The secret to success is very simple, but you’ll have to read this article to find out what it is! The book that inspired me is not a novel. It’s a book that should be studied, digested and meditated upon. Strangely enough, it’s a book where I could recognize many of my thoughts, a book where some of the ideas discussed were already in my mind. Anyway, I promise, it’s worth it.
What do you want the most?
Is it money, fame, power, contentment, personality, peace of mind, happiness?
I know, many people would argue that money are essential for freedom of body and mind, but there are others who feel that the greatest of all riches can be evaluated only in terms of lasting friendships, harmonious family relationships, or understanding between business partners. I must confess that a while ago when I was very young, I hoped for all of it.
So, the question is, what are you willing to give up to be what you wish to be, have what you seek the most? As Napoleon Hill said, there is no such thing as SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. The price, though, in this case is far less than its value.
All achievements have their beginning in an idea, and a desire to transform it into reality. Careful tough, it’s possible only if you choose a definite purpose and stand by that purpose until it had the time to become an all-consuming obsession, something like a bulldog determination. Only this kind of persistence will bring you the opportunity you’re seeking.
What you need to understand, sometimes the opportunity loves to play tricks, simply slipping in by the back door. It may appear in a form of misfortune or temporary defeat, or from a different direction than you expect. Perhaps that’s why so many fail to recognize the opportunity. I made this mistake, probably like many out there, one in particular I will never forget. Many years ago I was offered to sell my first company for a very good price, but I decided to do nothing because I thought I had everything. So I let pass by the unique one-time opportunity. Life is strange, and often imponderable. I’ve learned my lessons, and understood that both successes and failures have their roots in simple experiences.
How do you convert failure into stepping-stones to opportunity?
I used to believe that money come only to those who work hard and long. But when you begin to think about it, you will see that riches begin with a state of mind. Paraphrasing Napoleon Hill, success comes to those who become success conscious, and failure comes to those who allow themselves to become failure conscious. Another problem many people face is the habit of measuring everything, and everyone, by their own impressions and beliefs. I met many of those who look at others’ achievements and envy them because of their luck, genius, good fortune, or whatever it is they get credit for. So how do you chase your mind from failure consciousness to success consciousness?
Desire – The starting point of all achievements
In the beginning the desire may appear in your mind as a simple wish. The thing is, wishing will not bring dreams to reality. But if you choose a specific goal, place all your energy, all your power, all your effort into it, the dream of your life can become a reality. All you need to do is to stand by your desire until it becomes the obsession of your life, and finally an act backed-up with persistence that doesn’t recognize failure. This kind of action usually burns all bridges behind you, but that’s ok because it will force you to move forward.
Every human being who reaches the age of understanding of the purpose of money, wishes for it.
Easier said than done, isn’t it? Put in your mind the exact amount of money you desire, or whatever is what you want to accomplish, and make sure you know what you’re willing to give in return for it. Create a plan, and whether you’re ready or not, put this plan into action. Then write it down, and read it every day before going to bed and first time when you wake up in the morning. Recommended by Thomas A. Edison, these simple steps help you see and understand that you need a certain amount of dreaming, hoping, wishing, desiring, and planning before getting where you want, because dreams are not born of indifference, laziness, or lack of ambition.
The quality you must have to win is knowing what you want. If you’re afraid of new ideas, you’re doomed before you start. So let no one influence you ignore the dreamer. Beethoven was deaf, Milton was blind, but their names will last as long as time endures because they dreamed and translated their dreams into organized thoughts. Remember Columbus? He dreamed of an unknown world, staked his life on the existence of such world, and he discovered it. Or Henry Ford who dreamed of a horseless carriage, and now look at what Ford became.
Success requires no explanation
Failure permits no alibis
There is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to receive it. You must believe in it. A strong desire recognizes no such word as impossible, and accepts no such reality as failure.
Faith – A state of mind that may be induced by auto-suggestion
How often have you been told to ‘have faith in this or that’? Many times probably. But have ever you been told how to have faith?
