The Sixth Sense

The idea of the imaginary council of advisers is an intriguing one. What if you could have access to the greatest minds in history? Imgine that they would be at your call, to offer advice, guidance and even to warn you of impending danger ahead of time. This is what Napoleon Hill promises to those who grasp the full extent of his philosophy of success.

I have certainly read of many influential people describing the act of accessing past figures to guide them (Hilary Clinton said she used to ask Eleanor Roosevelt for advice...and maybe still does?).

Napoleon Hill says that the ability to convene an imaginary council comes only after you have mastered the other 12 steps. But even if you haven't or are nowhere near it, I think there is some value in experimenting with your own personal imaginary council. At the very least, it may help you to clarify the values that are important to you. Think about it. You choose the people who possess the values and attributes that you indentify with and want to develop. If I asked you what your values were, you might not be able to tell me, but if I asked you about people you admire, you would find that much easier. And clarifying values helps you to make decisions in all aspects of your life (more about values in a future post).

A second benefit of convening an imaginary council is the ability to look at things through another point of view. Even if you don't get visions of famous people talking to you (a bit creepy), it is useful to think through a problem from the point of view of someone else, better yet, someone who is "great". You might be at a loss for how to deal with your credit card debt, but what would Benjamin Franklin have said? (Maybe "practice frugality, young man"?)

The other thing is you dont have to start with 9 people. Start with 3-5. It will be much easier to focus. If you find it useful and want more input you can always expand it later. For the moment though, tell Lincoln he's on the short-list.