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Lead the Field

“Hundreds of thousands of business leaders and aspiring professionals have profited from the wisdom and savvy of Lead the Field! Now you can too.

Lead the Field has often been referred to as the “Program of Presidents” because so many top executives and business leaders have incorporated Earl Nightingale’s insight and guidance into their management philosophies.

This landmark book is a practical guide on how to think and act like a success. The timeless stories Nightingale uses to make his points are as profound as they are accessible.

In this classic program, you will learn to:
Double your mental capability
Recognize and easily overcome the biggest stumbling block to high achievement in business and in life.
Dramatically improve your life by changing one simple thing
Enjoy more success with an easy 3-minute-a-day exercise
Assess your potential worth and start increasing it now
You’ll also discover uplifting and insightful information like the importance of forgiveness, how “intelligent objectivity” can improve your professional life, and the usefulness of constructive discontent. As Nightingale will show you, the magic word in life is ATTITUDE. It determines your actions, as well as the actions of others. It tells the world what you expect from it. When you accept responsibility for your attitude, you accept responsibility for your entire life.

Remember, if the grass is greener on the other side…
…it’s probably getting better care. Success in business and life is not a matter of luck or circumstance. It’s not a matter of fate or the breaks you get or who you know. Success is a matter of sticking to a set of commonsense principles that anyone can master.

Now it’s your turn to bring positive changes to your own life—changes that will allow you to lead the field yourself!”

Earl Nightingale is one of my all time favorites because he influenced my dive into self-development… or maybe it was the awareness of another realm of thought?  My first listen into this “Lead the Field” was over 20 years ago… it changed my world.  After many years, and a great deal of further digging into the “older” knowledge, I am taking another dive into this book…

The stage is set with the potentialities of a magical journey down new paths (picture it!).  Words and phrases are to be highlighted, such as;  attitude, service, goals, commitment, intelligent objectivity, constructively discontented, and acres of diamonds… I can hear him speaking to me as I read this book again.

Reflection

The first of the twelve ideas presented in this book, is incorporating the Magic Word in our daily lives.  That word is Attitude; defined as “the position or bearing as indicating action, feeling, or mood.”  This meaning has many implications in everything, including how we think, feel, and act in every moment of our lives; and in turn is one of the primary causes of our results and experiences.

It is stated that “Attitude is the reflection of the person inside.”  This statement has a deeper meaning to me now, because I have learned that your reflection is your ego, or personality, and most of the time not your true Self.  Through the journey of Self-Knowledge (of Selfken), some of the first paths will shine a bright light on this. Another associated statement is that “our environment… is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.”  This correlation is huge! It suggests that what we see happening in our lives originated from within… “Before you can do something, you must be something” (German philosopher and writer, Goethe).

And remember this, one of the attitudes we all should have is to “treat every person with whom you come in contact as the most important person on earth.” If you can radiate genuine empathy to all of those around you, and give them the moment to shine back on you… remember you only have Now in which to really be alive; the rest of the time (past/future) is only thoughts… be consciously present in every moment.

Wow, if this first of twelve ideas (Attitude) was all there was to this book, it would still be a masterpiece… but there are still eleven more ideas to think about!

Potential

Dr. Conwell (born 1843) became consumed with the idea of a college that would be available to poor but deserving individuals; he decided on 100% dedication and complete commitment. He raised the money needed to found Temple University by speaking at over 6,000 locations; at every one of these events he told the story of “Acres of Diamonds.”

This story describes a farmer that wants to leave everything in search of riches in the diamond mining business… the person that bought the farmer’s land ends up with the largest diamond mine in Africa. The moral of the story goes something like; you need to fully understand what your potentiality is. Look at what you have around you (as well as in), don’t worry about what the “Jones’s” have… “Know Thyself”.

We all have a godlike ability to create! Opportunities are all around us. Don’t settle. Don’t avoid trouble, overcome it; don’t escape, triumph. We are all standing in our own “Acres of Diamonds”.

