Morillo, Deniel Salvador B.

2010- 62273

The true measurement of work is through time. Indeed, leaving a footprint in the sand of life is a challenge only a few noble persons had conquered. The book Law of Success in 16 Lessons is undeniably one of the priceless treasures that our generation can touch. It is a culmination of the knowledge of different individuals gathered together in one piece by a genius who devoted his time for more than 20 years to study and interview successful people including such self-made industrial giants as Henry Ford, J. P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Alexander Graham Bell, and Thomas Edison. “The book was commissioned at the request of Andrew Carnegie and was based upon interviews of over 500 American millionaires.” Upon the click of the mouse to open such strange PDF file was the first step to a new world of enlightenment. The astonishing 1170- page book revealed a four lined claim saying, “Teaching, for the First Time in the History of the World, the True Philosophy upon which all Persons Success is Built.” It was such a strong claim that a normal average person would consider as a fallacy, but, through the pages of the book, you would realize, that the claim is valid, even an understatement at that. The genius, Napoleon Hill, established the start of the journey by sharing the story of a man who preached a sermon entitled: “What I would do if I had a million dollars.” Along the story, you would see how that imagination was transpired into a reality. The success of that man was grounded from something. And that something would be gradually revealed as we take a sip into the sixteen lessons of Napoleon Hill. The sixteen undying principles that the reader must thoroughly absorb are: 1) The Master Mind, 2) A Definite Chief Aim, 3) Self-Confidence, 4) Habit of Saving, 5) Initiative and Leadership, 6) Imagination, 7) Enthusiasm, 8) Self-Control, 9) Doing More than Paid For, 10) A Pleasing Personality, 11) Accurate Thinking, 12) Concentration, 13) Cooperation, 14) Profiting by Failure, 15) Tolerance, and 16) The Golden Rule. The Master Mind The first lesson engages more of the concept of group creativity. On how two heads are better than one. It establishes a direction that a group, which is united by a common goal or purpose, can harmoniously create and sustain competitive advantages in contrast to others or towards them working individually. Along the readings it answered the question on how to and why create a master mind group. According to Hill, “A Master Mind may be created through the bringing together or blending, in a spirit of perfect harmony, of two or more minds. Out of this harmonious blending the chemistry of the mind creates a third mind which may be appropriated

and used by one or all of the individual minds. This Master Mind will remain available as long as the friendly, harmonious alliance between the individual minds exists. It will disintegrate and all evidence of its former existence will disappear the moment the friendly alliance is broken…” Furthermore, Hill used different concepts to explain the synergy that happens between individuals with the same wave length. One concession that we need to understand is that having a Master Mind takes time; it is not a one shot process of people being harmoniously coordinated. I think, on a personal level, it explains the scenario why we find it hard or easy to work with someone; and the scenario where we are more productive when we are with a certain group of people. In my day to day experience, being with different individuals to work with poses a challenge for me. I am a person that is more productive when I am alone or when I am with those individuals that I am comfortable working with. I think this is the reason why our group had always been the same since third year because we share the same wave lengths (as we call it). It came to a realization that the reason why I chose to stick with the same group is that, we are all competitive. Almost all of us impose a certain quality of work before we approve to it. We even talk about it in our leisure time on why we’ve been so tight and we always answer: The SAME Wavelength. Although there are internal conflicts sometimes, we can still manage to direct our focus to whatever our main goal in that specific period. A Definite Chief Aim This lesson tackles more on the life’s purpose of a certain individual. It gives us the correlation of a well-defined goal in life and success, and the correlation of its absence to failure. According to Hill, “Most people finish school, take up employment or enter a trade or profession without the slightest conception of anything that even remotely resembles a definite purpose or a definite plan.” It discusses the truth of choosing a profession that is contrary to the talent or passion of an individual which leads to a trickledown effect to his/her success. The scenario of how graduates tend to work in unrelated fields, from their course, was also substantiated. Moreover, this lesson gives the importance of a having a definite chief aim - the passion and drive to turn them into reality. I think that above all the lessons that were discuss, this was the one that hit me. Maybe because I’m a victim of those parents who pushes their child to take up courses that they think is right without considering the opinion of that person. It was an awakening fact for me that what we are doing now will be the same process of work that we will be doing in the next 30-40 years of our life- which gives us the notion to choose a course that is in line with the passion of an individual because such will be the meat of his life in the next years. At the end of the day, I believe that it is more of establishing the focus toward a goal and learning to prioritize your dreams over what others think is practical for you. However, before getting to a level of certainty, we must learn how to realize what really is our definite chief aim in life. “Make your passion your profession” lesson.

