Jack Canfield Quotations

Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them.

It's not an accident that musicians become musicians and engineers become engineers: it's what they're born to do. If you can tune into your purpose and really align with it, setting goals so that your vision is an expression of that purpose, then life flows much more easily.

I believe that people make their own luck by great preparation and good strategy.

Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it.

Write your goals down in detail and read your list of goals every day. Some goals may entail a list of shorter goals. Losing a lot of weight, for example, should include mini-goals, such as 10-pound milestones. This will keep your subconscious mind focused on what you want step by step.

It is a universal principle that you get more of what you think about, talk about, and feel strongly about.

Know your priorities and identify the five powerful action steps that you intend to take to move your initiatives forward each day. If you go to a tree with an ax and take five whacks at the tree every day, it doesn't matter if it's an oak or a redwood; eventually, the tree has to fall down.

Living each day as if it were your last doesn't mean your last day of retirement on a remote island. It means to live fully, authentically and spontaneously with nothing being held back.

Acknowledging your mistakes also has its pluses, but we often don't have trouble recalling or mulling over those. The point is, if you don't acknowledge your successes the same way you acknowledge your mistakes, you're sure to have a memory full of blunders.

One individual can begin a movement that turns the tide of history. Martin Luther King in the civil rights movement, Mohandas Ganhi in India, Nelson Mandela in South Africa are examples of people standing up with courage and non-violence to bring about needed changes.

Words, especially when yelled in anger, can be very damaging to a child's self-confidence. The child probably already feels bad enough just from seeing the consequences of his or her behavior. Our sons and daughters don't need more guilt and self-doubt heaped upon their already wounded egos.

I believe in unconditional love and equality. Jesus Christ exemplified these qualities.

I generally find that comparison is the fast track to unhappiness. No one ever compares themselves to someone else and comes out even. Nine times out of ten, we compare ourselves to people who are somehow better than us and end up feeling more inadequate.

Trust your gut feeling about things, listen to what others are saying, and look at the results of your actions. Once you know the truth, you can set about taking action to improve. Everyone will be better for it.

Let's remember that our children's spirits are more important than any material things. When we do, self-esteem and love blossoms and grows more beautifully than any bed of flowers ever could.

People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you've figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness and confidence.

Build your self-esteem by recalling all the ways you have succeeded, and your brain will be filled with images of you making your achievements happen again and again. Give yourself permission to toot your own horn, and don't wait for anyone to praise you.

When you really need help, people will respond. Sincerity means dropping the image facade and showing a willingness to be vulnerable. Tell it the way it is, lumps and all. Don't worry if your presentation isn't perfect; ask from your heart. Keep it simple, and people will open up to you.

One of life's fundamental truths states, 'Ask and you shall receive.' As kids we get used to asking for things, but somehow we lose this ability in adulthood. We come up with all sorts of excuses and reasons to avoid any possibility of criticism or rejection.

If you can tune into your purpose and really align with it, setting goals so that your vision is an expression of that purpose, then life flows much more easily.

I have lived by one crucial principle since I was 24 years old. I don't blame or complain about things like the economy, the government, taxes, employees, gas prices, or any of the external things that I don't have control over. The only thing I have control over is my response to these things.

When your dreams include service to others - accomplishing something that contributes to others - it also accelerates the accomplishment of that goal. People want to be part of something that contributes and makes a difference.

Switching from one career to another can be scary, but it also can be a thrilling experience. Look at it as an opportunity to really go after what you want to accomplish in life and make a difference in the world. The key is to take small, conscious steps and prepare yourself for a successful transition.

A 'harmonized' life these days sounds like a tall order. Between housework, homework, workwork, and busywork, there are perpetually too many things to do, and not enough time to find that mythical balance. Nothing is more frustrating than feeling like you're doing doing doing but getting nothing truly done that you really want.

I used to define success as being able to produce any result you wanted, whether it was a relationship, weight-loss, being a millionaire, impacting the culture, changing society, whatever it might be, it might be homelessness, whatever, but lately I've realized that success is "fulfilling your soul's purpose."

Overcome your barriers, intend the best, and be patient. You will enjoy more balance, more growth, more income, and more fun!

If you go to a tree with an ax and take five whacks at the tree every day, it doesn't matter if it's an oak or a redwood; eventually the tree has to fall down.

Leaders cannot work in a vacuum. They may take on larger, seemingly more important roles in an organization, but this does not exclude them from asking for and using feedback. In fact, a leader arguably needs feedback more so than anyone else. It's what helps a leader respond appropriately to events in pursuit of successful outcomes.

Self-esteem is made up primarily of two things: feeling lovable and feeling capable.

No one becomes an expert in a new career overnight, even if you are coming from another career where you were established and experienced.

The longer you hang in there, the greater the chance that something will happen in your favor. No matter how hard it seems, the longer you persist, the more likely your success.

