Success Is Beautiful: Writings on Life and Success by Some of the World’s Leading Thinkers, Speakers, Teachers, and Entrepreneurs
About this ebook
If you see a finely dressed person driving an expensive automobile, without knowing anything else about that person, you can’t help but automatically think, “Boy! That’s a successful person!” It could very well be that he is facing bankruptcy. Or her health is failing. Or his personal life is in shambles.
Likewise, were you to see a somewhat disheveled person driving a late model automobile, you don’t give them a second thought. At the least, you don’t even notice them; at the worst, you might think them unsuccessful or average. You don’t think that they just might not care about their appearance because they have enough wealth to do whatever they want. Or, even if they aren’t wealthy, they might just very well be happy. Or healthy.
Yes, success is difficult to define. It’s on the surface, yet it isn’t. It’s social, yet it’s most certainly personal. It’s something you can touch, yet it’s a frame of mind.
One thing is for certain, though: We all want to be successful.
Do we want money and the trappings of wealth? Of course.
Do we want to be healthy and well? Absolutely.
Do we want a loving family? Without a doubt.
Do we want to be happy? Affirmative.
What you you will find — as some others have found — is that success is a delicate combination of all those things. You need money (or at least a certain amount). You need to have good health. You need family and the love and support that comes with it. And you need happiness — that overall feeling of being content and satisfied.
What you will read in this book will set you on a path to attaining all of those. The authors range from business geniuses to doctors to experts. Each has a story to tell and helpful methods to share. Each will address a piece of the puzzle of success—wealth, health, relationships, happiness. From them, you will learn how to go about getting them for yourself.
And you must do that — get them for yourself — as no one can do it for you. Sure, people can point in the right direction. They can, at times, even help. But the heavy lifting? Well, that’s on you.
Fortunately, you will find, as you read this book, that no heavy lifting is required. Rather, you will discover that the aspects of success are made in your mind: how you think, how you feel, and how you perceive life and everything in it.
Success Is Beautiful features a diverse array of notable authors, including Charles F. Haanel, J.F. (Jim) Straw, David R. Portney, Tom Nicoli, Claire McGee, Steven Jae Johnson, Bryan James, Stephen Hewett, Thomas G. Papps, Dr. Maiysha Clairborne, Rudyard Kipling, Anthony Raymond Michalski.
By the time you finish this book, you will come to a conclusion. It is a conclusion that has been made by those who have attained success. That conclusion is that success — however you imagine it and whatever it means to you — is Beautiful.
Having wealth is Beautiful.
Having health is Beautiful.
Having good relationships is Beautiful.
Having it all is Beautiful.
Beauty is a state of mind. It’s in the “eye of the beholder.”
And so is success.
Read on! Attain your success! Live your life!
Or, as we like to say: Read. Succeed. Beautiful.
Ratings and reviews
About the author
Anthony Raymond Michalski is the publisher/CEO/founder of Kallisti Publishing, the premiere publisher and provider of life-amplifying books and services. He is the author of The Master Key Workbookand is the world-renown expert on Charles F. Haanel and his famous work The Master Key System. Anthony Raymond is a bibliophile, a descendent of a Polish Winged Hussar, an alumni of the Pennsylvania State University where he attained a BA in Sociology and Philosophy, and an aspiring flaneur. He can be contacted at AnthonyRaymond.com.
Charles F. Haanel (May 22, 1866 – November 27, 1949) is widely regarded as the “Father of Personal Development.” Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, May 22, 1866, he is the son of Hugo and Emeline (Fox) Haanel, who removed with him to St. Louis when he was in early childhood. He initiated himself into the business world as an office boy for the National Enameling & Stamping Company. For this company he worked for a period of fifteen years.
Sometime after 1911 Charles began to publish The Master Key System in weekly parts. It is unclear why and when Haanel changed from a trading company president into an author. It would seem that the earliest versions of The Master Key System consisted of 24 lessons, which were later bound into book form and published in 1916.
Following The Master Key System, Haanel wrote several more books of a similar nature. These included:
The New Psychology (1920)
Social Science (1922)
Mental Chemistry (1922)
A Book About You (1927)
The Amazing Secrets of the Yogi, with Victor S. Perera (1937)
Charles Francis Haanel passed away at 1:15 PM on November 27, 1949, aged 83 years old. His death certificate states the cause of his death was unknown. A private ceremony was held at C. R. Lupton & Sons Funeral Director’s chapel at 10:00 AM on November 30th and he was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery at 11:00 AM the same day.
