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00:00:00
(tape clicking)00:00:04
(applause)00:00:08
- [Napoleon] Now then let's
break down the lesson on00:00:11
definiteness of purpose and
see exactly what it means.00:00:15
Why it's the starting
point of all achievements,00:00:19
because it is the starting point00:00:20
of all individual achievements.00:00:23
And then, a definite
purpose must be accompanied00:00:26
by a definite plan for entertainment00:00:28
followed by appropriate action.00:00:29
Now you have to have a purpose,00:00:30
you have to have a plan,00:00:32
and you have to start putting
that plan into action.00:00:34
And ladies and gentlemen,00:00:35
it's not too important
that your plan be sound.00:00:39
It isn't, in fact, it's not too important.00:00:42
Because if you find that
you've adopted a plan00:00:44
that's not sound, it's not working,00:00:45
you can always change.00:00:47
You can modify your plan,00:00:49
but it is very important
that you be definite00:00:51
about what it is you're going after,00:00:53
what your purpose is.00:00:54
That must be very definite,00:00:56
can you now think around about it,00:00:58
and you'll see before you
get through this lesson,00:01:00
why it's got to be definite.00:01:03
Now just to understand this philosophy,00:01:06
to read it or to hear me talk about it,00:01:08
it wouldn't be a very much value to you.00:01:11
The value will come when you begin to form00:01:13
your own patterns out of this philosophy00:01:15
and put it into work in your daily lives,00:01:17
in your business, in your profession,00:01:18
or in your job, or in
your human relations,00:01:21
that's where the benefits
will really come.00:01:25
The second premise,00:01:26
all individual achievements
are the results of a motive00:01:30
or a combination of motives.00:01:33
I just love to impress upon you00:01:36
that you have no rights to ask anybody00:01:39
to do anything at any time00:01:43
without what?00:01:46
- [Students] A motive.00:01:47
- [Napoleon] Without giving
that person an adequate motive,00:01:54
and incidentally that's
the word and the move00:01:56
of all salesmanship,00:01:59
the ability to plant in the mind of the00:02:01
prospective buyer, an
adequate motive for his buy.00:02:05
Learning to deal with people
by planting in their mind00:02:09
adequate motives for their doing00:02:11
the things that you want them to do.00:02:14
Now, there are a lot of people
who call themselves salesmen,00:02:19
who have never heard of
the nine basic motives,00:02:21
who do not know that they have
no right to ask for a sale00:02:24
until they have planted a motive00:02:25
in the minds of the buyer for his buying.00:02:31
The third premise, any dominating idea,00:02:35
plan or purpose held in the mind00:02:38
through repetition of thought,00:02:39
any dominating idea, plan
or purpose held in the mind00:02:44
through repetition of thought,00:02:47
and emotionalized with a burning
desire for its realization,00:02:52
is taken over by the
subconscious section of the mind00:02:54
and acted upon through whatever natural00:02:56
and logical means that may be available.00:03:02
Now in that paragraph,00:03:03
you've got a tremendous
lesson in psychology.00:03:10
If you want the mind to pick up an idea,00:03:15
and to form a habit,00:03:17
so that the mind will
automatically act upon that idea,00:03:21
you've got to tell the mind what you want00:03:23
over and over and over again.00:03:26
Know into it.00:03:29
When Mr. Coue came over
here some years ago00:03:31
with his famous formula
day by day in every way,00:03:35
I'm getting better and better,00:03:38
he cured thousands of people
but a very great number00:03:42
more than that he didn't cure.00:03:43
And I wonder if you would know why?00:03:47
- [Student] There was no desire.00:03:49
- [Napoleon] There was no desire,00:03:50
there was no feeling for
the end of that statement.00:03:53
You might just as well blow in the wind00:03:55
as to make a statement, unless you put some feeling back a bit,00:03:59
unless you believe it.00:04:03
And incidentally, if you tell yourself00:04:04
anything often enough,00:04:05
you will get to where you will believe it.00:04:06
Even a lie.00:04:09
(laughs)00:04:11
It is funny, isn't it?00:04:12
But it happens to be true.00:04:14
You know, there are people
who tell a little white lie00:04:17
and sometimes they're
not so white at that,00:04:20
until they get to where they
believe them themselves.00:04:23
Now the subconscious mind doesn't know the00:04:26
difference between right or wrong,00:04:28
it doesn't know the difference
between positive or negative,00:04:31
it doesn't know the difference between00:04:32
a penny or a million dollars.00:04:35
It doesn't know the difference
between success and failure.00:04:37
It'll accept any statement
that you keep repeating to it00:04:41
by thoughts, or by words,
or by any other means.00:04:46
And incidentally, it's up
to you in the beginning to00:04:49
lay out your definite purpose,00:04:52
write it out so that it can be understood,00:04:55
memorize it and start
repeating it day in and day out00:04:59
until your subconscious mind picks it up00:05:01
and automatically acts upon it.00:05:06
Now, this is going to take a little time.00:05:09
You can't expect to undo it overnight,00:05:13
but what you've been doing
to your subconscious mind,00:05:15
where back down through the years,00:05:17
by allowing negative
thoughts to get into it,00:05:20
you can't expect that to happen overnight,00:05:23
but you will find that if you
emotionalize any plan that you00:05:27
send over to your subconscious
mind and repeat it in a state00:05:30
of enthusiasm, and back it
up with a spirit of faith,00:05:34
if you do that, the
subconscious mind not only00:05:37
act more quickly, but
it acts more definitely,00:05:39
and more positively.00:05:45
And the fourth premise,00:05:48
any dominating desire, plan
or purpose which is backed00:05:51
by that state of mind known as faith,00:05:54
is taken over by the
subconscious section of the mind00:05:56
and acted upon immediately.00:05:59
That state of mind ladies and gentlemen,00:06:01
is the only state of mind that
will produce immediate action00:06:04
through the subconscious mind.00:06:07
And when I say faith,00:06:10
I don't have reference
to wishing, or hoping,00:06:15
or mildly believing,00:06:17
I don't have reference
to any of those things.00:06:19
I have reference to a
state of mind where in,00:06:22
whatever it is that you're going to do,00:06:24
you can see it already in a finished act00:06:26
before you even begin.00:06:29
Now, that's pretty positive isn't it?00:06:32
I can truthfully tell you
that not ever in my whole life00:06:35
have I undertaken to do
anything that I didn't do it,00:06:38
unless I got careless
in my desire to do it,00:06:43
and backed away from it,00:06:44
or changed my mind or my mental attitude.00:06:47
I have never failed to do
anything that I made up my mind00:06:50
to do, and I'll tell you that
you can put yourself in a00:06:53
frame of mind where you
can do whatever you make up00:06:56
your mind to do, unless you
weakened as you go along.00:06:59
And so many people do.00:07:02
Now, let's get back to
this fourth premise again,00:07:04
any dominating desire, plan or purpose,00:07:06
which is backed by that
state of mind known as faith,00:07:08
is taken over from the
subconscious section of the mind00:07:11
and acted upon immediately.00:07:14
I don't know for sure,
ladies and gentlemen,00:07:16
but I suspect that there's
a relatively small number of00:07:18
people in the world at any
one time who understand00:07:20
the principle of faith,00:07:22
who really understand it
and know how to apply it.00:07:26
And even if you do understand it,00:07:27
if you don't back it up with
action and make it a part of00:07:30
your habit life, you might
just as well not understand it,00:07:35
because faith without deeds is dead.00:07:39
Faith without action is dead.00:07:41
Faith without absolute
positive belief is dead.00:07:48
I don't know how you're going
to get into results through00:07:50
believing, unless you put some
action back at that belief.00:07:55
And incidentally, if you
tell your mind often enough00:07:57
that you have faith in anything,00:07:59
the time will come when
your subconscious mind00:08:01
will accept that, even if you
tell your mind often enough00:08:04
that you have faith in yourself,00:08:08
have you ever thought what
a nice thing it would be00:08:09
if you had such complete faith
in yourself that you wouldn't00:08:12
hesitate to undertake anything
you wanted to do in life?00:08:16
Have you ever thought
about what are the benefits00:08:17
that would be to you?00:08:20
You know how many people
there are that sell00:08:22
themselves short all the way
through life because they don't00:08:24
have the right amount of
confidence let alone faith?00:08:27
Give a guess as to the percentage.00:08:30
[Students] 98%.00:08:35
- [Napoleon] Well, it's
somewhere between 98 and 100.00:08:38
(laughs)00:08:39
The margin who do is so small
that I wouldn't begin to guess00:08:42
just exactly what it is,00:08:44
but judging by this good
many thousands of people00:08:47
that I've come into
contact with and you know00:08:49
without my telling you
that my audience is,00:08:51
my classes are always above average,00:08:55
judging by those people,00:08:57
I would say that it's well
over 98% of the people00:09:01
who never and our whole lives
develop a sufficient amount of00:09:05
confidence in themselves
to go out and to undertake00:09:08
and to do the things
they wanna do in life.00:09:11
They accept from life
whatever life hands them.00:09:15
Isn't it strangely how nature works.00:09:18
She gives you a set of tools.00:09:22
Everything that you need to
attain all that you can use or00:09:25
aspire to have in this world.00:09:27
She gave you a set of tools,00:09:29
adequate for your every need.00:09:32
And she reward you
bountifully for accepting00:09:35
and using those tools.00:09:36
That's all you have to do,00:09:37
just accept them and use them.00:09:39
She penalizes you beyond compare00:09:43
if you don't accept them and use them.00:09:46
Nature hates vacuums and idleness.00:09:50
She wants everything to be in action.00:09:54
And especially though
she wants the human mind00:09:56
to be in action.00:09:58
The mind is not different from
any other parts of the body,00:10:00
if you don't use it, if
you don't rely upon it,00:10:03
it atrophies and withers away
and finally gets to where00:10:06
anybody can push you around, anybody.00:10:10
And oftentimes you don't have
the willpower to even resist00:10:15
or protest when people push you around.00:10:20
The fifth premise,00:10:23
the power of thought is the
only thing over which any00:10:26
human being has complete
unquestionable means of control,00:10:30
a fact so astounding that it
connotes a close relationship00:10:34
between the mind of man
and infinite intelligence.00:10:39
Now there are only five known
things in the whole universe,00:10:43
ladies and gentlemen,00:10:44
just five, and out of those five,00:10:47
is shaped everything that's in existence,00:10:50
from the smallest electrons
and protons, or matter,00:10:53
on up to the largest
suns that float out there00:10:55
in the heavens, including you and me.00:11:01
Just five things.00:11:04
There's time and there's space,00:11:08
there's energy and there's matter.00:11:12
And those four things would be no good00:11:14
without the fifth thing,
they'd be nothing.00:11:16
Everything would be chaos.00:11:17
You and I never could have
existed without that fifth thing.00:11:22
What do you think it is?00:11:24
(muffled speech)00:11:27
A universal intelligence
and it reflects itself00:11:30
in every blade of grass,00:11:31
everything that grows out of the ground,00:11:33
in all of the electrons
and protons of matter,00:11:36
it reflects itself in space and in time,00:11:39
in everything it is,
there is intelligence.00:11:42
Intelligence operating all the time.00:11:46
And the person who is the
most successful is the one who00:11:49
finds ways and means of
appropriating most of this00:11:51
intelligence through his brain
and putting it into action.00:11:56
This intelligence permeates
the whole universe,00:12:00
space, time, matter,
energy, everything else.00:12:04
And every individual has the
privilege of appropriating00:12:07
to his own use as much of this
intelligence as he chooses.00:12:11
He can only appropriate it by using it,00:12:17
just understanding it or
believing in it is not enough.00:12:21
You've got to put it into
specialized use in some form.00:12:26
And the responsibility of this
course mainly is to give you00:12:30
a pattern, a blueprint by
which you can take possession00:12:33
of your own mind and
put it into operation.00:12:38
All you have to do is
to follow the blueprint.00:12:42
Don't just pick out that part
of it which you like best00:12:44
and discard the other.00:12:45
Take it all as is.00:12:49
The sixth premise,00:12:50
the subconscious section of
the mind appears to be the only00:12:54
doorway of the individual
approach to infinite intelligence.00:12:57
Now, I want you to study
that language very carefully.00:13:00
I said it appears to be,00:13:02
I don't know if it is, I doubt if you do,00:13:04
and I doubt if anyone knows definitely,00:13:06
a lot of people have a lot
of different ideas about it,00:13:09
but from the best intelligence
that I have been able to use,00:13:13
best observations that
I have been able to make00:13:16
through thousands of experiments,00:13:18
it is true that the
subconscious section of the mind00:13:21
is the only doorway of individual approach00:13:25
to infinite intelligence,00:13:26
and it is capable of
influence by the individual00:13:29
through the means described
in this subsequent lessons.00:13:33
The basis of approach is faith based upon00:13:37
definiteness of purpose.00:13:38
Now that is one sentence
that give you the whole key00:13:41
to that paragraph.00:13:43
Faith based upon definiteness of purpose.00:13:48
Do you have any idea why it
is that you don't have as much00:13:51
confidence in yourself as you should have?00:13:54
Have you ever stopped to think about that?00:13:57
Did you ever stop to
think about why it is when00:14:00
you see an opportunity coming along,00:14:02
or what you believe to be
an opportunity you begin to00:14:03
question your ability to
embrace it and use it.00:14:06
Haven't you had that
happen to you many times,00:14:08
does it happen everyday?00:14:13
And if you've had a chance
to be closely associated00:14:16
with people who are very successful,00:14:18
you'll know that that is one thing00:14:21
that they are not bothered by.00:14:24
If they wanna do something,
it never occurs to them00:14:26
they can't do it.00:14:27
I hope that in your association with00:14:29
Napoleon Hill Associates,00:14:30
you'll come to know my
distinguished business associate00:14:34
Mr. W. Clement Stone better
because if I ever saw a man00:14:36
that knows the power of his
mind and is willing to rely00:14:40
upon that mind, Mr. Stone is that man.00:14:43
I don't think Mr. Stone has any worries.00:14:45
I don't believe he would tolerate a worry.00:14:46
I think it would be an
insult to his intelligence00:14:49
if he recognized that
anything would worry him.00:14:54
Why, because he has confidence
in his ability to use his00:14:57
mind and to make that mind
to create the circumstances00:15:00
that he wants created.00:15:02
And that's the condition
and the operation of00:15:04
any successful mind.00:15:06
And that's gonna be the
condition of your mind00:15:08
when you get through with this philosophy,00:15:10
you're gonna be able to project your mind00:15:12
into whatever objective you choose,00:15:15
and you'll be never any
question in your mind00:15:17
as to whether you can do
what you wanna do or not,00:15:19
never a question in the world.00:15:22
(upbeat music)00:15:32
The seventh premise,00:15:33
every brain is both of a
receiving set and the broadcasting00:15:37
station for the vibrations of thought,00:15:40
a fact which explains the
importance of moving with00:15:43
definiteness of purpose
instead of drifting,00:15:46
since the brain may be
so thoroughly charged00:15:48
with the nature of one's purpose,00:15:50
that it will begin to attract the physical00:15:53
or material equivalents of that purpose.00:15:56
Get it into your consciousness
that first radio broadcasting00:16:00
and receiving set was the one that exists00:16:03
in the brain of man.00:16:05
And not only does it
exist in the brain of man,00:16:07
but it exists in a great many animals.00:16:10
I have a couple of Pomeranian dogs,00:16:12
and they know exactly what
I'm thinking sometimes00:16:14
before I know.00:16:16
They're so smart.00:16:17
They can tune in on it. They know when we start
off for an automobile ride,00:16:19
whether they're going,
whether they're not.00:16:21
You don't have to say a word, not a word,00:16:23
because they're in constant
attunement with us.00:16:27
Your mind is sending out
vibrations constantly,00:16:30
and if you're a salesman and
you are going to call on a00:16:32
prospective buyer, the
sale ought to be made00:16:34
before you ever come into
presence of the buyer.00:16:37
Had you ever thought of that?00:16:40
If you're going to do anything
requiring the cooperation of00:16:42
other people, condition
your mind so that you know00:16:46
the other fellow is going to cooperate.00:16:49
Why? First because the plan that
you're going to offer him00:16:53
is so fair and honest
and so beneficial to him00:16:55
that he can't refuse it.00:16:57
In other words, you have a
right to his cooperation.00:17:01
You will be surprised I know,00:17:03
what a change it will be in
people when you convince them00:17:06
to hand over this
broadcasting station of yours,00:17:09
positive thoughts instead
of thoughts of fear.00:17:13
Now, if you want a good
illustration of how this00:17:17
broadcasting station works,00:17:19
you need $1,000 real bad
then you go down to the bank00:17:22
somewhere and you've got
to have that 1000 by a day00:17:24
after tomorrow, they're
going to take the car back,00:17:26
or the furniture or something else.00:17:28
You just have to have that $1,000.00:17:31
Well, the banker can tell
the moment you walk inside00:17:33
the door is that you just have to have it00:17:35
and he doesn't want you to have it.00:17:38
Ain't that funny?00:17:40
No, it's not funny, it's tragic.00:17:43
You carry the matches around
in your pocket oftentimes00:17:46
to set your own house on fire.00:17:48
You broadcast your thoughts
and they precede you,00:17:52
and when you get there you find
that instead of getting the00:17:56
cooperation you went after,00:17:57
the other person who
reflects back to you what,00:18:00
that state of doubt, that state of mind00:18:02
that you set out ahead of it.00:18:05
I used to teach salesmanship,00:18:06
I made my living that way for a long time,00:18:08
while I was doing the
research on this philosophy.00:18:10
And I have taught over 30,000
salesmen many of them now00:18:13
MetLife members of the coveted
Million Dollar Round Table00:18:17
in the life insurance field.00:18:19
And if there is one thing in
this world that has to be sold00:18:21
it's life insurance, nobody
ever buys life insurance.00:18:24
It has to be sold.00:18:28
And the first thing that I taught those00:18:32
people under my direction was
that they must make the sale00:18:35
to themselves before they try
to make it to the other fella.00:18:39
And if they don't do that,00:18:40
they're not going to make a sale.00:18:41
Somebody might buy something from them00:18:42
but they'll never make a sale00:18:43
unless they first make it to themselves.00:18:48
Every brain a broadcasting
station and the receiving set.00:18:53
And you cannot tune that brain
so that they will attract00:18:56
only the positive vibrations
released by other people.00:19:00
That's the point I'm coming
to that I wanted you to get.00:19:04
By habit you can train
your own mind to pick up00:19:06
out of that myriad of
vibrations that are floating out00:19:10
there constantly, train
your mind to pick up00:19:12
only the things that are related to what00:19:14
you want most in life.00:19:16
And how do you do that?00:19:18
Why you do that by keeping
your mind on what you want most00:19:22
in life, your definite major purpose.00:19:24
So this by repetition,
by thoughts, by actions,00:19:29
until finally they brain will not pick up00:19:33
anything not related to that
definiteness of purpose.00:19:36
Now is that a marvelous thought.00:19:38
You're gonna educate your
brain so that it will00:19:41
absolutely refuse to
pick up any vibrations,00:19:44
except those related to what you want.00:19:47
And ladies and gentlemen,00:19:48
when you get your brain
under control like that,00:19:50
you will be on the path,
really and truly on the beam.00:19:54
Now let's see what are
some of the benefits of00:19:57
definiteness of purpose.00:20:00
First of all, definiteness of purpose00:20:02
automatically develop self-reliance,00:20:08
personal initiative,
imagination, enthusiasm,00:20:12
self discipline, and
concentration of effort,00:20:16
all of these being
prerequisites for success00:20:19
of vital importance.00:20:22
Now that's quite an array
of things that you really00:20:24
developed, you developed
through definiteness of purpose.00:20:28
That is to say, knowing what you want,00:20:30
having a plan for getting it,00:20:32
having your mind occupied
mostly with the carrying out00:20:35
of that plan.00:20:37
And if you have to adopt
a plan and unless you're00:20:40
an unusual person, you're
almost sure to adopt some plans00:20:42
that are not going to work so well,00:20:46
when you find that your plan is not right00:20:48
immediately discard it
and get another one,00:20:53
and keep on until you
find one that will work.00:20:57
And in the process of doing this,00:20:59
just remember one thing that
maybe somewhere along the line,00:21:02
that infinite intelligence being
gifted with a great deal of00:21:06
wisdom might have a plan for
you better than the one you had00:21:09
yourself, have an open mind.00:21:13
If you adopt a plan to
carry out your major purpose00:21:16
or a minor purpose and
it doesn't work well,00:21:19
dismiss that plan and ask for guidance00:21:23
from infinite intelligence.00:21:26
You may get that guidance,00:21:28
What can you do to be
sure that you will get it?00:21:33
While you can believe that you'll get it.00:21:36
You can believe that you'll get it,00:21:38
and it's not gonna hurt
if you just say out loud00:21:40
orally that you believe it.00:21:44
I suspect that the creator
can know your thoughts,00:21:47
but I found that if you
express yourself with a lot of00:21:50
enthusiasm, it doesn't hurt any.00:21:52
And I'm sure that it doesn't
hurt in arousing your00:21:57
subconscious mind.00:21:59
When I wrote, "Think and Grow Rich,"00:22:02
the original title of it
was "The 13 Steps to Riches"00:22:05
and both the publisher and I knew that00:22:07
that was not a box office title.00:22:08
We had to have a million-dollar title.00:22:11
Well, they went ahead and set the type,00:22:12
set the book up and type,00:22:15
and the publisher kept prodding
me every day to give him00:22:18
the title that I wanted and
I wrote five or 600 titles,00:22:21
there weren't any of them
any good, not any of them.00:22:27
And then one day he scared
the Dickens out of me,00:22:29
he called me up and said, well,00:22:31
he said that tomorrow morning
I've got to have that title.00:22:33
And he said, if you don't have one,00:22:34
I have one that's a humdinger,00:22:35
I said, what is it?00:22:37
He said, we've got to call it
use your noodle and get the00:22:40
Moodle, I said, my goodness, you annoy me.00:22:43
(students laughing)00:22:44
Why is it that,00:22:46
this is a dignified book,00:22:48
and that flipper title, well,00:22:50
that will ruin the book and me too,00:22:51
and he said, whether it will
or not, that's the title,00:22:53
unless you give me a better
one by tomorrow morning.00:22:56
(students laughing)00:22:58
I want you to follow this incident because00:23:00
it's potent with the food for thought,00:23:03
what I'm not telling you.00:23:07
I went in that night
and sat down on my bed00:23:09
as I was going to on the side of the bed,00:23:11
and I had a talk with my
subconscious mind and I said,00:23:13
now look here old sub, you
and I have gone a long way00:23:16
together and you've done
a lot of things for me00:23:18
and some things to me,
thanks to my ignorance.00:23:22
Well, I've gotta have
a million-dollar title00:23:24
and I've gotta have it tonight,00:23:25
do you understand that?00:23:28
I got to talking so loudly
that the man in the apartment00:23:30
above me funked on the floor,00:23:33
and I don't blame him,00:23:34
because I guess he thought I
was quarreling with my wife00:23:37
or something.00:23:39
Well, I really gave the
