This chapter is one of the shortest in Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich. But, that does not mean it is less important. On the contrary, I believe it could be one of the most important, if not the most important chapter in the book.
In this chapter, we see the corner stone of the theories in Think and Grow Rich. This is where Napoleon Hill tells us how to get started on our road to success.
As you read through this chapter, it seems too easy. You may say, "Is that it". The answer is yes. I have experienced some of what Mr. Hill talks about already. When we go back to Chapter 2 and do what the Six Steps to Turn Desire into Gold tell us to do, we will not only work ourselves into a white hot desire for success, we will open a door in our mind. This door leads to the room where our plans for success are.
This is the point where I have been for the past few weeks. I have a though that comes to me in the form of a soft warm feeling of confidence, and I act on it. I don't stop to reason the plan out. Mr. Hill said, "Do not trust your 'reason' when creating your plan for accumulating money through the transmutation of desire. Your reasoning faculty may be lazy, and, if you depend entirely upon it to serve you, it may disappoint you."
This is certainly the case for me. I have used reason to keep out of trouble and to keep anything from happening to me. But, to paraphrase a line in Disney's Finding Nemo, "If you never let anything happen to you, nothing will ever happen to you."
I believe my desire is beginning to transmute itself although my plan is still not yet clear. This goes along with something else Mr. Hill Wrote.
"Do not wait for a definite plan, through which you intend to exchange services or merchandise in return for the money you are visualizing, but begin at once to see yourself in possession of the money, demanding and expecting meanwhile, that your subconscious mind will hand over the plan, or plans you need. Be on the alert for these plans, and when they appear, put them into action immediately. When the plans appear, they will probably 'flash' into your mind through the sixth sense, in the form of an 'inspiration.' Treat it with respect, and act upon it as soon as you receive it."
I am acting on plans as they come to me. At the moment they seem very disorganized and abstract, but as more pieces appear, the more sense it makes.
What is happening is, I am getting more and more in touch with my subconscious mind. In my subconscious is the plan which was made up of little bitts of information which I was a witness to or things I have done throughout my entire life. My subconscious mind is slowly putting those things together and feeding the pieces to me as they become available.
This chapter is closely related to the second chapter,(Chapter 2 Part 1 and Part 2) because Autosuggestion is the tool which is used to turn desire into success. If a desire is strong enough, you may not need to use autosuggestion ... at first. But, if you're anything like me, the longer you don't use autosuggestion to reinforce your desire, the longer your reasoning faculties have to blow holes in your theories and make up stories, giving you reasons to rethink your dreams.
This chapter is also very closely related to the chapter on Faith (Part 1 and Part 2). Without faith, true passionate and emotional faith, autosuggestion is worthless. Mr. Hill suggests to begin using autosuggestion weather you have faith in it or not. He tells us not to worry if we don't feel a strong passion toward what we want at first. He clamed that will come with time.
I am starting to use this autosuggestion with strong faith in it already. The fact that I already had a strong desire is also a big help. The reason I have a strong faith in it, is because, as I mentioned before, I used it already. In the beginning of the year, I used it to help me with my new year's resolution to get in shape by the end of 2007. I'm at about the halfway point and still going strong. Besides that, I am expecting a big few months and to reach my desired goals on time.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Chapter III - Faith - Part 2
Those of you who have not read Part 1 may want to do that before reading this post.
"When [Jesus] was going back to the city in the morning, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went over to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, 'May no fruit ever come from you again.' An immediately the fig tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed and said, "How was it that the fig tree withered immediately?' Jesus said to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, if you have faith and don't waver, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done.' Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."
Matthew 21: 18-22
"Faith is the 'eternal elixir' which gives life, power, and action to the impulse of thought!" "Faith is the only known antidote for failure!"
Napoleon Hill ~ Think and Grow Rich
Jesus was very serious about Faith. Now, did he want us to use faith to slake our greedy hearts? No, he wants us to use our faith to help others. That is why there is a law of nature in place to help us carry out what the desires placed in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit (Or the universe, or what ever you want to call it), leads us to do. If we follow those desires, we will be truly happy with the wealth that follows.
