Truthful Living

by Napoleon Hill

  “Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.”

  – Napoleon Hill

  Lesson Number

  5

  THE VALUE OF SELF-CONFIDENCE AND SINCERITY

  (An after-the-lesson visit with Mr. Hill)

  GITOMER INSIGHT: Hill tells you verbally and visually what it takes (with examples) to become a self-confident person. And what happens after you become one. The secret weapon is how sincere you are both in swagger and conversation.

  “Lo! A scoffer remains to pray!”

  The above is the first sentence in a letter that I received with an enrollment from a new student.

  This student frankly admitted, in this letter, that he wrote to us out of curiosity, having no intention whatsoever at the time of becoming a student.

  He has been in business several years, and felt that he already knew enough, so he said. He commences to get letters from me. There was something about them, he couldn’t tell just what, that appealed to him. For one thing he knew that I was SINCERE! That I was really and truly interested in my students!

  This is but one of many hundred similar instances where students have expressed themselves about as this man did. I mention this only for the purpose – to prelude what I am going to write about the value of sincerity in everything we write.

  Sincerity cannot be feigned!

  If it is real, your readers will feel that it is, just as this man did. If it is unreal, they will likewise feel it. Words, written or spoken, that come from the brain instead of the heart will not convince. Try as you may, if you do not believe what you write or speak, others will not believe it!

  Words that are not backed by sincerity have inhibitory and negative effect!

  GITOMER NOTE: Think about your own sincerity. How genuine it is, and how easy it is for you to spot insincerity in others. And it doesn’t matter if you think you’re sincere. The only opinion that matters is that of the other person.

  I have been asked, hundreds of times, how to learn to write “human interest” letters. This has always been an embarrassing question to me, not because I didn’t know what to say, but because I didn’t know HOW TO SAY IT SO IT WOULD BE UNDERSTOOD!

  Some people believe that an inspirational writer is only born with that ability. Nothing could be further from the truth, in my opinion.

  GITOMER NOTE: As a “how-to, informational, and inspirational writer” for the past 25 years, I can tell without a shadow of a doubt that Hill is correct. I was born with intelligence, but I learned to write. Same with sales. Same with public speaking.

  Others believe that a thorough understanding of English is all that is necessary. Neither is that true! It is a well-known fact that not more than one out of a hundred teachers of English can write an inspirational appeal. Teaching the emotions through the use of words depends upon what is in the heart and not upon what is in the brain.

  Take that wonderful speech which Lincoln delivered at Gettysburg. It was short. The words were very simple. But you cannot read them without feeling a strong touch of emotion. These words have retained the sincerity which was back of them when they were uttered. Notice how they touch your heart as you read:

  “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

  “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We have met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

  “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate – we can not consecrate – we can not hallow – this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

  Whatever field of work you enter, it is necessary for you to learn to write convincing appeals. Your success will largely depend upon the logic, emotion, and the sincerity of your appeals. Let me leave this thought with you. . .

  YOUR READERS AND ASSOCIATES WILL ALWAYS “SENSE” YOUR APPEALS, WHETHER THEY ARE CONSCIOUS OF THAT FACT OR NOT! BE CAREFUL THEN, TO SEE THAT EVERY STATEMENT YOU SEND OUT IS BACKED WITH YOUR WHOLE-HEARTED BELIEF IN WHAT YOU WRITE!

  Let no sum of money tempt you to write anything that you do not believe! It is a bad habit to get into. It will take away that finer inner-self which you ought to develop and bring out.

  When a person asks me how I learned to write “human interest” letters, I always do my best to explain that my outward expression is but a duplicate of my inner feelings! That my letters are based upon what is in my heart!

  Beginners and those who are inexperienced usually feel that my explanation is inadequate. This does not surprise me. If a person had made the same explanation to me fifteen years ago, I wouldn’t have understood it either.

  As you go further into this course and learn more about the workings of the human mind – as you learn to study human nature more closely – you will say just what I am saying now. You have possibly reached that state of understanding already. If so, I congratulate you.

  My students all seem to feel, just as the “scoffer who remained to pray” did, that there is sincerity back of my letters to them. Many of them have expressed their willingness to give anything they possess to be able to write as well as I do.

  Let me assure you now, once and for all, that there is no secret to this except that which I have explained. Your true feelings always will show in your writing. If you are not satisfied with your writing ability, go back to the first class. Your own heart and your own emotions hold the secret. If you want to write a letter that will appeal to a certain person and gain his confidence, first think well of that person and give him or her your own confidence.

  If you want to write a letter that will appeal to a certain class of people, first put yourself in their place – study their environment – become sympathetic with them – study their requirements – then study the product you are going to try to sell and see just how it fits the needs of those people.

