Positive Thinking

I remember meeting with W. Clement Stone for the first time in his Chicago office in the mid-1980s.

This insurance tycoon was also the head of The Napoleon Hill Foundation and granted to this stranger from the Eastern Hemisphere the right to promulgate the "positive mental attitude" spirit in Japan.

I tried to persuade this billionaire by saying that success must be achieved both in material and spiritual terms, in fulfilling one’s ideals by improving one’s inner self and gaining peace of mind, rather than just by achieving wealth or fame.

I emphasized that only PMA can bring out success, that is, real self-fulfillment.

Listening with a smile, Mr. Stone offered his hand to me, who dared to preach PMA to Mr. PMA.

Since then, two Japanese-translated books, "Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude," co-authored by him and Dr. Napoleon Hill, and Hill’s "Think and Grow Rich," have been my company’s long-selling books and have affected many, many Japanese youth and businesspeople.

My deepest and sincerest condolences on the passing away of my mentor, Mr. W. Clement Stone.

Tanaka Taka-aki
Tokyo