The Twelve Universal Laws of Success, Second Edition, Expanded

Rating:
Summary: Success is within your grasp
Review: How do I define my own personal success? What are the obstacles keeping me from succeeding? How do I get around, through, under, or over goal crushing obstacles? How do I start down the path of success? Is there a road map to help guide me down the road to success? These are just a few of the questions answered in THE TWELVE UNIVERSAL LAWS OF SUCCESS by Herbert Harris.

Using a combination of self-help concepts, biblical principles, and step-by-step procedures, Mr. Harris has written a well-organized, easy to understand guide to escort readers through the laws of success. Throughout each chapter, thought provoking questions are asked of the readers to help them focus on where they are, where they wish to go, and how to get there.

Currently the target audience for this book is adults that are doing well in life but want to do better. I believe the primary target audience should be changed to teens and young adults. The first lesson Mr. Harris teaches is about poor self-image and how to overcome this barrier to success. The subsequent lessons are just as relevant to teens and young adult's lives. Why not teach young people how to succeed before they've been out in the world using the trial and error method?

Mr. Harris's no nonsense, cut to the chase approach in THE TWELVE UNIVERSAL LAWS OF SUCCESS made this an easy read that I believe many will find beneficial. I even plan on having my teens work through the book as their summer project.

Reviewed by Deatri King-Bey
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers



Rating:
Summary: Good summary of the Laws of Success-- a must-have book
Review: The 12 Laws of Success are nothing new to those of you who read inspirational material such as Napoleon Hill or Dr. Robert Schuller. That's ok, because this 196-page yellow-covered volume is very excellent summary and reference. The bright school-bus yellow cover is easily visible on the shelf--ready to grab when you need a word of advice.

The 12 Laws are:

1. The Law of Thought
2. The Law of Change
3. The Law of Vision
4. The Law of Command
5. The law of Magnetism
6. The Law of Focus
7. The Law of Action
8. The Law of Value
9. The Law of Relationships
10. The Law of Supply
11. The law of Persistence
12. The Law of Truth

I know the "Law of Supply" as "The Law of Abundance" but it's the same thing; this law pertains to sales professionals in that one must believe there is a limitless (at least for you!) supply of prospects. In truth, of course, this supply is finite, but you couldn't possibly uncover ALL the possible prospects out in the world, so in essence the supply is unlimited in your realm. Knowing that, you can move on when a prospect fails to develop or when a sale is lost, and have faith that there will be another opportunity to develop. This law is, for me, one of the most important as it keeps me MOVING ahead. The other laws are, of course, just as vital to know. Another helpful chapter is The Law of Persistence, which feeds into the Law of Supply. Keeping momentum and a will to persist are vital to most people's careers and efforts--whether it's sales, running an auto body shop or volunteering for a charity.

I like this book for the concise writing and excellent summary of the laws. I recommend it as a gift to graduating students, anyone starting out looking for work, anyone just in a new job, or even just someone who needs a boost. It should be on every family's bookshelf and I don't say that casually. This is the kind of information that can work its way deep into your lifetime habits and make a real difference. Highly recommended for just about anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Restatement of Napoleon Hill's Work on Success
Review: The Twelve Universal Laws of Success is not explicitly derived from Napoleon Hill's popular works . . . but it is clearly an intellectual heir of that work. If you liked Mr. Hill's work, you will probably enjoy this book very much. If you do not know Mr. Hill's work, you could do worse than to begin with this book instead of Mr. Hill's books.

Although almost everyone admires Napoleon Hill's work on the requirements for being successful, most will agree that he was always somewhat opaque in describing what he had learned. His later books are clearer, but not crystal clear. For that reason, I'm always pleased when someone connects the dots better on the same subject. The Twelve Universal Laws of Success is such a book. I am very glad I read it. Mr. Herbert Harris does quite a remarkable job of combining the perspectives of physical science, psychology and different religions to provide a very clear view of how to lead a life directed towards worthy goals that you achieve. Those who are Christians will find strength in his use of many Biblical quotations.

As I read the twelve laws, I sometimes felt like I was being taken on a tour around a statue. By seeing more perspectives, I could understand the holism of the statue much better . . . or in this case, what is required for success. So don't be surprised at what will seem like a little redundancy in the rules. Some of them are really axioms of other rules . . . but ones that you might not have figured out on your own. For example, the law of change is an axiom of the law of thought.

The material is well organized. The book begins with much helpful background information, including how to study any new subject or book. Now, that's getting down to brass tacks! Each law then has its own chapter, and you will find chapter summaries and study guides at the end of each. If you apply yourself to the study guides, you benefit from the book will be enormous. That's one of the many improvements over Napoleon Hill in the book.

I also liked the way that Mr. Harris was careful to explain what his words and concepts mean. Success is "the continuous realization of the outcomes or results you desire." He also carefully describes the conscious, subconscious and superconscious minds.

