Harness the universal powers of success within you
Napoleon Hill wrote “The Law of Success” in 1928 and revolutionized the way people thought about wealth creation, self-improvement, and goal achievement.
Funded by Andrew Carnegie, Napoleon Hill’s research took 20 years to complete and involved extensive interviews with more than 100 of the most successful people in America at the time.
The Law of Success can be summed up by looking at the 15 character traits that make up the Law of Success.
Main objective defined
A “primary goal” is a definite purpose or goal in life. According to Napoleon Hill, this is the first door a person must go through before achieving success.
This is very important!
To achieve any level of success or wealth, you must have a definite purpose or goal in mind. That doesn’t mean it has to be a written, signed, and notarized goal; however, it means that you should think about what you want to achieve with your life. Find out what it will take to achieve that goal, and then put the time, effort, and thought into achieving it.
Self-confidence
Self-confidence is that magical elixir that gives you the courage to dream, and then take the necessary actions to achieve that dream.
saving habit
W. Clement Stone once said that if you lack the ability to save money, the power to create wealth is not within you. And while saving is not a route to wealth in and of itself due to the lousy interest rates typical of savings accounts and certificates of deposit, the very act of saving builds a financial mindset and confidence to invest, start businesses and avoid financial setbacks created by emergencies. .
Consider this example…
I recently had an employee whose transmission went out in her car. Now, if she’s ever had transmission problems, she knows this is a costly situation.
Lacking the funds to repair his car, he got an advance payment from one of those cash advance places. Three years later, she is still paying the interest on that initial loan.
If she had been able to save the $900 needed to fix her car, she could have paid for the repairs out of pocket and avoided the hassle. So far, you’ve paid your cash advance people more than $2,400 in fees associated with your loan.
Learn to save and stay one step ahead of financial emergencies of this nature.
George Clason’s book “The Richest Man in Babylon” is an excellent book to read on this subject.
Initiative and Leadership
Successful people are motivated and want to take on leadership roles.
Have you ever tried to motivate a person to do something that they are not interested in doing? Sure, it can be done, but you’ll likely have to push, cajole, threaten, and otherwise harass them to get them to do it.
Life is too short for that. Work with motivated people who want to achieve a definite goal. And don’t forget that other people feel the same way about you. If you want help from other people, be sure to show the initiative to meet them halfway.
Imagination
Imagination is everything in life. Think about it, before reaching a specific goal, your imagination had to muster the necessary thoughts to realize that achieving a goal can be a worthwhile process.
Everything begins with thought. Learn some great brainstorming techniques from writers like Tony Buzan, and then let your imagination run wild.
Enthusiasm
Dale Carnegie used to say “if you want to be enthusiastic, act enthusiastic”. Try it sometime, it really works.
The conclusion is this…
If you want to achieve a goal that requires the input or cooperation of others, do you think they would work stupidly, without enthusiasm or energy? Or would they prefer to work with a person with energy to carry out the project?
Enthusiasm doesn’t mean encouraging cheerleaders to jump for joy and exuberance, but it also doesn’t mean sitting on the couch complaining about the lack of opportunities while channeling surf replays you’ve seen a dozen times.
The right kind of enthusiasm exists somewhere in the middle between cheerleader and sedentary. But if you want to err on the side of caution, be a cheerleader.
self control
Self-control, as I see it, refers to the ability to refrain from extravagant behavior that could jeopardize your reputation or disrupt your business operations.
I recently had a business associate get angry at a customer and instead of rationally resolving the customer’s complaint, he got emotional and basically “blew up” on the customer with a verbal outburst.
Of course we lost their business, so who profited from that? No one.
Stay quiet and under control. You never know when the person or people you are interacting with may control your destiny.
Habit of doing more than what is paid
In business parlance, smart organizations are developing a corporate culture of undercommitment and overcompliance.
You can use the same ideas in your personal endeavors and in your work. Do more than is expected and you will be noticed.
accommodating personality
Okay, this doesn’t mean you have to be Pollyanna, but it also means you shouldn’t go out of your way to be Gordon Gekko.
The basic principle of this character trait is that people prefer to be around and work with nice people.
precise thinking
What is the use of thinking about facts or situations that are false?
Robert Allen talks about this at length in his books on building wealth, often stating that the biggest problem with many of us is that “we know so much that it just isn’t.”
For years I avoided having anything to do with investing in residential real estate because I remembered my father telling me that I would spend every hour of the day fixing toilets and fighting to collect rent. Yes, there are challenges to managing rental properties, but the idea that these challenges are insurmountable, or that they make investing in real estate a bad decision, “just isn’t.”
When you’re making plans for a new business venture or investment, look for the facts and don’t let myths, rumors, or simple thinking errors distract you.
Concentration
The ability to focus is critical to any lasting or significant achievement.
With regards to the Law of Success, concentration means focusing your efforts on a specific goal and avoiding being distracted from that goal.
For example, if you have a goal of learning to speak Spanish, and next week you change your mind and decide to study German, and then change your mind to study French the next week, depending on the need for the month, you will be exactly where you started.
Achieving world-class levels of success in any endeavor requires laser focus, attention to detail, and perseverance.
Cooperation
Napoleon Hill uses the analogy of a cart wheel to illustrate this point. Imagine, he wrote, what would happen to the wagon if a wheel was broken or missing?
The point is that we can all contribute to a group goal, and there are people who can help you achieve your personal goals and dreams, if you cooperate with them.
Learn to work together with other people and harness the power of other people’s talents and resources to achieve your dreams.
profit from failure
Many fear failure and will do anything, not even try, to avoid failure. But where does that take you?
Human beings learn by trial and error.
Consider how a baby learns to walk. If she gave up trying after failing a few times, she would spend her life crawling around.
The key to success in this area is learning from your failures. For example, if you buy a stock and it quickly makes you lose money, don’t stop investing. Analyze your trade and find the cause of its failure, then apply this new knowledge to your next trade.
Tolerance
There are some things in this world that just can’t be tolerated, and I’m sure you can think of some of these situations. For the most part, however, a willingness to tolerate the uniqueness of people and their values can open the doors to your success and happiness.
Practicing the golden rule
In case you don’t remember, the golden rule basically says “do to others what you would have done to yourself”.
Of course, if you are a masochist and enjoy pain, this rule may not be right for you. The point is that most people want to be treated with dignity and respect, and they want the freedom to enjoy life as they see fit.
When you practice the Golden Rule, you can “win friends and influence people” the Dale Carnegie way, resulting in greater opportunities for yourself and a richer, more fulfilling life.
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