Ezine 647 | 14 June 2019

Dear Readers, Napoleon Hill said, “If you would achieve great success, plant in your mind a strong motive!” You will find it easier to be successful if you first know what you want. After that, you must make plans and take action. You probably will not know all the answers before you begin, but you must not let that prevent you from starting on your road to success. When you discover the powers of your mind, you are beginning to move toward whatever you most desire from life. Remember that life is not static, and that each of us is either moving in the direction of his goals or moving away from them. Elbert Hubbard once said, “Tell me what you desire most in life and I will tell you who can do the most to help you get it.” When Hubbard was asked who that person was, he said, “Look in the mirror, and you will see him.” I have read more than 1,000 books that deal with success, some of which would be classified as self-help, others as inspirational, and still others as biographies of successful people. All success stories start when a person wants to improve her position in life and that desire is intense enough to cause her to take action to change her circumstances. You might think that everyone would want to improve her position in life, but if the wish is just a wish, it amounts to no more than a dream. Only when the desire has become so strong that it is what writers have called a burning desire or passion will the person take action to change her lot in life. To begin your journey, you must begin with the right ideas that can grow the desire until it becomes a burning desire.   I wish you the best, Don Green Executive Director Napoleon Hill Foundation

DESIRE This is the second in a series of excerpts from Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. WHEN Edwin C. Barnes climbed down from the freight train in Orange, N. J., more than thirty years ago, he may have resembled a tramp, but his thoughts were those of a king! As he made his way from the railroad tracks to Thomas A. Edison’s office, his mind was at work. He saw himself standing in Edison’s presence. He heard himself asking Mr. Edison for an opportunity to carry out the one CONSUMING OBSESSION OF HIS LIFE, a BURNING DESIRE to become the business associate of the great inventor. Barnes’ desire was not a hope! It was not a wish! It was a keen, pulsating DESIRE, which transcended everything else. It was DEFINITE. The desire was not new when he approached Edison. It had been Barnes’ dominating desire for a long time. In the beginning, when the desire first appeared in his mind, it may have been, probably was, only a wish, but it was no mere wish when he appeared before Edison with it. A few years later, Edwin C. Barnes again stood before Edison, in the same office where he first met the inventor. This time his DESIRE had been translated into reality. He was in business with Edison. The dominating DREAM OF HIS LIFE had become a reality. Today, people who know Barnes envy him, because of the “break” life yielded him. They see him in the days of his triumph, without taking the trouble to investigate the cause of his success. Barnes succeeded because he chose a definite goal, placed all his energy, all his will power, all his effort, everything back of that goal. He did not become the partner of Edison the day he arrived. He was content to start in the most menial work, as long as it provided an opportunity to take even one step toward his cherished goal. Five years passed before the chance he had been seeking made its appearance. During all those years not one ray of hope, not one promise of attainment of his DESIRE had been held out to him. To everyone, except himself, he appeared only another cog in the Edison business wheel, but in his own mind, HE WAS THE PARTNER OF EDISON EVERY MINUTE OF THE TIME, from the very day that he first went to work there. It is a remarkable illustration of the power of a DEFINITE DESIRE. Barnes won his goal, because he wanted to be a business associate of Mr. Edison, more than he wanted anything else. He created a plan by which to attain that purpose. But he BURNED ALL BRIDGES BEHIND HIM. He stood by his DESIRE until it became the dominating obsession of his life— and—finally, a fact. When he went to Orange, he did not say to himself, “I will try to induce Edison to give me a job of some sort.” He said, “I will see Edison, and put him on notice that I have come to go into business with him.” He did not say, “I will work there for a few months, and if I get no encouragement, I will quit and get a job somewhere else.” He did say, “I will start anywhere. I will do anything Edison tells me to do, but before I am through, I will be his associate.” He did not say, “I will keep my eyes open for another opportunity, in case I fail to get what I want in the Edison organization.” He said, “There is but ONE thing in this world that I am determined to have, and that is a business association with Thomas A. Edison. I will burn all bridges behind me, and stake my ENTIRE FUTURE on my ability to get what I want.” He left himself no possible way of retreat. He had to win or perish! That is all there is to the Barnes story of success! Source: Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich Share Email to a friend or share on Facebook or Twitter. Recommend this on Facebook:

Thoughts, Actions, and Results
by Jim Stovall

Among life’s most enduring principles is the fact that we become what we think about. This was the motivation for my latest book. Poems, Quotes, and Things to Think About gives readers bite-sized thoughts that can shape their day, hour, or even the next moment. (Visit: http://ow.ly/E4ixg.)

Recently in the field of success and personal development, there has been a school of thought that has emerged claiming that our thoughts can bring things into reality. While this is true, there is generally a step in-between thoughts and results. This step is action, our own efforts required to turn our thoughts into results.

Too many people have taken this teaching to heart as they sit on their couch watching a DVD or reading a book as they await what they believe will be their inevitable success. Our thoughts rarely change results directly. Instead, our thoughts change us, then we act, bringing on the results we desire.

If someone claims to believe something, but they do not act upon it, I question their belief.

I am sitting in my office as I dictate the words for this column. If someone rushed in and shouted, “The building’s on fire!” but I just continued to just sit here dictating, they would wonder whether I heard their warning and if I believe them or not. If I told them that I did hear them and believe them but continued to sit here, taking no action, there is an obvious disconnect. The warning of the fire is intended to change my thoughts, eliciting an action such as exiting the building, which would bring the desired result of saving my life.

Simply understanding there is a fire and even thinking about the fire without action cannot bring a positive result. In this case, it could bring a very deadly result.

Shakespeare said that our eyes are the windows to our soul. I believe that our actions provide a window or a clue to our thoughts. No matter what someone tells you they know, think, or believe, their actions will always give them away. People can claim to be serious about their goals and committed to the results, but if you simply examine their checkbook and their calendar, the reality will be clear.

How we spend our time and how we spend our money reveal our thoughts and the underlying priorities. I hope you will take control of your thoughts to an extent where they take control of your actions and provide the results you desire. You may be able to fool your friends, your family, and even the whole world, but you’ll never fool your thoughts.

As you go through your day today, master your thoughts and sample Poems, Quotes, and Things to Think About.

Today’s the day!

Jim Stovall

Source: Wisdom for Winner, Vol.3

Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082; by email at Jim@JimStovall.com; on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stovallauthor; or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jimstovallauthor.

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Truthful Living

by Napoleon Hill, annotated by
Jeffrey Gitomer

What readers are saying:

“Another Gem Amongst His Many Gems – Truthful Living is NOT just a book for people in sales; it is for people who are still breathing or in other words, EVERYONE!” ~ Gymbeaux

“A Masterclass in Napoleon Hill’s Foundational Wisdom and Real-World Application – There is a reason why I ordered copies for my entire team and all of my mastermind students. Don’t just buy the book, buy additional copies for those you care most about. They’ll thank you and you will have given them a gift that could change their life.” ~ Joe Soto

The foundation of Napoleon Hill’s self-help legacy: his long-lost original notes, letters, and lectures – now compiled, edited, and annotated for the modern reader, brought to you by New York Times bestselling author, Jeffrey Gitomer.

Thank you to everyone who has bought this book. Please leave a review here.

Available on Amazon!