Og Mandino

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Og Mandino

The Greatest Salesman in the World
Born December 12, 1923
Italy
Died September 3, 1996
United States
Occupation Inspirational author
Website
Ogmandino.com

Augustine "Og" Mandino (December 12, 1923 – September 3, 1996) was a "sales guru" and the author of the bestselling book The Greatest Salesman in the World. He remains one of the best-selling inspirational authors today. His books have sold over 50 million copies and have been translated into over twenty-five different languages. He was the president of Success Unlimited magazine until 1976. He had been inducted into the National Speakers Association's Hall Of Fame. He died in 1996. Bette Mandino has partnered with Dave Blanchard, CEO of The Og Group, to continue Og's mission of healing torn bodies and torn minds.

Contents

[edit] Biography

According to the 1930 U.S. Census, Mandino was named after his paternal grandfather.

Mandino was once the editor of a high school paper and planned to attend the University of Missouri's journalism school. But in the summer of 1940, before Mandino was able to enter college, his mother died suddenly from a massive heart attack. This happened while Mandino's mother was in the kitchen preparing his lunch. After the incident, Mandino decided to work in a paper factory until 1942. Afterwards, Mandino joined the United States Army Air Corps where he became a military officer and a bombardier. He flew for thirty bombing missions over Germany on board a B-24 Liberator during World War II.[1] It was also during this time that Mandino flew with fellow pilot and movie star, James Stewart. Mandino kept a personalized 8 X 10 photograph of Stewart. This photograph hung on the wall of his home office where he wrote his books.

After his military duties, Mandino discovered that many companies were not hiring many former bomber pilots. As a result, he became an insurance salesman. Traveling on the road and sitting in bars at night, Mandino became an alcoholic. He was unable to keep a job. As a result, Mandino's wife, together with their only child, left him. One wintry November morning in Cleveland, Mandino almost tried to commit suicide. But as he sorted through several books in a library, volumes of self-help, success and motivation books captured Mandino's attention. He selected some titles, went to a table and began reading. Mandino followed his visit to the library with more visits to many other libraries around the United States. He read hundreds of books that dealt with success, a pastime that help him alleviate his alcoholism. It was in a library in Concord, New Hampshire, where he found W. Clement Stone's classic, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, a book that changed Mandino for the better.

Mandino eventually became a successful writer. His works were inspired by the Bible and influenced by Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone, and Emmet Fox.

[edit] Family tree

The Mandino Family 1930 U.S. Census Record (partial list) on Laker Street in Natick, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Name Age Relationship to Mandino Occupation
Augustine Mandino 61 paternal grandfather farmer
Rose Mandino 50 paternal grandmother none
Silvio Mandino 30 father inspector in carpet mills
Margaret Mandino 30 mother none
Augustine “Og” Mandino 6 himself none
Jacquintine Mandino 3 6/12 sister none

[edit] Philosophy

Mandino wrote The Greatest Salesman in the World which contains the time-tested wisdom of the ancients distilled into ten simple scrolls which, if followed for the prescribed ten months, will as Og says, "will seep into my other mind, that mysterious source which never sleeps, which creates my dreams, and often makes me act in ways I do not comprehend. As the words of these scrolls are consumed by my mysterious mind I will begin to awake, each morning, with a vitality I have never known before. My vigor will increase, my enthusiasm will rise, my desire to meet the world will overcome every fear I once knew at sunrise, and I will be happier than I ever believed it possible to be in this world of strife and sorrow." (Scroll I)

The scrolls each have a principle designed to replace bad habits built up over a lifetime which "threatens to imprison my future" (Scroll I) with good habits developed through a ten month process of studying the scrolls. Each Scroll's principle is life altering. They are:

  • Scroll I - Today I begin a new life.
  • Scroll II - I will greet this day with love in my heart.
  • Scroll III - I will persist until I succeed.
  • Scroll IV - I am nature's greatest miracle.
  • Scroll V - I will live this day as if it is my last.
  • Scroll VI - Today I will be master of my emotions.
  • Scroll VII - I will laugh at the world (Keep perspective)
  • Scroll VIII - Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.
  • Scroll IX - I will act now, I will act now, I will act now.
  • Scroll X - I will pray for guidance.

Mandino's main philosophical message is that every person on earth is a miracle and should choose to direct their life with confidence and congruent to the laws that govern abundance. He wrote in Scroll I, "I will not fail as the others, for in my hands I now hold the charts (the Ten Scrolls) which will guide me through perilous waters to shores which only yesterday seemed but a dream." Og was also a proponent of taking action now. In Scroll IX, the phrase I will act now is written 18 times. He recognized that all successful people take on their own lives by "charting" or consciously choosing both the desired destination and the path to reach it. Although Mandino's philosophical messages have Christian undertones, they are actually encouragements to build good habits, to live according to the laws that govern abundance and to find a vigor and joy in life as we learn to stand at the helm of our ship charting its course into the safety of the harbor instead of just waiting for someone else to bring it in.

[edit] Profile

Mandino was married to his second wife Bette on December 9, 1957. He wrote a total of 19 books, 16 of which are still in print, the first being The Greatest Salesman in the World. He retired at the age of 52. Mandino was six feet tall with brown eyes and brown hair. He liked pasta in marinara sauce and spicy and hot foods. His wife, Bette, used to carry a jar of red pepper at all times inside her purse for Mandino. Because Mandino's favorite color was green, he therefore always tried to autograph his books in green ink, which is surprising, considering he was colorblind. He liked to travel to Bermuda.

Mandino's hometown was Natick, Massachusetts. He was the oldest of three children. He had a younger brother named Silvio and a sister named Jacquintine.

Mandino was a golf enthusiast, and also loved track-and-field events. He usually read when not writing. He adored his family, and liked playing baseball and reading for his children. Every weekend, Mandino and his family had automobile races in the basement of their home.

Because Mandino was color-blind, it was necessary for his wife, Bette, to write down the color of each pair of pants on the zipper area and mark his ties with numbers, before leaving for any speaking engagements and book tours. Bette also had to put a stack of cards inside Mandino's suitcase to help him identify which pair of pants would match with his ties.

According to his wife, Niceleta, Mandino was an avid reader of books.[2]. His favorite author was Henry David Thoreau. And he also enjoyed reading science fiction, historical and religious books, and letters written by authors.

[edit] Favorite books

The following books are what Mandino believed to be the twelve greatest self-help, self-knowledge, and self-inspirational books ever written:[3]

[edit] Books written by Mandino

  • U.S.A. in a Nutshell
  • Cycles
  • The Greatest Salesman In The World
  • The Greatest Secret In The World
  • The Greatest Miracle In The World
  • The Gift Of Acabar (with Buddy Kaye)
  • The Choice
  • The Christ Commission
  • Mission: Success!
  • The God Memorandum
  • The Greatest Salesman In The World Part II: The End Of The Story
  • The Ten Ancient Scrolls For Success: From The Greatest Salesman In The World
  • He Is Tough
  • University of Success (Compilation from other works)
  • A Better Way To Live
  • The Return Of The Ragpicker
  • The Twelfth Angel
  • Spellbinder's Gift
  • The Greatest Mystery In The World
  • Secrets For Success And Happiness
  • The Greatest Success In The World

[edit] References and external links

Sister project Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Og Mandino

[edit] References

  1. ^ Og Mandino. The Og Mandino Story http://www.ogmandino.com/ogstory/ogstorywritten.htm. 
  2. ^ Og Mandino. The Og Mandino Story http://ogmandino.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=311. 
  3. ^ Og Mandino (1972). The Greatest Secret in The World. pp. 183–185. 
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