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I'm sure by now that most of you have heard of, or even read the book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. It is an amazing book, and I would encourage everyone to read it at some point in your marketing career.
One of my all-time favorite quotes is right at the beginning of the book and has been shown as the quote of the day here at SFI. It goes like this;
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Napoleon Hill
Take a couple of minutes to think about this, and I'm sure you will agree that this is a very powerful statement. But why?
I'd like to tell you a story...
When I was very young, I grew up in a very small town, where everyone knew everyone, and would bend over backwards to help out a neighbor.
Our household consisted of 7 people. My dad and step-mom, and my brother, and 3 step-brothers. Quite the competitive group we were. I was the oldest.
Needless to say, we didn't have much even though my father worked his fingers to the bone to support all of us. (He is still the hardest working man I know, and has always been my only hero.)
At Christmas, I can remember, we all got the exact same presents, so there would be no fighting. Usually some socks, a shirt, and an inexpensive toy of some kind.
Life was great, and we were happy.
At that time, all of my friends had bicycles, some of them were even new from Christmas. I have to admit that I was more than a little jealous. I wanted a bicycle so bad I could taste it.
I decided it was time to talk to my dad about it.
My way of thinking was this; I'm the oldest, and I work the hardest doing the chores around the house. By golly I deserve it. (Or so I thought.)
I was 7 years old, and I was about to learn the most important lesson of my life. The true value of hard work, and the rewards that come with it.
I saw my dad in the front yard one day, and I knew it was time to ask.
I walked up to him, my knees knocking a bit from nerves, and I...just... blurted it out;
I said “Dad, all of my friends have bikes. Will you buy me a bike please?” (Back then I had friends my age that would get back-handed if they weren't polite, so I wasn't taking any chances. LOL)
Looking back, I think he might have been a little embarrassed by the question because he gave me a nervous laugh, then told me “No.”
I came back with the same question that every 7 year old on the planet would ask. “But Why?”
It was then that he explained to me how hard it was to support such a large family (We had only been living as a family of 7 for about 6 months) He explained to me that he was working 2 jobs at a time, and it was still tight.
He said if I wanted that bike, I was going to have to buy it.
I think my allowance was about a nickel a week at that time, so that wasn't going to cut it.
Before I could ask him “How am I supposed to do that?”, he jumped in and said;
“Ya know, there's lots of people around here that might want a break from mowing the grass once in awhile, or shoveling snow off their sidewalk. I'd bet they might even be willing to pay to have it done.”
Even at 7 years old I understood where he was going with that, and I knew right then and there what I had to do.
I told him “Thanks Dad” and went out to meet with my friends.
At that time we all knew, as kids, that every yard, and every space was open territory for us to play in, And every one of us knew what was in each yard.
I told all of my friends the situation, and before long they all told me where each house was that had bike parts in the back yard.
I began my search, and from that point it was Game On.
I can't begin to tell you how many yards I mowed, garages I cleaned out, or trees I pruned, but for each and every house I worked at, I walked away with another part that I needed to build that bike.
It took me about 3 months to complete, but when I finished, it was a thing of beauty. I had the best bike in the neighborhood, in my opinion, because I built it myself, and there wasn't another one like it anywhere.
These events took place in the '60's, back when I was much too young to know anything about Napoleon Hill. But I'm fairly certain that my dad had read his books, because the simple statement he made to me that day about mowing yards, changed the way I think about hard work and money to this day. My Dad is my hero.
It was my conceived notion that I absolutely had to have that bike.
My Dad showed me how to do it, and helped me to believe that I could.
And I made it happen. I achieved my goal, and the rewards were incredible.
Things have changed tremendously over the last 50 years with the progress of mankind, and the inventing of the computer.
But there is one thing that will never change, and that is the heartfelt, soul deep desire, inside each and every one of us, to succeed.
It's been this way since the dawn of time.
Now it's our turn. Our time. Our desire to succeed.
Are you ready?
Do you believe?
(The following is an excerpt from an ebook titled; Think and Grow Rich for Internet Marketers. Author unknown)
“If you are truly serious about growing rich on the Internet, you must be willing to pay the price!
Are you:
? Prepared to make the necessary sacrifices in order for you to achieve your goals?
? Are you willing to spend long hours in front of the computer so that you can reap the rewards in the end?
? Do you have the guts to persevere all the way even though negative people around you laugh at your dreams?
? Are you willing to provide value for other people and put aside the ‘what’s in it for me’ mentality?
? Are you willing to think big? Are you prepared to run your online business like a CEO rather than a part-time venture?
? Do you BELIEVE in yourself?
What the mind can conceive, you will be able to achieve. So you must be able to visualize yourself as a success and go all the way.
Most important of all, you must BELIEVE in yourself… because no one is going to believe in you if you don’t.”
Y'all Stay Blessed,
Don Kepple
