Key Takeaways
1. Develop a Success Mindset: Harness the Power of Positive Thinking
"Your thoughts will inevitably bring you either to failure or to success—according to which thought is the strongest."
Positive thinking is foundational. Your mental attitude shapes your reality, attracting either success or failure. To cultivate a success mindset, focus on your goals, visualize your desired outcomes, and maintain unwavering faith in your abilities.
Practical steps to develop positive thinking:
- Start each day with affirmations of success and abundance
- Surround yourself with optimistic, goal-oriented people
- Replace negative self-talk with empowering statements
- Celebrate small victories to build momentum
- Practice gratitude daily to maintain a positive perspective
Remember, success is not just about external achievements, but also about internal growth and fulfillment. By aligning your thoughts with your aspirations, you create a powerful force that propels you towards your goals.
2. Cultivate Dynamic Will Power: The Key to Overcoming Obstacles
"To create dynamic will power, determine to do some of the things in life that you thought you could not do."
Will power is a muscle. Like any muscle, it grows stronger with consistent exercise. Developing dynamic will power enables you to overcome obstacles, persist in the face of challenges, and achieve what may seem impossible.
Strategies to strengthen your will power:
- Set increasingly challenging goals for yourself
- Practice delayed gratification in small ways daily
- Develop a consistent meditation practice to enhance mental control
- Take on tasks that push you out of your comfort zone
- Visualize yourself succeeding in difficult situations
By cultivating dynamic will power, you become resilient in the face of setbacks and develop the mental fortitude necessary for long-term success. Remember, every time you choose to do something difficult, you're building your capacity for future challenges.
3. Master the Art of Concentration: Focus Your Mental Energy
"All men and women of success have been men of great concentration, men who would dive deeply into their problems and come out with the pearls of right solutions."
Concentration is crucial. In a world full of distractions, the ability to focus intently on a single task or goal is a superpower. Mastering concentration allows you to solve complex problems, make better decisions, and achieve more in less time.
Techniques to improve concentration:
- Practice mindfulness meditation to train your attention
- Use the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break
- Eliminate distractions in your environment (e.g., turn off notifications)
- Engage in single-tasking rather than multitasking
- Regularly challenge your mind with puzzles or learning new skills
By honing your concentration skills, you'll be able to dive deep into any task or problem, emerging with innovative solutions and achieving higher levels of productivity. Remember, quality of focus often matters more than quantity of time spent.
4. Embrace Failure as a Stepping Stone to Success
"The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success."
Failure is feedback. Rather than viewing failure as a setback, see it as valuable information and an opportunity for growth. Every failure brings you closer to success if you learn from it and use it to refine your approach.
How to turn failure into success:
- Analyze failures objectively to identify areas for improvement
- Cultivate resilience by reframing setbacks as temporary and specific
- Seek feedback from mentors or peers to gain new perspectives
- Use failure as motivation to work harder and smarter
- Celebrate the lessons learned from each failure
By embracing failure as a natural part of the success journey, you remove the fear that often holds people back from taking risks and pursuing their dreams. Remember, many of history's most successful individuals experienced numerous failures before achieving their goals.
5. Discover Your True Vocation: Align Your Work with Your Passion
"If your vocation does not satisfy your heart, it is not the right path for you."
Passion fuels perseverance. When you align your work with your innate interests and talents, you're more likely to excel and find fulfillment. Discovering your true vocation is about understanding yourself deeply and finding where your skills, passions, and the world's needs intersect.
Steps to find your true vocation:
- Reflect on childhood interests and recurring themes in your life
- Identify your core values and ensure your work aligns with them
- Experiment with different fields through internships or side projects
- Seek advice from mentors or career counselors
- Pay attention to what activities make you lose track of time
Remember, your vocation may evolve over time, and it's okay to pivot as you grow and discover new interests. The key is to remain true to yourself and continually seek alignment between your work and your inner calling.
6. Cultivate Magnetism: Attract Success in All Areas of Life
"Every time you are looking, or listening, or lifting your hands, you are throwing out magnetic current."
Magnetism is multifaceted. It's not just about charisma; it's about developing a powerful presence that attracts opportunities, resources, and supportive people. Cultivating magnetism involves working on your physical, mental, and spiritual energies.
