The following is a description of the 17 Principles of Success taken directly from the Napoleon Hill World Learning Centre. Andrew Carnegie, one of, if not the, world`s richest man at the time commissioned Hill to spend 25 years researching the most successful men of his time to put together these principles.
1. Definiteness of Purpose is the starting point of all achievement and success. All individual achievement begins with the adoption of a definite major purpose and a specific plan for its attainment.
2. The Mastermind Principle consists of an alliance of two or more minds working together in perfect harmony for the attainment of a definite objective.
3. Applied Faith is an active state of mind. This belief in yourself is applied to achieving a definite major purpose in life.
4. Going The Extra Mile is the action of rendering more and better service than that for which you are presently paid. This Universal Law neither permits any living thing to get something for nothing nor allows any form of labor to go unrewarded.
5. Pleasing Personality is the sum total of one`s mental, spiritual, and physical traits and habits that distinguish one from all others. Your personality is your greatest asset or liability.
6 Personal Initiative There are two types of men, said Andrew Carnegie, who never amount to anything. One is the fellow who never does anything except that which he is told to do, the other is the fellow who never does more than he is told to do.
7. Positive Mental Attitude is the right mental attitude in all circumstances. Keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you don't want.
8. Enthusiasm is faith in action. Enthusiasm comes from the Greek words en which means in and theos which means God. It is the intense emotion known as burning desire.
9. Self-Discipline means taking possession of your own mind. Direct your thoughts, control your emotions, and ordain your destiny.
10. Accurate Thinking The power of thought is the most dangerous or the most beneficial power available to man, depending, of course, upon how it is used.
11. Controlled Attention leads to mastery in any type of human endeavor, because it enables one to focus the powers of his mind upon the attainment of a definite objective and to keep it so directed at will. Concentration on one`s major purpose projects a clear picture of that purpose upon the conscious mind and holds it there until it is taken over by the subconscious mind and acted upon.
12. Teamwork is harmonious cooperation that is willing, voluntary and free. Generosity, fair treatment, courtesy, and a willingness to serve are qualities that pay high dividends whenever they are applied in human relations.
13. Learning From Adversity And Defeat Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit. Most so-called failures represent only a temporary defeat that may prove to be a blessing in disguise.
14. Creative Vision is developed by the free and fearless use of one's imagination.
15. Maintenance of Sound Health The mind and the body are so closely related that whatever one does affects the other. One does not enjoy sound health without a health consciousness.
16. Budgeting Time And Money People are divided into two classes: drifters and non-drifters. A non-drifter is a person who has a definite major purpose, a definite plan to attain that purpose, and is busily engaged in carrying out their plan.
17. Cosmic Habitforce pertains to the universe as a whole and the laws that govern it. It is Infinite Intelligence in operation. You are where you are and what you are because of your established habits and thoughts and deeds.
