Napoleon Hill The Law of Success

The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill is an outstanding book. Over the course of 16 lessons it
teaches you the fundamentals of success that go far beyond the realm of business and will allow
you to improve almost every aspect of your life. I can honestly say that it changed my life in a
major way and I am more motivated, confident and happy than I was before I started to work
through the course.

Overview of the 16 Lessons of Law of Success

The Law of Success will teach you about the power of cooperative effort of 2 or more people,
also known as the master mind. It will show you why having a definitive chief aim is essential
for achieving success and that you need to develop confidence in yourself and your goals to
reach it.

Other lessons explain the importance of initiative and leadership, imagination in terms of
visualizing ones success, enthusiasm for the thing one is pursuing and how to develop the self-
control needed to stay focused on the task at hand.

It will help you develop the habits of saving and of doing more than one is paid for. It will go on
to show how a pleasing personality is a better suited for leadership than one that is based on fear
and authority. Lesson 11 talks about why accurate thought is essential for looking at the world
realistically. It explains how to improve ones concentration and why failure is just part of the
process to becoming successful.

Finally it will highlight the value of cooperation and help you build tolerance to each other.

The final chapter explains the definition of the Golden Rule and why it is paramount to living
life in a way that will not only bring success to you but benefit everyone around you.
Lesson 1 The Master Mind
This is a course on the fundamentals of success
Success is largely a matter of adjusting ones self to the ever changing environments
of life in a spirit of harmony and poise
Harmony is based upon understanding the forces of ones environment

The aim of this course is to help the student discover his or her weaknesses and create a
definite plan to eliminate those weaknesses

Among the biggest weaknesses that every successful person had to overcome are
intolerance
cupidity
greed
jealousy
suspicion
revenge
egotism
conceit
the tendency to reap before they have sown
the habit of spending more than they earn

With the aid of this course any person of reasonable intelligence may master these
weaknesses with but little effort or inconvenience

Your business in life is to achieve success

The definition of success in terms of this course is the attainment of your Definite
Chief Aim without violating the rights of other people
This can be the gaining of material wealth as well as the aim to live a simple and
happy life
Regardless of what your aim is, it will be much easier to attain if you cultivate a
pleasing personality and learn to ally yourself with others without friction or envy
 One of the greatest problems in life is that of learning the art of harmonious negotiation
with others
The purpose of this course is to teach people how to negotiate their way through life
free from the destructive effects of disagreement and friction which bring millions of
people to misery, want and failure every year

You should work through this course with a notebook by your side and keep track of any
ideas that will flash into your mind as you read

Also you should begin teaching the laws of this course to others as it is a well know fact
that you learn best what you teach to others

The Master Mind

A mind that is developed through the harmonious co-operation of two or more people
who ally themselves for the purpose of accomplishing any given task

The Master Mind will remain available as long as the friendly alliance between the
individual minds exists

There is a form of telepathy at work whenever two people meet

Without the first word being exchanged people can pick up on the other persons
mind through receiving of their energy
Two minds cannot align unless the element of perfect harmony is present
This constitutes the secret of success or failure of practically all business or social
partnerships

In the first 3-4 years in an alliance of minds like is evident in marriage there is generally a
lot of friction as the minds adjust towards each other
If this period is survived the alliance is more than likely to become a permanent
Lesson 2 A Definite Chief Aim
A Definite Chief Aim
Develop a goal for what you want in life
Think about what you need to do to achieve it
Write down your chief aim and read it at least once a day, better yet place it somewhere
where you can see it all the time
This is called auto-suggestion, a form of self-hypnotism that will serve to fill your
mind with the thought of attaining that goal
A persons actions are always in harmony with the dominating thought in his mind
so you should strive to use the concept of auto-suggestion until your mind is filled
by the thought of reaching your goal
Visualize how you will achieve your goal
Dont just visualize the end result, create a clear picture in your mind of yourself taking
the necessary actions to achieving your goal
Aim high!
Ambitious goals can be very motivating
Everything that you can imagine can be achieved (within reason)
A person with a definite chief aim commands respect and attention at all times
If you truly believe in something and put it to action there is very little that can stop you
It is impossible to achieve real success without a set of well defined goals
Without goals you wouldnt even know you achieved something
If you go through life without direction you will waste all your energy and end up
nowhere
Develop a goal and focus all your energy on achieving it!
Your goal should be precise
Define exactly what business, where it will be located, how much profit you need to
achieve your goal, etc.
For every part of life if you want to achieve something you can set precise goals

Steps To Develop Your Chief Aim

1. Define your chief aim
2. Write down a clear, concise statement of the aim
3. Write down your plans for achieving your aim
 You need a burning desire for the thing you want to achieve, then you need to crystallize that
desire into a definite purpose, then take sufficient appropriate action to reach your goal

Know what you want, when you want it, why you want it and how you intend to get it

Visualize how you will attain your goals

Write down a statement confirming that you can and will realize your goals and read it in the
morning and before you go to bed at night

