马云往事

一个头脑愚钝的孩子

马云从小就是一个傻孩子。小时候爱打架，打了无数次的架“没有一次为自己，全是为了朋友”。“义气，最讲义气”。打得缝过13针，挨过处分。被迫转学杭州八中。由于家庭出身不好，家庭压力大，父亲脾气火爆。马云在父亲拳脚下长大，呆不住家却特别爱交朋友。

他说：“我大愚若智，其实很笨，脑子这么小，只能一个一个想问题，你连提三个问题，我就消化不了。”从小，马云功课就不好，数学考过1分。只有英语特别好，原因竟然是：“爸爸骂我，我就用英语还口，他听不懂，挺过瘾，就学上了，越学越带劲。”从13岁起，马云就骑着自行车带着老外满杭州跑。

从小到大，马云不仅没有上过一流的大学，而且连小学、中学都是三四流的。初中考高中考了两次。数学31分。高考数学第一次考了1分。高考失败，弱小的马云做起踩三轮车的工作。

直到有一天在金华火车站捡到—本书，路遥的《人生》，这本书改变了这个傻孩子：“我要上大学。”

1984年马云几番辛苦考入杭州师范学院（现杭州师范大学）外语系——是专科分数，离本科差5分，但本科没招满人，马云幸运地上了本科。

到了大学，因为他的英语太好了，总是班上前五名，闲得没什么事可做，马云就做学生会主席，广交朋友。

大学毕业后，马云在杭州电子工业学院教英语。1991年、马云和朋友成立海博翻译社（HOPE，希望的中文译音）。结果第一个月收入是600元，房租是1500元。

大家动摇的时候，马云一个人背着个大麻袋去义乌，卖小礼品，卖鲜花，卖书，卖衣服，卖手电筒。“喏，看见那个大陶狗吗？当年我就卖过它。”记者采访马云时，他兴奋的指着一个卖小玩意儿的人说道。

两年马云就干成了这件傻事，不仅养活了翻译社，组织了杭州第一个英语角，而且他是全院课程最多的老师。如今，海博是杭州最大的翻译社。“我当时认为一定会有需求，应该能成功。”

What's is in Coue's "Trick"?

To use autosuggestion you must grasp Coue's "trick".

The training to learn this "trick" as stated by Coue himself in his Self Mastery:

.... This training which perhaps seems to you an impossibility, is, however, the simplest thing in the world ....

Another quote from "how to practice suggestion and auto-suggestion" by Emile Coue when talking about his trick and autosuggestion:

.... It is my part to show you hot it can be done, that it is a very, very simple thing. It is so simple that it is difficult to think that such a simple thing produces such wonderful effects ......

Coue's trick will ultimately show/prove to you:
That every idea in mind becomes true and it's easy to change any idea
Using willpower only serves to strengthen the (negative) idea in your mind

So the trick is to change the idea in one's mind from "I Can't" to "I Can" without effort.

To change the idea you must not use willpower or effort. Just like any other training you need to train yourself and learn to change this idea without effort.

In another words, everything is controlled by Unconscious, which is the one which runs us and we learn how to run it, through it we learn how to run ourselves. That's the trick!

That's it!

孙正义：疯狂与专注造就的巨头

如果论“边缘人”，日本软银集团创始人、董事长兼总裁孙正义，一定程度上远甚盖茨与乔布斯。孙正义祖上为移居韩国的中国人，祖辈后又迁至日本，这样复杂的族裔背景曾让幼时的孙正义遭遇了相当困难的成长环境。孙正义不得不长期隐瞒韩裔、韩国国籍身份（孙正义婚后才加入日本国籍）。按照日本法律，外国国籍的旅日者不能充任公务员和教师这两类职业，孙正义为了寻求更好的发展，在高中时就退学，赴美重新开始学业，并惊人地在美国高中就读3周后，考入大学。

刚到美国时的孙正义之所以得以迅速升入大学，与美国教育的宽容开放传统有关。在当时，孙正义的英文基础不好，连升学试卷也看不懂，更别说按要求答题。但他居然直接找到校方，提出要求延长考试时间、允许他携带日英词典考试的“非分”要求，美国校方负责人虽感此要求荒谬，还是向教育行政部门进行了转达申请，终于获批。两周后，孙正义迎来了本不可能获得的满意结果：Accept（合格录取）。这则轶事足以说明孙正义的反叛性。

