An overview of the Book
“The Success Principles: How to get from where you are to where you want to be.”
By
Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer
An important note
Before you start reading this article, let me make a statement that this piece of writing has the full capability to change your life for good. Read these fundamentals of success and make them your second nature. These success principles have helped thousands of readers achieve breakthrough success in their academic, professional and personal life. These principles are universally applicable (same for all persons, professions and times) and hence equally relevant for CSS & PMS aspirants.
Who is Jack Canfield?
 An American Author
 Corporate trainer
 Entrepreneur
 He is known for his tremendous work titled as “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series. He coauthored this work with Mark Victor Hansen.
 His other books are as under:
o The Aladdin Factor: How to Ask for and Get it co-authored with Mark Victor Hansen
o Dare to Win co- authored with Mark Victor Hansen
o List of the books authored and co- authored by Jack Canfield is long.
Janet Switzer
 American marketing expert and best-selling author
 His famous books include:
o Instant Income
o Abundance Now co- authored with Lisa Nichols

Summarizing the Book: The Success Principles
Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer have codified the timeless golden principles of success in this famous book.
The authors state that if any person has found the secrets of leading the extraordinary beautiful life, he should not keep those secrets to himself rather he should make those secrets public so that others would benefit from such ideas.
These principles will work for you if you put them to work for you. Jim Rohn has aptly said, “You cannot hire someone else to do push-ups for you.”
Principle # 1
Take 100 per cent responsibility for your life. The only person responsible for the quality of your life is YOU. Give up excuses. Make no complaints. External factors should not drive you rather your response to these external circumstances should determine the quality of your life. Outcome is determined by the quality of your response to any external situation. Stop blaming others. Stop blaming the circumstances. Just change the circumstances. Take actions.

You have full control over your mind, thoughts, and images in your mind and your actions. Use this control to improve the quality of response to any undesirable situation and change the outcome. Be ruthlessly honest to yourself.
Principle # 2
Be clear why you are here. Identify the purpose of your life. It must be clear and definite. It must be something, working for which gives you joy. You never get tired and bored. Pat Williams has aptly summed it up in the following words:
“Figure out what you love to do as young as you can, and then organize your life around figuring out how to make a living at it.”
It is possible to make a living doing what you love.
Principle # 3
Decide what you want. Define what success means to you. Define your desires in clear and compelling details. Make a list of your desires. Stop compromising on them. Clarify your vision of the ideal life which should include the following seven areas:

