The newest issue of SUCCESS is, as always, outstanding. It’s one of those rare things in life that exceeds your expectations every time out of the gate.
Good on them.
I always love the articles (literally authored by some of the most successful men and women on or off the planet) and the Free CD that comes inside each issue is greatly enjoyed. More than once, I might add. I love listening to the motivation, information, and inspiration as I’m doing whatever it is I’m doing at the time (cooking, driving, sitting in the yard…).
Options:
- listen to music that gets me nowhere
- listen to the sound of my own thoughts (which I often do, actually)
- listen to motivating men and women as they share very moving stories, lessons, and experiences
You could say it’s a no-brainer.
In the August 2011 issue, one of the stories on the CD is the moving story of Louis Zamperini. What has Mr. Zamperini done that’s so motivating and inspiring? What sort of story does he have to tell? Only this: He survived being lost at sea, endured torture that would have destroyed lesser men, and came out a stronger person. His is a fascinating story, but it’s nowhere near as fascinating as the man, himself. Honestly, if the only thing this issue of SUCCESS had was the article on Louis Zamperini, it’s still be worth five times the cover price.
Here’s the opening paragraph. You tell me:
Adrift upon the face of an endless Pacific, Louis Zamperini and his pilot clung to the tatters of a life raft as days blurred together in relentless hallucination. Sun and salt water transformed their skin into a crust of sores and fissures. Sporadic rainsqualls dropped just enough water for occasional sips while birds and small sharks they caught bare-handed provided meager sustenance. – “The Indomitable Man” by Tom Horn – SUCCESS August 2011, page 16
Okay, so we’ve established that the issue is MORE than worth it already. But, as is the case with SUCCESS, there’s always much more.
One of my favorite motivational, self growth, and positive thinking authors is Jeffrey Gitomer. I can, literally, read a quote from one of his books and feel half convinced I can rule the country. Orison Swett Marden is another absolute favorite. When I spend any amount of time reading Mr. Marden’s words, I’m asking myself, “Why should I stop with just the country when there’s a whole world out there.”
I’ve always wondered why Orison Swett Marden doesn’t get the same attention as other great men such as Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill. I’ve never come up with the answer to that one. Maybe it’s the name.
At any rate, the article by Jeffrey Gitomer (“Orison Swett Marden: An Original Thinker”) is outstanding.
An excerpt? “Born in 1850, Orison Swett Marden was placed in the guardianship of a neighbor, who bound out the child to families who needed an extra farmhand. Life was extremely cruel, as he suffered whippings at the slightest provocation, near starvation, and subfreezing temperatures wearing threadbare clothes during harsh New Hampshire winters…. Persuading his guardian to allow him to attend school, he worked and paid for his education, liberating himself from his difficult youth. He ultimately earned degrees in oratory, business, law, and medicine. He became an entrepreneur, and in the late 1880s he founded SUCCESS Magazine.” – Jeffrey Gitomer, SUCCESS Magazine August 2011, page 41
After reading the article, my admiration for Orison Swett Marden only grew.
My third favorite article in this issue won’t come as a surprise to anyone. You don’t have to spend much time on Self Help Daily to see my fascination with and love for animals. My eyes lit up when I saw an article about the amazing Jane Goodall. It’s also a great, great read and leaves you realizing what a marvel and force of nature Jane Goodall is.
I hope you’ll grab the August issue of SUCCESS and see why I’m so excited about it. Better yet, grab this issue, then subscribe to the magazine so you won’t miss any of the rest. Orison Swett Marden would be extremely proud of the exceptional publication (and website!) his dream has grown into. It can be thought of as his most impressive lesson and legacy. A young boy without any advantages or encouragement learned early in life that he if he were going to outgrow his circumstances, he had to shake up his world. He didn’t waste time feeling sorry for himself, he didn’t bother with blaming others, and there’s no indication he harbored bitterness or anger.
No chips on his shoulders, they were too busy working!
Orison Swett Marden had a dream… what would, to many, seem like an improbable dream. He made his dream come true and his name, his books, and his magazine (a true SUCCESS) still touch people today and will continue to do so for countless years to come.
“All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers.” – Orison Swett Marden
Leave a Reply