Immediately after the "Self-Confidence Formula" Mr. Hill makes this statement. "Back of this formula is a law of nature which no man has yet been able to explain. The name by which one calls this law is of little importance. The important fact about it is- it WORKS for the glory and success of mankind, IF it is used constructively. On the other hand, if used destructively, it will destroy just as readily." Now those of you who read the first post in this analysis of "Think and Grow Rich" should here bells going off everywhere. Does anyone want to name the secret?
One note which must be mentioned about the Self-Confidence Formula as well as the six steps to develop desire is when repeated each day, you must say them to your self with passion and conviction, because faith is what happens when desire meets emotion.
Emotion is extremely important. Mr. Hill uses the example of Abraham Lincoln, who was a nobody until he met Ann Rutledge. Ann was his true love and love is the strongest emotion one can feel. When Lincoln mixed his strong emotion with his desires, he became unstoppable.
Mr. Hill then brought up a though which I have pondered many times. He stated it in a declarative statement, but I have declared it in a question. Can you name one man, outside of religion, who had wild success in his chosen field who did not have a significant other? I don't know of one; however I am willing to listen if anyone out there has any names.
Now with the power of faith and the power of the secret, which Mr. Hill comes closest to mentioning here in this chapter, there is a warning. It sounds like a line from a Spiderman Movie, but it's true. "With great power comes great responsibility".
By affirming positive thoughts and positive language you can literally turn your whole life around. However, if you use negative thoughts or negative language you can, not only destroy your own life, you can destroy the lives of others. Be careful of, not only of what you think, but of what you say.
Let's end this post with another poem Mr. Hill chose which does a wonderful job of explaining his points in this chapter.
"If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't
If you like to win, but you think you can't
It is almost certain you won't
"If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will-
It's all in the sate of mind.
"If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
you can ever win a prize.
"Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!"
http://littleengineblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/think-grow-rich-before-we-begin.html
http://littleengineblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/chapter-iii-faith.html
"When [Jesus] was going back to the city in the morning, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went over to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, 'May no fruit ever come from you again.' An immediately the fig tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed and said, "How was it that the fig tree withered immediately?' Jesus said to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, if you have faith and don't waver, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done.' Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."
Matthew 21: 18-22
"Faith is the 'eternal elixir' which gives life, power, and action to the impulse of thought!" "Faith is the only known antidote for failure!"
Napoleon Hill ~ Think and Grow Rich
Jesus was very serious about Faith. Now, did he want us to use faith to slake our greedy hearts? No, he wants us to use our faith to help others. That is why there is a law of nature in place to help us carry out what the desires placed in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit (Or the universe, or what ever you want to call it), leads us to do. If we follow those desires, we will be truly happy with the wealth that follows.
Immediately after the "Self-Confidence Formula" Mr. Hill makes this statement. "Back of this formula is a law of nature which no man has yet been able to explain. The name by which one calls this law is of little importance. The important fact about it is- it WORKS for the glory and success of mankind, IF it is used constructively. On the other hand, if used destructively, it will destroy just as readily." Now those of you who read the first post in this analysis of "Think and Grow Rich" should here bells going off everywhere. Does anyone want to name the secret?
One note which must be mentioned about the Self-Confidence Formula as well as the six steps to develop desire is when repeated each day, you must say them to your self with passion and conviction, because faith is what happens when desire meets emotion.
Emotion is extremely important. Mr. Hill uses the example of Abraham Lincoln, who was a nobody until he met Ann Rutledge. Ann was his true love and love is the strongest emotion one can feel. When Lincoln mixed his strong emotion with his desires, he became unstoppable.
Mr. Hill then brought up a though which I have pondered many times. He stated it in a declarative statement, but I have declared it in a question. Can you name one man, outside of religion, who had wild success in his chosen field who did not have a significant other? I don't know of one; however I am willing to listen if anyone out there has any names.
Now with the power of faith and the power of the secret, which Mr. Hill comes closest to mentioning here in this chapter, there is a warning. It sounds like a line from a Spiderman Movie, but it's true. "With great power comes great responsibility".
By affirming positive thoughts and positive language you can literally turn your whole life around. However, if you use negative thoughts or negative language you can, not only destroy your own life, you can destroy the lives of others. Be careful of, not only of what you think, but of what you say.
Let's end this post with another poem Mr. Hill chose which does a wonderful job of explaining his points in this chapter.
