The Master Key to Richness - Napoleon Hill - Part 8

THE PHILOSOPHIES

 

The BIG FOUR philosophies which are capable of providing more power than the average man needs to carry him to great heights of personal achievement.

 

1.     THE HABIT OF GOING THE EXTRA MILE

 

This principle is the first as it aids in conditioning the mind for the rendering of useful service. This conditioning prepares the way for the 2^nd

 

2.     DEFINITENESS OF PURPOSE

 

With this philosophy, one may give an organized direction to previous principle. These two principles alone will take anyone very far up the ladder of achievement, but those who are aiming for the higher goals of life will need much more help which is available through the 3^rd

 

3.     THE MASTER MIND

 

Through this philosophy, one begins to experience a new and a greater sense of power which is not available to the individual mind, as it bridges one's personal deficiencies and provides him, when necessary, with any portion of the combined knowledge of mankind which has been accumulated down through the ages. This is complete when one acquires the art of receiving guidance through the 4^th

 

4.     APPLIED FAITH

 

Here the individual begins to tune into the Infinite Intelligence, which is a benefit that is available only to the person who has conditioned his mind to receive it. Here the individual begins to take full possession of his own mind by mastering all fears, worries and doubts, by recognizing his oneness with the source of all power.

 

The BIG FOUR are adequate only for the very few who have other needed qualities of success, such as those provided by the remaining.

 

5.     PLEASING PERSONALITY

This enables a man to sell himself and his ideas to other men. It is essential for all who desire to become the guiding influence in a Master Mind alliance.

 

These five philosophies are not enough to insure against defeat. Hence the 6^th

 

6.     HABIT OF LEARNING FROM DEFEAT

 

This principle provides hope sufficient to inspire a man to make a fresh start when his plans go astray

 

Observe how greatly the source of personal power has increased through the application of these six principles. The individual has found out where he is going in life; he has acquired the friendly co-operation of all whose services are needed to help him reach his goal; he has made himself pleasing, thereby, insuring for himself the continued co-operation of others; he has acquired the art of drawing upon the source of infinite intelligence and of expressing that power through applied faith, and he has learned to make stepping stones of the stumbling blocks of personal defeat. However, he would need the further qualities as well at different stages of his life.

 

7.     CREATIVE VISION

 

This enables one to look into the future and to judge it by a comparison with the past, and to, build new and better plans for attaining his hopes and aims through the workshop of his imagination. And here, for the first time perhaps, a man may discover his 6^th sense and begin to draw upon it for the knowledge which is not available through the organized sources of human experience and accumulated knowledge. To put this benefit to practical use, one must use the 8^th principle

 

8.     PERSONAL INITIATIVE

 

This principle starts action and keeps it moving toward definite ends. It insures one against the destructive habits of procrastination, indifference and laziness. This principle is a "habit producer" for it is obvious that the application of no principle may become a habit except by the application of personal initiative. This is the sole means by which a man may exercise full and complete control over the only thing that the Creator has given him control, the power of his own thoughts. Thoughts do not organize and direct themselves. They need guidance, inspiration and aid which can be given only by one's personal initiative. The 9^th principle provides supplementary guidance

 

9.     ACCURATE THINKING

 

It insures against the misdirection of personal initiative and against errors of judgment, guesswork and premature decisions. It protects one against the influence of his own undependable emotions by modifying them through the power of reason commonly known as the "head". The individual will find himself in the possession of tremendous power. This can be dangerous unless use of the 10^th principle

 

10.   SELF DISCIPLINE

 

It is a product of carefully established and carefully maintained habits which in many instances can be acquired only by many years of painstaking effort. So we have come to the point at which the power of the will must be brought into action, for self-discipline is solely a product of the will.

 

Many men have risen to great power by application of the preceding 9 principles only to meet with disaster or they carry others to defeat by their lack of self-discipline. This principle when mastered and applied, gives one complete control over his greatest enemy – himself.

 

Self-discipline must begin by the application of the 11^th principle

 

11.   CONCENTRATION OF ENDEAVOR

 

The power of concentration is also the product of will. Concentration & Self Discipline are called "twin-brothers". It aids one from dissipation of energies and helps one keep his mind on the object of his Definite Major Purpose until it has been taken over by the sub-conscious and there made ready for the translation into its physical equivalent, through the law of Cosmic Habit force. It is the camera's eye of the imagination through which the detailed outlines of one's aims and purposes are recorded in the subconscious section of the mind.

 

Additionally, one needs the 12^th

 

12.   CO-OPERATION

 

Co-operation differs from the Master Mind Principle in that it is a human relationship that is needed, and may be had, without a definite alliance with others, based upon a complete fusion of the minds for the attainment of a definite purpose. It is the means by which one may extend the space he occupies in the minds of others, sometimes known as "good-will".