Goals

Stated simply, “what the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” This statement is one of my favorites of all times! It requires imagination, faith, and action (or thinking, feeling, and acting). This can be incorporated throughout our day by having goals to follow; envisioning this future point as already complete… if you have it in your mind, it is already tangible, right?

It is a system (and the system works!). Earl defines success as “the progressive realization of a worthy goal.” This means that success doesn’t imply achieving… but pursuing a goal. “The road is better than the inn” (Cervantes). We should all be continuously thinking, planning, and bringing about change; changes in our life situation, moving from one goal achieved to the next goal. But we must always remain poised on that tightrope… balanced between work and rest.

Remember, when setting your goals, you must strive for positive emotions in the journey and in completion… will it enrich others? Will you be proud of the results?

Another one of my favorites… “You will become what you think about.” This can so profoundly change your life; your life will reflect your thoughts. Many of us have chaos going on in our minds, including the mountain of goals that get started and never finished… one goal at a time. You have the option to think about whatever you want; goals provide the scope, the focus, the direction. Have a purpose. Take aim, and pull the trigger… again and again.

Mind

“Only one creature is given the godlike power to fashion its own life according to the images it holds in its remarkable mind” (E.Nightingale). Again, nothing happens without some type of goal setting… definitely nothing of any importance. Your subconscious is greatly affected by thoughts of your present goal (and everything else); forces are set in motion, many of which are unimaginable by most of society. Less than 10%, that is how much of our mental capacity is being used. Research has shown that the potentiality of the human mind is infinite… How can we tap that?

Herbert Otto states that “it is clear that persons who live close to their potential, have a pronounced sense of well-being and considerable energy. They see themselves as leading purposeful and creative lives.” ***How do we know what is close to our potential?

“The only thing about a man that is a man is his mind. Everything else you can find in a pig or a horse” (The Secret of Freedom). This mind of ours has everything now, and all the potentiality for future nows… turn inward and discover. Learn how to think. Exercise your mind. Earl recommends writing down Your Goal and come up with ideas on how to improve what you are currently doing in that pursuit. Then add creative ways to improve upon your normal daily activities. Write everything down, don’t hold back. This system has many perks including the obvious, but it also anchors your goal into your subconscious; this process of thought continues throughout the day/night subliminally. Spending just one hour a day (Mon-Fri) adds up to an extra 6.5 x 40 hour work weeks… in your diamond mine. Remember, you must take action on the ideas (diamonds) you uncover.

Causation

“A body in motion tends to remain in motion until acted upon by and outside force” (Sir Isaac Newton). The Law of Cause and Effect. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” (Newton). “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.” … Earl summarizes it for us in that “our reward in life will always match our service”… Wow! So, if you are not getting the rewards you want, all you have to look at is the amount of service you are providing? The rewards received are twofold; those tangible ones like money, and the intangible like happiness. “Constructive discontent is what is responsible for our continuing upward spiral”, and with this we take each rung of the ladder up to the next. Build a bridge through service. Action-Reaction.

Work smart (not hard); you must understand how things operate… this includes yourself. Your service is the ideas/emotion/efforts/actions carried through to your goal, which in turn results in the balancing by the required reward. Increase your service, increase your reward. Put the wood in the stove to get the heat. Sow the Seeds, Reap the Harvest. Use your Powers. Maximize your Energies.

Reasonableness

Integrity (reasonableness). “And this above all, to thine own self be true. And it must follow as the night the day-thou canst not then be false to any man” (Shakespeare). Growth in the understanding of ourselves (“Know Thyself”) and our strengths/weaknesses… and very importantly, our goals. Maybe we should also consider that principle of Desire; it could be viewed as the “Secret” in Napoleon’s Think and Grow Rich? If we have a goal, that could be considered a desire, right?

“…the key virtue that leads to all the others is reasonableness” (Brand Blanshard). Blanshard also made the point that if one seeks happiness directly, one will be discontent; Tolle points to the fact that happiness flows out of you into whatever you are doing… the actions themselves do not create the happiness.