Remember, you and you alone are responsible for maintaining your energy. Give up blaming, complaining and excuse making, and keep taking action in the direction of your goals - however mundane or lofty they may be.

I have written a new book called 'The Golden Motorcycle Gang.' The premise of the book is taken from actual events in my life. My life has been dedicated to inspiring and motivating others to live their highest vision of their ideal life and offering transformational trainings that help people succeed in all aspects of their lives.

I don't blame or complain about things like the economy, the government, taxes, employees, gas prices, or any of the external things that I don't have control over. The only thing I have control over is my response to these things.

I started out as a high school teacher in inner-city Chicago and realized quite quickly that my students weren't that motivated.

I picked Harvard because it was in a big city, and a lot of girls' schools were nearby. And I liked President Kennedy, who went to Harvard.

In working with top leaders and thought philosophers of our time, I will tell you that among their secrets of success is a regular practice of acknowledging and appreciating what they have. It can offer an oracle into the future because it not only tells you where you are, but it also helps clarify where you want to go in life.

I believe people should live full lives and not settle for anything less.

In order to get what you want, you must first decide what you want. Most people really foul up at this crucial first step because they simply can't see how it's possible to get what they want, so they don't even let themselves want it.

An important part of any focusing regimen is to set aside time at the end of the day - just before going to sleep - to acknowledge your successes, review your goals, focus on your successful future, and make specific plans for what you want to accomplish the next day.

When I realized I wanted to do more writing and less traveling around the world teaching live seminars, I decided to write the first 'Chicken Soup for the Soul(R)' book. I knew I wanted to have 100 stories in the book, so I wrote or edited two stories a week for a year.

When you scratch the surface, every one of us has something that we deeply want to contribute to the world. All we have to do is step up and do it.

Greater self-esteem produces greater success, and greater success produces more high self-esteem, so it keeps on spiraling up.

If I hadn't spent many years trying to be as compassionate as Mother Teresa, as positive a thinker as W. Clement Stone, as prolific a writer as Stephen King, and as good a speaker as many of the legends I have studied, I would not be as successful as I am today.

You can't change anyone else but people do change in relationship to your change. All relationships are a system, and when any one part of a system changes, it affects the other part.

For me, my core genius lies in the area of teaching and motivating. I love to do it, I do it well, and people report that they get great value from it. Another core genius is compiling and writing books. Along with my co-author Mark Victor Hansen and others, I have written, co-authored, compiled and edited more than 200 books.

If you are not moving closer to what you want, you probably aren't doing enough asking. And you're probably not asking the single most important question that can help you achieve a higher level of success and personal fulfillment: How am I doing?

For every reason it's not possible, there are hundreds of people who have faced the same circumstances and succeeded.

For the first ten years after I got out of graduate school, I studied success. I read every book I could get my hands on and took every training I could find, and that allowed me to become an expert in this area. I learned how to create high self-esteem and success in my own life and in the lives of others.

In one of my recent books, 'The Success Principles,' I taught 64 lessons that help people achieve what they want out of life. From taking nothing less than 100 percent responsibility for your life to empowering others, these are the fundamentals to success - and to great leadership.

Working with people from all walks of life, from full-time moms to CEOs at large companies, I've distilled many universal truths about success. There's a secret I've learned that works quite well at helping you to achieve what you want: Decide what you want.

I wanted to be a Teacher with a big T, teach the whole planet. It led me into writing and speaking to large groups.

As for real chicken soup, I have it once or twice a week.

The Chicken Soup for the Soul' books are the result of over 20 years of teaching seminars and giving speeches. The first book contains all of the stories that I used in my seminars to illustrate the points that I wanted to make.

There have been many people whom I have admired, emulated and even modeled parts of my life after. I study how they do things, and then I go through a period of 'trying on' those same thinking patterns and behaviors. After awhile, what is not essentially me falls away while the useful parts remain.

When we saw American Magazine, we knew we wanted to work with Mignonne to launch Chicken Soup for the Soul magazine. Our fans have been asking for Chicken Soup for the Soul magazine, and now it's here.

I worked from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. every night for a year to write the first 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' book.

Mother Teresa was a hero of mine for a long time. I just like the way she took on the world from a very humble place. She has a great quote. When she was leaving her monestary to start Sisters of Charity, she had two pennies. She was asked by a head priest what she could possibly do with two pennies. She said, 'Nothing. But with two pennies and God, I can do anything'.

Love and fear are the two opposite ends of the continuum, as far as I'm concerned. When we are not in love, we are in fear.

I think the deepest belief I have . . . is that love really is the answer to all problems.

I attempt to read one book every day. I don't always achieve that, especially when I'm traveling. But when I'm home, I read almost a book a day. I certainly read a minimum of two or three a week. And as a result of that, I've read over 3,000 books in areas that interest me, like consciousness and spirituality, holistic health, leadership, success, psychological awareness, therapy, etc.

