Napoleon Hill is considered one of the most important writers of the new thought movement. The popular American writer was one of the earliest producers of the literature genre now known as personal-success. His best known book Think and Grow Rich is an all time best seller.
Wikipedia informs us that Hill’s works examined the power of personal belief and its role in a person’s success. The book The Law of Success, originally titled The Law of Success in 16 Lessons, was published first in 1928. It is based on more than 100 interviews conducted by Hill, with many important and self-made industrial giants like JP Morgan, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.
Hill concluded that in his analysis of about 16,000 people 95 per cent fell in the category of failures. The term failure meant that these people had not been able to find happiness and other necessities of life without struggle. He further concluded that these people failed because they did not have a definite aim in life. While the other 5 per cent ‘not only had purposes that were definite, but they had, also, definite plans for the attainment of their purposes’.
We are all looking for success. It is an inherent desire to be popular and to be hailed as successful.
Hill provides us with important lessons for achieving success, however we choose to define it.
Whatever we choose to do with our life, a profession for example, should give us a reason to look forward to getting out of bed every morning.
The lack of a definite aim is a primary obstacle in the path of attaining success. Not knowing what you want could lead to either inactivity or haphazardness, which could mean only waste of time and effort.
Hill firmly believed that we have a tendency to act according to our beliefs. He believed that if you had a definite aim in front of you, you would constantly see opportunities for it to turn into reality.
This has been proven to be right.
Your chosen aim becomes a dominant thought and your sub conscious mind attracts all that is necessary for its fulfilment.
Having a definite aim can be likened to setting out on a journey. When you know your destination you will research the means to reach there and only there, nowhere else. You know where you have to arrive. You will invest time in finding out what it would take for you to reach your chosen destination.
You too can define your aim. Big or small, it will help you achieve what you desire. With every achievement you will notice a boost in your self confidence.
The improved and increased self confidence will act as fuel to the fire and you will find motivation to carry on along the chosen path. The more you focus on achieving your aim, the more clarity you will have to see the path that leads to that aim.
But the big question remains how do you define that aim? The two questions that you need to ponder to find an answer to this are:
1. What do you think about every day?
2. What is that one thing that you find easy to do and that gives you satisfaction?
Spend some time with yourself and think about your definite aim and assess where you stand at the moment with respect to that one aim. And when you begin to act in the direction of that definite aim, success will surely come your way.