Earl Nightingale is widely known as the author of and voice behind The Strangest Secret, the powerful and influential spoken word message that inspires people to find success, accomplish worthwhile goals, and change their life for the better. And here are the opening words of his motivational message, converted from spoken word to written text:
“I’d like to tell you about the strangest secret in the world.”
“Some years ago, the late Nobel prize-winning Dr. Albert Schweitzer was being interviewed in London. And a reporter asked him, ‘Doctor, what’s wrong with men today?’ And the great doctor was silent a moment, and then he said, ‘Men simply don’t think.’”
“It’s about this that I want to talk with you. We live today in a golden age. This is an era that man has looked forward to, dreamed of, and worked toward for thousands of years.”
“But since it’s here, we pretty well take it for granted. We in America are particularly fortunate to live in the richest land that ever existed on the face of the earth–a land of abundant opportunity for everyone.”
“But do you know what happens?”
“Well let’s take 100 men who start even at the age of 25. Do you have any idea what will happen to those men by the time they’re 65? These 100 men who all start even at the age of 25 believe they’re going to be successful.”
“If you asked any one of these men if he wanted to be a success, he’d tell you he did. And you’d notice that he was eager toward life, that there was a certain sparkle to his eye, an erectness to his carriage. And life seemed like a pretty interesting adventure to him.”
“But by the time they’re 65, one will be rich. Four will be financially independent. Five will still be working. Fifty-four will be broke.”
“Now, think a moment. Out of the 100, only five make the grade.”
“Now, why do so many fail? What has happened to the sparkle that was there when they were 25?”
“What’s become of the dreams, the hopes, the plans? And why is there such a large disparity between what these men intended to do, and what they actually accomplished?”
“When we say about five percent achieve success, we have to define success. And here’s the definition I’ve ever been able to find: Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”
“If a man is working toward a pre-determined goal and knows where he’s going, that man is a success. If he’s not doing that, he’s a failure.”
“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”
“Rollo May, the distinguished psychiatrist wrote a wonderful book called Man’s Search for Himself. And in this book, he says, ‘The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice–it is conformity.’”
“And there you have the trouble today. It’s conformity–people acting like everyone else without knowing why, without knowing where they’re going.”
“Now think of it. In America right now, there are over 18 million people 65 years of age and older, and most of them are broke. They’re dependent on someone else for life’s necessities.”
“Now, we learn to read by the time we’re seven. We learn to make a living by the time we’re 25. Usually, by that time we’re not only making a living, we’re supporting a family.”
“And yet by the time we’re 65, we haven’t learned how to become financially independent in the richest land that has ever been known. Why?”
“We conform. And the trouble is that we’re acting like the wrong percentage group–the 95 who don’t succeed.”
Now, again, these are just the opening words of his inspirational message, and he goes on to describe the steps to take in order to change your life for the better.
But if this is what Earl has observed, then here’s a question for you: Don’t you think it makes sense to get good at earning money and investing it wisely, so that you end up becoming rich and financially independent, as opposed to being broke and dependent on someone else for life’s necessities?