Your belief is the element that determines the action of your subconscious mind. Any idea can be placed in the mind through repetition of thought. If you repeat yourself over and over again a lie, you will eventually accept the lie as truth. If you feed your mind with fear, doubt and unbelief, you’re nothing more than a narrow-minded person. On the other hand, if this repetition is used constructively, it will gradually influence your thoughts and actions to help you become a self-reliant and successful person. ‘The law of auto-suggestion will lift you up or pull you down’, according to the way you feed your mind. Having faith removes limitations. Remember this when you’re ready to bargain with life for whatever it’s that you ask in return.
Auto-suggestion
Ability to reach and influence your subconscious mind has its price, and you must be willing to pay that price. The price is the everlasting persistence.
How familiar are you with the importance of emotions? Are you prepared to influence and control the inner audience of your subconscious mind? You probably know by now that emotions or feelings rule the majority of people. There are seven major positive emotions (desire, faith, love, sex, enthusiasm, romance, hope), and seven major negative emotions (fear, jealousy, hatred, revenge, greed, superstition, anger). The thing is, positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the mind at the same time. Take that into consideration when giving instructions to your subconscious mind.
Auto-suggestion is an instrument that everyone of us posses at birth. It is, however, a dangerous instrument as it can hurt or even kill you if you handle it imprudently, or it can save your life if you know how to use it. In this instrument resides an incalculable power, which according with circumstances produces the best or the worst results. Knowledge of this force can help you control and lead your imagination. It’s enough to know it’s possible. If you persuade yourself that you can do a certain thing, you will do it however difficult it may be. If you try and fail, make another effort, and then another, until you succeed.
Mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit. You either control your mind or it controls you. The best way to do it is to keep it busy with a definite purpose backed up by a definite plan. Without this control, nothing is possible.
Specialized knowledge
There are two kinds of knowledge, one is general, and the other one is specialized. Despite how great in quantity or variety it may be, general knowledge is only potential power. It becomes power only when it’s organized into definite plans of actions, and directed to a definite end. Many of today’s educational institutions fail to teach their students on how to use the knowledge after they gain it.
You must possess specialized knowledge of the service, or profession that you intend to offer in return for your success. If you don’t have it, determine the reliable sources from where it can be obtained. Of course, the first option anyone would advice is to go back to school, which is the best if you have time and money. However, this method will not give you immediately the knowledge you need. I have learned over the years that someone else’s experience and education, books, or articles from reliable sources, could provide very fast useful knowledge. The problem you might face is that these methods do not impress people because they are free.
Never stop learning. Otherwise, you will forever be doomed to mediocrity.
If you don’t have the ability to acquire specialized knowledge, partner with someone who can or already has it. Through association with the right people, you can add to your brainpower their sum of intelligence, experience, and knowledge. Then, you just need to know how to organize and direct them. That’s the beauty of it. If you’re a person with ambition, this should give you hope and encouragement to succeed.
Now, a small advice for those who just finished school and are ready to start a career. I know how tough it can be to get a job after graduation, but never start from the bottom. This idea of starting from the bottom and work your way up may sound like a good advice. The truth is, the bottom is a monotonous and unprofitable place for anyone. You may spend five or ten years of hard work at small pay until you can manage to lift your head high enough to be seen by other opportunity.
A planned presentation of your job application could help you start one or two steps above bottom. So, figure out what you can offer, let’s say fine suggestions for the benefit of the prospective employer. It may take a few days, or maybe weeks, to gather the information you need to create a marvelous plan you would use in filling the position you seek. Every company has room for someone who can give something of value, whether it’s an idea, service or connections. Don’t forget, though, the quality and the quantity of your service, plus the spirit in which is rendered will determine the price and the duration of your employment.
Remember, the idea is the main thing. As you could see, specialized knowledge may be found anywhere. To use both, you just need imagination. That’s why ‘it pays to know how to purchase knowledge’, and understand how lowly beginnings may be avoided by proper planning.
Imagination – The workshop of the mind
How to make practical use of imagination? The impulse is given shape, form and action through imagination. However, there are two types of imagination, namely Synthetic Imagination and Creative Imagination. According to Napoleon Hill, synthetic imagination is what we create in the mind through our experience, education and observations. It gives you the ability to arrange old concepts, ideas, or plans into new combinations. But the one you can rely on is Creative Imagination, because it comes in the form of inspiration, intuition, or what we know as gut feeling. Creative imagination is highly useful in business, not many people are gifted with.
