Brian Tracy (1944–2026): The Man Who Changed Millions of Lives, Including Mine
On 12 November 2026, Brian Tracy passed away at the age of 82.
He was one of the world's most recognisable authors on personal development, goal achievement, self-discipline, time management and professional success. He wrote dozens of books; counting various editions and adaptations, his publications approach one hundred. Millions of people around the world attended his talks and seminars.
It is difficult to find anyone interested in entrepreneurship, personal growth or achievement who has never heard his name.
For many years, I repeatedly heard the same sentence from different people:
“Brian Tracy changed my life.”
What struck me was that these words came not only from people who were still finding their professional direction. I also heard them from entrepreneurs and people who had achieved considerable success themselves.
They told me how applying his advice changed the way they thought, set goals, made decisions and organised their time. They began achieving results that had previously seemed beyond their reach.
I understood them perfectly. Because I am one of those people too.
Brian Tracy changed my life.
He was my mentor for more than 13 years. I began by reading his books, listening to his talks and attending training programmes. Later, we spoke directly during video conferences. In 2023, I met him in San Diego.
I had the opportunity to get to know not only a world-famous author and speaker, but also a remarkably warm, kind, good-natured man with a sense of humour.
We eventually became co-authors of Successful Mindset – The Key to Achieving Your Goals.
Today I want to share what Brian taught me, but also remember the man I came to know away from stages, cameras and public appearances.
Knowing is not enough. You have to act.
When I first began learning from Brian Tracy, I was already running my own business. I made decisions, managed projects, negotiated contracts and took responsibility for delivering them.
I was not looking for someone to tell me that positive thinking alone would make me successful. I wanted knowledge that could actually be put to work.
And that is exactly what I found in Brian's teaching.
His principles sounded deceptively simple: define your goals clearly, plan ahead, make decisions, take responsibility for your actions, develop self-discipline and never stop learning.
But understanding those principles is not the same as being able to apply them.
You can read dozens of books on time management and still have no time for the things that matter most. You can know every goal-setting technique and still postpone your plans for years. You can understand the importance of self-discipline yet find a new excuse every day not to do something.
Brian taught me that action is what stands between knowledge and results.
What we learn becomes valuable when we use it in practice. I still live by that principle today.
Self-discipline matters more than motivation
One of Brian's most important lessons for me was understanding the role of self-discipline.
Motivation can be powerful, but it is often temporary. When things are going well, it is easy to take on new challenges. We have energy, enthusiasm and confidence that we will reach our goals.
It is much harder when problems arise: when we are tired, our efforts are not producing the expected results, we are losing money or we have to face the consequences of a wrong decision.
That is when self-discipline becomes much more valuable than a passing burst of enthusiasm.
Brian taught that successful people also do what is necessary when they do not feel like doing it.
That does not mean working endlessly without rest. It means consciously choosing what genuinely brings us closer to our goals.
Running a company has shown me repeatedly how important this ability is. We cannot always control the economic environment, customers' behaviour, market conditions or unexpected difficulties.
But we can decide what to do next. And that decision often matters most.
A goal has to be specific
Brian repeatedly emphasised the importance of writing goals down.
It is not enough to say that one day we want to be successful, write a book, start a company, learn a language or complete an ambitious project. We have to define precisely what we want, write it down, set a deadline and prepare a plan.
Above all, we have to begin.
From experience, I know that achieving goals rarely happens exactly as we first imagine. Obstacles arise, expenses appear unexpectedly, projects are delayed and circumstances force us to change our plans.
But changing our approach does not have to mean abandoning our goal.
Sometimes we need new skills. Sometimes we have to ask someone for help. Sometimes we need to acknowledge a mistaken decision and choose another route.
Brian taught me not to treat every setback as a final defeat. It is worth analysing what happened, learning the lesson and using the experience.
Take responsibility for your life
Personal responsibility was another principle that profoundly influenced me.
It is easy to look outside ourselves for the causes of every setback: the economy, the competition, customers, colleagues or simply bad luck.
Of course, there are circumstances we truly cannot control. Yet even in difficult situations one question remains: what can I do?
Brian encouraged us to concentrate on solutions.
Instead of repeatedly revisiting why something went wrong, we can ask what it taught us and what we can change.
This approach helped me enormously in business.
Over the years I have delivered engineering and industrial projects, including the commissioning of machines and production lines. In this environment, good intentions and optimistic declarations are not enough.
A machine has to work. A process has to be stable. A customer expects a defined result.
When a problem occurs, its cause and a workable solution must be found.
Over time I realised that Brian's principles are as relevant to industrial business as they are to personal growth. Responsibility, discipline, planning, focus and consistency matter in any industry.