1. Work and career
2. Finances
3. Recreation and free time
4. Health and fitness
5. Relationships
6. Personal goals
7. Contributions to the community
   Be clear about what you want. Keep your mind focused on it. How part will take care of itself. In the words of Michelangelo:
   “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
   Dream high. Big dreams attract big opportunities.
   “It takes the same energy to create big dream and the little one.”
   ————General Wesley Clark
   The major difference between the high achievers and the rest of the world is that the high achievers simply dream bigger. Do not stop dreaming high because it seems impossible. Do not compromise.
   Principle # 4
   Once you dream high, believe that it is possible. Have high hopes. Hold positive expectations. Convince yourself that you deserve it.
   Principle # 5
   Believe in yourself. You are result of the planning of the Master Creator. You are neither an accident nor a coincidence. Give up all loser phrases: I cannot, I wish, Would that etc.
   Belief in oneself is higher value than the talent, knowledge and skill.
   Principle # 6
   Become an inverse paranoid. Operate as if everyone is part of a plot to enhance your well-being. See every difficult or challenging event as it is meant to enrich you, empower you and advance your causes.
   When life hands you a lemon, squeeze it and make a lemonade.
   Always believe that The Almighty has something better in store for you.
   Principle # 7
   Unleash the power of goal- setting.
   “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.”
   —–Andrew Carnegie.
   Your brain is a goal seeking organism. Whatever goal you give to your subconscious mind, it will work day and night to achieve it.
   Be as specific as possible with all aspects of your goal. Vague goals produce vague results. Write your goals in detail.
   You need goals that stretch you and push your limits. Focus on your goal. Read it again and again.
   “The advantage of setting a big goal is that in the process of achieving it, you become someone worth becoming.”
   ———-Jim Rohn
   To achieve a bigger goal, you develop new skills , new attitudes and new capabilities. In the very process, you stretch yourself, and in doing so, you are stretched forever.
   Principle # 8
   Break your bigger goals into small manageable tasks. Incorporate your action items in your daily to-do lists that lead to your goal. Identify the difficult tasks necessary to achieve the goal and get them done in the beginning. Plan your day the night before.
   Principle # 9
   Take clues from those who have achieved the similar goals.
   Principle # 10
   Release the brakes. Remove all the negative images about yourself, inaccurate beliefs about reality, guilt and self- doubts. Replace your self- limiting beliefs. Come out of the comfort zone.
   “Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone.”
   ———- Robert Allen
   You can get out of it by affirmations, positive self- talk, by creating a better self-image and by changing your behaviour. Focus on thinking, talking and writing about the reality you want to create. Flood your mind with thoughts and images of this new reality. Raise the quality of self- talk. Have positive affirmations.
   Principle # 11
   Have a vivid picture of your goal in your mind. Visualize your goal in mind. Make consistent efforts to achieve that goal.
   Principle # 12
   Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail. Act as if you are already where you want to be. Take actions in the light of your positive beliefs.
   Principle # 13
   Take action. Your thinking, knowledge or beliefs have impact on your life only when you act according to them. The universe rewards action.
   Do not waste your time in analyzing, planning and organizing too much. You learn many things from your experience. You begin to get feedback about how to do it better, more efficiently, and more quickly. Things that once seemed confusing begin to become clear. Things that once appeared difficult begin to become easier.
   Just get up and do what has to be done !!!
   Start learning from your mistakes; make the necessary corrections and keep taking action until you get the desired results or better results. Quit waiting for the perfect time to begin. Do it now.
   Principle # 14
   Just lean into it. Take the first step. Be willing to start without seeing the whole path. If roadblocks are put in your path; either jump over it or take a detour. Keep moving.
   Principle # 15
   Experience your fear and take action anyway. Fear is natural; confront it. Fear is bad only when you stop taking action because of fear. FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.
   “Jump off the cliffs and build your wings on the way down.”
   ———- Ray Bradburry
   Welcome and celebrate failures. Do not fear failures. Bigger opportunities come your way spontaneously and silently. Just keep your eyes and mind open. Stay aware ; keep yourself positive.
   Principle # 16
   Be willing to pay the price. Pain of hard work and discomfort is temporary; achievements are permanent. Practice is key to the mastery of any skill. There are no shortcuts. It is not the will to win that matters. It is the will to prepare for win that matters. In the beginning of your career, you may have to work hard in return for very meager consideration, but once your credibility is established, you reap the benefits for the rest of life effortlessly. It is because price is paid in the beginning. First make sure that your goal is worth the cost you are going to pay.
   Principle # 17
   Ask for what you want. Ask for the information, assistance, support, and time that you need to fulfill your vision. Do not be afraid to ask.
   Principle # 18
   Reject rejection. Learn how to deal with rejection. Rejection is natural; it happens to everyone on many occasions in one’s life. Colonel Harlan Sanders with recipe of what is known as KFC now was rejected for over 300 times. After that he found ‘yes’. Now there are 11000 KFC restaurants in 80 countries of the world.
   Principle # 19
   Use feedback to your advantage. Feedback is the breakfast of the champions. When you start any project, be open to feedback. It will guide you. Take criticism as correctional guidance. Do not quit or get angry if you receive negative feedback. Do not ignore the feedback. Feedback is simply an information. Do not take it personally. Just welcome and use it. Just thank and appreciate the source of feedback. Rather ask for feedback. You cannot fix what you do not know is broken.
   Spend some time with positive loving friends, family and relations who can reaffirm your worth. Make a diary of your everyday activity. Write down your successes and the lessons learnt. Take some time to go back and review your successes. It is important to remind yourself that you have had many more successes.

Principle # 20
Commit to constant and never-ending improvement. Improve in small increments. Take small, manageable steps. Decide what to improve on. You cannot skip steps.
Make a commitment to keep getting better and better every day in every way. It takes only a little extra bit of performance to go from good to great.

Principle #21
Keep score for success. Keep measurements. Your natural inclination is always to improve your score. Measure what you want, not what you do not want.
Principle #22
Practice persistence. Many people give up just when they are about to achieve success. Persistence is probably the single most common quality of high achievers. They simply refuse to give up. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.