孙正义升入美国的大学后，开始了堪称疯狂的学习。日本著名传记作者井上笃夫在《信仰：孙正义传》一书中就此的描述是，“无论吃饭时还是洗澡时，他都不忘学习。就是泡在浴缸里的时刻，眼睛也没离开教科书。开车的时候也坚持学习。把讲义录制到磁带里，用耳机收听……漫步校园时，孙正义的打扮也很奇怪。肩背黄色背包，里面装着所有的教科书。棉裤也是自己动手改的。他在裤子上缝了一个大口袋，里面插上了15支笔。尺乃至袖珍计算器也全塞在里面。”

这么一种疯狂与专注相结合的努力，使得“边缘人”孙正义1977年得以转入美国知名的伯克利大学攻读。

进入伯克利大学后的孙正义，非但保持了学业上的疯狂与专注，而且也开始涉足发明与创业。他做了一款“语音电子翻译机”，后来卖给了夏普；通过做“空中飞人”，从日本低价买进滞销的电子游戏机，再卖到美国，得以大赚一笔。

从伯克利大学毕业后，孙正义再次作出惊人举动，携新婚妻子遵父训回日本创业。软银创建的初期，发展并非一帆风顺，孙正义所做的不仅是不断积累经验教训，优化对日本和全球信息产业市场的判断水平，而且还建立了在业界卓越的信用名声——他曾募集东芝、富士通等财团巨头投资，因经营不善亏本，力主将各家投资财团的资金如数退回。

尽管生意屡有起伏，但孙正义对信息产业、互联网的发展趋势判断得很准确，不断借收购完善软银集团的资产布局，并有效提升收购来的公司资产的价值创造能力，这其中投资雅虎并创建日本雅虎让他名噪一时。1998年，软银在东京证交所上市，受到投资者的热烈追捧。

互联网时代，大企业都很难完全避开信息安全危机，企业的应对处理方式往往可以反映出真实的价值观和发展前景信息。2004年，日本雅虎452万份用户资料被黑客窃取，孙正义第一时间向日本警方报案，配合警方最快时间内做好有关调查工作，坚决不向黑客妥协。在警方破获案件后，孙正义力主软银向用户作出总额高达40亿日元的赔偿，并切实推动软银、日本雅虎改进用户信息安全管理，让企业内可以接触客户信息的人数从135人锐减到3人，最大限度减少用户信息泄露的风险。孙正义的这番处理获得了日本网民、业界、投资者的如潮赞誉，让人看到了软银、日本雅虎珍视用户利益的诚意，弥补和改善了企业形象——联系到中国互联网业界多家企业应对类似事件的迟缓、傲慢态度，可以说，孙正义领导下的软银之所以能成为一流的跨国互联网企业，绝非运气使然；井上笃夫将“孙正义传”取名为《信仰》，也是有道理的。

《信仰：孙正义传》一书详尽全面的叙述了孙正义创业营商历程、软银发展史，井上笃夫撰写的另一本《远见：孙正义眼中的新未来》则试图通过对局外人及孙正义本人的采访，更深入揭示孙正义和软银的成功奥秘。两本书放在一起阅读，相互参照，可以让读者近距离了解身高不足1.6米却被称为“电子时代大帝”的孙正义，一个成就了无数人互联网梦想的人，一个传奇色彩与历史作用不亚于乔布斯的东方人。

马云2011经典语录

启迪，我觉得启迪这两个字，我认为知识是可以灌输的，但是人类的智慧是启迪的，是唤醒的。
“创新不是为对手竞争，而是跟明天竞争”，马云说，真正的创新一定是基于使命感，这样才能持久的进行。

天生我材必有用，我不相信有一流的人才，我只相信有一流的努力。
创新无模式，创新就是你的感触，你对问题的看法。
创新在我理解，就是创造新的价值，创新不是因为你要打败对手而创新，不是为更大的名，而是为了社会为了客户，为了明天，创新不是为对手竞争，而是跟明天竞争。
明白自己有什么，明白自己要什么，明白自己放弃什么。
　　
永远用自己的脑袋思考问题，独立判断，第二永远保持乐观的心态，世界是有很多问题，但解决问题的办法总比问题多，世界所有的问题，人类这么多年都过来了，为什么我们就过不去？第三个讲真话。
　　