"If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't
If you like to win, but you think you can't
It is almost certain you won't
"If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will-
It's all in the sate of mind.
"If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
you can ever win a prize.
"Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!"
http://littleengineblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/think-grow-rich-before-we-begin.html
http://littleengineblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/chapter-iii-faith.html
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Chapter III - Faith
"Faith is the Chief Chemist of the mind"
Faith is so very important, not just in the world's religions, but in every day life. Think about it for a moment. If you woke up one morning and had no faith you would make it to work, would you go!
There are so many people in the world today who say, "One day, I'll start a business". But, they never do. The reason they don't is because they have no faith. Their desire is there, but they need to have the faith.
How do we develop the faith necessary to bring our dreams to fruition?
Mr. Hill tells us, "Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith". So, if we where to take the lesson Mr. Hill taught us in chapter two, we see where he tells us to read our desires and the plan to attain them every day. This exercise was obviously not just to build desire, it was to build faith as well.
Now, as an aside, I do believe Mr. Hill is correct in saying repetition develops faith. However, I believe there is a second way to build faith. In many cases, faith is only a mixture of a strong desire and planning.
Let's go back to the example of a person with the desire to start a business. This person may not have the faith to start it because he lacks a plan. As a result, he may think it is too hard to start the business. If he where to sit down and do some research, he will find there are a lot of people who are willing to teach him and give him advice for very little or no money. People like the local Chamber of Commerce, the local Rotary Club, the Small Business Association, and the list goes on.
After finding all of this information this same person may well find himself filled to the brim with faith. As a result, six months after finding the information, he will be running a successful business!
The use of repetition in order to develop faith is nothing more than deceiving your subconscious mind into allowing you to do anything you desire. This action is called autosuggestion. Although, the next chapter is all about autosuggestion, this chapter deals with it as well. Faith and autosuggestion are tightly intertwined.
Since the subconscious mind can be fooled into believing an alternate faith, special care must be taken because it "[M]akes no distinction between constructive and destructive though impulses". In other words, if you're constantly putting yourself down, that will work in the same way as repeating your desires day after day.
For example: If you constantly tell yourself you're stupid, you will manifest that part of you and you will be stupid. However, if you tell yourself, you're extremely bright and creative, you and everyone around you will see an incredible increase in your intellect and creativity.
In order to help build your intellectual and creative side, Mr. Hill suggests a self-confidence formula. Read this formula carefully and do exactly as it says. write it out in a contract form adapting it to your own situation and sign it. Then be sure to read it every day.
FIRST: I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose in life; therefore, I demand of myself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action.
SECOND: I realize the dominating thoughts of my mind will eventually reproduce themselves in outward, physical action, and gradually transform themselves into physical reality; therefore, I will concentrate my thoughts for thirty minutes daily, upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to become, thereby creating in my mind a clear mental picture.
THIRD: I know through the principle of autosuggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression though some practical means of attaining the object back of it; therefore, I will devote tem minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of self-confidence.
FOURTH: I have clearly written down a description of my definite chief aim in life, and I will never stop trying, until I shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment.
FIFTH: I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built upon truth and justice; therefore, I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use, and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me, because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism, by developing live for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success, I will cause others to believe in me, because I will believe in them, and in myself. I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory, and repeat it aloud once a day, with full faith that it will gradually influence my thoughts and actions so that I will become a self-reliant, and successful person.
As we get deeper into this book the more, it seems, needs to be said. So instead of continuing on, I will break this post off hear and continue with a second post later.
See you then!
Faith is so very important, not just in the world's religions, but in every day life. Think about it for a moment. If you woke up one morning and had no faith you would make it to work, would you go!
There are so many people in the world today who say, "One day, I'll start a business". But, they never do. The reason they don't is because they have no faith. Their desire is there, but they need to have the faith.
How do we develop the faith necessary to bring our dreams to fruition?
Mr. Hill tells us, "Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith". So, if we where to take the lesson Mr. Hill taught us in chapter two, we see where he tells us to read our desires and the plan to attain them every day. This exercise was obviously not just to build desire, it was to build faith as well.
Now, as an aside, I do believe Mr. Hill is correct in saying repetition develops faith. However, I believe there is a second way to build faith. In many cases, faith is only a mixture of a strong desire and planning.
