Law of Success Part II

Second of a 3 part special series featured in the Hero Soul ezine:

1. Featured Quote
2. Law of Success Part II
3. The New Frontier: Space Travel for the Masses
4. Need a Writer?
5. Billionaire Speaks: Your Complimentary Invite
6. Subscribe to the Hero Soul ezine
7. Reprint Rights
8. Your Feedback is Welcome


1. Featured Quote

“Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso


2. Law of Success Part II

Dear Friends and Subscribers,


Welcome to the second part of my three part series commemorating the 21st Century Edition of Napoleon Hill's landmark work, "Law of Success," in which he reveals 17 Principles of Success based on his 25 years of research studying the lives of over 500 of the world’s greatest achievers.

In this special edition of your Hero Soul ezine, I’m highlighting these 17 Principles of Success both as a refresher for those who are already familiar with Hill’s work, and as an introductory guide to the essential qualities of achievement for those who have not yet had the chance to study this great personage who started the personal development revolution.

If you missed the first 5 principles outlined in Part I of my Hero Soul newsletter, I've included it for your benefit in my last blogpost. (To stay on top of the latest developments and cutting-edge news on success, leadership, and personal growth, remember to subscribe to the free monthly Hero Soul ezine by visiting www.HeroSoul.com and clicking on the "newsletter" tab). Enjoy:

Principle # 6: Imagination

“Imagination is the workshop of the human mind and creative power of the soul,” writes Hill. “First comes thought; then organization of that thought into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”

According to Hill, there are two types of imagination: synthetic imagination and creative imagination. Synthetic imagination involves rearranging old ideas into new combinations that produce new solutions. Stimulating creative imagination involves a repetition of highly emotionalized thoughts that can be combined with visualization, meditation, and prayer focused on a chief aim or solving a difficult problem, and then surrendering the thoughts to infinite intelligence to come up with new ideas, combinations, and plans.

Artists, inventors, and entrepreneurs frequently use some combination of both types of imagination. For example, many writers will often intentionally stop writing in the middle of a heated sentence or uncompleted paragraph at a particularly challenging point in the plot and “sleep on it.” During the rest of the night their subconscious mind, through the powers of creative intelligence, will work on the solution, and upon awakening, the writer will
write beautifully to complete the idea.

Entrepreneurs will often brainstorm and write down all the ideas, challenges, and available solutions and resources concerning a challenging problem and then “forget about it.” They might go on vacation for an extended period of time. On returning, or even while they’re on vacation, new ideas spring up that help solve the problem.

To further develop your imagination, study yourself; find out the inner motivations that drive you to carry out certain tasks to completion while avoiding other tasks. Study other people and human behavior around you. If you want to know what the other person will do (whether a customer, boss, employee, partner, or competitor), use your imagination to put yourself in their shoes. What would you do if you were that person?

By being able to look from another’s perspective, you not only help build your imagination muscles, you also help build bridges.


Principle # 7: Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm comes from the Greek root “entheos” which literally means God within. Enthusiasm is the vital force that impels action. Great leaders inspire others to action from their own enthusiasm which is highly contagious.

“It’s not so much what you say as it is the tone and manner in which you say it that makes a lasting impression,” writes Hill.

I recall a time when a “recruiter” had called and left a message for me requesting an interview. I checked out the company’s website and liked what I had to see. I was ready to come in for an interview, but when I returned the recruiter’s call and spoke to her, the tone of her voice clearly indicated that she wasn’t happy with her job and that I was just a number to make her appointment quota.

While the conversation was polite and professional, her tone and manner of speaking said she didn’t care. Needless to say, I did not come in for an interview, and it wouldn’t be a far stretch to guess that that recruiting company was losing business by the truckload on account of that one person – probably hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.

It’s surprising (or maybe not so surprising given the poor customer service survey results across North America) that companies are willing to go on losing millions by treating their frontline workers who have first line of contact with customers as an “expense” instead of as an investment.

The companies that will turn out to be champions in this information economy are the ones that treat their customer service and sales staff as VPs of Customer Relations. These organizations will have a HUGE competitive advantage by investing just a fraction of the money (money that would normally be lost to poor service) towards paying above industry average rates to retain quality customer service professionals, investing in their professional development, teaching basic human relations skills, and helping to create a better work environment.


Principle # 8: Self-Control

Hill keenly points out that self control directs your enthusiasm. A wise business tenet is to keep cool when others are hot. As Hill says, “Those who control themselves usually boss the job.”

