On our personal development courses one of the questions we may ask people to ‘break the ice’ (those horrible first moments speaking to strangers that everyone gets nervous about) is ‘Who would you like to spend 30 mins with (alive or dead), Earl Nightingale is one ours.
Earl Nightingale was born March 12 1921 and he became known as the ‘Dean of Personal Development’.
He’s decribed as a ‘depression-era’ child, and his life events are well documented. You can read his full history over at the official site at earlnightingale.com
But fast forward to 1956, Earl Nightingale wrote and recorded The Strangest Secret. It was never marketed or advertised yet it sold over 1 million copies.
The Strangest Secrets underlying message is “we become what we think about” , he said he called it that, because of the irony of it all – that this truth of why we become, whatever it is we become, is no “secret” at all, and therefore, it’s “strange” that we don’t all know about it!
What You’re About to Watch
We’ve put the three videos (thank you youtube) of the Strangest Secret.
They are not ‘new’, hi tech, all flashy and all signing and dancing videos. Far from it. In fact, it’s speakers up loud full blast and tune out the static!
And, the language Earl uses today may not ‘fit’ with our society today.
Please put that aside and remember it’s nearly 55 years old!
The message in The Strangest Secret is STILL relevant to personal development today. In fact what your watch, listen to and the message you hear is a HUGE part of personal development today. Earls message has been packaged up in many self help areas.
Can we offer a bit of advice?
Watch them in three different sittings.
Bookmark this page and come back to them. Our brains have a short ‘attention’ span, and you may reach your limit. OR, to stay focused you could take down a few notes: grab a pen, a cuppa, a notebook and listen.
Enjoy, oh and have a look at all the Earl Nightingale quotes at the end. We bet you’ll recognise a few!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Quotes By Earl Nightingale
All you have to do is know where you’re going. The answers will come to you of their own accord.
All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.
Any person who contributes to prosperity must prosper in turn.
Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm.
Everything begins with an idea.
Everything in the world we want to do or get done, we must do with and through people.
Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.
People are where they are because that is exactly where they really want to be – whether they will admit that or not.
Picture yourself in your minds eye as having already achieved this goal. See yourself doing the things you’ll be doing when you’ve reached your goal.
The big thing is that you know what you want.
The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career!
The mind moves in the direction of our currently dominant thoughts.
The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.
We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves.
We tend to live up to our expectations.
What’s going on in the inside shows on the outside.
Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.
You are, at this moment, standing, right in the middle of your own “acres of diamonds.”
You’ll find boredom where there is the absence of a good idea.
Your problem is to bridge the gap which exists between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach.
Your world is a living expression of how you are using and have used your mind.
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