30-Days Challenge by Earl Nightingale

I want you to undertake a test that will span 30 days. This will not be an easy task, but if you commit to giving it a genuine effort, it could utterly transform your life for the better.

In the 17th century, Sir Isaac Newton, the renowned English mathematician and natural philosopher, introduced several fundamental laws of physics. These laws apply as much to human beings as they do to the movement of celestial bodies. One of these laws states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When applied to our lives, it implies that we cannot achieve anything without paying a price. The outcome of your 30-day experiment will be directly proportional to the effort you invest.

To become a doctor, for example, you must endure years of rigorous study. Success in selling, a skill we all need to some degree, whether persuading our families, advocating for education, or promoting integrity and excellence among our colleagues, demands a willingness to pay the price. But what exactly is this price?

Firstly, it involves recognising both emotionally and intellectually that we become what we think about. We must govern our thoughts to control our lives, fully embracing the principle that as we sow, so shall we reap.

Secondly, it requires freeing our minds from limitations, allowing them to soar as intended. It's acknowledging that our only restrictions are those we place upon ourselves and recognising today's immense opportunities.

Thirdly, we must muster all our courage to maintain a positive outlook on our personal challenges, set clear and definite goals, explore all possibilities, employ our imagination, and persist against all odds, acting promptly and decisively when the path forward is clear.

Fourth, make it a habit to save at least 10% of your earnings. And remember, regardless of your current job, it holds vast potential if you're prepared to pay the price.

To summarise, the price for a fulfilling life, undoubtedly worth any cost, includes:

1. Understanding that your thoughts shape your reality.

2. Embracing the power of imagination and allowing your mind to explore possibilities.

3. Exercising courage to focus on your goals daily.

4. Saving a portion of your earnings.

5. Acting on your ideas, for without action, ideas remain worthless.

For the 30-day test, write down your most desired goal on a card. It could be a financial success, a dream home, career advancement, or a harmonious family life. Specify this goal clearly and carry the card with you, referring to it throughout the day and before you sleep at night. This practice will give you a tangible objective to strive towards, enriching your life with purpose and direction.

Remember, you have nothing to lose by embarking on this test and everything to gain. Each of us desires something and fears something. Identifying and focusing on your desire will help you to overcome fear and move closer to your goal.

As you look at it, remember that you must become what you think about, and since you are thinking about your goal, you realise that soon it will be yours. In fact, it is essentially yours the moment you write it down and begin to think about it.

Observe the abundance around you as you go about your daily activities. You have as much right to this abundance as any other living being. It's yours for the asking.

Now, we approach the challenging part. This challenge arises because it entails the formation of what is likely a brand-new habit, and new habits are not easily formed. Once established, however, it will accompany you for the rest of your life.

Cease focusing on what you fear. Each time a fearful or negative thought enters your consciousness, replace it with a mental image of your positive and worthwhile goal.

There will be moments when you feel like surrendering. It's easier for a human being to think negatively than positively, which is why only five per cent succeed. You must begin now to place yourself within that successful group.

For 30 days, you must take control of your mind. It will only think about what you allow it to think about.

Each day during this 30-day test, go beyond what you are obliged to do. In addition to maintaining a cheerful, positive outlook, give more of yourself than you have ever done before. Do this with the understanding that your returns in life must be in direct proportion to what you give.

The moment you decide on a goal to work towards, you become a successful person. You are then in that rare and successful category of people who know where they are heading. Out of every hundred people, you belong to the top five.

Do not overly concern yourself with how you will achieve your goal. Leave that entirely to a power greater than yourself. All you need to do is know where you are going. The answers will come to you of their own accord.

Bear in mind these words from The Sermon on the Mount, and remember them well. Keep them constantly before you during this month of your test: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

It's as marvellous and as simple as that. In fact, it's so straightforward that, in our seemingly complicated world, it's difficult for an adult to grasp that all they need is a purpose and faith.

For 30 days, do your utmost. If you are a salesperson, approach it as you never have before—not in a frantic manner but with calm, cheerful assurance that time well spent will yield the abundance and return you deserve and desire. If you are a homemaker, dedicate your 30-day test to completely giving of yourself without expecting anything in return, and you will be astonished at the difference it makes in your life.

No matter your occupation, execute it as you never have before for 30 days. If you have kept your goal before you every day, you will marvel at this new life you have discovered.

Dorothea Brande, an outstanding editor and writer, discovered this for herself and discusses it in her excellent book, "Wake Up and Live". Her entire philosophy can be condensed into the phrase: "Act as though it were impossible to fail." She undertook her own test with sincerity and faith, and her entire life transformed into one of overwhelming success.

Now, conduct your own test for 30 full days. Do not commence your test until you have resolved to persevere. By being persistent, you are demonstrating faith. Persistence is simply another word for faith. If you lacked faith, you would not persevere.

