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The Seven Laws of Success
by Herbert W. Armstrong
1974
WHY are only the very
few—women as well as men—successful in life?
Just what is success?
Here is the surprising
answer to life’s most difficult problem, proving that NO HUMAN NEED EVER
BECOME A FAILURE!
All who have succeeded
have followed these seven laws!
The only WAY to success is
not a copyrighted formula being sold for a price. You can’t buy it! The price
is your own application to the seven existing laws.
DID IT EVER occur to you that
there might be a reason why so many people make a failure of life? Not
only men and career women, but wives and mothers to!
Are you one who is wrestling
with the problem of "making ends meet"? Nearly all of us are. This
problem need not mean failure—yet it often leads to it.
It is a fact—the vast majority
do wind up failures. Yet none need fail!
Take a look at the facts
in the world.
Is THIS Success?
Every two minutes someone in the
United States attempts suicide. Each day nearly 70 persons succeed—but
is that success? The World Health Organization estimates that some one
thousand people commit suicide in the world—every day!
Suicides now outnumber murders.
Now various organizations for the prevention of suicide are a reality! But
the cause is individual failure!
Only a minority, of course, go
to this extreme, but the overwhelming majority do end their lives in failure.
Much of the world is in current
"prosperity." Yet—in booming U.S.—more businesses failed in a very recent year than in any
other in the last twenty-six. Across the world streaks the shocking trend of
increasing failures. Scores of millions daily allow he creeping cancer of
failure to chain them to a life of unhappy circumstances, from which only
death promises release.
But why?
Why are only the very few really
successful? Is it mere chance—is it just happen-so—can it be luck? Or are
there definite reasons?
Why do all but the very few find
themselves, by age 60 or 65, dependents? Why must there by old-age pensions,
public welfare aid, charities to support the non-crippled, non-handicapped
helpless? Why must children so often provide for aged parents—when it ought
to be the other way around?
I am going to tell you why!
There are definite
causes! Seven basic laws govern success! It is high time people come to know
them, and end this unhappy and needless tragedy!
Finding the Answer
When I was a young man of
twenty-three, I was a member of the editorial staff of a national magazine. I
was sent on tours over the United States, covering ten or fifteen states each tour. My assignment
was investigating business conditions, reporting workable ideas and facts. I
interviewed businessmen and chamber of commerce officials. I discussed with
merchants and manufacturers their problems. I searched out ideas and methods
that had been successfully applied in sales promotion, public relations,
cutting costs, speeding up turnover, increasing profits.
One of the things my editors
assigned me to investigate was the reason behind the success of the
few, and the failure of the many. Some 95% of smaller independent merchants
were reported by Dun and Bradstreet to be heading toward bankruptcy.
Of course, we were concerned
then only with the success or failure of men. But the same laws apply to the
lives of women.
I asked the opinions of hundreds
of businessmen. Most thought success resulted merely from superior ability,
and failure from the lack of it. But this opinion consigned the majority to
failure from birth without a chance. If a man lacked the ability, he was
foredoomed to failure. There seemed nothing he could do about it. I was not
satisfied with this ides—and later I proved it false.
The manager of the large J.L.
Hudson department store in Detroit thought failure generally resulted from lack of adequate
capital. A minority interviewed agreed with him. But this, also, made
dollars, and not the man, responsible for success or failure.
Actually, investigation showed
these to be contributing factors, but only that. A more prevalent factor, I
found, was fitting the proverbial "square peg in the round hole."
Most failures were misfits. Most, had they known these seven laws, could
have made a success in the field where they best fit.
This quest for the reasons for
success or failure intrigued me. My research on this question did not stop
with these editorial tours. Observation and analysis of this problem have
continued through the years.
And I know, now, that no
human being need ever become a failure!
Failures are not foredoomed.
Success does not just happen! It is governed by seven definite
laws. If you know them, and apply them, the happy result, in the end , is
assured.
Every individual was put on this
earth for a PURPOSE! Every person was put here to become a success. Every
human ought to enjoy the sweet taste of success—to find peace
and happiness—to live an interesting, secure, and abundant life! And in order
that all might—if willing—reap such full and abundant rewards, the
Creator set in motion actual, definite LAWS to produce that desired result.
The tragedy is that through the
centuries and millenniums man has turned his back on those laws—those causes
of the very success he craves! The world long ago ignored and forgot them.
Today, most people do not know what they are. Most people have not
followed a single one of the seven basic laws.
I ask in all candor—isn’t
that a shocking state of human affairs? It is, in fact, the
colossal tragedy of all history!
You Can’t Buy it!
If some recognized authority had
a copyrighted plan to sell that was guaranteed to make all who follow it
prosperous and successful, I suppose people by the thousands would flock to
buy the plan.
One man had such a plan. It was
a sort of pseudo "psychological" religion. He promised the plan
would make its followers prosperous or rich—the easy way, of course. Its
propagator advertised that it had made him rich. He boasted of his
fine home, his great high-ceiling pipe-organ room. The inference was that it
would make its purchasers equally prosperous—but he neglected to mention that
it was the naïve dupes who bought his bogus plan who made him rich.
This man stumbled onto an
advertising catch-phrase for a headline in magazine and newspaper
advertisements, which multiplied responses. He used it for years. But
ultimately it wore itself out. This charlatan’s "success" was
neither real nor lasting. He was, himself, a colossal failure.
The only way to true success is
not a formula being sold like merchandise.
You can’t buy it with money. It
comes to you free—without money, and without price. There is a price, of
course—your own application of these definite laws. It is not
guaranteed to be the easy way—but it is guaranteed to by the only
way to real success!
Clark Gable—Success?
It so happens that on the very
morning of the day this was originally written, I read in a London newspaper the obituary of Clark Gable, motion picture
celebrity. I suppose the world would rate him a great success. But was he?
Just what is success,
anyway?
How can people win success when
so few know what it is?
I was struck with a number of
things in this cinema-star’s obituary. My mind, of course, was on this theme,
since I was at the moment writing on it.
Clark Gable was heralded on page
one of this newspaper as king of the films. He was described as "the
romantic hero of 90 films." He was one of the first ten money-making
stars in the years 1932-43, 1947-49, and 1955. That is 16 years. And the top
film stars make fabulous incomes. "He was, " said the obituary,
"one of the few screen idols to stay the course for so long." But
does all that spell SUCCESS?
One of the "fascinating"
things mentioned about his life was that he had been married five times! Would
we consider at least three failures in marriage (one wife was killed in an
air crash) SUCCESS? The obituary said he cultivated "the furrowed
brow, the knowing frown, the half-closed eyes, those ears and the wise-guy
leer." They were not natural. He deliberately cultivated them for
the women. "Clark Gable," said the obituary, "had cultivated
these for the girls for nearly the whole of his romantic reign." You
might have called it his trademark. He would." "It’s just a
business to me, always has been," he explained. It was just his way of
"earning a living."
Rich Men I Have Known
In my lifetime I have had close
and intimate contact almost constantly with recognized successful men. From
age 18, in early life—within the United States. From middle-age—worldwide. I have read many books and
articles written by such men, numerous biographies and autobiographies of the
great and the near great—their experiences, their philosophies. I know how
these leaders among men think, how they act, what principles and rules they
follow.
One factor characterized nearly
every one of these men. They made money. They acquired material possessions.
Many headed big corporations. They achieved recognition as being important.
Significantly, most of these man
practiced the first SIX of the seven laws of success. That is tremendously
important!
There was the president of a
great motor car corporation at the time when I was the young assistant secretary
of the Chamber of Commerce in his city. He made money. He was recognized in
the world as important. He rose to the top in his profession and industry.
