When I invited Jack Canfield onto JournalTalk, I knew we would be talking about success, storytelling, and personal growth. What I did not know was just how naturally our conversation would return again and again to one of the simplest tools for transformation: the journal.

This episode was especially meaningful for me because Jack’s work had already influenced my life in several ways. Years before our interview, I saw him speak at a national PartyLite conference in St. Louis, where he introduced The Success Principles to thousands of consultants. I still remember the excitement in that room. Jack had already become world-famous through the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, but here he was unveiling a new body of work: a practical system for achieving meaningful results in life.

Years later, I had the privilege of contributing Chapter 19, “The Secrets of Expressive Writing,” to Soul of Success, a collection Jack helped bring together with dozens of other co-authors. During our interview, Jack told me he had reread my chapter the night before and had done “a lot of underlining.” That was, needless to say, a very special moment for me. He described Soul of Success as “a collection of amazing wisdom” across relationships, finance, personal development, and spiritual growth.

The Persistence Behind Chicken Soup for the Soul

One of the highlights of this interview is Jack’s retelling of how Chicken Soup for the Soul came into the world.

Most people know the series as a massive publishing phenomenon, but the beginning was anything but easy. Jack explained that he and Mark Victor Hansen took the manuscript to New York with an agent and met with major publishers. The response was rejection after rejection. Publishers told them the title was strange, that people did not read short stories, and that the book was “too nicey nice.”

Instead of giving up, Jack and Mark kept going. Eventually, they attended a book expo in Anaheim and walked booth to booth for three days. Near the end of the third day, a small publisher from Florida, Health Communications Inc., agreed to read it. That publisher eventually said yes.

What I love about this story is not just that they were persistent. It is that they were persistent because they knew the stories worked. Jack had already seen audiences respond to them in seminars and speeches. People would come up afterward asking whether those stories were available in a book. In other words, he had evidence from real human beings, even when the publishing industry did not yet understand the market.

That is such an important lesson for writers, teachers, coaches, entrepreneurs, and anyone trying to bring a meaningful idea into the world: sometimes the gatekeepers are not your audience. Your audience may already be telling you yes.

The Power of a Big “Why”

When I asked Jack what kept him going through all of that rejection, his answer came down to purpose.

He said that if your “why” is just personal greed, it usually is not big enough to carry you through rejection. But if your why is about service, contribution, and bringing something guided from within into the world, then it becomes powerful enough to sustain you. For Chicken Soup for the Soul, the tagline was “changing the world one story at a time.”

That part of our conversation stood out to me because it connects so beautifully with journal writing. A journal is often where we first discover our deeper why. It is where we sort through the difference between goals we inherited from others and dreams that are genuinely ours.

From Stories to Success Principles

We also talked about the 10th anniversary edition of The Success Principles. Jack said his intention with that book was to create something like a modern Think and Grow Rich: a single book that would contain the core principles a person would need to create success in life.

What made the anniversary edition different, he explained, was that many of the stories now came from people who had read the original book, applied the principles, and achieved real results. That made the book more accessible. Instead of only reading about famous icons, readers could see ordinary people using the principles in practical ways.

That is classic Jack Canfield: he takes big ideas and turns them into specific steps, exercises, practices, and stories that people can actually use.

Jack Canfield’s Own Journaling Practice

Of course, since this was Journal Talk, I wanted to know how journaling had played a role in Jack’s own life.

He said it began simply, with a “victory log.” Each day, he would write down his victories because most people tend to focus on their failures or on the tasks they did not complete. That one practice alone is worth pausing over. Imagine ending each day by recording evidence that you are making progress, rather than rehearsing what went wrong.

Later, Jack’s journaling deepened. He talked about his morning “Hour of Power,” which includes meditation, uplifting reading, aerobic exercise, and journaling. After meditation, he often writes down what he is grateful for, what insights came through, or what answers he received to questions he had been asking internally.

One of the most fascinating moments in the interview was his story about the title Chicken Soup for the Soul. Jack said the title came during meditation. He saw a chalkboard, and a hand wrote “chicken soup.” When he wondered what that had to do with the book, the inner answer connected it to the comfort of chicken soup and the idea that people’s spirits were sick. That insight eventually became Chicken Soup for the Soul.

And thankfully, he wrote it down.

That is one of the great arguments for keeping a journal: inspiration is often fleeting. If we do not capture it, we may lose it.

Writing Creates Clarity

Jack also said something that every journal writer will recognize: sometimes the answer is vague at first, but when he starts writing about it, the clarity comes through the writing itself.

That is one of the secrets of expressive writing. You do not always write because you are clear. Sometimes you write in order to become clear.

This is also why I believe journaling belongs in any serious conversation about success. Success is not only about strategy, discipline, networking, or goal-setting. It is also about self-awareness. If you do not understand your own fears, beliefs, motivations, resentments, desires, and dreams, you may end up succeeding at something that does not actually belong to you.

The Most Personal Is the Most Universal

Another powerful part of the conversation came when Jack talked about writing and vulnerability. He said that many writers mistakenly think they need a grand, universal message. But in his view, “the most personal is the most universal.” The more personal, vulnerable, raw, and authentic we are, the more people can relate and say, “Oh my God, me too.”

That is exactly why journal writing can become such a powerful source of healing and creative expression. When we are honest on the page, we discover that our private experiences often carry universal meaning.

Jack also shared that he has used journaling to dialogue with different parts of himself: the child, the hero, the angry part, the part with a sense of humor, and other inner voices. By giving those parts room to speak, he was able to understand and integrate parts of himself he might otherwise have rejected.

That is expressive writing at its best. It is not just recording events. It is creating a safe space where the inner life can become visible.

A Breakthrough About Clutter

One of my favorite practical examples from the episode was Jack’s story about journaling through the clutter in his office.

He described being surrounded by books, manuscripts, letters, and requests from people wanting his attention. When he journaled about the clutter, he realized the issue was not really the physical objects. The clutter was connected to an internal conflict: a belief that he still did not know enough, and a sense that he had to answer everyone in order to be a good person.

Through writing, he uncovered a deeper truth: he already knew enough to be of service, and it was not his job to personally heal everyone one email at a time. That realization brought him a profound sense of relief.

That story is such a beautiful example of how journaling works. A surface problem — clutter, procrastination, overwhelm, indecision — often points to a deeper emotional pattern. Writing helps us find the pattern beneath the problem.

Why This Episode Still Matters

Listening back to this conversation, what stands out to me is how naturally Jack connects success with inner work. Yes, he talks about goals, books, business, training programs, and achievement. But underneath all of that is a consistent message: success begins with taking responsibility for your life, listening inwardly, clarifying your purpose, and acting from that place.

That is why this episode is such a meaningful companion to my chapter in Soul of Success. Chapter 19, “The Secrets of Expressive Writing,” is about using the page as a tool for clarity, healing, self-discovery, and forward movement. My conversation with Jack affirmed that this practice is not separate from success. It is one of the ways success becomes possible.

A journal can hold your victories.

It can capture your insights.

It can help you find your title, your message, your next step, or your deeper why.

And sometimes, as Jack’s own stories show, writing something down can become the beginning of a much larger contribution to the world.

Listen to the Episode

In this episode of Journal Talk, Jack Canfield and I discuss the story behind Chicken Soup for the Soul, the 10th anniversary of The Success Principles, his personal journaling practices, the importance of purpose, and the role of expressive writing in creating a successful and meaningful life.

For anyone interested in journaling, personal development, storytelling, or the inner habits behind outer success, this conversation is well worth revisiting.