Principle #23
Practice the rule of 5. Every day, we do 5 specific things that will move our goal towards completion. Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.
Principle #24
Exceed expectations. It is never crowded along the extra mile. If you are willing to do more than you are paid to do, eventually you will be paid to do more than you do. Give more than people expect. Trust that it will get noticed and recognized. The cream always rises to the top. Focus on how you can give more instead of how can you get more. You will automatically get more.
Principle#25
Drop out of “ifs and buts” club and surround yourself with successful people.
You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with…
You can change the outer aspects of your life by changing the inner attitudes of your minds.
It is important to spend time with the people you want to become like.
Confidence is contagious. Free yourself from the negative persons. Spend time with positive, nourishing and uplifting people who believe in you, encourage you to go after your dreams and applaud your victories.
Principle# 26
Acknowledge your positive past. Remember your successes, not your failures. Concentrate on your strengths more than your weaknesses. Celebrate your successes. Never set the bar too high for what we call a success. The more self-esteem you have, the more risks you are willing to take. Keep a written record of your successes. Display your success symbols. Surround yourself with awards, pictures and other objects that remind you of your successes and future goals.
Just before going to bed, stand in front of the mirror and appreciate yourself for all that you have accomplished during the day.
Principle #27
Keep an eye on the prize. Stay focused on your goals. Just in bed before sleep, acknowledge your successes, review your goals, focus on your successful future and make specific plans for what you want to accomplish the next day.

Principle #28
Clean up your messes and your incompletes. Continually ask yourself: What does it take to actually get this task completed? 10 things completed have more power than 50 things half completed. Make space for something new. Fix the irritants. Remove the clutter from your life; stay organized.
Principle #29
Complete the past to embrace the future.
“None of us can change our yesterdays, but all of us can change our tomorrows.”
——-Colin Powel
Forgive and move on. Forgive and bring yourself back to the present.

Principle# 30
Face what is not working. Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Be ruthlessly honest to yourself. Never ignore the yellow alerts.
Doing more of what does not work would not make it work any better. Recognize such bad situations and deal with them. Do not be afraid to face facts squarely. Do not deny facts. The more you face uncomfortable situations, the better you get at it.

Principle #31
Embrace change. Change is the law of life. Do not resist change. Look for opportunities in changes to make your life richer, easier and more fulfilling.
Principle #32
Transform your inner critic into inner coach. Focus on your self-talk. Make it positive, encouraging and refreshing for you. Your negative thoughts kill you gradually. Talk to yourself like a winner. Transform your negative self- talk into positive self-talk. Replace your thoughts of limitation with thoughts of unlimited possibility. Replace your victim language in your thought with the language of empowerment.
Focus on the positive developments. Look for things to appreciate in every situation. Write down all the things you appreciate in your life.
Tell that inner voice that you are not willing to listen to any more character assassinations and name calling. Tell it that you are willing to listen to certain suggestions to improve your performance. Turn your inner critic into inner coach by listening only to productive suggestions…
The past is over, and there is nothing you can do to change it. You can only learn from it and improve your performance the next time.
Principle #33
Transcend your limiting beliefs. Identify those beliefs that are limiting you and then replace them with positive ones that support your success. You are capable of accomplishing your goals. You are capable of handling anything that comes up in your life means that you are no longer afraid of anything. Believe that you deserve to be treated well- with respect and dignity; I would not settle for less than I deserve. I will do whatever it takes to create that for myself.

Principle #34
Develop 4 new success habits a year. Adopt those habits which lead you to success. A research shows that 90 % of our behaviour is habitual. Habits help free up your mind while your body is on automatic. If you want to create higher levels of success, you will drop some of your habits and replace them with more productive habits.
Examples of more productive habits
 Eating healthy
 Exercise
 8 hour sleep
 Responding phone calls
 Being on time
 Being proactive
 Saving at least10 % of your income
 Getting up early
 Reading for at least an hour a day
 Planning an ideal day next while in bed before sleep
Principle#35
99 % is failure. 100 % is success. There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something you do it only when it is convenient. When you are committed to something you do it anyway without accepting any excuses. 100 % commitment works perfectly. Stand firm on your commitment.
Make a 100% commitment to your disciplines like:
-reading for hours
-doing sports
-learning new skills
-Offering prayers

• and getting up early
  Stay committed to 100% excellence in everything you do.
  Principle# 36
  Learn more to earn more. Adopt simple behaviors like reading for an hour a day. Attend classes and training programs. Cut your tv time. Read success principles for one hour a day. Read the biographies of the great men. You cannot put your hand in a pot of glue without some of that glue sticking. Attend success seminars/ lectures. Be humble and open to learning.
  Identify skills you need to learn in order to achieve your goals, and then start learning them. Attend human-potential trainings. Commit to lifelong learning and improvement.