“The richness of a life depends not on the amount of happiness it achieves, but on finding out who one is-i.e., about one’s unique combination of powers-and then discovering through experiment and reflection what course of life will fulfill those powers most completely” (Blanshard). Amen to that one! Conquest of inner space. Discover your own strength. Use what you have, what you are. Creation over Competition. Cause and Effect. Remember the “unfailing boomerang” or Karma.

“Honesty is the best means of getting rich” (Mirabeau). Honesty always precludes the best cause and brings about the proper effect. Do your best. Look for a better way of doing. Experience accomplishment.

Motivation

Don’t choose the easy path. Easy becomes hard; Hard becomes easy. Most of society live through minimums because of the environments they were raised in, and continue with the same patterns throughout their lives… but, with a bit of motivation, anyone may change. This book, for example, lays out some amazing principles… and I feel, a big boost in motivation. Earl provides that “discontent [especially when it’s with ourselves] is the greatest motivator of all” and it has been such since the beginning of time.

Individualize and start on the path less traveled towards the top 5%, the upper level of the pyramid. Spend more time working on yourself and less time watching TV… once this concept is understood you will realize “It’s much easier to win”… you can accomplish more in a few years than most accomplish in a lifetime (Know Thyself).

Value

You should be increasing your worth every day, growing from experiences and attainments of goals. Another way of looking at your worth, in potential energy, puts your value at 85 billion dollars! There are waves of energy radiating from your being… So, how much are you worth right now in the life you are currently living? How can you make changes, and become more valuable to the world?

Think along the lines of You being the president of your own corporation, even if you are working for someone else. Your family are your stakeholders, and you must increase your corps value. You must balance the functions of your corporation; of these functions, present and future operations are crucial to staying in business.

Remember the law “A body in motion tends to remain in motion until acted upon by an outside force”? Well, this works in both directions, if you’re not growing, your dieing. Your future has unlimited potential, if you keep growing. Some experts say that an individual can increase effectiveness by 50 to 100 percent in just 30 days! Knowledge is power. Preset your rewards. Write your own outcomes. Forget the past. Use today to its fullest. “Happiness is an inside job” (Wally Amos).

Money

The amount of money you earn is a reflection of the demand in what you do. Prepare yourself. How much is enough? Enough to live your desired lifestyle and achieve your goals… decide on the amounts of money you want to earn for spending, savings, and retirement; write them down and consider them as goals. Make your income fit your wants. The only limit to income is your planning, your persistence, and your determination.

Money is an effect, the result of a cause. You must provide the service that is valued at the same amount as the money you receive. But, it is not all about the money, there are the intangible things to be received as well. Ensure your family does not suffer in your journey towards riches; they are your stakeholders in your corporation and don’t want to be neglected or miserable.

Knowledge

Ignorance. This will determine your ability to provide a service to the world. We are the only species on the planet that starts off ignorant; but we are also the only ones that have free will, we can choose not to be ignorant. To make this choice, we must attain knowledge; the more we accumulate, the easier the climb.

What is the most important area to learn from? Your primary language is the most crucial; it is shown that the level of vocabulary is distinctive to what level of the pyramid you reside. Knowledge is power. Read everyday. Continue learning. It’s not too late.

Motivation

How do you keep up the motivation in realizing and achieving your goals? By focusing on one day at a time… your life is an accumulation of days, weeks, months, and years. The basic building block is each moment of today; or look at the series of tasks that need completing; squeeze in your goal as often as you can.  Don’t focus on negative aspects of your day… think about how your best day made you feel… now take the next step in having the best day possible.

Lead the Field is full of stories that will help you be successful, one of these is about the $25,000 idea.  It involves a simple process of writing down the important tasks that you have to do tomorrow. Then prioritize them; the next day start on the first and continue until it is finished… then go to the next one.  Simple, but you must listen to Earl Nightingale tell it!  

