This was the beginning of Jack Canfield’s teachings of personal success and professional development.
His idea for the Chicken Soup for the Soul
series started in 1990. He shared the idea with co-writer Mark Victor Hansen and by 1993, the two had complied over 60 stories.
series started in 1990. He shared the idea with co-writer Mark Victor Hansen and by 1993, the two had complied over 60 stories.
Getting the book published was another matter, however. He was
rejected by more than 130 publishers before the book finally went to
print. And even the title of the book, which Canfield attributes to
spiritual inspiration, was initially rebuffed by publishers. However,
his persistence paid off and today Chicken Soup is a virtual institution
in the self help genre, selling more than 112 million copies since its
first publication, producing more than 200 spinoffs.
Most people think that the path to finding happiness and
success is influenced by the external world and that you are never fully
in control of how your future turns out. Canfield breaks this notion
down by saying that you are 100% responsible for your failure or
success.
People who tend to blame everyone around them for their failings are often those who find it hard to find real success in life.
Everyone has a purpose. The secret is finding that purpose, knowing it with clarity, and pursuing it with gusto.
According to Canfield, the true measure of success is knowing your purpose and spending your life achieving that purpose. It is true that we can excel in different areas in life but if these areas are not where the purpose lies, then true happiness will be elusive because this is not the meaning of true success.
Finding your purpose is one step, but deciding to steer your life in
that direction can be a major step for most people. People tend to
prefer the place where they are comfortable. The decision to leap and
make that drastic career change can be scary. However, wasting your life
on careers that do not make you happy will only leave you drained and
disillusioned and nowhere near to accomplishing your life’s purpose.
The mind can be a very powerful tool for drawing positive energy into
your direction. Let go of doubts and start believing that you can do
whatever it is you set out to do.
Keep a positive attitude and the universe will listen.
A crippling fear
of failure, strong competitors, and ridicule in the event of failure
can turn even the most confident entrepreneur into a paranoid wreck.
Start believing that the world is good, that not everyone is just dying
to see you fail.
Turn paranoia on its head and you will see that you become more kind,
more open to help and more open to positive energy coming your way as
well.
6. Be flexible
Problems will clutter the road to success. The most successful people
today faced problems head on and were flexible enough to bend and
change when this was needed.
Jack Canfield persisted despite the hundred
publishers who thought that his book was no good. Rejections may number
in the hundreds but it only takes one positive step to take a new idea
or a passion to greater heights.
According to Jack, the longer you hang in there, the greater the chances of something positive happening for you.
Creating a goal for yourself creates a measuring stick which you can use to judge your actions and progress.
This helps you turn your dreams into reality.
A first step is all that it takes to get started. Many people have
lofty dreams and passions but these will remain ideas without action.
Taking the first step is the difference between actually pursuing your
passion and just dreaming about it.
Every effort to pursue something new and novel comes with risks. It
will be uncomfortable especially if it’s a complete turn-around from the
life you are used to. But if you truly believe that this is where your
passion lies and you are willing to work towards it, the risks and
uncertainty will eventually be worth it.
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