But in the flash depression of 1920 his corporation passed into receivers’
hands, he lost his personal material gains—and he ended his life a suicide! ?
Was he, after all, a success. He neglected not only the seventh, but also the
sixth.
Then there were two great
bankers whom I knew, one of them quite intimately. This was Mr. Arthur
Reynolds, president of the then second largest national bank in America. I first knew Mr. Reynolds when he was president of a
bank in the city where I was born. Later, as an ambitious and rising young
advertising man in Chicago, I went to him often for personal counsel and advice. He
was always interested, helpful. And I always considered his advice sound, and
followed it. Mr. Reynolds won a measure of national and worldwide fame.
Some thirty-five years later I
walked into his great bank and inquired of one of its many vice-presidents
whether he knew where Mr. Reynolds had moved, and where he had died. I had
heard that he had retired and moved to our headquarters city, Pasadena, and died there. This vice president had never heard of
Arthur Reynolds. "Who was he? he asked.
He inquired around. No one he
asked remembered Arthur Reynolds. Finally the public relations secretary sent
to the bank’s library, and presently a clerk brought a newspaper clipping. It
was the sole record the bank seemed to possess of its former president, who,
with his brother, was largely responsible for building up this bank to its
great size and importance. The clipping was from a San Mateo, California, newspaper. It told of his death in that San Francisco suburb.
After reading it, I handed the
clipped obituary back.
"You’ll certainly want to
keep this," I remarked. "It must be valuable to the bank."
"Oh, no," he replied.
"If you knew him, take it along."
And thus I carried from that
great bank what probably was the only record of this man in the bank of which
he was so long president. His "success" was not lasting. It was not
long remembered.
During his busy lifetime, this
man applied the first SIX of the seven rules of success. Yet whatever success
he achieved was fleeting, and although he had accumulated money, acquired a
nice block of stock in the bank, lived in a fine home, became recognized as
important in his lifetime, all of his "success" died with him!
The other great banker was Mr.
John McHugh. I first knew him as president of a bank on a Midwest city. Then I had an hour’s interesting chat with him in the Willard
Hotel in Washington during the American Bankers’ Association national
convention in 1920. He was then president of a well-known New York City bank.
Later, consolidations of several New York banks elevated him two offices higher than the president
of the then largest bank in the world. Yet some 36 years later when I
inquired about him at this great bank, the answer was the same—"Who’s he?
Never heard of him!" His "success" did not live after him.
But there is a real
success that endures!
But IS This Success?
Yes, I have been privileged to
know many of the great and the near great—especially in the American business
world. I have known multimillionaire capitalist, chief executives of great
corporations and banks, cabinet members in the national administration at
Washington, authors, artists, lecturers, college and university heads.
For the most of them, success
meant the acquisition of money and material possessions, and being of
recognized status.
One important man I know was
Elbert Hubbard, philosopher, prolific writer, publisher, lecturer, known as
"the Sage of East Aurora." "The Fra," as he sometimes
styled himself, became quite famous. He wore semi-long hair under an
extra-size hat, and a string bow tie. He was said to be worth a half million
dollars at a time when that equaled three million or more on today’s market.
He published two magazines,
composed mostly of his own writings, The Philistine, and The Fra.
He boasted the largest vocabulary of any man since Shakespeare. He published An
American Bible, shocking many of the religious yet explaining that the
word "bible" merely means "book," not necessarily
implying sacred writings, unless the word "HOLY" is
prefaced. His "bible" consisted of his selection of choice writings
from American authors. He included Franklin, Emerson, Paine, Jefferson,
Lincoln, and, of course, Hubbard! He allotted nearly half of
the entire volume to Hubbard—and all other famous Americans combined shared
the remainder.
Hubbard was not the victim of an
inferiority complex, and he preached a positive philosophy. He did
have rare insight and wisdom in purely material matters, and a keen
understanding of human nature.
He knew that
"important" men craved flattery as an actor enjoys applause. A
large share of his fortune was made by writing an almost endless series of
booklets, captioned Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great and the
Near-Great. These were printed, of course, in rare style in his own
Roycroft Press. Dozens and scores of America’s rich and famous men paid Hubbard premium prices to
write them up in his inimitable literary style.
An interesting sidelight on Mr.
Hubbard’s concept of success came spontaneously from his lips one Sunday
afternoon. He and I were chatting at his Roycroft Inn in East Aurora,
New York.
"I asked a Unitarian
minister," I said, "whether he had ever been able to discern just
what your religious belief really is—if any."
"Fra Elbertus" was
interested at once. "And what did he say?" he asked, curiously.
"He said he wasn’t quite
sure, but he suspected that whatever your religion may be, it probably
originated in your pocketbook and bank account." There was no denial.
"Ho, ho," laughed
Elbert Hubbard, "well, I get away with it, don’t I?"
But was Elbert Hubbard a real
success, after all? By human standards, I suppose he was. He knew and applied
the first six of the seven laws of success. He worked hard and
industriously, and he reaped a bounteous harvest—of money, popularity,
acclaim. He and his wife Alice Hubbard went down together into the depths of
the Atlantic when a German submarine sank the Lusitania. This was one of
the overt acts of the Kaiser’s forces that plunged America into World War 1.
But his fame did not appear to
last. One seldom hears of him any more.
Hubbard knew material values.
But his agnosticism closed the door—and threw away the key—that led to an
understanding of spiritual values. He never quite understood the real PURPOSE
of life itself. He wasn’t sure whether there was a Creator. He was convinced
that fundamentalist or traditional "Christianity" was an
impractical superstition. He didn’t know WHY humanity was placed on the
earth—or whether it just happened! He didn’t know man’s real potential
destiny. He didn’t know the seventh law of success. And, not knowing
or following that seventh rule, he drove himself, by the diligent practice of
the six, in the wrong direction — diametrically away from true
success!
It Never Satisfied
What was the real meaning of
life to these "successful" men?
Their goal in life—their
definition of success—was material acquisition, recognition of status by
society, and the passing enjoyment of the five senses.
But the more they acquired, the
more they wanted, and the less satisfied they became with what they had. When
they got it, it was never enough.
Some "successful" men
of the world maneuver to get their pictures on page one of metropolitan
newspapers, or on the front covers of national magazines. This inflates and
briefly titillates ego, but it never satisfies for long. There’s nothing the
public forgets so quickly as yesterday’s news!
Such men seek the flattery of
others, and engage in back-slapping to invite it. But, like an actor’s
applause (the word always makes me think of "applesauce") it
doesn’t last and leaves them flat, with a gnawing inner hunger for something
that will satisfy! So they become restless, discontented.
Their bank accounts may be full,
but their lives are empty. And what they do acquire, which is never enough
and never satisfies, they leave behind when they die!
What is wrong?
Such men started out with the
wrong goals. They had not discerned the true values, but pursued the false.
Isn’t it about time we learn the
true definition of SUCCESS?
Perhaps the prize example of all
history is that of an ancient king, who strove hard, accomplished much,
gained fabulous wealth. He experimented with every pleasure, to see whether
it brought happiness.
This man said to himself,
"Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself."
Continuing to describe his
experiment, this man wrote: "I searched with my mind how to cheer my
body with wine—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on
folly, till I might see what was good."
This ancient king was young
enough to try to really enjoy life. He could afford it, too. He was
one of the wealthiest men who ever lived—with the resources of a nation at his
command. If there was not enough money for a project he dreamed up, he simply
raised the taxes.