subconscious mind no doubt,00:23:41
as to what I want.00:23:42
Now I didn't tell him,00:23:43
I didn't tell the subconscious
mind exactly what kind of00:23:45
title, I said it's gotta
be a million-dollar title.00:23:51
I went to bed when I had
charged my subconscious mind00:23:56
until I reached that
psychological moment where I knew00:23:59
it was going to put in what I wanted.00:24:01
And if I hadn't gotten to that point,00:24:03
I'd have been up there
still sitting on the side00:24:05
of that bed, talking to my subconscious.00:24:09
There is a psychological
moment and you can feel it when00:24:12
the power of faith takes over
whatever you're trying to do,00:24:14
and says, all right now you can relax.00:24:16
This is it.00:24:18
I went to bed and about
two o'clock in the morning,00:24:21
I woke up as if somebody had
been shaking me real hard,00:24:24
and as I came out of my sleep,00:24:25
think and grow rich was in my mind.00:24:28
Oh boy, I let out an (indistinct)00:24:30
I jumped in my typewriter
and wrote it down,00:24:32
and I grabbed the telephone
and I called the publisher.00:24:35
He said, what's the matter,00:24:37
we've talked on the phone all night,00:24:38
about 2:30 a.m. in the
morning by this time,00:24:41
I said, yes, you bet it is
with a million-dollar title.00:24:43
He said, let's (indistinct)00:24:46
I said, think and grow rich,00:24:47
he said, boy, you've got it.00:24:48
(students laughing)00:24:49
Yeah, I said we've got it.00:24:51
That book has gross outside
of the United States,00:24:55
over $23 million already
and probably will roast00:24:58
over $100 million before I pass on.00:25:01
And there's no end to it.00:25:03
A million dollar, a
multimillion dollar title.00:25:08
Well, after this thrashing
that I gave my subconscious,00:25:10
I'm not surprised that it really came over00:25:12
and did a good job.00:25:14
Now, why didn't I use that
method in the first place?00:25:20
Isn't that a funny thing
where I know the law,00:25:23
why did I fool around
about it and temporize?00:25:25
Why didn't I go to the source
and get my subconscious mind00:25:28
all heated up, instead of
sitting down at my typewriter00:25:31
writing out five or 600 times.00:25:32
Why didn't I?00:25:34
Well, I'll tell you why,00:25:35
for the same reason
that you will oftentimes00:25:37
know what to do, but won't do it.00:25:39
There's no explaining the
indifference of mankind00:25:42
toward himself.00:25:44
Even after you know what the law is.00:25:45
You know what the score is.00:25:47
And you fool around until the last limit00:25:49
before you do anything about it,00:25:51
just like in prayer,
fool around about prayer00:25:55
until this time of need comes,00:25:57
and then you're scared to death,00:25:58
and of course you don't get
any results from prayer.00:26:02
And if you wanna have results from prayer00:26:04
you condition your mind so
that your life is a prayer00:26:06
day in and day out every
minute of your life,00:26:10
a constant prayer,00:26:12
because it's based upon belief,00:26:15
belief in your dignity and your rights,00:26:18
that you need on infinite
intelligence to have the things00:26:21
that you need in this world.00:26:23
And so it is with this human
mind you've got the condition00:26:26
the mind as you go along from day to day,00:26:27
so that when any emergency arises,00:26:29
you will be right there
ready to deal with it.00:26:33
Also the depth, there's a
purpose induces one's budget,00:26:37
one's time, and to plan
day to day endeavors,00:26:40
which lead to the attainment
of one's major purpose.00:26:43
If you would sit down and
put out an hour by hour00:26:47
account of the actual work
that you put in each day00:26:50
for one week, and then an hour
by hour account of the time00:26:52
that you wasted, you could
devote to anything you want00:26:54
if you wanted to, badly enough,00:26:57
you're going to get one of
the shocks of your life.00:26:59
We're not efficient.00:27:01
You don't have three hour,00:27:03
about eight hours to sleep,00:27:04
about eight hours to earn a living,00:27:05
then have eight hours of free time,00:27:07
but you can do anything
that you want to do it00:27:09
here in this country, where we live.00:27:11
And then,00:27:15
definiteness of purpose
makes one more alert00:27:17
in recognizing opportunities
related to the object00:27:20
of one's major purpose.00:27:22
And it inspires the courage to embrace and00:27:25
act upon those opportunities.00:27:29
We all see opportunities
almost every day of our lives,00:27:35
which if we embraced
them and acted upon them00:27:37
could benefit us.00:27:39
But there's something innocent
we call procrastination.00:27:43
We just don't have the
will or the alertness,00:27:46
the determination to embrace opportunities00:27:48
when they come along.00:27:51
But if you condition your
mind with this philosophy,00:27:54
you will not only embrace opportunities,00:27:56
but you'll do something better.00:27:57
What could you do better
than embrace an opportunity?00:27:59
- [Student] Make it.00:28:01
- [Napoleon] Make the opportunity,00:28:02
that's the idea.00:28:08
One of the Napoleon's
generals, the other Napoleon,00:28:13
came to him one day and
they were fixing to attack00:28:16
the next morning.00:28:17
This general says, sir, the conditions,00:28:20
the circumstances are not just right00:28:23
for the attack tomorrow.00:28:25
And Napoleon says,
circumstance is not right,00:28:29
hell, I make circumstances, attack.00:28:34
And I have never seen a successful
man yet in any business,00:28:37
that didn't say when somebody
says it can't be done,00:28:39
he says, attack, attack,
start where you are.00:28:44
And when they get around
to that curve in the road00:28:46
even though you can't see
by it until you get there00:28:48
you'll always find that the
road goes all around, attack.00:28:52
Don't procrastinate,
don't stand still, attack.00:29:00
And definiteness of purpose
inspires competence in one's00:29:03
integrity and character.00:29:05
And it attracts the favorable
attention of other people.00:29:10
Did you ever thought about that?00:29:12
I think the whole world
loves to see a person00:29:14
walking with his chest sticking out,00:29:15
walking an atmosphere that
tells the whole doggone world00:29:19
that he knows what he's doing and he is00:29:22
right on the way doing it.00:29:24
Well, you know, people
will get out of the way00:29:25
on the sidewalk and let you go by00:29:27
if you are determined to get by,00:29:29
and you don't have to
whistle at them either,00:29:31
or holler at them or
anything of that kind,00:29:33
you just have to send your
thoughts ahead with determination00:29:35
as you're going through that crowd,00:29:37
and believe me, they stand
aside and let you go through.00:29:40
And the world's like that,00:29:42
the man who knows where he
is going and is determined00:29:45
to get there, will always
find willing helpers00:29:48
to go operate with him.00:29:49
Now that's another very important thing.00:29:52
The greatest deed of all its benefits,00:29:56
that is definiteness of purpose,00:29:58
it opens the way for the full
exercise of our state of mind00:30:01
known as faith, by
making the mind positive00:30:05
and freeing the mind from the
limitations of fear and doubt00:30:08
and discouragement and
indecision and procrastination.00:30:13
The very minute that you
decide upon something,00:30:15
you know that's what you want,00:30:17
you'll know you're going to do it,00:30:19
all of these negatives that
have been bothering you,00:30:22
they pick up their baggage and get out,00:30:26
they just move out.00:30:30
They can't live in a positive mind.00:30:34
Can you imagine a negative
frame of mind and a positive00:30:38
frame of mind occupying the
same space at the same time?00:30:40
Could you imagine that?00:30:41
No, you can't, 'cause it can't be done.00:30:43
And did you know that the slightest bit of00:30:46
a negative mental attitude
is sufficient to destroy00:30:49
the power of prayer.00:30:51
Did you know that the slightest bit of00:30:52
of a negative mental attitude
is sufficient to destroy your00:30:55
plan, whatever it is you're doing?00:30:58
Carrying out your definiteness of purpose?00:31:00
You have to move with courage, with faith,00:31:04
with determination, in
connection with carrying out00:31:07
your definiteness of purpose.00:31:11
And next, definiteness of purpose,00:31:14
makes one success conscious.00:31:16
You know what I mean by success conscious?00:31:20
If I said that it makes
one also health conscious,00:31:24
would you know what I meant by that?00:31:26
What do I mean?00:31:28
[Student] Thinking helps.00:31:30
- [Napoleon] Why your
thoughts are predominantly00:31:32
about health and with reference
to success consciousness,00:31:36
your thoughts are
predominantly about success.00:31:39
The can do part of life
and not the no can do.00:31:44
Did you know that that 98%
of the people who never get00:31:47
anywhere in life that we've
talked about a while ago00:31:49
are no can do people.00:31:52
Any circumstances you place before them,00:31:54
or that is placed before
them, or that overtakes them,00:31:58
immediately they fasten
their narrative upon the00:32:01
no can do part, the negative part.00:32:02
I'll never forget as long as I live,00:32:06
what happened to me when
Mr. Carnegie surprised me00:32:09
and gave me a chance to
organize this philosophy.00:32:15
I tried to every way in
the world to give him00:32:17
all the reasons I can think
of, and I had about six,00:32:19
about six reasons why I couldn't do it.00:32:22
I didn't have a sufficient education,00:32:25
I didn't have the money,00:32:27
I didn't have the influence,00:32:29
I didn't know what the
word philosophy meant.00:32:33
Well, and there was about two others00:32:36
that immediately popped into my mind00:32:38
and I was trying to get
my mouth open to tell00:32:41
Mr. Carnegie, that I thanked him for00:32:43
the compliment he paid me.00:32:45
But what is going on
in my mind while I was00:32:48
doubting that Mr. Carnegie
was such a good judge of human00:32:50
nature as he had been reported
to be when he was picking me00:32:53
to do a job like that.00:32:55
Now that's what went on in my mind.00:32:58
But there were silent
person standing looking over00:33:01
my shoulder and he said,
go ahead and tell him00:33:04
you can do it, spit it out.00:33:08
And I said, yes, Mr. Carnegie,00:33:09
I'll accept the commission and
you can depend upon it, sir,00:33:13
that I will complete it.00:33:17
He reached over and grabbed
me by the hand, he said,00:33:19
I not only like what you said,00:33:20
but I liked the way you said it.00:33:22
That's what I was waiting for.00:33:25
He saw that my mind was on
fire with a belief that I could00:33:29
do it, even though I
hadn't the slightest asset00:33:34
to give me a beginning,00:33:35
other than my determination
that I would get the assets00:33:38
necessary to create this philosophy.00:33:40
And if I had wavered in the slightest,00:33:43
if I hadn't said to Mr.
Carnegie, well, yes,00:33:45
Mr. Carnegie I'll do my best,00:33:49
I am sure, I never asked him about this,00:33:52
but I am sure that he would
have taken the opportunity away00:33:54
from me instantly, because
it would have indicated00:33:57
that I wasn't too determined to do it.00:34:01
Yes, Mr. Carnegie you can
depend upon me such to complete00:34:05
it, and you're living witnesses here,00:34:08
although Mr. Carnegie
is long since been gone,00:34:10
you're living witnesses that Mr. Carnegie00:34:12
didn't peak wrongly.00:34:15
(applause)00:34:23
He knew what he was about,00:34:25
he found something in the
human mind, in my mind,00:34:28
that he'd been searching for, for years.00:34:31
He found it, I didn't know
it's value but I found out00:34:34
the value of it later.00:34:35
And I want you to
recognize the value of it,00:34:37
because you have that
same thing in your mind,00:34:40
that same capacity to know what you want,00:34:42
and to be determined that you will get it,00:34:44
even though you don't know
where to make the first start,00:34:47
and what does make a great man.00:34:49
Give me a good definition,00:34:50
what makes a great man or a great woman?00:34:54
Do you have any idea of what greatness is?00:34:56
(muffled speech)00:34:59
Greatness is the ability
to recognize the power00:35:03
of your own mind, to
embrace it and use it.00:35:07
That's what makes greatness.00:35:10
And in my book of rules,
every man and every woman00:35:13
can become truly great
by the simple process00:35:17
of recognizing his or her own mind,00:35:19
embracing it and using it.00:35:23
Now, here are instructions
for applying the principle00:35:25
of definiteness of purpose,00:35:29
and these instructions
are to be carried out00:35:31
to the letter.00:35:33
Don't overlook any part of it.00:35:36
First, write out a clear
statement of your major purpose,00:35:39
sign it, commit it to memory
and repeat it overly at least00:35:44
once a day in the form of a prayer00:35:47
or an affirmation if you choose.00:35:50
You can see the advantage of
this because it places your00:35:52
faith in your creator
squarely back at you.00:35:56
Now I've found from experience,
ladies and gentlemen,00:35:59
here is the weakest spot
in the students activities.00:36:05
They read this, they say what
simple enough I understand00:36:07
it what use to go to the
trouble writing it out.00:36:11
You might just as well
not have this lesson00:36:12
if you're going to take
that attitude with you.00:36:14
You must write it out,00:36:15
you must go through the
physical act of translating a00:36:19
thought onto paper,00:36:22
and then you must memorize it,00:36:25
and then you must start talking
to your subconscious mind00:36:27
about it, give that subconscious
mind a pretty good idea00:36:30
what it is you want.00:36:33
And it won't hurt and if you
remember the story I told you00:36:36
in the first half of the lesson
tonight about what I did to00:36:38
get my million-dollar book title.00:36:42
It won't do a bit of harm if
you give your subconscious mind00:36:46
to understand from here on
out that you are the boss,00:36:49
and that you're gonna
do something about it.00:36:53
Would you guys expect your
subconscious mind or anything00:36:55
else do help you if you don't
know what it is you want.00:36:58
If you're not definite about it.00:37:01
98 out of every 100 people
taking cross section of humanity00:37:05
in general, do not know
what they want in life00:37:08
and consequently they never get it.00:37:10
They take whatever life hands them.00:37:13
In addition to your
definite major purpose,00:37:17
you can have minor purposes,00:37:20
as many as you want provided they lead you00:37:24
in the direction of your major purpose.00:37:27
Provided they are related to or lead you00:37:29
in the direction of your major purpose.00:37:33
Your whole life should be
devoted to carrying out00:37:35
your major purpose in life.00:37:39
Find out what it is you want,00:37:41
and incidentally, it's all
right to be modest like I am00:37:46
(laughs)00:37:49
when you go asking for what you want,00:37:52
but don't be too modest.00:37:57
Reach out and ask for a bounty,00:38:01
ask for the things that you
are sure you're entitled to,00:38:03
but in asking be sure
that you don't overlook00:38:07
the subsequent instructions
I'm gonna give you about00:38:10
what it is you're going to give00:38:11
in return for what you expect.00:38:15
Second, write out a clear
definite outline of the plan,00:38:18
or plans by which you
intend to achieve the00:38:20
object of your purpose,00:38:22
and state the maximum of time within which00:38:25
you intend to attain it,00:38:27
and describe it in detail
precisely what you intend to give00:38:31
in return for the realization
of the object of your purpose.00:38:35
Make your plan flexible
enough to permit changes00:38:37
anytime you are inspired to do so,00:38:41
remembering that infinite
intelligence may present you00:38:44
with a better plan than
yours and oftentimes will,00:38:46
if you are definite about what you want.00:38:51
Have any of you ever had a hunch
that you couldn't describe,00:38:54
you couldn't explain away?00:38:56
You know what a hunch is?00:38:59
- [Students] Subconscious. - [Napoleon] It's your
subconscious mind trying to get00:39:01
an idea over to you and
oftentimes you are too indifferent00:39:04
to even let the subconscious
mind talk to you00:39:06
for a few moments.00:39:08
I've heard people say, well,
I had the darn good idea00:39:11
the other day, but that darn good idea,00:39:13
you know, it might have
been a million-dollar idea00:39:16
if you would have listened to it00:39:17
and have done something about it.00:39:19
I have great respect for these
hunches that come to you,00:39:21
because there's something
outside of yourself trying to00:39:24
communicate with you undoubtedly.00:39:28
I have a great respect for
these hunches that come to me,00:39:31
and they come to me constantly.00:39:34
And I find them always
related to something that00:39:36
my mind has been dwelling upon,00:39:38
something that I wanted to do,00:39:39
something that I am engaged in.00:39:42
Write out a clear definite
outline of the plan or plans,00:39:45
and state the maximum of
time within which you intend00:39:49
to attain it.00:39:50
Now that timing is important.00:39:53
Very important.00:39:54
Don't write out that you
definitely dream that I intend to00:39:57
become the best salesman in the world.00:40:00
Or that I intend to become
the best employee in my00:40:04
organization, or that I
intend to make a lot of money.00:40:08
That's not definite.00:40:11
Whatever it is that you consider
to be your major objective00:40:14
in life, write it out clearly and time it.00:40:19
I intend to attain within
blank number of years,00:40:23
so and so, and then go ahead
and describe so and so,00:40:26
what it is,00:40:28
and then in the next
paragraph, down below,00:40:30
I intend to give in return
for the thing that I request,00:40:33
so and so, and then go
ahead and describe it.00:40:37
Now this business of timing, you know,00:40:39
nature has a system of timing everything.00:40:43
If you go out, if you're a farmer,00:40:45
you wanna plant some wheat in the field,00:40:48
you go out and you prepare that ground,00:40:51
you sow the wheat at the
right season of the year,00:40:55
and then after you sow it
you go back the next day00:40:58
with a harvester and start harvesting.00:41:01
Very next day.00:41:05
Well, is anybody gonna
catch me up on that one?00:41:07
- [Students] You wait.00:41:10
- [Napoleon] What do you wait for?00:41:13
For nature to do her part.00:41:17
Infinite intelligent or
God, whatever you want,00:41:19
it's all a matter of what you call it,00:41:20
and we're talking about the same thing,00:41:21
but there is an intelligence
that does its part00:41:24
if you do your part first.00:41:27
Intelligence is not going to direct you to00:41:29
or attract to you the object
of your major purpose,00:41:32
unless you know it is.00:41:34
And unless you properly time it,00:41:37
it'd be quite ridiculous
if you started out with00:41:40
only a mediocre talent and
said that you're gonna make00:41:42
$1 million within the next 30 days,00:41:44
it'd be quite ridiculous.00:41:47
In other words, just
make your major purpose00:41:49
within reason of what you
know you're able to deserve.00:41:55
And then keep your major
purpose strictly to yourself,00:41:58
except insofar as you will
receive further instructions00:42:01
on this subject, in the
lesson on the mastermind.00:42:03
Now why do I suggest that you keep00:42:05
your major purpose to yourself?00:42:07
Well, the reason of course
that you don't disclose00:42:10
your major purpose to other people00:42:11
is that there are a lot of,00:42:14
I know curious people in
this world who like to stand00:42:16
on the sidelines and stick
their toes up when you go by,00:42:19
especially if you've got
a high head and look like00:42:21
you're gonna accomplish
more in life than they are.00:42:24
And for no good reason at all,00:42:25
as you go along,00:42:26
they stick their toes out
and just to see you fall.00:42:30
They'll throw a monkey
wrenches in your machinery.00:42:32
They don't have monkey wrenches, they put sand in your gear box.00:42:35
But they will slow you down.00:42:38
Why, because of the envy of mankind.00:42:42
The only way to speak about
your definite major purpose is00:42:46
in action after the fact
and not before the fact,00:42:49
after you've achieved it,00:42:50
let it speak for itself.00:42:53
Let it speak for itself.00:42:56
The only way anybody can
afford to boast or brag00:42:58
about himself is not
by words, but by deeds.00:43:02
And then if you do, if
the deeds are engaged,00:43:04
then you don't need any words.00:43:05
They speak for themselves.00:43:08
About making your plan flexible,00:43:09
don't become determined that
the plan you've worked out is00:43:13
perfect just because you worked it out,00:43:16
you'll make a mistake if you do that.00:43:18
Leave your plan flexible,
give it a good trial,00:43:21
and if it's not working
properly, change it.00:43:23
Next call your major purpose
into your consciousness00:43:26
as often as may be practical.00:43:29
Eat with it, sleep with it,00:43:31
and take it with you wherever you go,00:43:33
keeping in mind the fact
that your subconscious mind00:43:35
can thus be influenced
to work for entertainment00:43:39
while you sleep.00:43:41
Your conscious mind is
a very jealous mind.00:43:43
It stands guard and doesn't
want anything to get by,00:43:45
except the things that you are afraid of,00:43:47
and the things that you're
very enthusiastic about.00:43:51
And especially the things
that you are afraid of,00:43:55
it does let those get by sometimes too.00:43:59
But generally speaking,00:44:01
if you want to plant an idea
in your subconscious mind,00:44:03
you have to do it with a
tremendous amount of faith,00:44:07
tremendous amount of enthusiasm,00:44:09
you've got to arrest the
conscious mind so that00:44:11
it steps aside and let you go
through to the subconscious,00:44:14
because of your enthusiasm and your faith.00:44:18
And then repetition is
a marvelous thing too.00:44:21
The conscious mind finally
gets tired of hearing you say00:44:23
a thing over and over and over,00:44:25
it says, all right, if
you bound to repeat that,00:44:27
I can stand here and watch
you forever go on in there00:44:29
and take it into sub and
see what you do with it.00:44:32
That's the way it works.00:44:35
This conscious mind is
a very contrary thing.00:44:37
And you know, it learns all
of the things that won't work.00:44:40
Did you know that it has a
tremendous stock of things00:44:43
that won't work and
things that are not right.00:44:45
And it has a tremendous stock
of old pieces of string,00:44:50
horseshoes, nails, like
some misers gather up00:44:54
a whole stock of those
things lying around,00:44:57
useless trash that it's gathered,00:44:59
impedimenta that you don't need.00:45:02
And that's the kind of stuff it's feeding00:45:04
to your subconscious mind.00:45:07
Every night just before you go to bed,00:45:12
you should give your subconscious
mind some sort of an order00:45:14
for the night, what it is you want done.00:45:16
I should say the healing of
your body certainly the body00:45:19
needs repairing everyday.00:45:21
When you lay the carcass down for sleep,00:45:23
by turning it over to the
infinite intelligence and request00:45:25
your subconscious mind
to go to work and heal00:45:28
every cell in your body, every organ,00:45:30
and to give you tomorrow morning,00:45:32
a perfectly conditioned body
in which the mind may function.00:45:37
Don't go to bed without giving
orders to your subconscious00:45:40
mind, tell it what you want.00:45:41
Get in the habit of
telling it what you want.00:45:44
If you keep on long
enough it'll believe you00:45:45
and deliver what you ask for.00:45:49
And therefore you better be
careful about what you ask for,00:45:51
because we keep on asking for it,00:45:52
you're gonna get it.00:45:55
I wonder if you wouldn't
be surprised if you knew00:45:58
right now what you've been asking for00:45:59
back down through the years.00:46:02
You ever thought of that?00:46:04
You've been asking for it, sure you have.00:46:06
Everything that you
have that you don't want00:46:07
you've been asking for it.00:46:09
Maybe by neglect, maybe by neglect,00:46:12
maybe you didn't tell
the subconscious mind00:46:14
what you really wanted and
that stocked up on a lot00:46:16
of stuff you didn't want.00:46:19
It works that way.00:46:22
Now, here are some important factors00:46:24
in connection with your
definite major purpose.00:46:27
First of all,00:46:28
it should represent your
greatest purpose in life.00:46:31
The one single purpose,
which above all others,00:46:34
that you desire to achieve
and the fruits of which00:46:38
you are willing to leave behind
as a monument to yourself.00:46:43
