Napoleon Hill always inspires me. When I run out of ideas or when I’m demotivated, I open up a Napoleon Hill book and start reading. His books are about personal success and how to achieve it. Not get-rich-quick schemes, but honest, inspirational tips for self improvement. Unfortunately, he passed away almost 40 years ago now. But, his books still inspire and millions of copies of his book were sold (and are still selling). The following tips help me each time I need a motivation boost. Well, they are not really tips, but more like things that cause failure instead of success. Knowing what prevents you from achieving what you desire is just as important as knowing what’s needed to succeed. I want to share them with you, and show you my personal interpretation of them.
1. Unfavorable hereditary background.
There is but little, if anything, which can be done for people who are born with a deficiency in brain power.
This philosophy offers but one method of bridging weakness… through the aid of the Master Mind. Observe with profit, however, that this is the ONLY one of the thirty causes of failure which may not be easily corrected by any individual.
Unless you have mental disabilities, there is nothing that prevents you from succeeding in whatever the hell you want. I experienced mediocre results in all stages of my education. From high school till university, my grades were always average. But, I succeeded everytime. Lots of my friends failed the first year at university. Not because lack of intelligence, but because their desire to succeed was too low. I had this unstoppable desire to succeed and… It worked. No one believed I would succeed. I proved them wrong. Some things you gotta do on your own. If you don’t have the expertise in a specific field, do what Napoleon Hill suggests: create a powerful Master Mind. Meaning, attract the right people with the right expertise.
2. Lack of well-defined purpose in life.
There is no hope of success for the person who does not have a central purpose, or definite goal at which to aim. Ninety-eight out of every hundred have no such aim.
I struggled for more than 2 years to define any lifetime goals. Changing my mind every single day, I got depressed and demotivated by the lack of purpose. I even experienced days I wanted to throw everything I had learned away and study a completely different field! No matter in what part of life you define your goals, the best thing to do is to define your goals carefully and stick with them.
3. Lack of ambition to aim above mediocrity
We offer no hope for the person who is so indifferent as not to want to get ahead in life, and who is not willing to pay the price.
The difference between mediocrity and above mediocrity lies in the small things. Getting ahead and rise above mediocrity is not a matter of supernatural intelligence or creativity, it’s a matter of will power and eye for detail.
4. Insufficient education
This is a handicap which may be overcome with comparative easy. Experience has proven that the best-educated people are often those who are known as “self-made” or self-educated. It takes more than a college degree to make one a person of education. Any person who is educated is one who has learned to get whatever he wants in life without violating the rights of others. Education consists, not so much of knowledge, but of knowledge effectively and persistently applied. Men are paid, not merely for what they know, but more particularly for what they do with that which they know.
You probably heard about the expression “knowledge is power”. I think that expression is not 100% correct. What is knowledge without applying it to a specific goal? I remember a teacher of mine in high school who remembered every single useless fact on the news. What did he do with this knowledge? Nothing at all. He could impress people by showing how much he knew, but he didn’t apply any of this knowledge to a goal.
I think it’s useless to waste time on gaining knowledge about subjects that are not related to your lifetime goals. Your goals come first and you should educate yourself with whatever is necessary to achieve these goals.
5. Lack of self-discipline
Discipline comes through self-control. This means that one must control all negative qualities. Before you can control conditions, you must first control yourself. Self-mastery is the hardest job you will ever tackle. If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self. You may see at one and the same time both your best friend and your greatest enemy, by stepping in front of a mirror.
Self-discipline is really hard. For me, the only way to discpline myself, is by making a to-do list with a reward when all tasks on my list are completed. Small rewards like a nice dinner, a bottle of wine or watching a movie. If you really have no self-discpline, start with a small list with small tasks. Finish all tasks and experience a feeling of satisfaction. While you continue with this system everyday, make longer lists with bigger rewards.
6. Ill health
No person may enjoy outstanding success without good health. Many of the causes of ill health are subject to mastery and control. These, in the main are:
- overeating of foods not conductive to health
- Wrong habits of thought. Giving expression to negatives.
- Wrong use of, and over indulgence in sex.
- Lack of proper physical exercise.
- An inadequate supply of fresh air, due to improper breathing.
