Personal Achievement – Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success
By Rita Blair

I’m sure you’ve heart of the book, “Think and Grow Rich”, by Napoleon Hill. Why is it that all of his books are so successful? Born in to poverty in 1883, it seems as though he tapped in to the Universal Secret of becoming successful financially, physically and spiritually.

In his book, The Seventeen Principals of Personal Achievement, Hill lays out the principals in a practical and concrete way. His first chapter speaks about developing a ‘Definiteness of Purpose’; figuring out what it is that you want to achieve, know as much about it as possible and then performing it exceptionally well. After you write out your plan, you then read it out loud to yourself every day.

In the second chapter, he encourages one to form a Mastermind Alliance with two or more like-minded individuals to work in harmony toward a definite purpose. Each member must agree on the contribution that each will contribute toward the goal.

Hill states that an important step in achieving success in life is to form a pleasant personality. He speaks of the PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) as the most important aspect of any pleasant personality. He encourages one to adapt quickly to changing circumstances and emergencies without becoming upset or angry. He feels that having a flexible disposition is helpful in any situation.

Hill speaks of Mahatma Gandhi and how his five sources of power helped him to defeat the British Empire:

- Definiteness of Purpose
- Going the Extra Mile
- Applied Faith
- Mastermind
- Self-Discipline

In Chapter 13, Hill writes of learning from adversity and defeat and how to turn it in to a blessing. He stresses that one’s attitude about defeat is important in mastering it. “You can see it as a loss or as a chance for gain.”

The last chapter deals with habits to be aware of; “Poverty, Laziness, Envy, Greed, Vanity, Cynicism, Irritability, Revenge, Jealousy, Dishonesty and Arrogance.” I’m just sure you might be familiar with one or two. Hill asks that the reader embrace them and replace them with the follow, “Definiteness of Purpose, Faith, Personal Initiative, Enthusiasm, Self-Discipline and Going the Extra Mile”. I believe these are the same habits that Gandhi used in his quest.

After I read one of Napoleon Hill’s books, I usually feel a bit prideful in my awareness of the obvious, but a bit guilty for not applying the principles. I can only hope that it all comes in sync and I become the person that I know I Am.

Rita Blair
rita@tellthesecret.com

http://www.renegade-rita.com

http://www.imaginetravel.ws

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