Selling 600+ Million Books, Success Principles, and More — Jack Canfield
Tim FerrissKey Moments
Jack Canfield shares success principles, the journey of Chicken Soup for the Soul, and life lessons.
Key Insights
The 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' title originated from a spiritual insight about people's spirits being 'sick' with resignation, hopelessness, and fear.
Canfield's early life involved poverty, his father's alcoholism, and a significant educational gap, but he persevered through hard work and opportunities.
W. Clement Stone's mentorship was pivotal, teaching Canfield the concept of 100% responsibility and goal-setting, leading to significant financial success.
The success of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' was fueled by relentless marketing ('the rule of five'), word-of-mouth, and a belief in the material's universal appeal.
Canfield emphasizes that true success stems from mindset, skill set, and taking massive action, often overcoming unconscious limiting beliefs and fear.
Life balance, continuous learning, forgiveness, and community are crucial for sustained well-being and personal growth, even after achieving immense success.
THE ORIGINS OF A PHENOMENON
The podcast begins with Jack Canfield recounting the serendipitous origin of the 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' title. During a moment of meditation, he received a vision of a chalkboard with the words "Chicken Soup" written on it. A voice explained that just as chicken soup heals a sick body, it could heal sick spirits afflicted by resignation, hopelessness, and fear. This profound insight, which resonated with his wife and agent, became the genesis of a book series that would go on to sell over 600 million copies worldwide, despite initial widespread rejection from publishers.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Canfield's upbringing was marked by financial hardship and his father's alcoholism. He grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia, and experienced living in his grandmother's attic. Despite these challenges, he worked his way through high school and attended Harvard on a scholarship, majoring in Chinese history. He supported himself through college by working various jobs, experiencing firsthand the value of hard work and perseverance. His academic path later shifted towards psychology and education after an encounter group class sparked his interest in human potential.
Pivotal MENTORSHIP AND THE POWER OF RESPONSIBILITY
A significant turning point in Canfield's life was his mentorship under W. Clement Stone, a self-made millionaire and founder of Combined Insurance. Stone instilled in Canfield the principle of taking 100% responsibility for one's life, a concept that challenged Canfield's previous tendencies to blame and complain. Stone also encouraged him to set ambitious financial goals, directly inspiring Canfield's first major success in generating $92,328, a precursor to his later million-dollar achievements, demonstrating the power of visualization and focused action.
THE UNRELENTING PURSUIT OF SUCCESS
The journey to publish 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' involved 144 rejections. Canfield and his co-author Mark Victor Hansen employed a rigorous marketing strategy they called 'the rule of five,' which involved taking five actions daily to promote the book. This relentless effort, combined with the book's relatable and inspirational stories, generated massive word-of-mouth and led to unprecedented sales, including a Guinness World Record for seven 'Chicken Soup' books on the New York Times bestseller list simultaneously. This success demonstrated the power of perseverance and unconventional marketing.
BUILDING A LEGACY AND CONTINUOUS GROWTH
After the immense success of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul,' Canfield transitioned to 'The Success Principles,' a book distilling decades of learning on achievement. This marked a new chapter, focusing on sharing practical strategies for personal and professional growth. He emphasizes that true progress involves mastering one's mindset, developing necessary skills, and taking consistent action. Canfield's ongoing work highlights the importance of overcoming unconscious limiting beliefs and fears, which often sabotage efforts to achieve goals.
LIFELONG LEARNING AND WELL-BEING
Now in his eighties, Canfield remains vibrant and energetic, attributing this to a commitment to passion, minimizing fear and limiting beliefs, regular meditation, cleansing, exercise, laughter, and a supportive community. He advocates for continuous learning, citing his own pursuit of new skills like cooking and painting. His exploration of plant medicine, like Ayahuasca, has also been transformative, deepening his understanding of self and facilitating breakthroughs. Canfield stresses that living a fulfilling life involves not just career success, but also personal well-being and meaningful connections.