Now, that's what your definite
major purpose should be.00:46:45
I'm not talking about your minor purposes,00:46:46
I'm talking about your
major, overall purpose,00:46:48
your lifelong purpose.00:46:51
And believe me, friends, if
you don't have an overall00:46:54
lifelong purpose, you're
definitely wasting00:46:56
the better part of your life.00:46:59
The way our entire living is
not worth the price you pay for00:47:02
it, unless you really
are aiming for something,00:47:03
unless you're going somewhere in life,00:47:05
unless you're doing something
with this opportunity00:47:07
here on this planet.00:47:09
I imagine you were sent
over here to do something.00:47:11
I imagine you were sent over
here with a mind capable of00:47:14
hewing out, attaining your own destiny.00:47:17
And if you don't attain that,
if you don't use that mind,00:47:19
I imagine that your life to
a large extent will have been00:47:23
wasted, from the viewpoint
of the one who sent you over.00:47:28
Take possession of your mind, aim high,00:47:32
don't leave because in the
past you may not have achieved00:47:35
much you can't achieve in the future.00:47:38
Don't measure your future by your past.00:47:40
If you do you're suck.00:47:43
A new day is coming,00:47:45
they're gonna be born again.00:47:46
You're setting up a new pattern.00:47:48
You're in a new world.00:47:49
You're a new person.00:47:53
Or if not, why not?00:47:56
At the end every one of
you shall be born again,00:48:00
mentally, physically
and maybe spiritually.00:48:04
A new aim, a new purpose,00:48:07
a new realization of your
own individual power,00:48:12
and a new realization of your own dignity00:48:13
as a unit of mankind.00:48:20
If you asked me what I believe
to be the greatest sin of00:48:22
mankind, I bet you'd be surprised00:48:24
at what my answer would be.00:48:25
What would yours be?00:48:27
What do you think the
greatest sin of mankind is?00:48:31
(muffled speech)00:48:32
The greatest sin of
mankind is neglect to use00:48:36
his greatest asset.00:48:37
That's the greatest sin of mankind.00:48:40
It's bound to be that, because
if you use that greatest00:48:42
asset you'll have everything you want00:48:44
and you will have it in abundance.00:48:50
You notice, I didn't say
you'll have everything00:48:52
within reason, I said, you'd
have everything you want00:48:55
and have it in abundance.00:48:56
I didn't find any
qualifying words in there.00:48:58
You're the only one that
can put qualifying words00:49:00
in there as to what you want.00:49:01
You're the only one that
can set up limitations00:49:04
for yourself, nobody
else can do it for you,00:49:07
unless you let them.00:49:10
Your major purpose or some portion of it,00:49:12
should remain a few jumps
ahead of you at all times00:49:15
as something to which you may look forward00:49:17
with hope and anticipation.00:49:21
Now, if you ever catch up
with your major purpose00:49:23
and attain it, then what, what
are you going to do there?00:49:25
- [Students] Get another one.00:49:26
- [Napoleon] Get another one ofcourse,00:49:28
and you will have learned by
having attained your first one00:49:31
that you can attain a major purpose,00:49:34
and the challenges are when
you select your next one,00:49:37
you will make it a bigger objective00:49:38
than you did your first one.00:49:41
If your objective is to
acquire a material riches,00:49:43
well, don't aim for too
high for the first year,00:49:46
and work out a 12 month
plan within reason,00:49:49
and watch how easily you can attain it,00:49:50
and then next year, double it.00:49:53
Then next year, double last.00:49:56
One's major purpose should
keep a few jumps ahead of him,00:49:58
what's the purpose of that?00:50:02
Why not lay out a definite
purpose that you can catch up00:50:04
with well just tomorrow say.00:50:08
Well now obviously if you do that,00:50:09
you're definitely made
your purpose not gonna be00:50:11
very extensive is it?00:50:12
And you're not gonna
have the fun of pursuit.00:50:18
You know the fun of
pursuit is a great thing.00:50:21
If you found success,00:50:23
if you found your objective,
then there's no fun in,00:50:26
but you have to turn around
and start into something else.00:50:31
Life is less interesting when
one has no definite purpose00:50:34
to be attained other than
that of merely living.00:50:38
The hope of future achievement
in connection with a major00:50:41
purpose, is among the
greatest of men's pleasures.00:50:44
Sorry is the man indeed
who's caught up with himself.00:50:47
No longer has anything to do.00:50:49
I found a lot of them.00:50:51
They're all miserable.00:50:54
No, you've got to keep active,00:50:56
keep doing something,00:50:57
keep working, have an
objective ahead of you.00:51:01
Once major purpose may
and it generally does00:51:03
consist of that which can
be attained only by a series00:51:07
of day to day and month to
month and year to year steps,00:51:12
because it is something
which should be so designed00:51:15
as to consume an entire
lifetime of endeavor.00:51:19
It should harmonize with
one's occupation, business,00:51:22
or profession for each
day's work should enable one00:51:25
to come one day near to the attainment00:51:28
of his major purpose in life.00:51:30
I feel sorry, indeed I feel
sorry for the individual who00:51:33
was just working day in and
day out in order to have00:51:35
something to eat and some clothes to wear00:51:37
and a place to sleep.00:51:39
I feel sorry for that
kind of a person who has00:51:41
no aim beyond just enough to exist on.00:51:46
I can't imagine anybody in
this class satisfying himself,00:51:49
sitting down with an existence.00:51:51
I think you wanna live.00:51:52
I think you want abundance.00:51:53
I think you want everything
that's necessary for you to do00:51:57
the thing you wanna do
in life, including money.00:52:03
One's major purpose may and
it generally does consist of00:52:06
that which can be attained
only by a series of day to day00:52:09
or month to month aims.00:52:14
Now remember that when you
start in pursuit of your00:52:17
definite major purpose.00:52:20
One's major purpose may
consist of many different00:52:23
combinations of lesser aims,00:52:24
such as, the nature of one's occupation,00:52:27
which would be something
of his own choice.00:52:29
When you come to write out
your definite major purpose,00:52:31
you write it out like the
planks in the platform.00:52:33
Number one, so and so,00:52:35
number two, so and so,00:52:37
and somewhere along
that right near the end,00:52:41
be sure that you include in
your definite major purpose,00:52:43
perfect harmony between
yourself and your mate.00:52:48
Think that's important?00:52:50
Do you know of anything
more important than that?00:52:53
Do you know of anything,00:52:54
any human relationship more
important than that of a man00:52:57
and his wife?00:52:58
No, of course you don't.00:52:59
I'll answer that one for you.00:53:01
Nobody does.00:53:03
And have you ever heard of a
relationship of man and wife00:53:06
where there was not harmony?00:53:07
Have you ever seen a thing like that?00:53:10
You have, huh?00:53:11
Yeah, I'll answer that for you too.00:53:12
I know you have.00:53:14
Not pleasant is it, not pleasant
even to be around people00:53:16
who are not in step with one another.00:53:19
Well, you can be harmonious,00:53:21
and there is where you
ought to start applying00:53:23
your mastermind relationship first.00:53:25
Your wife or your husband
should be your first mastermind00:53:28
ally, maybe you'll have to
go back and court him or her00:53:31
over again, but all
right, that's nice too.00:53:33
I don't know of anything
I ever did in my life00:53:35
that I enjoy as much as courting.00:53:37
It's a wonderful experience,00:53:39
go back and court the girl over again,00:53:42
or the man.00:53:45
It's a wonderful experience,00:53:47
or if you're not on the
right kind of terms,00:53:49
your business associate,
or your fellow worker,00:53:52
or the people you work with everyday,00:53:54
go back and rededicate
yourself to the business00:53:57
of striking out on a new bases.00:53:59
You'll be surprised of a little confession00:54:01
on your pride Alou.00:54:03
Wonderful thing, the confession
is really a marvelous thing.00:54:07
Most people claim they have too much pride00:54:09
to confess to their weaknesses.00:54:11
I'll tell you it's a good
thing to get to that out,00:54:13
it gets so many weaknesses out
of your system by confession.00:54:16
Acknowledge that maybe you're not perfect,00:54:18
or well I'm perfect but
not entirely perfect.00:54:21
Maybe the other fellows say,00:54:22
well, come to think about it,00:54:23
neither am I.00:54:25
And then you're off to the races.00:54:27
Rededicate yourself to a better
relationship with the people00:54:30
that you come into contact
everyday, whoever they may be.00:54:33
What a wonderful thing it is.00:54:34
You can do that.00:54:35
You can handle it,00:54:36
you can handle it, I know you can.00:54:39
You know most of these
inharmonies in human relations00:54:41
is due to the neglect of people.00:54:43
You just neglect to build
up your human relations.00:54:45
You all could do it if
you wanted to do it.00:54:50
And the budgeting of income and expenses,00:54:53
so as to provide for the
accumulation of a definite amount00:54:56
for old age and security,00:54:58
the security of loved ones and so forth,00:54:59
and the budgeting of time so
as to provide whatever income00:55:02
that is necessary to support one's plan00:55:05
for the attainment of a
definite major purpose.00:55:07
That should be a part of
your definite major purpose.00:55:10
Write out your platform a lot,00:55:13
and include that down
under these minor purposes00:55:15
the things that are related
to your major purpose,00:55:18
the things that you're
going to have to get in00:55:19
the step by step move it up
toward your major purpose.00:55:25
And a definite plan for developing harmony00:55:27
in all of your relations.00:55:29
And especially these, in
the home, where one works,00:55:32
where one plays or relaxes.00:55:36
The human relationship leg
is the most important one in00:55:39
connection with one's major aim
since the aim is attainable,00:55:42
very largely through the
cooperation of others.00:55:48
Have you ever thought of that,00:55:49
that the things that you do
in life that are worthwhile,00:55:51
have to be done through
harmonious cooperation00:55:53
with other people.00:55:55
And how are you going to get
that harmonious cooperation00:55:57
if you don't cultivate people,00:56:00
if you don't understand them,00:56:01
if you don't make allowances
for their weaknesses.00:56:06
Did you ever have a friend
that appreciated that you're00:56:08
trying to reform him or change
his mind about something?00:56:14
Do you like to have a friend come around00:56:15
and try to reform you?00:56:18
No, you don't, nobody does.00:56:21
But there are certain things
you can do for a friend by00:56:23
example that might be the
effective way of doing it,00:56:26
but start in to tell the
man where he is wrong,00:56:30
and chances are that you have
business around the corner.00:56:33
The next time he sees you coming,00:56:34
he'll get on the other side of the street.00:56:39
In your human relations,00:56:40
you can develop a marvelous relationship,00:56:42
but you can't do it by criticizing people,00:56:44
harping upon their faults,
because we all have faults.00:56:48
A better thing to do is to
talk about a person's virtues,00:56:51
and his good qualities, I
have never seen a person yet,00:56:54
so lowly that he didn't
have some good qualities.00:56:58
And if you concentrate
upon those good qualities,00:57:00
that person on whom you are
concentrating will go out of his00:57:03
way and lean over backwards
to make sure that you're not00:57:06
disappointed, one that should
not hesitate to choose a major00:57:10
aim, which may be for the
time being out of his reach,00:57:14
for one may always prepare
himself to obtain pretty much00:57:17
any desired purpose in life.00:57:21
Certainly when I chose is
my definite major purpose,00:57:24
the organizing and taking
to the world of the first00:57:27
practical philosophy of
the individual achievement00:57:29
was a way beyond my reach.00:57:33
And what do you think it was
that kept me down through00:57:35
20 years of unproductive
effort of research.00:57:38
What do you think it was
that kept me striving00:57:40
and struggling in the face
of the fact that the majority00:57:42
of people I knew were criticizing me.00:57:45
Why do you think it was?00:57:46
I had to have an abundance of
faith and I had to keep that00:57:49
faith alive by moving, moving
always as if I knew in advance00:57:55
that I was going to complete the task that00:57:56
Mr. Carnegie assigned to me.00:57:59
There were times when the,00:58:01
it looked as if what my
friends and relatives were00:58:03
saying about me was absolutely true.00:58:05
And in a sense it was,
that I was wasting my time,00:58:09
from their viewpoint and
their measuring stick00:58:11
and their standards,00:58:12
I was wasting 20 years of my time.00:58:15
But from the viewpoint of the
millions of people who have00:58:17
benefited and will benefit by
my work during those 20 years,00:58:20
I was not wasting my time.00:58:23
You can't fail unless you think you can,00:58:28
if you'd like you can fail and you can.00:58:31
If you stay around me long enough,00:58:32
I'll get to you so you're
not gonna think you can fail,00:58:35
you'll know you're not going to fail.00:58:38
Our greatest demonstration of
the universal application of00:58:41
the principle definiteness
of purpose may be seen by00:58:44
observing how nature
applies it as follows.00:58:46
And there is a great
string of applications.00:58:48
The way nature moves was
definiteness of purpose.00:58:52
And ladies and gentlemen,00:58:53
if there is anything in this
universe that's definite,00:58:55
it's the laws of nature.00:58:58
They don't deviate.00:58:59
They don't temporize.00:59:01
They don't subside.00:59:04
You can't go around them,00:59:05
you can't avoid them.00:59:08
And however you can learn their
nature and adjust yourself00:59:13
to them and benefit by them.00:59:17
Nobody ever heard of the law
of gravitation being suspended,00:59:20
not even for fraction of a second,00:59:22
it never has been done and never will be,00:59:25
'cause nature's whole set up
throughout the whole universe,00:59:28
system of universes perhaps,00:59:31
is so definite that everything
moves with precision like00:59:34
clockwork, if you want an
example of the necessity of an00:59:39
individual moving with
definiteness you only have to00:59:41
have a smattering of
understanding of the sciences,00:59:45
to see the way that nature does things,00:59:47
and then you'll have that example.00:59:51
The orderliness of the
universe and the interrelation00:59:53
of all of the natural laws,00:59:55
the fixation of all of
the stars and planets,00:59:57
in the immovable relationship to one.00:59:59
But yet this is a marvelous
thing to know that the01:00:01
astronomers can sit down and
with a pencil and a few pieces01:00:05
of paper, predetermine
hundreds of years in advance01:00:10
the exact relationship of
given planets and stars,01:00:15
right where they will be with
relationship to one another,01:00:17
in advance.01:00:19
And you know, they couldn't do that01:00:20
if there was not a purpose,01:00:22
a plan under which we're working,01:00:24
we want to find out what that purpose is01:00:25
as it relates to us as individuals.01:00:27
That's why you're in this course.01:00:28
That's why I'm teaching you.01:00:30
I'm giving you that little
bit that I have picked up from01:00:32
life and from the experiences of men,01:00:34
and from my own experience,01:00:36
so that you will learn
how to adjust yourself01:00:38
to the laws of nature in order
that you may use those laws01:00:42
instead of allowing yourself to be abused01:00:45
by your neglect in using them.01:00:49
To me, one of the most horrible
things to contemplate is,01:00:53
the possible cessation of natural laws.01:00:55
Imagine all of the chaos,01:00:57
all of the stars and
planets running together,01:00:58
while they make the H bomb
look like a firecracker,01:01:03
if nature allowed her
laws to be suspended,01:01:07
but she doesn't do that.01:01:09
She has very definite laws to go by,01:01:10
and you'll find that if you
check these 17 principles,01:01:13
they check perfectly with
all of the laws of nature.01:01:16
We get over to that to principle
of going the extra mile,01:01:20
you will find that nature is
profound in their application01:01:24
of the principle of going the extra mile.01:01:27
When she produces blooms on the trees,01:01:29
she doesn't produce just
enough to fill a tree,01:01:32
she produces enough to take
care of all of the damages01:01:36
the winds and the storms.01:01:39
When she produces fish in the sea,01:01:41
she doesn't just produce
enough to perpetuate the fish,01:01:43
she produces enough to feed
the frogs and the snakes,01:01:46
and the alligators and all the
other things that still have01:01:49
left to carry out her purpose.01:01:51
She has an abundance of
things, over abundance,01:01:53
and also she forces man
to go the extra mile01:01:57
or else she'll perish, she
would perish in one season01:01:59
if you didn't go the extra mile,01:02:02
if nature didn't compensate
a man when he goes out01:02:04
and puts a grain of wheat in the ground,01:02:06
by giving him back 500 grains,01:02:08
to compensate him for his intelligence,01:02:11
we would starve to death in one season.01:02:13
If you do your part, nature does her part.01:02:15
And she does it in
abundance, in abundance,01:02:19
in super abundance.01:02:21
And one of the strange
things about nature is that01:02:25
if you keep your mind focused
on the positive side of life,01:02:27
it becomes greater than the negative side.01:02:31
Always does that.01:02:32
If you keep your mind
on the positive side,01:02:35
it becomes greater than all
of the negatives that may01:02:38
try to penetrate your mind
and influence your life.01:02:41
Look around and you'll find
examples, living examples,01:02:43
all around you, of people
that you wanna emulate01:02:46
and people you do not wanna emulate,01:02:49
people that are failing,
and you'll be able to tell01:02:51
why they're failing.01:02:53
I dare say that from this time on,01:02:56
you will be able to use this
philosophy as a measuring stick01:02:59
and wherever you find
a success or a failure,01:03:01
you'll be able to lay your
finger right on the cause of01:03:03
it, right on it, and
that includes you too.01:03:08
First of all,01:03:09
the first premise is that the
mastermind principle is the01:03:12
medium through which one may
procure the full benefits of01:03:15
the experience, the
training, the education,01:03:18
and the specialized knowledge
and influence of others01:03:23
as completely as if their
minds were in reality one zone.01:03:27
Isn't that a marvelous
thing to contemplate,01:03:30
that whatever it is that
you lack in education,01:03:33
or in knowledge or influence,01:03:35
you can always obtain it
through somebody who has it.01:03:39
The exchange of favors,
the exchange of knowledge01:03:42
is one of the greatest
exchanges in the world.01:03:45
It's a very nice thing to
engage in business where01:03:48
the exchange of money makes you a profit,01:03:49
but I would a whole lot rather
exchange ideas with somebody,01:03:52
give a man an idea that
he didn't have before,01:03:54
and receive in return
one that I didn't have,01:03:56
and I would do it make
an exchange of money.01:03:59
You of course know that Thomas
A. Edison was perhaps the01:04:02
greatest investor the
world has ever known.01:04:05
He was dealing all the time
with many of the sciences,01:04:08
and yet he knew nothing at
all about any of the sciences.01:04:12
You would say it would be
impossible for a man to succeed in01:04:14
any undertaking unless he
were educated in that field.01:04:18
I was astounded when I first
talked to Andrew Carnegie01:04:20
to get to hear him say that
he personally didn't know01:04:22
anything about the making
or the marketing of steel.01:04:27
And I was so astounded
of that secret, I said,01:04:29
well, Mr. Carnegie just what
is your part in this job here.01:04:33
What part do you play?01:04:36
Well, he said, I'll tell
you the part that I play,01:04:38
my job is to keep the members
of my mastermind alliance01:04:43
working in a state of perfect harmony.01:04:47
And I said, is that all you have to do?01:04:49
He said, well, have you ever
tried to get any two people01:04:52
to agree on anything for three minutes01:04:53
in succession in your life?01:04:57
I said, well, I don't know that I have,01:04:58
well, you try it someday and
see what kind of a job it is01:05:02
to get people to work together
in the spirit of harmony,01:05:05
is one of the greatest
of human achievements.01:05:08
And then Mr. Carnegie went on
to break down his mastermind01:05:12
group to describe each one individually,01:05:15
to tell what part he played.01:05:17
One was his metallurgist,01:05:19
one was his chief chemist.01:05:21
One was his plant works manager.01:05:24
And one was his legal advisor.01:05:26
One was the chief of his financial staff.01:05:29
And so on down the line there
were over 20 of those men01:05:32
working together whose
combined education, experience,01:05:35
and knowledge constituted
all that was known about the01:05:39
making and the marketing
of steel at that time.01:05:43
And Mr. Carnegie said well,
it wasn't necessary for him01:05:45
to know about it, he had
men all around him who did01:05:47
understand the making and
the marketing of steel.01:05:49
And that was his job to keep them working01:05:51
in perfect harmony.01:05:53
And the second premise,01:05:55
an active alliance of two
or more minds in a spirit of01:05:58
perfect harmony for the
attainment of a common objective,01:06:01
stimulate each individual mind01:06:04
to a higher degree of courage,01:06:06
and that which is ordinarily experience,01:06:08
and prepares the away for that
state of mind known as faith.01:06:12
When driving an automobile
every so often the battery runs01:06:16
down, and you have to
do something about it,01:06:18
you come out somewhere and
you step on the starter,01:06:19
nothing happens.01:06:21
I know people who get out
of bed in the morning,01:06:23
do the same thing.01:06:25
Nothing happens except they feel badly,01:06:27
and they don't wanna put on their shoes.01:06:28
They don't wanna get dressed,01:06:29
they don't wanna even eat breakfast.01:06:31
Now they need a,01:06:33
what do they need?01:06:34
- [Student] Battery.01:06:35
- [Napoleon] Need their
batteries charged of course,01:06:36
and they have to have
a storage for doing it.01:06:39
So my defining thing of a
man gets up in the morning01:06:41
feeling like that, unless he
can have a little talk with his01:06:43
wife for instance, and
she's a good coordinator,01:06:45
and she helps to charge his batteries.01:06:47
The chances are when he
comes home that night,01:06:49
he will come home with
all these rabbit skins01:06:51
that he went out to get.01:06:54
The third premise, a
mastermind alliance properly01:06:57
conducted stimulates
each mind in the alliance01:06:59
to move with enthusiasm,
personal initiative, imagination,01:07:05
and the courage to a degree far above that01:07:08
which the individual
experiences when moving01:07:12
without certain alliance.01:07:14
In my own early beginning I
had them mastermind alliance01:07:17
of three people.01:07:19
I had an alliance with Mr. Carnegie,01:07:22
and with my stepmother,01:07:24
and we threw three people
nurse this philosophy through01:07:27
the stages when everybody
else was laughing at me,01:07:29
and making fun of me for
undertaking to serve the richest01:07:32
man in the world for 20 years
without any compensation.01:07:36
And there was a whole lot of
logic to what they were saying,01:07:39
because at that time I wasn't
getting very much compensation01:07:42
out of it in the way money at least.01:07:44
There came a time however,01:07:46
when the last thing was on
the other side of the face,01:07:49
but that took a long time,01:07:50
and there was plenty of blood
and tears shed I'll assure you01:07:52
before I got to the point
at which I could laugh back01:07:54
when the people laughed at me,01:07:57
but the relationship
between we three people,01:08:01
my stepmother and Mr. Carnegie and myself,01:08:04
enabled me to offset all of
this fun making that was thrown01:08:07
at me by my relatives, my friends,01:08:09
and everybody who knew
who I was engaged in.01:08:13
Now, there are times when if
you undertake anything above01:08:17
mediocrity, you're going
to meet with opposition,01:08:19
you're going to meet with
the people who are chimed in01:08:21
to poke fun at you,01:08:22
and most of them will be
right close to yourself,01:08:25