Follow the plan until you realize your goal, never give up and never doubt that you will
realize your goals

Sometimes it will be necessary to change the goals

Make these changes without hesitation and rewrite your aim

Success
Development of the power with which to get whatever one wants in life
We are living in a world of intense competition
Success can only be achieved through the use of power
Power: Organized energy or effort
The Law of Success teaches how to organize facts, knowledge and the faculties of the
mind into a unit of power
Organized effort is one of the most powerful forces in life
Example: Think about how much power organizations like the catholic church
possess
Success in any business doesnt necessarily require knowledge of that industry but rather an
understanding of ones mind and the mind of others

Other Key Points

As you work through the course you will have ideas about possible applications for the
lessons in business
Write them all down, as you should always write down any idea for a business or a way
to improve your life in general
Dont ever assume you know enough about anything
You should always be aware of the fact that you could learn more about something
Dont get complacent, always strive to improve
 The mind becomes stagnated if it isnt fed with new impulses on a regular bases
Always try to create fresh impulses for your mind
Take a trip to nature or to a place you havent been to before
Try out a new activity like learning a language
Always be honest about your failures
Mistakes are necessary for improvement
If you accept mistakes as being your own and not blame outside forces they are
incredibly powerful tools for improvement
Like attracts like (the law of attraction)
When you expect negative things to happen, they will
This is true for all parts of life like relationships, etc.
Never form an opinion about anything without examining it first
 Lesson 3 Self-Confidence
Self Confidence
Thought is a highly organized form of energy

Fear is the enemy of progress and has existed all through mankind

You can shake off all your fears through the power of auto-suggestion

Once you master your fears you can achieve everything you set your mind to

The 6 Basic Fears of Mankind

1. Fear of Poverty
In the animal world weaker life forms get preyed upon physically
In mankind because of superior intellect poorer people get preyed on financially
A mans status is strongly tied to his financial status
Nothing brings man so much suffering and humiliation as poverty
Thus it is completely logical to fear poverty
This fear drives people to commit the most violent crimes
There would be no fear of poverty if man could trust his fellow men
There are enough resources on earth for every person to have everything they could
possibly need
This is not possible because of mans instinct to cheat and exploit other men

2. Fear of Old Age

3. Fear of Criticism
People do what society expects them to do in order to avoid being criticized and
embarrassed
Many industries exploit this fear
Example: Fashion industry brings new trend every year
Historically criticism of religion or government would mean persecution or death
Back then fear of criticism was very reasonable but today it is rather petty and
meaningless

4. Fear of Loss of Love

Origin in mans instinct to protect his partner from other men
Jealousy is a symptom of this fear
This fear might be the most painful and the one that creates the most havoc in the human
mind
5. Fear of Ill Health
Like poverty and old age, the fear of ill health entails a fear of a terrible alternative to
normal life
Strong possibility that the medical industry has played a big role in keeping this fear alive
in peoples minds

6. Fear of Death
Autosuggestion is a very powerful tool to conquer your fears
Most people are not aware of this concept and apply it in a way that hinders them instead
of helping them
Typically what happens is that they experience failure in some areas of life
Since they failed a few times they tell themselves that they will fail in the future
This belief grows stronger and stronger through autosuggestion until it becomes a self-
fulfilling prophecy
You have to use the tool of autosuggestion to break up the mental blocks that have
accumulated over years
Keep visualizing positive scenarios and never stop believing in the power of
autosuggestion

The Power of Habit

Habit grows out of doing or thinking the same things over and over again
When a habit is well formed, the mind has a tendency to attach itself to and follow the
course of that habit
Habit is created by repeatedly directing one or more of the five senses of seeing, hearing,
smelling, tasting and feeling in a given direction
Voluntarily, and by force if necessary, direct your efforts and your thoughts along a desired
line until you have formed the habit that will lay hold of you and continue, voluntarily, to
direct your efforts along the same line
Create a positive statement for yourself confirming that you will reach whatever goals you
set for yourself and read it at least once a day
Here is the statement written by Napoleon Hill for The Law of Success:

I know that I can achieve the object of my definite purpose; therefore I demand of myself
persistent, aggressive and continuous action towards its attainment.
I realize that the dominating thoughts of my mind eventually reproduce themselves in outward,
bodily action, and gradually transform themselves into physical reality, therefore I will
concentrate my mind for thirty minutes daily upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to
be, by creating a mental picture of this person and then transforming that picture into reality
through practical action.
I know that through the principle of Auto-suggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my
mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means of realizing it, therefore I
will devote ten minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of the factors named in the
sixteen lessons of the Law of Success.
I have clearly mapped out and written down a description of my definite purpose in life, for the
coming five years. I have set a price on my services for each of these five years; a price that I
intend to earn and receive, through strict application of the principle of efficient, satisfactory
service which I will render in advance.
I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure unless built upon truth and justice,
therefore I will engage in no transaction, which does not benefit all whom it affects. I will
succeed by attracting to me the forces I wish to use, and the cooperation of other people. I will
induce others to serve me because I will first serve them. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy,
selfishness and cynicism by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative
attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me because I
will believe in them and in myself. I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory and
repeat it aloud once a day with full faith that it will gradually influence my entire life so that I
will become a successful and happy worker in my chosen field of endeavor.

