Be Brave Not Safe

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a big (HUGE) fan of Earl Nightingale.

While he has since passed, his teachings are timeless.

One of his works is called: The Strangest Secret.

In this short audio program he has commentary along the following lines…

Wouldn’t you think that if some great learning experience and knowledge was captured in the past that people would make use of it today? That is, apply it to direct the course of their lives.

The too frequent reality is that, such is NOT the case.

There are NUMEROUS “works” that qualify as wisdom passed down through the ages, including:

• The Bible: Although, to be fair, without a “tour guide” it “can be” a bit confusing. To this, I’d encourage you to find a good church with parishioners that can help you navigate this outstanding set of books, authored by numerous people.
• As A Man Thinketh by James Allen: As you begin reading this (free) eBook (ONLY 21 pages) you will find that every single sentence has a ton of wisdom that will cause you to pause on each to give adequate attention and consideration on how it applies to your life.
• The Strangest Secret and/or Lead the Field by Earl Nightingale.

Note, the first 2 bullets above include a link to the referenced work which you can access for free, online. So, cost is NOT an excuse 🙂

So, what is the strangest secret? Well, it is something that is reinforced in ALL of the above “works”, and many others that have been passed down through the ages. It is, according to Earl Nightingale:

We become what we think about

It was stated by many, in various works and words. A few samples follow:

We become what we think about all day long. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. William James

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. Lao Tzu

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. Marcus Aurelius

What we think we become. Buddha

A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes. Gandhi

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7

As you can see, the strangest secret has been revealed down through the ages; across different religions, societies and professions. And, while the sources of the above quotes may disagree on many things, on this one point they ALL agree!

Why is this?

Because it is based on the the universal law of cause and effect.

Doesn’t thinking precede action? That being the case, if we guide our thinking towards the outcomes we’d like to experience in life then there is really only one way things can go – eventually…

It doesn’t happen overnight or from dumb luck.

The results we seek come from thinking, planning, acting, falling down, getting bruised, getting back up and never giving in!

You might ask: “Why would anybody wait to get started? The sand is running out in ALL of our hour glasses.”

To that I’d respond: “You are 100% correct. Let’s not arrive at old age, or the pearly gates, with the regret of not going for it.”

All the best!