The Universal Laws of Success and Achievement Revisited
Age old wisdom that stands the test of time
I recently wrote an article profiling a local banking executive. He was celebrating his 40th year as president and CEO of a credit union that is consistently ranked as one of the strongest and safest financial institutions in the nation.
The banker’s backstory is fascinating. Raised in near poverty by a single mother, he was an overweight and mediocre student. There was nothing in his early years suggesting he would eventually shed 65 pounds, work his way through college as a fashion model, and earn four university degrees — including a PhD from Vanderbilt — with a near 4.0 average.
As I reviewed my interview notes, I realized his success was a product of universal laws. Over the years much has been written about the laws of success and achievement. From Napoleon Hill, Brian Tracy, Dale Carnegie and others, writers have mined the ancient wisdom of Plato and Socrates to affirm that the primary principle for success springs from the law of cause and effect.
The law of cause and effect informs us that in our orderly universe everything happens for a reason and for every effect there’s a set of causes.
Although there are dozens of these principles and their corollaries chronicled in Brian Tracy’s 1992 book titled Universal Laws of Success and Achievement, I’ve chosen a small handful to discuss here. Each was adopted consciously or unconsciously by the rags-to-riches bank president.
Law of Belief
Whatever we deeply believe becomes our reality. If we believe we can’t accomplish something or that we’re not worthy of success, then you can guarantee that will be the case. Our banker’s mother reinforced the notion he accomplish whatever he wanted in life despite his humble beginnings.
He absorbed this belief himself and it propelled him to go for the things he wanted.
This is not a woo-woo concept. Behind the power of belief must also lie the determination to do what must be done — the rolling up of sleeves, the long nights of study, the exhausting hours of exercise, and the ability to resist making excuses and becoming a victim.
Law of Attraction
We are all — by Tracy’s definition — living magnets. We tend to attract people, jobs, relationships, and circumstances that are compatible with our dominant thoughts.
Happy and energetic people tend to attract others who are motivated go-getters. A negative doom-and-gloom person — one with a vibe of “doesn’t care” will typically attract the same negativity.
Law of Responsibility
You alone are responsible for everything you are and have — and everything you will become and achieve. Success and achievement are not attained by people who claim someone else — or some set of circumstances — is responsible for where they are in life.
Only when we’re able to see that there are no “others” out there sabotaging our success will we actually become successful.
Law of Applied Effort
The universe does not reward wishing and hoping. The old adage that the harder you work, the luckier you get is true. This goes hand-in-hand with the Law of Over-Compensation, which states do more than you’re paid for in order to get paid more for what you do.
Law of Attention
The most successful individuals understand that people pay attention to what they most love and value. Deep, active listening creates a foundation of trust.
In my interview with the banker, I was struck by what a focused listener he was. Although my job was to keep him talking during our short sixty minutes, his ability to make me feel his time was unlimited and that I was the most important person in the room spoke to his understanding of this universal principle.
Law of Choice
All actions are based on choices, and those choices are based on whatever your primary values are at that moment. Taking no action at all is also a choice. This syncs with the Law of the Extended Alternative which states that when choices are made other choices must be rejected.
Law of Enrichment
Creating wealth comes from enriching other people in some way. The more value you can bring, the more lasting wealth you can attain.
The banking executive shared that one of his greatest pleasures is hearing from clients whose lives the credit union changed — their first checking account, first home mortgage, first car, money saved for college or for a daughter’s wedding.
Over his forty year tenure he has served on dozens of boards of directors, and participated in numerous community building projects — bringing value and enrichment to countless individuals.
This law also corresponds with the Law of Giving, which says real meaning and purpose in life is achieved when you feel you are serving with no expectations of getting something in return.
Final thoughts
A lot can be learned by examining the work of those who have studied the careers of successful people. In my own library I’ve got a dog-eared copy of Napoleon Hill’s classic Think and Grow Rich, which my dad gave to me when I was a teenager.
The book is more about personal development and self-improvement than acquiring wealth, which can be a by-product of its lessons. But it’s messages are timeless and universal — distilled down to basic, granular concepts that are in the same vein as Brian Tracy’s book Universal Laws of Success and Achievement.
It’s a pleasure to go back and reacquaint myself with some of these books. The advice within the pages is so simple yet so profound. And it’s even a greater pleasure to meet and interact with people who live by these principles of success, like the banker I interviewed.
None of us are ever too old to keep learning and applying the kind of universal laws that will make us happier, healthier, and in some cases, even wealthier.