So, he continued writing of his
experiment in searching for happiness and success, "I went in for great
works." Stupendous national works and projects. "I built mansions,
planted vineyards, laid out gardens and parks for myself, in which I planted
all manner of fruit trees, making pools to water the trees in my plantations.
I bought slaves, both men and women, and had slaves born within my household.
I had large herds and flocks, larger than any before me. I amassed silver and
gold, right royal treasures; I procured singers, both men and women, and many
a mistress, man’s delight. Richer and richer I grew, more than any before me
in my country . . . Nothing I coveted did I refuse myself: I denied my heart
no enjoyment—for my heart did feel pleasure in all this—so much I did get
from all my efforts.
"But, " he concluded,
"when I turned to look at all I had achieved and at my efforts and
trouble, then it was all vain and futile . . . all was VANITY, and a striving
after wind. Nothing in this world is worthwhile.
"Utterly vain, utterly
vain, everything is VANITY," wrote this king, after his life of
experimenting. All it led to was striving—yes, always striving—and for
what? "After WIND," he concluded. All that a lifetime of hard work,
vigorous application, material accomplishment brought him, he concluded,
amounted to no more that a HANDFUL OF WIND!
This man was called the wisest
man who had ever lived. He was King Solomon of ancient Israel. But in all his costly experimenting he never found the
true values—the meaning of true and lasting SUCCESS!
And WHY?
Simply because, with all his
wisdom, this man sought pleasure—happiness—success—his own way, in
materialism. In the beginning the Eternal Creator designated and set in
motion living laws for the very purpose of producing happiness,
abundant living, pure and continuous joy, in all humans who would follow
them. These are the seven great laws of SUCCESS. King Solomon, like nearly
all the world’s "successful" men, applied diligently the first
six—but without the seventh, he started out in the wrong direction. The more
he strove, the farther he went—in the direction away from true and
lasting success.
He knew this seventh law.
But, "Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Eternal. . . he did
not keep what the Eternal commanded. Therefore the Eternal said to Solomon,
‘Since this has been your mind and you have not kept my covenant and my rules
which I commanded, I will surely tear the kingdom from you’ " (1 Kings
11:6-11).
Now let me tell you the
experience of a modern king. He was a close personal friend of ex-King Saud
of Arabia, to whom I have been personally presented. Wealth came
suddenly to Sheik Ali of Qatar (pronounced ""gutter").
Qatar is a little Arabian country jutting into the Persian gulf.
The big oil boom recently came to Sheik Ali’s little kingdom. It paid the
country of 35,000 population 50 million dollars a year, of which 121/2
million went personally to old Sheik Ali, age 69.
Now what would you do
with it, if you suddenly came into 121/2 million dollars a year?
The answer, in all probability,
is that you would not do what you now think you would! That much money,
coming suddenly into one’s hands, usually changes one’s ideas completely.
That’s what it did to old Sheik Ali.
Immediately he began to build
big gaudy pink, green, and gold palaces in the midst of malodorous mud
hovels. They were air-conditioned, ultramodern, even equipped with push button
window curtains! And now the newly wealthy sheik could avoid the 120-degree
bake-oven summers of the desert.
He chartered whole airliners and
took with him a retinue so large that his newly purchased palatial villa on Lake Geneva
could not hold them all, and they overflowed into various resort hotels.
Then Sheik Ali indulged in the
$1,000,000 purchase of a magnificent mansion overlooking Beirut—and the beautiful Mediterranean.
When King Saud paid him a royal visit, he presented the king with 16 automobiles.
One was embellished with gold. Old Sheik Ali became so generous in his self-indulgences,
that his debts, over and beyond his fabulous income, soon mounted to 14
million dollars!
The news stories filtered around
the world of how the Sheik just simply could not make ends meet on a
mere 121/2 dollars a year! About the 1st of November, 1960, he abdicated in favor of his son Ahmed, age 40. A new
advisory council arranged to pay old Ali’s debts, and give him a pension
large enough only to provide for a mere handful of servants and a few wives.
Poor old Ali! He found it harder
to make ends meet on 121/2 million annual dollars than he did in comparative
poverty.
The FIRST Law
Certainly NOTHING in life is
more important than to know: what is real success—and how to achieve
it.
What, then, is the first law of
success?
Before stating even the first
law, let it be said that I am not considering here such general principles of
character as honesty, patience, loyalty, courtesy, dependability,
punctuality, etc., etc., etc., except as these are automatically included in
the seven rules. We may assume that one cannot become a real success without
these principles of right character.
But on the other hand, many are
honest who have never practiced a single one of the seven laws, specifically.
Many may be loyal, have patience, extend courtesy, be punctual, who are
unsuccessful because they have not applied a single one of these seven
definite, specific rules. Even so, each of these laws covers a vast
territory.
Here, then, is the first law
of success:
FIX THE RIGHT GOAL!
Not just any goal. Most of the
"successful "men I have mentioned had goals. They drove themselves
relentlessly to accomplishment. But making money, gaining STATUS in the eyes
of people, enjoying the passing pleasures of the five senses, has literally
strewn the pathway of history with fears, worries, heartaches, troubled
consciences, sorrows, frustrations, empty lives and death.
These things may be had and
enjoyed along with true success. But they alone do not bring
success. The right goal includes something more.
In other words, the very first
law of success is to be able to define success! Once you have learned what
success is make that your goal in life.
Do you know that most people go
through life without any GOAL at all? In fact, most people, as I’ve said
before, do not know, and do not apply a SINGLE ONE of the seven laws of
success!
Most people never think of
having any PURPOSE in life. They are not going anywhere, in
particular.
If you have saved up money for a
trip to Paris, or Rome, or London for your vacation or holiday, you spend a
lot of time in excited anticipation PLANNING your trip—but you DO have a
definite DESTINATION—and all plans are laid to take you to that particular destination—that
GOAL. You know where you are planning to go. Otherwise, how would you
ever expect to arrive there?
As I said once before, most
people have no aim—they are merely the victims of CIRCUMSTANCE. They never planned,
purposefully, to be in the fob or occupation in which they find
themselves today. They do not live where they do by CHOICE that is, because
they PLANNED it that way. They have merely been buffeted around by
CIRCUMSTANCE! They have allowed themselves to drift. They have made no effort
to master and control circumstances.
The first law of success, I
repeat, is to fix the RIGHT goal. Not any goal. One could set a goal
in which he had little or no interest, and drift into inaction. The right
goal will arouse ambition. Ambition is more than mere desire. It is desire plus
incentive—determination—will to achieve the desire. The right goal
will be so intensely desired it will excite vigorous and determined effort.
It will fire one with incentive.
There should be an overpowering
PURPOSE to life. Few have ever known such purpose. Down through centuries and
millenniums thinkers and philosophers have pondered, and sought in vain to
learn whether life has a real purpose. Socrates, Plato, Augustine among
others speculated and reasoned, yet the true meaning of life eluded them.
This deepest and most important question in life remained to them a
mystery—an unsolvable enigma!
IF one could discover such an
overall PURPOSE—a definite purpose for which humans were put on earth—IF one
could discover a human potential greater than mere temporary existence, one
would think that PURPOSE would be the goal that should excite dynamic
ambition!
But—alas! Who has ever
discovered such an objective as life’s aim?
Was there nothing greater to
look forward to, for my two prominent banker friends? Nothing greater than to
enjoy fleeting status, only to be forgotten by those who succeeded them?
What is there, after all, to
live for?
I repeat! The first law of real
success is to have the right goal! The men I have described, rated eminently
successful in the world, all had goals. They applied diligently all of the
first six of the Success Laws. But failing the seventh, they misapplied the
first. Their success was fleeting.