In many ways, Haanel was a man ahead of his time. His perennial tome The Master Key System successfully combined various philosophies and teachings into an accessible volume for the every-man describing a complete method of success. This book was not only successful in his day, but was very influential for future self-help legends, such as Claude M. Bristol (author of The Magic of Believing) and Napoleon Hill (author of Think & Grow Rich).
Haanel proved to be more visionary in his later writing as he explored various religious experiences, Eastern philosophy, and Biblical interpretation, as well as sundry explorations into psychology, theology, and the sciences.
His methods of marketing from the “correspondence course” to the sundry pamphlets and brochures he used prove him to have been an astute businessman. The methods he used — and perhaps innovated — are still used today with great success.
The world is a richer place because Charles F. Haanel was in it — not only because of the books he wrote and published that exist over fifty years after his death, but because of the life he lead and the example he set. Of all the authors in the self-help genre, Haanel was a person who not only talked the talk, he also walked the walk.
For much more information about Charles F. Haanel, please visit the Official Charles F. Haanel web site at www.haanel.com.
Stephen Hewett is the founding director and partner of C3 Partners, Ltd., a consulting firm that provides advice at both the strategic and “hands on” level to his many clients. He has extensive experience in commercial organizations as well as central and local government in the implementation of customer centered change, working at board and senior management level as an adviser. He specializes in the practical application of customer centricity and a back to basics approach for organisations wanting to realign either part or all of their business with their customers. His work with commercial clients and with central and local government has given him experience in a wide variety of industry sectors from media to retail and social care to health.
As an expert on customer centricity and CRM, Stephen has acted as an expert witness on a number of cases in the commercial court.
During the last fifteen years, he has dealt with the complex commercial and technical issues inherent in business today. He is an expert at bridging the gap between customer and business need and information technology solutions. He has a deep understanding of how to manage requirements and scope to ensure programs are delivered on time and budget. A number of the projects he has worked on include business solutions on a truly global scale.
Mr. Hewett is also a Director at Vantage Partners Ltd. and the author of two previous books: The Customer Centric You and Customers Are the Agenda.
Maiysha Clairborne is an American Board Certified family physician turned wellness and stress management coach.
Dr. Clairborne is the founder of Mind Body Spirit Wellness Inc., where she focuses on helping clients achieve and maintain physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Dr. Clairborne began her journey at Emory University where she completed her BA in Psychology. She then went on to complete her Medical Degree at Morehouse School of Medicine. Finishing her Family Medicine Residency at Florida Hospital in Orlando, FL. She completed her post-graduate training in acupuncture with The Academy of Pain Research Acupuncture and the International Academy of Medical Acupuncture.
Dr. Clairborne’s services include acupuncture, wellness and stress management coaching, clinical nutrition management, and mind-body techniques. An internationally traveled speaker and author, Dr. Clairborne offers a variety of Mind-Body Wellness programs for people nationwide and thrives on creating extraordinary breakthroughs for individuals and groups.
Dr. Clairborne is the author of Eat Your Disease Away, which focuses on positive change through balance and nutrition. She has been featured as a wellness expert on the NBC40 Health Update, CW’s Focus Atlanta, Sacramento & Company, and Rx for Life. She has also appeared on the nationally syndicated talk show Daytime TV and TLC’s Strange Addictions.
Dr. Clairborne’s expert articles appear in the DermaScope Magazine, Disney Family Online, AOL Black Voices, and the Lovegevity relationship column.
Dr. Maiysha Clairborne also serves on the board of directors for the Georgia Coalition for Domestic Violence.
Bryan A. James is the author of the international best-selling book, The Parable of the Homemade Millionaire, a book the legendary Charlie “Tremendous” Jones called “a great little book to build a better life for yourself and your family.” Mr. James has held management and executive positions in both the finance and healthcare industries for over thirty-five years and has been president of three different companies that are still active and flourishing today. He is an award-winning salesman and manager who has been responsible for the professional development of hundreds of people.
