By Napoleon
Hill
Setting
& hitting Targets
No matter which track you choose to follow, in order
to get rich: becoming a trader, a value investor, a real estate pro, a chief
executive, or perhaps an entrepreneur, you must have the correct mindset.
This is a top five-lesson summary of “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.
Due to the law of averages, some people may be able to acquire riches without
following the advice. In this article, but hoping that life will give you such
a break, instead of taking responsibility for your own actions and thoughts, is
a plan that is flawed, at best. Instead, let us now examine how you can
optimize your chances of gathering a great fortune. “If you do not conquer
self, you will be conquered by self"
Lesson number 1: It is what
you think that matters
“Truly,
thoughts are things and powerful things at that when they are mixed with
definiteness of purpose, persistence and a burning desire for that translation
into riches." This is the main idea of Think and Grow
Rich. You can even tell it from the title. If you don't see riches in your
thoughts, how can you expect to ever see them in your bank accounts?
All
achievements and all earned riches start with an idea. Every great leader that
has ever existed was a dreamer. How do you think that Mahatma Gandhi or George
Washington or Martin Luther King succeeded?
It
all started with an idea.
You
have the ability to control your own mind, because you can feed it with
whatever thought impulses that you choose. It is incredibly powerful. Thought,
backed by a strong desire, has a tendency to transmute itself into its physical
equivalent. It's a double-edged sword though. If you fail to plant thoughts in
your subconscious mind, deliberately, it won't remain idle. It will pick up
other thoughts that unintentionally reach it. Once again, you don't want to
leave this to chance. "If you fail
to control your own mind, you may be sure that you will control nothing else"
Lesson number 2:
A burning desire
A long time ago, a great
warrior had to face a much stronger foe. When the Warrior’s armies arrived in
enemy territory, he had them burn all the ships behind them at the beach. They
were greatly outnumbered by the enemy, but now, they had no choice but to win. So,
they won. If you ask a hundred people what they want in life, they will
probably not be able to answer. If you push them though, they will mention some
of their wishes - perhaps money, fame, or security. But the universe doesn't
respond to vaguely expressed wishes.
It
responds to a burning desire, implemented through definite plans and constant
persistence. "God seems to throw himself on the side of the man who knows
exactly what he wants if he's determined to get just that." The desire
part, I can't really help you with, but understand that you must have it in
order to succeed. If you want to reach higher than mediocrity, be sure that you
can attach a burning desire to a possible outcome of that endeavor of yours.
Let's pretend that that decide the outcome is. Perhaps money. Here's a six-step
method for transforming that desire into its material counterpart:
1. Fix in your
mind a specific amount
2. Determine
exactly what you are going to give in return
3. Establish a
definite date
4. Create a
definite plan and start right away to put that into action
5. Write down
the four previously mentioned steps into a statement
6. Read this out
loud twice daily, preferably in the morning and right before you go to sleep.
The last step is
called auto-suggestion. Have you
ever exaggerated a story or told a lie, until you started to believe in it
yourself?
Well, this is
the exact same thing, but it aims at creating faith inside you that your burning desire will one day come true.
For more on this, and the importance of having a definite plan, have a look at
my summary of The Science of Getting Rich.
Lesson number 3:
Become an unstoppable force Guy
I have a new idea! We
must replace our current four-cylinder motors with eight-cylinder ones and they
must be cast in a single block. We will beat the competition by a landslide!
Oh, sorry, Mr.
Ford, but that can't be done.
Produce it anyways!
But sir, it's
impossible.
Go ahead! And
stay on the job until you succeed, no matter how much time it takes!
Sir, we've been
working day and night but as we said, it is impossible.
No, it isn't,
stay with it!
Sorry, Mr. Ford,
we, we haven't found a way to do...
Go right ahead!
I want it, and I'll have it!
Oh, what's the use?
This man clearly doesn't know when he's whipped; I might as well give him what
he wants. We found a way how to do it, sir! No one is ever defeated until he or
she has accepted that as a reality.