 

Cooperation is attained more freely and willingly by the application of the 13^th

 

13.   ENTHUSIASM

 

It is a contagious state of mind which not only aids one in gaining the cooperation of others, but more important than this, it inspires the individual to draw upon and use the power of his own imagination. It inspires action also in the expression of personal initiative and leads to the habit of concentration of endeavor. It is one of the qualities of a pleasing personality and it makes easy the application of the principle of Going the Extra Mile. It gives force and conviction to the spoken word.

It is a product of motive, but it is difficult of maintenance without the 14^th

 

14.   HABIT OF HEALTH

 

Sound health begins with a "health consciousness" that can be developed only by the right habits of living, sustained through self-discipline. This provides the basis for enthusiasm, and enthusiasm encourages sound health. (chicken & egg scenario).

 

15.   BUDGETING TIME AND MONEY

 

Independence and freedom of body and mind, the two great desires of all mankind, can't become enduring realities without the self discipline of a strict budgeting system.

 

16.   THE GOLDEN RULE APPLIED

 

The golden rules must be applied as a matter of habit.

 

17.   COSMIC HABITFORCE

 

It is the principle by which all habits are fixed and made permanent by varying degrees. It is the comptrolling principle in which the preceding 16 principles blend and become part of one. It is the controlling factor in conditioning the individual mind for the development and the expression of the "prosperity consciousness" which is so essential in the attainment of personal success.

WORK A 4 HOUR DAY – Arthur Robertson & William Procter

HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR PERSONAL PRIORITIES - LIST AND RANK YOUR PERSONAL VALUES:

 

This exercise is a variation on writing your own obituary, but you may want to try both just to be sure you didn't leave something important out. This exercise can take you one step further by emphasizing taking action to realize or fulfill your priorities.

 

Step #1 – List ten of your most important values, guiding principles for living, or highest life priorities. Put them down in any order that comes to your mind. These may include family, prestige, honesty, wealth, knowing God, serving the poor, or anything else you feel is important. Feel free to refer back to the things you remembered in your obituary, and include them here.

 

Step #2 – Rewrite the above priorities, with the items listed in order of their importance to you, beginning with the most important and ending with the least important.

 

Step #3 – Finally, write out each of your priorities as an action. For example, if you listed "family" as one of your values in Step #2, you might now write, "Care for my family members by giving time and energy to them". Or if you have a priority to "prestige", you might expand that by saying, "Build personal prestige by gaining awards". Or "honesty" might become "Be honest in all my dealings, both in business and private life"

WORK A 4 HOUR DAY – Arthur Robertson & William Procter

HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR PERSONAL PRIORITIES

Write your own OBITUARY:

 

Imagine yourself, after your death, writing your own obituary. This write-up should go beyond a mere description of what you have accomplished in your career. It should also focus on the significance of who you are inside; on personal strengths and special traits; on the quality of relationships you have created; and on the contributions you have made to other individuals and to society.

 

You are not limited in this exercise to what you have actually accomplished or become at this point. The idea is to project ahead and consider what you would like to become and how you would like to be remembered.

 

After the first draft, re-write your obituary with the qualities, achievements and personal characteristics listed in descending order of importance or priority.

The Master Key to Richness - Napolean Hill - Part 7

Andrew Carnegie's analysis of the Master Mind Principle

 

Occupation:

Every man has a tendency to take on the mannerisms, beliefs, mental attitude, political & economic viewpoint as well as other traits of the more outspoken of the men with whom he associates in his daily work. The tragedy of this lies in the fact that not always is the most outspoken among one's daily associates the soundest thinker; and very often he is the man with a grievance, who takes pleasure in airing the grievance among his fellow workers

 

Men of sound character, who know exactly what they wish, usually have the wisdom to keep their own counsel and seldom waste any of their time trying to discourage others. They are so busily engaged in promoting their own purpose that they have no time to waste with anyone or anything which does not contribute in one way or another to their benefit

The Master Key to Richness – Napolean Hill - Part 6

Self Suggestion, the connecting link between the Conscious & the Sub-Conscious Mind

 

Thoughts backed by faith have precedence over all others in the matter of definiteness and speed with which they are handed over to the subconscious section of the mind and are acted upon.

 

The Infinite Intelligence never attempts to modify, change or otherwise alter any thought that is submitted to it, and it has never been known to act upon a mere wish or indefinite idea, thought or purpose

 

So called "hunches" often are signals indicating that Infinite Intelligence is endeavoring to reach and influence the conscious section of the mind, but you will observe that they usually come in response to some idea, plan, purpose or desire, or some fear that has been handed over to the subconscious section of the mind.