This is not really a big problem for me. It only gets problematic if I have unhealthy food at home. Like chocolate cookies, pizza’s, hamburgers, … The solution for this is really simple: don’t buy any of this garbage anymore. Stuff your fridge full of healthy products like fruit, yoghurt, fish, … Or anything healthy you enjoy eating. I do need more excersise and fresh air, but I don’t experience any big problems by the lack of it. I try to run or swim once a week, and that’s plenty for me. Do whatever excercise you think your body needs.
7. Unfavorable environmental influences during childhood
‘As the twig is bent, so shall the tree grow.’ Most people who have criminal tendecies acquire them as the result of bad environment, and improper associates during childhood.
It’s never too late to better your life. The only thing I can say about this is: stop living in the past and start thinking about your future. You can’t change your bad decisions and experiences of the past.
8. Procrastination
This is one of the most common causes of failure. ‘Old man procrastination’ stands within the shadow of every human being. Waiting his opportunity to spoil one’s chances of success. Most of us go through life as failures, because we are waiting for the ‘time be right’ to start doing something worthwile. Do not wait. The time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.
Well, this WAS a big problem for me. I used to say every single day for 2 years: ‘tomorrow I will start working on my goals!”. But it didn’t happen. “tomorrow” was the right time, each day. This is terrible ofcourse, because I never did anything useful. Now, I realize, the solution for this is simple. It has to do with self-discipline. Waiting for the right time makes no sense. How many people never achieve what they want, just because they never got started? Alot. Whatever your goals are, there is no excuse to start some day in the future. You need to start now or it will never happen.
9. Lack of persistence
Most of use are good ’starters’, but poor ‘finishers’ of everything we begin. Moreover, people are prone to give up at the first signs of defeat. There is no substitute for persistence. The person who makes persistence his watch-word, discovers that ‘old man failure’ finally becomes tired and makes his departure. Failure cannot cope with persistence.
I simply think of every failure as a success. Every failure learns you what not to do. Every failure makes you learn something new. Thomas Edison tried thousands of different solutions for his light bulb. Did he quit after each failure? No, he did not. His persistence made him succeed. If you believe it’s possible to succeed, keep trying and you will succeed eventually.
10. Negative personality
There is no hope of success for the person who repels people through a negative personality. Success comes through the application of power, and power is attained through the cooperative efforts of the other people. A negative personality will not induce cooperation.
You can’t attract positive people with a negative personality. I exclude negative people from my life. The people I stay in contact with are those who I know will support me in whatever decisions I make. In days of failure and days of success. Those so called ‘friends’ I ignore are the people who don’t want me to succeed in life. Spending time with such people is pointless and a complete waste of time. It may be hard to let go of people, but think about it… If they undermine all your successes and can’t be happy for you, while you can for them, than why waste anymore time. Keep a close group of friends with the same ideas and goals in life, friends with a positive personality, like yourself.
11. Lack of controlled sexual urge
Sex energy is the most powerful of all the stimuli which move people into action. Because it is the most powerful of the emotions, it must be controlled, through transmutation, and converted into other channels.
Ok, I won’t go into to much detail here! hehehe. If you have a girlfriend, a healthy, controlled sex life is an extra advantage. It will boost your confidince and motivation to achieve your goals.
12. Uncontrolled desire for something for nothing
The gambling instinct drives millions of people to failure. Evidence of this may be found in a study of the Wallstreet crash of 1929, during which millions of people tried to make money by gambling on stock margins.
I don’t believe in easy money. I wouldn’t even want any easy money. Money earned by the release of a product or website for example, as a result of your hard work, that’s the money that should make you happy. Easy money destroys all of your goals and your motivation to achieve them. There’s nothing wrong with spending an afternoon at the casino, but don’t go there to earn money or even get rich. It won’t happen. And if you want to invest in the stock market, don’t speculate and take big risks, especially not with money you need to pay the bills. Instead, invest the money you don’t need in “safe” shares.
13. Lack of a well defined power of decision
Men who succeed reach decisions promptle, and change them, if at all, very slowly. Men who fail, reach decisions, if at all, very slowly, and change them frequently, and quickly. Indecision and procrastination are twin brothers. Where one is found, the other may usually be found also. Kill of this pair before they completely “hog-tie” to the threadmill of failure.
