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Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve.
Man succeeds when he chooses a definite goal, places all his energy, all his will power, all his effort, everything, in support of that goal. We must also burn our bridges.
No matter how how strong you perceive yourself, you will never see your true character until there is no retreat. "A long while ago, a great warrior faced a situation which made it necessary for him to make a decision which insured his success on the battlefield. He was about to send his armies against a powerful foe, whose men outnumbered his own. He loaded his soldiers into boats, sailed to the enemy's country, unloaded soldiers and equipment, then gave the order to burn the ships that had carried them. Addressing his men before the first battle, he staid, ' You see the boats going up in smoke. That means that we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win! We now have no choice. We win or we perish!'" I, personally, am often guilty of leaving a back door open and never achieve my maximum potential as a result. I am also guilty of burning my bridges, going full steam into a venture only to lose everything. Though my losses have been considerable for doing the latter, only these experiences have made me wiser and better prepared.
"Every human being whoe reaches the age of understanding of the purpose of money wishes for it. Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, then planning definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing those plans with persistence which does not recognize failure, will bring riches."
Desire for riches is transmuted into its financial equivalent through six definite practical steps:
First: fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not sufficient merely to say 'I want plenty of money.' Be definite as to the amount. (there is a psychological reason for definiteness described later)
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 monety 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 acqure, name the time limit for its acquisition, satate what you intend to give in return for the money, and escribe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
Sixth: read you 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 mind creates reality. You dream the circumstance, convince your mind that circumstance is real, at it will make it real. "If you truly desire money so keenly that your desire is an obsession, you will have no difficulty in convincing yourself that you will acquire it. " "You may as well know, right here, that you can never have riches in great quantities unless you can work yourself into a white heat of desire for money, and actually believe you will possess it."
"Back of all this demand for new and better things, there one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it." "If the hting you wish to do is right, and you believe in it, go ahead and do it! Put your dream across, and never mind what 'they' say if you meet the temporary defeat, for 'they,' perhaps, do not know that every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success." Do not let failure stop you! "Practical dreamers do not quit!"
You may feel that all of the best opportunities or ideas have already been taken. This is absolutely not true. "The world is filled with an abundance of opportunity which the dreamers of the past never knew." The best opportunities and ideas of the past have already been taken. The great leaders of today were the visionaries and dreamers of yesterday. To be the great leader tomorrow, you must dream, and dream big!, today.
"A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off. Dreams are not born of indifference, laziness, or lack of ambition. Remember that all who succeed in life get off to a bad start, and pass through many heartbreaking struggles before they 'arrive.' The turning point in the lives of those who succeed usually comes at the moment of some crisis, through which they are introduced to their 'other selves.'"
"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 one you have set 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,
Life would have willingly paid."
This page is a summary of instruction given by Napoleon Hill in Think & Grow Rich, with comments by Justin Hoopes. To continue to Chapter 3 - Faith, Click Here.
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