Greg S. Reid - Think and Grow Rich Stickability: The Power of Perseverance

Many people have big dreams and great ideas, but why do only so few take action and have the stickability to succeed?

Fear.

Fear can halt expansion and development. Fear can prevent true success from being achieved. Fear can become your biggest enemy. If you let it.

In Napoleon Hills classics, Think and Grow Rich and Outwitting the Devil , the author does a tremendous job of casting a spotlight on the number one reason most people give upso much so that he dedicated the longest chapter to this topic.

Sharon Lechtercoauthor of The Napoleon Hill Foundations national bestseller Three Feet from Gold , and coauthor of the international bestseller Rich Dad, Poor Dad was given a copy of the seventy-five-year-old hidden manuscript titled Outwitting the Devil and read it one night. In an interview, she reminded us not to be afraid of the devil concept: Do not let the name devil do the devils work.

The essence of the book is to learn how to drive negativity out of your life, Sharon continued, speaking of Outwitting the Devil . Hill teaches us that the way to do this is to have faith in a higher power, and in you. This is the only way to overcome the demon that holds us back by fear.

Recognizing fear is empowering. But what is fear, and why does it play such a major role in causing people to give up? According to the dictionary definition, fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined. Yes, in many cases the threat exists only in your imagination, but still it has a powerful effect.

The stronger the vibration of fear within us, the more it governs our thoughts in a negative way. We know that thoughts control what we do. Just imagine how empowered you will be when the vibrations of success are stronger than those of fear.

Hills research shows that people can do tremendous things and attain all they want in life if they can conquer the obstacles related to fear. On the other hand, if we allow fear to control us, it can stop us dead in our tracks.

Fear is inside of us and it can paralyze us, Sharon believes. Stickability is to know that what youre doing is right and keep going. Its knowing what you want and being absolutely destined to get there.

Having a map, after all, will not do you any good if you dont know where you are or where you want to go. Stickability helps you recalibrate and get back on track to achieve your major definite purpose.

We all get off course, Sharon reassured. When I get off course I go back to my passion, which is my starting point, or point of departure toward any goal.

Passion can originate from a number of emotions. For example: Why dont we teach children about money and ethics in school? Sharon asked. Her advocacy for financial literacy education is based on a more fundamental passion for helping people.

Every night before bed, my father asked me, Have you made a difference in somebodys life today? And now every night before I go to bed I ask myself the same question.

This practice broadens Sharons perspective on what is possible. So many of us wait for the answer to the question Why? Sharon explained. Instead, ask Why not? and youll be able to step into the unknown with confidence and success. When we review all the fears Napoleon Hill lays out in his work, I think that one of the most detrimental is the fear of change, or what I refer to as the fear of the unknown. The more educated we are, the more willing we are to accept the unknown, and the more likely we will overcome the most universal of all fears.

Hill explains in his teachings that there are six primary forces that hold us back from our greatest dreams and desires. He calls them the Six Ghosts of Fear. He lists these barriers as:

1. The Fear of Poverty
2. The Fear of Criticism
3. The Fear of Ill Health
4. The Fear of Loss of Love
5. The Fear of Old Age
6. The Fear of Death

Lets examine each in more detail.

The Fear of Poverty

Hill begins with what he claims is the most destructive fear. Fear of poverty is a state of mind, nothing else! This fear paralyzes the faculty of reason, destroys imagination, kills off self-reliance, undermines enthusiasm, discourages initiative, leads to uncertainty of purpose, encourages procrastination, wipes out enthusiasm, and makes self-control an impossibility.

Fear of poverty can have quite a bit of power if you allow it. Once you understand that it is a state of mind, you can decide to change it. The fear of poverty basically kills all qualities and attributes needed to succeed. Without reason, imagination, self-reliance, enthusiasm, and initiative, you wont be able to achieve much. In order to be successful, you need certainty of purpose, and to take action.

The more you focus on this fear, the more likely you are to struggle financially. Hill determined that people tend to attract exactly what they focus on. Those who are financially secure see themselves as such, while those who struggle accept that as their destiny.

Once you realize that fear of poverty is a state of mind and that you will attract what you focus on, you can consciously direct your thoughts to overcome this fear. See yourself as financially secure instead of losing yourself in a stack of bills. Move through your fear by taking action and increasing your success vibration.

The Fear of Criticism

You have this great idea and cant wait to tell your friends and family about it. Unfortunately, they dont share your excitement and give you a million reasons why it wont work and why you cant do it. Before you know it, you start to doubt yourself and agree that it was a stupid idea.

As the great author explains, criticism is the one form of service, which everyone gives too much. Everyone has a stockpile of it which is handed out, gratis (free), whether called for or not. Also, Hill observes, Ones nearest relatives are often the worst offenders.

For some reason, what people think of us becomes a factor in our achievement. It can have such an impact that, unfortunately, many a soul has been limited by other peoples opinions. But that is all they aresomebodys opinions. You have to decide who you want to be in control of your thoughts and life. You or others?

They say public speaking is universally the greatest fear. Why? The only logical reason would be the fear of being criticized by our audience. So many of us never bother to develop the skills that would help us overcome this fear and enjoy speaking in front of others on topics we are passionate about. Great public speakers have to work hard at honing their craft. The first step is to overcome the fear of what others might think of us.

Imagine walking down the street in a city you have never visited before. You trip over your loose shoelaces and catch yourself. What is the first thing you do? You look around to determine who saw you, right? Even though you dont know a single person in that city, your initial reaction is to see who witnessed the faux pasalways questioning, Who was watching me? and even more importantly, What are they thinking?