some of them perhaps your own relatives.01:08:27
You need some source to which
you can turn when you're going01:08:29
to aim above mediocrity to
get your batteries charged01:08:32
and to keep them charged
so that you won't quit when01:08:34
the going is hard and so
you won't pay any attention01:08:36
when somebody criticize you.01:08:40
Criticism falls off my back
just like a water off a duck's01:08:42
back, or more than that,01:08:44
like a bullet off the rhinoceros's hide.01:08:49
Absolutely immune,01:08:50
absolutely immune to
all forms of criticism,01:08:54
whether it's friendly or unfriendly,01:08:55
it makes no difference to me whatsoever.01:08:57
I'm just immune to it that's all.01:09:01
And I became immune because
of by relationship with01:09:04
certain people through whom
I built up an immunity,01:09:07
under my mastermind alliance.01:09:10
If it had not been for the
relationship with my stepmother01:09:13
and Mr. Carnegie, I wouldn't
be standing here talking to you01:09:16
folks tonight, you wouldn't
be here as students of this01:09:18
philosophy and this philosophy
would that be spread all over01:09:20
the world helping millions of people.01:09:22
'Cause I had a million
opportunities to quit,01:09:26
at least a million opportunities.01:09:28
And every one of them
looked very alluring,01:09:31
and almost sometimes it
seems as if I were stupid01:09:33
if I didn't quit.01:09:35
But this marvelous relationship,01:09:37
I could always go back to Mr. Carnegie,01:09:38
I could always go running
into my stepmother01:09:40
and we'd sit down and have a little chat,01:09:42
and she'd say, stand by your guns.01:09:44
You'll come out on top.01:09:45
I know you will.01:09:48
She once said at a time when
I didn't have two nickels01:09:51
to rub together, as my
enemies were saying,01:09:55
she once said that you are
going to be the richest member01:09:57
of your family far and away, I know it,01:10:00
I can see it in the future.01:10:02
Well, if you were to take all of my riches01:10:06
and put them together,01:10:07
I suspect that I have more
riches than all of my relatives01:10:10
put together for three generations back,01:10:12
on both sides of the house, that's true.01:10:16
And my stepmother could see that,01:10:18
she could see what I was doing
was bound to make me rich.01:10:21
And my heart don't have reference
alone to monetary riches01:10:24
I have, reference to those
higher and broader riches01:10:28
that you find when you get to
where you can render services01:10:31
to so many people.01:10:34
And the fourth premise to be effective the01:10:36
mastermind alliance must be active.01:10:38
It must be active.01:10:39
You can't just form an
alliance with somebody to say,01:10:41
that's it, we've got it.01:10:42
I'm lined up with this
person, that person,01:10:44
the other person, we've
got a mastermind alliance,01:10:46
it amounts to absolutely
nothing until you become active.01:10:50
Every member of the alliance
has got to step right in there01:10:53
and start pitching, mentally,
spiritually, physically,01:10:58
financially, every way that is necessary,01:11:01
they must engage in the
pursuit of a definite purpose01:11:03
and they must move with perfect harmony.01:11:07
Do you know the difference
between perfect harmony01:11:09
and ordinary harmony?01:11:12
Do you know what it is?01:11:15
How many of you know
the difference between01:11:16
perfect harmony and ordinary harmony?01:11:19
How many of you have ever had
a relationship with perfect01:11:22
harmony with anybody?01:11:24
I'll tell you the truth.01:11:27
I suspect that I have had
the harmonious relationships01:11:29
with about as many people,01:11:31
maybe more people than
any person living today,01:11:33
beyond any question for now,01:11:35
but I want to tell you
that perfect harmony in a01:11:37
relationship is about the
rarest thing in the world.01:11:40
And I think I could count
on the fingers of my hands01:11:42
all of the people that I
now know with whom I have a01:11:44
relationship of perfect harmony.01:11:47
I have a speaking acquaintance
very nice polite speaking01:11:50
acquaintance with a lot of people,01:11:51
but that's not perfect harmony.01:11:53
I have a working alliance
with a lot of people.01:11:55
That's not harmony, perfect harmony.01:11:59
Perfect harmony consists
only when your relationship01:12:02
to the other fellow is such that01:12:03
if he wants everything you have,01:12:06
you willingly turn it over to him.01:12:08
Now, it takes a lot of
unselfishness to put yourself01:12:10
in that frame of mind.01:12:12
Mr. Carnegie stressed time and time again,01:12:15
the importance of this
relationship of perfect harmony,01:12:19
because he said, if you
don't have perfect harmony01:12:21
in your mastermind alliance,01:12:23
it's not a mastermind
alliance after all it's just01:12:25
cooperation or coordination of effort.01:12:30
Without this factor of harmony,01:12:31
the alliance may be nothing
more than ordinary cooperation01:12:34
or friendly coordination of effort.01:12:36
The mastermind give one full
access to the spiritual powers01:12:40
of the other members of the alliance.01:12:41
I want you to underscore
that part in your notes.01:12:44
The mastermind gives one
full access to the spiritual01:12:48
powers of the other
members of his alliance.01:12:51
I'm not talking now about
just the mental powers,01:12:53
or the financial powers,
but the spiritual power.01:12:56
The feeling you have when
you begin to establish01:12:59
the permanency in your
mastermind relationship01:13:01
is gonna be one of the most
outstanding and pleasant01:13:04
experiences of your entire life.01:13:07
When you're engaged in
the mastermind activity,01:13:10
I wanna tell you that
you have so much faith,01:13:11
you will know that you can do
anything that you start out to01:13:13
do, you have no doubts, you have no fears,01:13:15
you have no limitations,01:13:18
and that's a marvelous
frame of mind to be in.01:13:22
And the sixth premise.01:13:24
- [Students] Fifth.01:13:26
- [Napoleon] Yes, I just wanna
know if you're following,01:13:29
it is the fifth.01:13:31
Is the matter of established
record that all individual01:13:34
successes based upon
any kind of achievement01:13:36
above mediocrity are attained
through the mastermind01:13:38
principle and not by
individual effort alone.01:13:42
Just imagine how little you
can accomplish if you didn't01:13:44
have the cooperation of other people.01:13:46
Suppose that you're in a profession,01:13:47
suppose you're a dentist,
or a lawyer, or a doctor,01:13:50
or a boss in your path or
anybody in the profession.01:13:54
And suppose that you didn't
understand how to convert each01:13:56
one of your clients or patients into01:13:57
a salesman for yourself.01:14:01
Imagine how long would it
take to build up a client deal01:14:04
or a following.01:14:06
The outstanding professional
man understand how to make a01:14:09
salesman out of person that they serve,01:14:12
and they do it all by indirection.01:14:14
They don't go about it directly.01:14:17
They do it by going the extra mile,01:14:19
by going out of their way
to be of unusual service.01:14:22
But they do make salesman
out of all of their clients.01:14:30
Emotional accesses are the
result of personal power,01:14:32
and personal power of
sufficient proportions01:14:34
to enable one to rise above
mediocrity is not possible01:14:37
without the application of
the mastermind principle.01:14:42
During the first term
of Franklin D. Roosevelt01:14:46
in the White House,01:14:47
I had the privilege of working with him01:14:49
as a confidential advisor,01:14:51
and precisely laid out the
skeleton of the propaganda plan01:14:54
that took the words, business
depression off of the,01:14:59
out of the headlines of
the papers and substituted01:15:01
in their stead business recovery.01:15:04
Those of you who remember
what happened on that black01:15:06
Sunday, when we had a meeting
down at the White House,01:15:09
when the banks were closed
the following Monday morning,01:15:13
remember what a stampede
there was in this country.01:15:16
People were lined up
in front of the banks,01:15:17
all over the country to
draw out their deposits.01:15:20
They were scared to death.01:15:21
They had lost confidence in
their country, in their banks,01:15:23
in themselves and in everybody else.01:15:27
Supposed we still had
some confidence in God,01:15:28
but didn't show much signs of it.01:15:31
It was a scary time I'll tell you.01:15:34
And we sat down there and worked out01:15:37
a skeleton of a plan and procedure01:15:40
that created one of the most outstanding01:15:43
applications of a mastermind
that this nation has ever seen,01:15:46
and I doubt that any nation on
earth has ever had the equal01:15:49
of because it was only a matter
of weeks until we had taken01:15:52
all that fear out of people.01:15:53
It was only a matter of days
until salesman on the road01:15:57
who had to run out of funds,
who couldn't get money,01:16:00
were laughing about it,01:16:01
not in any way scared about it.01:16:03
My own funds were closed,01:16:04
I had no money, none at all.01:16:06
I had, yes, I did,01:16:08
(laughs)01:16:12
Let me tell you, this is funny.01:16:14
I got very smart when I
found out what was coming01:16:16
and I ran down to the
bank got $1,000 bill.01:16:18
Well, I might just as
well had only 10 cents,01:16:20
nobody could change it.01:16:22
It was not a nickle, not a nickel.01:16:26
But I wasn't scared
because everybody else was01:16:28
in the same boat as I was in,01:16:30
but something has to be done about it.01:16:31
And Franklin D, Roosevelt
was a great leader.01:16:34
He had great imagination,
he had great courage.01:16:36
And here's what we did.01:16:38
First of all, we got
both houses of Congress01:16:40
working in harmony with the president.01:16:42
The first time in the
history of this nation01:16:44
that both houses of Congress,01:16:46
Democrats and Republicans
alike got behind the president01:16:49
and forgot about their
political fates happened to be.01:16:53
In other words, there were no Democrats,01:16:55
there were no Republicans,01:16:56
they were just Americans down
there backing the president,01:16:59
everything he needed in order
to stop that stampede of here.01:17:02
I have never seen anything
as equal in my life.01:17:04
I'll never hope to see it again.01:17:06
I wish I could, but I don't hope to,01:17:09
because there was a great
emergency on them and something01:17:11
had to be done about in
seconds the majority of the01:17:13
newspaper publishers of America,01:17:15
everything that we set up,
the newspapers published it,01:17:17
they gave it marvelous space,01:17:21
and then the radio station operators,01:17:23
they gave us marvelous
despite their political01:17:26
beliefs, and the churches,01:17:28
all that was one of the most
beautiful things I've ever seen01:17:31
in this country, Catholics
and Protestants, Jews,01:17:33
and Gentiles and all of the rest,01:17:35
pulling together as Americans.01:17:37
I want to tell you it
was a wonderful sight.01:17:40
A wonderful sight.01:17:44
What a wonderful thing it was.01:17:45
They all got behind the president.01:17:48
Everyone must have made
some sort of a contribution01:17:50
toward re-establishing faith
in the people of this country.01:17:55
But during these hectic
days I wanna tell you that01:17:57
there wasn't any doubt in
the minds of the majority01:18:00
of the people, I don't know,01:18:01
I didn't come in contact with
anybody who didn't think that01:18:03
Mr. Roosevelt was the only
man, the finest man that could01:18:06
possibly have handled
that chaotic condition.01:18:11
Don't get me wrong politically
I'm just talking about01:18:14
a great man who did a great job at01:18:15
a time when it needed to be done.01:18:17
And he did it because he had a
mastermind alliance right out01:18:20
there that was unbeatable.01:18:23
Now let's pick up the different kinds of01:18:25
mastermind alliances that you may have.01:18:27
First of all, there were
alliances for purely01:18:29
social or personal reasons.01:18:31
Consisting of one's relatives, friends01:18:33
and religious advisors where
no material gain is sort.01:18:38
The most important of this type
is the mastermind alliance,01:18:41
which may exist between
the man and his wife.01:18:45
I couldn't emphasize if I were brilliant,01:18:49
and if I had the great magnetic powers,01:18:50
I couldn't overemphasize
the importance to you01:18:53
who are married, of going
into work immediately01:18:56
and rededicating that marriage
to a mastermind alliance01:19:00
based upon this lesson tonight.01:19:03
It'll bring joys into your life
that you've never dreamed of01:19:06
it'll bring success into your life,01:19:07
that you never dreamed of.01:19:08
It'll bring health into your
life that you never dreamed of.01:19:12
It's a perfectly marvelous thing,01:19:14
when the real mastermind alliance exists01:19:16
between a man and his wife.01:19:19
I don't know of anything that equals it.01:19:23
Then there're alliances for
business or professional01:19:25
advancement consisting of
individuals who have a personal01:19:28
motive of a material
or a financial nature,01:19:32
connected with the object
of their alliances.01:19:35
Now, I imagine that the
majority of you who are in this01:19:38
class now will be forming your
first mastermind alliances01:19:41
for purely economic or
financial advancement purposes.01:19:46
And that's perfectly legitimate.01:19:47
That's one of the reasons why
you're taking this course.01:19:51
You want to improve your
economic and financial condition,01:19:55
and you should start in
immediately now to form01:19:59
a mastermind alliance for that purpose.01:20:02
And if you can find to
begin with one person,01:20:05
that's all right, start off with one,01:20:08
and then look around until
the two of you select another.01:20:10
Now you can select these other one,01:20:12
but the two of you, when you
go to select the third party,01:20:14
be sure that the second one
that you've already selected01:20:16
is in the card.01:20:19
You understand that, that's important.01:20:23
And then when you go to select the forth,01:20:24
the three of you then
will place on the fourth.01:20:27
Then you'll go over the
matter very carefully01:20:29
before you make him a
member of the alliance.01:20:31
And then when you go to select the fifth,01:20:33
the four of you will select the fifth.01:20:36
You see the mastermind alliance,01:20:37
there's no such thing as
one person dominating,01:20:39
except in this respect
that generally speaking01:20:42
one person is the leader.01:20:44
He's the coordinator and the leader,01:20:47
but he at no way undertakes
to dominate his associates.01:20:51
Because the very moment you
start to dominate anybody,01:20:53
you find resistance and rebellion,01:20:56
even though it's not open rebellion,01:20:57
it's rebellion nevertheless.01:21:00
And in the mastermind alliance,01:21:01
it must be one continuous
spirit of perfect harmony where01:21:04
you move and act as if
you were only one man.01:21:08
The American system of free
enterprise is another example of01:21:11
efficiencies through the
mastermind principle.01:21:13
This system is the envy of the
world because it has raised01:21:16
the standard of living
of the American people,01:21:18
to an all-time high level.01:21:19
And that's despite the fact that there's01:21:20
not perfect harmony,01:21:24
but there is motive.01:21:25
There is motive that the American
system of free enterprise01:21:27
to inspire every
individual to do his best.01:21:30
There is a motive there,01:21:32
and incidentally more and
more industry and business01:21:34
is coming to understand that
they can go a step further,01:21:38
and instead of just having
cooperation or coordination01:21:40
of effort between
management and the workers,01:21:43
that they can have the
mastermind principle by sharing01:21:45
the management problems,
by sharing profits,01:21:48
by sharing everything,01:21:50
and wherever I have been
successful in influencing01:21:53
any business to adopt that policy,01:21:55
the business has made more money
than it's ever made before,01:21:58
and the employees have received more wages01:22:00
and everybody's happy.01:22:03
General instructions for the
forming and the maintenance01:22:06
of the mastermind alliance.01:22:07
First, adopt the definite
purpose as an objective to be01:22:11
attained by the alliance,
choosing individual members01:22:14
whose education experience
and influence are such01:22:17
as to make them have the greatest value01:22:19
in achieving the purpose.01:22:22
A lot of times my mastermind students,01:22:24
what is the most favorable
number for a mastermind alliance?01:22:27
And how do you go about selecting the01:22:31
right sort of people for
your mastermind alliance,01:22:33
and your answers if I can give you that,01:22:36
is that the procedure is
exactly the same as if you were01:22:39
starting into a business and
you are choosing employees,01:22:42
what kind of an employee would you choose?01:22:44
(muffled speech)01:22:51
Marvelous, I see the sparks flying.01:22:53
Wonderful, wonderful.01:22:57
- [Student] Integrity. - [Napoleon] Dependability
at the top of the list.01:22:59
If a person is not dependable,01:23:01
I don't want any part of him
in a business transaction.01:23:04
No part of him no matter
how brilliant they may be,01:23:07
no matter how well educated he may be,01:23:09
the more educated he is, the
more dangerous he may be,01:23:11
if he's not dependable.01:23:13
And if he's not loyal, I
would say the same thing.01:23:17
If an individual is not loyalty
to those to whom he owes01:23:20
loyalty, then to me, he has
no character whatsoever,01:23:22
and I want no part of him.01:23:25
Dependability and loyalty.01:23:27
And then after that comes what?01:23:30
Ability to do the job.01:23:34
Ability.01:23:35
Notice where I placed ability,01:23:37
down at third place.01:23:39
I'm not interested in the
man's ability until I find out01:23:41
whether he's dependable
and whether he is loyal.01:23:44
And then what would you say
came after that in my category,01:23:47
in my book rules.01:23:48
(muffled speech)01:23:50
Number four, positive
mental attitude of course.01:23:54
What good is a negative,
wet blanket around you?01:23:57
Why, you could pay him to stay away01:23:59
and then be ahead of the game.01:24:02
And number five, what would that be?01:24:05
(muffled speech)01:24:09
Going the extra mile, that is right.01:24:11
And number six?01:24:14
(muffled speech)01:24:16
Why would you say that is?01:24:18
(laughs)01:24:21
Applied faith.01:24:22
(laughs)01:24:24
Now let me tell you,01:24:25
when you find people that
come up to all of those six01:24:28
traits, I wanna tell you,
you've really found somebody,01:24:30
you're in the presence of royalty.01:24:34
Some businesses, if you
were running a peanut stand,01:24:37
to you maybe need only one person,01:24:39
but if you're running a
chain of peanut stands,01:24:40
you might need 100 persons.01:24:44
And then as to the
qualifications of a mastermind,01:24:47
I like to first of all,01:24:48
take those six points that
I gave you they are the01:24:50
qualifications for your mastermind.01:24:53
Now there must be dependability,01:24:56
there must be a-01:24:59
- [Students] Loyalty.01:25:00
- [Napoleon] Loyalty.01:25:01
(muffled speech)01:25:03
Must be ability.01:25:05
(muffled speech)01:25:06
Must be positive mental attitude.01:25:07
- [Students] Going the extra mile.01:25:08
- [Napoleon] Must be willing
to go the extra mile.01:25:10
- [Students] Applied faith.01:25:11
- [Napoleon] Applied faith.01:25:12
Now there you are.01:25:14
If you want to know what
the qualifications of01:25:15
your mastermind alliance, there it is.01:25:19
And don't settle for anything less.01:25:20
If you find a man that has
five of those qualities,01:25:22
and doesn't have all six of them,01:25:24
you better be aware of
him before you start,01:25:26
because they're all central in
the mastermind relationship,01:25:29
you can check very carefully
and see that that's true.01:25:32
You couldn't have perfect
harmony unless you were working01:25:34
with somebody who's checked 100%01:25:36
on all of those six qualities.01:25:38
You just couldn't have
a mastermind alliance.01:25:41
You might have a working
arrangement like so many people do,01:25:43
but it wouldn't embrace
all of the potential values01:25:46
of the mastermind.01:25:50
Next determine what appropriate
benefit each member may01:25:54
receive in return for his
cooperation in this alliance.01:25:56
And remember ladies and gentlemen,01:25:58
nobody ever does anything for nothing.01:26:01
No, they never do.01:26:04
You see when you give love to
somebody you don't want to get01:26:07
anything out of that, you
don't do that for nothing.01:26:09
Well, let me tell you something,01:26:12
you get plenty out of that,01:26:14
because you've had the
privilege of loving,01:26:15
is a great privilege.01:26:16
And even though the love is not returned,01:26:18
you still have had the
benefits of that state of mind,01:26:21
of knowing this love
and you've enjoyed the01:26:25
development and growth as a result of it.01:26:27
No, there's no such thing
as something for nothing.01:26:30
Nobody works without some
sort of a compensation.01:26:34
There are very many different
forms of compensation.01:26:36
So don't expect that your
mastermind allies are going to01:26:39
jump in and help you make a fortune,01:26:40
or help you do anything
unless they are equally01:26:43
participating in the benefits
that come out of that01:26:45
mastermind alliance.01:26:46
Now, there is a criteria by which you go,01:26:48
they must approximately,01:26:50
each individual must
approximately benefit equally01:26:53
with yourself, whether
it's a monetary benefit,01:26:56
or a happiness or peace of mind benefit,01:26:59
social benefit or
whatever it happens to be.01:27:02
Never ask anybody to do anything,01:27:05
if you wanna be sure if he's doing it,01:27:07
unless you're giving him an
adequate motive for doing it.01:27:12
If I went down to the bank
and wanted to borrow $10,000,01:27:14
what would be an adequate
motive for the bank01:27:16
lending me that money?01:27:19
(muffled speech)01:27:21
Two motives.01:27:22
Or I'm under the heading of
a desire for financial gain.01:27:26
(muffled speech)01:27:28
Now they'd want to, bank would
be delighted to allow me as01:27:31
much money as I can
take away if I give them01:27:33
three for one security-01:27:35
- [Student] Collateral.01:27:36
- [Napoleon] Collateral, they
want collateral and they want01:27:38
the profit on that loan.01:27:39
That's what they're in business for.01:27:42
Now there are other
transactions not based upon01:27:44
the monetary motive.01:27:47
For instance, when the man
asks the girl of his choice01:27:51
to marry him, what's the motive there?01:27:52
- [Students] Love.01:27:54
- [Napoleon] Sometimes (laughs)01:27:57
Theoretically love, yes.01:28:02
- [Student] Money.01:28:04
(laughs)01:28:07
- [Napoleon] This is interesting.01:28:10
I bet out of all the people sitting here,01:28:12
everyone would have a
different idea, or definition01:28:15
as to what the motive is
when a man asks a girl01:28:18
if she wants to marry him and she accepts.01:28:20
Why does she accept him?01:28:22
(muffled speech)01:28:25
(laughs)01:28:28
I wanna tell you that when my
father brought my stepmother01:28:31
home, he was just a farmer,
he never had had on a white01:28:35
shirt or a tie,01:28:36
he was afraid of white shirts and ties,01:28:40
he wore a blue cotton shirt.01:28:42
And my stepmother was a college woman,01:28:44
she was well educated and
they were as different01:28:46
as the North pole and the South pole.01:28:49
And I wondered all of
my life until one day,01:28:51
just how he happened to be
able to sell himself to her.01:28:54
Of course, she cleaned him up
and put a white shirt on him,01:28:58
made him look like somebody.01:28:59
But nevertheless, it took her
quite a little while to do it.01:29:03
And she finally got him into the money,01:29:05
and he became an outstanding man.01:29:06
And I, at that point, I said to her,01:29:08
how in the world is my father,01:29:10
I remember what he looked like
and what he would talk like,01:29:15
he used the Queen's English,01:29:17
'cause I've seen him
becoming I've done my duty,01:29:20
and all that sort of thing,01:29:21
I said, how in the world did
he ever sell himself to you?01:29:23
What was the motive?01:29:24
She said, well, I'll tell you.01:29:26
First of all, I recognize
that he had good blood01:29:28
in his veins as he had
possibilities and I believe01:29:31
that I could bring them out.01:29:32
And she did bring them out.01:29:35
Mrs. Henry Ford and Mrs. Thomas Edison,01:29:37
are two of the outstanding
examples that I use time and01:29:40
time again, to show what the woman can do01:29:42
to make her husband successful.01:29:43
Had it not been for Mrs.
