For the June Book of the Month, I read “Success Habits – Proven Principles for Greater Wealth, Health, and Happiness” by Napoleon Hill. This book is a collection of a radio talk series that Napoleon gave. I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read for me but it was packed with a lot of punches.

“The starting point of all individual achievements is the adoption of a definite purpose accompanied by a definite plan for its attainment followed by appropriate action.”

If you want achievements and success, you have to find your purpose. I think this has been said a lot in many different books that I have read. With no purpose, it is hard to find the drive to keep on going, to weather the storms, to keep on keeping on when the going gets tough. Once you find your purpose though, you have to make a plan and then you have to follow that plan with the action steps required. I think making the plan and the follow-through of the plan are easy compared to finding your purpose. Finding your Purpose can be tough, it comes naturally to some people. Some people have been living their purpose and don’t even realize it, and some, like me, didn’t realize purpose can be as simple as helping others.

Find your purpose, make a plan, and put it into action.

“All individual achievements are the result of a motive or a combination of motives.”

9 Basic Motives

• Emotion of Love – Greatest of all motives and emotions
• Emotion of Sex
• Desire for Material Wealth
• Desire for Self-Preservation
• Desire for Freedom of Body & Mind
• Desire for Personal Expression & Recognition
• Desire for Perpetuation of Life after Death
• Desire for Revenge
• Emotion of Fear

Now, think about the things that motivate you, that drive you. Do they fall into the 9 Basic Motives? Mine did. I found this very intriguing. That all people are motivated by all of the same things, in some sort of way.

“If you allow your mind to dwell upon the things you don’t want, that is exactly what you get, and that is what the majority of the people are getting, the things that they don’t want.”

15 Major Causes of Failure

• Habit of drifting through life without a definite purpose or a definite plan for attaining it.
• Unfavorable physical heredities at birth
• Meddlesome curiosity in connection with other people’s affairs
• Lack of a definite, major purpose as a life goal
• Inadequate education
• Lack of Self-Discipline
• Lack of Ambition to aim above mediocrity
• Ill Health
• Unfavorable environmental influences during childhood
• Lack of Persistence in carrying through to a finish that which one starts
• Negative Mental Attitude
• Lack of Control of the Emotions of the Heart
• Desire for something for nothing
• Procrastination
• Giving into 1 or more of the 7 Basic Fears – Fear of Poverty, Fear of Criticism, Ill Health, Loss of Love, Old Age, Loss of Liberty, and Death

The one that stood out to me was the “Desire for something for nothing.” How often do we desire things but don’t put in the work to achieve them? Where we think we are entitled to things because, well life hasn’t always been “fair” to us? Nothing comes to us for free. Yes, you may know people who it seems everything they touch turns to gold, but do you know their whole story?

There are more points in the book on how to improve your character along with a personality assessment. “Personality is one of the important things that is responsible for your success or failure.” How is your personality rating these days? Are you passing? Or could you use some more loving?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I hope you were able to find a few nuggets in what I shared.

Share some love, we could all use a little more love
XOXOXO
Casey