Catch the Spirit of Unborn Opportunity

When we are inspired, we need to act immediately on the inspiration and not question it. Ideas that are not acted upon are stillborn ideas. They are never “birthed” into reality, and are therefore merely wishes that amount to nothing.

Some people are said to be so lazy that they are too lazy to even wish for the good things of life, but want others to do the wishing for them! “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Napoleon Hill

Catch the Spirit by Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today, Issue 331

We who desire to accumulate riches, should remember the real leaders of the world always have been men who harnessed, and put into practical use, the intangible, unseen forces of unborn opportunity, and have converted those forces, (or impulses of thought), into sky-scrapers, cities, factories, airplanes, automobiles, and every form of convenience that makes life more pleasant.

Tolerance, and an open mind are practical necessities of the dreamer of today. Those who are afraid of new ideas are doomed before they start. Never has there been a time more favorable to pioneers than the present. True, there is no wild and woolly west to be conquered, as in the days of the Covered Wagon: but there is a vast business, financial, and industrial world to be remoulded and redirected along new and better lines.

In planning to acquire your share of the riches, let no one influence you to scorn the dreamer. To win the big stakes in this changed world, you must catch the spirit of the great pioneers of the past, whose dreams have given to civilization all that it has of value, the spirit which serves as the life-blood of our own country—your opportunity and mine, to develop and market our talents.

Source: Think and Grow Rich, The Ralston Society. 1937. Pgs. 45-46.

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BECOME AWARE - Make The 12 Riches of Life Yours

Make the 12 riches of life, yours.

My book Think and Grow Rich has been read by perhaps seven million men and women. In the twenty years since it was published I have been able to talk to some of these people, and I see that some have used the book to help them become rich in money only.

It is time to set down once more the twelve great riches of life:

1. A positive mental attitude

2. Sound physical health

3. Harmony in human relationships

4. Freedom from all forms of fear

5. The hope of future achievement

6. The capacity for faith

7. A willingness to share one's blessings

8. A labor of love as an occupation

9. An open mind on all subjects

10. Self-discipline in all circumstances

11. The capacity to understand others

12. Sufficient money

These are the riches which can and should go along with peace of mind. Notice I have set money in the last place, and this despite my insisting that it is very difficult to have peace of mind without sufficient money.

I set it there because you yourself will automatically give emphasis to money.

Now and then, therefore, I must remind you to de-emphasize it and remember this: Money will buy a great deal but it will not buy peace of mind--it only will help you find peace of mind. But neither money nor anything else can help you find peace of mind unless you begin the journey from within yourself.

Napoleon Hill
Source: Grow Rich with Peace of Mind Ballantine. Pgs. 67-68. From Napoleon Hill.org

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Thought for Today: What Are The Major Attributes of Leadership and Do You Have Them?

What are the major attributes of  leadership and do you have them? Yes, I know it seems off-base as I appear to be talking about management and supposedly business on my Life Is About Living Blog.

Do you not want to live successfully? To me that means money to live really well, great friends, family and loving and harmonious relationships.

Answer this - do you not put your management skills to work every day as you go about your daily lives, including the myriad responsibilities and challenges which you accept as normal? Obviously most of us do not think about our life skills in this way but this is what we all do in one form or another every single day. 

Believe it or not, this topic is included in Chapter 7, Organized Planning: The crystallization of desire into action - Napoleon Hill's sixth step toward riches in Think and Grow Rich. By the way, I have skipped two chapters (Planning and Imagination) and will cover them at a later date.

If you can't manage your own mental attitudes, what makes you thank you can manage others. It is simply impossible for you to inspire others to high levels of achievement if you cannot inspire yourself to do the same.  Napoleon Hill Foundation

Yet, from my quick research as seen in the two links below this post, the topic is covered mainly on business blogs and websites and are aimed at business and would-be business leaders. What a crock!

Successful leaders are everywhere, be it in your grassroots community or a protest march. Good leadership skills are essential for success in any endeavour. When they are absent chaos occurs; be it in the workplace, home-business, family etc. Think on that for a bit.

For now, let us concentrate on these major attributes of leadershp which bear not only repeating but sharing as well.

1- Unwavering Courage - This is based on self-knowledge and one's occupation. No follower wishes to be doinated by  a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage. And no intelligent follower will be dominated by such a leader for any length of time.

2 - Self-Control - The man who cannot control himself can never control others. Self-control sets a forceful example for one's followers which the more intelligent among them will emulate.

3 - A Keen Sense of  Justice - Without a sense of fairness and justice, no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers.

4 - Definiteness of Decision - The man who wavers in his decisions shws that he is unsure of himself. He obviously cannot lead others successfully.

5 - Definiteness of Plans - The successful leader must plan his work, and work his plan. A leader who operates by guesswork without practical, definite plans, is comparable to a ship without a rudder. Sooner or later he will land on the rocks.