“…remember to live the best you can, one day at a time.”

Confidence  

Attitudes trickle down from the top.  Businesses are looking for persons that will help them succeed; this includes any size of organization.  This concept worked during the Depression and has continued to work for decades.  Basically, you must continue to increase your value and be prepared to prove your worth.  The previous 11 ideas are all needed in this final idea of confidence in yourself and your abilities and a great attitude in getting to the top of the mountain; and if necessary dragging everyone else with you.  Make it a point to be a vital asset within your organization.

Everything that you are is the result of previous actions.  If you are not happy with your present situation, you must set some needed goals and get started sowing… one successful day at a time.

Below is YouTube “video” (link broken) that has the entire audiobook.  You can speed up the video by clicking on the settings “Cog Wheel” and “Playback Speed”; try listening to the 1.5x speed then 1.25x speed… then adjust to your liking!

01. 00:1        Attitude
02 . 23:30     Acres of Diamond
03. 41:11      Freedom and Personal liberty
04. 1:06:10   Setting Goal
05. 1:25:51   As you sow so shall you reap 
06. 1:48:00   Integrity
07. 2:04:17   The top 5% Above the Pyramids
08. 2:20:53   Improve your self
09. 2:37:50   The Money
10. 2:54:45   Knowledge
11. 3:11:55   Live successfully one day at a time.
12. 3:26:06   Leadership

NOTES – QUOTES

Introduction:  In Lead the Field, Earl Nightingale will lead you down new paths and old, familiar trails. You’ll rediscover the power of words such as attitude and service and goals and commitment. You’ll learn the use of “intelligent objectivity” and the benefit of being “constructively discontented.” And with each repeated reading, you’ll unearth new gems from these “acres of diamonds.”

1. The Magic Word

12 ideas for order and success.  The great Spanish philosopher, José Ortega y Gasset, … each of us, was given the godlike power to create his or her own life.  Attitude is the magic word.  “the position or bearing as indicating action, feeling, or mood.” … our attitudes determine others’ attitudes.   
William James of Harvard University, the father of psychology in America, said “Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” …sitting in front of the cold stove waiting for the heat. Until he puts in the fuel, there won’t be any heat.  Attitude is the reflection (Yesod) of the person inside.  Our environment, the world in which we live and work (Malkhut), is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.  The great German philosopher and writer, Goethe… “Before you can do something, you must be something.” …becoming “lucky,” as the uninitiated call it.  “Treat every person with whom you come in contact as the most important person on earth.” …to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities

2. Acres of Diamonds

Dr. Conwell (born 1843) became consumed with the idea of a college that would be available to poor but deserving individuals; he decided on 100% dedication and complete commitment. He raised the money needed to found Temple University by speaking at over 6,000 locations; at every one of these events he told the story of “Acres of Diamonds.”  This story describes a farmer that wants to leave everything in search of riches in the diamond mining business… the person that bought the farmer’s land ends up with the largest diamond mine in Africa. The moral of the story goes something like; … fully understand what your potentiality is. Look at what you have around you (as well as in), don’t worry about what the “Jones’s” have… “Know Thyself”. We all have a godlike ability to create! Opportunities are all around us. Don’t settle. Don’t avoid trouble, overcome it; don’t escape, triumph. We are all standing in our own “Acres of Diamonds”.

3. A Worthy Destination

Stated simply, “what the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” …requires imagination, faith, and action (or thinking, feeling, and acting). This can be incorporated throughout our day by having goals to follow; envisioning this future point as already complete… if you have it in your mind, it is already tangible, right? —It is a system (and the system works!). Earl defines success as “the progressive realization of a worthy goal.” This means that success doesn’t mean achieving… but pursuing a goal. “The road is better than the inn” (Cervantes). We should all be continuously thinking, planning, and bringing about change; changes in our life situation, moving from one goal achieved to the next goal. But we must always remain poised on that tightrope… balanced between work and rest.
Remember, when setting your goals, you must strive for positive emotions in the journey and in completion… will it enrich others? Will you be proud of the results?
Another one of my favorites… “You will become what you think about”. This can so profoundly change your life; your life will reflect your thoughts. Many of us have chaos going on in our minds, including the mountain of goals that get started and never finished… one goal at a time. You have the option to think about whatever you want; goals provide the scope, the focus, the direction. Have a purpose. Take aim, and pull the trigger… again and again.