Let's go back to the example of a person with the desire to start a business. This person may not have the faith to start it because he lacks a plan. As a result, he may think it is too hard to start the business. If he where to sit down and do some research, he will find there are a lot of people who are willing to teach him and give him advice for very little or no money. People like the local Chamber of Commerce, the local Rotary Club, the Small Business Association, and the list goes on.
After finding all of this information this same person may well find himself filled to the brim with faith. As a result, six months after finding the information, he will be running a successful business!
The use of repetition in order to develop faith is nothing more than deceiving your subconscious mind into allowing you to do anything you desire. This action is called autosuggestion. Although, the next chapter is all about autosuggestion, this chapter deals with it as well. Faith and autosuggestion are tightly intertwined.
Since the subconscious mind can be fooled into believing an alternate faith, special care must be taken because it "[M]akes no distinction between constructive and destructive though impulses". In other words, if you're constantly putting yourself down, that will work in the same way as repeating your desires day after day.
For example: If you constantly tell yourself you're stupid, you will manifest that part of you and you will be stupid. However, if you tell yourself, you're extremely bright and creative, you and everyone around you will see an incredible increase in your intellect and creativity.
In order to help build your intellectual and creative side, Mr. Hill suggests a self-confidence formula. Read this formula carefully and do exactly as it says. write it out in a contract form adapting it to your own situation and sign it. Then be sure to read it every day.
FIRST: I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose in life; therefore, I demand of myself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action.
SECOND: I realize the dominating thoughts of my mind will eventually reproduce themselves in outward, physical action, and gradually transform themselves into physical reality; therefore, I will concentrate my thoughts for thirty minutes daily, upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to become, thereby creating in my mind a clear mental picture.
THIRD: I know through the principle of autosuggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression though some practical means of attaining the object back of it; therefore, I will devote tem minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of self-confidence.
FOURTH: I have clearly written down a description of my definite chief aim in life, and I will never stop trying, until I shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment.
FIFTH: I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built upon truth and justice; therefore, I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use, and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me, because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism, by developing live for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success, I will cause others to believe in me, because I will believe in them, and in myself. I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory, and repeat it aloud once a day, with full faith that it will gradually influence my thoughts and actions so that I will become a self-reliant, and successful person.
As we get deeper into this book the more, it seems, needs to be said. So instead of continuing on, I will break this post off hear and continue with a second post later.
See you then!
Monday, August 6, 2007
Chapter II - Desire - Part 2
Although desire is the first step toward success, it can also be the ruin of a person. When mixed with greed, or fear, desire can turn into lust. In Galatians 5:16, 17 and 24 and Ephesians 2:3 St. Paul called this the rebellion of the flesh against the spirit. This rebellion will cause one to make choices which may not be the correct choices for your life.
There are other extremely important pearls of wisdom from the bible which will help us control the incredible power of desire. Two appear in Exodus 20. Thou Shall not covet your neighbors goods and thou shall not covet your neighbors wife.
These commandments ask us not to use our lust for money to attempt piling up an infinite amount of treasures and to respect others property and the members of their families. This doesn't mean we shouldn't collect money and become rich. It simply means that we shouldn't forget to share our gifts.
The third piece of advice comes in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the poor in heart, for they shall see God. This means to go about our lives without a lust for money. It is not the money that will make us happy. It is what the spirit leads us to do, doing what we love, which will make us happy. And ultimately, if we are doing what we love, we will be successful beyond our wildest dreams
The point is, if we use desire while controlling our greed and fear, we will be able to use our natural gift of discernment much easier. Our minds are not clouded if we follow this advice.
I believe when most of us made a choice as to the path we would follow, the amount of money we could earn may have been the biggest, if not the only factor in our decisions. I believe it was a huge factor in my choice for a life path.
I chose engineering, because I liked technology and I liked using numbers, but the biggest reason was, I thought it was the best chance I had to living a comfortable lifestyle.
Desire is a little like dynamite. It can be used to blast holes in the side of a mountain or to remove bedrock from where a building is supposed to go. But if used incorrectly, it can kill you.
However, in the physical world you would only get one chance to do it right with dynamite. In life, there is always another gift which you can use if you misuse desire. This gift is also very powerful but, I don't know how it can be misused.
