Principles of Success #8 – Persistence
Today I want to share an article written by Bob Proctor on the subject of persistence.
There are some great examples of huge obstacles ordinary people overcame to get the things they REALLY wanted in life. And the one thing they all had in common?
PERSISTENCE!
See the video here to hear me read this article.
Persistence – Bob Proctor
In 1953, a beekeeper from Auckland, New Zealand earned World recognition with fame and fortune to follow. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth of England for his accomplishment, Sir Edmund Hillary and his native guide, Tenzing Norgay, became the first two people to climb Mount Everest and safely return after having tried and failed on two previous attempts.
Hillary had two obvious character strengths which literally took him to the very top… vision and PERSISTENCE. Without persistence all his skills would have meant nothing. These qualities and characteristics are the same as those that you need to lead you to the top of your mountain. You are confronted by mountains every single day. You can either climb the mountains or remain in the foothills. Any successful person will tell you that persistence is absolutely essential to climbing the mountains and changing your results.
The individuals who remain in the foothills have never chosen to develop this strength. These people dream of being stars. They want to receive the fame and fortune, but fame is not a common suitor. Fame only comes calling after a high price has been paid, and many people march in the Foothills and refuse to pay that price.
Napoleon Hill wrote in his book Think and Grow Rich
“There may be no heroic connotation to the word persistence, but that quality is to the character of the human being what carbon is to steel.”
Napoleon Hill
A Unique Mental Strength
Hill was right. Persistence is a unique mental strength, a strength which is essential to combat the fierce power of repeated rejections and numerous other obstacles that sit in waiting, and are all a part of winning in a fast-moving, ever-changing world.
There are hundreds of biographies of highly successful men and women who have cut a path for others to follow while leaving their mark on the scrolls of history. Every one of these great individuals were persistent. In many cases, it was the only quality which separated them from everyone else.
Consider Ben Hogan. He weighed only 135 pounds, but every ounce was saturated with persistence. Born into a poor family, Hogan began to caddy at the local golf club as a boy to earn extra money for his family. This led to the birth of a dream he would become a great golfer.
Through a great deal of hard work, practice and persistence, Ben Hogan became one of the world’s greatest golfers. In 1948 he won the United States Open Championship. His accomplishments earned him World recognition, but he had not yet faced his mountain.
The next year, Hogan was involved in a head-on collision with a bus, and he was not expected to survive his injuries. He did, but the doctors said he would never walk again. That was their opinion, not Ben Hogan’s. He insisted his golf clubs be put in the corner of his hospital room as he began to visualise himself playing golf again.
Does Persistence Pay?
One year later, Hogan won the United States Open Championship again.
The next year he won three major championships.
In all, 54 of his victories followed that near tragic accident. Does persistence pay? Ask Ben Hogan.
Another person who has aptly demonstrated how far persistence can take you is the late Charlie Boswell. Boswell was a Birmingham, Alabama businessman, salesman, author and golfer. He holds numerous national and international golf championships. But what really distinguishes him was that he was blind. That’s right. Charlie Boswell lost his sight after being blown off a tank in the Second World War. Selling, golfing, and writing were all pursuits Boswell had engaged in after his tragic mishap.
Do you think Charlie Boswell is persistent? You alone decide to quit or to continue when those inevitable mountains loom up on the road to your goal.
Whatever you conceive and believe, through persistence you must achieve. Decide RIGHT NOW to be one of those people who make it happen, to be one of the group who receives the lion’s share of the profits. Understand that to join this select group of big producers you must begin your persistence exercises now. Make persistence your most developed habit. Persistence cannot be replaced by any other quality. Superior skills will not make up for it. A well-rounded formal education cannot replace it. Nor will calculated plans, nor a magnetic personality. When you are persistent, you will become a leader in your industry.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
Calvin Coolidge
Do You Tackle The Mountains Or Remain In The Foothills?
The people who never tackle the mountains, who perpetually wander in the foothills most of their lives have, in my opinion, lied to themselves and everyone else who would listen so often and for so long that they are no longer even aware of what they are doing.
They say that they are content with their results. They will say that climbing a mountain is not important to them… that they are getting by just fine the way they are. Odds are, they secretly started to climb their Mountain years ago and got scared. They hit the terror barrier, quickly retreated to their comfort zone, and have been hiding behind their own false rationale ever since.