Self-Confidence “The human mind, if you will pardon repetition, may be likened to an electric battery. It may be positive or it may be negative. Self-confidence is the quality with which the mind is recharged and made positive.” -Napoleon Hill One of the concessions that Hill said is that, the chief reason for poverty and failure is fear and the first step to self- confidence is the elimination of fear. Thus, knowing how to conquer fear will lead to success. “Ignorance and fear are twins that are found together. To eliminate fear, eliminate ignorance. Hill provides a formula for developing self-confidence using autosuggestion, along with persistence, the development of good habits and having a clearly stated definite purpose. He provides several unique and original examples from the animal world of how fearful behavior can be passed down quickly.”1 Napoleon Hill described the source of human fears. There are 6 main ones, according to his theory: 1. Fear of Poverty 2. Fear of Old Age 3. Fear of Ill Health 4. Fear of Criticism 5. Fear of Lost of a Loved One 6. Fear of Death Relating it to the establishment of our business, we all has fears in terms of criticism and failure- which I think is normal to feel. However, we should know that the process of eliminating this fear a tedious process of accepting our flaws. The art of mastering confidence is a continuous struggle of knowing ourselves and psyching our behaviors. Through this acceptance, we will learn to value our self and to think positively- thus, attracting success. It is definitely true that confidence gives us the motivation, determination, and leadership abilities as our weapon in the undying struggle to success. Knowing myself, I’ve always set this limitation on when to be confident and when to accept failure. For now, I can say that I am confident with our business and I am open to every possibility.  Habit of Saving A lesson that every person should learn- the habit of saving. I could remember asking myself before on why my parents, for example, are not as rich compared to others. This question had bothered me every now and then until I reach college. One of the answers that were provided
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A “Crash Course” in the Laws of Success Napoleon Hill

to me was this: They do not have the habit of saving. Most people, if not all, has this tendency to focus on short-term goals without considering the long run scenario- that is why they always end up with borrowing money when unexpected events arise; enslaving them to debt. Hill states that the saving of money is merely a matter of habit. And when bad habits are developed, we continue life in poverty or in slavery. Hill constantly highlights that: “We are victims of our habits-under any and all circumstances, good or bad.” The choice on what our habits will be is totally in our hands. Trying to control and establishing good habits is a result from determination to do better and personal will. A strong sense of saving can lead to financial freedom and soon will transpire to personal freedom. Initiative and Leadership “Leadership is essential for the attainment of Success, and Initiative is the very foundation upon which this necessary quality of Leadership is built. Initiative is as essential to success as a hub is essential to a wagon wheel. One of the peculiarities of Leadership is the fact that it is never found in those who have not acquired the habit of taking the Initiative.” Napoleon Hill Hill shows the interrelationship of initiative and leadership. He also emphasized that, leadership is learnt through process and leaders are not born but made. Hill defined initiative as an “exceedingly rare quality which impels a person to do what ought to be done without being told to do it.” Developing initiative is one of the first steps in achieving leadership. My brother had always told me that a person’s level of intelligence is measured through his/ her initiative. This is one of the characteristics that set the boundaries that a successful person has compared to others. Day to day experiences can bring out both initiative and leadership. Imagination “Imagination is an extremely powerful tool. If you want a change, if you want to create something that's not here yet… there's no other place to look than into your own mind. You have to see it first. Imagination is the place where you learn what you desire and where you create your future – creating the Definite Chief Aim and later sculpting the plan to achieve it.” Dreams do really come true. However, transforming them into reality is a choice that someone should make. Learning how to envision what you want and putting creativity to it is good but putting an effort and time to achieve these imaginations is exemplary. No successful man, I think, has started directly in establishing a business. Everyone had started from a piece of imagination to a large tangible dream. Exercising our mind to think critically and creatively

strengthens ones imagination. Mud Crab fattening was started with imagination and now we are putting our efforts to realize them into reality. Enthusiasm “Enthusiasm bears the same relationship to a human being that steam does to the locomotive-it is the vital moving force that impels action. The greatest leaders of men are those who know how to inspire enthusiasm in their followers. Enthusiasm is the most important factor entering into salesmanship. It is, by far, the most vital factor that enters into public speaking.… Mix enthusiasm with your work and it will not seem hard or monotonous. Enthusiasm will so energize your entire body that you can get along with less than half the usual amount of sleep and at the same time it will enable you to perform from two to three times as much work as you usually perform in a given period, without fatigue.” -Napoleon Hill I think that enthusiasm is more of a medicine to oneself to drive the interest and eagerness to accomplish something. Such is necessary to give a booster shot to the will of a person. It arouses one to have an action into the task at hand. Self-Control “Without self-control enthusiasm resembles the unharnessed lightning of an electrical storm – it may strike anywhere; it may destroy life and property.… Enthusiasm is the vital quality that arouses you to action, while self-control is the balance wheel that directs your action so that it will build up and not tear down.… No man can control others unless he first controls himself.… Men who control themselves usually boss the job, no matter what it may be.” Napoleon Hill Self- control is important to harness, develop, and strengthen enthusiasm. Self- control is in relation to emotional stability. Emotions are important- they give us the signal on when to love or hate something. It is also a measurement of our behaviors. This being important should be controlled. As they say, too much of everything is bad. I think we need to know how to gauge ourselves in terms of our self-control. We should realize on where to give substantial efforts or on where we should exert our energy. As they say, “Mind over matter.” When we have control of ourselves, we too can have a control of our environment. It is an internal control that drives up the personality if a person towards success; also, having this self-control will transpire to our influence towards other people. Doing More than Paid For “The very fact that most people are rendering as little service as they can possibly get by with serves as an advantage to all who are rendering more service than that for which they are paid, because it enables all who do this to profit by comparison. You can "get by" if you render

as little service as possible, but that is all you will get; and when work is slack and retrenchment sets in, you will be one of the first to be dismissed.” -Napoleon Hill Having a sense of commitment to a job that you love pays off the efforts- it is no longer about the financial aspect that drives you to work but the satisfaction you get by doing what you love. This lesson should be embodied by every worker. Doing something shouldn’t be all about money, it should be about the relationship you want with your job. A Pleasing 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 undoubtedly constitute a very important part of your personality, for it is true that people form first impressions of you from your outward appearance.” -Napoleon Hill It is said that the character of a person makes other people stay. It is more of trying to build a character that has a wide scope. Such should be directed for the benefit, first, of other people before yourself. No man is an island- a cliché saying that we should understand. We always socialize with people- this people determines what we are and we should know who we are in their perspective. Personality, really defies our outlook in life. Accurate Thinking “Accurate thought involves two fundamentals which all who indulge in it must observe. First, to think accurately you must separate facts from mere information. There is much "information" available to you that is not based upon facts. Second, you must separate facts into two classes; namely, 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.” -Napoleon Hill This lesson talks about the proper process of information to form decision. We should know that having the right information revitalizes accurate thinking. Our conscious mind is unable to process all the information the world tries to shove down our throat. In short we need a filter. We need the subconscious mind to help us. Once you set a clear goal, you suddenly start seeing only what's relevant. 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….Two important laws enter into the act of concentrating the mind on a given desire. One is the law of Autosuggestion and the other is the law of habit.” –Napoleon Hill

