Dear Mr. Napoleon Hill

Dear Mr. Napoleon Hill,

Hello Sir,

Yes, yes,, i do know that you are not in this earthly realm any longer. But I have learned about the power of gratitude and i thought it would be proper to write you a short note. Perhaps the angels can show you a copy of it?

Well, as I said, i need to keep this short. But  i wanted just to say thank you for sharing what you learned from the best of the best who were living in your lifetime. Thank you for patiently pondering their words and organizing that knowledge into books that we could consume. You took the time to write these ideas in  a style which is accessible even to those of us, and yes us women included, who
are not necessarily graduates with Master's degrees.

I know that your work is still being talked about and studied by thousands of motivational speakers and self help coaches around the globe. They are still inspired by your words and your work.

I wonder, dear Mr. Hill, while you were alive, if you ever had a vision of how many human lives you would impact with the simple  words your wrote? I dare say ....i don't think there are many truly successful billionaires alive today who have not read your words. Many of them have discussed your your concepts with their colleagues and their own children and grandchildren.

Your legendary book "Think and Grow Rich" is still being sent as a cherished gift to many human beings. So many parts of that book, still ring true in today's quickly changing economy. Cultural norms flex and change, but good solid ideas have staying power through multiple generations.

Well, that's all for now. Thank you from this chubby mom of four, who has conquered so many mountains.....while being inspired by your words.

Peace,
Carla.



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Hill's Notion of Setting for Ideas

For those who have read, perhaps more than once, the legendary paperback
"Think and Grow Rich" by  Napoleon Hill, perhaps you recall him explaining the process of
"setting for ideas".

It is a profound respect for the process and value of simply being still, and solitary and thinking productively..

I have been enjoying my read of Edward O. Thorpe's book "A Man for All Markets"....which is available btw in both print and audio format.

One of Mr. Thorpe's remarkable discoveries when he began to conquer some gambling games successfully, was illustrated in this one statement of his:

"What intrigued me.....it was the possibility that merely by sitting in a room and thinking.....I could figure out how to win".    (found in Chapter 5: first page, of his book "A Man for All Markets".)

I want to ask you today. What incredible ideas could you create if you gave your mind the credit and space and time to work that it requires?

Perhaps you live and/or work in noisy places. Noise can clutter your thinking power, unless of  course it is predictable white noise which your mind may find comforting and conducive to concentration.

But if you find you are chronically distracted and unable to focus, you may need to carve out for yourself an authentic "thinking spot". It may be a picnic table isolated by the creek  or lakeside so that yu can look out on some moving water. Or perhaps you may find yourself able to think simply by downloading some white noise onto your smart phone so that you can listen to it, as you walk solemnly around the block.

Everyone is different. But we are all the same in that we are much more productive when we have access to the space and time and place that is conducive to thinking in solitude.


Be blessed, my smart friends and colleagues. You have unlimited potential.

Peace,
Carla





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Looking Out

Chewing once again on Napoleon Hill's thought.... that "Thoughts are things".

I have the privilege to observe many people in my weekly journey. I see those who
carry the scent of success. I observe how they walk, how they sit, how they speak and when they don't.

I also see those who are losing at the game of life....how they walk, how they sit, how they speak and when they don't.

There is a huge difference between the two groups. Not an insurmountable difference, but an enormously wide gap none the less.

This gap has to do with what is going on in the mind. The mind of the successful person is not focused on the weather, or whether their neighbor raked their leaves. The mind of the successful person is chewing on the goals and strategies for the day, week, month , year. They look out with eager expectation to see how their families and fellow citizens will grow up and thrive and become productive.Their life lies in what they think about. Their thoughts are focused and refined and definite. They spend their days with mental targets, with fires to put out, with long term visions to clarify and prune. The thought life of a successful person is a mountainous adventure every day.....their thought life is verdant and productive.

The thoughts of the first group, the successful group....is like a tacit slow bite and chew.. on a high quality steak...thoughtful and delicious....a pleasure to consume. The human mind is built for challenges. God has given us all the profound ability to continuously widen our scope of thought and reason. Dr. Caroline Leaf describes how our brain's capacity is virtually limitless and capable of endless development.