The gift is called redemption.
It is okay if you make the wrong choice, because greed or fear got mixed in with desire. As a wise old man I overheard once said, "I don't care what you did, I just want to know what you're doing about it".
There are other extremely important pearls of wisdom from the bible which will help us control the incredible power of desire. Two appear in Exodus 20. Thou Shall not covet your neighbors goods and thou shall not covet your neighbors wife.
These commandments ask us not to use our lust for money to attempt piling up an infinite amount of treasures and to respect others property and the members of their families. This doesn't mean we shouldn't collect money and become rich. It simply means that we shouldn't forget to share our gifts.
The third piece of advice comes in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the poor in heart, for they shall see God. This means to go about our lives without a lust for money. It is not the money that will make us happy. It is what the spirit leads us to do, doing what we love, which will make us happy. And ultimately, if we are doing what we love, we will be successful beyond our wildest dreams
The point is, if we use desire while controlling our greed and fear, we will be able to use our natural gift of discernment much easier. Our minds are not clouded if we follow this advice.
I believe when most of us made a choice as to the path we would follow, the amount of money we could earn may have been the biggest, if not the only factor in our decisions. I believe it was a huge factor in my choice for a life path.
I chose engineering, because I liked technology and I liked using numbers, but the biggest reason was, I thought it was the best chance I had to living a comfortable lifestyle.
Desire is a little like dynamite. It can be used to blast holes in the side of a mountain or to remove bedrock from where a building is supposed to go. But if used incorrectly, it can kill you.
However, in the physical world you would only get one chance to do it right with dynamite. In life, there is always another gift which you can use if you misuse desire. This gift is also very powerful but, I don't know how it can be misused.
The gift is called redemption.
It is okay if you make the wrong choice, because greed or fear got mixed in with desire. As a wise old man I overheard once said, "I don't care what you did, I just want to know what you're doing about it".
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Chapter II - Desire
Chapter II - Desire
It's funny how you will read something on a particular subject and that subject comes up right afterward, or vice versa. Yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine, LeCount Holms. He is a professional speaker, and I called him for some advice. During the conversation, I told him I have had the desire to write and to speak since I was a child, but I never followed that desire because it made no sense to me.
The reason it made no sense is because I was a very poor reader, terrible at writing, and even worse at spelling. I hated every minute of Language Arts class and the thought of spending my college years learning how to be a writer or journalist was too much to handle. So instead, I followed my second interest, mathematics.
Now, here I am in a career which I like, but never felt fulfilled in. I have decided to follow my passion, even though it really still doesn't make sense. I enjoy writing and I love speaking to people on subjects I feel strongly about, but I have no real writing education, and I am still a terrible speller and a slow reader.
This is where my wife, Jeannine, comes in. It is because of her alone that I was able to make any advancement in my writing and spelling skills. She's the one, who early on would look at my writings and help me with punctuation and grammar, and she is the one who kept on me about going through and correcting my spelling. As a result, I am a much better writer and speller then I used to be. Without realizing it, she is the one who put me in the position I am now, and I will always be eternally grateful, as well as truly deeply in love with her.
From my own experiences, I learned you have to follow your desires in life, no matter how little sense it makes.
Napoleon Hill told us that desire is the first step toward riches. I have already found how true this is. The simple fact is, if you don't follow your desire, you will not be successful in what you do. Not that I am not a successful Engineering Designer, I do O.K. But, the statement, "Well, I haven't gotten fired yet!" does not denote success.
In Chapter two of "Think and Grow Rich", Napoleon Hill comes to his first of many very important points. He outlines a six step strategy to build the desire required to do the things you want to do. He showed the strategy to the great Thomas Edison, who joyfully gave it his personal stamp of approval.
The strategy is as follows:
"First: fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not sufficient to merely say 'I want plenty of Money'. Be definite as to the amount. (There is a psychological reason for definiteness which will be described in a subsequent chapter.)
"Second: Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire. (There is no such reality as 'something for nothing'.)
"Third: Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.
"Fourth: Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.
"Fifth: Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
"Sixth: Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night and once after arising in the morning. As you read - see and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money."
