- unknown
What is Success? The dictionary definition is “Any favorable outcome constitutes success”. P.Yogananda put it as “ The ability to attract what we want when we want". Can it be a state of mind, a mind set which attracts a favorable outcome? Then what is a mindset? Psychologically a mindset can be looked at as certain patterns of thinking due to a certain habit of thinking (always) which gives the desired result.
How are we to achieve this success mindset? Is there a formula?
Napoleon Hill could be credited as the first person to spend a lifetime researching this topic. After twenty years of research funded by Andrew Carnegie (the second richest man in the world at that time) he came up with two books Law of Success & Think and Grow Rich (I strongly recommend these books)
I add a few lines from the publisher’s (Think and Grow Rich) note
“THIS book conveys the experience of more than 500 men of great wealth, who began at scratch, with nothing to give in return for riches except THOUGHTS, IDEAS and ORGANIZED PLANS.”
So what tools did these 500 men interviewed by Napoleon Hill possess? What were the common personality traits?
Three qualities stand out in these men, burning desire with a definite goal, fearlessness and a never say die attitude. I would like to present each quality with a related story or video
Burning desire
Edwin Barnes hardly had any money to travel to where Thomas Edison lived. Here was a penniless youth wanting to be Thomas Edison’s (already a great scientist/ businessman) business partner and not his employee. How did he convince Edison to work with him? How did he translate his burning desire into reality? In Napoleon Hill’s words “He presented himself at Mr. Edison's laboratory, and announced he had come to go into business with the inventor.
In speaking of the first meeting between Barnes and Edison, years later, Mr.Edison said, "He stood there before me, looking like an ordinary tramp, but there was something in the expression of his face which conveyed the impression that he was determined to get what he had come after.
I had learned, from years of experience with men, that when a man really DESIRES a thing so deeply that he is willing to stake his entire future on a single turn of the wheel in order to get it, he is sure to win. I gave him the opportunity he asked for, because I saw he had made up his mind to stand by until he
succeeded. Subsequent events proved that no mistake was made."
Just what young Barnes said to Mr. Edison on that occasion was far less important than that which he thought. Edison, himself, said so! It could not have been the young man's appearance which got him his start in the Edison office, for that was definitely against him. It was what he THOUGHT that counted.”
One great example of a burning desire with a definite goal is a video below about a millionaire who dropped out of high school to go after his passion.
Fearlessness
Lord Krishna in the Gita names fearlessness as the first of 26 qualities of a perfected man.
"My mother was determined to make us independent. When I was four years old, she stopped the car a few miles from our house and made me find my own way home across the fields. I got hopelessly lost."
Richard Branson billionaire owner of Virgin
Do you think Branson found his way back?
Anything of value in this world has been achieved by either one person or a group being fearless or defiant towards an oppressor/market. Starting from Samuel Adams in the American revolution to Gandhi against the British to Richard Branson starting Virgin. So if you want success? Be fearless in promoting your idea, service or business!
I wanted to convey the feeling of fearlessness these great achievers feel and only the world's most fearless animal could do justice to it. See video below
Never say die attitude
"A quitter never wins and a winner never quits"
-- Napoleon Hill
Two young frogs fell into a bucket of milk. Both tried to jump to freedom, but the sides of the bucket were steep and no foundation was to be had on the surface of the liquid.
Seeing little chance of escape, the first frog soon despaired and stopped jumping. After a short while he sunk to the bottom of the bucket and drowned.
The second frog also saw no likelihood of success, but he never stopped trying. Even though each jump seemed to reach the same inadequate height, he kept on struggling. Eventually, his persistent efforts churned some milk into butter. From the now hardened surface of the milk, he managed to leap out of the bucket.--P. Yogananda
Tool to achieve “the mind set”
The single most quality to achieve this mindset is taking control of our mind.The video below sums everything I want to say
Conclusion: Is it possible for us to adopt the mindset of Edwin Barnes, a Badger and a frog in setting out to doing whatever we want to do? Hell yeah!!!!!
Posts