The Vital Second Law
And so, if you are to arrive at
SUCCESS in LIFE, you must first set the right goal, and then comes the
PREPARATION to achieve that goal.
So, the SECOND law of success
in time sequence, is EDUCATION, or PREPARATION.
How can one expect to accomplish
his purpose unless he acquires the know-how?
One thing we need to know about
life—and many do not—is that humans do not come equipped with instinct.
To this extent, the dumb animals
have a certain advantage over us. They do not have to learn. They never need
weary their brains with book learning.
The new born calf does not have
to be taught how to walk. It starts immediately to get up on its somewhat
infirm and uncertain legs. It may fall down on the first or second attempt,
but in a matter of a few moments it stands, even if a little unsteady at
first. It does not require a year or two—not even an hour or two—the little
calf starts walking in a few minutes! It does not need to reason out
any goals. It requires no textbooks, nor teaching. It instinctively knows its
goal—dinner! And it knows, also instinctively, the way. On its own
four legs it proceeds immediately to the first meal!
I have repeated so many times:
birds build nests—by instinct. No one teaches them how. Five generations of
weaver birds, isolated from nests or nest-building materials, never saw a
nest. When nest-building materials were made accessible, the sixth
generation, without any instruction, proceeded to build nests! They were not
crows’ nests or eagles’ nests. They were the same kind of nests weaver birds
have built since creation. They had no minds to think out, imagine,
design, and construct a different kind of nest.
Of course dogs, horses,
elephants, dolphins, and some other animals can be taught and trained to do
certain tricks. But they cannot reason, imagine, think, plan, design and
construct new and different things. They do not acquire knowledge, perceive
truth from error, make decisions, and employ WILL to exercise self-discipline
according to their own reasoned wisdom and decisions. THEY CANNOT DEVELOP MORAL
AND SPIRITUAL CHARACTER.
But humans have it not quite so
easy. Humans have to learn, or be taught. Humans have to learn to
walk, to talk, to eat or drink.
We don’t come to these basic
accomplishments instinctively and immediately like the dumb animals. It may
take a little more time. It may come a little harder. But we can go on to learn
reading, writing, and "rithmetic"!
Then we can go further, and
learn to appreciate literature, music, art. We can learn to think and reason,
to conceive a new idea, to plan, design, construct.
We can investigate, experiment,
invent telescopes and learn something about outer space and far-off planets,
stars, and galaxies. We invent microscopes and learn about infinitesimal
particles of matter.
We learn about electricity, laws
of physics and chemistry. We learn to use the wheel, construct highways, and
roll over ground faster than any animal. We learn to fly higher, farther and
faster than any bird. We learn how to take nature apart and make it work for
us. We discover and utilize nuclear energy.
But we have to LEARN—to STUDY—to
be EDUCATED—to be PREPARED for what we propose to do.
One if the first things we need
to learn is –that we need to learn!
Once you have learned enough to
CHOOSE A GOAL, the second step toward successfully accomplishing that
goal is to LEARN THE WAY—to acquire the additional education, training,
experience, to give you the know-how to achieve your goal.
Most people fail to set any
definite goals. Having no specific aims, they neglect the specialized
EDUCATION to make possible the attainment of their purpose.
Now all these men whose case
histories I have recounted had goals. They had the overall purpose of
acquiring possessions, attaining status, and enjoying the passing moments. As
a means to this objective, they had the specialized goals of
succeeding in banking, industry, politics, acting, writing, or whatever. They
all EDUCATED THEMSELVES for their particular profession or calling.
They were broad enough to
realize that education included not only book learning, but personality
development, leadership, experience, knowledge form contacts and
associations, and from observation.
Yet these "successful"
people were not really successful. They not only chose an overall goal that
led them in the way of false values, they also failed to equip themselves
with the RIGHT education to make possible that REAL LASTING
success—fulfilling the PURPOSE of life.
There is, then, a right and a
false education.
These successful people were not
lastingly successful. Their education failed to teach them the TRUE VALUES.
They chose goals that led them in the way of false values that didn’t last.
The entire system of education
in this world neglects to recapture the true values. Even the scholarly
educators themselves too often devote themselves to arduous years of research
into non-essential and useless channels.
The basic and most essential
knowledge—the true values, the meaning and purpose of life, the WAY to peace,
to happiness and abundant well-being—these basics are never taught. Because I
was given to see this decadence in modern education—to recognize this tragic
knowledge gap—I was led to found a college that fills this need.
Right education must teach that
all things are a matter of cause and effect—that for every result, whether
good or evil, there is a cause. True education will teach the CAUSE of this
world’s evils—of personal or collective troubles—so that they may be avoided.
Also it much instruct in the CAUSE of this world’s evils—of personal or
collective troubles—so that they may be avoided. Also it must instruct in the
CAUSE of the GOOD results, that we may know how to win them instead of the
troubles. Right education must not stop at teaching TO LIVE! It must know,
and teach, the PURPOSE of human life, and how to fulfill it.
Decadent education has spawned
student revolt, which has, on occasion, plunged many colleges and
universities into states of violence and chaos!
It’s another significant tragedy
of our time!
This world is dissemination
false education that has come down to us from the thinking, philosophizing,
yet misguided pagans who lacked a knowledge of the true values and purposes
of life! The true history of education is an eye-opening story in itself!
The Basic Third Law
The all-important law coming
next in time order is GOOD HEALTH.
We are physical beings. The mind
and the body form the most wonderful physical mechanism we know. But man is
made of matter. He is basically 16 elements of organic, chemically functioning
existence.
He lives by the breath of
air—which is the breath of LIFE itself. If the bellows we call lungs do not
keep inhaling and exhaling the oxygen-containing air, man won’t live to
achieve any goal. You are only one heartbeat away from death! As the lungs
pump air in and out, so the heart pumps blood through and intricate system of
veins and arteries. These must be supported by food and water.
And so man IS just what he
eats. Some of the most famous physicians and surgeons have said that 90%
to 95% of all sickness and disease comes from faulty diet!
Most people are in utter
ignorance of the fact that it does make a difference what we eat! Most
people, and the customs of society, have followed a regimen of eating
whatever tastes good to the palate.
Adults are babies grown up.
Observe a nine-month-old baby. Everything that comes into his hands goes to
his mouth!
My youngest brother may not like
to read this in print, but I remember when he was about nine months old, and
had managed to creep into the basement coal bin. We found him trying to eat
little chunks of coal—his mouth and face well blackened!
You may laugh at babies trying
to eat silver cups and chunks of coal. Or at people who dip small mice into a
sauce, and, holding them by their tails, drop them as a delicious delicacy
into their mouths.
If you do, they will laugh back
at you. They will tell you that mice eat clean grain and clean foods, while
you dip slimy, slithery oysters and other scavenger seafoods into cocktail
sauces, and consider them a delicacy!
You think adults have actually
LEARNED any better than nine-month-olds babies? Go to your fancy grocer’s and
you’ll find on his shelves canned eel and canned rattlesnake.
WHY? As I said, humans know
nothing at birth! We have to learn! But most of us do not know that!
And, again, what we don’t know, we don’t know that we don’t know! And
somehow, ever since babyhood, most humans seem to have grown up putting
everything into the mouth. Most have grown up eating just whatever seemed to taste
good—and whatever they saw others eating. There has been little education or
even study about WHAT we ought—or ought NOT—to eat.
Most degenerative diseases are modern
diseases—penalties for eating foods that have been demineralized in food
factories—usually an excess of starch, sugar (the carbohydrates) and fats.
