The Greatest Salesman's "Ten Commandments"

Small and concise has for a long time attracted me very much. So much so that while browsing the marketing section in my library I picked a small book called "The Greatest Salesman In The World" and immediately decided to read it. Its sheer simplicity and straightforwardness attracted me to it. The following text is about what could be gained from the author's message. I call it the Ten Commandments.

I am just unable to call it a book review, as some of it has been culled from other sources, most importantly my father's counsel and few other books. There are few drawbacks in the text I wrote that I must mention: It's mostly preaching, abrupt in the form of notes and written with emphasis on "I".

Still, here we go...

The Greatest Salesman In The World
by OG Mandino

I. Today, I begin a new life filled with good habits and principles

I don't have so much time, still patience is required. To create the olive tree, the king of all trees, a hundred years is required.

Experience vs principles:

It's a funny thing that I notice. Many experienced people are wise, but they have gained it over a very long period and it might be now late for them to achieve their goals with their experience gained. This is the irony that nature has designed.

But principles aren't that way. They can be formed now and atleast help us avoid failure. Success is only a state of mind but every one defines failure in the same way as "Man's inability to achieve his goals in life". Hence forming great principles now is my bet to avoid failure. The takeaway from this is that forming good habits and becoming a slave to them is better than any other strategy to attain goals in life.

II. Today, I will fill my heart with love

It's said that people can counter your reasoning, disapprove of your looks and apparel, suspect your intentions, but the genuine love for people will surpass all this and win people. So fill the heart full of love for all you see and all you meet.

If you can shout from the roofs when there is something to be praised, and bite your tongue when you are tempted to outrightly criticize, you will then speak love.

More important is to love thyself: If you can inspect what you let in and out of you, you would have known to love you. Moderation in eating and drinking, cleanliness, repulsion to evil thoughts happen when you love yourself and take care of all that is made of you: your body and mind.

III. I will persist till I succeed

In the Orient, the best bulls are considered the ones that still attempt to attack after repeated stings. The same should be the case with me. I will persist till I am the best.

The prizes of life are at the end of the journey, and it is not given to me how far is the end. Even if I fail at the thousandth step, success might be at the next bend and never will I know how far I am from my goal until I turn that one corner. Always, I can take one more step as one step at a time will never be difficult. I will persist. I will suceed.

IV. I am a miracle

I might have a lot of similarities, but it is the differences and uniqueness I will accentuate to realise my strengths. I should learn to play my strengths well. Like any other, I have unlimited potential and after all, I employ only a small amount of brain and I flex only a paltry amount of muscles. To realise this potential, I need to understand mankind better to position myself better among men and also learn manners and graces which are the sugar to which most are attracted.

Similarly, there cannot be room for my family in the workplace, nor for work in my family. I have to learn to divorce them from each other, yet remain wedded to both.

V. I will live this day as if it is my last

Today's so precious that I now can't afford to think of yesterday's miseries. After all, why throw good for bad? I will also not make the mistake in thinking about tomorrow all the time, forgetting the present. We keep dreaming, and every time we achieve one dream, immediately another turns up leaving no time for content on today's achievements. Is life just a relentless goal of achieving more and more? May be, but certainly not at the cost of today's happiness for what is life other than a collection of a day like today?

Equally important is to fulfill today's duties today. I will help a friend in need today as tomorrow, he may not be in need, or may be I won't be there to hear him cry. An offshoot of this is to avoid the indulgement of procastrination, for what control you have of tomorrow to assign today's deeds to tomorrow?

VI. I will learn to master my emotions

I need to learn this secret of ages: Weak is one who lets his actions controlled by thoughts; strong is one who forces his actions to control his thoughts. I need to learn to control my mood with which I wake up every day. When complacent, I think of competition. When overly proud, I think of a moment of weakness. When rich, I think of a unfed mouth. When overconfident, I think of a failure. I will master my moods through such positive action and will thus control my destiny.

VII. I will laugh at the world

Man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously. I will laugh at the world, and most importantly at myself. Laughter helps digestion, improves health, makes you feel happy and thus help enjoy the success that I will attain.

Everyday, lots of petty things that happen might threaten to take laughter away. Still, if I can laugh, that misery too will pass. In fact, if I believe that this misery or success too will pass, I can laugh at my successes and my failures and these ups and downs will then shrink to their right size.

However powerful I become, however wise I may become, if I cannot laugh at myself, I will still be poor. I will be happy and I will laugh. I will then be successful.

VIII. I will multiple my value a thousandfold

I will keep my goals high, and not make the mistake of aiming too low. I will set my goals for the day, week and month and aim to better the best performance I have done. I will also announce my goals to the world. They may laugh at my dreams, but I will strive to achieve them lest I lose face. Still, I will never proclaim my achievements and learn to recieve any praise in all humility.

I will keep my reach out of my grasp. Will aim higher than what I did. I will multiple my value throughout the day.

IX. I will act now

My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust and goals are worthless unless I act now. I will wake up from the bed and work while the failure sleeps another hour. Tomorrow, the failure might become strong, but I am not a failure. I will act now.

Only action fetches me value and I will learn to work when the failure rests, talk when the failure is silent, will say it's done before the failure says it is too late.

Success will not wait. This is the place. This is the time. I am the man. I will act.

X. I will pray and seek His Guidance.

I wish not to pray for material things, not even to get opportunities that match my abilities. Instead I choose to pray to help me find the way to achieve these things. Only for guidance, I will pray.

Let me become all that you planned for me when my seed was planted and selected by to sprout in the vineyard of the world. Help me by guiding me.


All said and done, great ideas and practices are always easy to know and toughest to implement. Join me in this arduous but fruitful struggle of trying to implement few of the good lessons that experience has taught many a successful person. Goodbye, till my next post.