Napoleon Hill might not have known how influential his book Think and Grow Rich would be when he published it in 1937. But, nearly a century later, copies are still flying off the shelves. Think and Grow Rich was a commissioned piece; Hill was asked by none other than Andrew Carnegie to put together a list of the common qualities all wealthy, successful people share.
Hill came up with 13 qualities in total. We’ll only discuss two in this blog post, but by and large, all 13 qualities can be boiled down to one simple but powerful trait: An unshakeable belief in oneself.
Dare to Dream
Hill talks about autosuggestion at length in his book. Autosuggestion is, essentially, the psychological equivalent of a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you want something about yourself to be true, all you have to do is repeat that truth to yourself again and again. In time, you’ll adopt that truth and make it your reality.
If you believe that you’ll never be wealthy and successful, then you will never be wealthy and successful. So, it only makes sense that changing your beliefs can aid in changing your outcomes.
The easiest way to do this is to dream big. As big as you can. Dream of things that ignite that passion within you and make you want to achieve those goals. Visualize what you want and imagine yourself getting it. How does it make you feel?
Once you know what you want, tell yourself over and over again that you have the power to get it. Say it out loud. Write it down. Shape that belief inside you until it becomes real. You’ll begin to feel more confident and capable, which will make it easier to achieve your goals. Each achievement will, in turn, reinforce the belief that you can do whatever you dream, and further build your confidence.
And take setbacks in stride. Setbacks don’t mean you’ve failed. They mean you haven’t succeeded yet.
Stick to Your Decisions
Not only do you have to believe in yourself and your abilities, but you also have to believe in the choices you make. There is no room for indecisiveness when you’re reaching for the stars. Even goals of modest wealth require ambition and conviction in equal measure.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make educated decisions. There is no shame in researching and weighing your choices. But don’t dwell for too long, and don’t walk back choices once you’ve made them. If you succeed, you succeed. If you fail, you have an opportunity to learn and grow from it before trying again.
Sharing your goals with others will inevitably result in pushback from some. There will always be naysayers and skeptics on your journey. These people, intentionally or not, will try to tear you down or make you doubt yourself. They may even be doing so out of concern.
But here’s the thing: Those people aren’t you. They don’t know what you’re capable of or how hard you’re willing to work for something. Only you can know that. You know yourself better than anyone.
It’s okay to receive input from others. In fact, making decisions as a small group often leads to better results than making decisions alone. That said, you should be extremely careful about who you let influence you and your choices. Hill talks of something called a Mastermind Group, a small group of like-minded people who work together to achieve common or individual goals. Forming a mastermind group of your own can give you a number of human resources to help you make better decisions and overcome obstacles. (You even have a virtual mastermind group right in your pocket, if you have the Fabulous app. We love helping people achieve their goals.)
But be wary of people who only offer complaints or other non-constructive criticism. These people aren’t trying to help: they’re trying to bring you back to their level of insecurity and frustration. But you know better. You have an unshakeable belief in yourself. You can achieve whatever goal you want.
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