Greetings, friends! I hope that you are having a WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY indeed and that today will be a wonderful day because you used the ability that you have within you to make it so!
In today's podcast I begin the discussion of chapter 2, which is the first point that Napoleon Hill gives in his book, "Think & Grow Rich", as "the starting point of all achievement". And, that point is DESIRE.
We already talked about the idea of translating DESIRE into REALITY - the need for ACTION for that to take place. An idea (or desire) is just an idea/desire UNTIL we put ACTION behind it to move it "down the road" toward it's completion or reality.
In this chapter, Mr. Hill discusses the importance of the "intensity" of this DESIRE. Again, we can put a "value" on our dreams (which can also be interchanged with the word, "desire") by how quickly we may give up on pursing those dreams and/or desires.
So many times we look at those that have achieved great things and think something along the lines of, "Wow, they must have caught a lucky break somewhere along the way" not realizing that their DESIRE was a deep, BURNING DESIRE that drove them past and through any perceived failures or set backs.
Here is a quote I used from this chapter in the story of the leader of a particular army that told his troops to burn their ships in which they had arrived on foreign soil to do battle. Why? If their way of retreat was gone, they would be forced to stay and fight. They did and they won. Here's the quote:
"Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat."
One thing great about this book is that you will find very specific LISTS of things to do in order to follow the "plan" that Mr. Hill puts before us. One such list that I discussed in today's podcast was the list of SIX SPECIFIC THINGS one may do in order to translate that DESIRE into it's financial success. Again, you can put whatever "goal" or "dream" into this equation that you wish - it does not have to be money and/or riches. But remember, the title of this book is, "Think and Grow Rich". "Rich" can mean many different things to many different people.
(A little side note here - in Thursday's podcast I'm going to make a little detour and talk briefly about the struggle that many have with this whole idea of "rich" and the pursuit of riches. Is it wrong? Should we desire such? So be sure and join me for that discussion on THANKFUL THURSDAY!)
1. Fix in your mind the EXACT amount of money you desire.
Again, this can be ANY dream or goal that you have. The idea behind this is - BE SPECIFIC. Does this sound familiar? If you have read ANYONE that talked about the importance of goals, you hear this talked about. THIS is where they got it from. Napoleon Hill - to some extent is the "godfather" of personal development and many that teach these things have gotten their ideas from this man.
2. Determine EXACTLY what you intend to give in return for the money you desire.
He adds to that, "There is no such reality as 'something for nothing'. " In other words - what do you plan to DO in order to reach/achieve your dream and/or goal? Again, you must get specific!
3. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.
Is this not also something we have become familiar with in this area of thinking? Set a date. Make sure it is far enough out to give you time to put these things into practice BUT don't set it so far out that it becomes a "forgotten dream".
4. 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.
Be specific with your DESIRE, be specific with WHAT you intend to do in order to achieve that desire, be specific as to WHEN you plan to achieve that desire and then create a plan on HOW you plan to get there. I love the significance of what is said here - "...begin at once, whether you are ready or not..." Do you remember the discussions we had on "Making Your Move"? In those I emphasized the importance of not waiting and waiting and waiting. This was also emphasized in the points we covered in the FREE REPORT available at my website (http://www.FutureYouUniversity.com) in the podcasts from a little over a week ago. Don't wait until everything is lined up perfectly - if you do, you will NEVER begin! Again, ACTION is the key here and this is something that too many people misquote about Napoleon Hill. Those that, in my opinion very obviously have not read what Mr. Hill has written will claim that he does not call his readers into action. This is but one place where it is obvious that he does, indeed, call us to ACTION!
5. Put it all together.
Now, I paraphrased this point. What Mr. Hill says in the book is a listing of points 1 - 4. In other words - don't do these things separately - PUT THEM TOGETHER AND ACT UPON THEM!
6. Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night, and once after arising in the morning.
He also adds, "As you read - see and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money." We call that "visualization" don't we? Don't just read it - see it and believe it!
Wow, again, can you see how our modern day positive thinkers and promoters of personal development have used materials such as these from the past in their teachings? Why? Because they, too, (like Mr. Hill) have put them to the test and have found that they do, indeed, work!
So, again, apply ANY goal, desire and/or idea to this formula. But the key here is - DO IT!
I can almost "hear" some of you as you have listened to the podcast and as you have read this say something like, "Well, it's not all about getting rich!". You're right - it's not. And, if you stick with me on this and read along for yourself, you will see that Mr. Hill also points this out in his writings.
And, join me tomorrow as we do take a little detour from the book to discuss this very idea about riches.
As always, I'd love to hear any input you have about these ideas. Please either leave a comment here under this article or feel free to e-mail me at anytime at: mike@futureyouuniversity.com
As always, remember...
"Make it an AWESOME Day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"
Mike Spillman
No comments:
Post a Comment