Ways to increase your personal magnetism:
- Practice good posture and maintain eye contact in interactions
- Develop genuine interest in others and practice active listening
- Maintain a positive, enthusiastic attitude
- Take care of your physical health through diet and exercise
- Cultivate inner peace and confidence through meditation
By developing your magnetism, you create an aura of success that draws positive experiences and people into your life. Remember, true magnetism comes from a place of authenticity and a genuine desire to contribute value to others.
7. Balance Material and Spiritual Success: Seek Divine Guidance
"When guided by error, your human will can mislead you, but when guided by wisdom, it is attuned to the Divine Will."
Holistic success is key. True fulfillment comes from balancing material achievements with spiritual growth. By seeking divine guidance, you align your actions with a higher purpose and tap into a source of wisdom beyond your own limited perspective.
Practices for balancing material and spiritual success:
- Start and end each day with meditation or prayer
- Practice gratitude for both material blessings and spiritual insights
- Make decisions based on both practical considerations and intuitive guidance
- Regularly engage in selfless service or charitable activities
- Seek wisdom from spiritual texts and teachers
By integrating spiritual practices into your pursuit of success, you ensure that your achievements contribute to your overall growth and the well-being of others. Remember, lasting fulfillment comes from living in harmony with your highest values and spiritual beliefs.
8. Serve Others: The Secret to Lasting Prosperity
"The law of prosperity is not governed by the law of selfishness, but by the law of unselfishness."
Service creates abundance. True prosperity comes not from accumulating wealth for oneself, but from creating value for others. By focusing on how you can serve and contribute, you naturally attract success and fulfillment.
Ways to incorporate service into your success journey:
- Identify how your skills and passions can address others' needs
- Look for opportunities to add value in every interaction
- Mentor others and share your knowledge freely
- Support causes and organizations aligned with your values
- Practice random acts of kindness daily
By making service a cornerstone of your approach to success, you create a positive ripple effect that enhances both your life and the lives of those around you. Remember, the more you give, the more you receive – not just in material terms, but in terms of purpose, satisfaction, and genuine connections.
9. Choose the Right Business Associates: Build a Strong Team
"Attracting honest, loyal, friendly, intelligent business associates, who will make your business their business and your ambition their ambition, is the best way to conduct a business."
Your team is crucial. The people you surround yourself with can either elevate your success or hinder your progress. Choosing the right business associates involves looking beyond skills to assess character, values, and alignment with your vision.
Criteria for selecting business associates:
- Integrity and trustworthiness
- Complementary skills and strengths
- Shared values and work ethic
- Positive attitude and ability to handle stress
- Willingness to learn and grow
When building your team, take time to thoroughly vet potential associates. Use a combination of interviews, references, and intuition to make informed decisions. Remember, a strong, aligned team can overcome almost any obstacle and achieve extraordinary results.
10. Persevere in the Face of Adversity: Never Give Up on Your Dreams
"Every new effort after a failure must be well planned and charged with increasing intensity of attention."
Persistence is power. Success often comes not to the most talented, but to those who refuse to give up. By cultivating perseverance, you develop the resilience to overcome obstacles and the tenacity to see your goals through to completion.
Strategies for developing perseverance:
- Set clear, meaningful goals that inspire you
- Break large goals into smaller, manageable steps
- Celebrate small victories along the way
- Learn from setbacks and adjust your approach as needed
- Surround yourself with supportive people who believe in your vision
Remember the story of the little frog who churned milk into butter through persistent effort. Like the frog, your continuous efforts, even when the situation seems hopeless, can create the very means of your success. Keep paddling, keep trying, and never give up on your dreams.
Last updated:
Review Summary
Readers generally praise How To Be a Success for its practical spiritual wisdom on achieving success. Many find Yogananda's Eastern perspective insightful and reaffirming. Reviewers appreciate the book's motivational content, comparing it favorably to other self-help classics. Some note that it's a collection of magazine articles from the 1920s-30s. While most rate it highly, a few found other Yogananda works more enjoyable. Overall, readers value the book's emphasis on developing inner powers and creating opportunities through determination and faith.
The Wisdom of Yogananda Series Series
Similar Books
Download PDF
Download EPUB
.epub
digital book format is ideal for reading ebooks on phones, tablets, and e-readers.