Jack Canfield (born August 19, 1944
) is an American
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
,
motivational speaker
A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk.
Motivational speakers ca ...
,
[ corporate trainer, and ]entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
. He is the co-author of the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is an American self-help, consumer goods and media company based in Cos Cob, Connecticut. It is known for the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' book series. The first book, like most subsequent titles in the ...
'' series, which has more than 250 titles and 500 million copies in print in over 40 languages. In 2005 Canfield co-authored with Janet Switzer ''The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be''.[
]
Early life and education
Canfield was born in Fort Worth
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
on August 19, 1944. He spent his teen years in Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...
and graduated from the Linsly Military Institute in 1962.[ Canfield received his B.A. in Chinese History from ]Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 1966.[ He received his M.Ed. in 1973 from the ]University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...
.[ Canfield received an honorary Ph.D. from the ]University of Santa Monica
The University of Santa Monica is a private unaccredited graduate school in Santa Monica, California, offering masters of arts in spiritual psychology.
History
The university was founded in March 1976 by Roger Delano Hinkins, an educator, a ...
in 1981.
Career
Canfield began his career in 1967 when he taught a year of high school in Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. He worked at the Clinton Job Corps Center in Iowa and the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation in Chicago. In 1976 Canfield co-authored ''100 Ways to Enhance Self-Concept in the Classroom''. He ran a residential Gestalt center called the New England Center for Personal
Personal may refer to:
Aspects of persons' respective individualities
* Privacy
* Personality
* Personal, personal advertisement, variety of classified advertisement used to find romance or friendship
Companies
* Personal, Inc., a Washington, ...
and Organizational Development
Organization development (OD) is the study and implementation of practices, systems, and techniques that affect organizational change, the goal of which is to modify an organization's performance and/or culture. The organizational changes are ...
and was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of America (TOYA) by the U.S. Jaycees
The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI) ...
in 1978.
Canfield is the founder and CEO of The Canfield Training Group in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...
and founder of The Foundation for Self-Esteem in Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...
. Canfield hosts a radio program and writes a globally syndicated newspaper column.[ He holds a ]Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for having seven books on the New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
best-seller list at the same time. In 2006 Canfield was featured in a self-development film called '' The Secret''. His best known books include: ''The Power of Focus'', ''The Aladdin Factor'', and ''Dare to Win''.[ In 2005 Canfield co-authored ''The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be''.] He is a founding member of the Transformational Leadership Council.
''Chicken Soup for the Soul''
Canfield coauthored ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' with Mark Victor Hansen
Mark Victor Hansen (born January 8, 1948) is an American inspirational and motivational speaker, trainer and author. He is best known as the founder and co-creator of the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' book series.
Early life
Hansen was born to D ...
in 1993. According to ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' was the third best-selling book in the United States during the mid-1990s. Canfield later co-authored dozens of additional books in the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' series.
''The Success Principles''
In his book ''The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be'', Jack Canfield has collected what he asserts to be 67 essential principles for attaining goals and creating a successful life.
Personal life
Canfield married Judith Ohlbaum in 1971 and they had two sons together, Oran and Kyle, before divorcing in 1976. Canfield left the family and moved in with a masseuse in 1976, while his wife was pregnant with their second son. His son Oran has written two memoirs, ''Freefall: The Strange True Life Growing Up Adventures of Oran Canfield'' and ''Long Past Stopping: A Memoir.''
In 1978, he married Georgia Lee Noble, with whom he had one son, Christopher. They divorced in 1999. He married Inga Marie Mahoney in 2001, and is stepfather to her children, Travis and Riley.
Bibliography
* Canfield, Jack, and Mark Victor Hansen
Mark Victor Hansen (born January 8, 1948) is an American inspirational and motivational speaker, trainer and author. He is best known as the founder and co-creator of the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' book series.
Early life
Hansen was born to D ...
. 1993. ''Chicken Soup for the Soul''. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications.
* Canfield, Jack, and Mark Victor Hansen. 1995. ''The Aladdin Factor''. New York: Berkley Book.
* Canfield, Jack, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt. 2000. ''The Power of Focus: How to Hit Your Business, Personal and Financial Targets with Absolute Certainty''. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications.
*Canfield, Jack, and Janet Switzer. 2005. ''The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be''. New York: Harper Element.
* Canfield, Jack, and D.D. Watkins. 2007. ''Jack Canfield's Key to Living the Law of Attraction: A Simple Guide to Creating the Life of Your Dreams''. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications.
* Canfield, Jack. 2007. ''Maximum Confidence: Ten Secrets of Extreme Self-Esteem''. Audio CD – Audiobook. New York: Simon & Schuster Audio/Nightingale-Conant.
*Canfield, Jack. 2008. ''The Success Principles for Teens: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be''. HCI Teens; Illustrated edition.
*Canfield, Jack and Pamela Bruner, 2013. ''Tapping Into Ultimate Success: How to Overcome Any Obstacle and Skyrocket Your Results.'' Hay House Inc.
*Canfield, Jack and Peter Chee
Peter may refer to:
People
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* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
, 2013. ''Coaching for Breakthrough Success: Proven Techniques for Making Impossible Dreams Possible''. McGraw-Hill Education.
* Canfield, Jack, and Janet Switzer. 2015. ''The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be'' 10th Anniversary Edition. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
*Canfield, Jack, 2016. ''30-Day Sobriety Solution: How To Cut Back Or Quit Drinking In The Privacy Of Your Own Home.'' Atria Books.
*Canfield, Jack, 2017. ''Success Affirmations: 52 Weeks for Living a Passionate and Purposeful Life.'' Health Communications Inc.
*Canfield, Jack, 2019. ''The Ultimate Jack Canfield Library: Create the Life You Desire (Audio Book).'' Nightingale-Conant. ASIN B07PXH4ZCR
References
External links
Official website
*
Articles by Jack Canfield
at The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canfield, Jack
Living people
1944 births
American motivational writers
American motivational speakers
Writers from Texas
Linsly School alumni
Harvard College alumni
University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Education alumni