6 - The Habit of Doing More - One of the penalties of leadership is the willingness to do more than is required of his or her followers.

7 - A Pleasing Personality (Charisma) - A slovenly, careless person cannot becomea successful leader and I would add here, even if the person possesses the requisite qualities. You want to attract not turn off. Leadership demands respect. Followers will not respect a leader who does not get top marks for a pleasant personality. 

8 - Sympathy and Understanding (Act  like a human being) - The successful leader must be in sympathy with his followers. Moreover, he must understand them and their problems, and that does not mean he or she is a pushover.

9 - Mastery of Detail - Successfull leadership calls for the mastery of details of the leader's position. That man or woman has to know what is happening and must have the necessary experts to call on as and when necessary.

10 - Willingness to Assume Full Responsibility (The buck stops with me) - The successful leader must be willing to assume full responsibility for the mistakes and shortcomings of his or her followers. If he or she tries to shift the blame will cause him or her to lose their position. If one of his or her followers makes a mistake through incompetence, the leader must consider that it is he or she who failed.

11 - Cooperation - The successful leader must understand and apply the principle of cooperative effort and be able to induce his followers to do the same. Leadership calls for power and power calls for cooperation.

When you are a leader by consent you will be followed. However, when you assume the role by force you get nothing. Think for instance of a step mom or step dad who is resented by the siblings and the parent tells them that they are going to accept the situation and that's all there is to it.  What do you think happens then?

So, do you think that you have these leadership attributes? Share with me how you go about your daily business being a leader for your child or children, loved ones, office mates, and friends.

Because you should know that these qualities exist in all of us and I am not saying go out an be a leader, and many do not want to be.

What could be interesting is for you to identify the qualities you like in yourself and those you admire in people you are drawn to. I bet they'll have some similarities to Napoleon Hill's list.

Have a quick read also of:

Howard H. Haller's Leadership Attributes (2009)
Washington Journal's Empowering List of Leadership Attributes (1998)

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How To Successfully MasterMind A Reading Group in 9 Steps

Here's my tip of the day from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich; use the MasterMind Principle. In order to become successful in whatever you intend to achieve, you need to exchange ideas to expand your mind and increase your knowledge. No one knows it all and guess what, you don't need to. 

Whether a mastermind group is created to get a start-up off the ground, create a local reading group, or book club, start a mom's network based of some kine, launch a new product, create an advertising campaign, using the minds of people with similar interests is where it all happens.

You have an idea, let's say to start a reading group (I'm a bookworm so this works for me), here's how to successfully mastermind a reading group. And don't get caught up by the wording because it is really just a group of people helping each other by sharing their knowledge and at the same time, helping themselves.

 When one rises, we all rise.

1 - identify a maximum of ten people who are interested (according to Jack Canfield, more makes it unmanageable and everyone won't be able to have their say if the group is larger).

2 - the group has to be friendly and harmonious.

3 - set the duration for one hour maximum; this can be changed by consensus.

4 - every person present has an agreed amount of time to speak to avoid monopolising the floor. this means,

5 - the rules of conduct - which should be clear and straightforward - must be established conjointly by the group before it swings into action. Such as timely arrival, starting time, prior reading and analysis of the identified chapter before the meeting, and so on.

6 - meet at least once per week. Skype (for Windows, Mac, Linux) - which is free - can be used to connect with absent members.

7 - since it's a reading club, read one chapter of the selected book at each meeting. the discussion period follows the reading.

8 - the person reading should have a pleasant voice and be a good reader; in other words lively and entertaining, not montone.

9 - each member should take his or her own notes and ideas during the discussion for further expansion.

Follow this plan and every reader will gain not only a thorough understanding and appreciation of the book's contents, but also he or she will tap into new sources of knowledge they didn't know they had, and also acquire knowledge of priceless value from every other person present. So says Napoleon Hill.

This mastermind principle can be applied to any group of like-minded individuals whether it's to start a business, flesh out an idea, launch a product or simply meet once a week to discuss a book from Think and Grow Rich, A New Earth, to J R Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, and so on.  

Success begins with an idea and this is the place to exchange and expand on ideas using the mastermind principle.

Happy reading!

Do share your thoughts with me about this post. Do you think you could make it work for you? What would you need to get started? Who could you contact? What ideas have you been nursing but never had the courage to get it off the ground because..? Let me know.

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30 Tips To Inspire You To Become Prosperity Conscious

As of today, I intend to start posting on weekends instead of sticking to my five-day schedule or basically whenever I get wi-fi service since the automatic uploads are not working efficiently. Just a little whine.

I'm reading three books at the same time, chapter by delectable chapter from Napoleon Hill, Bob Proctor and James M. Lynch.

They're all about developing one's innate prosperity consciousness i.e. becoming who you already are and fulfilling your life's objectives.

The ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive. ~Malcolm X

When you're in your natural, prosperous state of well-being everything flows. You can handle any challenge because you are fixed and focussed on what you want: not what you don't want.

One is You Were Born Rich by Bob Proctor and I'll be covering the first three chapters in this post after one pleasurable month of re-reading.

I'm already sharing Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill with you as I progress, absorb the messages and implement the lessons in each chapter. Have a look at Desire, Faith, and Auto-Suggestion.

Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting. ~Edmund Burke

The third book is James M. Lynch's The Hamlet Secret: A Self-Directed Workbook - a very different and inviting format which encourages you to delve into the workbook.

He psychs you out actually because each exercise is based on a particular premise from Shakespeare's Hamlet which appears "simple and straightforward" but in actual fact that's not the case at all.

If you are honest and true, you will find yourself spontaneously spreading your wings as you progress through the exercises outlined between the covers of this Workbook.

He's the Chief Potential Officer - don't you LOVE that title - behind the Do-It-Yourself Life Coach site. Insights from James' Workbook will come later.

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few are to be chewed and digested. ~Francis Bacon

I re-read each chapter in Bob Proctor's book You Were Born Rich over a one or two-week period; same for James' Hamlet Workbook and I perform the exercises; and I read a chapter a month in Think and Grow Rich.

The insight I've gained from these books is amazing and as I apply what I learn I gain something more. And I have lots more waiting in the wings!

 

Today, I thought I'd share with you what struck a chord in me from Bob Proctor's You Were Born Rich. 

I'll start off by quoting part of the Foreword by Doug Wead which encapsulates what the book is all about.

Bob Proctor has done it again, taking you step by step to the surprising discovery that success is not always "reaching out" for something that you don't have but rather "reaching over" and rearranging the pieces already there... You can instantly apply the conclusions to your own life. It will begin to impact you long before you reach the last chapter.

The last sentence is so "on the money" and I'm only on chapter four. Enjoy the thirty tips I picked up from a master professor, Bob Proctor.  I hope they will inspire you to become prosperity conscious!

1 -  Quality is not expensive; it's priceless.

2 -  Act like the person you want to become.

Before you can do something, you must first be something. ~Goethe 

3 -  Every human being has been born rich, it's just that most people are temporarily a little short of money!

4 -  Those who know the truth learn to love it, those who love the truth learn to live it.

5 -  Money can't talk but it can hear.

6 -  Money is a servant. You should always love people and use money rather than the reverse!

7 -  Money is an effect and it must always be earned.

Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America.  If I'm not there, I go to work.  ~Robert Orben

8 -  Money is not meant to be hoarded. Rather, it is meant to be used, enjoyed and circulated.

9 -  If you haven't decided to spend it, you don't need it.

10- People who are wealthy never feel uncomfortable when the subject of money is brought up.

11- People don't feel comfortable about money because they have it; they have it because they feel comfortable about it.

Money is neither my god nor my devil.  It is a form of energy that tends to make us more of who we already are, whether it's greedy or loving.  ~Dan Millman

12- If we wish to attract money to ourselves, we must begin to foster a prosperity consciousness.

13- If you want to have money, one thing you should never never do is worry about whether or not you will get the money you desire... if we habitually worry about losing the money we do have, then we are absolutely guaranteed not to worry in vain.

14- If you really want to significantly increase the amount of money you are presently earning, the first thing you must do is learn to pay substantially less attention to what others around you are saying and substantially more attention to what that "quiet voice" that speaks within you, is saying.

Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth. ~Napoleon Hill

15- Everywhere we look in nature, our eyes come in contact with abundance; for nature knows no such thing as "failure". Therefore, there never has been and there never will be, a lack of anything, except conscious-awareness.

16- Consciousness is, and always has been, developed through thinking, and regardless of what your present situation in life may be, if you ever hope to improve it and truly become wealthy, you must begin thinking of prosperity in you mind, now.

17- Thinking is the highest function to which a human being is capable. Yet, unfortunately, very few people "think". They merely trick themselves into believing that because there is some mental activity taking place in their mind, they are "thinking".

But the truth is, most people are simply exercising the mental faculty called "memory". They are playing old movies, so old pictures just keep flashing back on the screen of their mind.

To believe in the things you can see and touch is no belief at all; but to believe in the unseen is a triumph and a blessing. ~Abe Lincoln

18- Lack and limitation can only exist when we make room for them in our minds. But prosperity consciousness knows no lack and no limitation...

19- Understand that the wealth you are seeking is - and always has been - seeking you in return.

20- It is an absolute law of your being that you must have something mentally before you will ever have it physically!

21- In truth, you will never see the greatest part of your being because it is nonphysical in nature.

22- God has given you the ability to build any idea which you desire. So be good to yourself, choose magnificent ideas, and cease permitting your physical world to control your thinking.

