Prosperity and Success

Speaking of Prosperity and Success

The following is excerpted from “Every [Man] Person A Winner”, a book from the early 1900’s I am adapting to modern times. It is a practical instruction guide designed to enhance one’s pursuit of prosperity, and his or her efforts at becoming a ‘winner’ in their professional and personal lives.

ONE DRIVING GOAL IN LIFE

To become prosperous or be successful, an individual must possess an unwavering desire and commitment to achieve and succeed; and that commitment must be so strong that every fiber in their being vibrates with that desire. That desire must be the very breath of that person’s life.

A person who is constantly pursuing the next ‘shiny object’, jumping from one kind of work to another, is like a ship without a rudder…buffeted by the waves of chance. He gets nowhere because he has no set course or definite destination, and as a result faces trials and frustrations that test his faith in himself.

Any person can decide where he or she wants to go, yet once that decision is made you must remain resolute to the cause and not change your mind. To adhere to this course, you must have a defined objective – A Goal in Life – if you are to have the fortitude to make up your mind and stick to it.

CONCENTRATION

Having made up your mind as to what path you desire to follow as your life’s work, you must then concentrate all thoughts upon the goal of this choice. There can be no half-hearted efforts. You now have one over-arching destination in life and that must take precedent above all.

Any person who has “a few irons in the fire” and divides their energies among them will most likely never be prominent or successful to the degree in which they aspire. Such dissipation of efforts is a violation to the principles of the focus necessary in the achievement of prosperity.

VISUALIZATION

The ambitious person must imagine himself or herself practicing the profession of their choice. This is not always easy. No matter what you are working at just now, no matter how remote the goal of your choice may be from your present circumstances, visualization must be practiced persistently and with indefatigable energy.

When John Kitto [ an English biblical scholar, 1804 –1854 ] was a pauper, and was mending shoes for the other inmates of the poorhouse in which he lived, he visualized himself as a famous preacher and a brilliant author. By his concentrated visualization, he attracted to himself the fame and success that he desired. He summed up his life with the following words:

“I perhaps have as much right as any man that lives, to bear witness that there is no one so low but that he may rise, no condition so cast down as to be really hopeless, and no privation which need, of itself, shut out any man from the paths of honorable exertion or from the hope of usefulness in life. I have sometimes thought that it was possibly my mission to affirm and establish these great truths.”

The power of focused thought is unlimited, and is the strongest agency known to the mind of man.

SELF-CONFIDENCE

As stated earlier, a person must have faith in their ability to achieve their goal. Without faith, no achievement is possible. Through concentrated visualization there must not be the slightest doubt in your mind of what you are seeking. An hour of intent concentration will bring you nearer and nearer to your goal; but one minute of doubt will impede your progress and set you back.

Your fortitude will be sorely tested in your pursuit of prosperity and success. You will often be tempted to relax your efforts. Beware such temptations. A clergyman once described, by means of the following allegory, the precept of which you are being warned:

The devil was displaying for exhibition the numerous tools that he uses to ruin human beings. There were tools representing drunkenness, idolatry, lying, dishonesty, burglary, murder, and many other instruments of hell, with which we are all familiar. But, on a shelf by itself, there was a wedge-shaped tool very much worn. When asked to name this isolated tool, he replied with a satanic grin: “Ha! Ha! That is my favorite. Whenever I try to ruin mortals with these other temptations, I often find men immune to their appeals. But then I turn to this wedge-shaped tool. It never fails me. I dig this tool into a man. I twist it round and tear his heart out. I call that tool ‘discouragement.’ It is my favorite last resort.”

Discouragement – that one tool of fate has been the ruin of many a person’s dreams and aspirations.

The road to success is constantly beset with obstacles and difficulties, meant to test our faith, and make us strong. The weak may prove unequal to the test and feel tempted to give up in disgust. Beware of such temptation, be strong, and have faith.

Select for yourself a prominent man or woman you admire, who achieved fame or success despite facing great difficulties. Place a small picture of them in a visible location in your office, study, or workspace. Beneath that picture write: “He/She did it…why can’t I? I can, and I will.” Whenever you feel dejected, look at that picture, grit your teeth, clinch your fists, and concentrate your thoughts with great determination and repeat audibly: “They did it. Why can’t I? I can, and I will.”

Circumstances may arise which will place unexpected difficulties in your path. You cannot always control circumstances, but you can control your thoughts and reactions to those circumstances.

Do not underestimate yourself. Convince yourself that you are as good as anybody else and perhaps better than most. Hold your head up, your shoulders back, and your chest out.

Booker T. Washington was born into slavery on a plantation in Virginia. He wanted to learn how to read and write…to secure better educational advantages for his down-trodden race. He heard in a casual way that at Hampton, five hundred miles away, they were teaching black children. He had no money, but he had two feet.

The history of the uphill climb of this undaunted individual will inspire you and give you that courage which you will always need.

This young uneducated person – friendless, penniless, destitute – visualized himself as a great educator, lecturer, and writer. He did not know where to secure the wherewithal to materialize his desires, but he had faith and continued to visualize those desires although circumstances were contrary to his dreams. One by one, his difficulties were removed, and his success bears eloquent testimony to the power of thought by means of concentrated visualization accompanied by faith.

(You are urged to get a copy of “Up from Slavery,” by Booker T. Washington. Read that little book many times, and you will there learn that difficulties, obstacles, “mountains” of barriers are nothing to him who has faith.)

What perseverance did for Booker T. Washington, it can do for you. Whoever you are, whatever seemingly insurmountable obstacles separate you from the goal of your ambitions, the universe will sweep away those obstacles from your path and deliver you to your destination, if you have faith:

Faith in the world around you…in your fellow man…in your dreams…and in yourself.

 Lastly, I hope you recognized that throughout this essay we never equated being ‘prosperous’ or ‘successful’ in your professional and personal lives with financial riches. Being prosperous and successful has a different meaning for each of us, and seldom is it based solely on monetary achievements – but more often on feelings of comfort, satisfaction, and self-respect.

Dwight O. Chandler owns Chandler Marketing Group, is the organizing director of the ‘Every Person A Winner’ coaching and publishing program. He is a LevelNext mentor, an artist, author and lives on the farmland that has been in his family’s lineage since 1797.

Contact Information

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwight-chandler-38a46437/

Email: dchandler214@yahoo.com

Header Image Credit: Andrea Piacquadio. Find it here.