Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill) - Chapter 15:

These are the 3 enemies killing your chances of success: Indecision, doubt and fear. You have to overcome these before you stand any chance of success. These are the demons that make you doubt the guidance you receive from your sixth sense or inner voice.  

These enemies are sneaky. They don't attack you head on. They infiltrate slowly, without you noticing a thing until it's too late. 

In this chapter, Napoleon Hill will show us the cause and the cure for the six ghosts of fear. "Before we can master an enemy, we must know its name, its habits, and its place of abode."

There's nothing a person can do unless he first thinks about it. And everything he thinks about has the potential to become his lived reality. That's why it's so important to guard the thoughts you let into your mind. Now, it's impossible to monitor every thought you have. So, pay attention to your emotions. Positive thoughts have the tendency of raising your vibration and elevating your mood. So, if you feel good, you're on the right track. If you're drifting towards a bad mood, you're attracting negativity. Find a better feeling thought so you can move up on the emotional scale. (For more on this, read Ask And It Is Given by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks).

Poverty and wealth are complete opposites. You're either heading in one direction or the other. There's no in between. Desire is the starting point towards wealth. But it's not enough. You need more than desire. The path you take is completely up to you. Desire is a state of mind, and you can choose to go in that direction. Fear of poverty is a state of mind. And you can choose to go in that direction. Whatever results are prevalent in your life right now, it's because of your own choosing. The best way to cure the fear of poverty is by pursuing a definite purpose.

"Poverty grew out of man's tendency to prey upon his fellow man economically."

This statement is as true today as it was a hundred years ago. Greed, corruption are the main reasons some people keep others in poverty. If we have failed to do better since a hundred years ago, is there any hope at all for humankind?

Hill touched my heart when he said, "A man is considered less than the dust of the earth, unless he can display a fat bank account. But if he has money, never mind how he acquired it, he is a king or a big shot, he is above the law, he rules in politics, he dominates in business, and the whole world around him bows in respect when he passes. Nothing brings man so much suffering and humility as poverty! Only those who have experienced poverty understand the full meaning of this."

People marry for money instead of love... people lie, cheat, steal and murder for money. 

None other than yourself can help you. Conduct an honest self-assessment and make up your mind that you will pull yourself out of the humiliation of poverty – whatever it takes.  

Symptoms of the fear of poverty: 

Indifference, indecision, doubt, worry, over-caution, procrastination. 

A poor man is disrespected and abused, so much so that he lacks self-respect and self-esteem. But money can help him reclaim his pride and self-respect. 

Even people who steal criticize their victims just so they can avoid accountability. Politicians do the same thing. They criticize their opponents just so they can get the upper hand and steal votes. Belittling your fellow men has become a weapon. We attack their pride and self-esteem so we can make ourselves feel better. Women's vanity makes them susceptible to fear of criticism. That's how manufacturers target women, they somehow make themselves feel good by buying useless things they will only use once. 

Is it manipulation? Intelligent marketing? Gas lighting? Propaganda? You decide. 

"Fear of criticism robs a man of his imagination, destroys his initiative, and takes away his self-reliance."

Fear of criticism leads to inferiority complexes. 

Symptoms of the fear of criticism: 

Self-consciousness, lack of poise, personality, inferiority complex, extravagance, lack of initiative, lack of ambition. 

The pharma industry and food industry has colluded to make us believe that certain discomforts are deadly diseases, and that some foods which are harmful to us are actually good for us, and they create viruses with which to control humanity... it's all a big mess. You need to be informed in order to avoid being manipulated and fed poison, disguised as medicine. 

Additionally, cheaply manufactured medicine prices are inflated so much that the disease itself does not kill you, but the thought that you'll never be able to afford treatment does. 

Propaganda, through the news, social media, newspapers, is used to create fear in the minds of men in order to control them. 

Hill says diseases sometimes begin in the form of negative thoughts in the mind. 

Symptoms of the fear of ill-health: 

Negative auto-suggestion, hypochondria (imaginary illness), lack of exercise, susceptibility, self-coddling, intemperance. 

Men steal each other's women and women steal each other's men. Lust is a deadly sin that has no cure, except for self-control. However, you have no way of controlling your partner. Women are vain and like to be pampered, that's how they are easily stolen by men with the means to provide adventure, financial benefits, pretty clothes and other frivolous indulgences. Lack of money makes you vulnerable to your woman being stolen. Possession of money makes you desirable to other women, thus making your woman uneasy and at risk of losing you. Most men are addicted to sex and can easily be tempted by attractive, flirtatious women. Everyone is in danger, except non-drifters who have the capacity to exercise restraint and self-control.

