It started as a vinyl in 1956

The Strangest Secret, by Early Nightingale was the first spoken-word recording to achieve Gold Record status

Author

Doug Ford
April 09, 2025

Mindset

“We become what we think about”

Earl Nightingale

This concept is widely accepted across cultural, historical, religious and political boundaries.

And yet to most of us, it gets lost in both importance and value.

When I came across this idea it had a massive impact.

At first it took some work to acknowledge this concept as legitimate truth. It’s easy to find disagreement and disbelief. What I began to learn is that multiple ideas often compete for the most important place in my mind. Some were outright fearful or destructive but precise, while other thoughts were cloudy and confusing.

Recognizing that, “We become what we think about” can be a framework to prioritize my thinking opened up incredible possibilities, healing, depth in relationship and prepared me to do the best work of my life.

Marketing

“Your success will always be measured by the quality and quantity of service you render.”

Earl Nightingale

Modern salespeople and marketers are always fighting the temptation to expect way too much from far too little.

How often do we see people blaming the algorithm or “shadow banning” as the reason for not getting the attention we want from our social media efforts?

In this environment quality and quantity are key.

If you you want more attention (likes, comments, shares, follows) you only have to provide more quality, more often. The quantity piece is easy enough for us to understand, post daily— maybe more. The quality is where most of us struggle. Is there a formula for determining the quality requirements of digital media?

This is the least math-y equation ever, but it works to illustrate the point:

Digital Media Quality = Budget x (Inspiration + detention) / time

If that seems too mystical, make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the full explanation next week.

Maybe it’s obvious at this point, but if you don’t know about “The Strangest Secret” I think you’re missing out.

Personally, I carve out 32 minutes every few days and listen as Earl Nightingale reminds me to give, “cheerful, relaxed and positive” attention to my goal. I never wish to forget:

“We become what we think about”.

A simple Google search for “The Strangest Secret” will lead you to multiple sources for listening to the recording.

Or even better, why not check out our Spotify playlist where we will continue to add our recommended listens.

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