And then I must also describe the opposite group. When they look out the window, they really see the rain and it depresses them. They walk the street and look at the cracks in the side walk, and utter a curse if their shoe gets caught on the lifted pavement. When they look at the clouds, they feel that the sky has chosen just to rain on them and spoil their day. They look out, but when they look out they expect the air to direct them...to tell them what to do. They look at the posters in the convenience store and spend their last dollar on "lady luck" muttering to coax her, to surprise them with a lottery win. They do not have hope in themselves, or in society or in God......but always somehow retain faith in "lady luck."

The latter group looks out the window and has no goals for the day, the week, the month , the year.
Survival is simply a symptom of their broken dreams. They are alive in the  crudest sense of what it means to be human...but have not discovered their God given powers. Perhaps at some moment many years ago...they had a  brief glimpse of their own potential....but have laid it down....like dusty leaves cluttering the drain on the street.


 I just want to say a few thoughts...a few little ideas that may assist you my brothers and sisters in life. When you look out the window at the day.....do not ask the clouds for wisdom.
do not ask the air for advice. It will not answer.

 God is not silent. He is not withholding Himself from you. But He does like to be found. You must search for God, search for wisdom....search for good ideas. That search has a face....it is the face of the Book, and many books, and many people of profound wisdom and knowledge....who are waiting to share what they know with you. But they can not share with you what you do not pursue. Pursuit has  a price tag. The price tag of pursuit is admitting that you do not know everything. The price tag of pursuit is admitting that you need something from some one else. It is not admitting defeat. It is humbly and confidently admitting that you are seeking more than what you currently have and know to be true. It is admitting that you need more. It is mustering up the courage to keep seeking for the books, data, knowledge, classes, network and contacts who will escort you to a higher level. A higher level of thought and reason.  A higher level of living.

your good ideas may not always be lofty, they may not solve world hunger or pay the college tuition for a million of your fellow citizens.....but then again....they just might. Ideas multiply...they are seeds of greatness.

your good ideas are very powerful. You are capable. You are able to do and choose to do many things today.

What are your goals? Have you written them down? Do you have your list of goals handy to be able to recite them daily?

You must, have something to move your life towards. Put it in writing. Move on.

Peace,
C.



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Thought Life....book life

One can not talk anything meaningful about one's thought life without discussing their
book life.

What is a book life? Well, the books you surround yourself with have lives of their own.

I am not even speaking about the book that you are currently immersed in . I am speaking even of the books that sit idly on your night stand or dusty piano, or atop on ole book shelf. I am talking about the text books from the college you dropped out of, that you keep in storage in the attic. Their words still speak. The fact that you haven't disposed of these books, is a testament in and of itself.
Your recycling bin has been seeking to recycle your books, but you have resisted. You have hung onto certain books because they were markers in shifts in your thinking, in your thought life, in your formal education or in your  self led self taught "home" school.

Your books have been markers of your paths of discovery. They reflect that journey to maturity...or painfully show us how far we still have to go....

I think it was Napoleon Hill, who stated that "thoughts are things".

Therefore when we surround ourselves with certain books, we are surrounding ourselves with many millions of "things" belonging to the authors of those books. Their words fill our minds, our space, our ideals. We argue with their thoughts, we discuss and dismiss or else contradict completely what we read. But we always respond to whatever we read. It is merely human nature.

 I have always resented it when someone tried to tell me what I should and shouldn't read....It felt so controlling and intrusive. I have also resented it when electronic book readers try to shove their way into my consciousness. Blogs I have embraced. Twitter too.....but reading the books I am passionate about, I want to hold in my grubby hands myself....in paper format. They may be printed on the cheapest newsprint, or the crispest leather bound hard cover, or they may be pages I've printed off and stapled together in an attempt to produce a "real" book. But it must be old school. It is a book.

 I want to bend the corners back on the pages I visit often. I want to scribble in the margins. I want to Tweet some of their quotable quotes. I continue to become delighted to uncover how great an ocean of knowledge is awaiting me in the land of books. This land beckons me still.

What mankind writes about is a reflection of what it finds important or profitable to repeat.

