og mandino greatest miracle in the world
What is a person’s greatest desire in this world? Happiness? Wealth? Health? Peace of mind?
The world’s greatest secret then undoubtedly, is the talisman to attain these. And it is a fairly simple one, or so says Og Mandino. Just remind yourself each day that, “I will win, and I will become a great salesman for I am unique.” That, in short, is the age old secret to “lasting wealth, health, happiness, and most important…peace of mind,” that Mandino shares through his motivational The Greatest Secret in the World.
This is no regular “how to” book. Nor is it a discourse on philosophy or mind control. Though Mandino maintains that this book contains the great secrets handed down to young Hafid (of The Greatest Saleman in the World fame), 2000 years ago, frankly these “secrets” are oft repeated and oft heard. The greatest secret in the world then is not how to find the road to success, but rather how to journey on it and not go astray. And this is what makes this book unique.
Mandino does not simply preach. He offers you a crash course on success, one that requires 10 minutes of your time, each day of your work week for 45 weeks . If you can do it, it’ll change your life and if you can’t, then in Mandino’s own words, “the money spent on this book has been wasted.” A burning desire to succeed is not enough. We all dream of a great tomorrow, but that tomorrow never does come.
So Mandino extorts you to sit up and make today great. And you can do it because, “You are nature’s greatest miracle….you are rare and unique and the ultimate product of several million years of evolution. Both in mind, and body, you are far better equipped than Solomon or Caeser or Plato to make something beautiful and meaningful of your life. You have a greater potential than anyone who has ever lived before you! ” Of course that also means that anyone born after you will always have greater potential than you, but let’s not get cheeky here.
The Greatest Secret in the World is truely an inspiring book because it relentlessly eggs you on. It is engaging, it is colloquial and it is challenging. It even contains a success recorder diary to enable you to gauge your progress. It is designed as a lesson. You read, you follow and then you record your actions. When Mandino believes that you are on the right track, he takes you to the next lesson and once again you read, follow, record. So it continues for 45 weeks. Of course most people will admit that they read the book in one or two sittings, at least for the first time. It is difficult to pause and wait patiently for the next lesson but it might just be worth it.
Through this book, Mandino teaches you to self examine, to identify your bad habits, to focus on your strengths and to control your moods. He takes you back to the basics -Don’t take others or yourself too seriously. Don’t procrastinate. Live each day as if it is your last- only this time, he ensures that you don’t just preach, but you practice. He constantly questions you, taunts you. Can you do it? Do you have the discipline, the self control? Will you give up? And in proving that you won’t give up you gradually become adept at mind conditioning, which Mandino believes is central to success.
I have just one grudge against Mandino. It might be that at the time he wrote this book, professional women were a novelty but did he think that only men desire success? Only they want health, health and happiness? His books are all addressed to men (Greatest sales man, not woman or person). He tells you to decide what job title and salary you want to achieve at the end of your 45 weeks crash course and share it with no one but your wife. Disastrous, especially in a world where one has to at least pretend to be gender sensitive.
That apart, The Greatest Secret in the World is one of those rare books that focuses on action, rather than on mere words. Follow it and success is guaranteed because, “failure will never overcome you if your determination to succeed is strong enough.”
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Og Mandino’s Inspiring Story!
Augustine “Og” Mandino II (December 12, 1923 – September 3, 1996) was an American author. He wrote the bestselling book The Greatest Salesman in the World. His books have sold over 50 million copies and have been translated into over twenty-five different languages. He was the president of Success Unlimited magazine until 1976 and is an inductee of the National Speakers Association’s Hall Of Fame.
Mandino was born December 12, 1923 in Italy. According to the 1930 U.S. Census, he was named after his paternal grandfather.
Mandino was once the editor of a high school paper and planned to attend the University of Missouri’s journalism school. But in the summer of 1940, before Mandino was able to enter college, his mother died suddenly from a massive heart attack. This happened while Mandino’s mother was in the kitchen preparing his lunch. After the incident, Mandino decided to work in a paper factory until 1942. Afterwards, Mandino joined the United States Army Air Corps where he became a military officer and a bombardier. He flew for thirty bombing missions over Germany on board a B-24 Liberator during World War II. It was also during this time that Mandino flew with fellow pilot and movie star, James Stewart. Mandino kept a personalized 8 X 10 photograph of Stewart. This photograph hung on the wall of his home office where he wrote his books.
After his military duties, Mandino discovered that many companies were not hiring many former bomber pilots. As a result, he became an insurance salesman. Traveling on the road and sitting in bars at night, Mandino became an alcoholic. He was unable to keep a job. As a result, Mandino’s wife, together with their only child, left him. One wintry November morning in Cleveland, Mandino almost tried to commit suicide. But as he sorted through several books in a library, volumes of self-help, success and motivation books captured Mandino’s attention. He selected some titles, went to a table and began reading. Mandino followed his visit to the library with more visits to many other libraries around the United States. He read hundreds of books that dealt with success, a pastime that helped him alleviate his alcoholism. It was in a library in Concord, New Hampshire, where he found W. Clement Stone’s classic, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, a book that changed Mandino for the better.
Mandino eventually became a successful writer. His works were inspired by the Bible and influenced by Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone, and Emmet Fox.
Mandino wrote The Greatest Salesman in the World which contains the “time-tested wisdom of the ancients distilled into ten simple scrolls” which, if followed for the prescribed ten months, will as Og says, “will seep into my other mind, that mysterious source which never sleeps, which creates my dreams, and often makes me act in ways I do not comprehend. As the words of these scrolls are consumed by my mysterious mind I will begin to awake, each morning, with a vitality I have never known before. My vigor will increase, my enthusiasm will rise, my desire to meet the world will overcome every fear I once knew at sunrise, and I will be happier than I ever believed it possible to be in this world of strife and sorrow.” (Scroll I)
The scrolls each have a principle designed to replace bad habits built up over a lifetime which “threatens to imprison my future” (Scroll I) with good habits developed through a ten month process of studying the scrolls. Each Scroll’s principle is life altering. They are:
- Scroll I – Today I begin a new life.
- Scroll II – I will greet this day with love in my heart.
- Scroll III – I will persist until I succeed.
- Scroll IV – I am nature’s greatest miracle.
- Scroll V – I will live this day as if it is my last.
- Scroll VI – Today I will be master of my emotions.
- Scroll VII – I will laugh at the world (Keep perspective)
- Scroll VIII – Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.
- Scroll IX – I will act now, I will act now, I will act now.
- Scroll X – I will pray for guidance.
Mandino’s main philosophical message is that every person on earth is a miracle and should choose to direct their life with confidence and congruent to the laws that govern abundance. He wrote in Scroll I, “I will not fail as the others, for in my hands I now hold the charts (the Ten Scrolls) which will guide me through perilous waters to shores which only yesterday seemed but a dream.” Og was also a proponent of taking action now. In Scroll IX, the phrase I will act now is written 18 times. He recognized that all successful people take on their own lives by “charting” or consciously choosing both the desired destination and the path to reach it. Mandino’s philosophical messages have Christian undertones. They are encouragements to build good habits, to live according to the laws that govern abundance and to find a vigor and joy in life as we learn to stand at the helm of our ship charting its course into the safety of the harbor instead of just waiting for someone else to bring it in.
Og spoke at many events in his lifetime, here is one that will completely blow you away. We had the priveledge of being the first to watch this video at the WNP European Launch. Terry Butler kindly let us all watch Og Mandino’s awe-inspiring and emotional video, that has never been released and has a value of $50,000……..Totally AWESOME!!!!!
