Thank you for listening to The Champion Forum Podcast with Jeff Hancher! In this episode, Jeff continues his conversation with Chuck Bolena about the best-selling book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. They discuss Napoleon Hill’s 6-step plan for achieving your desires, the importance of taking action on your desires, what to look for in a mastermind group, and the “secret” Napoleon Hill hid in the book.
In essence, Think and Grow Rich is a book on how to get what you desire. It doesn’t matter if you want wealth, power, joy, etc., the process is the same. The first step to getting what you desire is defining the desire and writing it down. Remember that you can’t achieve a goal you haven’t defined. Attach your goal to something important to you!
Decide what you want
Decide what you are willing to give up
Set a specific date
Start to develop your plan
Write down the first 4 steps into 1-2 clear, concise sentences.
Read out-loud your statement in the morning and at night with emotion.
As a society, we’re not lacking in information. We have plenty of books. The problem is the application. This process helps you set up a plan for success and retrain your mind to make it easier to take action, but you need to commit yourself to make changes in your life to achieve all of your goals and ambitions.
To be successful, you should get people around you who can speak into your life. A common way of referring to this group of people is a mastermind. A true mastermind should be beneficial to everyone in the group, where each member is both giving and receiving. According to Napoleon Hill, a mastermind is a “coordination of knowledge, and effort, and a spirit of harmony between two or more people for the attainment of a definite, common purpose.”
“You must take possession of your own mind and direct it to ends of your own choosing.” - Napoleon Hill
Most people allow circumstances and other people to control their thoughts, feelings, and emotions and that dictates what they do with their time. The person that is successful has figured that out and they use the power of their subconscious mind to achieve more. The reality is that what you feed will grow. If you allow your mind to think negative thoughts and promote negative habits, you will never see the success you desire. However, if you constantly are feeding your mind positive thoughts and you promote healthy habits and desires, you will begin to more naturally think that you will be successful, and eventually, you will see success.
Q: How easy or difficult do you find it to clearly state what you want? What keeps you from thinking that you can achieve that thing? What prompts you to act? What prevents you from acting? Right now, how would you describe the way your subconscious mind views your life and ambitions? What can you start doing today to make it more positive and optimistic?
Q: Have you ever been a part of a mastermind? What about the format did you find the most helpful? Why do you think a mastermind is beneficial when you are at work all day with people who are on your team? What does a mastermind offer that is different from a family dinner or a work meeting?
Business Advice
At some point in your career as a leader, you will have to work with an underperforming employee. Approach weaker players with honesty and empathy. Consider what you want for them and have an honest, open conversation about what’s going on in their world. Help them overcome the struggle in their life. When you do, you’re going to show them that they are more than a number to you. However, if you are constantly dealing with underperforming employees, you need to take a look at yourself and your leadership. Specifically, look at the hiring process. If you’re hiring from the perspective that you NEED someone instead of looking for the right candidate, you’re the one in the wrong.
Q: Have you ever been put into a position you were ill-suited for? How did being in that position affect your work performance? How did it affect your confidence? What benefits do you see when everyone is working in a position they both love and are qualified for?
Application Activities:
Seek out an opportunity to join a mastermind. Many masterminds that start in January open their enrollment in the fall. If you don’t want to or don’t have the resources to join a formal mastermind, consider the people in your life who you have good, productive conversations with. See if they would be willing to meet as a group over coffee once a month!
Go through Napoleon Hill’s 6 steps for realizing your desires. Write down your statement and put it in places where you will see it often. For example, you could put it on your nightstand, on your bathroom mirror, on your desk at work, or car visor. Start saying your statement (with emotion!) every day before you start your day and before you go to bed.
Identify 5 things that you are not currently doing that you need to do in order to set yourself up for the success you want. Commit to doing those 5 things every day this week, no matter what. Don’t worry about if you get them done in the morning or if you are rushing to finish them before bed. Focus on making a small improvement every single day. At the end of the week, check your progress. How do you feel compared to the beginning of the week physically, mentally, and spiritually?
Comments