Ford's understanding of the01:29:46
mastermind principle, although
she didn't call it by that01:29:48
name, Mr. Ford would
never have been known,01:29:50
they all have a Ford automobile,
never would have been here.01:29:53
And I doubt if the automobile industry01:29:55
would have been ushered in as it has been.01:29:58
It was Mrs. Ford, more
than it was Mr. Ford,01:30:00
that kept him going, kept him alert,01:30:02
kept him filled with
confidence in himself,01:30:05
when the going was hard,01:30:06
and when other people were
criticizing him in connection01:30:08
with these contraption as they call it,01:30:11
that was only designed to scare horses.01:30:15
Just as I was criticized
for pulling away my time01:30:18
with the richest man in the
world, working for nothing.01:30:21
Mrs. Ford, sustained him
through those trying hours,01:30:24
when the going was hard, as
all of you will experience01:30:27
that period in your life.01:30:28
The going is hard at some
place with everybody.01:30:30
A lot of times a woman will
marry a man because she sees01:30:34
there's possibilities, you
can do something with him,01:30:36
make something out of him.01:30:38
Sometimes it's monetary consideration.01:30:40
Sometimes it's love.01:30:41
Sometimes it's one thing
and sometimes another,01:30:43
but every time anybody
engages in any transaction,01:30:46
there is a motive back up
you may be sure of that,01:30:48
as whatever it is that
you want anybody to do,01:30:50
pick out the right kind of a
motive and find it in the mind01:30:53
under the proper circumstances01:30:55
and you'll become a master salesman.01:30:59
Next.01:31:02
Establish a definite plan
in which each member of the01:31:04
alliance will make his
contribution in working toward the01:31:07
achievement of the object of
the alliance as a range of01:31:10
definite time and place01:31:13
for the mutual discussion of the plan.01:31:16
In definite this year will bring defeat01:31:19
keep a regular means of
contact between all members01:31:21
of your alliance.01:31:26
Did you ever hear of a
great friendship existing?01:31:30
Let me rephrase that.01:31:31
Have you ever had a great
friendship with somebody and then01:31:34
suddenly saw it grow cold
and then finally die?01:31:37
How many have had that experience?01:31:39
Of course, most of us have, to be sure.01:31:41
And what do you think
was the reason for it?01:31:44
(muffled speech)01:31:45
Neglect.01:31:46
That's all neglect.01:31:50
If you have very close
and very dear friends,01:31:54
the only way you can keep
them is to keep in contact,01:31:57
counsel, it's nothing but
an occasional postal card.01:32:00
I have one student01:32:03
who was a member of my class
in 1928 in New York city.01:32:07
And she never has missed a
single one of my birthdays01:32:11
to send me a card.01:32:12
One time she was off on her vacation01:32:14
and she forgot it until mid
afternoon of my birthday,01:32:19
and she sent me a telegram
congratulating me on my birthday.01:32:22
In other words, she has been
the most constant student01:32:25
that I've ever had out
of the many thousands01:32:27
all over the country.01:32:29
Well, as a result of that close
attention that she's given01:32:33
me, there've been times when
I've been able to help her01:32:35
in a business way too.01:32:36
Lifetime I got her a promotion it was01:32:38
amount to about $4,000 a year,01:32:40
which is quite a little bit of pay off01:32:42
for the business of keeping in contact.01:32:45
Quite a nice bit of pay off.01:32:47
But you have to keep in contact
with your mastermind allies,01:32:50
you have to have regular meeting places.01:32:52
You have to keep them active.01:32:54
If you don't they grow
cold or grow in different,01:32:56
and finally they're of no value for you.01:33:01
If you had a definite major purpose,01:33:02
knew exactly what you wanted to do,01:33:05
had a mastermind alliance of
people that could help you do01:33:07
it, and then have the sufficient place to01:33:10
keep you going while you did it.01:33:12
Don't you see that would be
about all you would need.01:33:15
Why then do we need the
14 additional principles01:33:18
do you suppose.01:33:20
Well, I'll tell you why.01:33:22
We need 14 additional
principles to induce you,01:33:26
to make use of these three.01:33:29
You need personal initiative.01:33:31
You need the imagination.01:33:33
You need enthusiasm.01:33:35
In other words, this
philosophy is something like01:33:38
baking a cake.01:33:39
When you go to bake a cake,01:33:41
you don't have put in just one ingredient.01:33:42
You put in a pinch of this,01:33:44
a pinch of that, a dash
of the other thing.01:33:46
Then you put it in the stove and bake it.01:33:48
If you took out any one
of those ingredients,01:33:50
you wouldn't have the same kind of a cake.01:33:53
And it's the same way
with this philosophy.01:33:55
You can't leave out any
one of these 17 principles.01:33:57
It'd be just like taking
a link out of a chain.01:33:59
You wouldn't have a chain anymore,01:34:00
you'd have two parts of a
chain but not a whole chain.01:34:03
And these are the 14 principles,01:34:05
supporting principles of the three.01:34:09
Faith is a state of mind that
has been called the mainspring01:34:12
of the soul through which
one's aims, desires,01:34:15
plans and purposes may be translated01:34:17
into their physical or
financial equipment.01:34:20
And here are the fundamentals of faith.01:34:22
Now, when you speak of applied
faith ladies and gentlemen,01:34:25
we're talking about
something vastly different01:34:27
from just mere belief.01:34:29
Applied, the word applied means what?01:34:31
- [Students] Action.01:34:32
- [Napoleon] Action.01:34:34
That's the action part of faith.01:34:35
And without action faith is
nothing but just daydreaming.01:34:38
And there are a lot of people,01:34:40
who believe in things,01:34:41
but they don't do anything about them.01:34:43
They are engaging only in daydreaming.01:34:46
Applied faith is an act of faith.01:34:49
Now the fundamentals of
faith are first of all,01:34:51
definitely it's a purpose
supported by a personal initiative01:34:54
and action, action, action.01:34:56
The more action, the better.01:34:57
That means continuous action.01:34:59
Not only on your part,01:35:01
but on the part of those that
may be cooperating with you,01:35:04
or may be masterminds allies of yours.01:35:08
And next, a positive mind,01:35:10
free from all negatives,
such as fear and the hatred,01:35:13
jealousy and greed, is essential.01:35:16
Mental attitude determines
the effectiveness of faith.01:35:18
Mental attitude.01:35:19
Did you know that is a fact,01:35:22
the frame of mind that you're in,01:35:23
when you go to pray, determines01:35:25
what happens as a result of that prayer,01:35:27
there's no two ways about that.01:35:28
You can test it for your
own selves and find out,01:35:30
I have no doubt you have.01:35:32
I have no doubt that you've
had the experiences I've had01:35:35
of sending out prayers that
didn't produce anything01:35:39
but a negative result.01:35:42
You've had that experience haven't you?01:35:44
How many of you have had that experience?01:35:46
Oh come on now, be modest.01:35:49
Do you suppose there ever was
anybody that didn't have that01:35:51
experience at one time or another?01:35:55
I want to tell you that
when you go to prayer,01:35:58
unless you have such absolute
faith that whatever you are01:36:01
going after that, you're going to acquire,01:36:03
that you can see it in
advance in your possession01:36:05
before you start asking for it,01:36:06
the chances are that the
effect of your prayer01:36:08
is going to be negative.01:36:10
And next, a mastermind
alliance with one or more01:36:13
people who radiate courage based on faith01:36:15
and are suited mentally and spiritually,01:36:18
the ones needs in carrying
out a given purpose.01:36:20
I'm talking to you now about the elements01:36:21
or the constituent parts or the premises01:36:24
that go into the business
of applied faith.01:36:28
And next, recognition of the
fact that every adversity01:36:31
carries with it the seed
of an equivalent benefit01:36:33
and temporary defeat is not
failure until it has been01:36:36
accepted as such.01:36:40
Do you know where the majority
of people fall down in01:36:41
connection with their
application of their faith?01:36:45
It's when they're defeated,01:36:46
then they accept that
defeat as being something01:36:48
they can't do anything about.01:36:51
Instead of beginning immediately
to search for that seed01:36:54
of an equivalent benefits
that's in every defeat,01:36:56
they begin become moody and broody,01:36:59
they become discouraged,01:37:01
they build up inferiority
complexes instead of a reversing01:37:06
that order and using that to
defeat as nothing more than01:37:10
temporary and making another effort.01:37:16
And next, the habit of
affirming one's definite major01:37:18
purpose in the form of a
prayer at least once daily.01:37:23
The subconscious mind only
knows what you tell it,01:37:25
or what you allow other people to tell it,01:37:27
or what you allow the
circumstances of life to tell it.01:37:30
And it doesn't know the
difference between a lie and01:37:32
the truth, it doesn't know
the difference between01:37:33
a penny and a million dollars.01:37:35
It accepts the things that you send over.01:37:39
And if you send over a
predominating thoughts on poverty01:37:41
and ill health on failure,
that's exactly what you'll get.01:37:46
No matter how much faith
that you may have later on,01:37:49
you find out that the subconscious
response to the mental01:37:51
attitude that you're
maintaining during the day,01:37:54
and it's necessary for you to
affirm over and over again,01:37:57
this object that you are
going to attain in life,01:38:00
until you educate your subconscious mind01:38:03
to attract automatically to you,01:38:04
the things that are related
to what you're aiming01:38:06
to attain in life,01:38:08
you'll find that your mind
is like an electromagnet.01:38:11
And once you charge it
with a clear picture01:38:13
of what you want,01:38:14
it will attract to you from
the highways in the byways,01:38:16
the things that you need
to carry out that purpose.01:38:22
And next, recognition of
the existence of infinite01:38:24
intelligence that gives order and01:38:26
a list of the entire universe.01:38:28
That's the individual you, that is,01:38:30
is a minute expression
of this intelligence,01:38:33
and as such, you're the individual,01:38:36
your mind has no limitations,01:38:37
except those excepted are
set up in your own mind.01:38:41
Your mind has no limitations whatsoever,01:38:44
except those that you allow
it to be stabbed as the arrow01:38:46
that you deliberately set up
in your own mind or accept.01:38:51
Now, that's a pretty
broad secret, isn't it?01:38:53
But the achievements are men
like Mr. Edison and Mr. Ford01:38:58
and Mr. Carnegie and
Napoleon Hill if you please,01:39:03
certainly, definitely supports
the idea that there is01:39:05
no limitation except that what
you set up in your own mind.01:39:07
And if I had ever wavered for one second,01:39:10
from the time that I
started with Mr. Carnegie,01:39:12
up until the time I gave
this philosophy to the world,01:39:14
if I had wavered one second,01:39:16
in my belief that I would do it,01:39:17
I would never have done it.01:39:21
How did I happen to do it?01:39:23
Do you have any idea about
what played the strongest part01:39:26
in what I've achieved?01:39:27
It wasn't my brilliancy,01:39:28
it wasn't my outstanding intelligence,01:39:30
I have no more brilliancy
than the average person,01:39:32
no more intelligence
than the average person,01:39:35
but there was something in there that01:39:37
was responsible for it.01:39:39
(muffled speech)01:39:45
(laughs) right.01:39:48
In other words, I believed I could do it01:39:49
and I never stopped believing it.01:39:51
The harder the going was, the
more I believed I would do it.01:39:55
And I wanna tell you that if
you can take that attitude01:39:57
towards yourself, if you
can throw herself over01:39:59
on the side of yourself, so to speak,01:40:01
when you're overtaken by adversity,01:40:03
when people are guessing,
if you can do that,01:40:04
if can stand by, and not also
go over against yourself,01:40:08
then you're using applied faith,01:40:11
and you've got to do that. Do you know, they're
testing times for people?01:40:13
Had you ever thought of that?01:40:15
Nobody is permitted to
attain high state in life01:40:18
and stay there without being tested,01:40:21
any more than anybody is allowed
to go into a well managed01:40:23
business and to go up to a high position01:40:25
and stay there without even
tested with lower position01:40:28
step-by-step until he earns
the right to be up to the top.01:40:33
I don't know how the creator
runs his business entirely,01:40:35
but I can catch a pretty
good idea of how he does it01:40:39
from observing that part
which I can understand.01:40:41
Of course, there's much more
that I can't understand,01:40:43
but I can see definitely that
he allows nobody to attain to01:40:46
a highest stage in life without
giving him severe testing.01:40:50
And one of the most
astounding things that I found01:40:52
in my research was that the
men of great achievement01:40:55
in all walks of life,01:40:56
back down to the ages were
great only in proportion01:40:59
as they had been defeated
and as they had met01:41:01
with opposition.01:41:03
Now that's an astounding thing.01:41:04
It couldn't have been a
coincidence that every one of these01:41:06
outstanding men was great in
proportion exactly as he had01:41:09
been small, and that he had been opposed,01:41:12
and as he had had the struggle.01:41:16
I used to tell him my early struggles01:41:17
and tell him some of my defeats,01:41:18
my business management
asked me about and said01:41:20
it wasn't a good idea.01:41:23
I still think it's a good idea.01:41:24
I think it's a fine idea because
if you only do the amount01:41:27
of major defeats that I had met with01:41:28
and still get my head above water,01:41:30
and still we have to
deliver this philosophy,01:41:32
you'd say if Hill can
do it, I can do it too.01:41:34
And that was the only reason
of course that I ever spoke of.01:41:39
The habit of affirming ones
definiteness major purpose01:41:42
in the form of a prayer at least daily,01:41:46
and the recognition of
infinite intelligence.01:41:49
I don't mind what terms you use.01:41:51
You can call that God,
or you call it Jehovah,01:41:52
or you can call it a Buddha,01:41:53
or you can call it Muhammad.01:41:55
Anything you wanna do,01:41:57
no matter what you call
it we're all talking about01:41:59
the first cause there
isn't two first causes,01:42:01
there is only one.01:42:03
There couldn't be two,01:42:05
there's one first cause that's
responsible for this great01:42:07
universe we're living in
for you and for me and01:42:09
for everything that's in the universe.01:42:13
I call it infinite intelligence
because I have students01:42:16
of all faiths and all
religions all over the world01:42:18
as my students and the
infinite intelligence happens01:42:20
to be a sort of a neutral in between term01:42:22
that nobody can object to,01:42:25
nobody at all.01:42:28
But unless you not only believe in that,01:42:31
unless you can prove yourself,01:42:32
unless you can absolutely
put out on paper evidence01:42:34
that there is first
cause if you can draw on01:42:38
then you are no going to be able to make01:42:40
the fullest use of applied faith.01:42:45
One of my students asked me one day01:42:47
about my concept of God,01:42:50
my concept of infinite intelligence
and if I meant the same01:42:54
thing as God, I said yes, I do,01:42:55
he said, can you prove the
existence of your concept of God?01:43:01
I said, everything in the
universe is the finest01:43:04
of the evidence of the existence of it,01:43:06
because of the orderliness
of the universe,01:43:08
everything's orderly from
the electrons and protons01:43:11
of the smallest part of a
matter on up to the largest01:43:14
suns that float through the heavens.01:43:16
Everything's in orderliness, no chaos,01:43:18
no running together the planets.01:43:20
There's more evidence of a
first cause than there is01:43:22
of anything that I know of.01:43:26
And if you don't believe
that, if you don't accept it,01:43:28
if you don't see it, if you don't feel it,01:43:29
if you don't know that,01:43:30
then you won't know that
you are a minute part01:43:32
of that infinite intelligence
expressing through your brain.01:43:35
And if you want to recognize that,01:43:37
then you recognize the
truth of what I said,01:43:39
that your only limitations
are those which you set up in01:43:41
your own mind or permit
somebody to set up there01:43:43
or circumstances to establish for you.01:43:48
Next, careful inventory of your
past defeats and adversities01:43:52
from which it becomes obvious
that all such experiences01:43:55
do carry the seed of
an equivalent benefit.01:43:58
Just to hear me say that every
adversity carries with it01:44:03
the seed of equivalent benefit.01:44:04
That every defeat everything
there carries with it the01:44:07
seed of an equivalent benefit,01:44:09
wouldn't mean a thing in the world to you,01:44:11
unless I made application of it,01:44:12
and gave the illustration
after illustration,01:44:14
unless you examine enough illustrations01:44:16
in your own experiences,01:44:17
to see if it always works out that way.01:44:19
That's why I want you to
examine these adversities01:44:21
that come to you.01:44:23
Do you know that oftentimes
your adversities are your01:44:25
greatest blessings?01:44:28
You have any idea?01:44:29
Do you have any idea the
greatest blessing that ever came01:44:31
into my life, those of you
who know considered about me,01:44:34
would you have any idea what it is?01:44:37
(indistinct) Of course it was the loss of my mother,01:44:41
and ordinarily you would
say that would be the01:44:43
greatest catastrophe
that can overtake a child01:44:45
would be to lose his mother
at the age of nine years.01:44:51
Why do I say that was
the greatest blessing?01:44:54
Because it brought me a new
mother to take her place01:44:57
that's been responsible for
everything that I've achieved,01:44:59
everything that I shall achieve,01:45:02
very largely responsible at least,01:45:04
and without her influence,01:45:05
I'd still be up there
fighting rattlesnakes,01:45:07
drinking mountain liquor
and fighting fuse,01:45:12
where my relatives still
are doing that same thing,01:45:14
no reason to expect that I wouldn't be.01:45:19
I've had a lot of other adversities.01:45:21
And I wanna tell you that
without some pretty major01:45:23
adversities I've gone through
I'd never been able to approve01:45:26
the soundness of this
philosophy and that there is01:45:29
the seed of an equivalent
benefits in every adversity.01:45:32
Can you imagine any worse
adversity coming to a man01:45:36
than to walk down to the
hospital and to be informed01:45:39
that your son was born
without any sign of ears,01:45:42
and that he would be a deaf
and dumb mood all of his life.01:45:44
Can you imagine any worse
adversity than that?01:45:50
I've always be thankful
that that happened because01:45:54
by my contact with infinite intelligence,01:45:57
he was improvised with a
hearing system of some sort01:46:00
that gave him 65% of his normal hearing.01:46:03
And with a hearing aid 100%,01:46:06
he just learned to live a normal
life and I got the greatest01:46:09
demonstration of my entire
experience of the power of faith,01:46:14
I couldn't have gotten it any other way.01:46:15
I couldn't have gotten it second hand.01:46:16
I had to get it first hand.01:46:20
I never accepted that
affliction of that child,01:46:23
not even before I saw him,01:46:24
not even after I saw him,01:46:25
I never accepted it.01:46:27
His relatives accepted it.01:46:29
They wanted to put him in this
school of underprivileged,01:46:31
where he learned the sign language,01:46:33
learned to lip reading,01:46:34
I didn't want him to know
there were such things.01:46:38
And when he got up to where
he was old enough to go to01:46:39
school, I had a fight with
the school authorities01:46:41
every year just as regular
as the time came around,01:46:43
they wanted to send him over
to school for underprivileged01:46:47
children or he'd mix
with the other children01:46:49
and see that there were afflictions.01:46:50
I didn't want him to know
there were such things.01:46:52
And I told him from
the very beginning that01:46:54
he not having any ears
was a great blessing.01:46:57
And he believed it and
it turned out to be,01:46:59
because people took compassion on him.01:47:02
They did things for him they
wouldn't have done otherwise.01:47:05
He got a job as a salesman
for the Saturday Evening Post,01:47:09
and he led every salesman
throughout the United States.01:47:12
Oftentimes he'd go out and
with $5 worth of merchandise01:47:15
and come back with $10 in cash.01:47:18
He did that many times.01:47:20
People would look at him
that poor little fellow01:47:22
and he is out selling papers,01:47:23
I guess his parents were poor.01:47:25
(laughs)01:47:27
Gave him a dollar bill,01:47:28
instead of giving him
back $0.95 they'd say,01:47:33
oh, it's alright just keep that.01:47:34
And very often he'd get
a dollar a piece for01:47:35
Saturday Evening folks.01:47:40
Not at all conscious
today of any affliction,01:47:41
he's living a perfectly normal
life because I taught him,01:47:44
that an affliction, any
kind of an affliction,01:47:46
can be transmuted into a benefit.01:47:50
That's an astounding thing isn't it,01:47:51
to consider that, that is true.01:47:55
But it is true.01:48:02
As I said, you're just hearing me say that01:48:04
won't mean the thing in the world01:48:05
unless you begin to look
around in your own experiences,01:48:07
take inventory and watch
what happens in the future.01:48:10
There'll be some things
happen to you in the future01:48:12
that are unpleasant and
maybe some to me too,01:48:15
but I can tell you what
I'm gonna do when anything01:48:18
unpleasant happens to me, I'm gonna immediately transmit
it into something pleasant.01:48:22
Immediately, and then I'm
still talking about the01:48:27
fundamentals of faith.01:48:31
Self-respect expressed
through harmony with one's own01:48:34
conscience is certainly
an important factor01:48:36
in applied faith.01:48:37
Self-respect expressed
through harmony with one's own01:48:41
conscience, isn't it a marvelous
thing that the creator set01:48:45
up in everybody a judge
advocate that tells you01:48:48
the right thing and the wrong thing,01:48:49
you don't have to ask anybody.01:48:52
Isn't that a marvelous thing.01:48:54
You don't have to ask anybody
what's right or wrong,01:48:56
your own conscience tells you,01:48:58
unless you convert it into
a conspirator instead of a01:49:01
collaborator by choking it
off and not responding to it01:49:04
as so many people do.01:49:06
Your conscious can be not only a guide,01:49:09
but it can all be corrupted
towards a conspirator01:49:12
to help you cover up your meanness.01:49:14
And a lot of people use
it for just that purpose01:49:16
who believe me they have it choked off.01:49:19
If that were true there
couldn't be so many01:49:22
brutes loose in the world
today concocting plans for01:49:25
starting bigger and better wars.01:49:28
They have no conscience, they've
killed off the conscience.01:49:31
That conscience is a marvelous thing.01:49:34
And next, to create a
mental attitude favorable01:49:37
for the expression of faith.01:49:38
Now, here's what you do.01:49:39
First of all, know what you
want and determine what you have01:49:43
to give in return for it.01:49:44
Know what you want to life.01:49:46
And I mean not only in your major purpose,01:49:48
but in your minor purposes.01:49:49
What kind of a house you wanna live in?01:49:51
What kind of a car you wanna drive?01:49:52
What kind of a wardrobe you want?01:49:54
What kind of an education you
want your children to have?01:49:57
What kind of a present
you're gonna buy your wife01:49:58
for her birthday?01:49:59
And you better be sure
to buy her one every time01:50:01
if you wanna keep on good terms with her.01:50:04
What kind of a cake are you
gonna bake for your husband01:50:06
on his birthday? And you better make it a good one.01:50:09
(student laughing)01:50:10
Did you know ladies and gentleman,01:50:11
married ladies and
gentlemen in particular,01:50:14
did you know it's not the big
things in the relationship01:50:16
between a man and his wife that count,01:50:18
it is the little niceties,
the little things that count.01:50:21
Well, it's a little
niceties, the little things.01:50:23
The little things that
my wife cooks up for me,01:50:25
and I don't mean in food,01:50:27
but the little parties, the little visits,01:50:30
the trips that she cooks
up for me when I'm home.01:50:33
They don't come out
for so much in one way,01:50:34
and yet another way
they're very sentimental,01:50:37
and it keeps that
relationship alive that we had01:50:40
before we were married, we're
still courting each other.01:50:44
I think I do more of a
courting job now than I did01:50:46
before, because after
all I not only got her,01:50:48
I have to keep her.01:50:54
(applause)01:50:58
Totally have a lot of fun with
these off the cuff remarks.01:51:02
You don't find any of
that in the notes at all.01:51:07
But I just know that these
are very super intimate01:51:10
things that make joy in my life with01:51:13
be just as acceptable in your life too.01:51:16
I know it's the little things
in your life that make the01:51:18
difference between the
happiness and unhappiness.01:51:23
Next, when you affirm the
object of your desires01:51:28
through prayer, let your
imagination see yourself01:51:31
already in possession of the
thing that you're going after.01:51:34
Now you might say that
takes a lot of willpower,01:51:36
a lot of determination,
but if you keep at it,01:51:38
you'll find it's not so hard to do.01:51:42
In the first place it's
easy for me to do that01:51:43
because I'd never go after
anything that I haven't01:51:45
first sold myself thoroughly
on the idea that I01:51:47
not only have the right to get it,01:51:49
but that I am going to earn that right01:51:50
by giving something in return.01:51:53
