Skip to main content

Earl Nightingale

In this 200th episode – Earl Nightingale . . .

The audio segment you heard in the intro was the voice of Earl Nightingale. I've been thinking about this special 200th episode for a few months now, considering what would be fitting. So, I went back and listened to many of the early episodes of On the Fly. I asked myself these questions, Why a podcast? What did I want to share with others? And who unknowingly had the most significant influence on my life?

Little did I realize it then, but in hindsight, one person's destiny and life’s work influenced my thinking for the better. Allow me to introduce you to that person and how he changed the lives of countless millions by serving others through the power of the spoken word.

His name is Earl Nightingale. He was born on March 12, 1921 – March 25, 1989. Earl was an American radio broadcaster, author, philosopher, and entrepreneur fascinated with human character development, motivation, and meaningful existence.

A Marine who served during WWII on the USS Arizona, the ship that was attacked on December 7, 1941, in Pearl Harbor. Killed that day were 1,177 of the 1,512 crew members on board at the time; he was one of only 15 marines to survive the attack that day. While in the Marine Corps, Earl volunteered as an announcer with a local radio station. This eventually sparked his desire to move to Chicago and explore his newfound "broadcasting career."

He began hosting his daily commentary program in Chicago on WGN radio's vast, 50,000-watt clear channel. Earl's broadcasting career spanned over 40 years, and through the period of 1950-1956, he was known as the hero's voice in the popular action-adventure series, 'Sky King,' which also ran on WGN radio.

Nightingale wrote and recorded over 7,000 radio programs, 250 audio programs, television programs, and videos during his lifetime. He authored The Strangest Secret, hailed as "one of the great motivational books of all time." He then went on to narrate this book in 1956. It was the first audio recording to achieve gold record status (over one million copies sold).

So, Why a Podcast?

What captured my attention as a young boy was Earl Nightingale's daily five-minute program, "Our Changing World," which aired in 1959 five minutes a day, five days a week during those 40 years. This is what On the Fly, an on-demand audio segment, is modeled after. Earl’s program was heard on over one thousand radio stations, the most widely syndicated program of its time. Subsequently, those five-minute segments would be compiled and distributed as a digital audio download, The Essence of Success.

I've made those segments a part of my life for over 55 years. Whenever I need a lift or a reminder of what’s important in my life, I re-listen to select segments on my iPhone.

His message is profound yet so simple that people pass over it like a stranger in the night, it’s this:

                        WE BECOME what we think about.

That, my listening friends, is the “Essence” of The Strangest Secret.


                        WE BECOME what we think about.


I challenge you to look him up on YouTube, Amazon, or Google - Earl Nightingale. Get a copy of his book The Strangest Secret and experience how your attitude, relationships, work, and life will blossom.


I’m Patrick Ball; thanks for listening to this 200th milestone episode; see you in the next episode.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

Believing Is Seeing

🎄 In this episode, Believing Is Seeing . . . It's December, we bustle, we wrap, and we dash. We sort life into boxes— myths  here,  to-dos  in a stash. We whisper of Santa (adult code: “Not Real”), but hold on one minute—let’s rethink this whole deal. For the stories we cherish, the movies we stream, hold more truth in their sparkle than we grown-ups may deem. So hop in this sleigh and hold on real tight— We’re chasing down Santa by the glow of his light! Scott Calvin once landed in the North Pole’s cold air, with elves, cocoa, and snow everywhere. He squinted and frowned—“This just  cannot  be so!” (Like thinking tangled lights will detangle if we  blow .) Then Judy the Elf gave a cocoa so steaming,  and said something simple . . . yet surprisingly gleaming: Seeing’s not believing—no, that’s not the key. "Believing is seeing!"   Just trust, and  you’ll  see!” Kids don’t need a map or a satellite screen to know Santa’s workshop is her...
1 comment
Read more

Night Before Christmas

I n this episode, Night Before Christmas . . .  (In the spirit of Edgar Albert Guest) I’ve wrestled with the tangled lights the way I always do— With just enough patience left to see the project through. I climb the ladder carefully; the years have taught me how. To take my time with every step and keep a steady brow. We hang the faded ornaments I’ve known since I was small, the chipped, the cracked, the tilted ones—I love them best of all. Santa’s lost a bit of paint, the stars’ leaning right, but oh, it casts a holy glow across the room tonight. The kitchen hums with activity, with laughter, and with cheer, as voices drift like echoes from a long-forgotten year. The floor is strewn with paper scraps, the clock is ticking slow, As Christmas finds its own sweet pace and sets our house aglow. The hallway grows a little still; the lights are dimmed, and low, Small shoes are lined in messy pairs to wait for morning’s snow. The fire's warm, the room is full, the world is deep and wide,...
2 comments
Read more

Stamps and Snow

In this episode, Stamps and Snow . . .   You don’t usually walk into the local Post Office expecting a time warp . . . but here we are. All we wanted were stamps for this year's Christmas cards— yes, the old-fashioned paper ones that require licking, sticking, and hoping the Postal Service is feeling ambitious this week. But holiday errands have a talent for slowing you down, almost like the universe whispering, “Relax. You’re not getting out of this line any faster anyway.” So we waited. And while we waited, we talked (Are you surprised?). Because the Post Office is one of the few places where people still look up from their phones long enough to talk . . . Maybe it's because they're holding packages. It’s the modern town square: part civic duty, part free entertainment, part sociology experiment. The discussion began with holiday specials streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, and other services during this time of year. One gentleman who has lived in Vista since 1958 told us,...
3 comments
Read more

Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way

🎩   In this special episode. How to Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way It’s 2026! Yes— this is the year! A different kind of start—you feel it right here? No lists! No demands! No fix-all-your-flaws! No “New You by Tuesday!” No rules! No laws! Those resolutions? Bah! Dusty and dry! We’ve tried fixing everything —so let’s ask why. Why rush and correct and improve and compare, When noticing quietly gets you right there ? So here’s a new project—no charts, no clocks, No boxes to check in your mental inbox. It’s bigger than busy and smaller than grand, It’s called Un-Working —now give me your hand! Un-Working’s not quitting or hiding away, It’s setting things down that shout “Hurry! Hey!” The hustle! The bustle! The faster-than-fast! The gotta-win-now or you’re stuck in the past! That’s the work of Un-Working— plop! —set it free! The titles! The labels! The “Look-At-Me!” The crown that kept sliding and pinching your head— You never looked comfy . . . let’s try this instead: Pick up a tel...
Post a Comment
Read more