The fourth step hit a nerve with me. When the desire to become a public speaker became white hot for me, I began working write away toward the goal. I have been working so hard toward the goal and things have been moving so fast, that I have not written out a clear set of plans yet. I do have a very vague plan written out now and maybe that will work for now, however I will need to write out these plans to the minutest detail or I will be facing a crisis later on.
I know this strategy works, because I used exactly this in the beginning of the year with my New Year's resolution. I resolved to get back to running and get in good shape. Because I was so out of shape in the beginning of the year, I still have a ways to go, but I am still running and I feel much more athletic, agile and energetic then I have in years.
People like Edison, Marconi and Helen Keller and even Blair Hill, Napoleon's son, all used this strategy and even though everyone thought they where nuts (Marconi was even committed for believing he could send radio waves from one receiver to another) they all succeeded at their impossible dreams.
Mr. Hill ended this chapter with a very powerful personal story about his son Blair
Blair Hill was born def and mute but his father refused to believe he could not hear and talk. At a very young age, Napoleon Hill whispered into his son's ear that he was normal and he can hear and speak. Later on in life, Blair started Blair Hearing aids, an international company.
As a final note of my own, Mr. Hill added a poem which, I believe says everything you need to know about this chapter in a little nut shell:
"I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store.
"For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have wet the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
"I worked for a menial's hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Live would have willingly paid"
It's funny how you will read something on a particular subject and that subject comes up right afterward, or vice versa. Yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine, LeCount Holms. He is a professional speaker, and I called him for some advice. During the conversation, I told him I have had the desire to write and to speak since I was a child, but I never followed that desire because it made no sense to me.
The reason it made no sense is because I was a very poor reader, terrible at writing, and even worse at spelling. I hated every minute of Language Arts class and the thought of spending my college years learning how to be a writer or journalist was too much to handle. So instead, I followed my second interest, mathematics.
Now, here I am in a career which I like, but never felt fulfilled in. I have decided to follow my passion, even though it really still doesn't make sense. I enjoy writing and I love speaking to people on subjects I feel strongly about, but I have no real writing education, and I am still a terrible speller and a slow reader.
This is where my wife, Jeannine, comes in. It is because of her alone that I was able to make any advancement in my writing and spelling skills. She's the one, who early on would look at my writings and help me with punctuation and grammar, and she is the one who kept on me about going through and correcting my spelling. As a result, I am a much better writer and speller then I used to be. Without realizing it, she is the one who put me in the position I am now, and I will always be eternally grateful, as well as truly deeply in love with her.
From my own experiences, I learned you have to follow your desires in life, no matter how little sense it makes.
Napoleon Hill told us that desire is the first step toward riches. I have already found how true this is. The simple fact is, if you don't follow your desire, you will not be successful in what you do. Not that I am not a successful Engineering Designer, I do O.K. But, the statement, "Well, I haven't gotten fired yet!" does not denote success.
In Chapter two of "Think and Grow Rich", Napoleon Hill comes to his first of many very important points. He outlines a six step strategy to build the desire required to do the things you want to do. He showed the strategy to the great Thomas Edison, who joyfully gave it his personal stamp of approval.
The strategy is as follows:
"First: fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not sufficient to merely say 'I want plenty of Money'. Be definite as to the amount. (There is a psychological reason for definiteness which will be described in a subsequent chapter.)
"Second: Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire. (There is no such reality as 'something for nothing'.)
"Third: Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.
"Fourth: Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.
"Fifth: Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
"Sixth: Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night and once after arising in the morning. As you read - see and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money."
The fourth step hit a nerve with me. When the desire to become a public speaker became white hot for me, I began working write away toward the goal. I have been working so hard toward the goal and things have been moving so fast, that I have not written out a clear set of plans yet. I do have a very vague plan written out now and maybe that will work for now, however I will need to write out these plans to the minutest detail or I will be facing a crisis later on.
I know this strategy works, because I used exactly this in the beginning of the year with my New Year's resolution. I resolved to get back to running and get in good shape. Because I was so out of shape in the beginning of the year, I still have a ways to go, but I am still running and I feel much more athletic, agile and energetic then I have in years.
People like Edison, Marconi and Helen Keller and even Blair Hill, Napoleon's son, all used this strategy and even though everyone thought they where nuts (Marconi was even committed for believing he could send radio waves from one receiver to another) they all succeeded at their impossible dreams.
