Summary

The author reflects on the power of affirmations based on Napoleon Hill's teachings and commits to applying these principles to enhance self-belief and achieve personal goals.

Abstract

In the final post of a series on self-belief, the author delves into the concept of affirmations as a tool for personal development, drawing from the works of Napoleon Hill, particularly "Think and Grow Rich." The author acknowledges past mistakes in applying affirmations and resolves to give them a proper chance by consistently practicing them with emotional engagement and readiness to act on resulting ideas. The author also addresses potential skepticism about affirmations, presenting a case for their transformative potential through the lens of personal experience and the success stories of individuals like Bob Proctor. With an open mind, the author plans to embrace this methodology to foster self-confidence and move towards achieving set goals.

Opinions

The author believes in the effectiveness of affirmations when used correctly, as per Napoleon Hill's guidelines.
There is a recognition that previous attempts at using affirmations were not executed according to Hill's principles, which may have contributed to their ineffectiveness.
The author is optimistic about the future impact of affirmations on personal growth, citing the importance of faith, consistent writing, and reading habits.
The author suggests that affirmations, when repeated with emotion and conviction, can become a powerful motivating force.
The author is excited about the possibility of significant life improvements through the practice of affirmations and intends to apply them with precision and openness to change.

How To Believe In Yourself And Your Capabilities Pt 3

It seems so simple, but how is it done? My last few thoughts.

I wanted to end this series of posts on increasing your belief in yourself with this post. I have written on this topic twice before and my thoughts can be found here and here.

I have three other quick thoughts to share and then I will leave the topic for a while. I will form them as questions…

Question 1: What if Napolean Hill is correct about affirmations?

I was thinking about this question just now. What if Hill is right? Seriously. I know that we have all heard about affirmations before, as I have. I have tried them, as I explained in a previous post, with little or no positive results. But did I give it a fair chance?

In my second post on this topic, there were at least five things I was doing wrong that Hill, in his book Think and Grow Rich, warned against. So is that really fair to say that the system does not work? I don't think so.

So I am going to give this a fair shot. I am going to repeat my affirmation each morning, for at least two months and see where I am at.

Another side note is that Bob Proctor did follow all of Hill's advice and he is now one of the wealthiest men in America. It says something about Hill’s methods. Proctor is living proof that Hill’s ideas work.

As well Hill states that we must act on any thoughts or ideas we get as we are working on our affirmations. That is another error which I have made. So, honestly, I have not given affirmations a real fair shot.

Another thing about this idea is that if Hill is right, I can expect a massive change in the way I live and conduct myself in the near future. Imagine if I was everything that my affirmation stated I was?

Again, my affirmation is:

I [state your name] am a man of great faith. I believe in [state what you strongly believe in]. I [state your name] have a real talent for writing, creating, and investing. I awaken.

I am thinking about myself as a true man of faith. I would trust myself and my decisions. I would not second guess my every move. I would confidently stand up to my enemies. I would relax if I failed at something as failure is just another step closer to success. This would be amazing. In fact, I would be amazing.

So what if Hill is right? The possibility of achieving my goals in this way is just too delicious to ignore. As such, I will continue.

Question 2: What if you think the affirmation you are repeating is wrong or untruthful.

I think this is a fair question. If you look at my affirmation and also have a look at this post you might say that I have not yet reached my goal of “having a real talent for writing”. Fair enough. That may be true.

But does that mean that I will not be a better writer in the future?

One of the keys to becoming a good writer is to write, and write often. Notice that I have, almost, posted something every day. Well, that is one positive point in my favor.

Also, I do a lot of reading — daily. That is another key to becoming a better writer. All in good time my friend. Rome what not built in a day. My writing skills will improve as time passes, I am sure of it.

A second thought on this is that Hill answers this question himself.

“It is a well known fact that one comes, finally, to BELIEVE whatever one repeats to one’s self, weather the statement be true or false. If a man repeats a lie over and over, he will eventually accept the lie as truth. Moreover he will BELIEVE it to be the truth.

— Napolean Hill in Think and Grow Rich (empahsis in the original text)

Question 3: When we repeat affirmations, are we mixing them with emotions?

Again, I think this was a huge error in my original attempt at using affirmations. I had no emotions mixed while I repeated or wrote out my statements.

Hill again brings this point to the forefront with this quote…

“Every man is what he is, because of the DOMINATING THOUGHTS which he permits to occupy his mind. Thoughts which a man deliberately places in his own mind, and encourages with sympathy, and with which he mixes any one or more of the emotions, constitute the motivating forces, which direct and control his every movement, act, and deed! …

THOUGHTS WHICH ARE MIXED WITH ANY OF THE FEELINGS OF EMOTIONS, CONSTITUTE A “MAGNETIC” FORCE WHICH ATTRACTS… OTHER SIMILAR OR RELATED THOUGHTS.

A thought thus “magnetized” with emotion may be compared to a seed which, when planted in fertile soil, germinates, grows, and multiplies itself over and over again, until that which was originally one small seed, becomes countless millions of seeds of the SAME BRAND.”

— Napolean Hill in Think and Grow Rich (emphasis in the original text)

So mixing emotions with our affirmation is critical.

Conclusion

As I wrap up this post I just wanted to say that I am not trying to convince anyone that affirmations are right for them. I will leave that for others to decide.

What I am saying, however, is that I have not given them a fair shot and I am going to try this method with a little more exactness and precision. If Hill is right, I would be a fool not to give affirmations a real honest effort.

I continue to think about the fact that Hill may be correct. If he is, this will be fantastic. As you can tell I am very excited at the prospect of a forward movement in my life being caused by a realigning of my mental state.

Until next time my friends. All the best…

Max