Others are caused by a type of malnutrition—lack of needed minerals and
vitamins in foods. Then people try to put the "vitamins" back into
their systems by buying pills at the drugstore!
A famous director of a
"Physical Fitness" program, lecturing at Ambassador College, reminded us that the medical profession has made great
strides toward eliminating communicable diseases, yet is having little
success coping with the increase of the non-communicable diseases—such as
cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, kidney diseases. These latter are affected
by faulty diet.
Of course there are other laws
of health—sufficient sleep, exercise, plenty of fresh air, cleanliness and
proper elimination, right thinking, clean living.
Right now "jogging"
has become the physical fitness fad. Even men in their late forties read a
book by a self-professing "expert," and suddenly are straining
their hearts running two miles every day. "More and more exercise!"
cry the faddists.
Why do humans tend to go to
extremes? Exercise is good—it profits a little—but like most things, it can
be carried past the law of diminishing returns. You can get an overdose that
can cause harm. We are prone to forget the admonition of TEMPERANCE in all
things.
What is the value of this
excessive exertion in running two miles a day? It induces blood circulation.
It gets circulation even to the extremities. And that is good.
Stimulating blood circulation is good. Stimulating blood circulation is
important. But we can also DESTROY HEALTH by going to unwise extremes.
There is as much danger in overdoing exercise as in neglecting it.
Circulation can be induced
without over-exertion or danger. I have never forgotten a lecture I heard as
a young man in the days of the Chautauqua. The lecturer had been physical
trainer to President Howard Taft. Immediately following the close of the Taft
administration, this physical trainer managed to secure a list of all—or
nearly all—of the centenarians in the United States. He personally visited every one. He asked to what they
attributed their long life. One never used tobacco, and gave that as the
reason. But another used tobacco all his life and still lived past a hundred
years. One "tee-totaled"—but another drank beer and brandy all his
life. And so it went. When he had interviewed them all, he analyzed his notes
and was surprised to learn that ONLY ONE THING was common to them all. Yet
not one gave it credit for his long life. Every one had taken a vigorous daily
rub-down. Some with a bath towel, following a daily bath. Some with a brush
But in one way or another, each had stimulated blood circulation even to the
extremities of toes and fingers by daily rubbing or massaging.
Many ask how I (now in my
nineties) keep up the energy, vigor and drive. I’m sure there is more than
one reason—but I do not "jog" or go in for fads. I WALK—the best
exercise for one of my age. But ever since I heard that lecture, perhaps 60
or more years ago, I have taken a daily RUB-DOWN. Method? A generous-size
bath towel, following a daily shower. I try to get enough sleep. I watch
elimination (very important). I try to be careful about my diet. And I have a
tremendous INCENTIVE—a driving PURPOSE in life, because I have learned what is
life’s PURPOSE. That spurs to action! I have a mission to accomplish that
is more important than my life. There’s not much time left—and it MUST and
WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED! Besides all this I draw on a greater and higher Power.
I think that gives the answer.
The average person has never
stopped to realize that it is not natural to be sick. Sickness and
disease come only from violation of nature’s laws of body and mine—the
physical LAWS of health. Most people have not learned that there are
any such laws! They suppose that occasional illness or disease is natural in
the course of life. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Sickness should not be taken for
granted. Some authorities go so far as to say that we do not catch a
cold—we eat our colds and fevers! They explain that a cold or fever is
merely the unnatural and rapid elimination of toxins and poisons stored up in
the glands, resulting from improper diet.
Now what about the great and the
near-great of the world? They usually do not know all there is to know about
the laws of good, vigorous health with clear, alert minds. But, compared to
the average of the population, they know a great deal. They have, as a
rule, enjoyed, shall we say, comparatively good health!
As an example, the President of
the United
States
always has a White House physician who is constantly watchful over the
President’s physical condition. A President is virtually required to get in
certain exercise. President Eisenhower played golf frequently. President
Kennedy took a daily swim. President Taft had a physical trainer who watched
the overweight President daily.
Yet, there are many things that
even these important people do not know about the causes of sickness,
disease, debility.
One factor I think has worked
universally in favor of such men. Mental attitude does have
considerable influence on physical condition. Most "successful"
men—as the world evaluates success—do think constructively, positively, in a
mental attitude of confidence. They do not allow themselves to think negatively
or assume an attitude of fear, worry, or discouragement. They do not allow
themselves to get into uncontrolled moods of griping, complaining. They
enforce on themselves emotional balance. And, mindful of the responsibilities
on their shoulders, they probably put more restraint on dissipation than most
people.
Without health one is direly
handicapped, if not totally cut off from achievement. The fourth Law of
Success is largely dependent on good health.
The All-important Fourth Law
A person may have chosen his goal.
Having it may have aroused tremendous ambition to achieve it. He may have
started out educating and training himself for its accomplishment, and
he may even have good health and still make little or no progress
toward its realization.
After all, success is
accomplishment. It is DOING. They say any old dead fish can float downstream,
but it takes a live one to swim up. An inactive person will not accomplish.
Accomplishment is DOING.
Now comes an all-important law.
The fourth success-law, then, is
DRIVE!
Half-hearted effort might carry
one a little way toward his goal, but it will never get him far enough to
reach it.
You will always find that the
executive head of any growing, successful organization employs drive!
He puts a constant prod on himself. He not only drives himself, he
drives those under him, else they might lag, let down and stagnate.
He may feel drowsy, and hate to
awaken and get up[ in the morning. But he refuses to give in to this impulse.
I remember the struggles I once
had with this situation. It was during one of my "Idea-Man" tours
as a magazine editorial representative at age 22. I was having quite a
struggle with drowsiness. Yet I acquired the habit of sleepily answering the
morning telephone call and promptly going back to bed and to sleep. Then I
bought a "Baby Ben" alarm clock, which I carried with me. But I
found myself arising to turn it off, then plunging back into bed. I was too
drowsy to realize what I was doing. I was not sufficiently awake to employ
willpower and force myself to stay up, get under the shower and become fully
awake and alert. It had become habit.
I had to break the habit. I had
to put a prod on myself. I needed an alarm clock that couldn’t be turned off
until I was sufficiently awake to get going for the day.
So one night at the Hotel Patton
in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I called a bellboy to my room. In those days the
customary tip was a dime. A half dollar then had about the same effect that a
$20 bill would have today. I laid a silver half-dollar on the dresser.
"Do you see that
half-dollar, son?" I asked.
"Yes, Sir!" he
answered, eyes sparkling in anticipation.
After ascertaining that he would
be still on duty at 6:30 next morning, I said, "If you will pound on
that door in the morning at 6:30, until I let you in, and then stay in this
room and prevent me from getting back into bed until I am dressed, then you
may have that half-dollar."
I found those bell-boys would,
for a half-dollar tip, even wrestle or fight with me to prevent my crawling
back into bed. Thus I put a prod on myself that broke the morning snooze
habit and got me up and going!
Often workmen never rise above
whatever job they may have because they have no drive. They slow down, work
slowly, poke around, sit down and rest as much as they can. In other words,
they must have a boss over them to drive them, or they would probably
starve. They would never become successful farmers—for a farmer, to succeed,
must get up early and work late, and drive himself. That is one reason so
many must work for others. They cannot rely on themselves—they must be driven
by one of more energy and purpose.
Without energy, drive
,constant propulsion, a person need never expect to become truly
successful.
Law Number 5—for Emergencies
One might suppose that if he had
a goal—and with it the ambition to achieve his purpose—if he then became
trained, educated, and experienced in pursuing it, kept in good health, and
constantly drove himself relentlessly toward his objective, that he would be
bound to accomplish it.
