Napoleon Hill says all who succeed in life get off to a bad start, and pass through many heartbreaking struggles before they “arrive.” The turning point in the lives of those who succeed usually comes at the moment of some crisis, through which they are introduced to their “other selves.”
This is where I felt like I was stuck, for a while now. Face to face with my “other self”, but unwilling to hand over the reins of my life. Sometimes I feel as if I have made no progress at all. But in my heart I know that isn’t true.
What happens when you burn food in a pot? I mean REALLY burn it. You get a gooey mess that takes a lot of elbow grease and time to scrape and scrub it all off. And after all that, there is still that bit that’s hard-cooked to the bottom of the pot, and takes special measures to scrub off. That’s what has been happening to me up till now, in this process. I can scrub away all I want, and I will never get rid of that last little bit, without the missing element.
What is the missing element?? I have a good WHY. It’s not about money… money is only a tool. It’s not about goals… goals are the means, the stepping stones, for reaching the fulfillment of my WHY. My WHY… what gets me up in the morning… is the desire to live above any need for concern about money, and be able to share it freely with others who really need it.
The missing element is BELIEF.
“You are ready to acquire it when you BELIEVE you can.”
I heard a story one time about a stunt man who asked a friend, “Do you believe I can take a person across Niagara Falls in this wheelbarrow, on that tightrope wire?”
The friend, knowing he had done it before, said, “Sure I do!”
“All right then. Hop in!” said the stunt man.
His friend declined. He knew the stunt man could do it, but he didn’t really BELIEVE he could.
Network marketing is a relationship business – people working with people, all teaching, coaching, and helping one another to grow and learn and become better people as they work toward their goals. I am proud to be part of a system that is THE best way to build a residual income that lasts for generations, and is also a wonderful way to bond with people and make lifelong friends.
Edwin C. Barnes’ Recipe for Success was simple:
1. Choose your goal.
2. Place all your energy behind that goal.
3. Burn your bridges so there is no retreat.
4. Stand by your desire until it is your dominating obsession.
5. Stick with it, diligently and consistently, until it becomes a physical reality.
“Awake, arise, and assert yourself, you dreamers of the world. your star is now in the ascendency.”
A new race is about to be run.
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This lesson plan was inspired by Chapter 2 of Think and Grow Rich,
by Napoleon Hill, and was originally posted at 30DayCleanse.info
If you would like to participate in a discussion of several lesson
plans like this one, we would love to have you join with us on the
mental cleanse call every Wednesday afternoon or evening.
Contact me and I’ll be happy to give you the call-in details.
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© Willena Flewelling
Success in 10 Steps
Phone 780-349-7163
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Willena,
Thank you for sharing this powerful information. You are spot on in all you say. I appreciate the way your are able to articulate the process so clearly.
Regards,
Thanks Peter.
Great story, and my first thought was I would also pass on the trip on the tightrope. But you there’s even a lesson in that because to put ourselves OUT there we have to have an emotional connection the the process and outcome. Just doing it to prove something, never gets anyone very far … at least not for very long. Thanks!
LOL Marty! I would pass on that too! But it is a powerful visual, and we can certainly apply the obvious to other areas.
Hi Willena!
Great story. I like the points you make especially take action on what you know. It is so easy to forget all that we have learned during this process of marketing. When I did a series for “Newbies” I broke it down to the marketing 101. It was all the stuff I took for granted that I have learned from mentors and classes. The funny thing is, I got so much positive feedback on those blog posts.
Good luck Willena, and keep on going.
Donna
Sometimes it’s good to go back and run through the basics, because it’s surprising what we can forget about over time. The more we take action, the better we get at it.
I too sometines find myself stuck like the gunk in your pot. But then I look back at where I was and realize that I have made progress. Then I start to belive in myself more due to the amount of growht I have accomplished.
@Joyce Edwards, It’s kind of like building a house, isn’t it? Board by board, brick by brick… for a long time it doesn’t look like much, but it is gradually becoming what the builder designed it to be.
Very nice post Willena.
That recipe for success is right on. “Burn the brides so there is no retreat” is a good piece of advice. I refuse to go backwards from where I’m at now… I’m too far into the process and I’m finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There have been many days where it would have been easier for me to just give up… but the bridges for me to go back have been burned! My desires have taken over and I simply refuse to turn back. Thanks for the inspirational post and for reminding me that I’m in just the right place right now.
-Kyle
This is such a beautifully authentic post! I love your analogy about the burned pot!
I still have some scrubbing to do myself, lol!
Edward C Barnes summed up the recipe for success well! Not much more to add to that!
Thanks for the inspiring post Willena!
Keep pushing forward with your heart as the guide.
So true! Just came from a conference with Jack Canfield the women of WPN. I clearly defined my goal, and it is not just to make money. I have a vision. And I am determined to get there!
I have also heard it said.”If your goal is not big enough to bring tears to your eyes, it is not big enough”
Hi Willena:
Great thoughts! Belief is so critical. We can’t just talk the talk we need to walk the walk.
Thanks!
Kevin
I love the analogy of the stuntman story! How different is “belief” and BELIEVE! We behave completely differently at the core of our being and it affects our every decision. Yet it takes time and often proof for belief to sink deep in our psyches beyond the fear and learning to help others through the fear long enough that they CAN begin to believe is one of the keys to helping others.
Kim
Hi Willena
I love the wisdom of Napoleon Hill. Thanks for sharing this really powerful information; also a great analogy… we need to take action on our “why” and “belief” and gather all the missing elements to “scrub the pot clean”. The most powerful for me is #4 – “Stand by your desire until it’s your dominating obsession”. Just knowing that I will succeed has me digging my heels in and never giving up. That belief helps me move past the challenges that keep coming my way. However, I love the “dominating obsession” aspect almost too much and hope it’s not a disease.
