This blog post is a bit of a departure from my typical posts. With this entry, I thought I’d let the poignant and enduring words of a person who’s works I admire speak for themselves with minimal commentary on my part.
Earl Nightingale was a radio commentator and author who is widely considered the de facto “father of the audiobook”. Nightingale’s stock in trade was motivational speaking, which is evident in the tremendously inspiring quotes that I will share with my readers over the next few posts.
Let’s start with four of Nightingale’s quotes on success…
Success is not a destination but a journey. Anyone who is on course toward a worthy goal is successful. Success does not lie in the achievement of a goal but in its pursuit. Success is a journey!
Earl Nightingale
Most people think of success as reaching the summit of a mountain. While reaching the top of a mountain is indeed an achievement, it’s only half of the task. The other half is successfully descending the mountain and enjoying the experience. A complete journey!
Success is not the result of making money; earning money is the result of success — and success is in direct proportion to our service.
Earl Nightingale
The misguided belief that money equates to success rather than money being the byproduct of rendering valuable service successfully is a fundamental problem for many people.
Failures . . . believe that their lives are shaped by circumstances … by things that happen to them … by exterior forces.
Earl Nightingale
This is probably the biggest problem in this country, especially amongst lower-income Americans. No one remains a victim of circumstance unless they choose to remain a victim of circumstance.
Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.
Earl Nightingale
This blog post would not be complete without Earl Nightingale’s succinct definition of success. The key word in his definition being “worthy”. Sure, you can be a “successful” pornographer or drug dealer, but is the goal of a pornographer or drug dealer a worthy cause?
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 