“The Strangest Secret” by Earl Nightingale serves as a constant reminder that although some of us may start our adult lives on the same playing field with equal resources, there are very few who eventually attain widespread success.
The reason for one outcome over another? Nightingale shares concrete lessons that are so simple that it can easily be ignored. I presume that’s why it’s strange. But why is it a secret? You see, many of us have been programmed by our surroundings to believe that attaining widespread success- especially after experiencing life’s curveballs - is a far stretch. We end up cultivating the thought process that our definition of success is reserved for a select few who were simply dealt the best cards. Fam, why are you seriously still thinking like this after all that you’ve been exposed to in our digitally connected world!?
In truth, I’ve been guilty of bearing this mentality in the past. Many times I’ve asked myself the question: “What’s the point of ambition? Will we not transition and leave it all anyway?” However, I’m always reminded of the ‘Parable of Talents’. Call it extreme but I’m a firm believer that if I’m not leveraging all my known talents and skills to pursue my calling on Earth, I’m consciously committing one of the greatest sins. This belief has personally kept me on my toes for years, and encouraged me to keep climbing upwards in moments I’ve caught myself plateauing.
Below are the five insights I resonated most with from “The Strangest Secret”:
Set Goals: It’s this simple; people with goals succeed. However, you become unstoppable when you can envision yourself so clearly doing what you will be doing when you reach your goal. Do you want to be a global musician? Envision yourself on that stage with thousands of people rooting for you. Your hands held high in the air and sweat escaping your pores in glorified unison. The more detailed you are in envisioning the manifestation, the more likely you are to attain your goal.
Cultivate The Right Mindset: The human mind if like a farm. It doesn’t care what you plant in it. As long as it’s fertile, it will grow. If you think in negative terms, you will achieve negative results. If you think positively, you will achieve positive results. So why are you complaining about that one challenge recurring in your life when you can channel your focus to rather thanking God for all your blessings? Never forget that only you are in control of altering your life today, and it starts with evolving your mindset in the right direction.
Believe In Yourself: At one point, I felt slightly uncomfortable spending time with friends who were always so vocal about their self-worth. Regardless of how much I tried to reciprocate the energy, i couldn’t find the right words. However, over the years, I also noticed a pattern. Friends who unapologetically vocalized their self-worth made the boldest decisions that set them apart from the crowd in the long-run. The reality is that your level of comfort in expressing your self-worth is directly correlated with your upbringing or the environment you find yourself planted in. But let me remind you; a closed mouth doesn’t get fed.
Take Specific Actions: Most of us only define ‘work’ as what we see in the public eye. It’s no wonder we may see a peer doing so well and question why we are not seeing the same results; despite putting in the same time and effort. But do you have any idea the level of sacrifice injected into the process behind the scenes? Taking specific action starts with developing a narrow focus and working diligently towards your goals. And this is precisely why there’s a big difference between praying to earn your first million by 30 and praying to earn your first U.S. miilion dollars before age 30. Similar aspirations; the only difference is that one action leaves room for different outcomes while the other is specific.
Enrich Others: Are you waiting until you are in a better place before you enrich others? Fam, be careful you don’t hinder blessings that are yet to be unlocked. The good news is that we’ve all been given resources to make a difference in the lives of one another. In fact, the time you have today is a very scarce resource. And spending it with someone who craves to be seen is one of the many forms of enrichment. It’s quite spiritual when you ponder on it because whenever you enrich someone, there’s a societal perception that you must be doing well. It’s no wonder why the more you give to others, the more your cup is replenished with what you’ve seemingly lost. That, I believe, is the law of attraction in a nutshell.
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This message was originally shared on instagram here.