Important as these four laws
are, they are not enough.
Life constantly encounters
hazards, obstacles, unexpected problems or setbacks. You may be proceeding
along right on schedule, when BANG!—out of nowhere comes an unexpected complication.
Some sudden circumstance arises which seems to stop you completely, or at
least set you back.
So, to meet these constantly
arising problems, you must have:
RESOURCEFULNESS!
When complications, obstacles,
unexpected circumstances appear to block your path, you must be equipped with
RESOURCEFULNESS to solve the problem, overcome the obstacle, and continue on
your course.
The old Slow Train Through
Arkansas (I read the book years ago) encountered a cow lying across the
tracks ahead. The train could not proceed toward its destination until that
obstacle was removed.
When we drove the old Model
"T" from Iowa to Oregon in 18 days back in 1924, we met repeated
emergencies of motor troubles, flat tires or blowouts. We had to solve the
difficulties by patching tires, putting "boots" in the casings, or
doing our own repair work by the roadside when the motor stalled.
I learned a lesson in
determination and resourcefulness on my first visit to Niagara Falls. It was
on December 25th, probably 1913, with a silver thaw. I strolled
out on Goat Island, which divides the river just above the falls. At one
point there was a huge rock. It appeared as an impassible barrier to that
rapid-flowing river, racing to its destination, down over the falls, into the
rapids below and on to Lake Ontario.
I watched, intrigued. Did the
rushing waters stop, quit, give up? Not on your life! I was thrilled as I
watched the water swirl around the huge boulder—splash on over it, even find
a hole through it, dashing, crashing, roaring on toward its goal!
The IBM people used to put out a
famous card found in many offices, which says "THINK!"—and
sometimes they deliberately spell it "THIMK?"
When sudden emergencies arise,
then of all times you need a clear mind, calm nerves, rapid thinking,
sound reasoning! You need RESOURCEFULNESS! You need a cool head, to
quickly get all the facts and make a wise decision.
Do you keep calm in emergencies,
or lose your head and go to pieces? Do you think rapidly, yet clearly and
logically, or do you freeze up and go dead?
To succeed, you need to
cultivate the ability, and the habit, of remaining unexcited, yet
leaping to action on high tension, reaching the right decision, then acting
on it!
And now one would most certainly
think that these five laws should be all that is required to guarantee
ultimate success. And yet nine out of every ten who have all these five still
fail—without the important sixth law.
Importance of # 6
Among the case histories
recounted in the beginning pages was that of the president of a major
automobile manufacturing corporation. He had utilized the first five of these
laws—that is, except he had the usual goal that leads in the wrong direction.
Yet in the flash depression of 1920, when he lost his personal fortune, he
committed suicide.
This man had reached the point
where he was, to all appearances, through! During life he had
resourcefully solved emergencies and problems that arose. But now, suddenly,
it seemed that everything had been swept from under his feet.
Everything he had worked for. Everything he had accumulated. Everything he
had set his heart on! There was NOTHING left! He was washed up—finished! So
it seemed to him. I never knew his private life.
He gave up! He committed
suicide. So near success, yet so far!
Yes, nine in ten, at least once
or twice in a lifetime, come to the place where they appear to be totally
defeated! All is lost!—apparently, that is. They give up and quit, when just
a little more faith and perseverance—just a little more
STICK-TO-IT-IVENESS would have turned apparent certain failure into glorious
success.
Law number six, then, is
PERSEVERANCE—stick-to-it-iveness!
I know! I have reached that
point more than once! I, too, had everything swept out from under me in that
flash depression of 1920.
I had been making an income,
still in my twenties, equivalent to an executive’s salary in today’s dollar
value. But some 90 percent of it came from five or six big Midwestern corporations.
Most of these great corporations "went under"—that is, they went
into "receivers’" hands.
Later, in 1926, an advertising
business I had started on the west coast was wiped out from under me by an
association decision made in the east. A million-dollar project was dashed to
oblivion by the stock-market crash and depression of 1929. But I did not quit
or give up living. That was when my life GOAL was changed!
Even the first two years of the
operation of Ambassador College stared constant defeat in the face. Nearly
everybody thought we were through—we had failed! WHY, they wondered, didn’t I
realize it and QUIT? In those days I had to listen to associates around me
talking constantly about "when this college folds up."
But it didn’t fold up! By
the year 1949 we got over our first financial hump. Later, the second. Today,
I think we may be justified in saying that the college is, indeed, a
glorious SUCCESS! And our other operations today are worldwide on a major
scale.
Still We Need Law # 7!
Well now, it would certainly seem
that if one follows these SIX laws of success, nothing more should be
required!
But still, these
"successful" men I have described followed these six principles.
They gained their goals. They made money. They attained recognized status.
They enjoyed the passing pleasures.
Still their lives were
empty—they were never satisfied—they were discontented, they never found
lasting, permanent, enduring happiness—they did not take their
acquisitions with them when they died, and their fame died with them!
What they lacked—what ALL lack
who fail of REAL success, application of Success Law number 7—the most
important law of all! That is the ingredient that would have changed everything?
The Overlooked SEVENTH Law
I have reserved this all-important
seventh Law till last to explain. But far from being least, it is first in
vital importance!
I have held it till now because
1) it is the very last one that people will acknowledge and apply; and
2) being first in making possible real success, I want to state
it last so it will remain stamped in the mind of the reader.
When serious illness strikes,
people call the doctor. It is automatic for most to rely on human
professional knowledge and skill—on material drugs, medicines and knives. But
finally, when the attending physician—perhaps with specialists called in
collaboration—gravely shakes his head and says there is no more that medical
science can do—it is now in the hands of a higher Power—then, at last people
cry out desperately to the Creator God!
Is it possible that the living
GOD might be a factor in determining the success or failure of one’s life?
Few have thought so.
People will ignore all their
lives any idea of divine guidance and help—yet if one should find himself on
a foodless and waterless raft after a shipwreck in mid-ocean, it is
remarkable how quickly he would begin to believe there really is a living
God! In last-resort desperation most people will cry out to Him whom they
have ignored, disobeyed, and set at naught all their lives.
Wouldn’t it seem axiomatic that,
if there is a compassionate beneficent Creator standing ready and willing to
give us emergency help as a last resort, it would have been more sensible to
have sought His guidance and help all along? Yet some have acquired wealth,
lived luxuriously, and then, suddenly losing all, turned finally to God in
their economic distress. Others have committed suicide. Few, it seems, will
ever rely on their Maker and life-Sustainer until they feel helpless and in
desperate need. Even then the motive too often is selfish.
Yet, if we are to enjoy the good
things of life—freedom from fears and worries, peace of mind, security,
protection, happiness, abundant well-being—the very SOURCE of their supply is
the Great God! Since all comes from Him anyway, why not tap the SOURCE from
the very beginning?
But in our day of modern
science, sophistication and vanity, it has not been fashionable to believe in
a Maker. In this deceived world, knowledge of God has found little or no
place in modern education.
The ALL-IMPORTANT seventh Law
of Success, nevertheless, is having contact with, and the guidance and
continuous help of GOD!
And the person who does
put this all-important seventh law last is very probably dooming his
life to failure at the end.
Why of First Importance
Look again at the very first
Law, as it has been listed here. It is not merely choosing a goal—any goal.
It is setting as one’s life-aim the right goal.
