. FINANCIAL FREEDOM T he fourth ingredient of success is financial freedom. To be financially free means that you have enough money so that you don’t worry about it continually, as most people do. It is not money that lies at the root of all evil; it is lack of money. Achieving your own financial freedom is one of the most important goals and responsibilities of your life. It is far too important to be left to chance.

. PEACE OF MIND T he first of these seven ingredients of success, and easily the most important, is peace of mind. It is the highest human good. Without it, nothing else has much value. Because of this, you strive for it all your life. You usually evaluate how well you are doing at any given time by how much inner peace you enjoy. Peace of mind is your internal gyroscope. When you are living in harmony with your highest values and your innermost convictions — when you are perfectly balanced in life — then you enjoy peace of mind. If, for any reason, you compromise your values, or go against your inner guidance, your peace of mind is the first thing to suffer. Peace of mind, or harmony, is essential for the optimal performance of all human groupings, from your relationships with your friends and family members to the businesses and organizations in which you work. All interactions among people thrive on harmonious relationships. All manners, morals, etiquette and diplomacy are organized around the desire each person has to assure his or her peace of mind by not disrupting the peace of mind of others. In corporations, peace of mind can be measured in terms of the amount of harmony that exists among coworkers. Productive, profitable companies are those in which people feel good about themselves. T hey feel safe and happy at work. They may be busy, even frantic with activity, but they are at peace inside. T he wonderful truth about peace of mind is that it is your normal, natural condition. Happiness is your birthright. It belongs to you. It is not something you experience occasionally if you’re lucky. Peace of mind is central to your very existence. It is the basic precondition for enjoying everything else.

. PEACE OF MIND T he first of these seven ingredients of success, and easily the most important, is peace of mind. It is the highest human good. Without it, nothing else has much value. Because of this, you strive for it all your life. You usually evaluate how well you are doing at any given time by how much inner peace you enjoy. Peace of mind is your internal gyroscope. When you are living in harmony with your highest values and your innermost convictions — when you are perfectly balanced in life — then you enjoy peace of mind. If, for any reason, you compromise your values, or go against your inner guidance, your peace of mind is the first thing to suffer. Peace of mind, or harmony, is essential for the optimal performance of all human groupings, from your relationships with your friends and family members to the businesses and organizations in which you work. All interactions among people thrive on harmonious relationships. All manners, morals, etiquette and diplomacy are organized around the desire each person has to assure his or her peace of mind by not disrupting the peace of mind of others.

. People generally have one of two ways of looking at the world. T he first is what is called a benevolent world view. If you have a benevolent world view, you generally believe that the world is a pretty good place in which to live. You have a tendency to see the good in people and situations and to believe that there is plenty of opportunity around you and that you can take advantage of it. You believe that although you may not be perfect, you are a pretty good person overall. You believe in the future, for yourself and others. You are primarily optimistic.

People generally have one of two ways of looking at the world. T he first is what is called a benevolent world view. If you have a benevolent world view, you generally believe that the world is a pretty good place in which to live. You have a tendency to see the good in people and situations and to believe that there is plenty of opportunity around you and that you can take advantage of it. You believe that although you may not be perfect, you are a pretty good person overall. You believe in the future, for yourself and others. You are primarily optimistic.

. I used to think that people were an important part of any business. Then I learned a great truth; people are the business.

. Peace of mind is your internal gyroscope. When you are living in harmony with your highest values and your innermost convictions — when you are perfectly balanced in life — then you enjoy peace of mind. If, for any reason, you compromise your values, or go against your inner guidance, your peace of mind is the first thing to suffer.

. T he way for you to be happy and successful, to get more of the things you really want in life, is to get the combinations to the locks. Instead of spinning the dials of life hoping for a lucky break, as if you were playing a slot machine, you must instead study and emulate those who have already done what you want to do and achieved the results you want to achieve.

Nature understands no jesting; she is always true, always serious, always severe; she is always right, and the errors and faults are always those of man. The man incapable of appreciating her, she despises and only to the apt, the pure, and the true, does she resign herself and reveal her secrets.” Unsuccessful people have a hard time with this idea because they are so accustomed to looking for the reasons for their lives outside themselves. But the proof is all around us. Everywhere you look, you see men and women from every background — young and old, black and white, educated and uneducated — accomplishing great things and making valuable contributions to the societies they live in. At the same time, you see men and women with every advantage of background and education who seem to be going nowhere with their lives. They are working at jobs they don’t like, staying in relationships they don’t enjoy and functioning far below their potential for achievement and happiness

. Goethe once wrote, “Nature understands no jesting; she is always true, always serious, always severe; she is always right, and the errors and faults are always those of man. The man incapable of appreciating her, she despises and only to the apt, the pure, and the true, does she resign herself and reveal her secrets.” Unsuccessful people have a hard time with this idea because they are so accustomed to looking for the reasons for their lives outside themselves. But the proof is all around us. Everywhere you look, you see men and women from every background — young and old, black and white, educated and uneducated — accomplishing great things and making valuable contributions to the societies they live in. At the same time, you see men and women with every advantage of background and education who seem to be going nowhere with their lives. They are working at jobs they don’t like, staying in relationships they don’t enjoy and functioning far below their potential for achievement and happiness