Law of Success Part lll

By Sharif Kahn

Welcome to the conclusion of this special three part series
commemorating the 21st Century Edition of Napoleon Hill's
landmark work, "Law of Success," which reveals 17 Principles of
Success that can help take your career and life to the next
level. These are proven principles based on Hill's 25 years of
research personally studying the lives of over 500 of the
world's greatest achievers.

Law of Success Part I and Part II covered the first 11 of these
principles. (To read Part I and Part II, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/3d3loq). Law of Success Part III will now
conclude with the remaining 6 of these valuable, time-tested
principles which can help you succeed in all areas of your life.
Enjoy:

Principle # 12: Concentration

"Concentration is the act of focusing the mind on a given desire
until ways and means for its realization have been worked out and
successfully put into operation." - Napoleon Hill

In this age of mass communications, we are beginning to face a
global epidemic of mass distraction that is becoming dangerous -
and in some cases lethal. (The rising pedestrian and motor
vehicle driver deaths due to the host of electronic distractions
is just one sad example).

The Weapons of Mass Distraction available to us are just
overwhelming: email, cell phones, pagers, text messaging, video
games, GPS navigational systems, video games, DVD players, TV,
web cams, blackberries, faxes, ipods, and the explosion of social
networking sites, just to name a few. (When used intelligently
these tools can be powerful, but when used ineffectively, they
become what I call, "Weapons of Mass Distraction!"

For concentration to be effective, Hill maintains that it is
vitally important to keep your mind focused on ONE subject until
you've mastered it; to focus on ONE given problem until you've
solved that problem.

What I find helps is starting a task with a burst of energy and
enthusiasm which will provide the momentum to complete the task
successfully. Just watch Olympic sprinters at the start of a race
and you'll know what I mean.


Finally, in this age of sensory overload, some sensory
deprivation might be in order. Hill recommends that you set some
time everyday where you can enter a quiet place, close your eyes,
and put your fingers in your ears, blocking all light and sound,
and just repeat your chief aim and see yourself in full
possession of the object of your aim.

Just practicing this simple technique everyday will help you
concentrate on doing the important tasks that will eventually
lead to a quantum breakthrough in your life.

Principle # 13: Cooperation

"Cooperation is the foundation of all successful leadership." -
Napoleon Hill


According to Hill, there are two forms of cooperation: 1). The
cooperation between a group alliance Master Mind (which was
covered in my Law of Success Part I overview) to achieve a
desired end, and 2). The cooperation between the conscious and
subconscious minds to draw upon creative intelligence (a theme
that continues throughout this overview).

Power is developed through organized effort. And for any
organized effort to be successful, the harmonious cooperation of
people focused on a singular purpose is required.

Harmony is the key. And it would serve you well to study the main
personality types of people before forming a team so you can
bring together people who compliment each other rather than
compete with each other. ("What Type Am I" by Renee Baron is a
good first book to understanding personality types).

One thing in the "Law of Success" that really struck me as very
powerful was an important observation that Napoleon Hill made:
"A great leader is one who understands how to create a
"motivating objective" that will be accepted with enthusiasm by
every member of [the] group...Most people will work harder for
the attainment of an ideal than they will for money."

What is your company's or team's "motivating objective" or
ideal? Figure that one out and the wings of cooperation will
carry you and your team members to new heights!

Principle # 14: Profiting by Failure

"If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure
rate." -Thomas Watson, Sr. Founder of IBM

Profiting from failure is an overdone topic in the field of
personal development so I won't spend too much time on this
principle. It's overdone for the very reason that there's much
truth in the idea of people reaching higher levels of success by
persevering and learning from failure instead of quitting. It's
no accident that John D. Rockefeller felt that perseverance is
the single most important quality to achieving success.

I've observed over the years that success comes to leaders in
almost direct proportion to the amount of adversity and failures
they've overcome and learned from in life.

That old cliché, 'if at first you don't succeed, try, try
again' applies here. Of course, I'm not saying you necessarily
keep on doing the same thing expecting the same results (another
definition for insanity).

Seek counselors and mentors that you can trust to help evaluate
the effectiveness of your plans. Explore the reasons that are
limiting your success by asking them how they see you limiting
yourself.

If your first plan to achieving your chief aim in life does not
succeed, than change it! And keep on changing it until you've
reached your target, just as an airplane makes thousands of
adjustments and flight corrections before reaching its
destination.


Principle # 15: Tolerance

"Minds are like parachutes; they work best when open."
- Lord Thomas Dewar

If we adopt a closed mind we stop acquiring knowledge. And
natural law states that we are either growing or dying.

I don't like the word 'tolerance.' I much rather prefer
embracing new ideas and having an insatiable curiosity for
learning other people's customs, belief systems, and unique
perspectives. I look at it as an adventure!

Finding ways to harness cultural differences within teams and
organizations will be the new currency in an increasingly
globalized economy.

Principle # 16: The Golden Rule

Napoleon Hill recognized that the frivolous use of power from the
knowledge that is being shared with you will only backfire and be
destructive to self and others. Selfish pursuit of your chief aim
without regard for others will eventually come back to haunt
you.

We reap what we sow. What goes around comes around. Therefore,
the Golden Rule is: do unto others as you'd have done unto you.
Before doing anything, ask yourself if it will benefit or hurt
the person involved.

It's easy to be self-centered. To transcend self, think more of
what the other person wants and feels before acting.

See the good in others. Catch people doing things right instead
of always looking for the wrong. Kindness and justice toward
others goes a long way in establishing successful business and
personal relationships. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "Trust
men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they
will show themselves great."


Hill takes us deeper with the Golden Rule philosophy when he
said, "think of others as you'd wish them to think of you."
Live this philosophy and your life will be enriched in many
unforeseen ways.

Principle # 17: The Universal Law of Cosmic Habitforce

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act,
but a habit." - Aristotle

The Universal Law of Cosmic Habitforce is that intangible, unseen
force which is made tangible and visible in nature.

Just observe nature and you will experience Cosmic Habitforce in
action.


When you fix in your mind a purpose consciousness focused on your
chief aim in life through repetition of thoughts and deeds,
Cosmic Habitforce will take over and carry it to its logical
conclusion, just as an acorn seed will always produce an oak tree
through proper care and nurturing.

It takes constant vigilance, determination, and willpower to
maintain that purpose consciousness, but eventually Cosmic
Habitforce will always bear fruit and your life will be richly
rewarded.

In closing, I'd like to point out that at the beginning of every
chapter in Napoleon Hill's "Law of Success" are the words:
"You can do it if you believe you can!"

It's that simple. I'm not saying it's easy, but it really is
that simple. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "If I believe I cannot do
something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe
I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have
it in the beginning."

Believe in yourself! Believe you can do it and move forward this
day with faith and confidence. Many blessings to you along your
journey.

I hope that you've benefited from reading this series and I'd
like to encourage you to share these important principles with
your friends, family, and associates. I'd also like to highly
recommend getting a copy of Napoleon Hill's "Law of Success:
21st Century Edition" to add to your personal library. It's a
life-changing book, and I mean that as no exaggeration. To get
your copy, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2a2cuk

Sharif Khan ( http://sharifkhan.blogspot.com/) is a
copywriter, inspirational keynote speaker, and author of
the leadership bestseller, "Psychology of the Hero Soul"
(http://herosoul.com/). He also publishes his monthly
HERO SOUL ezine offering valuable tips, lessons, and advice
on success, leadership development, and personal growth. To
contact Sharif Khan about his professional business
writing services, call 416-417-1259.