Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude

Now this sharing of ideas and ideals is a marvelous thing ? you give them away and still keep them for yourself, too.

Brownie Wise knew this. Brownie needed to support herself and her son, who was ill. Her meager salary wasn't enough to pay for her son's medical care. Therefore she obtained a part-time sales job for Tupperware Home Parties, Inc., to augment her income.

She needed money. With it, her son could have the best medical attention. They could move to a climate that would help restore his health. Brownie Wise prayed for help. She found it.

She read an inspirational book, Think and Grow Rich. She read it once and then read it again. In fact. Brownie read the book six times. Then she recognized the principles she was looking for and something happened. She made it happen! She saw how she could apply these principles to her own situation and these ideas were put into action. It wasn't long before her earnings from Tupperware exceeded $18,000 a year. And within a few years,

her income rose to over $75,000 annually. In due course she became vice-president and general manager of the company. Brownie Wise enjoyed the distinction of being recognized as one of the outstanding woman sales managers in the United States. She continued her successful career and eventually became president of Viviane Woodard Cosmetics Corporation.

This outstanding business woman's success began with a book and continued with a book. Much of her achievement is due to the successful motivation of her representatives. She shared what she had learned from reading Think and Grow Rich. Brownie Wise bought copies of the book for her sales representatives. They were urged to read Think and Grow Rich as many times as she had, and to apply the principles in their own lives.

And the story of Lee S. Mytinger and William S. Casselberry, Ph.D., is another example of the value of inspirational, self-help action books in the achievement of success. These men helped nature bring good health to men, women, and children through the sale of Nutrilite, a food supplement which contains vitamins and minerals. Their sales grossed many millions of dollars annually.

Mytinger and Casselberry read Think and Grow Rich. They assimilated what they read and got into action. Part of their success was due to their ability to motivate their distributors with mental and spiritual vitamins. They did this with the same book that had inspired them. Each new employee received an inspirational lecture course teaching him the fundamentals of success. They distributed thousands of self-help books because they knew what amazing effects these books have on sales representatives' productivity and success.

W. Clement Stone uses inspirational literature extensively in his organization. His company buys thousands of books for

distribution to employees, stockholders, and representatives. The success and growth of his companies have been phenomenal ? not by accident.

How to read a book. There is an art to reading a self-help book. When you read, concentrate. Read as if the author were a close personal friend and were writing to you ? and you alone.

Now you recall that Abraham Lincoln, when he read, took time for reflection in order that he might relate and assimilate the principles into his own experience. It would be wise to follow his good example.

Determine what you are looking for before you read a self-help book. If you know what you are looking for you are more apt to find it than if you don't have a specific purpose. If you really want to recognize, relate, assimilate and apply success principles that are contained between the covers of an inspirational book, you must work at it. A self-help book is not to be skimmed through the same way that you might read a detective novel. Mortimer /. Adler in How to Read a Book urges the reader to follow a definite pattern. Here's an ideal one:

Step A. Read for general content. This is the first reading. It should be a fast reading, to grasp the sweeping flow of thought that the book contains. But take the time to underline the important words and phrases. Write notes in the margins and write down briefly the ideas that flash into your mind as you read. Now this obviously may only be done with a book that you own. But the notations and markings make your book more valuable to you.

Step B. Read for particular emphasis. A second reading is for the purpose of assimilating specific details. You should

pay particular attention to see that you understand and really grasp any new ideas the book presents.