I believe that making the wrong decision is better than making no decision at all.
When I can’t decide between 2 possible solutions, I just pick one, completely ad random. When I notice after a while that I made the wrong decision, than so be it. Learn from it and move on. There is nothing worse than making no decision at all.
14. One or more of the six basic fears
There are six basic fears, with some combination of which every human suffers at one tune or another. Listed in the order of their most common appearance, they are as follows:
I have only one big fear that bothers me every once in a while. The fear of criticism. I think that’s the worst fear of all six and alot of people suffer from it.
You will always receive criticism from others, no matter what you do. Fear of criticism can be fatal to personal achievment, because it results in lack of initiative, lack of self-confidence and lack of ambition.
Instead of worrying what others think, start doing what YOU think is the right thing to do. The people who really love you will accept your decisions, no matter how they turn out.
15. Wrong selection of a mate in marriage
This is a common cause of failure. The relationship of marriage brings people intimately into contact. Unless this relationship is harmonious, failure is likely to follow. Moreover, it will be a form of failure that is marked by misery and unhappiness, destroying all signs of ambition.
If your goals in life include getting married, than marriage can be a beautiful thing when you find your soulmate. But, if you have financial goals or other unrelated goals, marriage can be a curse on these goals when you picked the wrong partner. Many people I know got married before they reached financial security. If anything goes wrong (like getting fired or having serious disagreements that result in divorce), they get stuck in misery that stops them from achieving anything. Instead of working on their initial goals in life, their thoughts are filled with financial and emotional dilemmas. I personally want a girlfriend and maybe even children one day, but I don’t throw myself in a marriage to quickly. My other goals have more priority. Ofcourse, this is different for everyone and depends one your goals. If marriage has top priority in your life, then go for it! Nothing wrong with that.
16. Over-caution
The person who takes no chances, generally has to take whatever is left when others are through choosing. Over-caution is as bad as under-caution. Both are extremes to be guarded againsts. Life itself is filled with the element of chance.
My philosophy about this is quite simple: if you believe in something, go for it! No matter what sacrifices you’ll have to make. Without taking risks you will never achieve anything big. And by risks, I don’t mean put all your life savings on red at the casino. By risks I mean doing something extraordinary, something you are willing to work hard for.
17. Wrong selection of associates in business
This is one of the most common causes of failure in business. In marketing personal services, one should use great care to select an employer who will be an inspiration, and who he is, himself, intelligent and successful. We emulate those with whom we associate most closely. Pick an employer who is worth emulating.
Like with choosing friends, the same principle applies here. If you ever have to hire someone for your business, don’t chose that person with the best education or the highest IQ. Chose someone with the same goals and life philosophy as yourself. In the end, this will pay off. What’s the point of having an employee with an IQ of 170 if he or she is not as motivated as yourself?
18. Superstition and prejudice
Superstition s a form of fear. It is also a sign of ignorance. Men who succeed keep open minds and are afraid of nothing.
Keep your mind open for everything. There are multiple points of view about everything in life.
Also, don’t judge people too quickly, those of whom you least expect to succeed can surprise you in the long run. If you ever have to hire someone, take enough time to get to know all applicants. The smoothest talker is not necessarily the best choice.
19. Wrong selection of a vocation
No man can succeed in a line of endeavor which he does not lie. The most essential step in the marketing of personal services is that of selecting an occupation into which you throw yourself wholeheartedly.
I admit that I can’t throw myself wholeheartedly as an employee, working for a boss. I may sound selfish, but I can’t motivate myself to work hard if it’s not for myself. I tried it and got bored really quickly. If you do want to work for a boss, don’t keep a job you don’t like. Instead, keep searching for that one perfect job that’s best for you.
20. Lack of concentration of effort
The “jack of all trades” seldom is good at any. Concentrate all of your efforts on one definite chief aim.
Like I mentioned earlier: don’t waste time on things that don’t contribute to your goals. Instead, educate yourself with everything necessary for your goals.
