Transformational Income: What's Holding You Back?

It is a part of life’s tragedy – and unfai
ess – that millions of men and women earnestly try, work hard, and yet fail while only a few people succeed. The old saying that “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer” seems true.

In preparation for his book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill analyzed the careers of several thousand men and women, 98% of whom were classed as “failures”. In his analysis, Hill isolated thirty major reasons for failure.

Remembering what we said about the “QQS” formula, it might be well to check yourself by this list of causes for failure to determine what it is that is holding you back. What is it that is keeping you from being all that you can be?

1.The first of the factors Hill lists is what he calls UNFAVORABLE HEREDITARY BACKGROUND. “There is little, if anything,” he says, “which can be done for people who are born with a deficiency in brain power.” Today it is generally recognized that it is not so much a “deficiency in brain power” that holds some people back as a deficiency in opportunity. Unfortunately, this is often due to hereditary factors, though not in the way Hill implied. If you are a boomer and you grew up black or hispanic or poor or female, you simply may not have enjoyed the opportunities that others enjoyed. Hill offers a method of bridging this “weakness” – through the aid of a Master Mind group, and adds that this is the ONLY one of the causes of failure which may not be easily corrected by any individual.

2.LACK OF A WELL-DEFINED PURPOSE IN LIFE. It is almost impossible to hit a target that you can’t see. If you do not have a central purpose or a definite goal at which to aim, it is not surprising that you don’t hit it. Perhaps the reason that you don’t have a well-defined purpose in life is because….

3.You LACK THE AMBITION TO AIM ABOVE MEDIOCRITY. If you are willing to go along in order to get along, if you are so indifferent, or diffident, as not to want to get ahead in life, or are too lazy to put in the effort, there is little hope that you will achieve much.

4.INSUFFICIENT EDUCATION. This is a handicap that is less serious today than it was in Hill’s time. Technical education, self-education, and the plethora of educational opportunities on the internet make this so. As Hill says, “Any person who is educaied is one who has learned to get whatever he wants in life without violating the rights of others. Education consist, not so much of knowledge, but of knowledge effectively and persistently applied.

5.LACK OF SELF-DISCIPLINE. Self-control or discipline means that you control all your negative qualities. This is one of the hardest jobs you will ever tackle because if you do not conquer yourself, you will be conquered by self. What Hill says here is true: “You may see at one and the same time both your best friend and your greatest enemy, by stepping in front of a mirror.”

6.ILL HEALTH. You may think that you have little control over your health, and this is true if you have fallen victim to a hereditary illness. But there are certain aspects of health that are within your control and to blame them on genes is not being honest with yourself. For instance:
a. Overeating is not conducive to good health, nor is eating the wrong things.
b. Wrong habits of thought – “stinkin’ thinkin’” or giving expression to negatives – is not conducive to good health.
c. Lack of proper physical exercise is not conducive to good health. Developing strong fingers and good hand-eye coordination through repeated use of television or dvd remotes doesn’t count. Nor does strengthening your thumbs sending text messages.
c. Wrong use of or overindulgence in sex is not conducive to good health.
d. An inadequate supply of fresh air is not conducive to good health.

7. UNFAVORABLE ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES DURING CHILDHOOD. “As the twig is bent, so shall the tree grow.” Hill asserts that most people who have criminal tendencies acquire them as the result of bad environment, and improper associates during childhood. We all know of people who have overcomes such handicaps and have succeeded in life. But we also know of people who didn’t.

8. PROCRASTINATION. Ouch! Now Hill has stopped preaching and gone to meddling! But it is a fact that procrastination is one of the most common causes of failure. How many of us spend much of our lives waiting for the “right time” to start doing something? Don’t wait. The time will never be exactly “right”. Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you have at hand; you’ll improve your skills and your tools will get better as you go along.

9. LACK OF PERSISTENCE. Most of us are good “starters” but poor “finishers”. Unfortunately, we are prone to give up at the first sign of boredom, difficulty, or defeat. There is no substitute for PERSISTENCE.

10. NEGATIVE PERSONALITY. There is no hope of success for the person who repels people through a negative personality. We all know someone like that. I call them “toxic” personalities because they can suck the life right out of you and cast a pall on the brightest day. Success comes through the application of POWER, and power is attained through cooperative efforts. A negative person will not induce cooperation.

I’m sorry to have to tell you that this is just a partial list of the causes of failure. I decided to stop here because this makes the unpleasant medicine a little less unpalatable and will give you an opportunity from self-examination on these factors without overwhelming you with more.