Other Key Points

Struggles and problems can be very positive forces in life
If you never struggle in life like some children of rich people, your mental facilities for
coping with life wont develop
This leads to loss of ambition and self-confidence and will lead you to live your life in
uncertainty
Embrace your failures and mistakes, without them you have no chance of reaching
your goals
Use writing and autosuggestion to break open mental blocks that festered over the
years and create a positive attitude and self confidence

The faculties of the mind wither away if they are not used
The same is true for self-confidence, if you dont have new impulses that strengthen
your self-confidence it will grow weaker
 Lesson 4 The Habit of Saving
Saving and the Law of Habit
Saving money is solely a matter of habit

If you include a definite plan for saving a certain amount of your income in the written
statement of your chief aim, your mind will accept this saving of money as habit

Most of us are raised by parents that dont understand the psychology of habit
Without knowing it they form the habit of spending in their children by
overindulgence with spending money and lack of training in the habit of saving
The habit of saving is one of the most important lessons to teach to a child

When you give the average person $1000 they immediately start to think about how to
spend that money, not to save it
We are ruled by our habits!
You should strive to train your mind so saving money becomes a natural part of your
life

Following the systematic habit of saving a definite proportion of all the money you earn or
receive is the only way to ever achieve financial independence
If you dont learn how to save you will never be financially independent because you
will always adapt your spending to your earnings

Debt
It is impossible to do your best work when you are being weighed down by debt

Unless you free yourself from your debt you will forever be its prisoner

Debt amplifies the fear of poverty and greatly decreases your ambition and self-confidence

2 Classes of Debt:
1. Debt incurred for luxuries that become a dead loss

Should be avoided at all cost, only buy luxuries when you know you can afford it

2. Debt incurred in the course of professional or business trading

Use good judgment when making decisions that lead to these kinds of debts, if the
investment is a sensible one, it can make sense economically
 Avoid spending beyond your limitations as this would lead to speculation and can have
very serious consequences

Saving and the Fear of Poverty

The fear of poverty is a negative, destructive force
Moreover, one negative state of mind has a tendency to attract other similar states of
mind
Fear of poverty may attract fear of ill health or fear of old age, thus people might fall
into illness out of fear of poverty or grow old before actually reaching old age

How to Master the Fear of Poverty:

If you are in debt, stop the habit of buying on credit and gradually pay off the debt you
already owe

Adopt the habit of saving a portion of your income as part of your definite chief aim

Soon this habit will take hold of your mind and you will find joy in saving

The discontinuance of the habit of spending will leave a hole in the mind that must be
filled with the habit of saving

Other Key Points

It is essential for any business to put away money in case of emergency
Countless businesses go bankrupt because they fail to secure themselves in this way

For individuals the same goes for savings accounts

They enable the individual to seize opportunities when they arise and save them from
the embarrassment of having to ask relatives or friends for cash when an unexpected
emergency occurs

The habit of saving also develops other qualities essential for success

Often cutting things like alcohol or other recreational items can have other beneficiary
effects like improved health
Lesson 5 Initiative and Leadership
Initiative
Initiative is doing the right thing without being asked

Initiative is paramount for success

To be a leader you have to take the initiative, it will not fall into your lap

To gain the habit of initiative you have to shake off the habit of procrastination
When you feel like something needs to be done, DO IT!
Make a plan and put it to action

Even if you dont have anything to gain by certain actions you should use them as a means
of training and developing the aggressive spirit of initiative you need to become successful

True happiness doesnt come from earning more money for your work but from the
enjoyment of doing the best work you can possibly do

When you strive to do the best you can do, work doesnt feel like work anymore but rather
like a game that gives you joy

When you learn something new like this course try to teach it to your friends or family
You learn best what youre trying to teach to others
When you repeat something over and over to others you will automatically imprint it
into your subconscious
Teaching others will also train your ability to lead others

Leadership
Leadership requires a number of qualities:
Self-confidence
Self-sacrifice
Fairness
Initiative
Decisiveness
Dignity
Courage

You have to possess strong knowledge of the field you are leading others in as people do
not follow leaders who show weakness or indecision
 You have to be able to control your emotions in stressful situations and remain calm,
collected and able to think and express yourself clearly

In order to be strong in tough times you should adopt a mindset where you make light of
your troubles and belittle your problems
This is invaluable advice as it will teach you not to feel sorry for yourself but to look
ahead and find solutions for your problems

Your followers will reflect your own actions more than your words
Lead by living what you expect from your followers instead of preaching empty words

You have to have a strong understanding of the personalities of your followers

You cant treat all your followers the same, they require different approaches and
styles of leadership

To act calmly and decisive in a stressful situations requires comprehensive preparation,

you should think about different scenarios of problems and prepare solutions
This will also train you for unexpected emergencies and enable you to react much
better than if you hadnt prepared yourself at all

You should strive to be the friend of your followers but not their intimate
They should be in awe of you not fear!

Other Key Points

In lesson 1 you learned about the definite chief aim
This chief aim must be active and not passive
Your aim will never be anything more than a wish unless you become a person of
initiative and aggressively pursue that aim until it has been fulfilled

To become a person of initiative you have to form the habit of aggressively following your
chief aim until you acquire it, whether that takes one year or twenty years

Leadership requires the power of quick and firm decision

Leaders will always be decisive, even in small matters
Followers will never be decisive

Followers generally dont know what they want

They will procrastinate and refuse to reach a decision until a leader induces them to
do so
Knowing that most people cannot and will not make decisions is very helpful for the
leader who knows what he wants and has a plan for getting it
 Every leader makes use of the Law of a Definite Purpose, the Law of Self-confidence and
the Law of Initiative and Leadership

Outstanding leaders also make use of the Laws of Imagination, Enthusiasm, Self-Control,
Pleasing Personality, Accurate Thinking, Concentration and Tolerance
Lesson 6 Imagination
Imagination is the workshop of the human mind where old ideas and established facts are
reassembled into new combinations and put to new uses

Imagination is needed to put the principle of auto suggestion into operation

Every lesson of this course requires an understanding of the power of imagination

You will never have a definite purpose in life, you will never have self-confidence, you will
never have initiative and leadership unless you first create the qualities taught in this
course in your imagination and see yourself in possession of them

You can see the importance of imagination when you stop and realize that it is the only
thing in the world over which you have absolute control
You can lose your material wealth but nobody can rob you of your imagination

Every person that enjoyed great success saw that success in his imagination first

A strong imagination will enable you to see opportunities in all of life

If you use your imagination properly it will help you transform your failures into assets of
great value and make you realize that failures often lead to great opportunities

Watch out for a dangerous form of imagination: dreaming

Dreaming only of the end results without imagining yourself in the process of getting
there will give you a wrong sense of achievement and lead to frustration when you hit
bumps in the road

When youre trying to convince somebody of a product or a plan you have to have the
ability to paint a picture in their mind that will make them want to buy whatever youre
selling
This needs imagination and the ability to convey your visions onto others

Achieving success in a given field often requires doing something unique that nobody else
is doing
If you only follow other peoples ideas you will always have a lot of competition
Creating something different requires a very strong imagination
Train your imagination as much as you can by envisioning different scenarios for all
your endeavors
This will also manifest the vision of success in your subconscious and help you
achieve whatever you desire
 Imagination is the most important factor in the art of selling
You have to be able to observe your customers and imagine what they want without
them stating it out loud
You will make a lot more sales if you manage to guess correctly what the customer
wants without them telling you
Lesson 7 Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is a state of mind that inspires and arouses someone to put into action the
task at hand

Enthusiasm is contagious and affects every person the enthusiast comes in contact with

Enthusiasm is the most important factor of successful salesmanship, it is vital to public

speaking and leadership

It will energize your entire body and enable you to cope with less than half the usual
amount of sleep and perform from two to three times as much work as you usually
perform in a given period, without fatigue

If enthusiasm truly gets a hold of you it will make you forget time and space and you will
reach the zone where your concentration is as big as possible

Some people are blessed with natural enthusiasm, while others must acquire it
You have to find work you like doing
If youre in a position where you cant do what you love, develop a chief aim that will
get you to where you want to be and you will develop enthusiasm for your current
work as part of the bigger plan

Happiness can only be achieved through the hope of future achievement

The house you want to own, the life you want to lead, the money you intend to earn
are the things that produce happiness
These are also the things out of which your definite chief aim is formed and over
which you may become enthusiastic, no matter what your present station in life may
be

How Your Enthusiasm Will Affect Others

One of the most important subjects of this course is suggestion

Suggestion is the principle through which your words and your acts and even your state of
mind influence others

The human subconscious mind is very powerful at detecting other peoples feelings and
energy
In this way your state of mind will influence those around you even if you dont talk or
take action
 The tone in which you make a statement has more power of conviction than the statement
itself

If your thoughts and your actions and your words harmonize, you are bound to influence
those with whom you come in contact, more or less toward your way of thinking
Your thoughts are the most important of those three because they control your
words and actions

Before you can influence another person through suggestion, that persons mind must be
open and receptive
First impressions count!
You have to present yourself well in order for people to approach you with an open
mind

Suggestion is one of the most subtle and powerful principles of psychology

You are making use of it in all that you do and say and think, but unless you
understand the difference between negative suggestion and positive suggestion, you
may be using it in such a way that it is bringing you defeat instead of success
The only thing that can give somebody real and enduring power is character
Reputation is not character!
Reputation is what people are believed to be, character is what people are
You cannot acquire character without building it by your own thoughts and actions
Through the use of auto-suggestion, any person can build a sound character, no
matter what his past has been

Stimuli That Produce Enthusiasm

1. Occupation in work which one loves best

2. Environment where one comes in contact with others who are enthusiastic and optimistic

3. Financial success

4. Complete mastery and application, in ones daily work, of the Fifteen Laws of Success

5. Good health

6. Knowledge that one has served others in some helpful manner

Lesson 8 Self-Control

Enthusiasm and Self-Control

Self-control is needed to direct your enthusiasm to constructive ends
Without self-control enthusiasm can be very destructive
Enthusiasm is the vital quality that arouses you to
action, while self-control is the balance that
directs your action to be constructive

The majority of a persons griefs come about through lack of self-control

Every single person that enjoys great success has developed the traits of patience, poise
and self-control

If you neglect to exercise self-control, you are not only likely to injure others, but you are
sure to injure yourself!

If you possess strong self-control, you will always have the upper hand in an argument
Losing your temper is losing your self-control
If you stay calm you will be able to think clearly while an aggressive person will lose
the ability to make good decisions

In sales you have to possess the self-control to never argue with a customer
If a customer says something you dont like you have to be able to ignore it and
remain calm and friendly

Self-control is one of the essential qualities a leader must possess

If you refuse or neglect to exercise self-control you will miss countless opportunities in
your life
If you are employed your employer will notice whether you have self-control or not
and it will reflect on your possibilities for advancing in your carrier
If you run a business self-control will have a big effect on your relationships with
suppliers, partners and customers

General Conduct of a Person with Strong Self-Control

A person with well-developed self-control
does not indulge in hatred, envy, jealousy, fear, revenge, or any similar destructive
emotions
 does not go into ecstasies or become ungovernably enthusiastic over anything or
anybody
will not permit himself to be influenced by the cynic or the pessimist; nor will he
permit another person to do his thinking for him
will stimulate his imagination and his enthusiasm until they have produced action, but
he will then control that action and not permit it to control him
will never, under any circumstances, slander another person or seek revenge for any
cause whatsoever
will not hate those who do not agree with him; instead, he will endeavor to
understand the reason for their disagreement, and profit by it
Greed, selfishness and self-approval beyond accurate self-analysis indicate lack of self-
control in of its most dangerous forms
Self-sacrifice is a commendable quality, but when it is carried to extremes, it also becomes
one of the dangerous forms of lack of self-control
One of the most dangerous forms of lack of self-control is the habit of forming opinions
before analyzing the facts
Another grievous form of lack of self-control is the spending habit

How to build self-control

f you feel yourself getting angry in situations where you wish to remain calm you have to
analyze the reasons for your anger
Anger is always just a symptom for deeper issues like repressed emotions
You have to educate yourself on the nature of these emotions as you cant control
what you dont understand
The best tool for dealing with accumulated emotions is to write
Sit down and write down everything you can think of that could be the reason
for your anger
We resolve most our issues by thinking about them enough, however writing will
accelerate this process greatly, as will talking about it to somebody else
Lesson 9 The Habit of Doing More Than Paid For
There is work we do not like, work we like moderately and, under certain conditions, work
we actually love

Endurance at work depends largely on the extend on which one likes, dislikes or loves
what he is doing
If you love your work you can labour for a long period of time without becoming
fatigued
Work you dislike will bring fatigue very quickly

The same goes for the quality of your work

You will be more efficient and more likely to succeed when engaged in work you love
When you do what you love it is no hardship to do more work than what you are paid
for
You owe it to yourself to find the sort of work you like best!

Obstacles When Engaging in the Work One Loves Best

Doing what you love doesnt always get you support from your closest friends or family
It may take a great amount of energy to combat the negative suggestions from
friends and relatives
You should prepare yourself for conversations with those close to you and be honest
about your plans
While you may not wish to hurt those around you, this is your life dont let other
people stand in the way of your happiness

Often the work you love doesnt bring the greatest remuneration at the start
Offsetting this is the fact that you will find the greatest of all rewards, happiness!
Usually the money earned over a long period of time as well as the work performed
out of passion is much greater in quantity and quality than the work performed solely
for money
the work you do without getting paid or even without hopes of ever getting paid will
open opportunities later in life
Napoleon Hill spent years collecting data and transforming it into The Law of
Success while collecting debt and facing huge opposition from friends and family
Reasons for Adopting the Habit of Doing More Than
Paid For
By establishing a reputation as being a person who always renders more service and better
service than that for which you are paid, you will benefit by comparison with those around
you who do not render such service
You will become so adept in your work that you can command greater remuneration
than those who do not perform such service
By separating yourself from the majority of people who do as little work as they can
get away with you practically ensure yourself safety of employment

The most important reason is the fact that you will gain experience and strength of
character that is invaluable for any work you wish to pursue in the future

The principle of doing more also applies to employers

When you pay better wages or offer better conditions than your competitors you
automatically attract a better workforce
Happy employees are good employees!
Lesson 10 Develop A Pleasing Personality
Your personality is the sum total of your characteristics and appearances which distinguish
you from all others
The clothes you wear, the lines in your face, the tone of your voice, the thoughts you think,
the character you have developed by those thoughts, all constitute parts of your
personality
By far the most important part of your personality is that which is represented by your
character, and is therefore the part that is not visible
The style of your clothes and their appropriateness will form first impressions in the minds
of people you come in contact with
The expression of your eyes also forms an important part of your personality, for there are
people who can look through your eyes into your heart and see that which is written there
by the nature of your most secret thoughts
A pleasing personality is essential to success in any work that sees you dealing directly with
customers
A Pleasing Personality is one that makes use of Imagination and Cooperation
Analyze any man who does not have a Pleasing Personality and you will find lacking in
that man the faculties of Imagination and Cooperation also

Ways to Develop a Pleasing Personality

The most important part of a pleasing personality is character

You cannot fake having good character, people you come into contact with will notice
subconsciously whether you are true of heart of not
You build character by strong self-discipline
Study those whose character is made of the same qualities you wish to build into your
own character, then appropriate these qualities through the aid of auto-suggestion
Make the dominating thought of your mind a picture of the person that you intend to
be: the person that you are deliberately building, through this procedure
Find at least one person each day, and more if possible, in whom you see some good
quality that is worthy of praise, and praise it. Remember that this praise must not be
in the nature of cheap, insincere flattery; it must be genuine
This habit will soon reward you with a feeling of self-respect and manifestation
of gratitude from others that will modify your entire personality
 You can never express an attractive personality through a harsh or shrill voice. You must
cultivate your voice until it becomes rhythmical and pleasing to the ear
Study the prominent men and women of today and observe the significant fact that the
more prominent they are the more efficient are they in speaking forcefully
No one may hope to become a prominent leader in any noteworthy undertaking without
developing the ability to speak with forcefulness that carries conviction
Learn how to shake hands so that you express warmth of feeling and enthusiasm through this
form of greeting
Attract other people to you by first attracting yourself to them
Remember that your only limitation, within reason, is the one, which You set up in Your
own mind
No person with a grievance can be also a person with an attractive personality
Remove the smoked glasses through which you see what you believe to be the
blueness of life and behold the shining sunlight of friendliness in its stead
Lesson 11 Accurate Thought
To think accurately you have to separate facts from mere information
There is much information available to you that is not based upon facts

You have to separate facts into two classes: the important and the unimportant or the
relevant and the irrelevant
All facts which you can use in the attainment of your definite chief aim are important
and relevant
all that you cannot use are unimportant and irrelevant

All successful people have acquired the habit of combining and using the important facts
which affect their line of work
It is not always about working harder but more efficiently

To understand the importance of distinguishing between facts and mere information study
the people that accept without analysis all they hear through news or gossip
You should always use your own judgment and gather facts before forming an
opinion

The accurate thinker deals with facts, regardless of how they affect his own interests, for
he knows that ultimately this policy will bring him out on top, in full possession of the
object of his definite chief aim in life

It requires a strong and unshakable character to become an accurate thinker

You have to accept that thinking accurately will bring you temporary disadvantages
but in the long run it is the only way to enduring success

It is necessary to examine both a statement made and the person who makes the
statement
This is especially true if that person could profit in any way from the statement

If a person slanders another their remarks should be taken with great caution because
they will be filled with great bias

Evidence is always subject to the closest scrutiny, and all the more so when it is of a
negative or destructive nature

No harm can come from accepting, as fact, hearsay evidence that is constructive: but its
opposite, if accepted at all, should be subjected to the closest inspection possible under
the available means of applying the law of evidence

The eyes of the accurate thinker see facts not the delusions of prejudice, hate and envy
 To think accurately you have to be fair enough to look for virtues as well as faults in other
people

The sub-conscious mind accepts and acts upon all suggestions that reach it, whether they
are constructive or destructive, and whether they come from the outside or from your
own conscious mind
This highlights the importance of carefully selecting what you pass to your
subconscious mind through auto-suggestion

When auto-suggestion is used in the wrong way it can have terrible consequences
In hypochondriacs it can lead to serious illness through the constant fear of getting ill
that manifests itself in the subconscious until it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
You should go to great lengths as to keep in mind the power of the subconscious
mind and what inputs to select

How to Develop Accurate Thought

To learn how to THINK ACCURATELY one must thoroughly understand:

1. That the mind can be controlled, guided and directed to creative, constructive ends.

2. That the mind can be directed to destructive ends, and, that it may, voluntarily, tear down and
destroy unless it is with plan and deliberation controlled and directed constructively.

3. That the mind has power over every cell of the body, and can be made to cause every cell to
do its intended work perfectly or it may, through neglect or wrong direction, destroy the normal
functionary purposes of any or all cells.

4. That all achievement of man is the result of thought, the part which his physical body plays
being of secondary importance, and in many instances of no importance whatsoever except as a
housing place for the mind.

5. That the greatest of all achievements, whether in literature, art, finance, industry, commerce,
transportation, religion, politics or scientific discoveries, are usually the results of ideas
conceived in one mans brain but ACTUALLY TRANSFORMED INTO REALITY BY
OTHER MEN, through the combined use of their minds and bodies.

6. The majority of all thoughts conceived in the minds of men are not ACCURATE, being more
in the nature of opinions or snap-judgments. When Alexander the Great sighed because he had
no more worlds (as he believed) that could be conquered he was in a frame of mind similar to
that the present-day Alexanders of science, industry, invention, etc., whose accurate thoughts
have conquered the air and the sea
 Lesson 12 Concentration
Concentration is the act of focusing the mind upon a given desire until ways and means for
its realization have been worked out and successfully put into operation

The ability to control your attention and focus it on a given problem until you have solved
it

Mastering concentration requires real self-mastery; throwing of the effects of habits you
which to discard and building new habits that are more to your liking
This requires you to control your thoughts and direct them to a definite end

Two important laws enter into the act of concentrating the mind on a given desire: auto-
suggestion and habit

The Power of Habit

Habit is the basis of all memory training
You repeat something over and over until you memorize it
The law of habit highlights the importance of selecting our environment with the
greatest of care, because environment is the mental feeding ground out of which the
food that goes into our minds is extracted
Environment: the sum total of sources through which you are influenced by and
through the aid of the five senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling
Habit can be mastered, harnessed and set to work, instead of being allowed to
dominate ones actions and character
The best way in which old habits may be removed is to form new habits to counteract
and replace the undesirable ones

How to Develop Good Habits

1. At the beginning of the formation of a new habit put force and enthusiasm into your
expression. Feel what you think. Remember that you are taking the first steps toward
making the new mental path; that it is much harder at first than it will be afterwards. Make
the path as clear and as deep as you can, at the beginning, so that you can readily see it
the next time you wish to follow it.

2. Keep your attention firmly concentrated on the new path-building, and keep your mind
away from the old paths, lest you incline toward them. Forget all about the old paths, and
concern yourself only with the new ones that you are building to order.
3. Travel over your newly made paths as often as possible. Make opportunities for doing so,
without waiting for them to arise through luck or chance. The oftener you go over the new
paths the sooner will they become well-worn and easily traveled. Create plans for passing
over these new habit-paths, at the very start.

4. Resist the temptation to travel over the older, easier paths that you have been using in the
past. Every time you resist a temptation, the stronger do you become, and the easier will it
be for you to do so the next time. But every time you yield to the temptation, the easier
does it become to yield again, and the more difficult it becomes to resist the next time.
You will have a fight on at the start, and this is the critical time. Prove your determination,
persistency and will-power now, at the very beginning.

5. Be sure that you have mapped out the right path, as your definite chief aim, and then go
ahead without fear and without allowing yourself to doubt. Place your hand upon the
plow, and look not backward. Select your goal, then make good, deep, wide mental paths
leading straight to it.

Environment
The term environment covers a very broad field. It consists of the books we read, the
people with whom we associate, the community in which we live, the nature of the work
in which we are engaged, the country or nation in which we reside, the clothes we wear,
the songs we sing, and, most important of all, the religious and intellectual training we
receive prior to the age of fourteen years

You should select your environment, as far as possible, with the object of supplying the
mind with suitable material out of which to carry on its work of attaining our definite chief
aim.
If your environment is not to your liking, change it!
Lesson 13 Co-operation- Organized Effort
The three most important factors that enter into the process of organizing effort are:
Concentration
Co-operation
Co-ordination

All successful people possessed the ability to enlist the co-operative efforts of other men
who supplied talent and ability which they, themselves, did not possess

Mere organized effort is not sufficient to insure outstanding success; the organization
must consist of individuals each of whom supplies some specialized talent which the other
members of the organization do not possess

In nearly all commercial undertakings there is a need for at least three classes of talent:
buyers, salesmen and those familiar with finance
When these three classes of men organize and co-ordinate their efforts they avail
themselves, through this form of co-operation, of power which no single individual of
the group possesses
Many businesses fail because the composition of the workforce is imbalanced

We are living in a world in which the law of the survival of the fittest is everywhere in
evidence
Those who are fit are those who have power, and power is organized effort
Unfortunate is the person who either through ignorance, or because of egotism,
imagines that he can sail this sea of life in the frail bark of independence

All natural laws and all of Natures plans are based upon harmonious, co-operative effort,
as all who have attained high places in the world have discovered