我永远相信只要永不放弃，我们还是有机会的。最后，我们还是坚信一点，这世界上只要有梦想，只要不断努力，只要不断学习，不管你长得如何，不管是这样，还是那样，男人的长相往往和他的的才华成反比。今天很残酷，明天更残酷，后天很美好，但绝对大部分是死在明天晚上，所以每个人不要放弃今天。
　　

在我看来有三种人，生意人：创造钱;商人：有所为，有所不为。企业家：为社会承担责任。企业家应该为社会创造环境。企业家必须要有创新的精神。

马云语录

*今天很残酷，明天更残酷，后天很美好，但绝大部分人死在明天晚上，看不到后天的太阳。

*十年后，你要是再不做电子商务的话，那么你将无商可务！

*陈帅佛的话说互联网上失败一定是自己造成的，要不就是脑子发热，要不就是脑子不热，太冷了。

*我觉得网络公司一定会犯错误，而且必须犯错误，网络公司最大的错误就是停在原地不动，最大的错误就是不犯错误。关键在于总结我们反思各种各样的错误，为明天跑的更好，错误还得犯，关键是不要犯同样的错误*我们是教人钓鱼，而不是给人鱼。

*我为什么能活下来？第一是由于我没有钱，第二是我对INTERNET一点不懂，第三是我想得像傻瓜一样。

*如果早起的那只鸟没有吃到虫子，那就会被别的鸟吃掉。

*我永远相信只要永不放弃，我们还是有机会的。最后，我们还是坚信一点，这世界上只要有梦想，只要不断努力，只要不断学习，不管你长得如何，不管是这样，还是那样，男人的长相往往和他的的才华成反比。今天很残酷，明天更残酷，后天很美好，但绝对大部分是死在明天晚上，所以每个人不要放弃今天。

*在我看来有三种人，生意人：创造钱；商人：有所为，有所不为；企业家：为社会承担责任。企业家应该为社会创造环境。企业家必须要有创新的精神。

*对所有创业者来说，永远告诉自己一句话：从创业得第一天起，你每天要面对的是困难和失败，而不是成功。我最困难的时候还没有到，但有一天一定会到。困难不是不能躲避，不能让别人替你去扛。九年创业的经验告诉我，任何困难都必须你自己去面对。创业者就是面对困难。

*一个公司在两种情况下最容易犯错误，第一是有太多的钱的时候，第二是面对太多的机会，一个CEO看到的不应该是机会，因为机会无处不在，一个CEO更应该看到灾难，并把灾难扼杀在摇篮里。

*上当不是别人太狡猾，而是自己太贪，是因为自己才会上当。

*其实很多人的问题是因为他们回答的全是对的。

*很多人失败的原因不是钱太少，而是钱太多。

*人要有专注的东西，人一辈子走下去挑战会更多，你天天换，我就怕了你。

*不要贪多，做精做透很重要，碰到一个强大的对手或者榜样的时候，你应该做的不是去挑战它，而是去弥补它。

*如果你看了很多书，千万别告诉别人，告诉别人别人就会不断考你。

*做战略最忌讳的是面面俱到，一定要记住重点突破，所有的资源在一点突破，才有可能赢。

*所有的创业者应该多花点时间，去学习别人是怎么失败的。

*免费是世界上最昂贵的东西。所以尽量不要免费。等你有了钱以后再考虑免费。

*聪明是智慧者的天敌，傻瓜用嘴讲话，聪明的人用脑袋讲话，智慧的人用心讲话。
　
*永远记住每次成功都可能导致你的失败，每次失败好好接受教训，也许就会走向成功。

*人永远不要忘记自己第一天的梦想，你的梦想是世界上最伟大的事情，就是帮助别人成功。

*任何一个失败的人是最容易找借口的，人类总是为失败找借口，不为成功找方向。

*什么是伟大的事？伟大的事就是无数次平凡、重复、单调、枯燥地做同一件事，就会做成伟大的事。

*要去学习人家失败的经验，成功有许多种，可失败就那几点。

马云透露了阿里巴巴以及自己成功的秘诀，那就是梦想、学习和坚持。

“第一你自己要相信，就是‘我相信’，‘我们相信’；第二是坚持；第三，我们学习，第四，我们做正确的事和正确的做事——正是这四个关键使阿里巴巴 走到现在。”在马云看来，人必须要有自己坚信不疑的事情，“你没有坚信不疑的事情，那你不会走下去的，你开始坚信了一点点，就会越做越有意思。”他告诉与 会者，自己坚信的是，互联网会影响中国、改变中国，中国可以发展电子商务，而电子商务要发展，则必须先让网商富起来。