  No actor ever moved an audience who did not himself experience the emotional feelings that he was trying to produce in his audience.

  You cannot win the FULL confidence of a person you do not admire. There will always be an invisible barrier as long as you permit any feeling of dislike to exist, even though no outward appearance of it may be noticed.

  Hate your employer and he, probably unconsciously, will get your thought vibrations, and retaliate in kind! Distrust your fellow men and they, in turn, will distrust you – not openly, perhaps, but none-the-less effectively!

  Your thoughts bring back their likeness to curse or bless you, according to their kind!

  There is nothing mystic or occult about this.

  It is a scientific law of nature! A law that we shall have more to say about later on in this course.

  Thoughts are wonderful things! Keep them clean and they will draw people to you. Let them stray in the wrong direction and they will repulse worthwhile people, even though they are never expressed through words, written or spoken.

  GITOMER NOTE: The first words in Think and Grow Rich are “Thoughts are things.” Here they a
ppear for the first time, 20 years before being immortalized.

  One of my best friends stood behind me, looking over my shoulder, as I was writing one night. This was a very impolite thing to do, but imagine my consternation when she said: “I DON’T LIKE THAT – I DON’T BELIEVE THE MAGAZINE WILL ACCEPT IT!”

  I seldom turn my tongue loose on anyone, although I may sometimes allow my thoughts to wander around in unwholesome places, but on this occasion, I said things which both of us will not soon forget.

  I had never preached a sermon before, but I preached one then!

  Luckily for us both, that occurrence kept my friend from becoming my wife! Imagine being wedded to a woman who would look over your shoulder, anticipate your words even before they had been written, and tell you that she didn’t like what you were writing, and that she didn’t believe others would like it either!

  Not one man out of ten thousand could rise above a negative environment such as that and overcome its inhibitory effects.

  It is both a physiological and a psychological case that causes us to respond readily to suggestion. Let us take care then to guard carefully the suggestions which reach our minds, and to see that they are of a constructive nature!

  You cannot think of failure constantly and be a success!

  “You will be just what you think you will be” not all at one jump, understand, but slowly, step by step, your thoughts crystallize into action, and out of this action grows your material world, good or bad!

  No man can hide his real self for long! The real you is written in your face as well as in your actions. Some people believe that because they are met with warm greetings that they are trusted. Many a man, for politeness’ sake, is cordial in his outward expression, yet very skeptical and distrustful inwardly.

  I feel reasonably sure you agree with me in all that I have written in this “visit.” However, I can hear you ask: “How may I develop these desirable qualities of which you write?”

  That is an important question, I’ll admit.

  Well, I will answer it by giving you lesson number one in SELF-CONFIDENCE, for without self-confidence you cannot hope to develop the other desirable qualities that you will need as an aid to success in any field of endeavor.

  Following is lesson number one in the art of developing self-confidence. Sign it and then proceed to commit it to memory. There is a scientific reason for this request – a reason that I shall tell you more of at the proper time. In these seven short paragraphs you may find all of the philosophy necessary for your success in any undertaking:

  SELF-CONFIDENCE-BUILDING CHART

  (To be memorized and recited daily)

  (1) I know that I have the ability to accomplish all that I undertake – that to succeed I only have to follow this belief in myself with vigorous, aggressive action! I WILL FOLLOW IT!

  (2) I realize that my thoughts reproduce themselves in the material, physical state, therefore I will concentrate upon the daily task of drawing the mental picture of the person I intend to be, and of transforming this picture into reality.

  (3) I am studying Life and Salesmanship with the firm intention of mastering the fundamentals and principles through which I may attract to me the desirable things of life. Through this study I am becoming more self-reliant, more cheerful, more sympathetic with my fellow men and stronger both mentally and physically. I am learning to smile the smile that plays upon the heart as well as upon the lips.

  “‘You will be just what you think you will be’ not all at one jump, understand, but slowly, step by step, your thoughts crystallize into action, and out of this action grows your material world, good or bad!”

  – Napoleon Hill

  (4) I am mastering overpowering the habit of starting something that I do not finish! From this time forward I will first plan all that I wish to do, making a clear mental picture of it, and then I will let nothing interfere with my plans until they have been developed into reality.

  (5) I have clearly mapped out and planned the work that I intend to follow for the ensuing five years. I have set a price upon my services for each of these five years – a price that I INTEND TO COMMAND THROUGH STRICT APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF EFFICIENT, SATISFACTORY SERVICE!

