Will-power and desire, when properly combined, make an irresistible pair. People who accumulate great fortunes are generally known as cold-blooded, and sometimes ruthless. Often they are misunderstood. What they have is will-power, which they mix with persistence, and place back of their desires to insure the attainment of their objectives.
Henry Ford was generally misunderstood to be ruthless and cold-blooded. This misconception grew out of Ford's habit of following through in all of his plans with PERSISTENCE.
Persistence is a state of mind, therefore it can be cultivated. Like all states of mind, persistence is based upon definite causes, among them these:
DEFINITENESS OF PURPOSE. Knowing what one wants is the first and, perhaps, the most important step toward the development of persistence. A strong motive forces one to surmount many difficulties.
DESIRE. It is comparatively easy to acquire and to maintain persistence in pursuing the object of intense desire.
SELF-RELIANCE. Belief in one's ability to carry out a plan encourages one to follow the plan through with persistence. Self-reliance can be developed through a principle known as auto-suggestion.
DEFINITENESS OF PLANS. Organized plans, even though they may be weak and entirely impractical, encourage persistence.
ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE. Knowing that one's plans are sound, based upon experience or observation, encourages persistence; guessing instead of knowing destroys persistence.
CO-OPERATION. Sympathy, understanding, and harmonious cooperation with others tend to develop persistence.
WILL-POWER. The habit of concentrating one's thoughts upon the building of plans for the attainment of a definite purpose, leads to persistence.
HABIT. Persistence is the direct result of habit. The mind absorbs and becomes a part of the daily experiences upon which it feeds. Fear, the worst of all enemies, can be effectively cured by forced repetition of acts of courage. Everyone who has seen active service in war knows this.
Before leaving the subject of PERSISTENCE, take inventory of yourself, and determine in what particular, if any, you are lacking in this essential quality. Measure yourself courageously, point by point, and see how many of the eight factors of persistence you lack. The analysis may lead to discoveries that will give you a new grip on yourself.
The text above is excerpted from the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill available free to download here.
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