And that's the best
salesmanship in the world.01:51:55
When you go out to sell a person an idea,01:51:57
or a merchandise or service,01:51:58
if you know positively that
you're going to give him01:52:00
his money's worth and
more too before you start,01:52:03
it does something to you that
enables you to do something01:52:05
to him, that enables him in
return and do something for you.01:52:12
It's a very acne of master salesmanship.01:52:16
You know, I've said this
ladies and gentlemen,01:52:18
several times and at the risk
of being forced into you,01:52:21
I'm going to repeat, that if
you want your prayer to be01:52:26
effective, don't wait until
the time of need to utter them.01:52:30
Build up the habit of prayer
when you don't need anything.01:52:32
And what do you pray for then?01:52:35
For what you already have.01:52:36
You give gratitude for what
you already have, don't you?01:52:40
Wouldn't it be an interesting
thing if I gave you a lesson01:52:42
assignment right now to
write down before the night,01:52:44
before you to bed tonight,01:52:45
everything that you have in
this world to be thankful for,01:52:48
and I'm giving you that
assignment, every one of you,01:52:50
and I want you to carry it on.01:52:51
It's gonna be one of the
surprises of your life.01:52:54
You may have a lot of
things you don't want,01:52:55
but you have a lot of things you do want.01:52:58
Write down a list of them
and express gratitude01:53:00
that you have these things that you love.01:53:03
And you certainly can
start with the fact that01:53:06
you're associated here in the
country where you have freedom01:53:09
of speech, freedom of
action, freedom of thought01:53:12
and freedom of opportunity.01:53:13
Certainly that would head the list.01:53:15
'Cause in other countries
we don't have that much.01:53:18
And then you can come right
on down from that and put down01:53:20
all the things that you
have to be grateful for.01:53:21
And then start in expressing
gratitude every night01:53:24
and every day.01:53:25
Keep your mind open for
guidance from within.01:53:28
Now what do I mean by that you suppose.01:53:30
- [Students] Hunches.01:53:33
- [Napoleon] Yes hunches,
you'll get hunches.01:53:35
Don't be a, what is the word I wanna use?01:53:40
Disrespectful.01:53:42
Don't be disrespectful of hunches,01:53:44
treat them as civility, examine them,01:53:47
and you may find that some
of these very unusual hunches01:53:50
that you come are bringing
you messages that you need01:53:53
to get you over the
hump and whatever it is01:53:54
that you're doing.01:53:56
And when you are inspired by
hunches to move on some plan01:53:59
created by your imagination,01:54:01
which leads in the direction
of that which you desire,01:54:03
accept the plan and act upon it once.01:54:06
Remember always that there
can be no such state of mind01:54:09
as faith without appropriate action,01:54:11
faith without deeds is dead.01:54:15
And when overtaken by defeat
as you may be many times,01:54:17
remember that man's faith is
tested many times and your01:54:20
defeat may be only one
of your testing times.01:54:24
Isn't that an astounding
and an encouraging thing01:54:26
to recognize is when
you're meeting with defeat,01:54:28
that's probably in the
eyes of your creator,01:54:30
you're only being tested
to see whether you're01:54:32
a man or a worm, and believe
you me we all go through01:54:35
that testing time, and the
ones that survive these tests01:54:40
and come out on top with an abiding faith01:54:43
are the ones that become
truly great in life.01:54:46
I don't think there's
any doubt in the world,01:54:47
but what is the part of the
creator's plan to see that01:54:49
everybody amounts to
anything above mediocrity,01:54:52
must pay the price of
undergoing test after test01:54:56
as to his faith.01:54:58
I don't think there's
any doubt about that.01:54:59
I see evidence everywhere
that that's true.01:55:02
Any negative state of mind
was the story of the power01:55:04
of faith and result in a negative climax.01:55:06
Your state of mind is everything.01:55:10
Why do you suppose that in
my notes here you notice that01:55:14
I have underscored, your
state of mind is everything.01:55:17
I underscored for emphasis.01:55:18
Why do you suppose I wanted
to emphasize that statement?01:55:23
(indistinct)01:55:28
That's right, that's the only
thing you have control over.01:55:32
The only thing in this world
that you have control over01:55:34
is your state of mind, and
certainly that connotes01:55:39
the fact that the creator
intended that to be the01:55:40
most important asset that
you have as it is because01:55:43
with the use of that mind,01:55:45
you can project it into any objective01:55:47
or to the attainment
of any end you choose,01:55:49
your education, your
background, your nationality,01:55:52
your creed, has nothing whatsoever to do01:55:54
with your ability to achieve.01:55:56
It's the state of mind that you maintain.01:55:58
That's the thing that determines how,01:56:00
and what and when you achieve.01:56:05
To me that's the most profound
thing in all of the knowledge01:56:07
of mankind, the most
profound of all of this,01:56:11
is the fact that the humblest
person can take possession01:56:13
of his own mind, he can
cover it any way he chooses,01:56:16
he can project it into high
places or into the gutter.01:56:21
He can make it a success or
he can make it a failure.01:56:23
Just the change of his mental attitude,01:56:25
changes from success to
failure almost instantly.01:56:30
A burning desire is the
sort of material of which01:56:32
faith is created.01:56:33
Do you know what a burning desire is?01:56:36
- [Student] Obsession.01:56:39
- [Napoleon] That's right,
obsession or desire.01:56:41
Obsessional means a desire
that takes possession of you,01:56:44
obsesses you.01:56:46
Now there're a lot of
desires in the world,01:56:50
but they're not burning
desires and they're not01:56:52
obsession desires and most
people in their whole life01:56:55
never express or never experience01:56:57
an obsessional desire for anything.01:57:01
We started out with
hopes, not too definite,01:57:04
but faith hopes for things and wishes.01:57:06
We wish for, everybody
wishes for a lot of money01:57:08
without having to work for it.01:57:10
Well, maybe not everybody, but
of course my students know,01:57:15
but a lot of people do,01:57:17
most people I'd say, wish for things,01:57:19
wish for the Cadillac when
they're driving a Ford.01:57:23
If you want a Cadillac car and
you make up your mind to have01:57:26
it, get out there and see
that the men under you01:57:28
or the other job that you're
holding the seeds that you put01:57:31
into it and that which will
entitle you a Cadillac car.01:57:33
But if you don't want a Cadillac car,01:57:36
chances are you'll drive
a Ford or something else01:57:38
for the rest of your life.01:57:39
You have to want things.01:57:40
You have to want them
with a burning desire.01:57:42
And then you have to do something
about that burning desire.01:57:44
What is it?01:57:45
- [Students] Action.01:57:46
- [Napoleon] Action.01:57:47
You've got to start it
right where you stand,01:57:48
showing that you do have
faith in your ability.01:57:50
Start right where you stand with action.01:57:55
Now here is a lot of examples
of men of achievement.01:57:58
I'm not going to go over them.01:57:59
You know them, but there is one down here01:58:01
that I particularly want
to call your attention to,01:58:03
that is Ms. Hellen Keller,01:58:04
who believed that she
would learn to talk despite01:58:06
the fact that she had lost
the use of her speech,01:58:08
her sight and her hearing.01:58:11
Can you imagine that loss?01:58:13
To lose early in life of her speech,01:58:15
her sight and her hearing.01:58:17
She couldn't hear, she couldn't
see and she couldn't speak.01:58:23
And yet, did you know, of
course you do know that01:58:26
Ms. Helen Keller became
one of the best educated01:58:28
women in the world.01:58:30
She's in contact with
more of public affairs01:58:33
and civic affairs and
conditions all over the world01:58:36
and the maintains of the women
who have all of their senses.01:58:39
This is an astounding thing.01:58:41
And all she has to go by is the vibration.01:58:44
If you speak to her she put
her fingers up to her lips01:58:47
and she can tell what you're
saying by her fingertips,01:58:52
partly by vibration.01:58:55
Think a woman with a
handicap at that time,01:58:58
all the way through life,
getting joy out of life,01:59:00
rendering useful service, making speeches.01:59:02
She's learned a profession to talk,01:59:07
doing a great work whereas the
majority of people would have01:59:10
settled for a tin cup and
a bunch of lead pencils01:59:12
on a street cutter, with any
one of those afflictions.01:59:17
While I was on the staff
of Franklin D Roosevelt,01:59:20
I passed at the corner
of Pennsylvania Avenue01:59:24
and the street running by the White House,01:59:26
everyday I passed a man
sitting there with a tin cup01:59:29
and some pencils.01:59:31
I became acquainted to that man,01:59:32
he had lost the use of his legs.01:59:33
He had the same affliction as
Franklin D Roosevelt exactly,01:59:36
and it happened about the same time.01:59:39
And I found out that he
had even a better education01:59:41
than Franklin D Roosevelt had,01:59:42
but out there you are, out there
with a tin cup and pencils,01:59:45
living by begging.01:59:48
Just a block away there was
a man with the most important01:59:51
responsible position in the whole world,01:59:54
running a great nation, who
also had lost the use of his01:59:58
legs, but he hadn't lost
the use of his brain,02:00:00
he hadn't lost confidence in himself.02:00:04
These afflictions that
come along sometimes they02:00:06
turn out to be a great blessing,02:00:08
they teach us that very
often they teach us that02:00:10
we can get along without an
eye or without both eyes,02:00:13
or without legs and without hands,02:00:16
we get along without a lot of
things if we have the right02:00:18
mental attitude toward what's left of us,02:00:23
That's important.02:00:26
If you would have faith
keep your mind on that which02:00:28
you want and not on that
which you do not want.02:00:30
And how do you go about that,02:00:32
how does one go about keeping his mind02:00:33
off of the things he doesn't want?02:00:36
(indistinct)02:00:38
Look up that word transmute
and see what it means.02:00:41
Look it up the dictionary,
you know of it generally,02:00:43
but look it up because
it'll be more impressive02:00:45
in your subconscious mind.02:00:48
The way you keep your mind off
the things you don't want is02:00:51
to try and spare your mind
over two things you do want02:00:54
and start talking about
them, start giving thanks02:00:57
for already processing them.02:00:59
It sounds perfectly silly to
anybody who doesn't know what02:01:02
you're doing but it wont
sound silly to you because02:01:03
you know what you're doing,02:01:04
you're talking to your subconscious mind,02:01:06
you're re-educating yourself,02:01:08
you're keeping your mind
fixed on things you want02:01:10
and off of the things you don't want,02:01:11
and in order to do that
you have to keep talking,02:01:15
you have to keep thinking,02:01:16
you can't talk without thinking,02:01:18
well some people can
but most of them can't.02:01:21
(students laughing)02:01:22
Keep on talking about things you want,02:01:25
and if you ever feel blue or discouraged,02:01:28
or lacking encouraged, I'll
tell you a good remedy for it,02:01:31
may I?02:01:32
- [Students] Yes.02:01:33
- [Napoleon] Sit down and take a tablet,02:01:36
and start numbering number one,02:01:38
the thing that you want most in life,02:01:39
number two, the thing
that you want next most,02:01:41
number three, the thing
you want next most,02:01:43
and when one gets down to
the kind a house you live,02:01:46
describe the lot that you wanna go on02:01:48
whether you wanna go in a lot of acreage,02:01:49
on top of the hill or down below the road,02:01:51
or above the road, how many
rooms you want that house02:01:53
to have, how you want each room furnished,02:01:54
why you have a grand time
furnishing those rooms.02:01:58
Well I believe that one of the most,02:01:59
well be better than window
shopping because you can go02:02:02
the limit in your own
mind and window shopping,02:02:03
you only have two legs
you can only walk so far.02:02:07
Do a little mental window
shopping and believe you me02:02:10
you'll get your mind off
of that moodiness you will02:02:13
get it on to something
that's constructive,02:02:15
and you'll be educating
your subconscious mind02:02:17
to keep on the right side of the street02:02:18
and away from the other
side of the railroad tracks.02:02:23
The assignment I'm giving
you now is not foolish,02:02:25
it's not facetious, it's a real assignment02:02:26
and you'll get real joy out of doing it,02:02:29
start right in doing something physically,02:02:31
writing down the things that you want02:02:32
when anything bothers you.02:02:36
I don't know why it is that
when a person makes up his mind02:02:40
what he wants and becomes
determined to get it02:02:41
that the whole powers of the
universe seem to come to his02:02:44
aid to see that he gets it,02:02:45
I don't know why that is,02:02:47
but I'll tell you one
thing I know that it is,02:02:50
and that's enough for me.02:02:52
A lot of things this world that I can see,02:02:53
a lot of advantages I can use,02:02:55
that I don't understand,02:02:58
but I don't need to understand them,02:02:59
I know which button to press
to get to the result I want02:03:02
and I don't need to know what
happens between the pressing02:03:04
of that button and the
result that happens.02:03:07
I know that if you can follow
the instructions in this02:03:09
philosophy, I know that you'll
be able to take possession02:03:12
of your own mind, you will
be able to get the things02:03:13
out of life that you want,02:03:14
you will be able to make life
pay off on your own terms,02:03:17
I know that.02:03:19
How would I know do you suppose
that any person can actually02:03:22
make life pay off
point-by-point on his own terms02:03:26
instead of accepting the circumstance,02:03:27
how would I know that?02:03:29
- [Students] By your experience.02:03:30
- [Napoleon] There is
only one way in this world02:03:32
that I could possibly
know that and that's by02:03:34
my own experiences.02:03:36
I can tell you as sincerely
as I've been standing here on02:03:38
this platform talking to you
tonight there isn't a blessed02:03:41
thing in this world that
I want that I don't have,02:03:43
or can get easily.02:03:45
Not anything.02:03:48
What an astounding statement that is.02:03:50
If you go back just a few years ago02:03:52
what an astounding statement
it is because so broadly02:03:54
in contrast to what I might
have said a few years back02:03:57
before I'd learned the
secret of getting everything02:03:59
that I want.02:04:02
Do you know there was a time
when I was carrying around02:04:03
in my own pocket the matches
with which I was sitting my02:04:06
house of opportunity on
fire and didn't know it.02:04:08
And I finally got rid of those matches,02:04:10
I began to build that
house of opportunity,02:04:13
and the comments to find
out that the house resembled02:04:16
the picture of it that
I had built in my mind,02:04:18
right down to the finest detail.02:04:21
There is no such thing as a blanket state,02:04:23
you must have a definite objective,02:04:25
a purpose, a goal, before you
can have faith in anything.02:04:30
Faith is a mental attitude
wherein the mind is cleared of02:04:33
all fears and doubts and
directed toward the attainment of02:04:36
something definite
through the inspiration of02:04:38
infinite intelligence.02:04:41
Faith is guidance, it is nothing more.02:04:43
Had you ever thought about
that faith is guidance,02:04:45
it's nothing more than that.02:04:48
Faith is not gonna go out
and get you that Cadillac,02:04:50
or that mink coat, or that
new house that you want,02:04:52
or that better job or
that better business,02:04:54
or all those clients that you
need if you're a professional,02:04:55
faith's not gonna do that,02:04:58
but faith will guide you
as to how you can do it,02:05:02
and then you find that there
is always a part you must play.02:05:08
The creator wisely raised us
so that we can produce our food02:05:11
from the soil of the earth,02:05:13
everything that we eat, use or wear,02:05:14
comes from the earth, everything,02:05:19
and infinite intelligence is
very wisely provided a system02:05:23
whereby you can be sure of
getting your food out of the02:05:26
soil of the earth.02:05:27
How, by complying with the laws of nature.02:05:30
You go out there and you plant the seed,02:05:33
you plant it in soil that you
have examined to make sure02:05:36
it has the elements in there
that you want into the plant.02:05:39
You plant it at the right season,02:05:41
you plant it at the right
depth in the ground.02:05:45
All of those things you do
in the way of going the extra02:05:47
mile, you do them in advance,02:05:49
and then what do?02:05:50
You go back the next day
and start harvesting do you?02:05:52
- [Student] No.02:05:53
- [Napoleon] No, you time it properly,02:05:54
you find out what nature
requires in order to produce a,02:05:57
to convert or transmute
a seed of wheat into02:06:00
a stalk of wheat with 500
or 1,000 grains on it.02:06:03
And you comply with nature's law,02:06:05
that's what you do,02:06:07
and it's the same thing
identically in connection with this02:06:10
subject of faith in anything
else you expect guidance,02:06:14
you do your part, you
have to do your part,02:06:15
you always find there's
a part that you must do02:06:18
in connection with any example
of a demonstration of faith.02:06:22
Faith will do nothing for you
if you expect everything to be02:06:24
done for you outside of yourself.02:06:27
Its guidance that you
expect to get the answer02:06:30
that you have it.02:06:32
When faith probably, notice
that word probably down there,02:06:36
why do you think I say faith
probably works through the02:06:39
subconscious section of the mind?02:06:42
I'll tell you why I put it there because02:06:44
nobody knows definitely
whether it does or not,02:06:46
it's a theory and for
wanting of a better theory,02:06:49
I'm using it.02:06:51
It appears to work through
the subconscious section of02:06:54
the mind, the subconscious
acting as the gateway between the02:06:57
conscious section of the mind
and infinite intelligence.02:07:01
My picture, my mental
picture of what happens02:07:03
when you pray properly, is
that you first condition02:07:07
your mind you know what it is you want,02:07:09
and then you transfer over
to your subconscious mind02:07:11
a clearer picture that
subconscious is the intermediary,02:07:14
or the gatekeeper between you
and infinite intelligence,02:07:17
it's the only one that
could turn on the power of02:07:19
the infinite intelligence for you,02:07:20
it's the only way you can reach
into infinite intelligence02:07:22
in my book of rules.02:07:25
And if that isn't correct,02:07:26
as far as I'm concerned
might as well be correct02:07:28
because that's the way I get it to work.02:07:31
Now the definite essential
steps in the development of02:07:34
self reliance based on faith.02:07:36
If there's anything that people
need more than everything02:07:38
else it's self reliance,
belief in yourself.02:07:39
Here are the steps, I'm not
going to go over all of them,02:07:42
but I'm going to call your attention02:07:43
to the most important ones.02:07:45
First of all adopt a major
purpose and begin at once02:07:48
to attain it, that's the
first step in building02:07:51
self confidence.02:07:52
You know, when you know what you want,02:07:54
and you're starting getting it,02:07:56
you have a measure of self-reliance,02:07:57
you're demonstrating a
measure of self-reliance02:07:59
because if you didn't believe in yourself02:08:01
you wouldn't even begin with doing it.02:08:03
The very fact that you start
even though you're a long way02:08:06
from attaining the thing
you're going after,02:08:07
shows that you have a measure
or degree of self-reliance,02:08:10
and the more you pursue that idea02:08:12
the stronger that belief will be.02:08:14
And next associate as many
as possible of the nine02:08:17
basic motives with the object
of the definite major purpose.02:08:20
In other words, have
yourself inspired by as many02:08:22
as possible of those nine basic motives02:08:24
when you go after anything.02:08:27
You know you've had this
experience that you wanted02:08:31
something very badly and in
order to get to something02:08:35
that you wanted very badly,
a material something,02:08:37
you made some extra
money that you couldn't02:08:39
lay your hands on, you
didn't have in the bank,02:08:42
you weren't earning it,02:08:44
what do you do in against that kind?02:08:47
- [Students] Borrow.02:08:48
- [Napoleon] Borrow (laughs)02:08:51
A lot of people do, there
is always something else02:08:53
to it that you can do that's
more important than borrowing.02:08:56
(indistinct)02:08:57
You begin to connive and work
out some sort of the scheme02:08:59
to earn some more money don't you?02:09:01
That's what you do.02:09:03
(indistinct)02:09:04
My little son Blair when he
was about 6 or 7 years old02:09:07
wanted a nice, an electrical
train it cost $50,02:09:11
and it was more than we felt
we could give him at that time02:09:13
because we had to give the
other two children a $50 gift02:09:18
too, and I told them this,
oh, I didn't ask you to02:09:21
buy me anything, I said,
well that's different,02:09:24
fine I just want your
approval to buy the train02:09:26
and he made out the
order, Lionel train $50,02:09:29
and there came a snow,
a big snow the next day02:09:33
and he borrowed the shovel from
the janitor and he went down02:09:35
the street cleaning off sidewalk.02:09:36
Didn't ask anybody if he could do it,02:09:38
just started cleaning off the sidewalks02:09:39
and it all come out and get
into conversation he'd say,02:09:42
oh I thought it'd be a nice
thing to just clean off your02:09:45
sidewalks, I see you
haven't started doing it yet02:09:47
I thought it'd be nice if you'd
appreciate it and invariably02:09:51
they'd give him a quarter, half
dollar, sometimes a dollar,02:09:53
one man gave him $5,02:09:56
and before the end of the month,02:09:57
long before the end of
the month he had his $5002:09:59
and $10 more that he had done himself.02:10:03
His mother thought that he
ought not to be permitted to do02:10:06
that, kind of disgrace to us
to let him go down the street02:10:09
cleaning offside, well
I said, disgrace my eye,02:10:13
they ought to find out who we are,02:10:14
we can raise a child like this,02:10:17
how we do it.02:10:22
Motive and write out a list
of all the advantages of your02:10:26
definite major purpose and
call these into your mind02:10:28
many times daily thereby making
your mind success conscious.02:10:33
Did you know that in order to be healthy,02:10:34
you have to be health
conscious did you know that?02:10:36
No matter what other precautions you take,02:10:38
if your mental attitude
is not health conscious,02:10:41
if you're not thinking in terms of health,02:10:42
you're not expecting that
you're going to be healthy,02:10:44
you're not going to be,02:10:45
no matter what else you do.02:10:47
And it's the same thing
with reference to success,02:10:49
if you accept any kind of a fear complex,02:10:51
or an inferiority complex,02:10:53
if you don't expect success of yourself,02:10:55
and develop a success
expectation or consciousness,02:10:58
you're not gonna be a success,02:11:00
you just have to do that.02:11:02
If your major purpose is to
achieve some material thing,02:11:05
or money, see yourself
already in possession of it.02:11:08
When you call into your consciousness,02:11:10
this is a vital importance
because there again is coming02:11:14
into play your power of faith,02:11:16
and if your faith is great
enough that you can see02:11:18
the thing already in your
possession even before02:11:19
you start to get it then
you are not making use of02:11:21
applied faith.02:11:23
And associate with people
who are in sympathy with you02:11:27
and your major purpose and
lead them to encourage you in02:11:29
every way possible.02:11:31
This has referenced only two
close friends or members of02:11:33
your mastermind alliance,02:11:35
don't disclose your aims the
purposes to people who are not02:11:38
absolutely dependable,
loyal and close to you.02:11:42
Especially loyal, though
surprising how sometimes people to02:11:45
whom you disclose your
ideas, if they're good ideas,02:11:48
they go around the corner
and beat you to the draw02:11:51
they're using your ideas
before you use them.02:11:54
Or they're saying something
to discourage you,02:11:58
and let not a single day
pass without making at least02:12:00
one definite move toward the attainment02:12:02
of your major purpose.02:12:04
Faith is a positive
mental attitude in action,02:12:08
and your mental attitude
is reflected in every word02:12:10
you speak and it speaks
louder than your words.02:12:14
Your mental attitude is the
sum total of your thoughts02:12:17
at a given time.02:12:19
A positive mental attitude
has its roots in the spiritual02:12:22
wealth of one's soul.02:12:24
How true that is and what a
wonderful statement that is.02:12:28
A positive mental attitude has its roots02:12:31
in the spiritual wealth of one's soul.02:12:34
Mental attitude is the medium
by which adversities may be02:12:37
transmuted into benefits
and so the list goes.02:12:40
Now you'll find some of
those that appeal to you02:12:42
more than others, print
them out them out in a card02:12:46
or in some form where you can put them up,02:12:48
where you can see them each day,02:12:49
make them your own, surround
yourself with suggestions,02:12:52
everywhere you look, you
see something that suggest02:12:54
a positive mental attitude.02:12:56
You'll notice when you
go into the office of a02:12:58
successful person or into the
home of a successful person,02:13:00
if you can find his den, or
the place where he himself02:13:03
withdraws unto himself, you'll
find that often times he has02:13:09
himself surrounded with pictures of those02:13:10
whom he considers great,
