Have you heard of Jack Canfield? Maybe the name doesn’t ring a bell, but his works definitely will. Jack Canfield is the man who came up with the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series. He fostered the emergence of inspirational anthologies as a genre – and watched it grow to a billion-dollar market. More than 100 million books were sold through, making Canfield one of the most successful writers of our day and age.
To point out Canfield’s success even further, it is worth to mention that he holds the Guinness Book World Record for having seven books simultaneously on the New York Times Bestseller List (beating out author Stephen King). He also won many awards for his books on self-help. Canfield is also a recipient of the Golden Plate Award from the National Achievement Summit and he received the Chancellor’s Medal from the University of Massachusetts.
In addition, Time Magazine called Canfield the “publishing phenomenon of the decade.” However, his success doesn’t stop there. This man is also known for creating peak performance for managers, entrepreneurs, sales professionals, corporate leaders and corporate employees, as well as educators. For the past 30 years, this compassionate, empowering, and compelling man has been helping hundreds of thousands of individuals achieve their dreams.
Jack Canfield devoted his career to studying, interpreting, and teaching people what makes successful people different. He brings this critical insight to countless people all over the world. Canfield has been so kind to share his success strategies in the media, with companies, universities and professional associations in over 20 countries around the world. All this hard work earned him the title “America’s #1 Success Coach.”
So, now you know almost everything about this man’s success. But, who is Jack Canfield exactly and what is his background story?
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Who Is Jack Canfield?
Jack Canfield was born in Fort Worth, TX on August 19, 1944. He is a Harvard graduate with a Master’s Degree in Psychological Education who worked hard on developing a special methodology and activities to help people take on great challenges and produce ground-breaking results.
Mr. Canfield also received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Santa Monica, Parker College of Chiropractic and St. Ambrose University. And, for the past three decades, he worked as a trainer and educational consultant in the areas of achievement and self-esteem motivation.
Reading all these success stories sure makes you wonder what is Jack Canfield worth? So, let’s find out!
What Is Jack Canfield Worth?
Jack Canfield is considered to be one of the wealthiest and most successful authors in the United States. As already mentioned, he is known for his contributions to the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. In addition, Canfield also founded The Transformational Leadership Counsel and the Foundation for Self Esteem.
All this hard work enabled Canfield to buy himself a beautiful residence in Santa Barbara as well as a beachfront house in Hawaii, which is worth $7.5 million. Mr. Canfield’s total net worth is estimated to be $20 million.
Jack Canfield's 7 Principles of Success and Happiness
Now that we discussed who is Jack Canfield and what is Jack Canfield worth, it’s time to see some of his advice in action.
Canfield dedicated his life to studying success in people’s personal and professional lives. He interviewed hundreds of successful people and read thousands of books on success. As a result, he came up with his book The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, which contains all of his findings regarding success. Besides his book, Canfield shared some of the advice online.
Here are some of the most commonly overlooked principles of success.
Us humans are creatures of habit. Almost everything that we do is based on our personal rituals. We always visit the same restaurant, we like wearing the same comfortable clothes to work, and we brush our teeth always in a certain way. We do so many things on a daily basis just because we’re used to them, without even thinking about them.
The problem with habits is that they always keep things the same and they prevent any change or improvement from happening. If you want more out of your life, then you must be willing to replace some of your existing daily habits with more productive ones.
For example, let’s say you like to watch TV for an hour after dinner. It’s a nice way to relax, but there aren’t many benefits to it. Instead, go for a walk, read a book, or study something that will help you advance in your career.
It takes about 25 days for the brain to make a certain behavior a habit. So, introduce one habit at a time and practice it for about three months before you add another one. In about 3 years, you will have 12 new habits that will undoubtedly lead you to success. Just imagine! 12 habits and each one is meant to make you more successful.
Studies that researched employee motivation found that one of the greatest motivators in the workplace, that is ahead of higher wages, is feeling appreciated. However, so many people fail to see the power of appreciation and to use it in their personal and business lives.