Mr. James has been recognized, on many occasions, for his outstanding contributions to local charitable organizations and has served on several of their boards of trustees. He is a past-president and a lifetime honorary member of the board of trustees of The Epilepsy Association of Northeast Ohio and a recipient of their prestigious 2004 Legacy Award.
Through many years of intense personal research, he has refined methodologies which are highly effective in assisting anyone in finding lasting success, happiness and peace of mind. Mr. James is a certified hypnotherapist and a member of American Mensa.
Steven Jae Johnson has enjoyed life as a musician, an actor, a screenwriter, and now as an author. He and Edward James Olmos have enjoyed a forty year working relationship. They met in high school when they were both young musicians with dreams of stardom. Their friendship and working relationship has continued ever since. Steven is the archivist of their history as struggling musicians and actors in Hollywood through four decades.
At Olmos Productions, Steven and Edward produced several documentaries concerning gangs, drugs, guns, and domestic violence for the United States. It Ain’t Love is their most recent work together. Former President Clinton recorded the introductions for each of these documentaries when they aired on NBC. Steven also was a columnist for Olmos Productions from 1989 to 1996.
From 1984 to 1988 he worked with Michael Landon on the television series “Highway to Heaven” as an actor, a musical cue arranger, and a photo double. Steven has appeared in over seventeen films, twenty-seven television programs, and countless theater productions as an actor, music composer, and writer.
Besides acting in the film A Million To Juan with his friends Edward James Olmos and Paul Rodriquez, Steven composed the music score for the Samuel Goldwyn and Prism Motion Picture. At Paramount Pictures Steve was hired to teach actor Jeff Daniels how to play the drums for the character Daniels was playing in The Butcher’s Wife, which also starred Demi Moore.
Rusty has written music and lyrics for live theater productions at the Los Angeles Actors Theater and has served at the staff composer and lyricists for the MET theater, Dexter Freeman’s company in Hollywood. He has composed music and lyrics for countless live theater production by director Jim Kennedy with Edward James Olmos and Darrell Fetty. He has been the house composer and lyricists for The Cellar Theater. Steve wrote, sang, and acted with Georgia Brown, Steve Allen, and Jim Boothin in the play The Al Chemist Show at the Los Angeles Actors Theater.
David Portney has been doing trainings, keynote speeches, seminars, and every kind of public speaking you can imagine for over 20 years. But David’s real talent is not just being a great speaker, it’s making you a great speaker and teaching you the inside secrets of the seminar speaking business.
David has conducted trainings and talks for major companies such the National Notary Association, The Learning Annex, and The Los Angeles Times among numerous others.
David’s passion shines through in every workshop and seminar he teaches. David is not just the president of the American Seminar Academy, he also personally conducts each and every workshop and seminar to guarantee the highest standards of quality. David’s seminars and workshops allow you to completely conquer stage fright and eradicate public speaking fear forever, get the behind-the-scenes business side of things so you enjoy profits and not suffer losses, get the logistics of organizing your own seminars and prevent chaos and disaster, and master expert presentation skills practically overnight.
J.F. (Jim) Straw (1945 – 2012) began his long, successful career in business at the age of nine when he sold his first cans of Cloverleaf Salve and copies of GRIT newspaper. Even at that early age, he had the unique talent of recognizing an opportunity, implementing a plan, and making a profit.
Jim’s career has progressed through direct selling, service contracting, wholesale merchandising, entertainment (he was a professional trumpet player, vocalist, and radio announcer), freight forwarding, import/export, retail merchandising, warehousing, real estate, electronics manufacturing, finder’s fees, closeout merchandising, financial brokerage, business consulting, steel fabrication, gold and coal mining, offshore banking, mailorder, writing, and publishing.
Over the past 37 years, J.F. Straw has written well over 700 books, booklets, manuals, reports, courses, and articles about doing business — all based on his own personal, hands-on experience. His writings are specific methods, techniques, and approaches to doing business that anyone can use to start or expand their business.
As a mail-order marketer with over 700,000 customers worldwide he has sold over five-hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) worth of products and services by mail — everything from beauty supplies to heavy equipment, burglar alarms to sleeping bags, fishing lures to women’s wigs, automobiles to wheelchairs, investment opportunities to seafood, consulting services to “how to” courses.