“Concentration goes hand in hand with Definite Chief Aim and Self-Control. It allows us to cut through any obstacles, as if with a use of a razor. It's the power of focus – so important and so abandoned in today's world of multi-tasking and ADHD.” Cooperation “CO-OPERATION is the beginning of all organized effort. There are two forms of Cooperation to which your attention will be directed in this lesson; namely: First, the Co-operation between people who group themselves together or form alliances for the purpose of attaining a given end, under the principles known as the Law of the Master Mind. Second, the Co-operation between the conscious and the subconscious minds, which form a reasonable hypothesis of man's ability to contact, communicate with and draw upon infinite intelligence.” Napoleon Hill Profiting by Failure “In the outset, let us distinguish between “failure” and “temporary defeat.” Let us see if that which is so often looked upon as “failure” is not, in reality, but “temporary defeat.” Moreover, let us see if this temporary defeat is not usually a blessing in disguise, for the reason that it brings us up with a jerk and redirects our energies along different and more desirable lines.” We always hate it when we lose. Maybe because, there is the fear of being judged by other people that might drive down our confidence. However, we should know that great things are learned the hard way. And the greatest teacher we could have is our own experience. I always say this, “No regrets. Just lesson learned.” I think that putting our mistakes in our head will weigh us down. Thus, we should make it as a platform to view higher horizons. Tolerance “First: 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. It dethrones reason and substitutes mob psychology in its place. Second: Intolerance is the chief disintegrating force in the organized religions of the world, where it plays havoc with the greatest power for good there is on this earth; by breaking up that power into small sects and denominations which spend as much effort opposing each other as they do in destroying the evils of the world.” Napoleon Hill

We should realize that life is not a bed of roses. It is unfair, crucial, tough, and even a struggle. The tensions and pressure around us can kill the spirit of motivation; thus, we need tolerance to all of these. We need to stay positive despite the unending negative thoughts or words that are being thrown to us. Tolerance is a great tool to success, as it is a weapon that only the brave hearts can have. We all have our shares of defeats and insecurities, imperfections and flaws, but these things should not drive us down. To tolerate these is hard, but we should set our focus on the long term events. “Nobody said it would be easy but surely, it would be worth the fight.” The Golden Rule “For more than four thousand years men have been preaching the Golden Rule as a suitable rule of conduct among men, but unfortunately the world has accepted the letter while totally missing the spirit of this Universal Injunction. We have accepted the Golden Rule philosophy merely as a sound rule of ethical conduct but we have failed to understand the law upon which it is based. The Golden Rule means, substantially, to do unto others as you would wish them to do unto you if your positions were reversed.” Napoleon Hill This undying and unchanging principle of life should be the cornerstone of every action. We should know that every action we throw to other people will always fire back to us- either implicitly or explicitly. The spiritual level of a person was touched in this last rule. In a practical view, it is impossible to throw a molten fire of rock to a person without burning your own hands. Maybe you can hurt others and will not feel the consequences in the short run, but the external and internal environment has its own way to make you pay for this actions. “It seems that when you reach this understanding, acting in a noble way towards others becomes extremely easy.” This is a book that will make you rethink about your life. It poses a great challenge of knowing yourself and gauging what really is that you are doing. It gives us an in-depth look at the habits that lead most people to success. Indeed there are so many things that are not learnt in the four corners of a classroom. It is not only a book for entrepreneurship but a book for life. It drives up your thinking to the outer possibilities of life. All of my doubts as to why I should read a thick book were vanished. It is undoubtedly a worth it book for its thousand pages. I saw the purpose on why it was required to us and what impact it could bring to budding entrepreneurs like us. It was an invigorating book of enlightenment that gives a clear establishment on the starting line of success. A PDF file that is full of life’s stories and learning- the most powerful book that gives out new substantiations to all-time lessons that we have. Overall, it is a genius work from a genius researcher. KUDOS!