4. Miracle of Your Mind

“Only one creature is given the godlike power to fashion its own life according to the images it holds in its remarkable mind” (E.Nightingale). Again, nothing happens without some type of goal setting… definitely nothing of any importance. Your subconscious is greatly affected by thoughts of your present goal (and everything else); forces are set in motion, many of which are unimaginable by most of society. Less than 10%, that is how much of our mental capacity is being used. Research has shown that the potentiality of the human mind is infinite… How can we tap that?
Herbert Otto states that “it is clear that persons who live close to their potential, have a pronounced sense of well-being and considerable energy. They see themselves as leading purposeful and creative lives.” ***How do we know what is close to our potential?
“The only thing about a man that is a man is his mind. Everything else you can find in a pig or a horse” (The Secret of Freedom). This mind of ours has everything now, and all the potentiality for future nows… turn inward and discover. Learn how to think. Exercise your mind. Earl recommends writing down Your Goal and come up with ideas on how to improve what you are currently doing in that pursuit. Then add creative ways to improve upon your normal daily activities. Write everything down, don’t hold back. This system has many perks including the obvious, but it also anchors your goal into your subconscious; this process of thought continues throughout the day subliminally. Spending just one hour a day (Mon-Fri) adds up to an extra 6.5 x 40 hour work weeks… in your diamond mine. Remember, you must take action on the ideas (diamonds) you uncover.

5. Destiny in the Balance

“A body in motion tends to remain in motion until acted upon by and outside force” (Sir Isaac Newton). The Law of Cause and Effect. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” (Newton). “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.” … Earl summarizes it for us in that “our reward in life will always match our service”… Wow! So, if you are not getting the rewards you want, all you have to look at is the amount of service you are providing? The rewards received are twofold; those tangible ones like money, and the intangible like happiness. –“Constructive discontent is what is responsible for our continuing upward spiral”, and with this we take each rung of the ladder up to the next. Build a bridge through service. Action-Reaction.
Work smart (not hard); you must understand how things operate… this includes yourself. Your service is the ideas/emotion/efforts/actions carried through to your goal, which in turn results in the balancing by the required reward. Increase your service, increase your reward. Put the wood in the stove to get the heat. Sow the Seeds, Reap the Harvest. Use your Powers. Maximize your Energies.

6. Seed for Achievement

Integrity (reasonableness). “And this above all, to thine own self be true. And it must follow as the night the day-thou canst not then be false to any man” (Shakespeare). Growth in the understanding of ourselves (“Know Thyself”) and our strengths/weaknesses… and very importantly, our goals. Maybe we should also consider that principle of Desire; it could be viewed as the “Secret” in Napoleon’s Think and Grow Rich? If we have a goal, that could be considered a desire, right?
–“…the key virtue that leads to all the others is reasonableness” (Brand Blanshard). Blanshard also made the point that if one seeks happiness directly, one will be discontent; Tolle points to the fact that happiness flows out of you into whatever you are doing… the actions themselves do not create the happiness.
“The richness of a life depends not on the amount of happiness it achieves, but on finding out who one is-i.e., about one’s unique combination of powers-and then discovering through experiment and reflection what course of life will fulfill those powers most completely” (Blanshard). Amen to that one! Conquest of inner space. Discover your own strength. Use what you have, what you are. Creation over Competition. Cause and Effect. Remember the “unfailing boomerang” or Karma. “Honesty is the best means of getting rich” (Mirabeau). Honesty always precludes the best cause and brings about the proper effect. Do your best. Look for a better way of doing. Experience accomplishment.