Should you falter during your first 30 days, meaning if you find yourself suddenly overwhelmed by negative thoughts, you must start over from that point and complete another 30 days. Gradually, your new habit will form until you find yourself among that wonderful minority for whom virtually nothing is impossible.

Don't forget the card—it's vitally important as you embark on this new way of living. On one side of the card, write your goal, whatever it may be. On the other side, inscribe the words we've quoted from The Sermon on the Mount:

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

During your spare time in this test period, engage with books that will support and elevate you. Inspirational works such as the Bible, Dorothea Brande's "Wake Up and Live", "The Magic of Believing" by Claude Bristol, and Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" are excellent resources that both instruct and inspire. No significant achievement was ever accomplished without inspiration. Ensure that, during these critical first 30 days, your inspiration remains at its peak. Above all, refrain from worrying. Worry breeds fear, and fear is paralysing. The only factor that could lead to worry during your test is the misconception that you must accomplish everything independently. Understand that all you need to do is keep your goal in focus; everything else will fall into place.

Also, remember to remain calm and cheerful. Do not let minor annoyances distract or deter you.

Given the challenges involved, some may question the worth of undertaking this test. Consider the alternatives: no one desires failure, mediocrity, or a life filled with worry, fear, and frustration. Hence, it's crucial to understand that you will harvest what you sow. Negative thoughts will lead to a life filled with negativity, whereas positive thoughts will cultivate a life that is cheerful, successful, and positive.

Over time, you may find yourself forgetting the advice shared in this message. Revisit it frequently to reinforce what you need to do to develop this new habit. Involve your family in this listening experience at regular intervals to share and reinforce these values.

Many aspire to make money without grasping the fundamental law that the only individuals who 'make' money are those employed at the mint. The rest of us must earn money by providing valuable services or products. We exchange our services or products for another person's money, meaning our financial return will directly relate to the value of our service.

Success is not about making money; making money is a byproduct of success, and success comes from providing valuable service. Many have this principle reversed, believing that earning a lot of money is what defines success. However, success must precede earning, akin to the man who demands heat from a stove before adding wood. We must offer service before expecting financial return.

Do not fixate on the money. Focus on providing service, building, dreaming, and creating. This approach will ensure there's no limit to the prosperity and abundance flowing to you.

Prosperity is built on the law of mutual exchange. Anyone contributing to prosperity will, in turn, prosper. The return may not always come from those you serve directly, but it will come, as that is the law. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

As you progress through your 30-day test, remember that your success will be measured by the quality and quantity of service you render, with money serving as a yardstick for measuring this service. No one can enrich themselves without enriching others first. This universal law has no exceptions. You can observe this principle in action as you drive through any street, gauging the service rendered by the residents. Have you considered this measure of service before? It's a fascinating concept, underscoring the idea that some, through their dedication and service, measure their success not in monetary terms but in the enrichment they bring to others' lives.

Their returns in the realm of the spiritual, but again, their returns are equal to their service. Once this law is fully understood, any thoughtful individual can predict his own fortune. If one desires more, he must provide greater service to those from whom he receives his returns. If he wishes for less, he has only to diminish this service. This is the price one must pay for what one wants.

If you believe you can enrich yourself by deceiving others, you will only end up deceiving yourself. It may take some time, but just as surely as you breathe, you will receive back what you put out. Never make the mistake of thinking you can avoid this. It is impossible. The prisons and the streets where the lonely walk are filled with individuals who attempted to create new laws just for themselves. We may evade the laws of man, but there are greater laws that cannot be broken.

An eminent medical doctor recently highlighted six steps that will aid you in realising success:

1. Set yourself a definite goal.

2. Cease belittling yourself.

3. Stop contemplating all the reasons why you cannot be successful and instead focus on all the reasons why you can.

4. Examine your attitudes back through your childhood and endeavour to ascertain where you first developed the belief that you couldn't achieve success if that is your current mindset.

5. Alter the image you have of yourself by composing a description of the person you aspire to be.

6. Embody the characteristics of the successful individual you have resolved to become.

The physician who provided these insights is the well-regarded West Coast psychiatrist Dr. David Harold Fink.

Adhere to the guidance provided by experts since the beginning of recorded history. Pay the price by evolving into the person you wish to be. This task is far less arduous than enduring a life of failure.

Undertake your 30-day test, then repeat it, and then repeat it once more. With each iteration, it will become more ingrained in you until you wonder how you could ever have lived any other way.

Adopt this new way of living, and the floodgates of abundance will open, showering you with more wealth than you might have imagined possible. Money, certainly, and in abundance, but more crucially, you will attain peace. You will belong to that enviable minority who lead calm, cheerful, and successful lives.

Begin today. You have nothing to lose but a life to win.