I can’t recall how many business deals I’ve lost because I contacted a potential client in a moment of anger or frustration (either due to the business on hand or something entirely different). It’s amazing how much more business one can drum up by simply counting to ten, taking a couple of deep breaths, and thinking of something pleasant for a few seconds before making or taking that important call!

If you’ve tried these types of techniques without much success and are still angry with someone, at least try ‘writing it out of your system’ before approaching this person. Write a steaming hot letter to this person venting about what you feel is inappropriate behavior or some problem or injustice you feel you might have encountered.

After you’ve read the letter to yourself, tear it up and throw it away! Now you can approach this person and make your case with a level head without blaming or getting overly emotional. Maybe it was a simple misunderstanding.

I’m not saying this method will always work. Sometimes you do have to confront someone and express your anger – but those moments are rare when it’s productive. Using this one technique alone can save you from countless relationship disasters and bad business deals, and might even help get you that promotion over the next person
who blows his top!).

Never retaliate against those who offend you. Be a leader by being a person of poise and self-control.


Principle # 9: The Habit of Doing More Than Paid For

“Giving people a little more than what they expect is a good way to get back more than you’d expect”- Robert Half

We get back in life what we give. By getting into the habit of always doing more than you’re paid for, you will meet with opportunities for expansion, advancement, and promotion at every turn of the corner. (You might not get these opportunities immediately with your current employer; but eventually competitors will take notice and will gladly provide you with plenty of opportunity if your employer is not willing to do so).

Napoleon Hill offers countless real-life examples of ordinary people reaching extraordinary heights of achievement and success using this one principle alone in his magnum opus: Law of Success: The 21st-Century Edition.


Principle # 10: A Pleasing Personality

Hill states that a pleasing personality is a person that attracts. It’s all about your character and how you carry yourself. Are you dressed for success as it relates to your field? Do you speak with self-confidence? Do you offer a firm handshake and a warm smile, or a limp, ‘dead fish’ handshake with a rigid, forced smile? Do you offer an appropriate level of eye-contact given the cultural context or do you have shifty eyes that makes people feel uncomfortable? Are you flexible in mind, body, and spirit? Do you express genuine interest in others?

The best way to develop a pleasing personality is to show a keen interest in other people. If that recruiter had expressed even the slightest interest in what I did as a person, I would have overlooked the initial awkwardness of the call and come in for an interview. Her lack of a pleasing personality cost her and her company a number of lost contracts.

It’s so much more FUN and PROFITABLE to have a pleasing personality!


Principle # 11: Accurate Thinking

“The facts, just the facts, ma’am” – Sgt. Friday in Dragnet

Don’t believe everything you read in the news. Much of it is planted by powerful lobbyists and corporations with hidden agendas. Get into the habit of basing your decisions on factual information and avoiding gossip, rumors, and conjecture.

Even common day practices that are widely accepted can be based on wrong assumptions. In the Middle Ages, bloodletting was a common practice that was believed to help cure a variety of illnesses. It was a common belief among doctors that bad blood caused disease and so they bled patients for every imaginable ailment under the sun. This crude and ineffective medical ritual continued for 2,500 years until it was discovered that germs, not bad blood, were responsible for disease.

Today, we have our own version of bloodletting that is far more devious than in the Middle Ages. Take for example invasive medical practices such as coronary stenting and angioplasty. Freakonomics author, Steven D. Levitt, sites a recent NY Times article which, according to Levitt, “tells of the compelling study which found that coronary stenting is typically no more effective than heart drugs, even though it is far more invasive — and, to be sure, profitable for the medical personnel involved.” (According to the NY Times article, “angioplasty and stenting generally cost between $25,000 and $50,000”).

I think we need a new name for 21st Century bloodletting. If you’ve read this far, perhaps you can convince Mr. Webster to add the term moneyletting to the dictionary.

If someone makes a sweeping statement that raises doubts, you can ask this person the question that Napoleon Hill likes asking: “How do you know?”

We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of accurate thinking. But to get to the heart of Hill’s main idea, accurate thinking is about separating the important facts from the unimportant ones.

The important facts being any fact you can use in the attainment of your chief aim. I’m not saying that the unimportant facts can’t also help enrich your life. But by focusing most of your time on the important facts as it relates to your chief aim will help get you there further and faster…


I hope you enjoyed Part II of my “Law of Success” series. Stay tuned for Part III in my upcoming newsletter. If you missed Part I, you can catch it on my last blog post.

In the meantime, share these principles with your peers, forward this newsletter if you like, discuss the concepts and teach other people what you’ve learned. There’s no better way to learn than by teaching others!

