Ed Foreman | Marden's Keys To Success

Ed Foreman (1933-present)

Ed Foreman is a man I would have regarded as a true Success Master. This is because he spends his time doing exactly what he wans to do.

He’s already accumulated more dollars than he could ever spend, but he keeps working at an age that most people would be long retired, because he loves speaking and spreading the message that “you can have a good day, all day, every day”. He doesn’t work all the time – he is a hot air balloon enthusiast and a motorcyclist, but saw spreading his “positive mental attitude” as his life’s work.

What follows is my interpretation of his “successful life” teachings, which I have found very inspirational in my own life.

A brief introduction:

Ed Foreman was born in 1933 and brought up on a farm in New Mexico. He graduated from High School and went on to New Mexico University. Soon after completing his civil engineering studies. He developed a new oil extraction method which made him a millionaire before his 26th birthday. Having achieved remarkable financial success such an early age, he soon went on to have a second career in politics.

He was elected to the U.S. Congress from two different states - the only man to achieve this in the entire 20th Century. He has also served as an advisor to six U.S. Presidents.

But it’s possible to argue that his biggest achievement is his “successful life” course, which has benefitted many thousands of people all across the world.

Ed Foreman has lived a most remarkable life. His life philosophy is completely in keeping with Orison Swett Marden's teachings and inparticular his “positive habit-pattern response to life”.

He spends much of his speaking engagements encouraging others to emulate this positive mental attitude. His typical response to anyone, anytime, when asked how he’s feeling has created his affectionate nick name “Mr. Terrific!”

Ed Foreman has been invited to speak at events all over the world and so his most famous quotes are now more like catchphrases to his enthusiastic audiences:

“Winners develop the habit of doing the things losers don’t like to do.”

“Worry is nothing more or less than negative goal setting.”

“The tragedy of life is not that it ends too soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.”

“Life is primarily for laughing, loving, and living. It ain’t just for whining, worrying, and working!”

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got.”

“We change when the pain to change is less than the pain to remain as we are.”

Ed explains the effects that thoughts can have on your life in a different way than the “new age” quantum-babble: When he says “Thoughts are things that manifest themselves in your life”, he goes on to make sense of it like this:

Thoughts lead to Actions.
Actions become Habits.
Habits create the Character you become.
Your Character determines, to a great extent, the quality of your life.

Start with the thought process.

If you think about all the good things in your life, what happens? You smile. You get enthusiastic about what you have to be grateful for, and what you might do in the future.

You develop a goal.

Once you have a goal, you think a lot about it. Then you start to do all the steps that will bring about your goal. Your thoughts have turned into actions.

If you continue with your newly inspired actions daily for about a month, you’re developing a habit.

As those thirty days progress, the action becomes easier each time you repeat it.
The actions you repeat every day become your habits.

Your habits, combined, contribute greatly to what other people come to regard as your Character.

If you exercise regularly, you will be healthier. If you naturally respond in a positive fashion when some unforeseen obstacle arises, you will be inclined to quickly find a solution. You will become known as a positive, “can-do” person.

These habits create your character, which determines the quality of your life.

So, a thought, which led to an action, became a habit and has become real in your life.

Ed’s very strong advice is “Choose your thoughts carefully. They are what you become.”

Keep your thoughts positive by reading inspirational material. By enjoying nature. And, just as importantly, stay away from any TV program, gossip magazines or fault-finding individuals that have a tendency to bring you down.

Look for the good things in life – we all have blessings we should count every day.

And on the days where things aren’t going quite to plan, there’s another of Ed’s quotes I’d like to share with you:

“Its not what happens to you, that’s so important - its how you react to what happens to you.”

Every morning, as soon as you wake up, make the day’s most important decision – simply choose to have a good day.

Because you have the choice to allow, or not to allow, other people to upset you and alter the course of your day.

Thanks for reading my Ed Foreman "appreciation page". Why not take a look at the homepage of this site for more inspiration from other Masters of Success!

If you want to get get a superb CD set of Ed Foreman - click on the image below.

Why not take a look at the other "Success Masters" on this site by checking out the links at the foot of the index page - Success Leaves Traces - and you may well find that spark of inspiration you need to take the next step to success in your own life.

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