Principle# 37
Stay motivated in the company of the people who inspire you to do and achieve more.

Principle# 38
Fuel your success with passion and enthusiasm. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, energetic, enthusiastic and faithful. True passion comes from within; and it can be channeled into amazing feats of success. Enthusiasm and passion come as a result of caring about what you do. If you love your work, and enjoy doing it, you are already a success. When pleasure of work is equal to pleasure of leisure, you have won. Make your life wonderful by loving what you do or by doing what you love.
Principle# 39
Build your success team. Stay focused on your core genius. Success follows doing what you want to do. Core genius means doing something for love, you hardly feel like charging people for it. It is effortless for you and a whole lot of fun. And if you could make money doing it, you would make it your lifetime work. Focus on your core genius, delegate other tasks to other team members. Delegate completely; do not micromanage. Tell him what you want to get done and then ensure that it is done. The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at doing what they love and enjoy the most.
Principle # 40
Redefine time. The most successful people create superior results yet still maintain a balance among work, family and recreation in their lives. They spend time in their training and capacity building. They also have leisure time for quality entertainment that recharges them and make them more creative. Do not hesitate in taking some days off from your work every month. Start now to control your time and your life.
Principle #41
Build a powerful support team and delegate to them….

Focus on your core genius and delegate other matters to your team members. Once you have chosen your team members, trust them.
Principle #42
Just say No! You do not have to let yourself be terrorized by other people’s expectations of you. Neither you can please everyone nor should you. Do not let your top priorities go unaddressed. Eliminate all bad habits from your life. Make a ‘stop- doing list’ or a list called ‘Policies’. If saying ‘no’ works in your life, then why is it hard to say?
Principle# 43
Say no to the good so that you can say yes to the great. According to 80/ 20 rule, 80 % of your output comes from 20 % of input. Your goal should be to focus on the 20% of activity that is producing 80 % of results. And finally look at where you spend your time.
Principle #44
Be an apprentice to a master. Take advice from the person who has achieved that goal which you have set. Determine in advance what you want from a mentor. Shoot for the moons because even if you miss, you will land among the stars. Take action on your mentor’s advice. Do not hesitate in asking someone to be your mentor.
Principle #45
Hire a personal coach and learn skills from the coach.
Principle #46
Mastermind your way to success. Two heads are better than one. Have a mastermind group from different areas of life. This mastermind group should meet in person or on phone after regular intervals with the stated purpose to achieve. Have a mastermind group of persons of higher ability and achievement than you. Size of the group must be from 4 – 6 persons
Principle #47
Inquire within. Your unconscious database is ten times your conscious database. This data base is the source of your natural genius. Wisdom / talent is buried in you; you have to search within.
Trust your intuition. Everyone has intuition- it is just a matter of developing it. All the resources we need are in our mind. The answers lie within. Make time to listen. Your most valuable intuitive wisdom often comes when you are relaxed and open to receiving it. Ask questions from yourself. Write down your answers. Your intuition works better when you trust it. Listen to your intuition and take action.
Principle # 48
Listen carefully. Argue less and listen more. Be interested rather than interesting.
Principle #49
Have a heart talk.