 

All "hunches" should be treated civilly and examined carefully, as they often convey, either in whole or in part, information of the utmost value to the individual who receives them. These "hunches" often make their appearance many hours, days or weeks after the thought which inspires them has reached the reservoir of Infinite Intelligence. Meanwhile, the individual often has forgotten the original thought which inspired them.

 

The Master Key to Richness - Napolean Hill - Part 5

How to demonstrate the power of faith

a. Know what you want and determine what you have to give in return for it

b. When you affirm the objects of your desires, through prayer, inspire your imagination to see yourself already in possession of them, and act precisely as if you were in the physical possession thereof. The possession of anything first takes place mentally.

c. Keep the mind open at all times for guidance from within, and when you are inspired by "hunches" to modify your plans or to move on a new plan, move without hesitancy or doubt

d. When overtaken by temporary defeat, as you may be overtaken many times, remember that man's Faith is tested in many ways, and your defeat may be only one of your "testing periods". Therefore, accept defeat as an inspiration to greater effort and carry on with belief that you will succeed.

e. Any negative state of mind will destroy the capacity for faith and result in a negative climax of any affirmation you may express. Your state of mind is everything; therefore take possession of your mind and clear it completely of all unwanted interlopers that are unfriendly to Faith, and keep it cleared, no matter what may be the cost in effort.

f. Learn to give expression to your power of Faith by writing out a clear description of your Definite Major Purpose in life and using it as the basis of your daily meditation.

g. Associate with your Definite Major Purpose as many as possible of the nine basic motives, described previously.

h. Write out a list of all benefits and advantages you expect to derive from the attainment of the object of your Definite Major Purpose and call these into your mind many times daily, thereby making your mind "success conscious". (Called autosuggestion)

i. Associate yourself, as far as possible, with people who are in sympathy with your Definite Major Purpose;people who are in harmony with you, and inspire them to encourage you in every way possible.

j. Let not a single day pass without making at lest one definite move toward the attainment of your Definite Major Purpose. Remember, "Faith without works is dead".

k.Choose some prosperous person of self-reliance and courage as your "pace maker", and make up your mind not only to keep up with that person, but to excel him. Do this silently, without mentioning your plan to anyone. (Boastfulness will be fatal to your success, as Faith has nothing in common with vanity or self-love)

l. Surround yourself with books, pictures, wall mottoes and other suggestive reminders of self-reliance founded upon Faith as it has been demonstrated by other people, thus building around yourself an atmosphere of prosperity and achievement. This habit will be fruitful of stupendous results.

m. Adopt a policy of never evading or running away from unpleasant circumstances, but recognize such circumstances and build a counter-fire against them right where they overtake you. You will discover that recognition of such circumstances, without fear of their consequence, is nine-tenths of the battle in mastering them.

n. Recognize the truth that everything worth having has a definite price. The price of Faith, among other things, is eternal vigilance in carrying out these simple instructions.

The Master Key to Riches - Napolean Hill ; Part 4

Fundamentals of Faith

 

1. Definiteness of Purpose supported by personal initiative or action
2. The habit of GOING THE EXTRA MILE in all human relationships
3. A Master Mind alliance with one or more people who radiate courage based on Faith, and who are suited spiritually & mentally to one's needs in carrying out a given purpose
4. A positive mind, free from all negatives, such as fear, envy, greed, hatred, jealousy and superstition.
5. Recognition of the truth that every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit; that temporary defeat is not failure until it has been accepted as such
6. The habit of affirming one's Definite Major Purpose in life, in a ceremony of meditation, at least once a day
7. Recognition of the existence of Infinite Intelligence which gives orderliness to the universe, that all individuals are minute expressions of this Intelligence, and as such the individual mind has no limitations except those which are accepted and set up by the individual in his own mind
8. A careful inventory of one's past defeats and adversities, which will reveal the truth that all such experienced carry the seed of an equivalent benefit.
9. Self-respect expressed through harmony with one's own conscience
10. Recognition of the oneness of all mankind

Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

A comparison between the classical and romantic points of view.

 

"A classical understanding sees the world primarily as underlying form itself. A romantic understanding sees it primarily in terms of immediate appearance. If you were to show an engine or a mechanical drawing or electronic schematic to a romantic it is unlikely he would see much of interest in it. It has no appeal because the reality he sees is its surface….But if you were to show the same….. to a classical person he might look at it and then become fascinated by it because he sees that within its lines and shapes and symbols is a tremendous richness of underlying form.

