The Success Principles

How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

by Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield (2005), co-creator of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series co-authored this book that is inspirational as well as a practical guide for individuals seeking to increase their confidence, tackle challenges, and live with passion and purpose. Canfield (2005) developed this book of 64 principles that he has studied and taught himself for over 30 years, helping individuals go from where they are currently in their lives to where they want to be. It is tool that can barely be covered in 300-600 words.

The Success Principles (2005) is broken into 6 parts: The Fundamentals of Success, Transform Yourself for Success, Build Your Success Team, Create Successful Relationships, Success and Money, and Success Starts Now. In The Fundamentals of Success, Canfield (2005) discusses the importance of taking responsibility not only for our own success, but our lives. “One of the most pervasive myths in the American culture today is that we are entitled to a great life-that somehow, somewhere, someone (certainly not us) is responsible for filling our lives with continual happiness, exciting career options, nurturing family time, and blissful personal relationships because we exist.” (pg. 3) Canfield (2005) debunks this myth by teaching through the twenty-four chapters that success comes to the person who takes responsibility for his own life, becoming clear about what it is that they want, believing in oneself, taking action, and numerous other steps that will ultimately lead that individual to finding success. Using the formula “E + R = O (Event plus Response equals Outcome)” (pg. 6), Canfield (2005) states that “every outcome you experience in life (whether it is success or failure,…) is the result of how you have responded to an earlier event or events in your life.” In other words, how we respond to events in our life determine the outcomes we experience, so, if we don’t like the particular outcome in any situation, we must change our responses, i.e., take responsibility and stop blaming and making excuses for why things are the way they are.

Transform Yourself for Success focuses on the inner self – the changing of attitudes, beliefs, and long held onto ideas of success and/or failure. Canfield (2005) leads the reader through a series of principles that encourage the reader to “drop out of the “ain’t it awful” club,” remove toxic people from their lives, acknowledge that they have had positive experiences in the past and many more. Through a series of mental exercises, Canfield (2005) helps the reader discover ways in which they are already successful, and uses that as a tool to build future successes. Finally, Canfield (2005) encourages the reader to develop passion and enthusiasm as they transform themselves for success: “The most successful people I’ve met love what they do so much, they would actually do it for free. But they’re successful because they’ve found a way to make a living doing what they love to do.” (pg. 272). “Passion is a powerful tool for success…” and the key to maintaining one’s passion and enthusiasm is “to reconnect with your original purpose for doing anything that you do.” (pg. 273).

The last Success Principle calls for empowering oneself by empowering others. “One of the most powerful ways to learn anything is to teach it to others.” (pg. 433). Canfield (2005) encourages the reader to teach these principles to others, which will in turn, create success for the reader.

References

Canfield, J. (2005). The Success Principles. New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.