The "successful" of
this world all had goals. But their goals led to material ends. They sought
happiness in vanity, pride of status, material acquisitions, physical
activities and pursuits. They sought the approbation of people. But people
are human, and their lives are temporary. Material objects, too, are not
enduring, but wax old until consigned to disuse.
The main goals of those supposed
to be successful in the world usually are two: Vanity—desire for
status; and money with the material things it will buy. But happiness
is not material, and money is not its source. Vanity, as Solomon observed is
like a striving after wind!
These men I have mentioned made
money. Their bank accounts may have been full, but their lives were empty.
When they acquired money, it never satisfied, and always they wanted more.
These monetary victories, these material acquisitions, gave, of course, a
thrill of satisfaction—but it never lasted!
This life-long struggle—this
constant striving "after wind"—striving after false
values—left in its wake a trail of fears and worries, apprehensions, disappointments,
heartaches, troubled consciences, discontent, empty lives, frustrations—and
finally, DEATH!
Oh yes, of course there were
pleasures, moments of excitement, periods of enjoyment. There were occasional
thrills, temporary sensations of delight. But always they were followed by
periods of depression. Always a gnawing inner soul-hunger returned. This in
turn drove them to seek satisfaction in the thousand-and-one events in the
world’s whirl of material pleasures and pastimes. Yet these never filled the
void. They never satisfied the real inner hunger.
These people probably didn’t
realize it, but the hunger was spiritual. And spiritual hunger is
never satisfied by material food!
The "successful" of
this world applied six of the success laws. But they left GOD out of the
picture, and the happiness of real success out of their lives.
It seems almost no one, today,
realizes HOW—and WHY—we were made. WHAT we humans are, and WHY we are. Why
should we live in ignorance of these basics of knowledge?
Two basic and vital facts are
overlooked:
1. While man was made a material
being, of the dust of the ground, sustained by eating material food and
drinking material water, he was made also to need spiritual food, and
to drink of the "living water" of God’s Spirit. Without these
spiritual needs man cannot be truly and continually happy. Nothing else
really satisfies.
2. The Eternal Creator, who made
us in His own likeness, is creator of ALL that is. Everything man needs to
make life continuously and abundantly satisfying, must come from Him. He is
the SOURCE OF SUPPLY. He is the GIVER of everything good. WHY must men ignore
the true SOURCE, and try to obtain where there is nothing to be obtained? If
I wish to draw clear, sparkling drinking water from a well, I will go to a
well filled with such water, not to one that is empty. God says of our
people: "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me
the FOUNTAIN of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns,
that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13).
And again He says: "Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money;
come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without
price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your
labour for that which satisfieth not?" (Isaiah 55:1-2.)
Once again, look at the first
of the Success Laws. Stated another way, it is to DEFINE SUCCESS! And what
constitutes real Success? Once you have learned the true meaning of
Success, then you have found the only right goal.
The right goal sets the
direction of your life’s journey. Success is the destination of that journey.
Success is where you finally arrive—and true Success includes a
happy and enjoyable journey along the way.
PURPOSE to Life?
Is there, after all, a PURPOSE
to life?
If we were put here by a
Creator, would He have put us here without a REASON? And a Creator with Mind
and Power that could have designed and produced the human mind and body could
have failed to make available for humans every tool, ingredient and facility
needed to fulfill His Purpose!
Of course men cut off from God
have no knowledge of that Purpose. For that knowledge is not material, but spiritual
knowledge. And spiritual things cannot be seen—nor heard, felt, smelled or
tasted. Spiritual knowledge can be transmitted only by revelation. And this
world has rejected revelation. Men cut off from their Creator of necessity
are spiritually blind and ignorant, groping in the dark. So they fail to
seize the proper tools, ingredients and facilities.
But the Maker has sent an instruction
book along with the human mechanism He made. It contains all the
real answers. It reveals life’s real PURPOSE—the potential destiny of man!
That instruction book, as Bruce Barton aptly said, is the "book
nobody knows." Almost no one knows that 95% of the contents of
that Book is virtually ignored by the professing Christian clergy. Most
scientists and educators today suppose, erroneously and in ignorance of the
facts, that the Bible is merely the book of an ancient race of Jewish people,
striving to devise a concept of a god—in by gone days of ignorance and
superstition. They don’t examine the Book, as they examine other data, to see
what it says. They ignore it as something beneath their pride of intellect to
consider.
The religious Bible-believing
fundamentalists generally quote and use not more than some 5% of the
Scriptures. Approximately one-third of the entire contents of the Bible is
devoted to ADVANCE NEWS REPORTS, called, in religious terminology, prophecy.
FEW pay any attention to this third of the writings—and most seem devoid of
understanding.
What almost ON ONE realizes is
that the ignored 95% of that great volume is the INSTRUCTION BOOK which the
Maker sent along with His product—just as any manufacturer of a material
commodity does. Yet some scholars today have been surprised and shocked to
learn that this ignored, maligned, misrepresented Book contains THE ANSWERS
to life itself—reveals the PURPOSE of life—the LAWS that govern it—the ANSWER
to what IS Success, and how to achieve it!
It has been like discovering a
gold mine of knowledge they did not know existed. They have found that it
MAKES SENSE—that, indeed, IT IS THE VERY FOUNDATION of KNOWLEDGE in
just about all areas—that it provides the only right approach to the
acquisition of further discoverable knowledge.
This ultimate potential destiny
is the only TRUE goal. It is your reason for being alive! It is the
reason you were born!
Those who have worked, striven,
fought their way to any other goal have been wasting their lives—living for
naught! They have, in true fact, been going nowhere! And how many, since
humans were first put here on earth, have really known that PURPOSE—that one
right goal of life? Very few, indeed!
The time when we need divine
guidance, enlightenment, and help, is at the very BEGINNING—at the
time when a young man or woman chooses that RIGHT GOAL. Without divine
guidance the wrong goal is always set.
That is why poor people
possessing the least knowledge and material goods sometimes appear
to be the happiest. Actually they were not happy. They merely are less
discontented! They have not progressed as far in the WRONG DIRECTION as
those who smugly and vainly supposed themselves to be their more intelligent
betters!
Life has a PURPOSE. God has set
in actual, inexorable motion definite LAWS to PRODUCE for man every
happiness, security, and GOOD thing he desires—THE WAY OF LIFE that will fulfill
God’s PURPOSE for our being!
LOOK! THINK! An automobile was
designed and built by its human makers to transport passengers, and do it
more speedily and in more comfort than the old horse and buggy. Would it not
be ridiculous if the automobile had a mind and free volition of action, and
it would say: "That’s silly! I don’t think I was made to transport
people. I think I was made for some other purpose. I refuse to
transport people. I want to be an instrument for viewing the stars in the
heavens."
Apparently it is only stupid,
foolish man—with POTENTIAL mind power and CAPACITY for intelligence beyond
any creature God has created—who says "WHY have you made me thus?"
WHAT, then is the PURPOSE
for which we were put here?
Of this, mankind has totally
lost all conception. To people spiritually drunk on the false material
concepts of our day, the statement of that purpose would appear strange,
absurd, impossible. It SO FAR transcends anything conceived by humanity in
this blinded world that the statement of it would prove too great to be
grasped and accepted.
Suffice it to say—and I shall
leave it to another booklet to explain—man was put here for the PURPOSE of
being conformed to, and finally stamped with the exact perfect CHARACTER of
Jesus Christ! Write for the free booklet Why Were You Born?
Christ is now stamped with the
identical CHARACTER IMAGE of God, as well as the shining, brilliant,
glorified appearance of God! For a mortal human to be transformed into
that perfect spiritual image means that we must be CHANGED!