From books and training courses to a personal connection
In the early years, I knew Brian primarily through his books, recordings and training programmes. His knowledge gradually became part of my everyday life.
Later I had the opportunity to speak with him directly by video conference.
It was during those conversations, long before we met face to face in San Diego, that I told him what I had learned from him.
I explained how applying his principles had shaped my thinking, decision-making and approach to running a business.
Brian knew that I was not someone who had only recently discovered his books. I had been using his knowledge for years.
Our conversations also allowed me to discover another side of him.
In business, he was known for extraordinary self-discipline, organisation and consistency. And he really was like that.
But he was also very friendly, warm and funny. He could joke, tell stories and talk about things that had nothing to do with business.
San Diego: conversations I will always remember
In 2023 I met Brian in person in San Diego.
We were part of a small group, but I also had the chance to sit with him at the same table and talk one-to-one.
For me, this was not just a meeting with a famous author. I was speaking to someone whose teaching had helped me make decisions and pursue my goals for many years.
In those conversations I discovered what he was like away from the stage.
Brian was exceptionally kind and approachable. He had a sense of humour and created an atmosphere in which conversation felt natural, without the distance that might have come from his fame and professional achievements.
We did not speak only about success, entrepreneurship and work.
He also told me stories from his personal life. I especially remember him telling me how he met his wife, Barbara.
These are the moments that allow us to know someone more deeply than any public speech could.
When we listen to someone on stage, we see their knowledge, experience and ability to communicate ideas. When we sit at the same table, we can see something else: their character.
Brian was not only a successful person. He was a genuinely good man.
That memory means just as much to me as everything I learned from his books.
What do you give someone who already has everything?
As Brian's 80th birthday approached, I began wondering what gift I could give him.
It was not an easy question.
What can you give someone who has achieved so much?
Over decades, Brian had built an extraordinary career, written a great many books, led training programmes around the world and become internationally recognised.
He was a wealthy man who could afford many things.
He also had something I consider far more important than money: a wonderful family. His wife Barbara, their four children and their grandchildren.
I wanted my gift to be personal. I did not want to buy just another object. Its monetary value was not the point.
I wanted to create something that could not simply be bought in a shop. Something into which I could put my own work, time and heart.
So I decided to paint his portrait.
I chose oils.
Painting requires patience, concentration, consistency and many hours of work. Only later did I realise how symbolic my choice had been.
For years, Brian had taught me that worthwhile results come from persistence, self-discipline and patient effort. Those were precisely the qualities I put into preparing his present.
I could not give him success, money or knowledge, things he already had in abundance. But I could give him something I had made with my own hands.
Something unique. My painting.
The oil portrait I painted for Brian's 80th birthday is now in San Diego.
It is a special symbol of our relationship for me. When I look at a photograph of it, I remember not only the man known from books and public appearances, but Brian, whom I had the privilege to know personally.
Successful Mindset: the book we wrote together
One of the most important outcomes of our relationship was our book, Successful Mindset – The Key to Achieving Your Goals.
Brian is its co-author and wrote the opening chapter about mindset as a foundation for achieving goals.
I described 23 principles followed by successful people, above all the principles I had learned from Brian and practised in my own life over many years.
I did not want to create another collection of motivational slogans.
I wanted to show how specific principles can be used in practice: how to set goals and make decisions, develop self-discipline, manage time and focus on priorities, act despite fear, build skills and keep learning, build teams and systems, think long-term and provide value to others.
The last of these has a special meaning for me today.
Brian showed me that success should not be understood only as a personal achievement. It is also worth asking what effect our work, knowledge and experience have on other people's lives.
Discover Successful Mindset by Brian Tracy and Dr Magdalena Laabs – book editions and a free sample.
Why was his teaching so effective?
I believe one reason for Brian's enormous influence was the practical nature of his teaching.
He did not present success as something reserved for a tiny group of exceptionally gifted people.
He taught that many of the skills needed to achieve goals can be developed: organising time, self-discipline, communication, sales, management, setting goals and following plans consistently.
This does not mean that everyone can achieve everything they wish. Life is more complex than that. There are limits, unexpected circumstances and situations beyond our control.
But we can develop our abilities and improve our chances of achieving what matters to us.
That is what I found particularly valuable.
Brian did not merely teach people to dream about success. He taught them to work towards it.
Over the years I met entrepreneurs, managers and accomplished people who told me how much his books and training had helped them.
For some, they brought structure to their work. Others found the courage to start their own businesses. Still others learned to plan better, lead teams or persevere towards long-term goals.
Again and again I heard the words: “Brian Tracy changed my life.”
Today those words mean even more to me.
Eight lessons I will carry with me forever
If I had to choose the most important lessons I learned from Brian, I would choose these eight.
