Want to Be a Self-Builder … Follow the W. Clement Stone Model

Have you ever heard of W. Clement Stone, the fantastic self-builder model? Here is a little background on his life and some quotations from some of his writings.

W. Clement Stone was just 3 when his father died, leaving nothing but gambling debts and his wife and son in poverty. At age 6, he was selling newspapers on the street to help support his family. He frequently told the story of his early business life which started with the selling of newspapers in restaurants. At the time, this was a very novel thing to do, which deviated dramatically from the normal practice of young boys hawking newspapers on street corners.

This story showed the style and initiative of Stone … one that would stay with him for his entire career.

He thought of himself as a “self-builder” and ultimately became a pioneer in personal development, publishing Success Unlimited in 1954, the predecessor to SUCCESS magazine.

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Stone emphasized using a “positive mental attitude” to succeed. His motto was: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve with PMA.”

Here are some of our favorites among his core principles:

The power of choice

You always do what you want to do. This is true with every act. You may say that you had to do something, or that you were forced to, but actually, whatever you do, you do by choice. Only you have the power to choose for yourself.

Develop a positive attitude

There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.

Secret to happiness

To be happy, make other people happy.

Clarity of purpose

All personal achievement starts in the mind of the individual. Your personal achievement starts in your mind. The first step is to know exactly what your problem, goal or desire is.

Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.

Opportunity in adversity

Every great man, every successful man, no matter what the field of endeavor, has known the magic that lies in these words: every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.

Everyone who achieves success in a great venture solves each problem as they came to it. They helped themselves. And they were helped through powers known and unknown to them at the time they set out on their voyage. They keep going regardless of the obstacles they met.

Embrace failure

With a positive mental attitude, failure is a learning experience, a rung on the ladder, and a plateau at which to get your thoughts in order and prepare to try again.

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.