Soon it will be spring time in this beautiful land of Canada....and with it will come the inevitable urge to purge. Muted books will stumble into my hands and leap toward the recycling bin with reckless abandon. But I must resist. I will attempt to keep at least one book from each of my fave influential authors. Many of their thoughts I have already committed to memory. But I must keep a momento of their position of power in my life. The authors have earned a trophy. That trophy is a space on my book case.

in peace,

Carla.

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Learning Without Mastery

 On several occasions I have blogged about Tony Robbins and Napoleon Hill's thoughts on success and mastery. But what I wanted to discuss today is that there is validity to all learning and all knowledge even if we never reach that point of mastery.

For example, I may never become a "master chef" .....but that doesn't mean that my attempts to learn how to cook new dishes is wasted. I am learning...but mastery is not necessarily my goal.

You may enjoy knitting or crochet or some other crafty hobby, but  it is valuable because of your enjoyment of it, not necessarily because you must press towards mastery.

There has been a rather all encompassing flow of social pressure towards "mastery" in all areas of life.
But must we always put so much pressure on ourselves to perform and become obsessed with perfection?
Athletic activities are still valid even when they never progress beyond amateur status.

But I want to ask you, my beloved readers, isn't it still wonderful and well worth your time, to continue to learn even when mastery is not your goal?

It is still wonderful to master one simple piece of piano music rather than forcing oneself to master an entire collection. It is wonderful to memorize one verse of scripture, even if that is the only one that you commit to memory in your lifetime.

I suppose that what I am speaking of is simply doing things out of the joy of life and out of a personal interest or respect for a certain subject matter.

My endorsement remains towards "life long independent learning" however, I still encourage learning and the gathering of knowledge....... no matter what the result is.....even if the student stays at a "beginner" stage for many years, or even forever. There does not need to be "performance orientation" in everything we do.
The term "performance orientation" was thoroughly explained and researched by the Christian author team of John and Paula Sandford. To develop a better understanding of their teachings, I would highly recommend anyone to gather up as many books that they have written as possible. It may take the expenditure of  many valuable hours  to ponder and grasp their writings, but I promise that it will be well worth it.

Doing certain activities are valid and legitimate in their own right. I am not talking about laying down your list of goals. I am talking about encouraging you in your personal path of growth and knowledge gathering, even when you are not heading for mastery. To continue to increase your knowledge base, in any measure.... is a beautiful path. But sometimes, in our obsession with performance and "measuring" our achievements, we mistakenly invalidate our modest efforts.

So, in conclusion, I wish you all, my readers a blessing on all your learning, both your grand exploits and achievements, as well as our most meek and modest interests.

Peace,
Carla.






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Let the Woman Think

Despite opinions to the contrary....businesses are led by thought.

Thinking must be respected as a legit activity.

If you have an attitude toward "thinking" as a lazy man or woman's escape, then you've missed the boat.....completely.

I see great beauty in that Rodin sculpture called "The Thinker"

I see that often men are given more space for "think time" than women are.
 How often do you see and value a woman who appears to be lost in thought. Do you respect the steam pouring forth from her ears, or do you judge her as a day dreamer?

It was Napoleon Hill, in some of his books in which he teaches principles of success, that Hill describes
the thinking process for business leaders as "setting for ideas".
So what exactly is "setting for ideas" ? It is simply sitting and being alone in a room or in some other quiet and isolated location where you allow a creative thought process to occur.

It was also Napoleon Hill who respected the activity of "thinking" so much that he connected a relationship with God with the thinking process. He seemed to believe that it is God who helps us hatch good ideas, and that all great ideas come directly from His Divine Intelligence.

What do you think? Do you put value in your own "think time"?

Please don't allow a "blue collar" mindset to dictate the false propaganda which shouts "Ya gotta be DOING something with your hands or body actively in order to be rewarded for "work". Often blue collar management have been so indoctrinated into boosting "production"  in a factory mindset, that they fail to put any value at all in intellectual or mental pursuits of any kind. How many precious minds have been completely destroyed in modern North American factories, by bosses and supervisors whose only focus was on what they could see and touch and count? Thoughts can not be immediately seen or touched or counted, and therefore, it is only those with faith in the value of "thought" that can encourage respect for any decent amount of time to spend in creative or problem solving thought.