1. Take responsibility for your life. Not everything depends on you, but many of your decisions and actions do. Instead of focusing entirely on what you cannot influence, look for ways to improve your situation.
2. Set specific goals. Write down what you want to achieve. Set a deadline, make a plan and begin. A goal without action remains an intention.
3. Develop self-discipline. Do not wait for motivation. Learn to carry out important tasks even when they require effort.
4. Respect your time. Time is one of our most valuable resources. Money can be earned again. Lost time cannot be recovered.
5. Never stop learning. Skills that served us ten years ago may not be enough today. Growth requires continuing to gain knowledge and experience.
6. Do not let fear make decisions for you. Uncertainty accompanies many important choices. You do not have to eliminate all fear before taking action.
7. Think long-term. The most important results often take years of consistent work. Not every action should be judged by its immediate payoff.
8. Share knowledge and create value for others. What you have learned over the years may help someone else. Knowledge does not lose its value when it is shared. On the contrary, it can benefit people you will never even meet.
What remains after someone who achieved so much?
Brian Tracy achieved extraordinary professional success.
He wrote books read around the world, spoke to millions and became a familiar name wherever people discussed personal growth and achieving goals.
But today, when I think about his life, I do not primarily think about books sold or people attending seminars.
I think of the people he helped.
People who began to direct their lives more consciously. People who learned to define goals, dared to make difficult decisions, understood self-discipline and stopped postponing their dreams.
And those who went on to achieve success themselves and then passed on what Brian had taught them.
That is the real value of sharing knowledge.
One person teaches another. The next person uses that knowledge, achieves something and passes the experience along.
In this way, one teacher's influence can extend far beyond their own lifetime.
Today I write books, prepare training programmes and share my professional knowledge. I know how much I owe to what I learned from Brian, not only in my own life but in the way I try to teach others.
The Brian I will remember
Today I look at our photographs from San Diego.
I think back to the video conferences and the times we could talk in person.
I remember his smile. His sense of humour. His kindness. The stories he told.
I also think of the portrait I painted for his 80th birthday.
Then, I wondered what one could give someone who already had everything.
Today I think about how much he gave to others.
Not only books, training programmes and speeches, but knowledge that helped so many people change their lives.
Brian, thank you for everything you taught me. For our conversations, your kindness, your humour and your trust. For the opportunity to know you personally. For the book we wrote together.
And for all those years when your teaching accompanied me as I made decisions, pursued goals and overcame difficulties.
I will remember not only the world-famous author and mentor, but a man who remained warm, good and genuinely human despite his extraordinary achievements.
Brian Tracy changed my life.
The best way I can thank him today is to keep using what he taught me and passing that knowledge on.
Although Brian is gone, his lessons remain. And they will live on for as long as we continue to put them into practice.
Thank you, Brian.
Someone took the book I wrote with Brian Tracy from my conference stand
Recently, I attended an industry conference in Warsaw. I brought 600 copies of my books to give away to participants.
Those copies went straight from the printing house to the conference.
I also had several other books I had written, one copy of each, only to show visitors what I had published. They were not for sale or for distribution.
Among them was Successful Mindset – The Key to Achieving Your Goals, our book about the 23 principles followed by successful people.
And that was precisely the book that disappeared from my stand.
Someone had taken it.
Did I notice it was missing?
Of course I did!
I had brought it all the way to Warsaw on the plane. At nearly 500 pages, it is a substantial book, and I could not pack many copies in my suitcase.
Yet of all the books on my stand, that was the one that disappeared.
What did I think?
Perhaps someone took it because they really needed it.
It was not available to buy at the conference, so someone decided to “borrow” it.
I do not know who took it, nor why.
But if you happen to read this article and recognise yourself in this story, I have one request.
Read this book carefully. Learn as much from it as you possibly can. Put those principles into practice in your own life and achieve extraordinary success.
I wish you that with all my heart.
And once you have used what you learned, pass it on.
Share it with others. Help someone set a goal, believe in their possibilities, make an important decision or finally begin something they have been putting off.
Let that single book help not only you but other people too.
Because that is what Brian Tracy's legacy is about.
Knowledge is most valuable when we do not keep it only to ourselves.
Throughout his life, Brian shared his knowledge with millions. He is no longer with us, but his books and his teaching remain, and each of us can help them reach someone else.
If the one copy of Successful Mindset that vanished from my stand in Warsaw helps somebody change their life for the better, at least something good will have come of it.
And one more thing, to the person who took the book: next time, just ask! If you had asked me, I would have given it to you after the conference or sent you a copy by post with a personal dedication. As it is, you have a book about 23 principles of success, but you missed one important lesson: sometimes all you have to do is ask.