Don’t get better at doing something that you don’t want to do, start doing the thing that you were put here to do, and fly with it.
Themes, Examples, and Resources
The Success Principles is presented around specific ideas that will get you moving. Chapter 29, titled “Complete the Past to Embrace the Future”, advises that in order to get ready for things that will come, we must finish off older projects – and provides the 4D’s: Do, Delegate, Delay, Dump.
Each concept covered in this book is not only explained, but includes specific resources that can help the reader understand it and then look further. (Some of the resources appear to be commercial tie-ins – but see my article “Take What You Want – It’s OK” for my opinion on that)
It definitely started and ended with the more powerful segments (which explains my hesitation 2/3rds of the way through), but overall it left me with plenty to consider and think about.
Find it, Read it, Move forward with your life
I heartily recommend you read The Success Principles. Some of you may find this book in your library like I did, others may get it in a local book store, and still others will need to order online to find a copy. Whatever effort you put into getting this book and reading it will be well worth it. Me – I supported my local library with a little overdue fine, and I think we’re both ok with that.