FAITH in your ability - one of the thirteen principles of success - is the focus of this chapter.

Napoleon Hill started the chapter by stating that the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration when faith is blended with thought… describes how to develop faith through self-suggestion… illustrated with an amazing story of how an idea built a fortune… and concluded by reaffirming that riches begin with thought.

In sharing how to develop faith through self-suggestion (also called autosuggestion), Hill shared this short poem that I thought truly brings out the essence of ‘think’ and grow rich:

If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don’t;

If you like to win, but you think you can’t,

It is almost certain you won’t.

 

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,

For out in the world we find,

Success begins with a fellow’s will –

It’s all in the state of mind.

 

If you think you are outclassed, you are,

You’ve got to think high to rise,

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

 

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man,

But soon or late the man who wins

Is the man who thinks he can!

I can’t agree more with Hill that in order to achieve anything worthwhile that we need an unshakable faith in ourselves that must be beyond the shadow of a doubt that we can achieve!

In fact, doubt is a killer that tend to creep into our mind as we embark on any journey of achieving a worthy goal. And as I write, what T. Harv Eker taught came to mind - that when negativity sets in, all we have to do is to tell our mind, “Thank you for sharing!” - so simple yet so powerful.

The Disaster of Negative Thinking

Hill pointed out that the subconscious mind makes no distinction between constructive and destructive thought impulses. He illustrated with the example of how electricity can light up our world or electrify us if we’re not careful which leads me to share a real life experience…

Many years ago, when I was still in Corporate Singapore, I met an ex-colleague, a young man in his early thirties. Everyday, he went around talking about negative stuff and how unfortunate he was plus… how emotionally he was depressed by his relationship with his ex-girlfriend.

A few short years later - after I left - I heard news that he had chosen to end his life by jumping down a building. Sad story.

This chapter also reminds me of ‘Your First Year in Network Marketing’ by Mark Yarnell where Mark, an immensely successful network marketer, related his experience of listing a few things for his new recruits to follow but there was one item most of them cannot. That is - to stop reading the newspapers and stop watching news on TV (except during the midday).

NOTE: I’m recalling the above from memory and I may not be exactly right in the details but that’s the crux of the matter.
Mark Yarnell said that the world is full of bad news and we sort of need to have a mental fast to clear up the negativity in our subconscious.

Classic Examples of Men with GREAT FAITH

• Jesus Christ is listed as head of men with great faith through the sum and substance of His teachings and achievements. His ‘miracles’ were produced only through the state of mind known as faith. In fact, according to Hill, the basis of Christianity is faith, no matter how many people may have perverted, or misinterpreted, the meaning of this great force.
• Mahatma Gandhi is another astounding example of a man with great faith. He influenced two hundred million minds to coalesce and move in unison, as a single mind - with no money, no home, not even a suit of clothes. But he had power which he created out of his understanding of the principle of faith and through his ability to transplant that faith into the minds of those two hundred million.

The Story of Charles Schwab

In the original version of Think And Grow Rich, I do find it a challenge to fully grasp the meaning of the entire story. So, I was truly glad as the 21st Century edition gave informative commentary at the right places.

For instance, just before Hill relates the story of how Charles Schwab’s idea built a fortune through his oratory speech, the authors explained that this story illustrates at least six of the thirteen principles of success and faith is at the center of it… and that if Charles had not mixed his “big idea” with absolute, unwavering faith that he could pull it off, the whole history of American business would have been different.

As another example, the commentary in the21st Century edition painted the background surrounding this event so that the reader could fully understand the impact of the story that one can literally think and grow rich through a single idea! An example of this is giving a summary of Charles M. Schwab, Andrew Carnegie and J. P. Morgan which I make a short quote here:

• Charles M. Schwab was Andrew Carnegie’s right-hand man, and president of the Carnegie Steel Corporation
• Andrew Carnegie was a wealthy and powerful steel baron whose company controlled 25 percent of the iron and steel production in America.
• J. P. Morgan was a wealthy and powerful Wall Street banker whose company had arranged the financing for many of the major industrial companies in America at the beginning of the twentieth century.

And the commentary even went on to paint the finance, business and industry scenario at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was absorbing and refreshing reading and highly recommended.

The 21st Century Updated Edition

The ORIGINAL

Edwin C. Barnes’ desire was definite!

Barnes had a desire to become the business associate of Thomas A. Edison, the great inventor.

His desire was not a hope, not a wish but… a pulsating desire which transcended everything else.

With his burning desire, a few years later after he made his way to Edison’s office, he was in business with Edison. And…

*** The dominating dream of his life had become a reality ***

This chapter talks about the power of a definite desire to achieve one’s goal.

Barnes’ desire was to become Edison’s business partner and created a plan by which to attain his purpose. What is yours? What is it that you want so badly that you will achieve at all costs?

DO or DIE Attitude

Not long ago, I met a friend and asked him about his internet business. Guess what was his reply?

He said to me he is applying for another qualification as a backup plan. His unspoken words were: “in case his internet business fails” Immediately, I would bet with anyone that he will not succeed. His desire was not definite.

Barnes did not say, “I will keep my eyes open for another opportunity, in case I fail to get what I want in the Edison organization.” But Barnes said, “There is one thing in this world that I am determined to have, and this is a business association with Thomas A. Edison. I will burn all my bridges behind me and stake my entire future on my ability to get what I want.”

Barnes left himself no possible way of retreat. He had to win or perish! In other words, he had a “DO or DIE attitude!” And failure is NOT an option to him. That’s the reason why I absolutely love this story…

Burn your Boats!

A long while ago, a warrior sailed to an enemy’s land, unloaded all the soldiers and equipment and burn the boats!

Now, as his soldiers watched the boats go up in flames, it’s literally DO or DIE! No other option.

Guess what’s the final result? They won.

Classic Examples of Men with GREAT DREAMS

• Thomas Edison dreamed of a lamp operated by electricity. He began to put his dream into actions and failed more than ten thousand times. Despite his failures, he succeed at last. Otherwise, you won’t be reading this on your computer
• Henry Ford was poor and uneducated. He turned his dream of a horseless carriage into reality by putting more wheels into operation than any other men ever lived!

21st Century Examples of GREAT DREAMS

• Steven Jobs and Steve Wozniak were two university dropouts who dreamed of making and selling computers for the average person to use. They built the first Apple computer in 1976 in the family garage in Jobs’ family garage! As they said, the rest is history and Jobs became a three-time billionaire credited with the creation of iMac, Pixar, iPod, iTunes and most recently, iPhone!!
• Dean Kamen saw a man in a wheelchair having difficulty getting up a curb and set his mind to create a device that would liberate people confined to wheelchairs, resulting in the iBot - a revolutionary wheeled device that uses computers and a sy;stem of stabilizing gyroscopes that imitate the human body. It goes over curbs, go up and down stairs, travel over rough ground and even raise oneself to see eye to eye with a standing person!

BELIEF is a state of mind necessary for Success

There is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to receive it. The state of mind must be BELIE, not mere hope or wish to succeed.

And… no more effort is required to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty! And this is a poetry in this chapter that I like a lot:

I bargained with Life for a penny,

And Life would pay no more,

However I begged at evening

When I counted my scanty store.

 

For Life is a just employer,

He gives you what you ask,

But once you have set the wages,

Why, you must bear the task.

 

I worked for a menial’s hire,

Only to learn, dismayed.

That any wage I had asked of Life,

Life would have willingly paid.

The 21st Century Updated Edition

The ORIGINAL