Most people think they want more money than they really do, and the settle for a lot less than they could get. ~Earl Nightingale

23- Remember though, money is the servant; you are the master - you love people and you use money.

24- There are only two ways to earn money; people at work, or money at work.

25- There is no way to replace your income and create a certain and instant estate other than life insurance. That is to say, when they die, most people leave behind only enough money to pay for their funeral and possibly enough money to cover their family's living expenses for one year! 

For a relatively small sum of money, these people could have had their financial affairs set up in such a way that if something did happen to them, their financial goals would be reached by their families automatically.

Here's a heads up people: For those between forty and fifty years of age and depending on the company, a one to two million dollar life insurance policy costs between approximately forty and seventy dollars a month! It is that affordable any way you look at it. 

26- You must consider your mortgage or house payment (probably one of your largest monthly payments) as an investment NOT a debt.

27- It is you who is in charge of your finances, not your creditors!

28- Wealthy individuals follow the advice of financial experts.

29- If a person is in a deficit financial position, it means they are in the "habit" of spending more money than they earn. Similarly, if they are in a break-even position, they are in the habit of spending everything they earn.

30- The only competition you'll ever have is with your own ignorance.

Here are the last four lines of It's Up to Me by James J. Metcalfe:

And I remind myself that I

Am capable and free

And my success and happiness

Are really up to me.

And I certainly hope that these tips inspire you to take the high road to become prosperity conscious as they have me. Bob Proctor's You Were Born Rich is absolutely delicious and so enjoyable! 

It took me months to open it and obviously now's the time.  Let me know what speaks to you and why. I love good conversation.

Technorati Tags: 30-tips-inspire-you, become-prosperity-conscious, prosperity-consciousness

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Fertilise The Garden of The Mind: Concentrate on Your Burning Obsession and Nourish It with Passion

This is part two in my three-part series on Fertilise the Garden of the Mind - Concentrate on your Burning Obsession and Nourish It with Passion.

It's  on Chapter 4 of Napoleon Hill's Auto-Suggestions in Think and Grow Rich. Part one is Auto-suggestion is the key to your subconscious.  I'll start as I ended the last post :

Your ability to use the principle of auto-suggestion will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire until that desire becomes a burning obsession.

It's not about the money

Think and Grow Rich teaches you, step by step, how to acquire the riches you want by tapping into your subconscious mind and allowing it to work for you. There are other very important messages in the book as well.

• It is not about the money. It's about how you think about money and how those thoughts affect your life.
• Riches do not necessarily mean money.  The thirteen principles outlined in the book can be used to achieve any goal imaginable.
• Money is an intangible. The coins and notes represent a medium of exchange. Focus your passion on what you love and the money will come. That's a given when you follow Hill's advice to the letter. 

Focus on what you desire

You are already rich beyond imagining! When you tap into your inner wealth, you are tuned in, tapped in and turned on as Abraham/Hicks describe it.

You'll be in the vortex and flowing downstream all the way; nothing can withstand you. You become a force of nature.

From within your inner kingdom, focus on what you desire and with seemingly effortless effort - because your subconscious is doing most of the work - solid plans take shape which would allow you to produce tangible results if you follow them. Success is eighty percent thought and twenty percent action.

Our brains become magnetised with the dominating thoughts which we hold in our minds... these "magnets" attract  to us the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which harmonise with the nature of our dominating thoughts.

In order to use auto-suggestion effectively (self-suggestion or affirmations), concentrate on what you want to the exclusion of all else. Concentrate on your burning obsession; it must be what you want above all else if you are to succeed.

How to concentrate more effectively

Follow the Six steps to become rich and prosperous from Chapter Two on Desire. If you want to achieve your life's goals, following these steps are essential. along with Hill's suggestions on how to concentrate more effectively. 

1 - Concentrate on the exact amount of money you want with your eyes closed until you can actually see it. Do this at least once a day for twenty minutes. Call this time your creative workshop.

2 - My two posts Have faith and get what you desire and  Faith is the key that unlocks the door called desire on Chapter 3, Faith, offers tips on how to trick your subconscious into making it believe you have faith.

My all-time favourite quote from Napoleon Hill says it all: 

Faith is the eternal elixir which gives life, power and action to the impulse of thought.

How to talk to your subconscious

When you tell your subconscious to do something - it's a calm, clear, focussed and unambiguously forceful thought. There is no desperate need or mental shouting. It starts working immediately to bring you what you want.

You have to constantly repeat what you want in absolute faith before it is fully realised by the subconscious mind. Like everything else, it must manifest on the emotional plane first before taking shape in your physical reality.

Be on the lookout for the small successes; they are the precursors to what awaits you on the horizon. Write them down and celebrate them every day, no matter how small.

It has been my experience that the bigger the challenge, the clearer we must be because we feel what we want is too big.

