Imagination

I want to talk again about Young Gunsaulus, the clergyman, who found $1 million within 36 hours of deciding in his own mind to get it.

In the modern economy, power and money is no longer tied up to land and factories but to minds and ideas. This means that the key to success is within the reach of everybody. And I am more and more convinced that our own thoughts are the obstacle we have to overcome in order to find success. What do I mean? I mean that, we do not believe in our own minds that we can make things happen.

Too many of us, have had it drummed into our heads, that there is a set way to make money. Go to school, get a job, work hard. But this is WRONG. That used to be the best way to make money (its arguable if it was ever the best way), but now, the limits of achievement have been broken. People with no tangible assets, can create wealth like never before in human history. The story from the first chapter, of Edwin Barnes arriving at Edison's doorstep with nothing, and becoming rich within 5 years are more likely to happen now than ever before. Except, nowadays, you could do it in much less than 5 years.

The fact is, success is within the reach of all of us, but what we need is the principles that Napoleon Hill espouses, and the belief that we can achieve it. The decision followed by belief is crucial. If we only had the guts to back ourselves, with the appropriate advice, we can create wealth out of "thin air". There are billions of dollars circulating through the world economy every day. It is not beyond possibility for you to claim your share of it...if you are ready.

Desire

Desire drives all achievement. People can spend their lives vaguely hoping for things, but this is not desire.

"I'd like to be rich some day" is not desire. It is fantasy.

But as I said in the previous post on Desire, it does not have to strike like a bolt out of the blue. It also does not have to be something you were born liking or enjoying. Some desires develop over time. They need to be nurtured. The story of Young Gunsaulus from the chapter on Imagination is a prime example. His thought of starting a new college, began as an idea. It took 2 years of mulling over it, for it to become an obsession.

The conventional wisdom is "if you desire something, you will think about it a lot". But did you know that the converse is also true: "if you think about something a lot, you will desire it". This astounds some people.

Try this over the next few days. Think of something you sort of like, but are not completely obsessed with. It maybe a new car, or a house or a gadget (like the i-phone). Now, spend the next few days, trying to think about it as much as possible. Look up every website you can find about it. Read every magazine, talk with all your friends about it. You will undoubtedly find, that after a few days, you will really want it. And it works the same way with your goals.

Decision

If you want to succeed, you need to make the decision to do so. That is crucial. When you make the decision, you open up a universe of possibilities. I know of many people who talk about achieving something, but they haven't made the decision. They keep talking, but there is no commitment. Without commitment, you cannot achieve anything.

Although the story of Young Gunsaulus is from the Imagination chapter, I think it speaks a lot about Decision. He had spent 2 years mulling over how to get a million dollars to start a college. But it wasn't until he made the decision that things changed. Once he had made the decision, a feeling of reassurance came over him. He knew what he had to do, and he knew that it would happen.