 

The romantic mode is primarily inspirational, imaginative, creative, and intuitive. Feelings rather than facts predominate. "Art" when it is opposed to 'Science' is often romantic. It does not proceed by reason or by laws. It proceeds by feeling, intuition and aesthetic conscience. In the northern European cultures, the romantic mode is usually associated with feminity, but this is certainly not a necessary association.

 

The classic mode by contrast proceeds by reason and by laws - which are themselves underlying forms of thought and behavior. In the European cultures it is primarily a masculine mode and the fields of science, law and medicine are unattractive to women largely for this reason. Although motorcycle riding is romantic, motorcycle maintenance is purely classic.

 

I think I am a person with a romantic view. Am quite superficial in that way. Hate to get into the depth of technical things at least. Though it is changing of late. As I have maintained always, I can do it, no problem, but don't have that creative thought that differentiates a genius from a hard worker.

 

This is one of my first few books on philosophy. I frankly am pretty inept in reading these kinds of books. Well, the experimentation has been done courtesy Tushara. It is due to her that I have increased by range of reading as you might call it. It is paying off, I would say as it helps reflect at times.

 

Reflection though is quite a rare commodity nowadays. I hope I don't get too caught up in the rat-race to loose original thought.

Monk who sold the Ferrari

Heart of the rose technique (concentration): Concentrate on the heart of the rose for 5 - 20 mins a day. Try blocking away any other thoughts that come to your mind at that point of time

 

Opposition thinking (positive thinking): Replace any negative thoughts with positive thoughts.

Secret of the lake (power of imaging): Power of imaging. Imagine that you are getting what you want. If you want a happy family, imagine that you have having a nice time with your family. Re-inforce this image again and again.

 

Secrets to self-renewal:

    Expose yourself to enthusiasm

    Give in to goodness now and then

    Find something that needs to be done and start doing it

    Love life - and it will love you right back

 

Goal Setting; Think about the meaning of their lives

 

You will never be able to hit a target that you can't see

 

5 steps to make desires come true

·         To have a clear vision of the outcome

·         To create positive pressure to keep you inspired

·         Never set a goal without attaching a timeline to it

·         Goal not committed to paper is no goal at all

·         Magic Rule of 21: Perform the new activity for 21 days in a row

 

A burning sesnse of passion is the most potent fuel for your dreams

 

Self Mastery is the DNA of life mastery

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Some points I liked about this book and which I feel are something I should think about later are given below:

 

1.     Anybody out there who is a parent, if your kids want to paint their bedrooms, as a favor to me, let them do it. It'll be OK. Don't worry about resale value on the house

2.     You always have to bring something to the table. Only then are you welcome.

3.     You have got to get the fundamentals down as the fancy stuff is not going to work.

4.     Instilling self esteem in children – Give them something that they can't do, they work hard until they find they can do it, and you just keep repeating the process.

5.     Important things – Teamwork, perseverance, sportsmanship, the value of hard work, an ability to deal with adversity

6.     I don't believe in the no-win scenario

7.     Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something

8.     Start by sitting together

a.     Meet people properly

b.     Find things you have in common

c.     Try for optimal meeting conditions

d.     Let everyone talk

e.     Check egos at the door

f.     Praise each other

g.     Phrase alternatives not questions – "I think we should do A, not B" should be re-phrased as "What if we did A, instead of B"

9.     Almost everyone has a good side. Just keep waiting. It will come out.

10.   When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do.

11.   Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity

12.   Experience is what you get when you did not get what you wanted.

13.   Get people's attention

14.   Use "Thank You" notes liberally

15.   The best short-cut is the long way – Work Hard

16.   Give people gifts.

17.   When giving an apology, any performance less than an "A" doesn't count

18.   You should have a contingency plan when all hell breaks loose.

19.   He said he'd prefer that I worked hard and became the best ditch-digger in the world rather than coasting along as a self-impressed elitist behind a desk

20.  If you want something bad enough, never give up (and take a boost when given)

Cash Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki

Cash Quadrant

 

E  | B

__|__

S |  I

   |

 

E – Employee

B – Own Business

S – Self Employed

I  - Investor

 

E – Job Security, Benefits

S – Money not most important thing. Then independence, the freedom to do things their way, to be respected as experts in their field, are much more important than mere money. Hire them, tell them what you want and leave them alone. No need to supervise.

 

Defn of wealth – The # of days you can survive, without physically working (or anyone else in your household physically working) and still maintain your standard of living

 

4 kinds of investors:

1. Risk Averse
2. Turn to Fund Managers
3. Gamblers
4. Investors

 

Focus on investments; Don't diversify.

 

"True investors welcomes volatility"

 

Business is about people and systems.

 

To be successful, learn to

1. Handle rejection
2. Lead people