Yesterday (10/26/15) marked six years since Paul J. Meyer passed away. It is hard for me to believe it has been that long. It is because of Meyer that my dad, Bill Moyer got into the personal development industry 35 years ago. It also means that Meyer was responsible for me being where I am as well.

It’s sad to me that so few people know of the amazing work Meyer did during his time in this world. His work is continuing now through people like me. If you don’t know much about Meyer, he was the ultimate BOSS. He took responsibility for his own life and made a tremendous impact.

Paul J. Meyer was the pioneer of the entire personal development/self improvement industry. You may not know his name, but perhaps you have heard of the late Zig Ziglar or maybe John Maxwell? If you have heard of those two (or many other giants of the industry) you have heard of disciples of Meyer.

Ziglar was in sales before he came across a Paul J. Meyer program. It was that program that helped him become the motivator most people knew. Maxwell was a pastor in a small town when he paid his full months salary for a Meyer program. That program helped develop him into the leadership expert he is today.

Paul J. Meyer’s entrepreneurial spirit helped him create 40+ companies worth billions of dollars. That spirit started at a young age. At 11, Meyer wanted a bike. Rather than ask for one he took personal responsibility and went to a junk yard and found a wrecked one. He fixed it and had a brand new bike. He realized this could be a business so he started a bike repair venture. He stripped over 300 bikes, repaired or rebuilt, repainted, and sold them.

He had many ventures like this growing up and each taught him lessons he would use in building other businesses. Meyer has been called one of the greatest salespeople to ever live. He proved this time and time again. He became a millionaire at the age of 27 by selling insurance. He did this because he had a thirst for knowledge. He never stopped improving himself.

His interest in improvement led him to start Success Motivation Institute (SMI), a personal development company that is still around today. He started SMI at just 32. SMI has been dedicated to “motivating people to their full potential,” over the course of the last 50+ years. It grew into an international group of companies marketed in more than 60 countries and in 23 languages with total sales in excess of $3 Billion.

Meyer’s success came from his ability to positively condition himself. He believed that “attitude is everything.” He would affirm himself by repeating things he learned as a child. He would say “The more you grow, the more possibilities you have” and “I expect to win.”

At a young age, Meyer created his Million Dollar Success Plan, which he would use to build his empire.

A few things he taught in his program was to:

• Crystallize your thinking.
• Develop a plan for achieving your goal and a deadline for its attainment.
• Develop a sincere desire for the things you want in life.
• Develop supreme confidence in yourself and your own abilities.

Years after creating his plan Meyer realized one step was missing. The last step he added was this:

• Develop a dogged determination to follow through on your plan regardless of obstacles, criticism or circumstances, or what other people say, think, or do.

Paul J. Meyer was the ultimate BOSS because he understood that it was his responsibility to grow. He was the one who had to take control of his life and he did. Meyer took action on his plan. He invested in himself and left a legacy that is still living six years after his passing. I personally try not to let a day go by without telling someone about Paul J. Meyer because of his impact on my life through my dad.

Meyer’s philosophy on life was based on a belief in the profound worth and unlimited potential for growth and achievement of people.

I challenge you today to work towards reaching your full potential. There are so many tools you can use to do this. The key of course is investing in your own personal growth. That is what a BOSS does.

If you want to be the BOSS of your life, take control of it and stop working on others’ goals. Decide what you want and go for it. That’s what Paul J. Meyer did.

As I continue to remember Paul J. Meyer I want to leave you with my two favorite things that he said. I use these two quotes as affirmations in my life. I hope they are helpful to you.

“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon… must inevitably come to pass!”

“If you are not making the progress you would like to make and are capable of making, it is simply because your goals are not clearly defined.”