Principle #50
Tell the truth faster. The truth will set you free. The truth also frees up our energy. It takes energy to withhold the truth. Telling the truth pays dividends. There is no perfect time to tell the hard truth.
Speak your mind….
Principle #51
Speak with impeccability. Be the master of your words. Speak the words only:
 which are true
 which uplift other people’s worth
How I speak to you and about you determines the quality of our relationship. Stop lying. Why we tell a lie? Because we falsely believe that we cannot handle the consequences of people knowing the truth about you. Do not speak ill of another to anyone else. Do not gossip. Do not judge others. Make an effort to appreciate something about every person you interact with.
Rely on your own observation. If you treat people with respect and signal them through your speech and actions that you have high expectations, they will try to live up to that positive expectation.
Principle#52
When in doubt, check it out. Do not guess. People always imagine the worst when they do not know what is true. Situation becomes more aggravated when they base their decisions on fearful assumptions. Do not assume good or bad, just check the facts…
Principle# 53
Practice uncommon appreciation. There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread. People work better and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism. Master the art of appreciation. Appreciation is the number-one motivator.
Keep on appreciating. Take time to appreciate yourself.
Principle# 54
Keep your agreements. There is a high cost of not keeping your agreements. One loses trust if one does not keep agreements. Keep the agreements you make with yourself. Make only those agreements you intend to keep. Write down the agreements you make. Communicate any broken agreement at the first appropriate time.
Principle# 55
Be a class act. Live by your own highest standards. Maintain dignity and grace under pressure. Be a role model; set attractive examples and motivate others. Respond with courtesy, respect, appreciation, gratitude and generosity. Increase the confidence and capabilities of others. Do fewer things, but them better. Keep the quality of your work high. Dress well, eat well and conduct yourself at all times with refinement and style. Treat everyone around you with love, dignity and respect. When you establish a higher level of personal standards, not only do you get better treatment from others but also you suddenly begin attracting others with the same elevated standards.
Principle# 56
Develop a positive money consciousness. Financial success starts in the mind. Identify your limiting beliefs about money. You must understand that the present state of your bank account, your health, social life, your position etc is the physical manifestation of your previous thinking. Improve your results in the physical world by changing your thoughts.
Four steps…
1- Write down your limiting belief
2- Challenge, argue with it, make fun of it…
3- Create a positive turnaround statement.
4- Repeat this turnaround statement.

Visualize what you want as if you already have it.
Principle# 57
You get what you focus on.
Make a conscious decision to be wealthy. Fix your financial targets and time limits. Find out what it costs to finance your dream life. Calculate your net worth. Have your financial plan and goals. Become aware of what you are spending. Cut back on your unnecessary spending. Be financially literate.
Principle# 58
Pay yourself first. Put aside 10 % of your earnings and make that money inaccessible for expenses. When the savings reaches a reasonable level, they should be invested.
Do not spend your savings on your expenses. Follow 50/50 law if you want a speedy progress. Expenses should not be more than 50 % of your income and savings should not be less than 50 % of your income.

Principle# 59
Master the spending game. Spend less. Pay cash instead of using credit card. Purchase the thing which you really need. Find ways to reduce the cost of your rich lifestyle. Do not borrow. Clear your debts.

Principle# 60
To spend more, first make more. It is not possible to live a successful life unless one is rich.
You have two options
1- spend less
2- make more and then spend more.
Option # 2 is better.
Think on money making ideas.
Follow three rules of money making
1- There are no short-cuts, there may be smarter ways.
2- Use fair means
3- Your business contribute positively to the society.
Get better at what you do through capacity building courses and education. Enhance your skills. Create multiple sources of income. Side businesses should consume little time, money and effort of yours…
Principle# 61
Give more to get more. Everything you give away comes back multiplied many times over. Money is like manure. If you spread it around, it does a lot of good. But if you pile it up in one place it stinks like hell. Engage others in your success by making a team.
Principle# 62
Find a way to serve. Link your own profits with the service of community. The people who volunteer live longer, have stronger immune systems, have fewer heart attacks, recover from heart attacks faster, have higher self-esteem and have a deeper sense of meaning and purpose. Volunteering is a powerful way of networking and often leads to business and career opportunities. Volunteering helps in developing success skills. Do not give people a fish to eat. Teach them how to catch a fish.
Principle# 63
Think and then apply your wisdom and thoughts. Start now ! Just do it ! Get started. Jump off the cliff and build wings on the way down. You will never be perfectly ready. 80 % of your training is on-the-job- training. Take some time to master each of the 64 principles and then switch to next principle.
There is no short cut. This may take years to master all the principles. But you will start feeling a healthy change and improvement from the very first day.

You are not required to be in a hurry. Develop slowly and gradually. Pace will take care of itself. Just get into the game and learn things.
Keep moving forward, all kinds of foreseen opportunities will grow out of that forward motion.
It’s a lot of fun to do the things of your dream. So remember to enjoy the journey.
It may be hard to begin. But once you start, things start becoming easier and more interesting.
Principle# 64
Empower yourself by empowering others. If your actions and words inspire others to dream more, learn more , do more and become more then you are an excellent leader. Share these ideas…
Be a role model for others and motivate others. The greatest contribution you can make to the world is to help others do the same. It’s one of the most powerful ways to learn anything is to teach it to others.
Teach these principles to others, it would make you recommit to these principles more.
When you lift up others, they will lift you up.

The End….