The Bible pictures God as the
Master Potter—us as the clay. Indeed we are, literally clay images of
God—composed of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). As we now bear only the
physical image of the "earthy," we shall when changed, bear
the spiritual image of the heavenly—of GOD (1 Corinthians 15:47-49). So we
are clay images with human minds that are free moral agents. They may submit,
or they may rebel. They have power of will, and of decision.
Free to Choose
Understand this! You are a free
moral agent. God will never "cram" His religion down your
throat." He will never force you to decide His way or go His way. He not
only allows you to choose the wrong way—He compels you to make
your own decision. Otherwise His PURPOSE would be thwarted!
The living God has set two ways
before us. One, His Way, the cause of all the good things you want
here and now, plus eternal life in REAL SUCCESS continuously forever. The
other the way of self-centeredness, vanity, greed, envy—the way mankind has
gone, in rebellion against God and His Law—the way that causes all
unhappiness, suffering, evils, and ends in death. And God compels you
to choose! Yet He commands you to choose the Way that
leads to REAL SUCCESS (see Deuteronomy 30:19).
You Need HELP
That ultimate TRUE Success is something
you cannot attain to by yourself. The ingredient you lack is the GUIDANCE,
the POWER and SPIRIT OF GOD.
You must make the decision. You
must set this right GOAL. You must set your will. You must
expend your full effort. You must WORK AT overcoming, growing and
developing spiritually, and sticking with it. Yet GOD supplies the
all-important ingredient—His power, His love, His faith—His guidance—HIS
LIFE!
7th Law Changes
Everything
Now look how DIFFERENT a whole
life becomes when this SEVENTH SUCCESS LAW is utilized.
First, it will completely alter
your overall major GOAL as I have just explained. Of course, you will have
other minor goals—such as the profession or occupation to provide material
needs, and HELP achieve the major goal. And these minor goals always must be
compatible with and contributing to the major goal.
Your main goal, now, will be
spiritual and not material. It will follow the WAY OF LIFE of the Ten
Commandments. You will actually LIVE BY every Word of GOD—that is, the Bible!
Now re-examine the Second Law of
SUCCESS.
Your EDUCATION and entire
preparation will be DIFFERENT. You will seek to learn the TRUE VALUES
of life—yes, of this life as well as the hereafter! This means your
number one textbook will be the BIBLE. It will reveal to you the MIND OF
CHRIST. This will provide your mental APPROACH in all education and practice.
Third, you will receive the
KNOWLEDGE which God reveals about laws of HEALTH.
Take the FOURTH LAW. If you are
motivated by GOD’S WORD, you’ll have DRIVE. God commands that you do
what you do with your might! Apply yourself! Whatever is worth
doing is worth doing the very best you can! Nine Biblical passages command
that you apply your self with DILIGENCE! Ten other places in the Bible
command us to BE DILIGENT. And 36 Scriptures command, or show the example of
acting diligently! Many of these instruct us diligently to seek
God’s guidance and help, several diligently to keep His commandments.
How about the businessman?
"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings;
he shall not stand before [obscure] men" (Proverbs 22:29).
The Bible does not condone
laziness or shiftlessness. It counsels us to consider the ant and be wise.
The Bible commands industriousness!
Solving Problems
Now, Law Number FIVE. No
matter how intelligent, alert, or resourceful you may be, YOU NEED GOD’S
WISDOM and HELP in solving the constant problems and meeting the recurring
obstacles that beset life’s path. Whether it is in business, a
profession, private life or what. The man who has CONTACT WITH GOD, who can
take these matters—these emergencies—these problems—in the quietness of his
private prayer room to the Throne of Grace and seek God’s counsel and advice
IS GOING TO HAVE DIVINE GUIDANCE! That is, of course, provided he is
submissive, obedient, diligent, faithful. WISDOM comes from GOD.
May I give you a personal
example? God has blessed His Work, and caused it to grow into a tremendous
worldwide activity, with offices around the world. God has set me in the
position of human director and leader over this expanding enterprise,
employing hundreds of people. We encounter problems of all kinds, constantly.
I have problems to solve, obstacles to hurdle, policies to set, decisions to
make which affect many lives—frequently involve many thousands of dollars,
even millions. It is a weighty responsibility.
Always—and I can remember it
from at least age 5—I have desired to have UNDERSTANDING. But more than fifty
years ago, I discovered that I sadly lacked, yet sorely needed WISDOM. Having
dedicated my life to live, literally, according to every word of God’s
Instruction Book—the Bible—I obeyed this command of God: "If any of you
lack wisdom, let him ask of God. . . and it shall be given" (James 1:5).
He has given me wisdom. Of course He has allowed me to make mistakes—but
never a major mistake that could threaten His great Work.
Wisdom must be applied to every
specific circumstance individually. I learned many years ago the need of
getting all of the facts bearing on a case before making a decision.
But it requires more. God’s Word says that in multitude of counselors there
is safety. In any important decision I call in the most competent possible
counselors, specialists in the field involved.
You simply cannot know, if you
have never had this divine help, how very, very much it means! We have
been saved hundreds, of times from costly blunders. We are saved from worries
and the "headaches" most businessmen have to suffer over such
problems. We can proceed in CONFIDENCE—that assurance that is FAITH! What
a blessing! What a comfort, and a joy!
It PAYS Off!
People trying to live without
the living CHRIST in their lives are missing the most practical
and valuable asset they could have. In the language of our day,
"IT PAYS OFF!" Of course, we have to expend our own effort. We have
to really THINK. We use all our own effort. We have to really THINK. We use
all our own resources and natural resourcefulness. But we have that added
SECURITY of divine GUIDANCE. Often God simply works out CIRCUMSTANCES. He
literally gives us "the breaks"! IT PAYS!
Finally, now, look at Success
Law Number SIX. Perseverance—Stick-to-it-iveness—Enduring—Never quitting or
giving up.
The Maker’s Instruction Book
seems full of this. Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed showed the four
classes. All heard God’s Message. All were given the opportunity. Three
classes GAVE UP. One never really got started. Two started out with joy and a
great flourish, but let former friends, the cares of this material life,
pleasures, choke them off, and discourage them. The other class of quitters
simply did not have the depth of strength of character within themselves to
stay with anything. They were just naturally quitters. Even of those who went
on, and endured, some were more diligent, more resourceful, better prepared,
more careful of health, and consequently developed farther in
accomplishment than others. Theirs will be the greater reward!
Jesus Christ said, plainly,
"He that endureth unto the END, the same shall be SAVED" (Matthew
24:13).
Yes, these Seven Laws are the
WAY, not only to business and economic SUCCESS—they are THE LAWS that lead to
rich, rewarding, interest-filled, abundant living and, in the end, to ETERNAL
LIFE AND GLORY in the Kingdom of God.
It teaches you to choose the
RIGHT GOAL. It teaches you to STUDY, to show yourself approved to your Maker.
It teaches you to acquire KNOWLEDGE, right and true education—preparation for
success. It teaches you to watch your health. It teaches diligence—drive—dedication,
persistent application. It teaches resourcefulness, and offers you divine
help in applying it—and it teaches STAYING WITH IT TO THE END!
WHAT A HAPPY LIFE God haw made
available! What blessedness—what JOY! What SECURITY, this life of implicit
living FAITH—reliance on the Creator—GOD!
I know! I’ve been enjoying this
life for more than fifty years! It’s a BUSY life—but it’s interesting,
thrilling, happy, abundantly REWARDING! And to constantly look forward to the
OVERALL GOAL—an eternity in THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
I want to SHARE that life with
you! You may enjoy it too!
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