21. The habit of indiscriminate spending
The spend-thrift cannot succeed, mainly because he stands eternally in fear of poverty. Form the habit of systematic saving by putting aside a definite percentage of your income. Money in the bank gives one a very safe foundation of courage when bargaining for the sale of personal services. Without money, one must take what one is offered, and be glad to get it.
I’m a bit guilty of wasting money. I wasted alot of money on unnecessary stuff, which I regret now. Saving money may be boring for some people, but having a nice backup sum at the bank, will give you more confidence and makes it possible to take bigger risks in life.
22. Lack of enthusiasm
Without enthusiasm one cannot be convincing. Moreover, enthusiasm is contagious, and the person who has it under control is generally welome in any group of people.
I lacked enthusiasm for several years, because I had no well-defined goals. The only thing that helps is defining those goals and start working on them immediately. When I have an idea and start working on it, my enthusiasm usually goes up very fast. Enthusiasm and self discipline go hand in hand.
23. Intolerance
The person with a closed mind on any subject seldom gets ahead. Intolerance means that one has stopped acquiring knowledge. The most damaging forms of intolerance are those connected with religious, racial, and political differences of opinion.
Keep an open mind to everything. Many people I know are intolerant with the muslim religion. I’m not a muslim, but i’m open to every religion, even though I have different points of view against all of them. Intolerance gets you nowhere. Keep your mind open for other people opinions and you might even learn from them and expand your horizons.
24. Intemperance
The most damaging forms of intemperance are connected with eating, strong drink, and sexual activities. Overindulgence in any of these is fatal to success.
25. Inability to cooperate with others
More people lose their positions and their big opportunities in life, because of this fault, than for all other reasons combined. It is a fault which no well informed business man, or leader will tolerate.
You won’t make it on your own. Eventually you’ll need to work with other people. Learning how to do this is therefore an absolute must. Working with others not only helps you with your goals, you will also learn from others and you will increase your enthusiasm. But let me say it again: choose your business partners carefully. Make sure they have the same ambitions as yourself.
26. Possession of power that was not aquird through self effort
This is about sons and daughters of wealthy men, and others who inherit money which they did not earn. Powr in the hands of one who did not aquire it gradually, is often fatal to success. Quick riches are more dangerous than poverty.
I don’t want charity or easy money. Luckily my family is average financial-wise. Lucky because if I would inherit big chunks of money, I wouldn’t have any financial goals left to work on. It may be hard, but in case friends or family hands you tons of easy money, refuse to accept it. That’s right, easy money is a curse. Work hard for every penny, you will get much more satisfaction from that.
27. Intentional dishonesty
There is no substitute for honesty. One may be temporarily dishonest by force of circumstances over which one has no control, without permanent damage. But, there is no hope for the person who is dishonest by choice. Sooner or later, his deeds will catch up with him, and he will pay by loss of reputation, and perhaps even loss of liberty.
Dishonesty never pays off in the long run. Even if you have to hurt someone feelings by telling the truth, it’s still better than lying about. If you are constantly dishonest, even if it’s meant in a good way or when it pays of instantly, you are doomed to fail in the long run.
28. Egotism and vanity
These qualities serve as red lights which warn others to keep away. They are fatal to success.
29. Guessing instead of thinking
Most people are too indifferent or lazy to acquire facts with which to think accurately. They prefer to act on opinions created by guesswork or snap-judgements.
I used to solve problems by trial and error. I thought this was the easiest way to get to the result I wanted. But I was wrong. When you have a problem, no matter in what field, do your research BEFORE you start trying solutions. It saves you tons of time (and money). Guessing solutions causes nothing but troubles, which in turn, you’ll have to find new solutions for.
30. Lack of capital
This is a common cause of failure among those who start out in business for the first time, without sufficient reserve of capital to absorb the shock of their mistakes, and to carry them over until they have established a reputation.
It takes money to make money. I believe in that statement. But, don’t take unnecessary financial risks. If you want to build your own business for example, don’t start with 5 loans, a multi million dollar office and 30 high skilled employees. Instead, start slow, build up your business piece by piece until you can afford these things.
Alright, 30 causes of failure. If you struggle with any of those, you can start working on the solution for it and your succes stories will increase.
In my next self improvement post, I will talk in more detail about planning your tasks and how this can improve your productivity.
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