The truth, in my humble opinion, is that the best problem solvers and inventors and business people are those who value THOUGHT, as a very precious treasure. ...... A treasure so valuable, that they create special places in their homes and cottages and lifestyle to incorporate their fave places they have set aside for thinking.

Thinking time is a blessed time.

Peaceful productivity,
Carla

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Success Can be Replicated

If you're tired of hearing self help blah blah blah,....I hear you...and I apologize for
sounding like one of "those" type of folks. But on the other hand....who cares? If you don't like it, or it feels like you're hearing nails scraping on chalkboard...just don't read on ")....

I continue to be inspired by those who teach other humans how to replicate success.

There used to be, and still is to a certain degree, a certain mystique that follows "successful" people.
It's like they possess some kind of secret that the rest of us haven't yet figured out.
Certainly, we might muse to ourselves,  they possess more intelligence, more fortitude or simply more "luck" in order to have achieved what they have achieved.

But I want to ask you.....have they really? I know so many wealthy people who are certainly not the sharpest tools in the shed. Were they born into money? Nope. But all of them possess this one simple trait...and that is simply that they "REFUSE to GIVE UP".

Successful people are obsessive in their focus, gathering their ability to concentrate on their chosen goal with 100% percent of their time and energy. They don't permit others to divide their time, their passion, or their
assets. They use EVERYTHING within their circle of influence to see to it that their goal or project succeeds.

They also know the value of good and accurate advice. They value good advice so highly that they are willing to travel almost ANYWHERE just to obtain better and more qualified advice.

It was Tony Robbins...(and yes, I know that I quote him a lot ")
who first brought to mainstream media, the idea that success can be broken down into digestible bits and replicated. Sure there were others before him, who studied success and wrote books about it.......powerful and studious men such as Napoleon Hill and Andrew Carnegie. But it was Tony Robbins who brought it down to a level where the common man/woman could understand and tap into the process of achievement.
For many folks of my generation, Tony Robbins was one of the first "self help" leaders who they listened to in audio form, on wee cassette tapes wafting into their cars/homes.

If you want to get in a flow where you feel empowered, you need to surround yourself with folks
who believe in accomplishment. Don't permit others to dull down your enthusiasm.
Your passion and excitement of what you can accomplish is VITAL to maintaining momentum.

The bible in Proverbs 4:23 talks about "guarding your heart". I believe that this is such an ESSENTIAL strategy for success. If you surround yourself with people who don't believe in your gift and talents, pretty soon YOU won't believe in them either. I'm not suggesting that you have "yes" men/women around you night and day. But you must feed your heart, mind and spirit with an atmosphere
of  the following:
Intelligence
"teachability"
patience
thoughtfulness
"CAN-DO" attitude
goal setting
confidence
resourcefulness
ingenuity
compassion
friendship
support
camaraderie
kindness
generosity
accuracy
love of knowledge
skillfulness
success
..........
and that is just a tiny list to get ya rolling...
Guard your heart and mind and emotions my friends.
Be blessed and confident in the goals and plans that you have set into place.

Peace and productivity.
Carla

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Choosing a Pacesetter as Napoleon Hill taught

Napoleon Hill's teachings don't really have an expiry date. Most, if not all successful men and women in business today have at some point in their lives become students under Napoleon Hill's teaching. Some have just learned indirectly from him, because they are/were under the tutelage of a leader who had already absorbed his teachings.

Have you?

Napoleon Hill wrote that epic little book called "Think and Grow Rich". His advice comes across as both humble, astute, kind and progressive. His work was a precursor to the work of motivational "scientists" such as the Tony Robbins of our day.

So today I wanted to talk about Mr. Hill's recommendation that we each find a "pacesetter".
Maybe you're not familiar with the term. A "pacesetter" in Mr. Hill's lingo, is simply someone that is successful in a similar niche as to what you aspire to, whom you can use as a marker maker, so that you can use his/her success to gauge and pace your own progress toward your goal.