Willena,
I love how you compared your presentation to burning food. It just captures everyone’s attention.
I agree, with all that is said on having a strong enough “Why” unrelated to revenue is key. You must also have that hunger burning inside that keeps you up at night. You feel there is not enough time and you wish the days were longer.
Being passionate in what you do is a driving element that will get you anywhere. Your team’s support is another key component.
Willena, your presentation is a great one. This will have everyone commenting with various ways that work. There are never just one. Thank you for really caring and sharing. Your a remarkable woman and one I am proud to call my friend.
Hey Willena,
What a wonderful way to put it. Would I walk on hot coals to build my business?
I am going to ponder on that some! I love your analogy of belief vs believing. This is something I think we all grapple with from time to time.
My two bits is that experience is the great leveller. When we are youjng, we can easily believe in the dream. As life experience piles up, we tend to get more cautious.
The problem is that caution causes us to age and whither! I am spending a lot fo time now clearing my head and refocusing, so this post has come at a great time.
Well, Willena, you’ve touched on the most elusive 3rd step in your ability to attract things you want into your life.
Fist, you must have an intention… a clear idea of what you want. Then you must given attention, or dedicated effort to achieving that. This involves taking the action that will get you to where you want to go.
Finally, you need to believe, truly believe, that you will (not “can”) achieve your goal.
Believing is really a subconscious process, and as such, it is difficult to “do”. You must train yourself to “see” your success, through focused meditation, prayer, affirmations… whatever works best for you. And you must train yourself to see your success so clearly that it’s no leap of faith to believe it, because after all, who wouldn’t believe what they clearly see?
Good luck with it. Sounds like you’re well on your way.
David, thank you for a perfect summary of what Napoleon Hill is saying! I appreciate your comments.
Willena,
You are right on target, as was Hill, about belief. It is all about belief in yourself, not in a mentor guru, not in a system, not even in network marketing. When I believe in what I can do nothing can stand in my way.
When I divorced the mother of my children almost 30 years ago I believed, I knew, it was written in concrete that I would have a bold father/son relationship with my boys. To this day I get bear hugs from them as grown men. All because I believed, I knew nothing could sway me from my task.
Thanks for sharing.
RICK
That’s awesome, Rick! We are not a huggy family, and have had to learn to express our love that way. But we are a close family, and enjoy having all of our adult children nearby.
I agree with your comments about mentor guru’s and systems. My success or failure lies within ME, and not in another. But it sure is good to have a system and mentors to help me learn the skills and give me the tools I need for building my business.
Hey Willena,
Belief, The missing element, I love it!
I agree with you 100 percent.
There are so many skills that one can learn in this industry which will help them to succeed. Relationship building skills. Article writing skills. SEO marketing skills. Social media skills, the list goes on and on.
But there is no skill that will attribute to one’s success more plainly then the skill of mastering one’s own mind and emotions.
That’s where belief begins and dreams come true.
Thanks so much for sharing,
Kevin
Kevin, I agree. Mastering one’s own mind and emotions makes all the other learning so much easier!
Great post, Willena! I love the story of Edwin Barnes! How he just decides that he isn’t going to rest until he becomes a partner with Thomas Edison. How many times do we talk ourselves out of even trying, just because our goal seems impossible? How many times have we started to work at something and found our vision for our goal get even bigger? I know which road I’d rather follow.
Me too, Steve!
Hi Willenna,
Great article!
It’s so true about belief and it’s power to propel you forward. For most of us, we think we have it right, but sometimes we just need to jump over the last hurdle to win the race.
Thanks for sharing!
-kevin
Thanks Kevin. I know what you mean… I often feel as if I’m just about “there” in a particular area, and all I have to do is “pull up my socks”.
It’s good to hear that you’ve discovered your “why”. I love challenges, it gives me the opportunity to test out things that I’ve learned so far. If I don’t have what it takes to get through that challenge, I will most likely fail but that is okay because I will surely learn more from it. We discover more about ourselves through these obstacles in life. But before it all we need to believe in ourselves that we can indeed come through different adversities that we face.
I am abundantly blessed in that I have a group of mentors who already believe in me… and are helping me to develop that belief in myself.
Hi there Willena,
Great post .. .I love Think and Grow Rich… it is the template for us all to follow. Whether they have read it or heard about it or not… ALL successful people have been successful by applying the principles Napoleon Hill Lays down for us.
I know all about burning bridges…. do you?
thanks again
Pete
pete chapman recently posted..Your Amazing Immune System – How Kangen Water Can Help Your Health
LOL… I know I have a few bridges yet to burn! But I’m getting there.
Hi Willena,
love your example of the stunt man offering the wheelbarrow ride across the Niagra Falls on a tight rope. That would be faith beyond …
Personally I believe that when we come ‘face to face with our other self” that the other self is the little child within which still has fears from old conditioning.
For me it is important that my inner child is heard and understood and then reassured. Transactional analysis addresses some of that.
Great article and tips.
Thanks for sharing this.
Cheers
Yorinda
Yorinda recently posted..Forgiveness and Feelings
“Faith beyond…” I like that way of putting it!
I think you’re right about my “other self” being my inner child. A lot of my fears and feelings of inadequacy can be traced easily to my 7-year-old self… lost because of the death of my beloved father. It’s only in recent years I’ve seen how that affected many areas of my life. That little girl is beginning to feel safe and secure again, all these 50+ years later.