They frequently justify their sick, mediocre performance with statements like “why should I go all out? When I get there the boss will just want more.”
These non-productive individuals are lost, or at best, misguided. If you are not able to wake them up, make certain that you do not permit them to pull you into their trap. In fact, when you come in contact with these type of individuals let them serve as a triggering mechanism to mentally double your commitment to yourself to become more persistent.
How Do You Become More Persistent?
That’s a good question. Persistence is never developed by accident. You’re not born with it then you cannot inherit it, and there is no one in this entire world that can develop persistence for you.
“Persistence is as interwoven with success as the chicken is with the egg.”
Ultimately, persistence becomes a way of life. But that’s not where it begins.
To develop the habit, persistence, you must first want something you have to want something so much that it becomes a heated desire, a passion in your belly. You must fall in love with the idea. Yes, LITERALLY fall in love with the idea. Magnetize yourself to every part of the idea.
Then, persistence will be automatic.
The very idea of not persisting will become hateful, and anyone who even attempted to take your dream away from you or stop you, or even slow you down would be in serious trouble. Difficulties, obstacles, and challenges will definitely appear on a regular basis, but because of your persistence, you will achieve victory every time.
Very few people have admitted to themselves that THIS is what I want. This is what I REALLY want, and I\’m prepared to give my life for it.
That last statement may cause you to sit up and say, “wait a minute!” And that’s fine. But you should seriously think about it, because you’re already giving your life for what you’re doing.
What Are You Trading Your Life For?
What are you doing? And what are you trading your life for? Are you making a fair trade? Remember, whatever you’re doing was your decision. OR WAS IT? You could possibly be one of those unfortunate people who\’ve been wandering in the foothills leaving the decisions of where you are going and what you are doing with your life to other people… just following. Always following.
Treat this message on persistence as your wake-up call. This red-hot message on persistence will help you get out of the foothills and lead you to the very top of the mountain, all the way to the summit. It\’s not a chair lift. It will not make the climb any easier. You’ll still attract the necessary problems, and they’ll come to strengthen you. But this message will definitely make the climb to the top of the mountain a lot more fun!
It will also help you develop the granite strong attitude, the certainty, the inner knowing that you will get to the top. The summit will be yours, and the view from the top is going to be awesome! It will be reward enough for all the problems that you encountered to get there.
Talking about summits and persistence, let’s go back and think about Ed Hillary. What kind of a passion do you suppose he felt for his goal? He must have truly wanted to climb that mountain. Think of the physical and mental abuse he was subjecting himself to! He was obviously prepared to give his life for what he wanted.
Every person who had ever seriously attempted to climb Everest, as far back as our history records go, show they either failed miserably, or experienced a tragic death trying.
What Do You WANT?
Most people when they think about Sir Edmund Hillary and his expeditions ask, “what kept him going year after year?” He WANTED. That’s what kept him going. That’s why he was persistent. He wanted, really wanted a gut level something enough to keep going.
When a person does not understand that, they’ll usually ask, “WHY? Why did he want it?” He didn’t know why. He didn’t have to know why. “Why” wasn’t important. “Want” was important.
Persistent people never know why they want. They only know that they want and they must have it, and to have it, they must do, and to do they must be. They want it so much that they keep imaging it until they become the living, breathing embodiment of whatever the want represents, for those are steps which MUST be followed for the creative process to work in our life.
Ordinary People did extraordinary things because they consciously recognised what they wanted, and they refused to suppress or dismiss it. They would not let it go, even if failure, rejection, bankruptcy or death was staring them in the face. It would have to be that way, or the ordinary person would never DO anything extraordinary. They would never persist. The power of their want, and the intensity of their persistence caused them to draw on resources they previously were not aware that they possessed. They expressed what they had within… GREATNESS.
“If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.”
Dottie Boreyko
Persistence Is The Key
The great psychologist, Alfred Adler, nailed it as well when he said, “I am grateful to the idea that has used me.”
The very idea of persistence filled every cell of Ben Hogan’s being, but that was because his want was so strong. Remember, persistence is the real focus of this message. It’s important that we keep that in mind because we could very easily get lost climbing Mount Everest with Ed Hillary, or playing golf with Hogan. They’re not the stars of this movie. They’re playing a supporting role. Persistence is the star.
