Think & Grow Rich - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Persistence

The Sustained Effort Necessary to Induce Faith

As I am coming up full circle on the Mental Cleanse (I started when the group was on Ch. 10), I am reflecting on my journey. Although there have been many “ah-ha” moments, I feel like I am still falling short of where I should be in my quest for accumulation of wealth. I feel like I am persistent, because I keep trying, even though I fall short of my goals and get discouraged at times. But, the question foremost in my mind is “WHY am I falling short of my goals?” So, I decided to do what the author suggests in this chapter, and sit down and perform and honest self-inventory to determine which of the eight factors of persistence I lack and why. 

So, here goes:

a)      Definiteness of Purpose: Knowing what one wants; Having a strong motive –

I know what I want. I want to be making at least $10K per month so that I can be financially independent and never have to rely on someone else again. I also want the freedom of time so that I can enjoy my “wealth”.

b)      Desire:

I feel like I have an intense desire. I constantly imagine what my house will look like. I have a perfect picture of it in my mind, right down to what the street looks like and what plants and flowers I have planted in my yard. I imagine what kind of car I will drive and where I will travel.

c)       Self-Reliance: Belief in one’s ability to carry out a plan –

Hmmm – this may be a weak spot for me. Do I REALLY believe that I can pull this accumulation of wealth off? I know that I am a smart person, so why do I have doubts as to my abilities? Maybe it stems from past failures? These past 3 years have been kind of rough as I’ve tried to find my way from being an employee to being an entrepreneur. I think I need to re-visit the chapter on autosuggestion, and remember that Edison had 10,000 temporary defeats before his success. I also need to look at what has happened in my past as temporary defeats, and not failures!

d)      Definiteness of Plans: Organized plans, even though they may be weak and entirely impractical, encourage persistence –

OK. I can see a weakness here. I am a perfectionist (I’m a green personality), and a lot of times I want to be so organized and have everything so perfect, that I won’t start on a plan until I feel it is close to perfect and completely covers all contingencies. Why is it such a bad thing to just start and make adjustments along the way? I think maybe it is my hatred of making mistakes and being wrong. I really need to get over this. I need to remember what one of my former bosses used to say. “If you don’t make mistakes, it means you’re not trying.”

e)      Accurate Knowledge: Knowing that one’s plans are sound, based on experience or observation –

This one should not be a problem. Even though I am new to network marketing, I am following a plan that has been laid out for me by people that have experienced it. I have observed this plan working for other people, so I know that my knowledge is accurate.

f)       Cooperation: Sympathy, understanding and harmonious cooperation with others –

Through Mentoring for Free I have gotten to know and work with a wonderful group of people who are truly committed to helping me attain my goals. They give freely of their knowledge, and they also share in the joy of my accomplishments and encourage me along the way. I would say that this item is covered.

g)      Willpower: The habit of concentrating one’s thoughts upon the building of plans for the attainment of a definite purpose –

Uh oh – I see another problem here. Webster’s Dictionary defines habit as “A pattern of behavior acquired through frequent repetition”. How often during each day do I concentrate my thoughts upon the building of my plans? Not enough that this has become a habit, that’s for sure. As I look back over the past couple of weeks, I can see how I have let life’s distractions keep me from concentrating on building plans.

h)      Habit: Persistence is the direct result of habit –

See item” g” above!

“Fear can be cured by forced repetition of acts of courage”.

After reviewing what I have written in my self-inventory, I can see where the weaknesses are that are leading to my lack of persistence. After re-reading this chapter, I also now understand how critical persistence is, and why I need to work on this if I am ever to achieve my goals and desires. I am beginning to understand the subconscious thoughts that are holding me back, and by first recognizing them, I will be able to start to deal with them.

The Mental Cleanse process is critical for success. I have been forced to really look inside myself to find out what has been holding me back. Like I mentioned before, I know I’m smart, but I just wasn’t able to move forward with my life plans. Until the Mental Cleanse, I didn’t know why.  I know I have a lot of past conditioning that I need to undo, but with the help of this Master Mind group and my friends in Mentoring for Free, I know that I can do it.

If anyone reading this article would like to know how they can participate in this incredible Master Mind group which discusses a chapter a week of the great book, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, message me and I will send you the link to sign up.

To Our Success!

Laurie