  (6) I fully realize that GENUINE SUCCESS will come only through strict application of the “Golden Rule” principle. I will therefore engage in no transaction which does not benefit alike all who participate with me. I will succeed by attracting to me the forces that I wish to use. I will induce others to serve me because of my willingness to serve them. I will gain the friendship of my fellow men because of my kindness and my willingness to be a friend. I will eliminate from my mind FEAR by developing in its place COURAGE. I will eliminate skepticism by developing FAITH. I will eliminate hatred and cynicism by developing love for humanity.

  (7) I will learn to stand upon my feet and express myself in clear, concise, and simple language, and to speak with force and enthusiasm, in a manner that will carry conviction. I will cause others to become interested in me because I will first become interested in them. I will eliminate SELFISHNESS and develop in its place the spirit of SERVICE, as taught by the George Washington Institute.

  Sign ____________________

  Your earnest friend,

  80 East Randolph St.

  Chicago, U.S.A.

  GITOMER’S THOUGHTFUL ACTIONS

  HOW TO IMPLEMENT THIS LESSON

  Self-belief leads to self-confidence. It starts in your head and heart way before you can manifest it to others. And in today’s world, self-confidence is manifest in BOTH speaking and writing. The Internet and social media has provided unlimited platforms of expression, and search engines have created instant ways for the world to discover your thoughts. The key to speaking is your ability to engage emotionally. The key to writing and achieving is self-belief and clarity of thought. This also means not accepting “criticism” with anything but a “thank you” in response. Belief that what you say, do, or write about is from your heart, not just your head. Your internal belief. If you doubt anything said in these golden words and thoughts, keep in mind that Napoleon Hill has sold MORE THAN 100 million books, and you haven’t (neither have I).

  “For without self-confidence you cannot hope to develop the other desirable qualities that you will need as an aid to success in any field of endeavor.”

  – Napoleon Hill

  “Affirmations: Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.”

  – Napoleon Hill

  Lesson Number

  6

  LET AMBITION BE YOUR MASTER

  (An after-the-lesson visit with Mr. Hill)

  GITOMER INSIGHT: Everyone has a big goal and a dream of who they seek to become and what they hope to achieve or get. Hill uncovers the “inside your head” element that will drive you to success: AMBITION. His definitions will startle you, and lead you on a path to success. Your success.

  LUCKY is the man who is driven by that determined little slave master called AMBITION! Those who have enjoyed the greatest success in life were literally driven to succeed by AMBITION. It made Harriman, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Hill, Roosevelt, and a good many thousands of other successful men of whom we never hear.

  Ambition is the mainspring of life, but we must keep it wound up! Self-confidence is the balance wheel which keeps ambition moving at an even momentum. Enthusiasm is the oil with which we keep the human machine greased and in smooth running order. The well-organized, capable, and productive man is AMBITIOUS, ENTHUSIASTIC, and possesses plenty of SELF-CONFIDENCE. Without these, success is uncertain, if not impossible.

  The chief reason that I consent to my wife going back to the farm every summer is that while she is away, she constantly writes me letters which fire me with AMBITION! She understands me as few wives understand their husbands. She knows how necessary it is to constantly remind me of my chief aims in life, and she has a way of doing it which is pleasing and inspiring.

&n
bsp; When I secured my first $5,000-a-year position, I thought I was fixed for life, and probably I would have been had it not been for that little master for whom I was slaving – AMBITION! My wife and AMBITION collaborated against me and made me resign that position – FOR A BIGGER ONE! Five thousand a year would have satisfied me had it not been for my master, AMBITION. In my bigger and broader field I serve a hundred of my fellow men where I served one before, which means that I get a hundred times as much enjoyment out of life as well as financial returns, which are adequate and in proportion to the service which I perform.

  AMBITION is what freed America from over-the-sea rulership.

  Once in my life, while I was working for a salary, I was discharged from my position – just ONCE! The head of the institution for which I worked told me that I was too “ambitious.” That was the greatest compliment anyone ever paid me, even though it cut me off temporarily from my bread and meat.

  That institution of which I write was organized nearly twenty years ago. It is doing a business of about $600,000 a year.*1 Another institution, engaged in the same line of business, started just six years ago on capital of less than $6,000.*2 I was formerly Advertising Manager of this institution. It does not discourage “AMBITION.” It is now doing a business of $1,500,000*3 a year, and clearing more net profits every month than the other firm is doing in gross business. The older institution, the one which was organized and has been doing business for nearly twenty years, is headed by men who are afraid of the “AMBITIOUS MAN.” Those who are working for a salary are afraid he will get their jobs (which said fear is not without some foundation). The head of the firm is afraid of the “AMBITIOUS MAN” because he is afraid he will find in him a competitor in business (which, also, is not without well-grounded foundation).