除了理想外，坚持也是马云非常看重的一点，“很多人比我们聪明，很多人比我们努力，为什么我们成功了，我们拥有了财富，而别人没有？一个重要的原因是我们坚持下来了。”他笑称，有的时候傻坚持要比不坚持好很多，如果空有理想，没有坚持，理想将变成一种痛苦。

学习能力，也是阿里巴巴不断成功的要素。“中国经济、世界经济互联网加上我们的年轻，如果我们不学习，不成长，我们对不起自己，也对不起这个时代。” 与之同时，马云也表示，成功还需要选择好正确的方向，“如果方向选错了，你做的越对死的越快，所以我觉得我比较幸运，阿里巴巴选择了一个正确的方向—电子商务，互联网这个方向，但是做错了，可能也不行。”

最后，马云还特别强调了“诚信”。“网商逐渐诞生起来，最重要的是诚信，所以选择最正确的事情，大力投入诚信建设。”

Is Intelligence Necessary for Success?

It is often felt that, above everything else, success is hindered by a lack of intelligence.

But which person has the better chance of succeeding? The one with above average intelligence who is burdened with doubts and tries to tackle matters with hesitation - or the one with average intelligence who has a positive focus and is a "person of action?"

More than intelligence itself, your thoughts and patterns of thought are the decisive elements that guide your intelligence and lead to your success!

Research conducted in the United States shows that a "positive mind-set," rather than intelligence, is the most essential element of success.

Similar research at Harvard shows that students credited 85% of what they achieved to their mind-set and only 15% to their abilities, skills and innate talent.

Dr. Staples also wrote, in Think as a Winner, that Allan Cox, researching the leading men of the Fortune 500 companies in 1982, discovered that 94% of them believed that their success was a direct result of their mind-set.

In the same book, Charles Swindoll offers the following thought: "I'm sure that 10% of my life is the result of what happens to me and 90% depends on my reaction to those events." I can say with certainty this is true in my life, but I cannot say the same for yours. Why? Because your truth is the one you believe in! It has always been this way and always will be this way.

For example: Those who believe the bold statement above is true will think and say: "When I experience disappointment again, I'll understand it as a lesson and take whatever it has to teach me. If I am disappointed because I relied too heavily on or expected too much of someone, then I won't be mad at that person. On the contrary, I'll be glad I was taught a golden rule that will prevent future disappointments and it will be such a low price to pay for having my life appear in a different light. From this day forward, I know that I can only be angry with me, not others, because I allowed myself to be misled."

Those who don't believe the bold statement above is true will think and say: "No way! If you think that I am going to just forget that someone broke his promise and let me down, you are sadly mistaken! It's going to return to him for doing that to me - if there is no one else than I'll take care of it!"

Just think how the two people above will behave when a similar situation occurs in their lives or when they consider their own truths? The first experiences a small failure, simply because the matter didn't end as it should, or rather as he wanted it to. However, he remembers what he has promised himself and focuses on the positive things that can be learned from the situation. His disappointment is temporary and of short duration - he moves through the situation and is soon balanced and in a good mood. Besides, now he knows whom he can rely on in the future and up to what level.

The second experiences the same situation and becomes extremely agitated. He wonders why people do not regard him, as they should. He spreads his poison, "that nobody can be trusted these days," to everyone he meets. He refuses to help others because "they don't help me." He is in a bad mood for a few days or even weeks, even trying to protect others from the same misfortune by advising them not to have friends, etc. This situation has negatively permeated his entire psyche. When faced with a new, but similar situation, he responds in the same way, repeatedly.
He doesn't realize it, but because he believes it to be true, his subconscious now makes him seek out the very people that will only disappoint him when relied on and the situation repeats itself in an endless cycle. In the end, he is certain the world is evil and that people only look out for themselves (which is who "he" is now concerned with as well - himself) and finding a real friend is impossible to come by.

He frequents the corner bar, where he chats with acquaintances on how hard life is. In the morning, he awakens to what he sees as a cold, dark world filled with sadness and anxiety and ponders what horrible things will befall him on that day. His first thought, when the mail arrives or the telephone rings, is what disaster will he have to deal with next?

The only difference between these two examples was each person's reaction to their thoughts, to "their individual truths." How is intelligence connected with that?

