Napoleon Hill’s Philosophy of Achievement

This month I have been revisiting the works of some of the great motivators and philosophers who have been teaching the secrets of success over the past century.  One such person was Napoleon Hill.  Napoleon Hill, author of the all time  best seller, Think and Grow Rich, studied over 500 successful people of his time like Edison, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Charles Schwab, F.W. Woolworth, and Henry Ford to see what made them successful. The tools for success he found are available to anyone at anytime and don’t cost a thing.  The results of his twenty years of research and lifetime of teaching show without a doubt that anyone can be successful.

Conceive and Believe and Achieve

Napoleon Hill asserts that the obstacles we see are the ones we have created within our minds.  He is the originator of the well known phrase, “Anything the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”  Most people blame their lack of success on outside obstacles like time, wealth, education, and lack of support.  But he proves that none of these are valid and that the paths to success or the trails to destruction are created from within our own minds.  Regarding time, both the successful and the unsuccessful are given the same 24 hours.

Edison, nor Ford Had Much Formal Education

Napoleon Hill shares how Edison had only a few months of formal schooling and yet became one of the greatest inventors of our time with over 1,000 patents. Besides the incandescent light bulb by which most people know him, he pioneered the phonograph, motion picture camera, and the alkaline battery which was his most profitable product.    Henry Ford also had very little formal schooling and was not wealthy.  He too had to contend with naysayers, disbelievers, and cynics who thought he was wasting his time.  But his vision and faith were bigger than his detractors and he went on to build the Model T car and changed history forever.

To continue to Part 4: Wisdom of Carnegie, click here  http://wp.me/ppImQ-qD

c) 2010, Barbara S. Talley- All Rights Reserved

Barbara Talley is a keynote speaker, author of six books, and trainer on value-based living themes.  She also offers Effective Communication, Diversity, Leadership, Time Management, and Goal Setting workshops.  Visit her at www.thepoetspeaks.com or contact her at 301-428-4831.  You may email her at Barbara@ThePoetSpeaks.com.