Everyone wants to be successful, but few people ever achieve their true potential. Why is that? Why do some people achieve the impossible while others simply go through the motions of life?
One of these people who's achieved greatness is Jack Canfield. I had never heard of Jack Canfield before, but after reading his bestseller, The Success Principles, I was sold. The day I finished the book I went on his website, found his closest event and booked my trip to see him live.
Here’s what I learned after spending a day with the personal development guru and author who’s sold over 500 million books.
You have the power to achieve greatness and create anything and everything you want in life, but you have to take action.-- Jack Canfield
1. Take 100% responsibility for your life
The first thing in his book and in his seminar was the same message: “If you want to be successful, you have to take 100% responsibility for everything that you experience in your life.”
From the quality of your relationships, your physical fitness, income, feelings, and the results you produce -- it’s 100% on you. This is not meant to be burdensome; it’s meant to be empowering.
When you take 100% responsibility, you acknowledge that you create everything that happens in your life. You control your own destiny and have the ability to change your life. Once you begin to realize this and stop blaming others it will allow you to level up in life.
He put this into a simple equation: E + R = O (Events + Response = Outcome).
There will be plenty of events in your life, some good and some bad. Your response to any event ultimately determines the outcome. If you don’t like the outcomes of things, change the way you respond. Change your negative thoughts to positive ones, change your habits, or change your friends.
2. Clarify your vision
As Jack said, “Clarity is power.”
If you don’t know what you are trying to attain, it will be really easy to drift around and not really achieve anything in life. By creating a vision you are able to have a guiding purpose.
As he said, “To be on purpose means you’re doing what you love to do, doing what you’re good at and accomplishing what is important to you.”
Once you have your vision, bring this change to the world. Don’t try to enforce your beliefs on others, simply be the person who is living your values. Once people to begin to see you become successful they will ask you how you did it.
3. Master your morning
Jack is a huge believer in mastering your morning routine. If you own the morning, you own the day. Here’s how Jack Canfield starts each day:
- Wakes up early (usually between 5-5:30 am)
- Meditates for 10-30 minutes
- Reads his goals as affirmations and visualizes each one as complete
- Practices gratitude by expressing it to someone or writes in a journal
- Exercises for 20-60 minutes
- Accomplishes his hardest task first
By waking up early and owning your morning routine you are taking 100% responsibility for the day and reinforcing in your mind what you are trying to accomplish.
4. Use affirmations and visualizations
As part of his morning routine, Jack regularly takes advantage of the power of affirmations and visualizations. He recommends that you create at least 101 goals and make an affirmation for each one.
For example, if your goal is to make $200,000 dollars or buy a mansion, you should affirm the belief in detail.
“I am so happy and grateful that I am earning $200,000 in 2018.”
“I am so proud that I am buying a 4,000 square foot house in Miami by January 1st, 2020."
Since learning this, I have written every affirmation on a 3x5 card and attached a picture on the back as a mini vision board. Each morning as part of my morning routine I read my top 10-15 goals and visualize them as already being complete. Imagine yourself starting the engine of your new car, walking in your new house, or whatever the goal.
5. Practice gratitude
While achievement is great, it’s important to always focus on what you already have.
The quickest way to change your mood is to focus on something you appreciate, love or derive joy from. It could be anything -- your dog, your spouse's smile, or simply the feeling of the sun when you walk outside.
Humans tend to be always looking forward and wanting more -- a newer car, a bigger house, or more money, because we think it will make us feel better. Yet the reality is that we can feel great almost instantly by focusing on and learning to appreciate what we already have in our lives.
Success is never-ending -- it’s not a destination, but a way of life. What you do, think, and feel routinely will determine how successful you become. As Jack said, “Decide what you want. Believe you can have it. Believe you deserve it and believe it’s possible for you.”
