Product Description

2 cassettes / 2 hours
Read by the Author

Famed inspirational speaker and author Og Mandino will transport you as you take an intimate and heartwarming peek into his life.  Whether he's writing in his picturesque New Hampshire farmhouse or flying to strange city to deliver a lecture, comforting a sick friend, receiving a standing ovation, or planting tomatoes, Og weave his secrets of success into the fabric of his life throughout this audio.

Secrets for Success and Happiness covers a wide variety of subjects, some trivial, some vital, that are geared to spark ideas to help you improve the conditions of your life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #608341 in Books
• Published on: 1995-10-24
• Released on: 1995-10-24
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio Cassette

From AudioFile
The author of THE GREATEST SALESMAN IN THE WORLD shares his experiences and journal. His common and uncommon journey makes for an interesting glimpse into the world of a motivational speaker. Although inspiring in his reminders that anyone can change, the charm and inspiration of these tapes rests in the pleasure of an unabashed peek into the highs and lows of Mandino's life. E.L.C. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
It may surprise Og Mandino's fans to learn that the author of so many best-selling inspirational fables is actually, behind the aphorisms, a flesh-and-blood man. Not only that, but he turns out to be much more interesting than most of the fictional heroes he's created. In this journal, Mandino writes about the things you might expect from a professional optimist--love of family, the beauty of nature, the satisfaction of hard work. But he also acknowledges in a most personal fashion that you can't fix everything by looking on the bright side. For instance, when his doctor informs him he has a nodule on his prostate and some valve problems, his imagination runs away with him as it might for the less-positive thinkers among us, and when bona fide medical emergencies hit, Mandino feels fear and pain in normal doses. As for those secrets of success and happiness in the book's title, they're tucked away in the journal entries, sometimes even between the lines. Not to worry: Mandino's fans will know where to look, though it's even money whether his familiar wisdom will prove more inspirational than his heretofore hidden humanity. Ilene Cooper

Ingram
The author of The Greatest Salesman in the World presents a beautifully written journal, an intimate record of the events of his daily life in New Hampshire through which he weaves the secrets of success. Read by Og Mandino.

Customer Reviews

Just what I needed
It was just before 11 Sep 2001, in fact Friday the 7th. It was also the beginning of the end for my job (they cut what was left of our benefits) and I was in the library looking for anything I could get in the 158s and there was this book on the shelf. I'd read Mandino's works for years, even sent him fan mail that he very graciously acknowledged (and I wish I still had eight years and as many moves later), but I'd never seen this book before.

So I checked it out - it was the lift I needed. I'd had no idea of his background, and I realized that at 28, my own lofty goals just might be attainable. It also gave me some insights into his writing process and the philosophy of life that permeates all his writing.

I'm giving it four stars because you have to already be a fan to really appreciate this book, and there is a good bit of overlap between it and some of his other later works (like Return of the Ragpicker). I am very glad he took the time to write it down while he was still with us - and didn't give up on it when his health problems started.

BTW, that job ended in February. In April I moved in with my parents, still looking for work. In July when I was down at the beach with them I found this book on sale so I picked it up. In November I did find a new permanent job and moved into a new apartment Christmas Eve. I'm still (1/29/2003) unpacking but as soon as I find this book again I'm going to scour it again. I could not have made it through the past seventeen months without it, and I have the rest of my life ahead of me.

Merely events of his daily life...
I am a huge Og Mandino fan,but I did not find this book as great a writing as his others! I realize that this is an auto-biography, but I didn't think that it was written with the hope, joy, and courage so many of his other books seem to offer the reader. I was a little bored by the many insignificant details of his day-to-day activities. I assume this book's intention was to let the reader get to know Og Mandino on a more personal level, but as for myself- I have come to know Og on a more personal basis by reading his other books that have offered me principles with which could help me live a better life and that is what helped me to get to know him at a more intimate level.

Inspiring and REAL!!
I have so enjoyed listening to these tapes as I drive to school each week. Og's attention to the little things in life--the things that makes life worth living--are an example to us all. Money is NOT the ends and even not necessarily the means.

It is also interesting from a writer's point of view as Og gives a bit of the behind the scenes world of publishing and touring.

I highly recommend this book/tape set to anyone who wants to remember what we're here for.