As a consequence, both negative and positive thoughts on the subject are jostling for position in our minds. Start small to build up your confidence.

3 - The subconscious responds to commands because the power of your desire is behind it which is what gives it strength.

Demand that it provide you with the plans needed to acquire the money which is yours by right. You have to believe it! This is serious kick-ass stuff people and it works! I say "demand" because your subconscious is at your command. Never forget that.

Start a creative workshop

4 - Spend twenty minutes every day in your "creative workshop" imagining and visualising that lovely money you intend to acquire.

Observe how your mind reacts with images, thoughts, and possibilities when you give your imagination free reign. It's an exciting process and a sign that your subconscious mind is part of the game. Make it fun.

Do not waste time wondering "how"

5 - Do not waste time like "yours truly" trying to figure out how to start. And do not wait for a definite plan, start your creative workshop immediately.

Here's why - I finally got this from constant re-reading of this chapter - visualising and imagining what your want are an integral part of the planning process.

Live your passion mentally with your new-found wealth as if it has already happened in order to imprint it on your subconscious mind. It doesn't think, it reacts to thoughts and images.

The more powerful the thoughts, the faster the images would be recorded encouraging the formation of ideas and plans. This is where a mastermind group would be extremely beneficial. Two plus heads are always better than one. 

Nothing happens in a vacuum and this is the part you have to play. You must flesh out what you want in exquisite detail. And you don't have to know. That's where your subconscious comes in.

Act at once when ideas and plans come to mind

6 - Be alert for plans when they appear and act at once. You may have a flash of insight through various means which would inspire you to act. Seize it and act immediately. Napoleon Hill says it's a "direct telegram" from Infinite Intelligence. I say it's the universe talking. 

Failure to act will be fatal to your success. And I have had lots of experience here too. Sometimes:

• Ideas seem too far-fetched or unconnected to your goal; 
• You wonder about "how". That's just the mind talking. It's trying to make sense of the plan based on you experiences, knowledge and habits. It's just trying to keep you safe by encouraging you to react in the same old way. Which I did many times.

Let me tell you right now, doubts are fatal and break you down before you get  properly started. Logic has nothing to do with this process.

You cannot get something for nothing

Here is one final note which is extremely important; visualise yourself rendering the service or delivering the product you intend to provide during your creative workshop, in return for the money you want.

Getting something for nothing does not exist. Concentrate on your burning obsession and nourish it with passion and you will get there in the end.

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Fertilise The Garden of The Mind: Auto-Suggestion is the Key to Your Subconscious

I am still experiencing serious Internet connection problems - three weeks and counting - and I discovered that I'm not alone so that's some consolation.

My aim therefore is to get as many posts written as possible and set for automatic posting before the entire system goes down again!

I am back with the brilliant Napoleon Hill's teachings from Think and Grow Rich. This time it's on chapter 4 - Auto-Suggestion - the medium used to influence the subconscious mind.  It's time to fertilise the garden of the mind people and auto-suggestion is how you go about it.

Auto-Suggestion and it's Implications

Whatever thoughts you hold in your mind which you feel strongly about and repeat incessantly to yourself is an auto-suggestion to yourself. 

It doesn't matter whether the thoughts are constructive or destructive, the universe happily manifests what you asked for and brings it to you like a good puppy dog.

The more strongly you feel, the faster whatever you are thinking about manifests into your physical reality. Always remember that you are in charge of what you allow to enter your mind.

Auto-Suggestion is the agency of control through which an individual may voluntarily feed his subconscious mind on thoughts of a creative nature, or by neglect, permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find their way into this rich garden of the mind.

Although auto-suggestion is one of the shortest chapters in Think and Grow Rich, I will break it down into a three-part series to avoid it becoming too lengthy, seemingly boring and/or overwhelming.  Now for some pearls of wisdom as I understand it:

Positive and destructive thoughts

1 - No thought, whether negative or positive can enter the subconscious mind without auto-suggestion, with the exception of thoughts picked up from the ether. 

For example, we say things like "it just occurred to me out of the blue". That specific thought came from the ether.

2 - We are the ones who accept or reject what happens in our lives and decide whether to keep it or record it in our subconscious. I never thought about this in such terms before but that is so accurate. I got it!

There are certain experiences which individuals categorically refuse "to take on board" for various reasons based on culture, religion, experience, lifestyle, etc.

Here's a simple example: a new friend of mine told me that when she first heard of hot wine which is a typical winter drink in Europe, she thought it sounded disgusting and would not even entertain the idea of tasting it. It did not fit in with anything she knew.

Control what enters your mind

3 - The conscious mind is the gatekeeper to our subconscious. My goodness, what absolute power and control we have. Why do we not exercise it all the time?! 

Hill says it's this lack of control which is responsible for people living in poverty i.e. they allow negative thoughts to take hold and control their minds and thus, their lives.