THE 'GOOD' ATTITUDE AND PRACTICAL HABITS
Canfield champions the 'good' attitude, inspired by figures like Jocko Willink, viewing setbacks as opportunities for growth rather than failures. He illustrates this with the formula E+R=O (Event + Response = Outcome), emphasizing that while events are uncontrollable, responses can be managed through thoughts, images, and behaviors. To reinforce positive habits, he suggests practices like creating affirmations and using repetitive cues, such as touching a doorframe when entering or leaving. This disciplined approach to managing one's internal state is crucial for sustained success and resilience.
DECLUTTERING AS A PATH TO PRODUCTIVITY
Canfield identifies 'cleaning up your messes' as a primary productivity tip, defining messes as incompletions that drain mental energy. He advocates for creating systems to organize physical and digital spaces, ensuring everything has a place and can be processed systematically. This includes financial records, workspaces, and even relationships, where unresolved issues consume attention. By closing these loops and decluttering one's environment, individuals can free up mental and emotional resources, allowing for greater focus on achieving their goals.
Mentioned in This Episode
●Supplements
●Products
●Software & Apps
●Companies
●Organizations
●Books
●People Referenced
Jack Canfield's Success & Productivity Principles
Practical takeaways from this episode
Do This
Avoid This
Common Questions
Jack Canfield was telling inspiring stories in his workshops, and attendees frequently asked if they were collected in a book. This repeated demand prompted him to gather 70 stories, eventually leading him to compile the book.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
Jack Canfield's book agent, introduced by Tim Ferriss, a former superstar editor who was becoming an agent.
Jack Canfield's co-author for Chicken Soup for the Soul, known for his strong sales and marketing skills.
A movie written by a person featured in one of Jack Canfield's book chapters, used as an example of perseverance.
A company in China that published Chicken Soup for the Soul as an English textbook, without paying royalties due to government co-ownership.
A plant medicine center in Costa Rica, founded by a man transformed by Ayahuasca, where Jack Canfield has experienced multiple life-changing journeys.
Jack Canfield's website, where people can find more information about his work.
Founder of Electronic Arts, invited by Tim Ferriss to speak at an event.
A bookstore chain where Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen did book signings.
Jack Canfield's second major book, published in 2005, compiling success strategies from his seminars.
Author of 'The Four Agreements,' a book focused on personal conduct and growth.
A book by W. Clement Stone, from which Jack Canfield learned about motivation, goal setting, vision, and affirmations.
The publisher who eventually accepted Chicken Soup for the Soul after 144 rejections, despite initially expecting low sales.
Another major national TV show that significantly boosted sales of Chicken Soup for the Soul.
A book mentioned by Tim Ferriss where doorways are discussed as cues for lucid dreaming.
Jack Canfield's first hugely successful book, known for its collection of inspirational short stories.
Jack Canfield's self-made millionaire mentor, worth $600 million in 1968, who taught him about motivation, goal setting, affirmations, and visualization.
An early book Jack Canfield read, described as a compelling read.
A major national TV show that significantly boosted sales of Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Tim Ferriss's book, compiled from interviews with various high performers, offering strategies for success.
A book by Don Miguel Ruiz, which Jack Canfield and his wife used as a framework for behavioral shifts over several months.
Author of 'The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge,' which Jack Canfield read early on.
An Emmy-winning documentary about Jack Canfield's life, available on YouTube for free.
A researcher in lucid dreaming, whose work is recommended for those interested in the topic.
Author of 'Before the Mayflower,' a book on African-American history.
W. Clement Stone's insurance company known for low premiums and hiring non-college graduates as salespeople with an effective training system.
Runs the Pachamama Alliance and introduced Jack Canfield to Ayahuasca in Ecuador.
An Emmy-winning documentarian who created 'The Soul of Success,' a documentary about Jack Canfield's life.
An entertainer who complimented Jack Canfield after he received the 'Teacher of the Year' award.
An early book written by Jack Canfield that generated his first $100,000 idea.
An organization that takes people to the rainforest to raise consciousness about saving it, where Jack Canfield first encountered Ayahuasca.
A book about African-American history by Ron Bennett, which Jack Canfield bought for all his students.
A book written by Sammy Davis Jr., which led to his talk at Jack Canfield's school.
A company that ran seminars in small towns and sold Chicken Soup for the Soul books in the back of the room, greatly expanding its reach.
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