Gratitude for The Success Principles
My gratitude is increasing with each page that I am re-reading of Jack Canfield’s book, The Success Principles. I read this book when it first came out in 2006. I even have an autographed copy from the time I spent a week at one of his workshops out in Southern California.
As discussed in the Gratitude Burst for today, you have to take 100% responsibility for your life. Period. No blaming others for what is happening in your life. No whining about the econo
my. It is all up to you! As Jim Rohn stated,
You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.
One of the first stories that Mr. Canfield writes about is how he learned to take full responsibility for himself. At the time he was working for W. Clement Stone. Jack writes,
When I was completing my first week’s orientation, Mr. Stone asked me if I took 100% responsibility for my life. “I think so,” I responded.
“Thus is a yes or no question, young man. You either door you don’t.”
“Well. I guess I’m not sure.”
“Have you ever blamed anyone for any circumstance in your life? Have you ever complained about anything?”
“Uh … yeah … I guess I have.”
“Don’t guess. Think.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Okay. then. That means you don’t take one hundred percent responsibility for your life. Taking one hundred percent responsibility means you acknowledge that you create everything that happens to you. It means you understand that you are the cause of all or your experience. If you want t to be really successful, and I know you do, then you will have to give up blaming and complaining and take total responsibility for your life — that means all your results, both your successes and your failures. That is the prerequisite for creating a life of success. It is only by acknowledging that you have created everything up until now that you can take charge of creating the future you want.
“You see. Jack, if you realize that you have created your current conditions, then you can uncreate them and re-create them at will. Do you under-stand that?”
“Yes, sir, I do.”
“Are you willing to take one hundred percent responsibility for your life?”
“Yes, sir, I am!”
“And I did.”
Being 100% responsible and living a life of gratitude go hand in hand.
Be Well.
Paul.
The Gratitude Guru
If people would only realize that their circumstances are the product of their own choices maybe they would start making better ones but sometimes people keep making bad choices over and over again and blame others for the situation they’re in. Very sad.
@ANGDELLOR – Very true! In most (if not all) cases, a change in one’s mindset is needed. Think about how for some folks, generation after generation will propagate the same social and financial situation and each generation blames it on the economy, of the government, or . Time to take responsibility and action to break out of the vicious cycle.
Here it is March 3, 2011, nearly five months after this article was posted and it has inspired me to find The Success Principles and move it to the left side of my top shelf so it will be the next book I start reading.
I found this article because I was searching for whatever you have written about Jim Rohn. So, I must say thank-you for implementing the search feature on your blog.
And, of course, thank-you for this article about The Success Principles.
You have once again hit the nail on the head.
Thanks for stopping by, Mike!
Awesome!!! Love this!!!
🙂 Glad you like it, Janice!
You are absolutely right. Even if there are circumstances you cannot control, it’s all about how you react to them. You can still learn something from uncontrollable bad circumstances like forgiveness of others and trusting that all will work out in the end.