The creative faculty of mind is given freedom for action when using, let’s say contractive stimuli, because the human mind responds to stimulations. It could be music, love, alcohol, or sex, it all depends on your personality. Sex energy, for example, may lift one to the status of genius. Unfortunately, the majority of people lower themselves through misunderstanding and misuse of this great force to the status of lower animals. Love, on the other hand, is without question life’s greatest experience.
Do not become discouraged if you don’t have imagination. Both the synthetic and creative become more alert with use just as any muscle when exercise.
Organized Planning
Intelligent planning is essential for success of any kind. An alarming percent of people go through life without accomplishing what they desire. Napoleon Hill analysis work proved that there are thirty major reasons for failures, and thirty principles through people succeed. But more details about this later.
To continue, ally yourself with as many people as you can. Nobody has sufficient education, or experience, so you must take advantage of the experience, education and imagination of other minds. Make sure to select those who don’t take failure seriously. Of course, decide first what you may offer in return for their cooperation, as no one will work indefinitely without some form of compensation.
There are two types of people, leaders and followers. So decide which one you want to become. If you have tireless courage, self control, a keen sense of justice, ability to make clear decision and plans, the habit of doing more than paid for, a pleasing personality, sympathy and understanding, mastery of detail, willingness to assume full responsibility, and cooperation, then you can be a leader. If not, there is no disgrace to be a follower. Either way, it cannot be done without effort.
Money without brains, is always dangerous.
The one dependable method of succeeding is by providing useful service. We’re fortunate to live in a country with lots of opportunities. Select what you want, create your plan, put the plan into action, and follow through with persistence. To be sure of success, you must have faultless plans. Simply said, practical and workable. So discuss them with your allies. If the first plan doesn’t work, replace it with another one, and remember that temporary defeat is not failure. Accept it as a signal that there is something wrong with your plan. Your expectation, however, must be in proportion to the value of the service. It’s one thing to want more money, but it’s something completely different to be worth more. So make sure you’re worth more than you receive.
Decision – The Mastery of Procrastination
The majority of people who fail are in general easily influenced by others’ opinions. They allow trending gossiping newspapers, close friends and relatives, or any other non-reliable sources of information to do the thinking for them. You have a brain, so use it and reach your own decision.
If you need really to get informed, do it quietly without disclosing your purpose. There is no pleasure to see someone else putting your plans into action ahead of you. Stay away from people who do too much talking and too little listening. They usually have a smattering knowledge but try to convince you otherwise.
Tell the world what you intend to do, but first show it.
The value of decision always requires courage, great courage sometimes. Almost always, great decisions require great risks. You cannot succeed if you refuse to expect, plan and demand. Those who succeeded had one habit in common. Every one of them reached decisions promptly and changed them slowly, if they were changed. If you have the habit to reach decision slowly, and change them quickly and often, then you don’t know yet what you want.
Persistence – The Power of Will
Many intelligent people fail because of one weakness, the lack of persistence. This quality allows you to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it’s difficult. So remember this, no matter how slowly you may be in the beginning, be persistent. You will be rewarded with whatever goal you’re pursuing.
Do you know who you are and what you’re capable of? Face yourself and see where you need to improve. If you lack achievements, it may be because you don’t exactly know what you want, or you have the tendency to find a formidable array of excuses. And the list doesn’t stop here: self-satisfaction can be also added, among indifference, the habit of blaming others for your mistakes, willingness to quit at first sign of defeat, the habit of wishing instead of willing, the habit of searching for short-cuts, the lack of organized plans, fear of what relatives or friends might say. If you’re lacking persistence, surround yourself with those you choose as allies. There will be at least one who will encourage you to follow through with both plan and purpose. You will be amazed of how much you can do because of necessity.
How else can you develop persistence? There are four simple steps: a definite purpose backed up by a burning desire for its fulfillment, a definite plan expressed in continuous action, a mind that doesn’t accept discouraging influences from relatives, friends or acquaintances, the friendly alliance mentioned earlier.
No matter how good your plans might be, they are useless without sufficient power to translate them in action. This power must be mixed with faith, it must be mixed with desire, it must be mixed with persistence, it must be applied through a plan, and that plan must be set in action. It’s called the thinking process.
Life is like a checkerboard, and you are playing against a partner who will not tolerate indecision, the time.
Images courtesy of Pixabay.