As a result of a recent flood in our house, I found myself going through boxes and belongings, cleaning out, sorting and reorganizing. During the process, I came across a letter written almost 100 years ago by my grandfather. Today we might call his letter a blog. His letter was titled SUCCESS and here’s what he wrote.

Words of Wisdom

Life is a battle of brains. Man’s mind needs every encouragement. You can make yourself what you will—MENDICANT OR MILLIONAIRE. 

Your mind is the key to the whole works; the combination that will unlock all your imagination, initiative, genius, energy, faculties, talent. UNLOCK YOUR SUCCESS. 

You can ascend to high achievements mentally, morally, and financially. Or you can sink into obscurity and be a wallowing slave in the fenlands of despair, dragging your loved ones down to a pathetic existence barely above the scale of animalism. 

You are just WHERE YOU ARE by the influence of YOUR OWN MIND. You will grow just as big as the development of your own mental capacity. 

Think! Stop listening to the whispers of fancy. Stop circling. START DOING WHAT YOU OUGHT TO DO, RIGHT NOW! If you do not, you are just an aimless drifter—drifting backward and downward. Drifters constitute the saddest scrap on the huge junk pile of human failures! 

This is a matter of fact row-your-own-canoe-world, careless alike of your memories or your dreams. So, concentrate your whole mind on the obligations, possibilities and opportunities of the LIVING PRESENT. Work with heed, heart and hands without WATCHING THE CLOCK! Then life will be a triumph. Success will glorify your endeavor. 

Opportunity is a jolly jade! She rises with every dawn, throws a kiss to the god of sunshine and trips merrily on Her way—tapping softly here and there every little while at the door of the humblest toiler, at the portal of the palace. 

But you must be ever vigilant, thoughtful and listening if you are to hear Her, and hearing Her, you must be promptly responsive. Letting Her pass penalizes you with loss of time, and time is money—the coin with which you are to acquire more comforts, more wealth, more independence, more happiness, more of the things worthwhile in your life for your loved ones as well as your success. 

Think! Think! Think! Then act promptly, courageously, decisively and wisely!

Maurice Mandel, July 27, 1922

Success Quotes

Many leaders, experts, authors and philosophers—before and after my grandfather—have shared their ideas about success. As we read and re-read their thoughts, what’s important is being able to use their wisdom and advice to our benefit. Toward that end, here are some additional quotes from thought leaders that might resonate with you.

• “Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions.” Tony Robbins
• “Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” John Wooden
• “Your positive action with positive thinking results in success.” Shiv Khera
• “Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill
• “For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.” Walter Scott
• “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” Maya Angelou
• “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning.” Benjamin Franklin

Take the First Step

Success comes in many forms. For some, it is financial security. For others, it is personal enlightenment. Those who have achieved success have a crystal-clear understanding of what they wanted to achieve. To follow in their footsteps, developing clarity is important. No matter how we define it, success comes from a combination of opportunity, imagination, initiative, genius, energy, faculties and talent. To define what success means to you, simply ask yourself, “What fulfills me?” From there, you have taken the first step on your path to success.