It isn't. Edward DeBono, author of more than twenty books, founder "DeBono's School of Thinking" in New York as well as the concept of "lateral thinking," gives a good description of the connection between thoughts and lead intelligence and intellect itself: He says, "we can think about intellect as the horsepower in an engine - increasing the horsepower doesn't necessarily ensure peak performance of the engine." "If your ability to drive (thoughts) is good," says DeBono, "you can get the most out of the car. However, if it is bad, then more horsepower will not help.

In fact, the results are far better if a good driver drives a car with less horsepower than a bad driver driving a car with more horsepower …"

Of course, intellect is one of many advantages, but it has to be guided with positive thoughts. In his book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goldman wrote that emotional intelligence is far more important than a high IQ. People with highly developed emotional intelligence are able to recognize the impact that their emotions and the emotions of others have in any given situation. They also have the ability to self-motivate and the ability to manage their emotions in connection with others.

Emotional intelligence means a developed self-control, a feeling of responsibility for themselves and the ability to raise their trust level. Goldman discovered that people with average education and a high-level of emotional intelligence achieved better results at work than those who only had a high IQ. Besides, the IQ you were born with cannot be raised much - but the same is not true for emotional intelligence, which can be developed greatly throughout the years.

The importance of EQ over IQ is unquestionable and highlighted in the fact that most people prefer a person who understands and supports them emotionally over one who is "only" smart but inaccessible.
Success, in many things, will come easily to those who take the time and effort to develop their emotional intelligence!

