Table Of ContentLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Canfield, Jack, 1944-
The success principles for teens : how to get from where you are to where you want to
be/Jack Canfield and Kent Healy.
p. cm.
eISBN-13: 978-0-7573-9795-0 (ebook) eISBN-10: 0-7573-9795-6 (ebook)
States. 2. Self-esteem in adolescence—United States.
3. Self-perception in adolescence—United States. 4. Self-confidence in
1. Teenagers—United
adolescence—United States. I. Healy, Kent. II. Title.
HQ796.C332 2008
© 2008 Jack Canfield and Kent Healy
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
HCI, its logos and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.
Publisher : Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
Art Director Kent Healy
Cover design by Sharon McPeake
Interior design by Brian Bengelsdorf
Illustrations by Paul Combs, for more information about Paul & his artwork visit
www.artstudio7.com
Inside book formatting by Dawn Von Strolley Grove
CONTENTS
Dedication & Acknowledgments
Introduction
Principle 1: Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life
Principle 2: Believe It’s Possible
Principle 3: Decide What You Want
Principle 4: Be Clear Why You’re Here
Principle 5: See the Best to Be the Best
Principle 6: Unleash the Power of Goal-Setting
Principle 7: Release the Brakes
Principle 8: See What You Want, Get What You See
Principle 9: Act As If
Principle 10: Just Lean into It
Principle 11: Face Your Fears Head-On!
Principle 12: Be Willing to Pay the Price
Principle 13: Ask! Ask! Ask!
Principle 14: Reject Rejection
Principle 15: Use Feedback to Fast-Forward
Principle 16: Stop Hanging with Turkeys and Soar with Eagles
Principle 17: Keep Score of Your Success and Build on It
Principle 18: Perform with Persistence by Keeping Your Eyes on the Prize
Principle 19: Give Your Best to Be Your Best
Principle 20: Start Now . . . Just Do It!
Conclusion: Our Challenge to You
If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we
would literally astound ourselves.
—Thomas A. Edison
American inventor and businessman
Dedication & Acknowledgments
Y
ou’re holding this book today because of the many people who have
helped us enjoy success in our own lives. This book has been created
as a result of a remarkable team effort. We’d like to give our heartfelt
thanks and gratitude to: Our families, who have shared their love,
enthusiasm, insight, and support.
Jack’s Family: Inga, Travis, Riley, Christopher, Oran, and Kyle.
Kent’s Family: Doug, Nina, and Kyle.
Our publisher and friend, Peter Vegso, for his continuous support and vision
to make this book a reality.
Patty Aubery and Russ Kamalski, for sharing their valuable time, guidance,
and creative ideas.
D’ette Corona, our coauthor liaison, who impeccably managed countless
details with care and diligence that has made this book possible.
Michele Matrisciani, Carol Rosenberg, Andrea Gold, Allison Janse, and
Kathe-line St. Fort, our editors at Health Communications, Inc., for their
devotion to excellence. Lori Golden, Kelly Maragni, Sean Geary, Patricia
McConnell, Kim Weiss, Paola Fernandez-Rana, Christine Zambrano, and Jaron
Hunter for doing such an incredible job supporting our books.
Tom Sand, Claude Choquette, and Luc Jutras, who manage year after year to
get our books transferred into thirty-six languages around the world.
Thank you Liz George and Jan Thompson in the “Cool Stuff” Media office
for their continual support and willingness to work hard and persist until the job
is done.
Paul Combs, for your incredible artistic ability. Your creative and humorous
illustrations have made this book more appealing and engaging.
Brian Bengelsdorf, for your creative layout design ideas that have helped us
develop a unique book that is visually stimulating and enjoyable.
Sharon McPeake, for your keen eye and edgy design style used to create a
cover for this book that makes it stand out from the crowd.
Tiffany George, for being open and supportive of the information in this book
and allowing us to work closely with her students, who all provided such
valuable feedback.
Our incredible panel of readers who helped make this book the best it could be
by offering their feedback, personal experiences, and insight: Monia Akter, Alex
Aponte, Victoria Baker, Kara Bluntach, Brittany Bogard, Cadience Buchanan,
Carla Byrne, Kaylie Clendenon, Alice Clifford, Josh Davis, Audrey Egan, Rob
Engel, Brianna Gibbons, Joanne Hein, Mary Hernandez, Teresa Huggins,
Hailley Hukill, Nancy Hurtado, Kimia Kalbasi, Bita Khaleghi, Rachel Kramer,
Crystal Kreisel, Alexandra Langford, Dana Law, Armando Lopez, Krystal Claire
McLauchlan, Medellin, Jacob Miller, Jaime Nunez, Janelle O’Mara, Ashley
Ortiz, Kelsey Remmes, Mandy Richardson, Kylee Sims, Nicole Vandever, and
Lisa Wada To everyone who submitted a story, we deeply appreciate your
letting us into your lives and sharing your experiences with us. For those whose
stories were not chosen for publication, we hope the stories you are about to
enjoy convey what was in your heart.
From Kent to Jack: Thank you for being a continuing source of inspiration,
support, and compassion. It has been an absolute pleasure and a unique privilege
to work with you in creating this book. Your depth of knowledge and love for
people is something I respect and admire. I am grateful to be part of your life as
we work together to help others improve their lives.
Introduction
I
f you’ve had that thought before, then we already have something in
common. But before you put this book down, let us tell you one thing: This
is not a book of “good ideas.”
This book doesn’t tell you how to live your life. Far from it. This book
includes what we call the timeless “ingredients of success.” Just like there’s a
recipe for your favorite dish, there’s a recipe for achievement, too. We don’t
know about you, but we wouldn’t get comfortable in our favorite chair to read an
entire cookbook . . . but a recipe for success? We’ll devour that!
So, how could there be a recipe for success? Well, there are very specific
trends, patterns, and similarities in the way successful people live their lives.
They have developed very similar skills and habits that we can all learn from
(the “success ingredients”).
Have you ever wondered why some
individuals have so much happiness, energy,
money, respect, and great friendships? Were
they born with extra talent and abilities? Some
people believe this, but we didn’t buy it.
Instead, we discovered: It’s true. We don’t
start out with the finely tuned skills we need to
create the life we want. We must learn them as
we go through life. However, we can fast-track
our journey by applying the “recipe of achievement” from those who have
already accomplished outstanding results.
What you’re saying is great, but this isn’t for me.
I’m different . . . I’m in a very unique situation.
If only we were given a dime for every time we heard that! The truth is, we
used to think the same thing. “How could somebody else’s life be similar to
mine?” And, “How would somebody else know about my challenges and what I
need to do to turn my life around?” You’re right, we’re all faced with unique