I have spent forty-five years teasing out the universal principles of success that are necessary to create massive breakthroughs. I am committed to teaching and disseminating those around the world. I also believe that most transformational leaders are focusing too much on outer techniques and overlooking the important inner qualities of beingness and presence that are required to create real and lasting transformation in the world.

My definition of success is "the fulfillment of your soul's purpose."

I believe if everyone fulfilled their deepest life purpose, the world would work perfectly.

One of the main strategies of the successful is that they constantly seek guidance from experts in their field.

The best way to establish rapport with people and to win them over to your side is to be truly interested in them, to listen with the intention of really learning about them. When the person feels that you are really interested in getting to know them and their feelings, they will open up to you and share their true feelings with you much more quickly.

What if you, too, were to greet every interaction in your life with the question 'What's the potential opportunity that this is?'

When you're connected to a source and to each other through conversation, through making love, through meditation, playing games with your kids, all that stuff, then your self-esteem's going to go up.

I worked from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. every night for a year to write the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book,

The Law of Attraction allows for infinite possibilities, infinite abundance & infinite joy. It knows no order of difficulty.

The Law of Probabilities: the more things you try, the more likely one of them will work.

It takes risks to achieve. It's often scary. It requires something you didn't know before or a skill you didn't have before. But in the end, it's worth it.

People who don't make goals end up working for those who do.

True freedom is an inward state of being. Once it is attained, no situation in the world can bind one or limit one's freedom.

It's the feeling that really creates the attraction, not just the picture or the thought. A lot of people think, “If I think the positive thoughts, or if I visualize having what I want, that will be enough.” But if you're doing that and still not feeling abundant, or feeling loving or joyful, then it doesn't create the power of the attraction.

Mother Teresa was brilliant. She said, “I will never attend an anti-war rally. If you have a peace rally, invite me.” She knew. She understood the secret. Look what she manifested in the world.

Her essay about the wedding ring was short. Kerr wrote: "Things are just things - they have no power to hurt or to heal. Only people can do that. And we can all choose whether to be hurt or healed by the people who love us." That was all. And that was everything.

Don't kid yourself. Be honest with yourself. Take your own inventory.

Clarify your purpose. What is the why behind everything you do? When we know this in life or design it is very empowering and the path is clear.

The Law of Attraction states that you will attract to you those things that match your state of being. If you focus on having gratitude for what you do have, you will feel rich, and you will attract more abundance into your life. If you focus on what you don't have, you will send out a message of lack and you will attract more lack into your life.

High self-esteem isn't a luxury. It's a necessity for anyone who has important goals to achieve.

Most of us avoid telling the truth because it's uncomfortable. We're afraid of the consequences-making others feel uncomfortable, hurting their feelings or risking their anger. And yet, when we don't tell the truth, and others don't tell us the truth, we can't deal with matters from a basis in reality.

Life is simply a connect-the dots game, and all the dots have already been identified and organized by somebody else. All you have to do is follow the blueprint, use the system, or work the program that they provide.

Repetition is the key to real learning.

Remember, it's more mentally tiring to think about what has to be done, and all the things that might go wrong, than it is to physically do the job.

You don't know you're going to get a 'No' until you ask, and if you don't ask, you've given yourself the No.

Success is the ability to do what you want, whenever you want, as often as you want.

Your habits determine your outcomes.

Since I learned the Secret and started applying it to my life, my life has truly become magical, I think the kind of life that everybody dreams of and I live on a day to day basis.

What is the why behind everything you do?

If everybody thinks you're out of your mind, you just might be onto something.

What we have to get straight in our heads is that owning the money doesn't mean ANYTHING. "It's the DOING with money that develops us - it's not in the having. And when you have more, you're enabled to DO more."

To attract more money, you must be attractive, in the sense that people will want and prefer your products or service over those of your competitior.

I have a friend, a pastor, who applied with me and 419 other people for 25 seats on a special advisory board. Though I believed she was infinitely more qualified than me, she wasn't selected and I was. When I saw her at her church weeks later, I asked her how she felt about the decision. While disappointment, self-doubt and defeat would have been normal reactions to the Board's decision, my friend said she felt great. 'How come?' I asked. She said with a smile, 'I just figured God had something better in store for me.'

If you take the approach that “good” is not an accident - that everyone and everything that shows up in your life is there for a reason - you’ll begin to see every event (no matter how difficult or challenging) as a chance for enrichment and advancement in your life.

Never quit. My book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, was turned down by 33 publishers. It's since sold millions of copies.

You become like the people you spend the most time with.

Making mistakes, getting it almost right, and experimenting to see what happens are all part of the process of eventually getting it right.

Everything valuable takes time, there are no overnight successes.

If you hang in there long enough, you will eventually reach your goal.