Properly digest it in your mind… persistence will make you a star. It will give you that number one hit worldwide. How does an idea, a want, a dream, get such a grip on a person that persistence becomes a natural outgrowth of it?
Napoleon Hill explained this very well. Hill said at first the idea, the want, has to be coaxed, nursed, enticed just to remain alive, but gradually the idea will take on a power of its own and sweep aside all opposition. It will then coax, nurse and drive you.
He went on to explain that ideas are like that. They have more power than the physical brains that gave birth to them. They have the power to live on long after the physical brain that’s created them has turned to dust.
Have You Decided What You Want?
Have you decided what you want? It is almost a waste of time attempting to develop persistence if the want is not there, because the problems of life will defeat you.
It’s a well-known and documented fact that the problems in life are numerous. They come frequently and are often giants. When the dream is big enough, however, the problems will be beaten back and the facts won’t count.
You must give these two concepts priority in your life… wants and persistence.
Make your want big and you will persist. Decide what you TRULY want and you will be persistent. Remember, “If the want is big enough, the facts don’t count.” And also remember what Napoleon Hill said. “There may be no heroic connotation to the word persistence, but the quality is to the character of the human being what carbon is to steel.”
Go and do it. Study success. Choose your want and persist. Life will then be what it’s meant to be.
Now lets look at the 9th of the 13 Principles Of Success.
Principles of Success #9 Power Of The Mastermind
The verb “to mastermind” means to plan and direct the execution of a complex scheme or project. It typically implies careful planning and control, often with the intention of achieving a specific goal or objective. The term is often used in the context of criminal activities, but it can also be applied to any situation in which someone takes charge and orchestrates the efforts of others to achieve a desired outcome.
In this sense, “to mastermind” can also refer to a group of people who are exceptionally skilled at working together to organise and lead each other towards a common goal.
Power Of The Mastermind
There are several benefits of a mastermind group, where a group of people come together to share ideas, provide support and accountability, and help each other achieve their goals.
Some of the benefits include:
- Shared knowledge and experience: Members of a mastermind group bring different perspectives, experiences, and expertise to the table, which can lead to new insights and innovative solutions to problems.
- Support and accountability: Having a group of people who are invested in your success can provide motivation and accountability, helping you stay on track and reach your goals.
- Networking opportunities: A mastermind group can provide an opportunity to meet and connect with like-minded individuals, which can lead to new relationships, collaborations, and business opportunities.
- Personal growth: The process of sharing ideas, receiving feedback, and participating in discussions can help members of a mastermind group develop new skills and expand their knowledge and understanding.
- Increased confidence: Being part of a supportive and encouraging group can boost your confidence and help you believe in yourself and your abilities.
Mastermind Guidelines
“The Mastermind is an alliance of two or more people working in harmony with a positive mental attitude toward a definite end.”
Napoleon Hill
The following guidelines were collated by Bob Proctor as a method of creating an effective mastermind group:
- The average Mastermind group works best with two to ten members, no more than twelve – time is the constraint.
- Meet regularly, weekly if possible. Have a pre-planned agenda to follow. It’s best to have the leader, timekeeper, and note taker assigned ahead of time.
- If you are in different cities, the meeting can be conducted on a conference call, Skype or any other reliable meeting provider of your choice.
- Your Mastermind call should run like a “Swiss Watch.” Ensure the call is timely. If you have committed to a 60-minute call, keep it within that time frame. Everyone’s time is very important, use it wisely. The Mastermind leader should keep the call flowing smoothly. It is best when the leadership position rotates from one member to another. The timekeeper is responsible for timing each person’s participation during the call to ensure it is kept on track. Use a watch, a stopwatch or the timer right on your cell phone. As well, the note taker’s role is very valuable for the recap of the call.
- Roll Call – The group leader should welcome each member as they join the call and assign each person a number (i.e. if there are 6 people on the call, each person would have a number from 1-6). This numbering system is used to designate order by which each person will speak.
- Start the meetings by reading the Mastermind Principles. This is quite possibly one of the most important points of a call. The group can decide to have the leader read aloud all 7 principles and the Dedication and Covenant (see below) as the group follows along, or you can take turns so each member of the group can read aloud until you have finished with the Dedication and Covenant.
- Good News – Start with each member sharing their “win for the week.” This will create the right vibration to get the call started in a positive direction. Allow each person 1-2 minutes to share their win.