7. It’s Easier to Win

Don’t choose the easy path. Easy becomes hard; Hard becomes easy. Most of society live through minimums because of the environments they were raised in, and continue with the same patterns throughout their lives… but, with a bit of motivation, anyone may change. This book, for example, lays out some amazing principles… and I feel, a big boost in motivation. Earl provides that “discontent [especially when it’s with ourselves] is the greatest motivator of all” and it has been such since the beginning of time.
Individualize and start on the path less traveled towards the top 5%, the upper level of the pyramid. Spend more time working on yourself and less time watching TV… once this concept is understood you will realize “It’s much easier to win”… you can accomplish more in a few years than most accomplish in a lifetime (Know Thyself).

8. How Much Are You Worth?

You should be increasing your worth every day, growing from experiences and attainments of goals. Another way of looking at your worth, in potential energy, puts your value at 85 billion dollars! There are waves of energy radiating from your being… So, how much are you worth right now in the life you are currently living? How can you make changes, and become more valuable to the world?
Think along the lines of You being the president of your own corporation, even if you are working for someone else. Your family are your stakeholders, and you must increase your corps value. You must balance the functions of your corporation; of these functions, present and future operations are crucial to staying in business. Remember the law “A body in motion tends to remain in motion until acted upon by an outside force”? Well, this works in both directions, if you’re not growing, your dieing. Your future has unlimited potential, if you keep growing. Some experts say that an individual can increase effectiveness by 50 to 100 percent in just 30 days! Knowledge is power. Preset your rewards. Write your own outcomes. Forget the past. Use today to its fullest. “Happiness is an inside job” (Wally Amos).

9. Let’s Talk About Money

The amount of money you earn is a reflection of the demand in what you do. Prepare yourself. How much is enough? Enough to live your desired lifestyle and achieve your goals… decide on the amounts of money you want to earn for spending, savings, and retirement; write them down and consider them as goals. Make your income fit your wants. The only limit to income is your planning, your persistence, and your determination. Money is an effect, the result of a cause.

10. One Thing You Can’t Hide

Ignorance. This will determine your ability to provide a service to the world. We are the only species on the planet that starts off ignorant; but we are also the only ones that have free will, we can choose not to be ignorant. To make this choice, we must attain knowledge; the more we accumulate, the easier the climb.
What is the most important area to learn from? Your primary language is the most crucial; it is shown that the level of vocabulary is distinctive to what level of the pyramid you reside. Knowledge is power. Read everyday. Continue learning. It’s not too late.

11. Today’s Greatest Adventure

How do you keep up the motivation in realizing and achieving your goals? By focusing on one day at a time… your life is an accumulation of days, weeks, months, and years. The basic building block is each moment of today; or look at the series of tasks that need completing; squeeze in your goal as often as you can.  Don’t focus on negative aspects of your day… think about how your best day made you feel… now take the next step in having the best day possible.

Lead the Field is full of stories that will help you be successful, one of these is about the $25,000 idea.  It involves a simple process of writing down the important tasks that you have to do tomorrow. Then prioritize them; the next day start on the first and continue until it is finished… then go to the next one.  Simple, but you must listen to Earl Nightingale tell it!  

“…remember to live the best you can, one day at a time.”

12. The Person on the White Horse

Businesses are looking for persons that will help them succeed; this includes any size of organization.  This concept worked during the Depression and has continued to work for decades.  Basically, you must continue to increase your value and be prepared to prove your worth.  The previous 11 ideas are all needed in this final idea of confidence and a great attitude in getting to the top of the mountain; and if necessary dragging everyone else with you.  Make it a point to be a vital asset within your organization.

Everything that you are is the result of previous actions.  If you are not happy with your present situation, you must set some needed goals and get started sowing… one successful day at a time.

Lead the Field

click books below to view on Amazon

This is the newer version (The one I used) and has a Kindle version.  There is a “LOOK INSIDE!” option which gives you a nice preview.  Click on the book above to view it on Amazon.