Repetition is key

4 - You have to tell yourself, repeatedly, that something is true for it to manifest and become real in your experience, even if it is only your perception which is usually based on fear.

Fertilise the garden of the subconscious mind

5 - The subconscious mind is like a fertile garden. If you don't cultivate it with seeds of desirable crops (positive thoughts), weeds (destructive thoughts) will take over.

6 - Review and re-read chapter 2 on Desire to understand that the six steps to become rich and prosperous are really auto-suggestions.

Follow the steps faithfully to anchor the message and change your thinking.

Your new thought habits formed through repetition would fire you up thereby opening a conduit to your subconscious, from which would flow solid plans  leading to financial success.

Adding emotion to the mix is essential

7 - Simply reading a positive statement out loud will not have any effect unless you add emotion to the mix. If you don't feel it, work on it, visualise it, imagine it, create a vision board, fake it; do whatever it takes to smash through that blockage!

Your subconscious mind recognizes and acts upon only thoughts which have been well-mixed with emotion or feeling.

TThe majority of people who try to apply the principle of auto-suggestion do not get the desired results and believe it does not work. They simply do not understand that emotion is the key to their subconscious.

That ring any bells with you? Because that is exactly what is said these days about affirmations. And they are one and the same thing.

If you do not say the words with conviction then you cannot and will not influence the subconscious mind and that door will stay firmly shut. Adding emotion and belief into the mix is essential.

You have to feel it in order for your subconscious mind to believe it and transmit your desire to the ether. I talk about this in detail in the chapter on Faith - Have faith and get what you desire.

Persistence

8 - You must persist in your efforts to inject feelings and belief into your auto-suggestions which is why you are advised to repeat your statements every day for a minimum of twenty-one to thirty days. 

The more you repeat the easier it gets, because it is difficult to inject emotion and feeling into the statements in the beginning. But one day, you suddenly discover that it all feels so good and right.

It's so easy and best of all, you get charged up when you read your auto-suggestion or affirmations. That is where you want to get to.

Abraham-Hicks say that we can all change our thinking immediately and twenty-one or thirty days are not necessary.

We can decide to change any time we like. I have done it on some issues so I know that what they say is true.

No free ride

9 - As I am sure you all know there is no free ride. Everything has a price and everyone must pay it.  You cannot get something for nothing unless you are a thief and if that's the case, karma will eventually catch up with you.

The ability to reach and influence your subconscious mind has its price and you must pay it. The price of the ability to influence your subconscious is everlasting persistence in applying the principles of auto-suggestion.

Only you can decide if the prosperity consciousness for which you are striving is worth the effort. When an individual fails, it is not the method that is the problem; it's the lack of effort. Try again and again and again until you succeed. Never give up!

Your ability to use the principle of auto-suggestion will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire until that desire becomes a burning obsession.

Okay people, here ends part one on Auto-Suggestion - the key to your subconscious. Do write and let me know your thoughts.

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Awaken the Sleeping Genius: 6 Ways to Boost your Self-Confidence

Boosting your Self Confidence is the final section in "Faith" of Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich. He says there's a sleeping genius in the brain of each and every one of us, and if awakened, would take us to undreamed of heights.

A trigger is needed to awaken the sleeping genius - an emotion - the most powerful of which is love because it is closely related to faith.

Don't you think that's fantastic? I certainly do. Doesn't it excite and stimulate you to go for more, be more, get more? It damn well should! And it is not selfishness either because everyone benefits. Creativity stimulates. It provides others with examples to follow, and that's exactly how I discovered Mr Hill by following others.

Here's how you boost your self-confidence:

1 - Get an idea - USE your imagination. Build on it until it develops its own force and grows. This is very easy.

Your only problem is you because you block yourself early on by telling yourself things like "nah, who am I kidding...", "where am I going with this...", "that can't happen...", etc.

2 - Learn to have faith in yourself and your idea. You've go to use your passion for the idea to give you the impetus to go with it. You must develop faith in your abilities, that you can do it. Remember, that idea didn't occur to just anyone, it came to you; which means you have the capability of seeing it through to the end.

3 - Create a plan to bring your idea to fruition and write it down. Establish step-by-step feasible goals around them as they occur to you with deadline dates. If you make your goals too large they would be too big and then you would not start at all.

I suggest you set daily, weekly, and monthly goals. Always keeping the main goal in mind. Remember, it is essential to write down your goals in order to attain them. Seeing them every day reminds you, and anchors them in your subconscious which is where the majority of the work is taking place.

4 - Act on your plan. Start immediately because the right time will never come.

5 - Persist with the plan until you succeed. It doesn't matter how you feel, do it anyway. Through setbacks, outright failures, "speed bumps" called friends, "caution lights" called family, persist until you get there!

6 - Maintain your burning desire to succeed.  Never give up and right here is where most of us fail. Because we give up too soon and without knowing "just three metres away from the jackpot".

