17 Principles of Personal Achievement by Napoleon Hill

17 Principles of Personal Achievement by Napoleon Hill

For most of his life, Napoleon Hill lived with the conviction that every failure carried with it the seed of equivalent advantage. Here are his 17 principles for extraordinary achievement.

Lesson 1: Definiteness of Purpose
Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. Without a purpose and a plan, people drift aimlessly through life.

Lesson 2: Mastermind Alliance
The Mastermind principle consists of an alliance of two or more minds working in perfect harmony for the attainment of a common definite objective. Success does not come without the cooperation of others.

Lesson 3: Applied Faith
Faith is a state of mind through which your aims, desires, plans and purposes may be translated into their physical or financial equivalent.

Lesson 4: Going the Extra Mile
Going the extra mile is the action of rendering more and better service than that for which you are presently paid. When you go the extra mile, the Law of Compensation comes into play.

Lesson 5: Pleasing Personality
Personality is the sum total of one’s mental, spiritual and physical traits and habits that distinguish one from all others. It is the factor that determines whether one is liked or disliked by others.

Lesson 6: Personal Initiative
Personal initiative is the power that inspires the completion of that which one begins. It is the power that starts all action. No person is free until he learns to do his own thinking and gains the courage to act on his own.

Lesson 7: Positive Mental Attitude
Positive mental attitude is the right mental attitude in all circumstances. Success attracts more success while failure attracts more failure.

Lesson 8: Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is faith in action. It is the intense emotion known as burning desire. It comes from within, although it radiates outwardly in the expression of one’s voice and countenance.

Lesson 9: Self-Discipline
Self-discipline begins with the mastery of thought. If you do not control your thoughts, you cannot control your needs. Self-discipline calls for a balancing of the emotions of your heart with the reasoning faculty of your head.

Lesson 10: Accurate Thinking
The power of thought is the most dangerous or the most beneficial power available to man, depending on how it is used.

Lesson 11: Controlled Attention
Controlled attention leads to mastery in any type of human endeavor, because it enables one to focus the powers of his mind upon the attainment of a definite objective and to keep it so directed at will.

Lesson 12: Teamwork
Teamwork is harmonious cooperation that is willing, voluntary and free. Whenever the spirit of teamwork is the dominating influence in business or industry, success is inevitable. Harmonious cooperation is a priceless asset that you can acquire in proportion to your giving.

Lesson 13: Adversity & Defeat
Individual success usually is in exact proportion of the scope of the defeat the individual has experienced and mastered. Many so-called failures represent only a temporary defeat that may prove to be a blessing in disguise.

Lesson 14: Creative Vision
Creative vision is developed by the free and fearless use of one’s imagination. It is not a miraculous quality with which one is gifted or is not gifted at birth.

Lesson 15: Health
Sound health begins with a sound health consciousness, just as financial success begins with a prosperity consciousness.

Lesson 16: Budgeting Time & Money
Time and money are precious resources, and few people striving for success ever believe they possess either one in excess.

Lesson 17: Habits
Developing and establishing positive habits leads to peace of mind, health and financial security. You are where you are because of your established habits and thoughts and deeds.

—Napoleon Hill

The Five Habits of Success

Paul J. Meyer, considered one of the most influential people in the history of the personal-achievement industry, passed away last week at the age of 81. Paul is the best-selling author of personal-development materials in the world, having sold more than $3 billion worth of materials translated into 24 languages in more than 60 countries. Paul’s body of work influenced the lives and teachings of many in the personal-development industry. The industry has lost a legend. The world has lost a truly wonderful human being.

Develop and reinforce these five habits of success. When you do, you will not have to make new decisions every morning. You instinctively know what you are going to do and how you are going to do it!

1. The habit of positive thinking!
Successful people have simply formed the habit of doing what failures do not like to do and will not do: They think positively! They have the habit of expecting to win, the habit of planning to win, the habit of working to win... and they win!

2. The habit of prospecting!
Develop this habit, and you will have prospects everywhere and you will have an endless supply of Class A leads.

3. The habit of calling on people!
This makes selling fun and exciting—and fruitful!

4. The habit of selling!
Use a system or sales presentation. Follow it to a “T”! It will make you a skilled communicator, a person who speaks with emotion and conviction.

5. The habit of working!
Work is a privilege! Work is a joy! It is one of the most exciting things you can do. When you get results, it pumps your adrenalin, gives you more energy and multiplies more results!

How do you acquire these habits?

You simply decide that the opportunity of presenting is a service is worth doing!

Determine ahead of time the personal goals you can achieve for success in this business!

Be confident that you have the ability to change or to do whatever it takes to get the job done!

Enter into it without giving mental recognition to the possibility of defeat!

Live each day with positive expectancy! Stick to the basics and the fundamentals!

—Paul J. Meyer and Kevin Rhea