oftentimes you have mottos02:13:14
on the walls I've seen hundreds of them,02:13:16
I walked into Ed Barnes's office one time02:13:19
and I found out that
he had over 500 mottos02:13:22
done up in beautiful cards,02:13:23
hand written every one of them,02:13:24
must have cost him a small fortune.02:13:27
I walked into my friend
Jennings Randolph's office02:13:29
when he was in Congress in
Washington and I found he had02:13:31
all of the walls of his
congressional office covered02:13:34
with the pictures of men
whom he considered great,02:13:37
he did that live in the
environment of the great,02:13:42
in the environment of things
that kept his mind positive.02:13:47
Start in where you are, in
your home, in your business,02:13:49
in your office, wherever
you stay the most,02:13:51
maybe it's in your bedroom the
side you sleep every night.02:13:54
So I did learn to put up something that's02:13:55
will give you a positive thought
just before we go to bed,02:13:58
and it will remind you
every time you go in there.02:14:02
You'll be surprised at how
much good it'll do you.02:14:07
Well the first half of the
evening is devoted to going02:14:09
the extra mile, and of course
as you know that means the02:14:12
rendering of more service
and better service02:14:16
and you're paid to render,02:14:18
doing it all the time and
doing it in a pleasant02:14:21
pleasing mental attitude.02:14:27
One of the reasons why
there are so many failures02:14:30
in the world today is that
the majority of people02:14:32
do not even go the first mile
let alone the second one,02:14:36
and oftentimes if they do go
the first mile they gripe as02:14:38
they go along and make
themselves darn nuisance.02:14:42
- [Student] No. - [Napoleon] People wrong.02:14:44
(students laughing)02:14:45
I said darn nuisance.02:14:49
I suppose you know the type
'cause that doesn't apply02:14:51
to any of you because if you
are like that before you got02:14:54
into this philosophy, you're
going to get over it very fast.02:14:58
I don't know of any one
quality or trait that can get a02:15:01
person an opportunity quicker
than to go out of his way02:15:04
or her way to do somebody a favor.02:15:07
Do something useful.02:15:09
It's the one thing that you
can do in life that you don't02:15:11
have to ask anybody's
privilege of doing it.02:15:15
As a matter of fact, on that
if you're going to be free02:15:18
and independent and self determining and02:15:22
financially independent in old age,02:15:24
you might just as well make
up your mind that you can02:15:26
never be that unless by
a stroke of good luck,02:15:28
rich uncle or rich aunt die
or something of that sort,02:15:31
unless you form the habit
of going the extra mile02:15:34
and make yourself as near
indispensable as you possibly can.02:15:36
I don't know of any way that
anybody can make himself or02:15:41
herself in indispensable
except by going the extra mile,02:15:45
by rendering some sort of
service that you're not02:15:47
expected to render and rendering it in the02:15:50
right sort of a mental attitude.02:15:53
Now that mental attitude is important.02:15:57
If you gripe about going the
extra mile the chances are02:16:00
they'd want to bring
you very many returns.02:16:05
Where do I get my authority
do you suppose for emphasizing02:16:08
this principle of going the extra mile,02:16:10
what causes me to emphasize that?02:16:12
- [Student] Experience.02:16:14
- [Napoleon] I get it by
looking around and watching the02:16:16
way nature does things and
anytime that you can follow02:16:19
the way or the habits of nature02:16:20
you're not going to go wrong.02:16:22
And stated conversely anytime
that you fail to recognize the02:16:27
way nature does things and do not go along02:16:29
you are going to get into
trouble sooner or later02:16:31
it's just a question of time.02:16:33
Because you do have, there
is an overall plan which this02:16:36
universe operates, and that
no matter what you call the02:16:40
first cause or that plan
of the operator of it,02:16:42
or the creator of it, no
matter what you call it,02:16:44
the resultant there's just one plan,02:16:46
there's just one set of natural laws,02:16:48
and it's up to every individual
to discover what those02:16:51
natural laws are and adjust
himself favorably to them.02:16:54
And certainly if there is
one thing that stands out02:16:57
above all others in nature
is that nature requests and02:17:00
demands that every living
thing go the extra mile02:17:03
in order to eat, in order to live,02:17:05
in order to survive.02:17:06
Man wouldn't survive one
season if it were not for this02:17:09
law of going the extra mile.02:17:13
Don't render a service, a
million dollars worth service02:17:15
a day and then expect to go and
get a check for it tomorrow,02:17:19
in other words if you start
out to render a million dollars02:17:21
worth of service, you can
perhaps have to render a little02:17:23
bit at a time and you'll have
to get your self recognized.02:17:26
While you're going through
that period of recognition02:17:29
the chances are that
you'll not be compensated02:17:31
for going the extra mile,02:17:33
chances are you'll have to go
the extra mile quite a little02:17:35
while before anybody takes notice of you.02:17:38
But always be careful if
you don't go the extra mile02:17:40
too long without someone
taking notice of you02:17:42
and if the right fellow
doesn't take notice,02:17:43
look around until you find
the right fellow who will.02:17:47
That's about the equivalent to saying,02:17:48
if your present employer doesn't
recognize you if you work02:17:51
for an employer well, fire
the employer sooner or later,02:17:54
and let his competitor
know what kind of service02:17:56
you're rendering.02:17:58
Won't hurt your chances a bit,02:17:59
I assure you it won't,02:18:01
have a little competition is going on.02:18:03
Nobody ever accepts a rule or
does anything without a motive02:18:08
and I have outlined here in this lesson,02:18:12
a great variety of reasons why
you should go the extra mile,02:18:16
I'm going to make comments on them.02:18:19
What do I mean by the law
of increasing returns?02:18:23
- [Student] Limited benefits.02:18:26
- [Napoleon] Benefits, yes.02:18:28
(indistinct)02:18:30
Well substantially the
law of increasing returns02:18:33
means that you get back
more than you give up,02:18:35
whether it's good or whether it's bad,02:18:36
whether it's positive or
whether it's negative,02:18:38
and that's the way the
law of nature works.02:18:40
Whatever you give out, whatever
you do to or for another02:18:43
person, or whatever you
give out from yourself,02:18:45
comes back to you multiplied,02:18:47
greatly multiplied in kind,02:18:49
no exception to that whatsoever.02:18:52
Again there is the question of timing.02:18:54
The coming back process
doesn't always come back02:18:56
very quickly sometimes it's
longer than you expect,02:19:01
but you may be sure that if
you send out some negative02:19:03
influence that it's
going to come back on you02:19:05
sooner or later and you may
not recognize what caused it02:19:07
but it'll come back,
it won't overlook you,02:19:11
that law of increasing returns is eternal,02:19:13
it's automatic, it's working all the time,02:19:17
and it's just as inexorable
as the law of gravitation,02:19:20
there's nobody in the world
that can circumvent it,02:19:22
or go around it, or have it
suspended for one moment,02:19:25
it's operating all the time.02:19:28
The law of increasing returns
means that when you go out of02:19:31
your way to render more
service and better service02:19:33
and you're paid to render,02:19:34
it's impossible for you not to
get back more than you really02:19:37
did because eventually that
law of increasing returns02:19:39
takes care of that.02:19:41
If you're working for
a salary for instance,02:19:42
it takes care of it in additional wages,02:19:44
in greater responsibilities,
in promotions,02:19:47
in opportunities that will
come to either go into business02:19:49
for yourself in a thousand different ways02:19:52
it'll come back and oftentimes
this coming back process02:19:55
doesn't come back from the source02:19:58
to which you render the service.02:20:01
Don't be too afraid to render
service to a greedy buyer,02:20:04
or a greedy greedy employer,02:20:06
it makes no difference to
whom you render this service,02:20:08
if you render it in good
faith and good spirit,02:20:10
and keep on doing it as a matter of habit,02:20:13
it's just as the impossible
for you not to be compensated02:20:17
as it is to be or not
to be at the same time.02:20:21
Well that law of increasing
returns now just remember,02:20:24
that when you start
applying this principle,02:20:27
that you don't have to be
too careful about the person02:20:30
whom you render it, as a
matter of fact what you should02:20:32
really do is to apply this
principle with everybody02:20:35
you come into contact no matter who it is,02:20:37
strangers and acquaintances
and business associates and02:20:41
relatives alike.02:20:43
Make it your business
to render useful service02:20:46
wherever you touch human
relations in any shape,02:20:48
form or fashion, because
the only way that you can02:20:52
increase the space that
you occupy in the world,02:20:55
and by the space that you
occupy I don't mean necessarily02:20:58
that your physical space but
the mental and spiritual space02:21:01
as well will be determined by
the quality and the quantity02:21:05
of the service that you render.02:21:08
The quality and the quantity
plus the mental attitude02:21:11
in which you render, now those
are the determining factors02:21:14
and say how far you will go in life,02:21:16
how much you'll get out of life,02:21:18
how much you'll enjoy life02:21:19
and how much peace of mind you'll have.02:21:22
And next, it brings one to the
favorable attention of those02:21:25
who can and often do
provide opportunities for02:21:28
self promotion, the favorable
attention of people.02:21:33
You go into any organization
and if you're alert minded02:21:37
and take notice you'll
find out who the people are02:21:39
that are going the extra-mile,02:21:42
you'll find out very quickly.02:21:43
And also if you watch the
procedure and the records02:21:47
of those people who are going
the extra mile you'll find02:21:49
that when there are promotions around,02:21:50
they're the ones that get the promotions,02:21:52
they don't have to ask for them,02:21:53
it's not necessary at all,02:21:56
because the employers are just
naturally looking around for02:21:59
people who will go the extra mile.02:22:02
And next it tends to permit
the one to become indispensable02:22:05
in many different human
relationships and therefore02:22:07
enables one to command more
than the average compensation.02:22:12
But I'll tell you one thing
that's not in my notes02:22:14
that it does, and I want you to know this.02:22:17
It does something to
your soul inside of you,02:22:19
makes you feel better.02:22:22
And if it doesn't do a single,02:22:23
if there's not another reason
in the world why you should go02:22:25
the extra mile I'd say
that would be adequate.02:22:28
You know there are a lot of
things in life to cause us to02:22:31
have negative feelings, causes
unpleasant experience and02:22:36
feelings, lot of things in life,02:22:38
this is one thing that you
can do for yourself that'll02:22:40
always give you a pleasant feeling,02:22:43
and if you go back in your own
experiences I'm sure that you02:22:46
remember that you never did
a kind thing for anybody02:22:47
that you didn't get a
great deal of joy of,02:22:49
maybe the other fella
didn't appreciate it,02:22:51
that's in unimportant,
it's just like love.02:22:55
To have loved alone is a great privilege,02:23:00
and it doesn't make any
difference whatsoever whether your02:23:02
love is returned by the other person.02:23:05
You've had the benefit by the
the emotion of love itself,02:23:09
and so it is by the principle
of going to extra mile.02:23:12
It'll do something to you,
it'll give you greater courage,02:23:15
it'll enable you to overcome inhibitions,02:23:18
and inferiority complexes
that you've been storing up02:23:21
back down through the years.02:23:23
Just this stepping out
and making yourself useful02:23:26
is all about it.02:23:28
And don't be too surprised
when you do something02:23:31
courteous or useful to
somebody who's not expecting it02:23:35
and they look at you in
a quizzical sort of way02:23:39
as much as to say well, I just
wonder why you're doing that.02:23:43
Some people will be a little bit surprised02:23:46
when you go out of your
way to be useful to them.02:23:50
Also it leads to mental
growth and physical perfection02:23:52
in various forms of service
thereby developing greater02:23:55
ability and skill in
one's chosen vocations.02:23:57
If you're delivering a lecture,02:23:59
or making up your notebook,02:24:01
or filling your job, whatever
it is and that you do in life02:24:05
that you're going to repeat
make up your mind that every02:24:08
time you do it you will
excel all previous efforts02:24:11
on your part.02:24:12
In other words you're a
constant challenge to yourself,02:24:16
and you'll find how quickly
and how rapidly you will grow02:24:19
if you'll go at it in that way.02:24:20
I have never delivered a
lecture in my life that I didn't02:24:22
intend to deliver it better
than I did previously.02:24:25
I don't always do it,
but that's my intention,02:24:28
and it makes no difference what
kind of an audience I have,02:24:31
whether I have a big
class or a small class,02:24:33
I don't often have small
classes but sometimes I have had02:24:37
small classes, but I'm just
as much into a small class02:24:40
as a big one.02:24:42
Not alone because I wanna
be useful to my students,02:24:45
but because I wanna grow
and I wanna develop,02:24:47
and out of effort, out of struggle,02:24:48
out of use of your faculties comes growth.02:24:54
And then it enables one to
profit by the law of contrast,02:24:59
had you ever thought about that?02:25:02
And I'll tell you right now
you won't have to advertise02:25:04
that one very much because
it'll advertise itself,02:25:07
'cause the majority of people
around you are not going02:25:09
to be going the extra mile02:25:10
and that's all to the good for you.02:25:14
If everybody went the extra mile,02:25:16
this would be a grand world to live in,02:25:18
but you couldn't cash
in on this principle of02:25:20
definitely you can now, because you'd have02:25:22
tremendous amount of competition,02:25:24
but don't worry you're not gonna have it.02:25:27
I can assure you you're not.02:25:29
Practically be in the class by yourself,02:25:32
there will be some cases perhaps where02:25:34
people with whom you're working,02:25:36
or with whom you're
associated will be showing up02:25:38
for not going the first mile
let alone the second one,02:25:41
and they won't like it.02:25:43
Of course you're gonna
cry and all or even quit02:25:45
and go back to your old
habits just because the other02:25:48
fella doesn't like what
you're doing or are you?02:25:51
- [Students] No.02:25:52
- [Napoleon] Of course not.02:25:54
Listen ladies and gentlemen,02:25:55
it's your individual responsibility
in this world to succeed02:25:59
that's your sole responsibility,02:26:03
and you can't afford to
let anybody's ideas or02:26:06
idiosyncrasies or notions get
in the way of your success02:26:10
you can't afford to do that.02:26:13
You should be fair, you should
be just with other people02:26:16
but beyond that you're under no obligation02:26:18
to let anybody's opinion
or either you stop you02:26:21
from going out and being successful.02:26:25
I'd like to see the person
that could stop me from being02:26:28
successful I just like
to take a look at him,02:26:31
see what he looks like,02:26:32
and I want you to feel
that way about it too.02:26:36
I want you to make up your
mind that you're going02:26:38
to put into these laws into operation,02:26:41
and that you're not gonna
let anybody stop you02:26:43
from doing it.02:26:45
Also it leads to the development
of a positive, pleasing,02:26:48
mental attitude which is among
the more important traits02:26:51
of a pleasing personality,
not among the more important,02:26:53
it is the most important
one as a matter of fact,02:26:55
it's the first trait of
a pleasing personality02:26:57
as you will see when
you get to that lesson.02:27:00
A positive mental attitude.02:27:02
Isn't it a marvelous thing
to know what you can do02:27:03
to change the chemistry of your brain so02:27:05
that you're positive instead of negative?02:27:08
Isn't it a wonderful thing to know that02:27:09
you can do that so easily.02:27:12
How, for getting in
that frame of mind where02:27:16
you wanna do something useful
the other fellow without02:27:18
rendering services with one
hand and picking his pocket02:27:21
with the other while you're doing it.02:27:24
Doing it just because of the
goodness that you get out of02:27:27
doing it, knowing that eventually
if you render more service02:27:32
and better service than
you're paid to render,02:27:33
sooner or later you will be
paid for more than you do02:27:35
and paid willingly, that's
the way the law works,02:27:38
that's the law of compensation,02:27:41
and that's an eternal
law it never forgets,02:27:44
it has a perfectly marvelous
bookkeeping system,02:27:47
and you may be sure that
when you're giving out02:27:51
the right kind of service
and the right kind of a02:27:52
mental attitude that
you're piling up credits02:27:55
for you somewhere they'll
come back to you multiplied02:27:58
sooner or later.02:28:02
Also it tends to develop
a keen alert imagination,02:28:05
because it is a habit which
keeps one continuously02:28:08
seeking new and more
efficient ways of rendering02:28:10
useful service, now that's
an important thing isn't it?02:28:15
It develops your imagination
because you begin to02:28:17
look around and to see how many places,02:28:20
how many ways and means there
are of helping other people,02:28:22
to find themselves.02:28:24
And in helping the other
fella to find himself,02:28:26
you find yourself.02:28:28
Incidentally one of the most
outstanding things that I02:28:31
discovered in my research
was when you have a problem,02:28:35
or an unpleasant situation
and you don't know how to02:28:37
solve it, you've done everything you know,02:28:39
you've tried every source
that you know anything about02:28:42
and you're still at a stalemate,02:28:44
there is always one thing that you can do,02:28:48
and if you do that one
thing the chances are02:28:50
that you not only will solve your problem,02:28:52
but you'll learn a great lesson.02:28:54
What is that one thing that you can do-02:28:55
- [Students] Find somebody that you can-02:28:57
- [Napoleon] Find somebody
who has an equal or a greater02:29:00
problem and start where you stand,02:29:02
then and there to help that other person,02:29:05
and lo and behold it
unlocks in you something,02:29:09
some cells of the brain,
it unlocks some cells02:29:13
that permits infinite intelligence
to come into your brain02:29:16
and give you the answer to
the solution of your problem.02:29:20
Now I don't know why that works,02:29:23
but do you know how I
know that it does work?02:29:27
You know why I can make
that statement so positive02:29:29
and not disqualify it?02:29:30
You know how I arrived at that decision?02:29:32
(muffled speech)02:29:34
By trying it out hundreds
and hundreds of times myself,02:29:38
and by seeing it tried out a
hundreds and hundreds of times02:29:41
by my students whom I have recommended02:29:43
to do that same thing.02:29:45
What a simple thing that is.02:29:48
I don't know what it does to you?02:29:51
I don't know why it works.02:29:53
A lot of things in life I don't know,02:29:57
a lot of things you don't
know and some that you do know02:29:59
that you don't do much about.02:30:02
Now this is one of them that
I don't know anything about02:30:04
but I do something about,02:30:05
I follow the law because I know that02:30:07
if I need my own mind to
be opened up to receive02:30:11
opportunities, the best
way in the world open it up02:30:13
is to start looking around to see02:30:14
how many other people I can help.02:30:18
And also it develops that
important factor of personal02:30:22
initiative, you know gets
you to habit of looking02:30:25
around for something useful to
do and going out and doing it02:30:27
without somebody telling you to do it.02:30:30
And that's a mighty important thing.02:30:31
You know that old man procrastination is,02:30:34
he's a sorrow old bird,02:30:37
and he causes a lot of
trouble in this world,02:30:40
people putting off things
to the day after tomorrow02:30:42
which they should have
done day before yesterday.02:30:44
And we're all guilty of it,02:30:46
every one of us. I'm not free of it I know,02:30:48
and I know you're not.02:30:50
I'm free rather than
I was a few years back02:30:52
I'll tell you that.02:30:53
I can find a lot of things to do now.02:30:56
Why do I find them because
I get joy out of doing them,02:31:00
and any time you're going the extra mile02:31:01
you're gonna get joy
out of what you're doing02:31:03
otherwise you won't be
going the extra mile.02:31:06
And it's going to develop
this quality of personal02:31:08
initiative and over time you overcome this02:31:10
quality of procrastination.02:31:14
It also serves to build
the confidence of others02:31:16
in one's integrity and general ability,02:31:19
and it aids one in mastering
the destructive habit02:31:21
of procrastination.02:31:23
It develops definiteness of
purpose without which one02:31:26
cannot hope for success,02:31:28
that alone will be enough to justify it.02:31:29
It develops definiteness of purpose,02:31:31
it gives you an objective,02:31:33
so as you don't go round
and round in circles like a02:31:36
goldfish in a bowl always
coming back to where you started02:31:38
with nothing that you
didn't start out with.02:31:42
Definiteness of purpose
comes out of this business02:31:44
going the extra mile.02:31:47
And I'll tell you another thing that does,02:31:49
it's not in my notes.02:31:52
It enables you to make your
work a joy instead of a burden,02:31:56
in other words you get
to where you love it,02:31:59
and I think maybe that if
you're not engaged in the02:32:01
labor of love and life,02:32:02
you're wasting a lot of your time.02:32:06
I think one of the greatest
joys in the world is once being02:32:08
permitted to engage in the
thing that he would rather do,02:32:11
than all other things.02:32:13
And surely when you're going
the extra mile you're doing02:32:15
just exactly that because
you don't have to do it.02:32:19
Nobody expects you to do it,02:32:22
nobody asked you to do it.02:32:23
Certainly no employer would
ask the employees to go the02:32:25
extra mile or he might ask
to help out once in a while,02:32:29
but it's a regular thing
he wouldn't do that.02:32:33
So it's something that you
do on your own initiative,02:32:35
and it gives dignity to the labor,02:32:39
gives dignity even or do
nothing but digging a ditch,02:32:43
and you're doing it well,
you're helping somebody,02:32:46
you have certain dignity attached
to that takes the fatigue02:32:51
and the unpleasantness out of the labor.02:32:54
What is the most important
application you ever made02:32:58
in your life of this business
of going the extra mile02:33:00
out of which you got the
greatest amount of joy?02:33:03
Think hard please.02:33:04
Tell me.02:33:05
- [Female Student] Being married.02:33:06
- [Napoleon] What?02:33:07
- [Female Student] Being married.02:33:09
- [Napoleon] Being married,
lesson is getting pretty hot.02:33:11
(laughs)02:33:12
How about before getting married?02:33:15
- [Students] Study.02:33:16
- [Napoleon] Yeah, believe
me I've spent a lot of time02:33:19
burning midnight oil and later than that,02:33:21
and I didn't consider it hard work at all.02:33:26
Also it was my own idea.02:33:30
I'd only use my initiative
but I got a lot of joy02:33:32
out of doing it and I made it pay off.02:33:37
Marvelous thing how long you
can go when you're courting02:33:40
the girl of your choice or02:33:42
being courted by the man of your choice,02:33:44
marvelous how much sleep you can lose02:33:46
and still not be seriously hurt by it.02:33:49
(students laughing)02:33:50
Wouldn't be a wonderful thing
if you could put the same02:33:52
attitude in though your relations
with people professionally02:33:55
or in the business that
you put in the courtship,02:33:58
wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?02:34:00
And wouldn't this be a
wonderful world to live in.02:34:03
We're gonna start back sparking again.02:34:05
(student laughing)02:34:06
It's gonna start at
home with our own mates.02:34:10
Believe me I couldn't begin
to tell you the number of02:34:12
married couples that I've
started on a new sparking spree,02:34:16
and they get a lot of joy out of it,02:34:18
saves a lot of friction a lot of argument,02:34:21
cuts down expenses.02:34:23
(students laughing)02:34:25
Go ahead and laugh.02:34:26
Do you good.02:34:29
Now I don't mean to be
facetious about this,02:34:33
I mean I'm very serious
about it when I say that,02:34:35
that is one of the finest
places in the world02:34:37
to start going the extra mile.02:34:40
When you start going the extra
mile with somebody that you02:34:42
haven't been going with, sit
down have a little serious talk02:34:45
with them, just tell them that
you've changed your attitude02:34:48
and you want a mutual agreement
for both partners to change02:34:51
the attitude, from here
on all of us are going02:34:53
the extra mile, we're
going to relate ourselves02:34:56
together on a different
basis where we'll all get joy02:34:59
out of it and get more peace of mind,02:35:00
and more happiness in living.02:35:03
Wouldn't it be a wonderful
thing if you went home tonight02:35:05
and had that kind of a
speech with your mate?02:35:09
Yes, it would be wonderful right?02:35:12
It wouldn't hurt.02:35:14
It might help.02:35:15
Now the mate might not be
impressed by it but you will be.02:35:20
Nothing to hinder you from enjoying it.02:35:23
And that person in business
that you haven't getting02:35:25
along so well there now, if
you went in tomorrow morning02:35:26
with a smile and walked over
to him or her and took his hand02:35:29
and shook hands and said now listen pal,02:35:31
