Ezine 660 | 13 September 2019

The Twelve Riches of Life
(continued from last week)
by Napoleon Hill

All riches, of whatsoever nature, begin as a state of mind; and let us remember that a state of mind is the one and only thing over which any person has complete, unchallenged right of control.

It is highly significant that the Creator provided man with control over nothing except the power to shape his own thoughts and the privilege of fitting them to any pattern of his choice.

Mental attitude is important because it converts the brain into the equivalent of an electro-magnet which attracts the counterpart of one’s dominating thoughts, aims and purposes. It also attracts the counterpart of one’s fears, worries and doubts.

1. A Positive Mental Attitude is the starting point of all riches, whether they be riches of a material nature or intangible riches.

It attracts the riches of true friendship.

And the riches one finds in the hope of future achievement. It provides the riches one may find in Nature’s handiwork, as it exists in the moonlit nights, in the stars that float out there in the heavens, in the beautiful landscapes and in distant horizons.

And the riches to be found in the labor of one’s choice, where expression may be given to the highest plane of man’s soul.

And the riches of harmony in home relationships, where all members of the family work together in a spirit of friendly cooperation.

And the riches of sound physical health, which is the treasure of those who have learned to balance work with play, worship with love, and who have learned the wisdom of eating to live rather than of living to eat.

And the riches of freedom from fear.

And the riches of enthusiasm, both active and passive.

And the riches of song and laughter, both of which indicate states of mind.

And the riches of self-discipline, through which one may have the joy of knowing that the mind can and will serve any desired end if one will take possession and command it through Definiteness of Purpose.

And the riches of play, through which one may lay aside all of the burdens of life and become as a little child again.

And the riches of discovery of one’s “other self”—that self which knows no such reality as permanent failure.

And the riches of Faith in Infinite Intelligence, of which every individual mind is a minute projection.

And the riches of meditation, the connecting link by which anyone may draw upon the great universal supply of Infinite Intelligence at will.

Yes, these and all other riches begin with a Positive Mental Attitude. Therefore, it is but little cause for wonder that a Positive Mental Attitude takes the first place in the list of the “Twelve Riches.”

2. Sound Physical Health

Sound health begins with a “health consciousness” produced by a mind which thinks in terms of health and not in terms of illness, plus temperance of habits in eating and properly balanced physical activities.

3. Harmony in Human Relationships

Harmony with others begins with one’s self, for it is true, as Shakespeare said, there are benefits available to those who comply with his admonition, “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou cans’t not then be false to any man.”

4. Freedom from Fear

No man who fears anything is a free man! Fear is a harbinger of evil, and wherever it appears one may find a cause which must be eliminated before he may become rich in the fuller sense. The seven basic fears which appear most often in the minds of men are (1) the fear of Poverty, (2) the fear of Criticism, (3) the fear of Ill Health, (4) the fear of Loss of Love, (5) the fear of the Loss of Liberty, (6) the fear of Old Age, (7) the fear of Death.

5. The Hope of Achievement

The greatest of all forms of happiness comes as the result of hope of achievement of some yet unattained desire; and poor beyond description is the person who cannot look to the future with hope that he will become the person he would like to be, or with the belief that he will attain the objective he has failed to reach in the past.

6. The Capacity for Faith

Faith is the connecting link between the conscious mind of man and the great universal reservoir of Infinite Intelligence. It is the fertile soil of the garden of the human mind wherein may be produced all of the riches of life. It is the “eternal elixir” which gives creative power and action to the impulses of thought.

Faith is the basis of all so-called miracles, and of many mysteries which cannot be explained by the rules of logic or science. Faith is the spiritual “chemical” which, when it is mixed with prayer, gives one direct and immediate connection with Infinite Intelligence.

Faith is the power which transmutes the ordinary energies of thought into their spiritual equivalent. And it is the only power through which the Cosmic Force of Infinite Intelligence may be appropriated to the uses of man.

(to be continued next week)

Source: The Master Key to Riches by Napoleon Hill

Share Email to a friend or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Recommend this on Facebook:

The Lack of Lottery Logic
by Jim Stovall

There are few ideas more interesting or thoughts more compelling than instant wealth. Becoming an overnight millionaire and going from rags to riches is the unfulfilled dream of most people.

If you are a regular reader of Winners’ Wisdom columns, you have observed me picking on the lottery and casinos before. My argument is not as much moral and ethical as it is an argument of finances and focus. I have no real objection to someone who wants to buy an occasional lottery ticket for entertainment purposes as long as they are out of debt, and the lottery ticket money doesn’t take food off the family table. I’ve never found anything particularly entertaining, myself, about spending hard-earned money on the immensely overwhelming probability of losing, but if others find pleasure in it, it’s okay with me.

My objection is to the millions of people around the world who spend money their family cannot afford to lose on lottery tickets. This destroys people, potential, and possibilities in several ways. If the average person who consistently plays the lottery and buys tickets in amounts that equal the national average would simply invest the same amount of money each week in an average growth-stock mutual fund, they would be millionaires within 20 years. So it’s not just the loss of the money spent on losing tickets. It’s the loss of the potential they are flushing away a few dollars at a time.

David J. Hand, author of The Improbability Principle, says, “1,167,843 years (or 15 thousand lifetimes) is how long you’d have to play Powerball to have a 50/50 chance of winning a jackpot.” I believe your hard-earned money, your family’s future, and all of your hopes and dreams deserve better odds than this.

The idea of getting rich quick is a pipedream that robs your resources and your possibilities. Creating a wealth plan provides certainty over time of financial freedom and success.

The index of the entire stock market has averaged nearly 12 percent compounded over the last half of a century, while the lottery requires you to throw away your hard-earned money consistently for more than a million years for an even chance of winning. If the logic and numbers don’t make it clear to you, stay tuned, because I’m sure I will write about it again as I know the casinos and lotteries are going to continue to share their propaganda.

As you go through your day today, invest logically, and get the odds in your favor.

Today’s the day!
Jim Stovall

Source: Jim Stovall’s Winners Wisdom, Vol. Three

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.

Share Email to a friend or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Recommend this on Facebook: