SELF IMPROVEMENT Samuel A. Cypert first heard about Napolean Hills principles of personal achievement when I was work ‘ng my way through college sling life insurance ding the 1960s, ‘One day I called on a man who sold reference ‘books door to door. He bought a policy from me ‘but said that my pitch could usea litle work. He ‘gave me a copy of Hills Think and Grow Rich, ‘Which had been written in 1937. Tread the book and almost immediatly noticed ‘that my attitude was better. .and that my sales pitch had started to improve Twas curious about how Hill, the father ofthe self'improvement movement, had come to write this clasi, whose message is stil valid today RISING TO CARNEGIE'S CHALLENGE Tn 1908, when Hiull was 8 25-year-old jour- alist, he Was assigned to writ of profil of ste ‘magnate Andrew Carnegie Durign their meeting, ‘Carnegie talked about how he had become & success. ‘AL the end of the interview, the wealthy in )}t dustriats chatenged Hilo develop practical ‘personal philosophy that coud be used by anyone in any field to achieve hisher goals. Hill accepted the challenge. Although Carnegie did not fund the project, he provided Hill with nuoductions io business and politcal leaders and ovative thinkers of the day, including Henry Ford, William Howard Taft and Thomas Edison. Hil labore for nearly 30 years researching, ‘writing and refining the book that summarized his findings. I continues tobe read by millions ‘of people around the world today. HILLS PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS + Develop defntenesof purpose. Hill believed ‘thatthe path tosuces begins with plan for your life. Simply stating that you want to become rich ‘or succesful, however, isnot the same as setting a specific, achievable goal il called this major goal the definite major ‘urpose. He suggested that readers write down ‘heir major purpse and stu it. Doing this makes the purposes inherent strengths and weaknesses obvious. ‘Next: Create a plan for capitalizing on the stiengts and shoring up weak points ‘Read you plan every day. Having your definite ‘major purpose in sharp focus ona dally basis will help you make choioes that advance your plan, rather than distract you fom it Establish mastermind lance" —thatistwo ‘or more people working in the spiri of perfect har ‘mony toward a common objective. Such an alliance is basically a relationship in which your strengths are complemented. by a SSS someone ese, and you've both made along tem commitment to work toward a major objective. ‘Yucanestablish youtown mastermind aliance inthe workplace by devdoping relationship with ‘amentor. You might approach tis person by say- ing something lke. . realy admire the way you do things. Youre sucessful at what you da and I think youte an role model. jwould like to spend some time with you and have the benefit of your ex- perience. Would you mind helping me? ‘Generaly people are steed when you put your request ina postive context. Eventual, you an even offer to help your chosen mentor Work toward shared objectives. “Important: Choose someone who asthe silty todo the job and who can work in harmony with you, Look for someone who seems to enjoying helpingothers...somecne who can help you now ‘or might be able to hep in some way sometime in the foure. Develop a postive metal attitude Ifyou dont believe that something possible, you will ever really succeed att. Ancif youthink you will fai, you probably wil. You may not be successful your fist try — ven wih postive attiude But i'youpersenee, eventually you will prevail. Ws a selffufiling prophecy—you have tohae the faith that a goal can be achieved, and tat it can be achieved by you. ‘Strategy: Eliminate negative thoughts as soon as they occu, and replace them with positive thoughts. When you have moments of sei doubt ‘and negatvism, stop fo"amoment and recall the ‘successes you have acheved inthe past and how those experiences cou be applied tothe current situation, Associate with positive people. Enforce sediscipline: Success is rooted in developing strong character — the discipline of ‘mind and body, and th: management of money and time, ‘Key: Getinto the habit of doing the most portant work fst. Remember, all success comes ata prioe, You have toavcept the tradeoff and decide atthe beginning whether the goals worthy ofthe effort that i required Discipline seared na similar fashion. Every ‘bad habit is developed by repeating a certain ‘behavior unit becomes a part of the way you 4 things. Good habs are developed by sub situting desirable behaviors for undesirable ones. ‘Start small, Allow extra time to practice so that you are always on time for meetings ‘Make it your practice to always do what you say you will when you have promised todo it. ‘Tell the truth. Ifyou have a habit of putting things of, vow to stop procrastinating. Then do Napoleon Hills Great Principles of Personal Achievement it, Force yourself to take action nov, instead of later, ‘When you se someone in your field win a ma: jor achievement award, realize thatthe moment is often the end ofa long hard itinerary. What youre not seeing is the time during which the in vidual enforced rigorous personal discipline to achieve this prize. Think accurately. You must earn tomake two important distinctions to become an accurate thinker. (Separate facts from opinions, hearsay, un: proved hypotheses, ec. Separate important facts from unimportant facts, Your success in the information age depends ‘on your ability to seen out istractions and false leads ‘Siraegy: Use the following questions totestany significant new piece of infomation you encoun er..andtoreexamine ing held belefsthat may affect your perception of new ideas ‘DBs thesoure of information an authority on the subject bein discussed? {2 Could heshe havea motive other than simp- ty imparting accurate information? CIsit possible to verify his statements with reference books or other resources? ‘Any statement that fr some reason does not seem reasonable to you shou be examined fur ther before you simply acceptor rect it Taspire teamwork. You can create a tam by generating in others thet enthusiasm to work foward your goal or objective ‘Yur positive mental attitude the determin {ing factor in your ability to communicate your desires in such a way that friends or colleagues sign on willingly “Lear rom adversity—and lar rom delet. [Noone winsallthe time But the person who will eventually succeed isthe one who uses a defeat or setback as an opportunity o reexamine his plan ..1o correct the flaws or bad habits revel 4 through that failure. ..and to move forward With 2 revised, improved plan Every defeat carries the seed of an equivalent benefit. Before you can realize that benefit, ou sist overcome te natural tendeney tobe hinders bythe fear of trying again orto accept a defeat as final nly wien we are severely ested do we develop the strength of character to sustain us when we face the adversities that inevitably comin life. very setback or temporary failure you ex perience simpy one that you've eliminated on ‘your way toward ultimately succeeding. Sektom Js anything worthwhile achieved onthe first at ‘emp or with litle or no difficulty FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ont v{doesnt tke genius or superhuman abi ty to win in your carer... in spors and in all areas of your fe. What it does take isthe ability to maximize what You already have inorder to overcome every ay obstacles "You mus beable to Kep the temporary set backs we all experience from fuming into defeats T have collected the winning strategies of ssca sors figures, coaches, busines leaders ndemertaines and dstiled them — andthe lessons of my own ife and career — into pri CGples that can help anyone succeed ‘Accept yoursel and your worth, You must know youll and ace yourel for what YOU are befor you can become a winner 2" Imporane’ Dor be ove crital of yourself The more you compare yourself ané our performance with those of others who Jou think are mor proficient, the easier itis to overlook the important things that you 60 vel ‘Strategy: Draw a ine down a sheet of rape. List your weaknesses on one side nd you swengths onthe other Concentrate on using your strengths mor effectively then on improving your weaknesses ~ neces. “Accepting youself and recognizing your worth thebepinning of true sucess Te bet. ter you know yoursel, the beter youl do at setting .. planning °. and reaching goals that wl make you a winner. * Develop and maintain a positive attitude. ‘We all have our share of problems and troubles. Adversity can defeat You i you let si you aan fr abr ou a bound to fal ‘ey: Work at being an optimist. Always look for ways fo overcome your obsaces. Refuse to accept excuses for fling No one 's suggesting that yoo cose your eyes the problems and obstacles that confont you, Bit {you approach every station expecting 10 succeed, You ni succeed. I you believe you are going fal, ower, your subeonscious mind wl help yu fail ) Be creative Having a postive atte wid help you win... but you need more You must also be creative “Tur ereativity is doing a common thing un commonly wel ‘Siriegy: Pick something thats con Carl May’s sidered important by people in your industry ‘and become great at it, Maybe its writing sales Jetters — or dealing with customers on the phone. Consider your interests, talents and abilities. The possiblities for doing key things ‘uncommonly well ae substantial ‘Too many people refuse to accept that they Ihave the ablity to be creative... tobe uncom: ‘monly good at something. They wish for abilities they don't have Important: Were all bon with enormous creative potential. All we have to do is work at making the most of that potential. + Dont fear failure. Everything new involves the risk of failure. But what would your life ’e if your fear of failure took complete con- ‘rol of your actions? You would never develop relationships or seize professional oppor: tunities. You would never ask for a ais. »-bid ‘on a house....or even offer a suggestion to someone else. ts hard to suffer a setback. And, of course, failure is worse. But thers a bie difference be: ‘ween short-term failure and total defeat. Some people believe that fat first they don't succeed, the goal wasn't meant tobe achieved, ‘That's not how winners think, When winners ‘et knocked down, they get back up and try again until they succeed — if notin one way, ‘then in another. .ifnct at one thing, then at another ‘A temporary failure doesnt have t0 lead to total defeat. Ail sucoessul people have exper: ‘ence failure learned from tand grown stronger. + Liveby postive vals It takes courage and ‘character to win, Yet these days, the headlines are filled with stories of unethical behavior — athlete's wrong-doings. ..insider-trading schemes on Wall Street...political shenanigans. ‘To succeed over the long term, you must -know what is right and wrong, and you must ‘use these standards of behavior every day in both your business and personal lives, Adher ‘ng toa strong code of positive values will make your life productive, fulfiling and profitable. '* Set goals. If you dant know where you're ‘going, you risk winding up somewhere you don't want tobe. Ifyou plan your days, weeks, months and years, things will fll into place Instead of just taking things as they come, you ‘will cause events to happen. * Strategy: Ask yourself — What do Ihave, ‘and what can I do with what I have in order Strategy for Winning And winning. ..and winning 10 reach where I want to go? ‘Make the goals specific Put them in writing so you remember exactly what you want wo do. Once you've written down a goal, look at it several times a day. ‘Trap: Doni set your goals so high that they can never be reached. That will only result in frustration. But dont set them solow that they can be reached too easily. + Visualize your way to success. Visualizing js seeing things happen before they actually happen. ..then doing what needs to be done tomake them happen, Set your