Someone on Facebook wrote a variation of this statement…
“Napoleon Hill said, ‘Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.’ This is the biggest load of monkey poo since the Law of Attraction. Right now, I am conceiving and believing that I can walk on water. Wish me luck.”
This is a wonderful example of illogical thinking.
Does the person really think they can walk on water?
Can they really imagine it?
Do they really believe it?
Obviously not.
And if they can’t, then they just proved Napoleon Hill right.
Hill said, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve” and not “Whatever your mind can make up, even though you don’t really believe it and it’s not really possible, it can achieve.”
Big difference.
And please note that Hill said you can achieve it, not that you will achieve it.
He wisely left room for the possibility of you not actually attracting what you “conceive and believe.”
He knew you still had to work all the steps, including taking action.
His quote wasn’t just about conceiving and believing.
He said there were at least 16 laws, remember.
He wrote about them in such books as Laws of Success and of course Think and Grow Rich.
The ridicule people give the Law of Attraction or Napoleon Hill is a reflection of people’s own belief system – only they rarely see it.
I remember being in Russia at one of the many book signings and author meet and greets I did there.
An elderly gentleman in one audience said, “I really want to believe in this Law of Attraction but the skeptics make a good case against it.”
“Have you ever noticed that the skeptics seem to hang out together,” I began, “and the Law of Attraction positive thinkers seem to gather together?”
He smiled, nodding, as it dawned on him what I was saying.
“Everyone is living the Law of Attraction,” I explained, “but some know it consciously and others do not. You are free to believe what you like and you will attract whatever evidence you need to support your belief, even when it’s illogical to others. That’s the Law of Attraction.”
Remember, you get what you really believe, not what you want to believe.
In other words, when you examine your own statements, you might see the twisted logic behind them.
But like the person who posted the opening line, you probably won’t see the fallacy of your thinking without someone there to lovingly point it out to you.
This is why it’s so important to have a coach.
A coach can listen to you speak, reflect back to you the very beliefs you won’t even hear yourself saying, and help you question any beliefs that don’t serve you.
For example, the person who was poking holes at Napoleon Hill’s statement probably didn’t realize they weren’t being logical or even accurate. Seeing this blog post, they might grasp it.
But arguing for limitations seems silly to me.
Why argue against goals, success, visualization, positive thinking and the like?
Why not argue for them?
After all, the whole point is to help you achieve success.
Why not find ways to prove Napoleon Hill right?
Hill also wrote, “Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.”
Anyone who tries to dismiss the positive and encouraging words of Hill is speaking without thinking.
More than that, they are raining on the hopes and dreams of other people.
That isn’t wise, kind, loving, or useful.
As Mark Twain said, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
Napoleon Hill believed in you.
So do I.
Go for your dreams.
Ao Akua,
Joe
PS – For the record, I can walk on water. I’ve done it numerous times, usually in Ohio, usually during the Winter months. We called it ice.
PPS – I also found this on Facebook: “Dear Optimist, Pessimist and Realist: While you guys were arguing about the glass of water, I drank it.” – Opportunist
PPPS – And here’s Napoleon Hill himself giving you some coaching:
Member BBB 2003 - 2015
3 Comments
Being a student of your Miracle’s Coaching program, I can understand exactly what you’re saying. Oftentimes, I used to feel bad when I thought about something that didn’t “fit” with LOA thinking. When I learned that everyone receives both positive and negative thoughts, and it was a matter of choice upon which we choose to concentrate on, it opened up an entirely new perspective for me. Up until that point I tried to dismiss my negative feelings and pretend I was happy when I wasn’t, because I thought that’s what the greats did, and I wanted to model that behavior:You, Bob Proctor, Napolean Hill, Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, John Assaraf, etc…The list goes on. Thank you for creating a program that’s given me a true education on my emotions, and actions and what they can provide when I use them properly.
-Roberto
Your best article so far!