SUCCESS Legend: W. Clement Stone

Mr. Positive Mental Attitude

1

2

3

4

5

When William Clement Stone was just 3, his father died, leaving nothing but gambling debts and a widow and son in poverty.
Living with his mother and relatives in an apartment on Chicago’s rough South Side, 6-year-old Stone sold newspapers to help support the family. In this hardscrabble environment of the early 1900s, he had to compete with older boys for street-corner territory. But the young Stone was adaptable and resourceful. He began concentrating on restaurants as better places to peddle papers.
In what he later recalled as his first experience “turning a disadvantage into an advantage,” he returned repeatedly to one restaurant to try to sell papers, only to be thrown out each time by the owner. Finally, through audacity and tenacity, Stone persuaded the owner to let him set up shop. The owner soon became a great friend, and Stone continued to grow his humble newspaper enterprise. By 13, he owned his own newsstand.
In a life that spanned a century, Stone ultimately became an insurance magnate, philanthropist, publisher, best-selling author, and a pioneer in the field of personal development. Indeed, W. Clement Stone was Mr. Positive Mental Attitude.
But what made him so excited about the possibilities for success? What enabled him to see opportunity in every situation, even in adversity and failure? Colorful and fun-loving, Stone seemed to repel negativity. His life trajectory was a steep climb to ever-increasing success, with every challenge transmuted quickly into useful insight. His personal life was equally successful, married 79 years to his childhood sweetheart, with three children and 12 grandchildren. What did Stone know about living life and doing business that eludes the average person, who is so often subject to disappointment, negativity, frustration and despair?
A ‘Self-Builder’
Even as a boy peddling papers, Stone was becoming what he later described as a “self-builder” in his autobiography, The Success System That Never Fails. He was modeling his life after the inspiring Horatio Alger stories about poor boys who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to lead lives of purpose and wealth.
When he was 16, he dropped out of high school to work for his mother at a casualty insurance agency in Detroit. He later would obtain a high-school diploma as well as some college credits, but for the time being, school would have to wait. Already an accomplished salesman and positive thinker, Stone quickly took to the insurance business. His experience selling newspapers made him a fearless cold-caller, speaking of his prospects as “gold calls.” Stone sold staggering volumes of small, inexpensive policies, at one point more than 100 in a single day.
In 1922, he returned to Chicago and, with an investment of $100, established what would become Combined Insurance Company of America (now part of ACE Corporation). The following year, he wed Jessie Verna Tarson, making good on a promise to her when he was 16 that they would marry when he turned 21.
Meantime, Stone set about building a sales force and training his employees in his developing methods and philosophy. Positive mental attitude, or PMA, was the Combined Insurance mantra. Another favorite three-letter abbreviation stood for his favorite form of fi nance—OPM or “other people’s money”—which Stone used to buy other insurance companies and expand his burgeoning empire.
Along with Combined Insurance, Stone’s business acumen, wealth, confidence and happiness grew steadily. He freely shared his sales and self-motivation experience with every salesman who cared to put his bold methods into practice.
An Irrepressible Optimist
Stone began every day by exclaiming, “I feel happy! I feel healthy! I feel terrific!” and he encouraged his employees to follow his lead. He cut an unforgettably jaunty figure with his signature thin black mustache, smart spats, and brightly patterned vests and bowties, and was seemingly indefatigable when it came to maintaining an upbeat outlook. He once said, “What’s a few million dollars? Everything’s relative.” And when he sensed attention fl agging at meetings, Stone would cry, “Bingo!”
Finance expert and journalist Terry Savage attested to Stone’s morning routine in a 2002 Chicago Sun-Times column commemorating his 100th birthday. “Once I sat a row in front of Mr. Stone on a flight to Europe. As the flight attendants were trying to rouse sleepy passengers for an early morning landing in London, I suddenly heard a loud voice behind me: ‘Stand up. Raise your arms. Repeat after me: I feel healthy! I feel happy! I feel terrific!’ And, you know, I did feel a lot less jet-lagged after I joined him in his everyday ritual,” she wrote.
Even the Great Depression couldn’t diminish Stone’s spirit. By 1930, he had 1,000 insurance agents in his employ selling life and accident insurance. He often hired people with little or no education or prospects, and was likely the catalyst for many a Horatio Alger success story.
Stone later told a New York Times reporter the Depression was a constructive influence, in that it stimulated hard work and ingenuity. It certainly seemed to have that effect for him, as he continually sought ways to increase sales and motivate agents. When he read Napoleon Hill’s seminal work, Think and Grow Rich!, he was so inspired that he distributed copies to every Combined Insurance salesman. Stone credited the resulting upswing in sales to Hill’s principles.
A Fortuitous Meeting
Some years later, Stone made a point of meeting Hill when Hill came to Chicago to give a lecture. Stone convinced him that, through their combined philosophies, they could accomplish great things and inspire people the world over—and in 1952, they began a legendary partnership. Together, they produced books, courses, lectures, and radio and television programs. In 1954, they publishedSuccess Unlimited, the predecessor to SUCCESS magazine.
In 1960, Stone and Hill published what became one of the most widely read personal-development classics, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude. The book was an instant best-seller that attracted other disciples, including Og Mandino, who claimed it was the turning point in his life, helping him escape a downward spiral of alcoholism. Mandino later joined Combined Insurance, as well asSuccess Unlimited as its editor, and became a best-selling author in his own right.
By 1979, the little insurance company W. Clement Stone started with $100 in savings reached $1 billion in assets. Terry Savage remembered interviewing Stone during this time period for a stock market program on TV. “His enthusiasm for the possibilities of life burst through the camera, as stock market quotes streamed below,” she wrote. “It was as if he were exhorting the viewers to believe that they could do whatever they dreamed. And, in fact, that was his message.”
In 1980, the same year that Combined Insurance went public on the New York Stock Exchange (with the ticker symbol PMA), Stone was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for an illustrious life’s work that focused heavily on philanthropy. Over the years, W. Clement and Jessie Stone donated money to myriad charities and individuals, never hesitating to give if they thought the cause worthwhile.
Abundance Through Giving
A candid bit of advice from Stone originally published in Success Unlimited sums up his philanthropic beliefs: “Be generous! Give to those you love; give to those who love you; give to the fortunate; give to the unfortunate; yes—give especially to those to whom you don’t want to give. Your most precious, valued possessions and your greatest powers are invisible and intangible. No one can take them. You, and you alone, can give them. You will receive abundance for your giving. The more you give, the more you will have.”
When he died several months after his 100th birthday in 2002, W. Clement Stone had given an estimated $275 million away to charity. One of his favorite organizations was the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and many young people went to school on his dime as part of his dedication to widespread empowerment and education of youth. The W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation that he and his wife established continues to support countless humanitarian, mental health, religious and community causes. His estate also provides funding for The Napoleon Hill Foundation.
But perhaps the most valuable contribution of W. Clement Stone’s long life was the fact that he was a happy, fulfi lled man who shared his understanding of the simple—but not necessarily easy—habits and attitudes that produce success, wealth and happiness, namely his beloved positive mental attitude. In books, articles, speeches and one-on-one encounters, he shared the universal principles of success that he had used in his own remarkable life as Mr. Positive Mental Attitude.
“All I want to do is change the world,” Stone once said. And through attitude and action, W. Clement Stone, a Horatio Alger story come to life, did exactly that.