That is why I particularly like Thomas Edison's example - he failed 10,000 times - yet he still continued saying he just didn't have the right plan! He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was on the right track. We modern folks don't have to do that because we have the pioneers' examples and teachings to follow.

I am saying this for myself as well because I have been taught to give up and never reach too high "because you don't know how those people got their money".

I have given up in the past - many, many times - through pressure and sabotage from family, colleagues, bad habits, etc. It was easier. Now, although it's tempting when I start to doubt myself, the feeling is easy to ignore because I know that giving up is just a habit.

So please, do not ever, ever give up!

And that my friends, in a nutshell is the end of Chapter two on Faith. I still have other articles about faith and affirmations and such but this and the previous posts contain the core of this chapter.

OOps ... completely forgot, I still have to add Hill's Self-Confidence Formula.

There is a curve called failure, a loop called confusion, speed bumps called friends, caution lights called family, and you will have flats called jobs.  But if you have a spare called determination, an engine called perseverance, Insurance called faith, and a driver called God, you will make it to a place called success. --Bob Proctor

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How I discovered Napoleon Hill: Synchronicity Spoke

I discovered Napoleon Hill from one of Bob Proctor's MindMovies but it's not as straight-forward as that. I want to illustrate how life really works and how the actions we take blend and produce synchronicity.

Before I tell you my Napoleon Hill story, watch Shafin de Zane's wonderful video about awakening on his site RedefineYourReality.com. When you know what your calling or purpose is in life, you wake up. When you pursue it, you become vibrantly alive. Nothing can stop you.

So, to my story of how synchronicity spoke and brought Napoleon Hill to me.  After I left my job of seventeen years with the World Health Organization in Geneva, I bummed around for two years. Travelled some more and spent over one hundred thousand dollars, just on my little old self.

I had never dared do anything like that before; I mean, just spend money on myself. This was huge for me. Then I became poverty conscious through an interesting series of events described in my various "stories" which culminated in Schlepping to the well of stillness.

After working through more crap with lots of different "teachers"; the MindMovies people who produced stuff like Money Movie offered another free download.

This time from Bob Proctor who was talking about - you guessed it, Napoleon Hill and his book. I decided I wanted a copy really really bad but free.

A few days later, I discovered that I had two electronic copies of Think and Grow Rich in my files. I couldn't believe it! They had been sent to me months before by different people, along with some other e-books which I had filed away.

This is how synchronicity works you see because there is no such thing as coincidence. When you are on the right track, as rocky as the path may be, the tools and resources you need to take the next step always come to you.

I love writing; breaking stuff down, understand it, know it, then share it. Love it! And that's my Napoleon Hill story.

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How To Feel Rich and Become Wealthy: Start Thinking and Feeling Wealthy Now

Riches begin in the form of thought. 

Napoleon Hill

I had an Aha! moment when I read the above statement in Hill's chapter on Faith and self confidence. Why is it necessary to believe that you have what you want before you can get it?

And the answer to the question is... creation starts in the ether - in the non-physical realm - before it can manifest in our physical world.

Some of you may have heard Jack Canfield's credo Ask-Believe-Receive. Or you may know of Bob Proctor (I love this man - he is very special) or Abraham-Hicks: they all advise the same thing.

Change your mind and change the outcome

In it's simplest terms, if you want to feel rich and become wealthy, you have to start off by thinking and feeling wealthy and over time, with work, it will happen.

The gigantic ethereal mind, as I call it, works to bring you and I what we most ardently desire i.e. it translates the vibrations of our thoughts into tangibles that we can see, feel, hear, touch, taste and smell.

The vibrations of our thoughts are changed in our subconscious mind to make them readable to the vast cosmic mind to which the new version is transmitted.

The beautiful thing here though is that not only can you change your mind and get a different outcome any time you want but you can also command the universe. The universe is at your command!

And I believe that's why Marianne Williamson's poem Our Deepest Fear resonated so deeply. We are powerful beyond imagining. Think about this! Since you create what you think, you are capable of creating anything you can imagine.

How do you create?

You have created everything in your life from this unseen substance called the ether - from the cosmic mind. When you want something so bad that you think and obsess about it, night and day... you get it.

And whatever you strongly desire always comes to you in the way you expect it... "you see, I told you so!". More prophetic words have never been spoken.

For instance, if you keep saying to yourself and everyone else, I just want a job to tide me over; Any job will do. I just want to be able to pay my bills and keep a roof over my head. Honey, you're going to get exactly that and nothing more!

Never demand anything from fear

Never ever demand something when you're needy and afraid of "not having". You will never get what you desire because you are living in "lack". Your feelings vibrate "I'm so afraid of...". 

You therefore transmit the feeling of fear and need and lack.  And you will get more of what you're afraid of. I'm using negative examples because we humans tend to expect more sorrow than joy.