goals. ..make your plans... .then visualize your suocess. ‘When you visualize, you form vivid pictures {in your conscious mind. Those pictures of your goals or objectives are kept alive until they sink Into your subconscious mind, untapped ener es are released to help visualized pictures become reality. ‘Strategy: Make mena! pictures of what you ‘want to accomplish. If you think you deserve ‘more responsibilty, visualize yourself asking your boss for it and explaining why you should ‘eti. The more you visualize, the more conf dence you will develop to ask for what you ‘want. The back of my business card reads, ‘Those who can se the invisible can do the im- possible ‘Work hard at working with others. ve seen so many corporations and sports teams fail 10 ‘become winning teams because their talented players couldst work — or win — together. "You become a winner by practicing cooper tion. Cooperation not somuch earning how to get along with others as itis smoothing out {YUE rough edges So that others can get along With you Staregy: Take a hard look at your ascites. Identity their strengths, an praise them for what they do best. That will belp them think ‘more positively about themselves It will so Cause them to respond more positively to you. * Do it now. Dont procrastinate. Dont lea busy schedule keep you from doing what has tobedone Thesooneryouattackany problem, themore energy and cratvty you bring to sav ing itand the more likely that youT solve it el “The longer a problems hangs around, the moe kel itis to become large than if When ‘ld probiems oom, you'r likely todos jb any ‘way you can 1 get it done rather than give it ‘your best shot. Doing a job any old way is no ‘way to become a winner. POPS ES OTTSelling YOU CAN TELL BY SOMEONES lifestyle if he’ hungry. He works longer and harder. He researches accounts. He knows the product, the industry, and the competition. ‘When I was a sales rep at a radio station in Florida, I had a really egotistical manager. He enjoyed han: ding out our paychecks each month and sneering, “Heres what youre worth? If you had a small com- mission check, you dropped your head, But I saw this guy asa challenge. You can become bitter or better and I became determined to sell circles around him. One month, I sold four times his salary. Life can seem so negative. But I believe that every time you get knocked on your back, you need to remember: If you can look up, you can get up! Get up to prove people wrong. Get up because you're hungry to make something of your life. You've got to develop yourself and believe in your worth. When your sense of self grows so does your paycheck. Personal growth involves four stages: I) Selfassessment. Know who you are and what you want out of life. Figure out what resources you need to make it happen. Lets say your goal is to dou- ble your sales. Look at what it took to produce what you selling now, How many calls did you make? How 4did_you manage your time? Get some caring feedback. People won't tell you ‘when your breath stinks. You've got to ask your friends and coworkers for the truth. We all have some blind spots. Find out about yours. 2)Self-approval. Most people don't reach their full potential. Why? It has to do with what they fee! they deserve. Ifa kid who believes he is an “A” student gets a B, hell work like crazy until he gets and A. But if a B student gets an A, he' likely to think he was just lucky. We live up to our own expectations. Increase your sense of self-approval by getting train ing or personal coaching. Stay focused. Peter Druckers says, “This is the era of accelerated change? You've got, to make changes constantly to stay on the competitive edge. 3) Self-commttment. When you feel that youre wor: thy of greatness, you'll do whatever is required to make it happen. I know a car salesman who would stay on FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ONLY SELLING POWER ‘By Les Brown You Gotta Be Hungry! Live Up to Your Greatness the phone more than anyone. He would make 75 to 100 cold calls a day. He was undaunted by the people who rudely hung up. And when he got customers, he made it his business to go beyond the call of duty. He didn’t just satisfy them, he amazed them. Today, he owns three car dealerships. 4) Self fulfillment, When you reach a goal, con- sgratulate yourself. Asa friend of mine says, you've got to acknowledge “I done good? But you can't rest too long. Raise the stakes. Albert Einstein said, “The thinking that has brought me this far has created some problems that this thinking can't solve” You've got to repeat these four steps every time you reach a new point. GROWTH THROUGH ADVERSITY ‘When you'e chasing your dreams, you'll encounter plenty of problems. Don't beat yourself up. Going through adversity means you'll never be the same again. Youll be better! ‘You can't control everything. When I went into TV, my objective was to create a show to solve real life problems. My show got high ratings, but it was cancel- ed because I wouldn't do stories about fathers who slept with their daughters’ boyfriends. I was disap- pointed. I was hurt. But I didn t die. Experience the ‘pain, Embrace the struggle. Its not just about reaching ‘goals, it's about the kind of person you become in the Process. Reflect on and review your life to see how well things are going. You've heard about the lumberjack who was too busy chopping wood to stop and sharpen his ax. Going all out to achieve professional success doesn't ‘mean you have to ignore personal growth. You've got to take care of yourself to remain productive. And, tak- ing some time to enjoy yourself will help you meet new challenges with an alert mind. The important difference between me now and me 10 years ago isn't dollars — it’ s my own self-worth. Theres an African proverb that says, “If theres no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm? They key to excellence in sales? That's easy. Get hungry and focus on improving yourselfFOR TRAINING PURPOSES ONLY