Let' say for example, that your goal is to have a passive income stream from real estate equalling no less than $2000 net profit per month by the time you are 55 years old. Would you look for a pacesetter who hates real estate but loves the stock market? Nope. You want to choose a pacesetter who is in the same zone as you are mentally and in terms of their goals and lifestyle. You would want to find someone who has already gathered a bit of steam in real estate and who you can access some of their expertise, either personally or through their written or video work. Ideally you want a pacesetter whose work you can monitor either through the net or through their published works. If you don't know what your pacesetter is up to, you won't know if you are keeping pace with him/her and the motivating factor will be lost.

The internet has expanded our opportunities in terms of how we access mentors. We don't necessarily have to know our mentors personally in order for them to have a powerful impact on our lives.

For example, Kenneth Copeland has a powerful christian ministry across the globe. The last I heard, his U.S. branch collected close to 150 million dollars in revenue in one year's time. (don't quote me on that, as I haven't double checked the numbers) The reason I mention this, is that most of his "partners" or supporters have not met Kenneth Copeland personally but yet they have given him a place in their lives as a relevant mentor. They read his books, his newsletters, his websites, his twitter feed, and listen to his teachings via CD or podcasts etc. Kenneth is mentoring millions of people without even having to leave his studio. Yes, he does travel a lot as well, but it is worth mentioning that the majority of the mentoring happens remotely via mass media outlets. These outlets are not accessible to "only" his  ministry "partners" as anyone can
buy or read his books or listen to his teachings on Youtube.

I want to encourage you, if perhaps you have felt that mentors are so very hard to find. I have felt that way very often, especially because there seems to be so few female mentors that I really admire enough to want to pick their brain. There is some legit value to a lil' bit o' healthy competition, even if it is only comparable in the virtual world. But I take comfort in knowing that I am living in a day and time in which I can have
unlimited access to a plethora of brilliant minds just because I happen to have an internet connection. If God blesses my journey to the point that I will eventually have a personal networking opportunity with any of my virtual mentors, then that will be another day of joy.. But a personal relationship with a mentor is no longer absolutely necessary.

 You need a pacesetter, so you have some friendly competition to motivate you and inspire you. You need a pacesetter so that you have someone with whom you can assess your own progress. For example, if Tom and Jane have acquired 50 new sales leads in one month, why do you only have 3? Pacesetters inspire action and confidence because they show you what is possible, what is do-able and what you can hope for. Choosing a good pacesetter will help you focus on whatever it is you really want.

Choose a pacesetter who matches your set of values. Make sure it is someone of high moral fiber.
Wishing your blessings and inspiration this afternoon. Peace.

C.


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Praying with Intelligence

Yes, I admit it...I'm a big fan of Napoleon Hill books. I've read them and reread them just to remind myself of their truths.

I think that Napoleon Hill's teachings are one the few styles and philosophies of success and wealth accumulation that can be described as both humble and strong. Mr. Hill, as well as preserving our intellectual integrity, does not bash religious folks, but helps us to take our faith along with us through our life journey. Our life journey includes career decisions as well as a multitude of financial and investment decisions.

Napoleon Hill proved that it is possible to be a Christian and retain your intelligence and ambition as well.
He snuffed out that silly false movement that still rears it's ugly head in modern churches which is simply this          " that faith in God must require humans to dispose of all their hard won knowledge and intelligence in order to humbly worship God sincerely".

The longer I spend studying God's Word, i discover, to my great relief that God is a great fan of knowledge, intellect and accumulated learning. He does not endorse ignorance and foolish emotional decision making. Too long have religious folks  pretended that financial "ignorance" was just their way of applying "blind faith". In reality, those who choose to stay in ignorance, are just too lazy and spoiled to apply their minds and hearts to learn any new information. Then they cry and ask for handouts from other hardworking folks and ministries who have figured out how to have their needs met with God's help and wisdom.

Therefore, I just wanted to encourage all my readers, to consider, when you take the time to go into your fave place to pray that you take your knowledge and plans and skills with you. You don't have to dumb down in front of God to get your needs met. God is delighted that you have developed skills and professional levels of knowledge and competencies. We give Him glory for the opportunities we have found to increase our learning and skills.

Peace and prosperity with Christ. Retain your knowledge.....it is good.

Carla



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