The man whose philosophy is based upon co-operation instead of competition will not
only acquire the necessities and the luxuries of life with less effort, but he will enjoy an
extra reward in happiness such as others will never feel

Personal power is developed by developing, organizing and coordinating the faculties of

the mind

You have to balance mind and body in a way that will allow you to perform on a high level
and be motivated to do so without feeling the constant threat of laziness dragging you
down
Eat healthy and exercise to keep up your bodys energy levels
Make sure you get enough rest so your mind doesnt burn out
 Make room for entertainment and activities that are fun to you, no person can be
successful without being happy
Lesson 14 Failure
Under ordinary circumstances the term failure is a negative one
Through this misuse of the word failure it has brought unnecessary grief to millions of
people

We should distinguish between failure and temporary defeat

Temporary defeat is often a blessing in disguise as it wakes us up and redirects our

energies along different and more desirable lines

A strong character is usually built through set-backs and temporary defeat

Every time you face defeat of some sort you should cherish the opportunity to learn from
it and emerge stronger than before
Often defeat is the only way to learn a lesson or improve in some area of life
Defeat greatly increases the intensity of whatever lesson it teaches us

This principle is the main force that is building our character when we are growing up
If you never face any problems while growing up you will end up unable to cope on
your own and will forever be dependent on money you inherit

Defeat is a destructive force only when it is accepted as failure

When accepted as teaching some needed lesson it is always a blessing

Every successful person has faced defeat at some points and quite often the amount of
success a person enjoys is proportional to the obstacles he had to overcome on his way to
the top

Be thankful for the defeat which men call failure, because if you can survive it and keep on
trying it gives you a chance to prove your ability to rise to the heights of achievement in
your chosen field of endeavor

If you feel broken and hopeless and everything around you seems to go wrong, always
remember that the wheel of life keeps turning and if it brings you sorrow today it will bring
you joy tomorrow
Dont despair and look ahead, know that every great person has faced problems just
like you have and has grown stronger because of them
 Lesson 15 Tolerance
Intolerance is a form of ignorance which must be mastered before any form of enduring
success may be attained
It is the chief cause of all wars
It makes enemies in business and in the professions
It disintegrates the organized forces of society in a thousand forms, and stands, like a
mighty giant, as a barrier to the abolition of war

Intolerance is the chief disintegrating force in the organized religions of the world

Almost always intolerance is based on somebody elses beliefs that we accept as our own
without questioning them

Our entire personality is built between the ages of 1 and 14 when we are accepting every
piece of information as the absolute truth
It is very important that we start to question our beliefs once our mind develops
enough to form our own opinions

Being successful requires a very tolerant mindset as you will have to form alliances and
partnerships with people of many different cultures and beliefs

Social Heredity
Social heredity is the principle through which the young of the race absorb from their
environment, and particularly from their earlier training by parents, teachers and religious
leaders, the beliefs and tendencies of the adults who dominate them

The three great organized forces through which social heredity operates are: The schools,
the churches and the public press
Any ideal that has the active co-operation of these three forces may, during the brief
period of one generation, be forced upon the minds of the young so effectively that
they cannot resist it

It would be possible to abolish war through social heredity if all the religions and schools of
the world organized themselves in cooperation

The church is the greatest potential power in the world because its power grows out of
mans emotions
Emotion rules the world, and the church is the only organization which rests solely
upon the power of emotion
 Lesson 16 The Golden Rule
Do unto others only that which you would wish them to do unto you if your positions were
reversed

If you devote your entire life to this rule you will be fair, tolerant and respectful of every
person you meet and this will reflect directly in the way you are treated in return

You can use this law as an irresistible power that will carry you to heights of achievement,
which could not be attained without its aid

A passive attitude toward the Golden Rule will bring no results

You have to apply it actively in all your relationships, whether personal or
professional
Likewise it will bring you nothing if you use the Golden Rule as a cloak to cover up a
covetous and selfish nature, even the most ignorant person will figure out who you
really are

The Golden Rule cannot be circumvented, you reap what you sow!

If you observe a person whose only goal is the attainment of wealth and who disregards the
Golden Rule completely, you will find that he is a slave of his desire for wealth, he is too
busy to enjoy life and too selfish to wish to help others enjoy it
Yet there are many who envy such a man and wish that they might occupy his position,
foolishly believing him to be a success
There can never be success without happiness, and no man can be happy without
dispensing happiness to others
Moreover, the dispensation must be voluntary and with no other object in view than that
of spreading sunshine into the hearts of those whose hearts are heavy-laden with
burdens

For every business it has become essential to abide by the Golden Rule as the only way of
doing good business is through honest cooperation with partners and customers

Application of the rule should be based not only on the desire to be honest with others, but
also the desire to be honest with oneself
This applies in general to the Golden Rule for it is obvious that whatever we do unto
others we do unto ourselves
You cannot indulge in an act toward another person without having first created the
nature of that act in your own thought
Grasp this simple principle and you will understand why you cannot afford to hate or
envy another person