Napoleon Hill Thought of the Day

There are no degrees of honesty. There are only absolutes. Either you are honest or you are not. Honesty does not come for a price; honesty is its own reward. It’s also the most efficient form of human behavior. Honest persons never have to worry about which lie they have told to whom, and they never have to worry about getting caught. Thus, they are free to focus all their energies on more productive things. Make it a habit to be honest in all your dealings. If you can’t be truthful in what you say, don’t say anything at all. Remember, small lies start out innocently enough but soon assume lives of their own. A small lie requires a larger one to conceal it, and soon more, even larger lies are required. Don’t tell that first lie or take a single thing that doesn’t belong to you, and you’ll never have to worry.

Napoleon Hill Thought of the Day

No one is inherently lazy. It is human nature to want to be doing things unless we are ill. A sure sign of the beginnings of a recovery from illness is the desire to get up and around, to go back to work, to do something-anything. Inactivity leads to boredom, and boredom leads to “laziness.” Conversely, activity leads to interest, and interest leads to enthusiasm and ambition. W. Clement Stone often says, “The emotions are not always subject to reason, but they are always subject to action!” Determine what you are best at and what you like to do, and develop a burning desire to be the best you can be at it. Then get into action!

Napoleon Hill Thought of the Day

It’s true. Money has no character, no personality, no values. Its actions only reflect the desires of its owner. Money can build great hospitals and schools, or it can be gambled away or squandered on meaningless possessions. Money may build museums to house beautiful works of art, it may construct beautiful houses of worship-or it may be used to create instruments of war and destruction. As you build your personal wealth, make sure you build your character by setting aside a portion of your income to help others. Choose a church, a charity, or a cause that you can enthusiastically support. Then give of your money and your time in support of that cause. The primary beneficiary of such noble actions is always the one who gives, not the one who receives.

Napoleon Hill Thought of the Day

We human beings are a complex lot. Many religious writings and great literary works are based upon the constant struggle between good and evil that goes on inside every one of us. This struggle is as old as mankind itself. Yet, while we recognize our own inner struggles, we are often quick to condemn others. Psychologists tell us that there is no such thing as a bad person; there are only bad behaviors. Make it a point to look for the good in yourself-and in others. Nurture the good character traits and work on the ones that may need improvement. Like plants in a garden, the character traits that grow strong and productive will be those that are fed, watered, and weeded regularly.

Napoleon Hill Thought of the Day

A better understanding of what you are about-your goals, your dreams, and your aspirations-leads you to a better understanding of those around you. It is critical, therefore, that you be honest with yourself at all times. The moment you begin to deceive yourself is the beginning of the decline in your character; it is the beginning of a process of rationalization that permits you to justify unacceptable behavior. Make sure you are a person whom you like, a person of sound character. If you don’t like yourself, how can you expect others to like you? Step back and examine your behavior as logically as possible. Ask yourself, “Am I the kind of person I would like to be with?” Developing good character traits is like achieving any other objective. Determine where you wish to be and then develop a plan for getting there.

Napoleon Hill Thought of the Day

Really capable people don’t have to boast about their achievements; they let their actions speak for them. When you boast about your accomplishments, you are telling others that you are unsure of yourself and your value in the world. Baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once noted that there are those who watch things happen, those who wonder what happened, and those who make things happen. Strive to be one of those who make things happen. If you show others what you can do, they will respect you far more than if you had simply told them what you’d done. Anyone can quarrel with words, but actions speak for themselves.

Napoleon Hill Thought of the Day

Thoughts are things. Every thought you release-good or bad-is a form of energy that can affect those who receive it, for better or worse. More important, your thoughts affect you. You become what you think about most. If you think about success, you condition your mind to seek success, and you attract large portions of it. Conversely, if you think about failure and despair, you will become miserable and desperate. To keep your mind on a positive track, the moment you begin to experience creeping negativism, make a conscious decision to eliminate negative thoughts and replace them with their positive counterparts.

Napoleon Hill Thought of the Day

It would be unrealistic to expect an inexpensive, mass-produced watch to perform with the same degree of accuracy as a finely crafted Rolex. They are not made with the same quality of materials or with the same craftsmanship. Yet we somehow think that we do not need to give the same attention to our most important asset: ourselves. Don’t leave something as important as your character to chance. Choose the character traits you admire, and work to develop them. Don’t be discouraged when you stumble. Building character is a process that takes a lifetime to complete. Fortunately, like anything else, the more you work at character building, the better you become at it.

Without PMA, life might be described as long periods of uncertainty punctuated by occasional emergencies that shake you to the very core of your being. The emergencies may be financial, personal, or health related, but each must be dealt with separately and swiftly. The surest way to deal with any crisis is to focus on solutions, not on the probable cause of the problem or who should be blamed for it. Conduct a quick damage assessment, take the time to think through the alternatives and their consequences, and then act to implement the best solution. If you deal with life’s emergencies as they occur-on your own terms-you will be a stronger, better person for having looked them in the eye and conquered them.

Napoleon Hill Thought of the Day

People of character do what they say they will do, when they say they will do it, and according to agreed-upon conditions. They are the leaders, the individuals to whom others turn for guidance because they have demonstrated that they care, that they can be trusted. If you respect yourself enough to keep commitments even when it’s inconvenient to do so, others will come to respect you too. Dependability, like any other character trait, is a habit. Begin today-at the beginning of a new year-to develop the dependability habit. If you procrastinate or find it difficult to meet your commitments, start small. Promise yourself that you will be on time, for example, and manage your time so that you are. Soon you will find that it’s easier to keep other commitments as well.