The laws themselves are ones that most people will recognize from their own experiences and religious studies. Here are a few examples of the laws summarized (see pages 181-183 for the whole list):

The Universal Law of Thought ("You become what you think about most of the time.")

The Universal Law of Change ("You change your life by changing your thinking.")

The Universal Law of Relationships ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.").

I especially liked his advice for how to end your day. Ask yourself, "Did I do everything I could do today to make tomorrow the way I want it to be?" He encourages you to live each day so that you can earnestly answer, "Yes, I did everything I could, with all I had to do it with!"

Mr. Herbert suggests that this book will be of most help to those who are having fairly good results in their own lives . . . but need to fine-tune what they are doing. He also suggests the book for those who are just starting out on their own as young adults. Although he does not mention it, I also think this book could be a life saver for those whose lives have crashed and burned in some fundamental way . . . and want to clean up their act.

As I finished the book, I was again reminded of the value of setting and pursuing worthwhile goals for ourselves. We can each do great things . . . if only we focus on doing so!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Restatement of Napoleon Hill's Work on Success
Review: The Twelve Universal Laws of Success is not explicitly derived from Napoleon Hill's popular works . . . but it is clearly an intellectual heir of that work. If you liked Mr. Hill's work, you will probably enjoy this book very much. If you do not know Mr. Hill's work, you could do worse than to begin with this book instead of Mr. Hill's books.

Although almost everyone admires Napoleon Hill's work on the requirements for being successful, most will agree that he was always somewhat opaque in describing what he had learned. His later books are clearer, but not crystal clear. For that reason, I'm always pleased when someone connects the dots better on the same subject. The Twelve Universal Laws of Success is such a book. I am very glad I read it. Mr. Herbert Harris does quite a remarkable job of combining the perspectives of physical science, psychology and different religions to provide a very clear view of how to lead a life directed towards worthy goals that you achieve. Those who are Christians will find strength in his use of many Biblical quotations.

As I read the twelve laws, I sometimes felt like I was being taken on a tour around a statue. By seeing more perspectives, I could understand the holism of the statue much better . . . or in this case, what is required for success. So don't be surprised at what will seem like a little redundancy in the rules. Some of them are really axioms of other rules . . . but ones that you might not have figured out on your own. For example, the law of change is an axiom of the law of thought.

The material is well organized. The book begins with much helpful background information, including how to study any new subject or book. Now, that's getting down to brass tacks! Each law then has its own chapter, and you will find chapter summaries and study guides at the end of each. If you apply yourself to the study guides, you benefit from the book will be enormous. That's one of the many improvements over Napoleon Hill in the book.

I also liked the way that Mr. Harris was careful to explain what his words and concepts mean. Success is "the continuous realization of the outcomes or results you desire." He also carefully describes the conscious, subconscious and superconscious minds.

The laws themselves are ones that most people will recognize from their own experiences and religious studies. Here are a few examples of the laws summarized (see pages 181-183 for the whole list):

The Universal Law of Thought ("You become what you think about most of the time.")

The Universal Law of Change ("You change your life by changing your thinking.")

The Universal Law of Relationships ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.").

I especially liked his advice for how to end your day. Ask yourself, "Did I do everything I could do today to make tomorrow the way I want it to be?" He encourages you to live each day so that you can earnestly answer, "Yes, I did everything I could, with all I had to do it with!"

Mr. Herbert suggests that this book will be of most help to those who are having fairly good results in their own lives . . . but need to fine-tune what they are doing. He also suggests the book for those who are just starting out on their own as young adults. Although he does not mention it, I also think this book could be a life saver for those whose lives have crashed and burned in some fundamental way . . . and want to clean up their act.

As I finished the book, I was again reminded of the value of setting and pursuing worthwhile goals for ourselves. We can each do great things . . . if only we focus on doing so!

Rating:
Summary: Engaging, book on finding and living your purpose.
Review: This book is a 4 star find that people should add to their collection of motivational treasures. The author uses spiritual references that tie to each principal that is discussed. I especially found the sections on vision, purpose and goals useful. I would recommend it to anyone but I believe parents with children who are making decisions about their future education and careers will find the book invaluable because of the concepts, principals and strategies it gives for being successful not just for the short term on a material level but for the spiritual long run. Reading the chapters, following the action sections at the end of each chapter makes the book a hands-on resource for working one's plan.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book was great. It gets right to the point on each law. Harris' style is philosphical and broad. This book will appeal to people of all races, colors and ethnicity. Young people will benefit from reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is a systematic presentation of the principles/laws of success based upon the Bible. I have read most of the well known 'success' books available and this book is truly up there with the best.This book is highly underated. No where else will you find such a straight forward explanation of the laws of success.