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November 24, 2009

<img src=" http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/tuesday.gif" border=0> Garen McMillian: Short recording packs big lesson

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Tue Nov 24, 2009, 08:04 AM CST

It’s probably a safe bet to say that you have not heard of “The Strangest Secret.”

At least, most of the people I ask have never heard of it. “The Strangest Secret” is actually a 50-minute audio recording written and spoken by Earl Nightingale with an accompanying booklet that tops out at 19 pages. This recording was made in 1956 and went on to become the first spoken-word album to sell more than a million copies, which is impressive for its time.

I was a little amused the first time I listened to it. Earl’s voice transports the listener back in time to the days of 1950s radio, to the point that you nearly expect a Camel cigarette recommendation. I kept listening, though — after all, my boss at the time had given me the CD — and I ended up being hooked after the first 10 minutes. This should be required listening/reading for every high school and college in the country — it is THAT beneficial.

The CD/booklet’s special secret is this: “We become what we think about.” Yes, you read that right. It’s that simple. It’s not a new idea by any means; Napoleon Hill first documented this concept in his book “Think and Grow Rich” back in 1937. However, Nightingale does a fantastic job of distilling this information down to a manageable portion-size.

The author makes a convincing case for the idea that people need to identify their special goal for themselves. This goal represents the strongest burning desire that you have, and by achieving this one goal the stage is set for the majority of your other goals to fall more easily into place.

Once you’ve identified your burning desire in life, Nightingale recommends doing a 30-day test. This test consists of writing down your major definite purpose as a goal on an index card. Once you have your goal in hand, keep it in hand. Keep it on or around you at all times, and take time out to read your nifty little index card — several times a day.

For 30 days, spend time envisioning the written goal with an upbeat attitude. Inspire yourself to think about your burning desire in only a positive manner, and kick worry to the curb if (and when) it rears its ugly head. “Worry brings fear, and fear is crippling.”

Courage, perseverance and faith in yourself are critical to making this 30-day test pay off.

After your test is up, do it again. And again. Each time you successfully complete the test, your burning desire in life will change, if only a little. Write each new goal down and attack it for the next 30 days. The remarkable thing is that, with these simple steps, you are now on a mission with purpose. Just knowing where you’re going in life automatically makes you more successful than before.

After listening to this for the third time (yes, I am a nerd), I decided to follow the author’s advice. Although I had attended college part time for years, I was still a long way from completing my degree — even at the age of 31. At the current rate that I was taking classes, I was going to be ancient by graduation. I thought I would give Nightingale’s 30-day test a try by seeing just how much college I could accomplish in 2008 while working full time.

My own 30-day test ended up having 12 revisions — and plenty of setbacks with worry, doubt and fear. But — and this is the amazing part — it worked! I managed to accomplish my goal of college graduation in one year. There is no doubt that if I had not followed the steps outlined in “The Strangest Secret,” I would still be longing for the day when I could finally flip the tassel.

You might have trouble locating this CD and booklet for purchase, but don’t let that dissuade you. E-mail me if you’d like some tips on where to get your hands on a copy, or if you have a personal success story of your own that you’d like to share. “The Strangest Secret” is a work that you can’t afford to pass by, even if it’s more than 50 years old.

Garen McMillian, a Joplin business owner, can be reached at garenmcmillian@gmail.com.

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