Harness the universal powers of success within you
Napoleon Hill wrote “The Law of Success” in 1928 and it revolutionized the way people thought about wealth creation, self-improvement, and goal achievement.
Funded by Andrew Carnegie, the Napoleon Hill investigation 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 summarized by looking at the 15 character traits that make up the Law of Success.
Defined main objective
A “main 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 does mean 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 actions necessary 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 isn’t a route to wealth in and of itself because of 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 that this is an expensive situation.
Lacking the funds to repair his car, he obtained an advance payment from one of those cash advance places. Three years later, she’s still paying the interest on that initial loan.
If you had managed to save the $900 needed to fix your car, you could have paid cash for the repairs and avoided the hassle. So far, you’ve paid cash advancers more than $2,400 in fees associated with your loan.
Learn how 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 topic.
Initiative and Leadership
Successful people are motivated and want to take leadership roles.
Have you ever tried to motivate someone to do something 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 gather the necessary thoughts to realize that achieving a goal can be a worthwhile process.
It all starts 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 bottom line is this…
If you want to achieve a goal that requires the input or cooperation of others, do you think they would work with a fool, without enthusiasm or energy? Or would they prefer to work with someone with energy to carry out the project?
Enthusiasm doesn’t mean encouraging cheerleaders to jump with 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 zest 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 restrain yourself from outlandish behavior that could jeopardize your reputation or disrupt your business operations.
I recently had a business associate who got mad at a customer and instead of resolving the customer’s complaint rationally, he got emotional and basically “blew up” at the customer with a verbal outburst.
Of course, we lost your business, so who benefited from that? Nobody.
Stay reserved 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 jargon, 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
Granted, this doesn’t mean you have to be Pollyanna, but it also means you shouldn’t try to be Gordon Gekko.
The basic principle of this character trait is that people prefer to be around and work with nice people.
accurate 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 the case.”
For years I avoided having anything to do with investing in residential real estate because I remembered my father telling me that he 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, “is just not so.”
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.
Regarding the Law of Success, concentration means focusing your efforts on a specific goal and avoiding distraction 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 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 wagon wheel to illustrate this point. Imagine, he wrote, what would happen to the wagon if a wheel broke or was 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, even not even try, to avoid failure. But where does that get you?
Human beings learn by trial and error.
Consider how a baby learns to walk. If she stopped trying after failing a few times, she’d spend her life crawling all over the place.
The key to success in this area is learning from your failures. For example, if you buy a stock and it quickly causes you to lose money, don’t stop investing. Analyze your trade and find the cause of your 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. However, for the most part, 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 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” in the Dale Carnegie way, resulting in greater opportunities for yourself and a richer, more rewarding life.