from here on now let you and
I enjoy working together.02:35:34
What would you say?02:35:38
(muffled speech)02:35:41
Wouldn't work huh?02:35:43
oh yes it would.02:35:44
Oh yes it would.02:35:46
You try it and see.02:35:48
Try it and see.02:35:49
You know there's a little
thing that we have called pride02:35:52
and there's one thing that
does more damage in this world02:35:54
than any other one, it's that
little thing called pride.02:36:01
Don't be afraid to humiliate
yourself if it's going to be a02:36:04
little better human relations
with the people that you have02:36:07
to associate with all the time.02:36:09
(upbeat music)02:36:15
All of those remarks in the
last five minutes are not in my02:36:19
notes but I'll tell you where they were,02:36:20
they were in my heart.02:36:23
Thank you.02:36:24
(applause)02:36:28
And one of the reasons why
you and I get along so well02:36:32
is it very often I deviate from
my notes and go down into my02:36:35
heart and dig up things for
you that I want you to have,02:36:37
little morsels of food for
your souls I want you to have02:36:40
because I know they're good.02:36:42
I know they're good because I
know where I got them and what02:36:44
they've done for me
down through the years.02:36:51
Also going the extra mile
is the only thing which02:36:54
gives one the right to ask
for promotions or more pay,02:36:57
did you ever stop to think about that?02:37:00
You don't have a leg to stand
on in going into the purchaser02:37:04
of your services or asking for
more money or for promotion02:37:07
to a better job unless for
some time previously you have02:37:11
been going the extra mile,
doing more than you're paid for,02:37:13
because obviously if you're
doing no more than your paid for02:37:17
then you're being paid
for all you're entitled to02:37:18
aren't you?02:37:20
Certainly you are.02:37:22
So you have to first start
going the extra mile and putting02:37:25
the other feller on the
obligation to it before you can02:37:27
ask any favors, I'll tell you none of it.02:37:29
If you have enough people
whom you have put under02:37:32
obligations to you by going
the extra mile when you02:37:34
need some favor you can always
turn one direction rather02:37:36
and get it, it's a nice thing
to know that you have that02:37:40
kind of credits hanging around isn't it?02:37:43
I want you to have that kind
of credit with other people,02:37:46
and I want to teach you the technique02:37:47
by which you can do that.02:37:50
We get our cues to the
soundness of the principle02:37:54
of going the extra mile
by observing nature,02:37:56
and here's quite a bit of
illustration regarding that.02:38:00
You will see that nature goes
the extra mile by producing02:38:02
enough of everything for
her needs together with02:38:04
an over plus for emergencies and waste.02:38:07
The blooms on the trees,02:38:10
fishes in the seas, in the water,02:38:13
you don't just produce enough
fish to perpetuate the species02:38:15
she produces enough to feed
the snakes and the alligators02:38:18
and everything else and those
that died of natural causes02:38:21
are still enough to
perpetuate the species.02:38:24
Nature is most bountiful
in her business of going02:38:27
the extra mile and in return,02:38:29
she is very demanding in seeing
that every living creature02:38:33
goes the extra mile.02:38:35
Bees are provided with honey
as compensation for their02:38:38
services and fertilizing the
flowers in which the honey is02:38:40
attractively stored, but they
have to perform the service to02:38:45
get the honey and it must
be performed in advance.02:38:50
Nature you've heard it said
that the birds of the air02:38:55
and the beasts of the jungle
neither we've more spin02:38:57
but they always live and eat.02:39:00
But you know if you
observe wildlife at all,02:39:02
they don't eat without
performing some sort of02:39:03
service without working,
without doing something02:39:05
before they can eat.02:39:08
Take a flock of a common oil
cornfield crows for instance,02:39:11
they have to organize, they
have to have sentinels to put on02:39:14
further protection, they travel in flocks,02:39:15
they have sentinels, they
have codes by which to warn02:39:19
one another, they have
to do a lot of educating02:39:21
before they can even eat safely.02:39:24
And nature requires man
to go the extra mile,02:39:26
he's got to go out and
he's going to have food,02:39:29
and all food comes out of the ground,02:39:31
and if he's going to have food,02:39:32
he's got to plant seed,02:39:34
he can't live entirely on
what the nature plants.02:39:38
Not in civilized life you can't,02:39:40
at least over on the islands
where some places were not02:39:43
civilized I suppose they
depend on eating raw coconuts02:39:46
in handy, but in civilized
life we have to plant our food02:39:51
in the ground, we have to
clear the ground first,02:39:54
we have to plow it, we have to harrow it,02:39:56
we have to fence it, we
have to protect it against02:39:58
predatory animals and so forth,02:40:00
all of that cost labor and time and money,02:40:02
and all that has to be done in advance or02:40:06
you're not going to eat.02:40:11
I wouldn't have any trouble
at all selling this idea02:40:13
that nature makes everybody
go the extra mile to a farmer,02:40:16
he knows that beyond
any question of doubt.02:40:19
He knows every minute of his life,02:40:21
that if he doesn't go the extra mile,02:40:22
he doesn't eat, he doesn't
everything to sell.02:40:26
A new employee for instance
going into a new job02:40:28
can't come right in the
middle then start going the02:40:30
extra mile and then immediately
demand the top wages,02:40:33
or the best job in the place,02:40:35
it doesn't work out that way.02:40:37
You have to establish
a record, a reputation,02:40:39
you have to get yourself
recognized and received02:40:42
in this business of going
the extra mile before02:40:45
you can begin to put pressure
on to get compensation back.02:40:50
As a matter of fact, if you
go the extra mile in the right02:40:53
sort of mental attitude the
chances are a thousand to one02:40:55
you'll ever have to ask for
compensation according to the02:40:58
service you render because it'll be02:41:00
attended to you automatically.02:41:03
In a way of promotions, in
the way of increased salary,02:41:06
and throughout the whole
universe everything has been so02:41:09
arranged through the law of compensation,02:41:11
so accurately described by Emerson,02:41:14
that nature's budget is
balanced so to speak,02:41:17
everything has its opposite
equivalent to something else.02:41:21
Positive and negative
in every unit of energy,02:41:23
day and night, hot and
cold, success and failure,02:41:26
sweet and sour, happiness and misery,02:41:29
man and woman, everywhere
and everything one may see02:41:32
the law of action and
reaction in operation.02:41:35
Everything you do, everything you think,02:41:37
every thought that you
release causes a reaction.02:41:41
If not on somebody else on the
person releasing the thought02:41:44
because you never as a matter
of fact when you release a02:41:46
thought you're not through with it.02:41:49
Every thought that you
express silently even,02:41:53
becomes a definite part of the
pattern of your subconscious02:41:56
mind and if you store in that
subconscious mind enough,02:42:00
enough negative thoughts you'll
be predominantly negative.02:42:04
And if you follow the habit of
releasing all of the positive02:42:08
thoughts your subconscious
pattern will be predominantly02:42:12
positive and you will attract
to you the things all of the02:42:16
things that you want, if
you're negative you repel the02:42:19
things that you want and attract
only the things you don't02:42:21
want, that's a law of nature too.02:42:23
And this business of going
the extra mile is one of the02:42:27
finest ways that I know of of
educating your subconscious02:42:30
mind to attract to you
the things you want,02:42:34
and to repel the things you don't want.02:42:37
You can put it down as an
established fact that if you02:42:39
neglect to develop and apply
this principle of going the02:42:42
extra mile you will never
become personally successful and02:42:45
you will never become
financially independent.02:42:49
The reason I happen to know
it sound is you see I've had a02:42:51
great privilege over you
that you haven't had yet but02:42:54
you will have in time.02:42:55
I had the privilege of observing
a great many thousands of02:42:59
people some of whom applied
the principle going the02:43:02
extra-mile and some of whom did not,02:43:04
and I have had the privilege
of finding out what happened02:43:07
to those who did and those who didn't,02:43:10
and I know beyond any question
of a doubt that nobody ever02:43:13
rises above ordinary or
stations in life or mediocrity02:43:17
without the habit of going the extra mile02:43:20
it just doesn't happen.02:43:22
If I have discovered one case,
just one case where somebody02:43:26
went on to the top without
going the extra mile I would say02:43:30
then there are exceptions, but
I am in position to say there02:43:32
are no exceptions because I
have never found that one case,02:43:36
and I can definitely tell you
from my own experiences if I02:43:39
have been every minute of my
life as I have never had a02:43:41
major benefit of any kind in
the world that I didn't get it02:43:45
as a result of going the extra mile.02:43:49
Now that's the thing about what you do,02:43:51
I want you to become self-determining,02:43:52
so you can do these things
without the help of anybody.02:43:57
That's the time when the
payoff will come to you,02:43:59
when you can go out and
do anything in this world02:44:01
that you wanna do and whether
anybody wants you to do02:44:03
it or whether they wanna help
you or whether they don't,02:44:05
you can do it on your own.02:44:07
I wanna tell you that's one
that greatest most glorious02:44:10
feelings that I know anything about,02:44:11
knowing that device that
you're talking to you,02:44:13
that whatever I wanted to do, I can do it,02:44:18
I don't have to ask
anybody, not even my wife,02:44:22
but if I had to ask her I would,02:44:23
'cause I'm on good terms with her.02:44:29
Then here's a little item now
that's not to be sniffed at,02:44:34
peace of mind that I
got out of all this work02:44:36
coming out of those twenty
years of going the extra mile.02:44:40
Do you have any idea ladies
and gentlemen how many02:44:43
people are in the world at any
one time who are willing to02:44:45
do anything for 20 years in
succession without getting02:44:48
something back out of it?02:44:52
Do you have any idea how
many people there are in this02:44:54
world who are willing to
do something three days in02:44:56
succession without being
sure they're gonna get02:44:58
something out of it?02:45:00
- [Students] No.02:45:02
- [Napoleon] You'd be surprised
if you found out how few02:45:04
there are, you would be surprised.02:45:09
And overlooking one of the
grandest opportunities that a02:45:12
human being could possibly have,02:45:14
especially here this country
of ours where you really can02:45:17
create our own destiny,02:45:19
where we can express
ourselves in any way that you02:45:21
wanna do, speech is free,
activities are free,02:45:26
education is free, a wonderful
opportunity to get right here02:45:30
and go the extra mile in any
direction you wanna travel.02:45:34
And yet most people are not doing it.02:45:36
I have seen the time when
there were not so many people02:45:38
interested in the possible,
they were prosperous,02:45:40
they were doing all right,
there had no troubles to02:45:42
speak out, today everybody
almost has troubles,02:45:45
or thinks he has.02:45:48
Now do you know what I do
instead of finding out what's02:45:50
wrong with the rest of the world,02:45:51
you know how I put in my time?02:45:52
- [Student] Find out
what to do (indistinct)02:45:54
- [Napoleon] Yes, I try to find
out what I can do to correct02:45:56
this guy here, if I have to eat with him,02:45:58
I have to sleep with him,02:45:59
I have to shave in space every morning,02:46:00
I have to wash his face,
I have to give him a bath02:46:02
now and then, why you know
have no idea all the things I02:46:05
have to do for him, and I
have to live with the guy02:46:08
24 hours a day.02:46:11
So I put in my time trying
to improve myself and through02:46:13
myself trying to improve
my friends and my students,02:46:16
by writing books and
by delivering lectures,02:46:18
and by teaching and by in other ways.02:46:21
And you know it pays off very
much better than what if I02:46:23
said out and took the old tree
over the papers and read all02:46:26
of the murder stories,
all of the divorce canvas,02:46:29
of everything that blades him
to cross the pages every day.02:46:34
I'm still talking about this
fella in the podium here02:46:36
who didn't have sense
enough not to decline02:46:38
Andrew Carnegie's offered to
work 20 years for nothing.02:46:42
In his declining years there
will be years of happiness02:46:45
because of the seeds of
kindness and help he hold02:46:48
in the hearts of others.02:46:49
That's a wonderful thing.02:46:50
You know if I had my
life to live over again,02:46:52
I'd live it just exactly the way I have,02:46:54
I'd make all the mistakes I've made,02:46:55
I'd make them at the time
in life when I made them,02:46:58
back early so I'd have time
enough to correct some of them,02:47:03
and that period during which I
would come into peace of mind02:47:07
and understanding would be
in the afternoon of life,02:47:08
not in the forenoon,
because I could spend it,02:47:11
I can take it you when
you're young you can take it,02:47:14
but when you pass the noon
hour and you're going to the02:47:17
afternoon your energies are
not as great oftentimes as they02:47:21
were before your physical
energy sometimes your middle02:47:23
capacity is not as great,02:47:25
and you can't take as
much trouble as you can02:47:27
in your days of your youth,02:47:29
and you haven't got so many
years left to correct the02:47:31
mistakes that you made.02:47:33
So to have the tranquility,
the peace of mind that I have02:47:37
today in the afternoon of life
is one of the great joys that02:47:40
has come out of this philosophy
and if you ask me what has02:47:42
been my greatest conversation
I would say that's it,02:47:45
because there's so many people at my age,02:47:47
and even much younger than that,02:47:50
who haven't found peace
of mind and never will,02:47:53
they never will because
they're looking for it in the02:47:56
wrong place, they're not
doing anything about it,02:47:59
they're expecting somebody else to do02:48:01
something about it for them.02:48:03
And that peace of mind is
something that you've got to get02:48:05
for yourself, you've got
to earn it first of all.02:48:08
That's how anybody can get peace of mind,02:48:11
and you'd be surprised where
you have to really start02:48:13
looking for it, not for the
average person looking for it,02:48:16
out there in the joys of
what money will buy out there02:48:19
the joys of recognition
and fame and fortune02:48:23
what have you not there,02:48:24
but in the humility there
one individual's own heart.02:48:29
I get peace of mind mostly
in that third inner wall02:48:32
as I described to you where the
wall is as high as eternity,02:48:35
where I grew in from
meditation many times each day,02:48:40
there's where I get my real peace of mind02:48:42
and I can always withdraw
into that inner wall,02:48:45
cut out every earthly
influence and commune with02:48:48
the higher forces of the universe.02:48:51
What a grand thing that is,
and anybody can do that,02:48:53
you can do that, you get through
this philosophy you'll be02:48:55
able to anything you wanna do
just as well or better than02:48:58
anything I can do, and I'm
hoping incidentally about every02:49:00
student that I turn out
will eventually excel me02:49:04
in every way that I know where possible,02:49:07
maybe in writing books, maybe
you take up where I left off02:49:10
and write better books than I wrote,02:49:12
why not, I haven't said the
last word in my books or in my02:49:15
lectures or in anything else,02:49:18
matter of fact I'm just a student,02:49:19
just a student, I think a
fairly intelligent student,02:49:22
but just a student on the path,02:49:24
and the only state of perfection
that I have is that I have02:49:27
actually found peace of
mind and how to get it.02:49:31
Engaging at least one act
of going the extra-mile02:49:33
every day, now you could
choose your own circumstance02:49:37
if it is nothing more than
telephoning an acquaintances02:49:41
and wishing him good fortune.02:49:44
You'll be surprised what
will happen to you when02:49:47
you begin to call up your
friends that you have been02:49:50
neglecting for some time
and just hear you say,02:49:51
well hello, you were on my mind,02:49:54
I was thinking about you and
I just wanted to call up and02:49:56
say how do you do, and I
hope you were feeling as good02:49:58
as I am, you'd be surprised
on what that'll do to you02:50:02
and what they'll do to the friend too,02:50:04
and it doesn't have to be
a close personal friend,02:50:06
just has to be somebody you know,02:50:08
or you may relieve some friend
from duty for half an hour02:50:12
or so, have some neighbor sent
over his children while he02:50:15
attends the movies or you might
do a little babysitting for02:50:18
one of your neighbors, you're
gonna be at home anyway,02:50:22
maybe you've got some
children of your own,02:50:24
maybe you know some neighbor
that would like to get off02:50:28
and go down to the movies which
you can't get away from your02:50:31
children, oh I know the children
are noise and they probably02:50:33
fight with your children, but
if you were a real diplomat02:50:37
you keep them apart, she'll be
under obligations to you and02:50:41
you feel that you've really
been kind by helping out02:50:42
somebody who otherwise wouldn't have had02:50:44
a little freedom.02:50:45
So you'd be a nice thing for
some of you people who don't02:50:49
have any children and say
well, could I come over and02:50:52
babysit for a while you go out,02:50:53
why don't you and your husband
go on a little courtship,02:50:55
go out to the movie, go
to a show let me come over02:50:57
babysit for you.02:50:59
Well of course you have to
know your neighbors pretty well02:51:02
in order to do that.02:51:04
Certainly most of you would
have some neighbor that02:51:07
you could approach on
some such basis as that02:51:09
and they wouldn't think you were crazy.02:51:11
(student laughing)02:51:14
It's not so much what you
do to the other fellow02:51:16
it's what you do to yourself
by finding ways and means of02:51:18
going the extra mile in little ways,02:51:20
did you know that both
the successes in life and02:51:23
the failures are made up of little things,02:51:26
very little things, so a
little in fact that often times02:51:29
they're overlooked, the
real reasons for success is02:51:31
overlooked because the things
that make success are so02:51:34
such small even seemingly
insignificant things.02:51:38
I know some people so popular
they couldn't have an enemy,02:51:41
they just couldn't have an enemy,02:51:44
and one of them is my
distinguished to business associate02:51:47
Mr. Stone, always going
the extra mile and look at02:51:50
how prosperous he is, look
how many people are going02:51:52
the extra miles for him.02:51:57
There are a lot of people who
if they didn't make good money02:52:01
working for Mr. Stone if
they had to do it they'd pay02:52:03
him a salary to work for them.02:52:04
And I know I heard one say just that,02:52:06
and he's become immensely
wealthy himself working02:52:08
for Mr. Stone, he said if I
didn't make money out of working02:52:12
for him I'd pay him if I
had to it'd be just for an02:52:14
association with him.02:52:16
And Mr. Stone's not different
from you or me or anybody else02:52:18
except to these metal
attitude toward people,02:52:21
toward himself, he makes
it his business to go the02:52:24
extra mile sometimes people
take advantage of that,02:52:28
don't act fairly with him,
I've seen that happen too.02:52:31
He doesn't worry about that too much,02:52:33
in fact he doesn't worry
about anything at all period.02:52:38
Because he's learned to adjust
himself to life in such a way02:52:40
that he gets great joy out of living,02:52:42
it's great joy other people.02:52:45
Or you may write a letter
to some acquaintances02:52:47
offering him encouragement.02:52:50
In your job you may do a
little more than you're02:52:52
paid to do, stay a
little longer on the job,02:52:54
make some other person
a little more happy.02:52:56
Thank you very much.02:52:58
(applause)02:53:03
I wanna introduce you to
the most wonderful person02:53:07
in the world, that's the
person sitting in your seat02:53:10
right now, and when you
come in to break down that02:53:13
person point by point,02:53:16
well in accordance with these
25 factors that go to make a02:53:18
queasy personality you'll
find out just exactly where02:53:21
you're wonderful and why,02:53:24
and I'm going to ask you as I go along,02:53:26
grade yourself, the rating that
you think you're entitled to02:53:31
and it can be anything from zero to 100%,02:53:34
then when you get through
add up the total and divide02:53:37
it by the twenty five traits
and that will give your average02:53:40
rating on the pleasing personality,02:53:44
and if you rate all the way
through a general rating of 50%02:53:47
you're doing very fine.02:53:50
Some of you rate much
higher than that I hope.02:53:55
Now the first trait of a
pleasing personality always is a02:53:58
positive mental attitude
because nobody wants to be02:54:00
around the person who's negative
and no matter what other02:54:03
traits you may have,02:54:05
if you don't have a positive
mental attitude at least when02:54:09
you're in the presence of
people you're not going to02:54:11
be considered to have
a pleasing personality.02:54:15
Now rate yourself on that
anywhere from zero to 100,02:54:21
if you can rate 100 on that you
will be up in the class with02:54:23
Franklin D. Roosevelt,02:54:26
that's pretty high.02:54:29
And the next rule is on flexibility,02:54:31
what do I mean by flexibility?02:54:33
I mean the ability to
learn to adjust yourself02:54:36
to the varying circumstances of life02:54:38
without going down under them.02:54:40
You know there are a lot of
people this world who are so02:54:43
stayed in their habits
and their mental attitude02:54:45
that they cannot adjust to
anything that's unpleasant,02:54:47
or anything that they don't agree with.02:54:51
Do you know why Franklin D.
Roosevelt was one of the most02:54:54
if not the most popular
president we've had02:54:56
in our generation?02:54:59
Because he could be all
things to all people.02:55:01
I have been in his office
when senators and congressmen02:55:04
would come in there ready to
cut his throat and they go out02:55:06
singing his praises.02:55:10
Just because of the metal
attitude and which he received,02:55:13
in other words he adjusted
himself to their mental attitude02:55:16
and he didn't get mad at the
same time the other fella did,02:55:19
that's a mighty good way
of adjusting to himself,02:55:21
learn to be flexible enough
not to get mad when the02:55:23
other fellow is mad.02:55:25
You wanna get mad do
it on your own account,02:55:27
when the other fella is in the good humor02:55:28
and you'll have a much better
chance of not getting hurt.02:55:33
Flexibility,02:55:35
I've seen presidents of the
United States come and go,02:55:37
I've been associated with several of them,02:55:40
and I know what this said
flexibility can mean in the02:55:44
highest office in the world.02:55:46
Herbert Hoover probably
was one of the best02:55:48
business executives,
based all round executives02:55:51
who have ever had in the White House,02:55:53
and yet he couldn't possibly
sell himself to the people a02:55:56
second time because he was inflexible,02:55:58
he could not bend, he was
too static, too fixed.02:56:01
Calvin Coolidge was the same way,02:56:04
and Woodrow Wilson to some
extent was the same way,02:56:07
he was too austere, too
static, too fixed, too correct,02:56:11
in other words he wouldn't
allow anybody to slap him on the02:56:14
shoulder call him Woody, or
take any personal liberties02:56:18
with him at all.02:56:20
There's so many things in this
life that you have to adjustDescription:
About the video: This series contains 17 recordings made over several days and provides a complete overview of the principles that Napoleon Hill spent a lifetime developing and perfecting. Originally distributed under the name Your Right to be Rich, this series is licensed from the Napoleon Hill Foundation. It provides an expanded understanding of the teachings and lessons introduced in his best-selling book THINK and GROW RICH (1937) and the LAW OF SUCCESS booklets (1925). These rare recordings have been edited them for optimal listenability and remastered to the highest quality. Chapters: 00:00 - Definiteness of Purpose 01:03:07 - The Master Mind 01:33:01- Applied Faith 02:14:07 - Going the Extra Mile 02:53:03 - A Pleasing Personality 03:25:47 - Personal Initiative 04:16:12 - A Positive Mental Attitude 04:59:37 - Self Discipline 05:46:01 - Enthusiasm 06:08:45 - Controlled Attention 06:37:44 - Accurate Thinking 07:26:24 - Learning from Adversity and Defeat 08:21:06 - Cooperation 08:40:34 - Creative Vision 09:01:43 - The Maintenance of Sound Health 09:25:01- Budgeting Time and Money 09:45:29 - The Law of Cosmic Habit Force Credits: The audio tapes were provided by the Napoleon Hill Foundation and previously distributed under the name, Your Right to be Rich. Authorized by the Napoleon Hill Foundation, these rare audio recordings were provided to us under license for exclusive distribution on YouTube. Financial proceeds from this video are shared directly with the Foundation to support their work in preserving Napoleon Hill's legacy. ©1998 Napoleon Hill Foundation / Copyright Registration Number: SR0000263600 ============================================ ★ Get the Paperback https://www.amazon.com/Napoleon-Hills-Master-Course-Original/dp/1722503076?language=en_US ============================================
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