- Feedback and Support – Each Mastermind member needs to be prepared for the call to ensure maximum benefit for everyone. The timekeeper determines how much time each person is allocated, making certain to leave time at the end for agreeing who will lead the next call, keep time, etc. It is important that everyone understands the designated amount of time allotted is both to state their request and receive the group’s response. Therefore, if the total time allocated for each person is 4 minutes and it takes 3 minutes for that person to share their request for feedback and support, it allows the group only a minute to respond. At the end of the person’s time the timekeeper would say “Time is up.” and the next person would be asked to begin.
- Each member should be supported emotionally and verbally from the other group members. For example: Someone wants a new home. One member might say, “I see you driving up to your glorious new home and I see your children running through your green grassy backyard.” Or someone on the call might provide expertise, resources or a good contact in the real estate arena. The principle is that we can believe for others what they cannot fully believe for themselves. These are not idle words. You must create and project to the Mastermind a clear vision of what the words represent.
- Depending upon length of your call and the number in attendance, you may decide to leave room for a “free for all” or open discussion at the end, at which time anyone and everyone would have a chance to speak.
Dedication And Covenant
Bob went on to say that every mastermind should start with all members reading the following seven principles out loud together.
RELEASE I release myself to the Master Mind because I am strong when I have others to help me.
BELIEVE I believe the combined intelligence of the Master Mind creates a wisdom far beyond my own.
UNDERSTAND I understand that I will more easily create positive results in my life when I am open to looking at myself and my problems and opportunities from another’s point of view.
DECIDE I decide to release my desire totally in trust to the Master Mind and I am open to accepting new possibilities.
FORGIVE I forgive myself for mistakes I have made. I also forgive others who have hurt me in the past so I can move into the future with a clean slate.
ASK I ask the Master Mind to hear what I really want; my goals, my dreams and my desires, and I hear my Master Mind partners supporting me in my fulfilment.
ACCEPT I know, relax, and accept; believing that the working power of the Master Mind will respond to my every need. I am grateful knowing this is so.
DEDICATION AND COVENANT “I now have a covenant in which it is agreed that the Master Mind shall supply me with an abundance of all things necessary to live a success-filled and happy life.
I dedicate myself to be of maximum service to God and my fellow human beings, to live in a manner that will set the highest example for others to follow and to remain an open channel of God’s will.
I go forth with a spirit of enthusiasm, excitement and expectancy.”
Lets now look at the 10th of the 13 Principles Of Success.
Principles of Success #10 – The Mystery Of Sex Transmutation
The word ‘transmute’ simply means the changing or transferring of one element, or form of energy, into another. Sex transmutation, therefore, is the switching of the mind from thoughts of physical expression, to thoughts of some other nature.
Napoleon Hill in the book Think and Grow Rich considers sex as an emotion. Due to the ignorance on the subject, and how we are taught about sex being a physical thing to reproduce, the topic of transmutation of sex energy is largely unknown.
Sex is a word rarely used in polite society and should only be discussed behind closed doors not openly in public. Every other animal on Earth only indulges sex when in season. Human inclination is to use it for pleasure whenever they choose.
Desire
Sex desire is the most powerful of human desires. When driven by this desire, people develop keenness of imagination, courage, will-power, persistence, and creative ability unknown to them at other times. Human desire for sexual contact can be so strong and impelling that people freely run the risk of life and reputation to indulge it.
However, when harnessed, and redirected along other lines, this motivating force with its keenness of imagination, courage, will-power, persistence, and creative ability can be used to create literature, art, or any other calling.
How Do We Transmute This Desire And Energy?
To transmute this energy requires will-power from the get go. You need to overcome physical urges and desires and the ‘quick win’ of engaging in sexual activities. But know that the reward is worth the effort.
Our desire for sexual expression is natural and cannot be completely submerged or eliminated. You don’t have to declare chastity or become a monk! The expression can be given an outlet through forms of expression which enrich the body, mind, and spirit instead of physical channels.
Napoleon Hill puts it this way:
“A river may be dammed, and its water controlled for a time, but eventually, it will force an outlet. The same is true of the emotion of sex. It may be submerged and controlled for a time, but its very nature causes it to be ever seeking means of expression. If it is not transmuted into some creative effort it will find a less worthy outlet.”