If you believe that life is shitting on you and you constantly moan and whine about it, what do you think you will get. You got it, shit!

Do you find that offensive? You should. You create it. You really, really need to get this, so I'll say it again - creation starts in the ether; in the non-physical form. Take charge of your thoughts and feelings to get what you truly want.

Riches begin in the form of thought

An old French Naturopath explained the following statement to me and I hadn't thought about it in years until reading Hill's statement:

Riches begin in the form of thought. Napoleon Hill

It is crucial that you understand what this statement implies. Because poverty and illness and everything else in our world, is created by us through our thoughts and the way those thoughts make us feel.

Reflect on this. Start thinking only about what you truly want in life. What life is giving you right now is what you asked for. If it's not happy, you can change it. Do your homework; take out your emotional trash. 

Practise thinking rich and feeling rich to become wealthy. If that's what you want. Start right now.

Previous posts about Think and Grow Rich are Have faith, Desire, What is faith, Affirmations-imprinting positive messages,The magnetic force of emotional thoughts

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The Magnetic Force of Emotional Thoughts and What the Ether Brings

So here we are with my fourth installment the magnetic force of our emotional thoughts and what the ether brings to us in response, from Napoleon Hill's second chapter on Faith - the second step towards riches which I am still absorbing.

The first part was Have faith and get what you desire, Faith is the key that unlocks the door called desire was the second, and Faith is an eternal elixir the third.

Dominating Thoughts

You are what you are because of the dominating thoughts which you permit to occupy your mind. These obsessive thoughts direct and control your every action. The subconscious mind controls ninety percent of our lives. Most of us allow ourselves to poked, pulled and prodded and guided by it.

Strong emotions create a magnetic force which attract other similar or related thoughts from the vibrations in the ether. In other words, thoughts are things. When you think of an issue you feel strongly about, your thoughts take on a life of their own; pulling up memories that make you feel worse, or better. Hill's analogy beautifully illustrates this: 

A thought thus "magnetized" with emotion may be compared to a seed which, when planted in fertile soil, germinates, grows, and multiplies itself over and over again; until that which was originally one small seed becomes countless millions of seeds, of the same brand!

Attracting from the Ether


The ether is made up of both constructive and destructive vibrations and it is up to us to choose which we want. When negative forces take over your life, it is because you decided to have that experience, in order to know what you do not want. Yes, you did.

You are the sole architect of your life and no one, absolutely no one, is capable of making you think something you do not want to think!  Or for that matter, do something you do not want to do.

Your mind is constantly calling forth vibrations from the storehouse - the ether - which synchronise with the thoughts that dominate your mind at any given moment. That is why you attract what you think about.<

Or as Hill says:

Any idea, thought, plan, or purpose that you hold in your mind calls from the ether, a host of its relatives; adds these "relatives" to its own force, grows and takes over to become the motivating master - of the idea thought, plan, purpose - in your mind.

Or as I call it, the motivating monster (when it is destructive).


Cristallise Ideas and Change How You Live

It is essential that you write down your plans and goals. Seeing them in black and white cristallises them in your subconscious mind, and starts the creative process. 

Unfortunately, most of you avoid writing down your goals and plans because you are afraid that you would have to live up to them - fear of success - or not - fear of failure. Try, try, and try again and never give up; and please believe me when I say, I know what I am talking about.

Limiting beliefs annihilate your self-confidence and they must be dealt with sooner rather than later. Use affirmations and positive statements and/or in combination with other self-improvement techniques to create a positive self image.

The ether is a great cosmic mass of eternal vibration.

If you believe that you do not have the strength to start the change on your own, get help. Find a therapist, a life coach, an effective technique which feels comfortable to use, a mentor, a writing group, etc. Any means that would motivate and support you on your journey to becoming more.

Avoid pity parties at all cost! They are extremely negative and counter-productive. What you talk about, you create. You must also change the environment which encourages you to stay in your negative state.

Change Starts from the Inside Out 


Change happens from the inside out. Therefore, having faith that you will get there is essential. 

By now, I hope you understand the incredible magnetic force of your emotional thoughts, and what the ether brings to you in response. If you do, you are ready to make the change.

We are creatures of habit which is why change is painful and feels scary but, the rewards are stupendous on every level. You will start to wonder where it was hiding all this time!

The incredible flow of abundance starts when you enter the vortex which is where I am now as I write this post, and it is now far too long. However, I need to include all the information that is flowing to me, so I will link the other part to the following section.

Imprinting Positive Messages on your Subconscious Mind

Imprinting positive messages in your subconscious mind is accomplished with self-talk - as Hill calls it - and affirmations. Write down your affirmations and create positive statements to match the habit you would like to change. This post explains how to create positive messages.

Let me know how it goes for you and if I need to expand further.

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself and make that change. 

Michael Jackson

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