Persistence
is everything in any part of life where you wish to thrive. Napoleon Hill
states that: "There may be no heroic
connotation to the word persistence, but the quality is to the character of a
man, what carbon is to steel"
When
someone has cultivated the habit of persistence,
they gain insurance against failure. Remember, there is no such thing as
something for nothing. At times, it may seem like other people succeed without
first paying the price, but that is probably not true. (Even if some people would like to advertise it that way) The grass
is not greener on the other side. Stick
to your plan and win. A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits.
Lesson number 4:
Sexual energy
Nope, you didn't get
that wrong. According to Napoleon Hill, the five strongest stimulants known to
man are: Friendship Music a burning desire for riches Love, and Sex Desire for
sex is the most powerful all human desires. So strong is this desire that it
was said that the Trojan War was started as a result of it. Observe what
happens to any animal after it has been castrated, and you see what happens
when sexual energy is removed from a being.
All
men who have reached the highest level of achievements have had highly
developed sexual natures. The transmutation of sex energy to energy and
creativity in other endeavors is a primary source of genius. "The energy
must be transmuted from desire for physical contact, into some other form of
desire and action before it will lift one to the status of a genius." Far
from becoming genii, because of great sex desires, the majority of men lower
themselves through misunderstanding and misuse of this great force, to the
status of the lower animals.
There's
a reason why most men don't achieve much before they are 40, and it's not only
due to the fact that they become wiser and more self-confident by them. Because
of the temptations in today's society, this is probably even more difficult to
exercise today than it was when Napoleon Hill first wrote Think and Grow Rich.
It requires a lot of willpower, the forming of new habits and the elimination
of old behaviors.
Lesson number 5:
The six ghosts of fear
Before you can put
Napoleon Hills philosophy into use, you must conquer your fears. Here are six
of the most common and most destructive ones, and remember, they only exist in
your mind, and you have the ability to control them if you so desire, and if
you practice enough.
1.
The fear of poverty Common symptom of this fear is the indifference towards
money expressed through a lack of ambition. Your mind can't focus on how to
become rich if it constantly must worry about how to put food on your table.
You must reach an absolute decision that whatever you can acquire, as long as
you give it your all, is sufficient.
2.
The fear of criticism: This is
characterized by nervousness in the presence of others and it destroys
initiative. To beat it, you must stop worrying about what other people think or
say. Dare to be a little bit cringy sometimes!
3.
The fear of ill-health: A common symptom is a habit of
faking illness to serve as an alibi for laziness. To make this stop, you must
forget about symptoms, and especially stop looking for them. Any symptom can be
deadly if you Google it!
4.
The fear of loss of the love of someone
Jealousy is a common sign of this. Reach a decision that you will get along
without love if necessary. And, if you're currently single, use this time to
create a life, where you learn to appreciate living by yourself. Then,
everything beyond that is just a bonus!
5.
The fear of old age: Speaking apologetically about one's age
is characteristic for the fear of old age. Eliminate this fear by accepting
aging, not as a handicap, but as a blessing. For you have the possibility of
being much wiser and having better self-control than during your youth. And
hopefully, the wonders of compound interest have been working in your favor for
a while.
6.
The fear of death: A common symptom
is a habit of thinking about dying, instead of living your life to the
fullest. The reason why you must conquer this should be obvious. I can't
imagine that anyone who is spending his days worrying about the fires of hell or having to spend eternity wearing a nightgown can ever be happy. The
endless nap is inescapable, learn to accept it! In general, kill off these
fears by coming to the conclusion that nothing life has to offer is worth the
price of a constant worry.
Quick recap: It's what
you think that matters. God seems to throw himself on the side of the man who
knows exactly what he wants if he is determined to get just that. A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits. Sex desire is the most powerful of all human
desires. Use its energy to your advantage. You must conquer your fears before you can achieve
greatness.
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