Napoleon Hill
The emotion of sex is an irresistible force, it is an immovable object. When driven by this emotion, people who know how to channel the energy efficiently become gifted with a super power for action. Hill found in his research that the people of greatest achievement are those with highly developed sex natures. Men who had accumulated great fortunes (remember, the book was written in the early 1900’s when women were considered the home makers), and achieved great recognition were all motivated by the influence of a woman.
What Hill was suggesting in Think and Grow Rich, and which can be seen in the lives of successful people all around the world today, is that people who are in a relationship of mutual respect become the most successful. They have a life partner who respects and trusts them, who they share an intimate relationship with, and who supports them. There is a balance between physical and mental sexual energy and they are able to transmutate it to create things worthy of recognition.
The Ten Mind Stimuli
Think and Grow Lists the ten things that stimulate the mind into action. 8 are natural and constructive and can lead to great accomplishments, two are destructive. But all 10 will stimulate and motivate people to go against usual sane and accepted practices to receive them.
The stimuli are:
- The desire for sex expression
- Love
- A burning desire for fame, power, or financial gain, money
- Music
- Friendship between either those of the same sex, or opposite sex
- A Master Mind alliance based upon the harmony of two or more people who ally themselves for spiritual or temporal advancement
- Mutual suffering, such as that experienced by people who are persecuted
- Auto-suggestion
- Fear
- Narcotics and alcohol
As you can see, the desire for sex expression is the top motivator for humans. This can be explained as the natural pull of nature to reproduce and continue the human race. But as the human race is currently not at risk of extinction, it is safe and accepted to use this motivation for other things that can evolve our race in other ways.
What Happens When We Learn To Transmute This Energy?
Transmutation of sex energy may lift one to the status of a genius. Someone who has discovered how to increase the vibrations of thought to the point where they can freely communicate with sources of knowledge not otherwise available. How we think is covered in a previous blog post.
Access to this knowledge is through Creative Imagination. A sixth sense. A direct link between the finite mind of humans and the infinite intelligence. This is considered in religions as well as in science, and all new inventions come through creative imagination as ‘hunches’. We can tap into this creative imagination by using our sex energy and desires to stimulate our mind instead of our body.
When the mind is stimulated it allows the individual to become lifted above the level of ordinary thought. The bounds of their physical world fall away, and they are able to see and think more clearly. This state is called many things. Including ‘being in flow’. ‘Being in the zone’. Or ‘being able to see oneself from outside the body’. By shutting out the physical world, even by simply closing the eyes and shutting out sound, the imagination can flow freely and the hunches and ideas can come to you.
History books are full of people who achieved great things. Yes, most of these are men (Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon Bonaparte, William Shakespeare, Robert Burns…), but they subscribe their achievements to the love of the woman in their life. Napoleon’s downfall can even be linked to happening shortly after his ‘better judgement’ told him to put his wife to one side. His defeat and incarceration happened shortly after!
Personal Magnetism
Those people who everyone just likes, who excel in sales and human relations roles, have an abundance of sex energy. Hill states the more capable sales managers look for the quality of personal magnetism as the first requirement when hiring. People who lack sex energy will never become enthusiastic or inspire others. Highly sexed people also do much better as public speakers, lawyers, or preachers as they ooze magnetism that draws people to listen to them.
Love, Sex And Romance
Love, sex and romance are all emotions capable of driving people to heights of super achievement and are all states of mind. When mixed with other emotions, such as jealousy, these emotions can become toxic and turn a sane person into a insane beast. But when nurtured and consciously controlled, these emotions will create a well-rounded person, who is visible stable and successful.
The emotion love brings out, and develops, the artistic and aesthetic nature of people. Memories of love never pass. They linger and can be used in the same way to lift you up to the higher planes of creativity. If you consider yourself as someone who has loved and lost, then you need to shift your mindset. If you truly loved, you cannot lose. Love comes and go and we must remain open to it, even if we have had bad experiences. All experiences are beneficial except to those who become resentful and cynical when love leaves.
Love is, without question, life’s greatest experience. And it comes in many forms. Love of a child, a parent, a friend, a spouse. When then mixed with romance and sex, it can lead you far up the ladder of creative effort.
What Do You Think?
PS. Have you heard about the upcoming Science of Getting Rich Summit? It might be worth you having a look….. Starts 19th June 2024.