Mr. Hill ended this chapter with a very powerful personal story about his son Blair
Blair Hill was born def and mute but his father refused to believe he could not hear and talk. At a very young age, Napoleon Hill whispered into his son's ear that he was normal and he can hear and speak. Later on in life, Blair started Blair Hearing aids, an international company.
As a final note of my own, Mr. Hill added a poem which, I believe says everything you need to know about this chapter in a little nut shell:
"I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store.
"For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have wet the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
"I worked for a menial's hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Live would have willingly paid"
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Chapter I - Thoughts are Things
"Truly, 'Thoughts are things,' and powerful things at that, when they are mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a burning desire for their translation into riches, or other material objects."
That is how Mr. Hill decided to start his book. It's a powerful statement that gets your attention, then he spends the rest the chapter proving it.
He starts proving it with a story of a man who started out with a thought and nothing more. Edwin C. Barnes had no money, but he decided that he wanted to go to Orange, New Jersey to become a business associate of Thomas A. Edison. Besides being destitute, there was one other problem Mr. Barnes had. He didn't know Edison and Edison didn't know him, but there he was standing in front of Mr. Edison telling him that he will be an associate of his. Not an employee, an associate.
Thomas Edison gave him a menial job at menial pay until one day Edison's salesmen refused to sell an item they thought would be a flop. The product was the Edison Dictating Machine. Edwin Barnes saw his opportunity and grabbed it. He offered to go out and sell Edison's new invention and wound up getting a contract to sell them nation wide.
The next story Mr. Hill tells, demonstrates the rewards of persistence and the damage done when persistence is not practiced. I wrote a blog about this story of R. U. Darby called "Lessons in Character". In it, I not only told this story, but another story where a lack of persistence lead to a greater tragedy then R. U. Darby's.
R. U. Darby was digging for gold, with his uncle in Colorado. When the vein ran out of gold they sold all of their equipment and their property to a junk dealer. It was not to long after when they found that the junk dealer found the largest vein of gold just three feet below where they stopped digging.
Mr. Darby used this as a learning lesson which he reminded himself of with a statement he memorized. "I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say 'no'"
Maybe we can say, "When you can't find the gold, dig three more feet".
There is another story about R. U. Darby and his uncle. Mr. Darby told Napoleon Hill about a time when his uncle got his clock cleaned by a little black girl. The black girl came to collect fifty cents that was owed to her mother. When R. U. Darby's uncle threatened her with a stave from a barrel, in stead of running, she stepped forward and demanded the fifty cents. His uncle relented and gave her the money.
Mr. Hill said, even though she probably didn't it, she used the unnamed secret he talked about in his forward.
As Napoleon Hill got back to the subject of Thoughts, he reminds us, "One of the main weaknesses of mankind is the average man's familiarity with the word 'impossible'. He knows all the rules which will not work. He knows all the things which cannot be done." Napoleon Hills facetiousness' reminds us of how easy it is to find someone to shoot down your ideas as they lift off the ground and how difficult it is to find people who are willing to believe in your ideas.
Many of these "duck hunters" mean well, but they don't understand that some of the things which are common place today got people thrown into mental institutions because they dared to dream they were possible.
Henry Ford walked into the engineers' offices one day and told them he wanted an eight cylinder engine cast in one block. The engineers told him right off that it was impossible. He said, "Produce it anyway". After a year of development, the engineers still had nothing, but Ford told them to proceed. Finally, after two years, the engineers succeeded and today we have the modern V 8 engine.
The V 8 is a product of an impossible dream mixed with patience and persistence. If you encounter a "duck hunter", remind him of the radio, plains, nuclear power, computers, that little moon landing in 1969 and if you do a little research and use your imagination, you can think of hundreds more.
Any of your dreams are possible as long as you have an idea that you are truly passionate about. It is not enough to have a dream. You must be truly passionate. You must have, as Mr. Hill calls, a burning desire. And that burning desire is the first step on the road to success.
Mr. Hill wrote, "But what of the man who has neither the time, nor the inclination to study failure in search or knowledge that may lead to success? Where and how is he to learn the art of converting defeat into stepping stones to opportunity?