When you show a person that you appreciate them, not only will you make them feel better, but you will also make yourself more successful. If people notice that you appreciate their efforts, then they will be more likely to help you. Showing appreciation doesn’t cost a thing, so it is definitely worth trying.
Rather than guessing how you’re doing at work or in personal life, ask. You can always ask your loved ones or your customers, colleagues, and employers to rate your performance on a scale of one to ten. If their answer is less than 10, ask them what should you do to turn your grade into a 10.
It’s hard to become great and successful on your own, so let your friends and colleagues help you out. So many people are afraid to ask for feedback because they fear the answer. But, the information you get is worth it.
Also, keep in mind that not all feedback is going to be objective and accurate. So, look out for some patterns and never, ever, get angry at the source of feedback, even if you don’t agree with their opinion.
You can make promises both at work and in your personal life. If you make a promise and then break it, the person you let down will lose some faith in you and will be less likely to work with you in the future. As a result, you will probably lose some faith in yourself.
To prevent all of this negativity, avoid breaking promises. What is the simplest way to do this? Well, don’t make promises you can’t fulfill. Teach yourself to say no to things you would rather not do or things you can’t do. Then, you won’t have to back out later.
In addition, write down all your promises on a calendar so you don’t forget them!
It is in our nature to think of ourselves first. So, you will usually find yourself thinking how can you get something out of a situation instead of thinking how can you give to those around you. What you might perceive as a sacrifice is actually a path to success. Going the extra mile for your family and friends, colleagues, and clients will earn you their loyalty for life.
Here is one story that will motivate you to exceed everyone’s expectations.
Years ago, UPS went on a strike and David Morris, the owner of a small coffee roasting company in Seattle, found himself in a difficult situation. He had to deliver an order to a small client in Southern California, but he didn’t have a clue how to do it without UPS. So, he rented a truck and drove 2,320 miles to keep his promise. Nowadays, Morris is the owner of Grind Coffee House, a large franchise with 50 stores. That client became Dillanos’ largest customer and remained loyal all these years because Morris put in some extra effort that one time.
Rejection will never prevent you from succeeding. But, fear of rejection will. What prevents a man from asking an attractive woman out on a date? What prevents an inexperienced salesman from asking a more successful colleague at his firm for advice? Both are afraid of rejection; afraid that the answer to their question will be ‘no.’ Now that you read this, it makes no sense to fear rejection, does it?
Let’s say that you want to ask the most successful person in your company for career advice. The worst thing that can happen is that the person will say no to you. What are the consequences? Well, there aren’t any. You didn’t have that person’s advice before and you don’t have it now. You’re no worse off than when you began, so why be afraid of asking?
If you come across some obstacles, then, it’s natural that you should strive to remove them from your life as soon as possible. How do you do it? Well, start by making a list of problems you want to work on and make sure to include even minor things such as a lightbulb that doesn’t work properly.
After making the list, schedule a day (or a few days) for fixing as many of these problems as you can. Start with those that are the easiest to solve.
By doing this, you will subconsciously adopt the habit of thinking I know what I want, I know how to get it. And, this mindset will stop you from accepting things as they are, encouraging you to start making great changes in your life!
Takeaway
These seven principles come from the man who devoted his life to studying successful people so he could help others make the most of their lives. And, the greatest thing about these pieces of advice is that they truly are simple to implement. It just takes some will and some time to get used to them.
Before you start procrastinating and telling yourself that you’ll try one of these principles some other day, remember what Jack Canfield said:
“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.”
So, what are you waiting for? The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be closer to making your dreams come true!
Sources
- https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/35476.Jack_Canfield
- https://www.jackcanfield.com/blog/7-principles-of-success-and-happiness-that-you-can-do-today/
- https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/35476.Jack_Canfield
- https://www.bigspeak.com/speakers/jack-canfield/
- http://www.mindperk.com/jack-canfield-biography/
- https://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm/author_number/92/jack-canfield
