5 Leadership Thoughts from Earl Nightingale

Earl Nightingale (1921-1989) was a motivational writer, radio speaker, and author. The Strangest Secret and Lead The Field are his two most impactful books. Nightingale wrote and recorded more than 7,000 radio programs, 250 audio programs as well as television programs and videos. Every other sentence from Nightingale is pure gold. Here are a few of our favorite quotes from him.

1. "No man can get rich himself unless he enriches others." Self-serving only gets you so far. When you think about success and riches, be sure you are first considering the impact you are having on others.

2. “There are no bad businesses – only businessmen who can’t see the opportunities.” Nightingale believed opportunity is everywhere, falling like rain from the sky. You just need to train yourself how to spot opportunities. Your ability to spot opportunities is like a muscle. The more you train your mind, the more easily you spot opportunities, and the more successful you’ll be in life.

3. “You become what you think about. Your world is a living expression of how you are using and have used your mind.” If you are thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal, you will reach it, because that’s what you’re thinking about. Conversely, if you have no goal, and you don’t know where you are going, then your thoughts will be of confusion, anxiety, fear, and worry which will create a life of the same. Your mind is your richest resource.

4. “A successful life is nothing more than a lot of successful days put together. It’s going to take so many days to reach your goal. If this goal is to be reached in a minimum amount of time, every day must count.” This means that being intentional with your days and doing focused work towards your goal will result in a strong foundation for your life to be built on. You don’t have to do anything magical on any given day, just be consistent and purposeful.

5. “Treat everyone with whom you come in contact as the most important person on earth. Start this habit, practice it consistently, and you’ll do it – and benefit from it – for the rest of your life.” Imagine what the world would be like if everyone considered what they could do for others before considering what they could do for themselves.

Until next time, lead on.

The Leadr Team