"In answer to these questions, this book was written
"The answer called for a description of thirteen principles, but remember, as you read, the answer you may be seeking to the questions which have caused you to ponder over the strangeness of life may be found in your own mind, through some idea, plan, or purpose which may spring into your mind as you read."
The rest of this book is dedicated to going over all thirteen principles and I am excited to be going through it.
I'll post the commentary for Chapter II - Desire on Friday August 3rd.
That is how Mr. Hill decided to start his book. It's a powerful statement that gets your attention, then he spends the rest the chapter proving it.
He starts proving it with a story of a man who started out with a thought and nothing more. Edwin C. Barnes had no money, but he decided that he wanted to go to Orange, New Jersey to become a business associate of Thomas A. Edison. Besides being destitute, there was one other problem Mr. Barnes had. He didn't know Edison and Edison didn't know him, but there he was standing in front of Mr. Edison telling him that he will be an associate of his. Not an employee, an associate.
Thomas Edison gave him a menial job at menial pay until one day Edison's salesmen refused to sell an item they thought would be a flop. The product was the Edison Dictating Machine. Edwin Barnes saw his opportunity and grabbed it. He offered to go out and sell Edison's new invention and wound up getting a contract to sell them nation wide.
The next story Mr. Hill tells, demonstrates the rewards of persistence and the damage done when persistence is not practiced. I wrote a blog about this story of R. U. Darby called "Lessons in Character". In it, I not only told this story, but another story where a lack of persistence lead to a greater tragedy then R. U. Darby's.
R. U. Darby was digging for gold, with his uncle in Colorado. When the vein ran out of gold they sold all of their equipment and their property to a junk dealer. It was not to long after when they found that the junk dealer found the largest vein of gold just three feet below where they stopped digging.
Mr. Darby used this as a learning lesson which he reminded himself of with a statement he memorized. "I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say 'no'"
Maybe we can say, "When you can't find the gold, dig three more feet".
There is another story about R. U. Darby and his uncle. Mr. Darby told Napoleon Hill about a time when his uncle got his clock cleaned by a little black girl. The black girl came to collect fifty cents that was owed to her mother. When R. U. Darby's uncle threatened her with a stave from a barrel, in stead of running, she stepped forward and demanded the fifty cents. His uncle relented and gave her the money.
Mr. Hill said, even though she probably didn't it, she used the unnamed secret he talked about in his forward.
As Napoleon Hill got back to the subject of Thoughts, he reminds us, "One of the main weaknesses of mankind is the average man's familiarity with the word 'impossible'. He knows all the rules which will not work. He knows all the things which cannot be done." Napoleon Hills facetiousness' reminds us of how easy it is to find someone to shoot down your ideas as they lift off the ground and how difficult it is to find people who are willing to believe in your ideas.
Many of these "duck hunters" mean well, but they don't understand that some of the things which are common place today got people thrown into mental institutions because they dared to dream they were possible.
Henry Ford walked into the engineers' offices one day and told them he wanted an eight cylinder engine cast in one block. The engineers told him right off that it was impossible. He said, "Produce it anyway". After a year of development, the engineers still had nothing, but Ford told them to proceed. Finally, after two years, the engineers succeeded and today we have the modern V 8 engine.
The V 8 is a product of an impossible dream mixed with patience and persistence. If you encounter a "duck hunter", remind him of the radio, plains, nuclear power, computers, that little moon landing in 1969 and if you do a little research and use your imagination, you can think of hundreds more.
Any of your dreams are possible as long as you have an idea that you are truly passionate about. It is not enough to have a dream. You must be truly passionate. You must have, as Mr. Hill calls, a burning desire. And that burning desire is the first step on the road to success.
Mr. Hill wrote, "But what of the man who has neither the time, nor the inclination to study failure in search or knowledge that may lead to success? Where and how is he to learn the art of converting defeat into stepping stones to opportunity?
"In answer to these questions, this book was written
"The answer called for a description of thirteen principles, but remember, as you read, the answer you may be seeking to the questions which have caused you to ponder over the strangeness of life may be found in your own mind, through some idea, plan, or purpose which may spring into your mind as you read."
The rest of this book is dedicated to going over all thirteen principles and I am excited to be going through it.
I'll post the commentary for Chapter II - Desire on Friday August 3rd.
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