P.S. If you haven’t already, I’d highly recommend getting a copy of Napoleon Hill’s classic bestseller: Law of Success: The 21st-Century Edition. It really is a great read and I rank it in my personal top 10 list.


To your success,

Sharif Khan
www.herosoul.com
Freelance Writer, Inspirational Keynote Speaker
Bestselling Author of Psychology of the Hero Soul


3. The New Frontier: Space Travel for the Masses

I’d like to share a passage from The Hero Soul (pg. 81): “It will be a momentous day when this book reaches the generation whose average citizens can economically travel into space. Most of us, however, might not have the opportunity in our lifetime to travel into outer space to experience a higher perspective…”

I hope that visionary entrepreneur, Richard Branson, proves me wrong with his new space travel venture, Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial spaceline that will be offering suborbital space flights in 2009!

Can you imagine what it would be like to ‘slip the surly bonds of earth’? Let me quote a blurb from Branson’s site:

“The rocket motor has been switched off and it is quiet. But it’s not just quiet, it’s QUIET. The silence of space is as awe inspiring as was the noise of the rocket just moments earlier. What’s really getting your senses screaming now though, is that the gravity which has dominated every movement you’ve made since the day you were born is not there any more. There is no up and no down and you’re out of your seat experiencing the freedom that even your dreams underestimated.”

Wow! Now that would be a fantastic perspective builder!

On my “to read list” is Richard Branson’s business biography:

Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way

I admire this unconventional rebel-business hero for being able to combine fun, business, and social responsibility as a way of life. He has managed to break every rule in the book and come out a winner.


4. Need a Writer?

If you need help with a writing project, shoot me an email at sharif @ herosoul. com. I might be able to help.

Of special interest would be owners of mid-to-large circulation publications (newspapers, magazines, ezines, blogs, trade journals) looking for an advice columnist writer or someone to write feature articles, reports, and reviews.

I’ve been writing for the inspirational market for over five years now and would be an ideal fit for publishers and organizations looking for content that would fall under the following topics:
motivation, success, leadership, personal and professional development, psychology, achievement, organizational performance, as well as entrepreneurship, business, sales, and marketing.

For a sampling of my writing, visit: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sharif_Khan


5. Billionaire Speaks: Your Complimentary Invite

Come spend an evening mentoring with a self-made Billionaire. A Complimentary 2 Hour Seminar Invitation. Discover the secrets to achieving personal and financial success from a man uniquely qualified to teach it, a man who went from broke to billionaire, an extraordinary man named Bill Bartmann.

There is no cost to attend but seating will be limited. To register now and reserve your spot immediately, click on: Mentor with a Billionaire


6. Subscribe to the Hero Soul ezine

To get your free copy of the Hero Soul ezine for the latest news and developments in success, leadership, and personal growth, visit www.HeroSoul.com and click on the "newsletter" tab or simply email inspire @ herosoul. com with "subscribe to hero soul" in the subject line.

If you’d like to share this ezine with your workgroup or friends and family, you have permission to ‘steal’ this Hero Soul eZine by forwarding it in its entirety as is without any changes. (I just ask that you do it nicely by forwarding the whole thing and not in bits and pieces).

This ezine is copyright © 2007 by Sharif Khan.

7. Reprint Rights

You have permission to use any of the articles in this ezine edition in your own ezine, blog, newsletter, or web site, as long as you include the following blurb with it:

Sharif Khan (www.sharifkhan.blogspot.com) is a freelance copywriter, inspirational keynote speaker, and author of the leadership bestseller, Psychology of the Hero Soul (www.herosoul.com). He publishes his monthly Hero Soul ezine for cutting-edge advice on success, leadership and personal growth. To contact Sharif Khan about his writing and motivational speaking services, call: 416-417-1259.


8. Your Feedback is Welcome

Let us know how we’re doing. Are you finding the content in our ezine useful? Any comments, praise, or suggestions for improvement? Do you find the Hero Soul ezine too short, too long, or just right? What kind of topics would you be most interested in receiving in the future? We’d love to hear from you! Send your feedback to: inspire @ herosoul. com

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I'll see you next week! Be a hero!

“Heroes are rebels with a cause. Rebels because they challenge the traditional ways of thinking and refuse to follow the herd. They have a cause, a vision, that's larger than life.”
- Sharif Khan, author of Psychology of the Hero Soul

Hero Soul eZine, Copyright © 2007 by Sharif Khan. A F-R-E-E monthly column.

www.herosoul.com
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Tel: 416-417-1259