We are not just the results of fate; we are our own fate. As Proverbs says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” We are simply our past thoughts and the sum total of the things that these thoughts have attracted to us.
In 1894 while attending a private school, Marconi read an article that suggested the possibility of sending radio waves without wires (the invention of the radio). Napoleon Hill wrote of Marconi’s dream of a system of harnessing ether in Think and Grow Rich. Marconi’s friend took him to a mental institution due to his belief of being able to send messages through the air.
How is your energy level today? Did you wake up eager to face the tasks ahead? Did you push your chair back from the breakfast table with the feeling that you were rarin’ to go? And did you plunge into your work with enthusiasm?
The motto of the Napoleon Hill Foundation is, “Making the world a better place in which to live.” If you believe that life has purpose or meaning, then you can leave a legacy that helps make the world a better place. The decisions that you make—or do not make—will help determine the type of legacy you leave behind. Whether you are part of the solutions to the cries for help or part of the problems that confront the human race will be a result of your actions on a daily basis...
Factors that determine success are offering a service or a product that is desired in the market. Note that I did not say a service or product that people need. Ray Kroc made millions by selling hamburgers; this was not necessarily a product that people needed, but it was something they wanted. The degree to which you do something better than others and receive just rewards for your service or product will determine your success...
At one time, Mr. Stone was chairman of the board of the Napoleon Hill Foundation. He was in his nineties. Always dressed as a successful businessman, Mr. Stone was an imposing figure. I had read his book The Success System That Never Fails. This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in how to be successful. Mr. Stone grew up on Chicago’s tough South Side, lost his father when he was quite young and was out on the street selling newspapers at the age of 6. He was often beaten by other boys, but he persisted and began to accept responsibility for his future at a very early age...
To begin to solve a problem or reach a goal, you first must determine what you want in your future. Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity...
Here is the system that I have personally used for many years to set goals; it will work for you. Each year, toward year-end, I spend some quiet time with a legal pad and pen and write down what I would like to accomplish in the next year, three years, five years, and ten years. I may list many things, but studying them will allow me to determine which are the most important to me. Next, I list the goals on 3 x 5 index cards...
I remember that when I was a young person, several weeks before Christmas, I was not thinking about toys or clothes that I might receive as gifts. I was thinking of ways to make money. I would think of holly, Christmas trees, and mistletoe that could be found in the woods and brought to the highway to sell to people who were traveling at this time of year. The thought of making money was so strong and I pictured it so vividly that its fruition seemed assured, as if it had already happened...