SYMPTOMS OF THE FEAR OF LOSS OF LOVE: 

Jealousy, fault finding, gambling.

Religion is a major contributor to this fear. People fear hell even though they have no evidence that it really exists. The pharma industry and food industry is to blame as well because their food makes you weak and immobile, while the costs of medicine are ridiculous, making you feel like there's no hope for peace and tranquility as you grow old. 

And then there's the fear of theft or loss of possessions. As you grow old, your income slows down because you're unable to work, unless you have a magnificent pension, which makes it more likely that you will have to downsize.

There's also the issue of declining beauty and declining sex drive. It feels a man’s heart with fear.

Loss of independence is also a big factor. People are wicked and they may mistreat you because you're unable to take care of yourself. Who can you trust?

SYMPTOMS OF THE FEAR OF OLD AGE:

Inferiority complex

Negative talk about age

THE FEAR OF DEATH:

Fear of the unknown is at the root of this fear. "Where did I come from? Where am I going? Is hell even real? Have I accomplished enough in my lifetime?"

These questions send shivers down the spine of many people. 

Religions manipulate man's fear of hell and desire to go to heaven, though neither place has been proven to actually exist. They plant seeds of fear in children. These children are tormented by these fears until their dying day. 

This fear is perpetuated by poverty. The fear of leaving your loved ones in poverty, without a decent inheritance or generational wealth. 

Hill points out that the fear of death is useless because death is inevitable. It will come and no one can do anything to stop it. He reminds us that the world is made up of matter and energy. And neither matter nor energy can be created nor destroyed. They merely change form. So, it's possible that people and animals don't actually die. They merely change form. So what's the point of fearing something that doesn't really exist?

Hill says the cure for the fear of death is a burning desire for achievement, backed by useful service to others. 

Making a definite decision, moving in a definite direction, with a definite purpose is the cure for all fears. Momentum keeps you so busy that you have no time to worry about things which may or may not exist. 

Acceptance is also a great cure for fear. If it's out of your control, why worry about it? Just let go and let the chips fall wherever they may. If it's within your control, why worry about it? Just control it to the best of your ability. 

Fear in the mind of a person releases a kind of repulsive energy that makes the fearful person unattractive to other people. They just sense that the vibe is off, and they gravitate away from them. 

 How susceptible are you to negative influences? Maybe that's the reason success eludes you. Remember we said that the more negative thoughts you think the more negative outcomes you will experience. The sooner you address this weakness, the sooner you will draw success closer to you. 

The danger with negative susceptibility is that it permeates through the slightest gap, a movie you're watching, a song you're listening to, a conversation you're having. Negativity is always lurking, and can sneak in at any time. 

You need to be aware of this weakness, and then take active measures to weed out negative influences from your life. Weed out negative thoughts from your mind and replace them with better feeling thoughts. Elevate your company. Spend as little time with negative people as possible, if at all.

Napoleon Hill provides a self-analysis questionnaire to help you determine how susceptible you are to negative influences. This builds your awareness and equips you to tackle this challenge and bring it under control or eliminate it entirely. 

You can't control other people's actions, but you can control your thoughts and feelings. Redirect them towards joyful positive thoughts and the pursuit of your major definite purpose. 

"If you fail to control your own mind, you may be sure you will control nothing else." 

Hill wraps up the book with Fifty Seven Famous Alibis by Old Man IF.

Most failures know all the reasons why things won't work. People who succeed are more interested in reasons why they will succeed. 

Alibis, excuses, being realistic.... call it whatever you want. But these are the reasons keeping you in misery and poverty. 

Forget excuses. Focus on results. What do you want to accomplish? What actions do you need to take to achieve these desires? What resources do you need so you can take these actions successfully? Who can give you access to these resources? In exchange for what? What's the first step you will take? By when?

Honest self-assessment. Correcting flaws you discover in the assessment. Pursuing your major purpose. Clearing your mind of negativity. Collaborating with your master mind alliance. This is the stuff life is made up of. These are the things that make life worth living.

Download the associated workbook—your step-by-step guide

to applying the best business lessons, building confidence through results, and creating a business that works for you.

Download Your Free Workbook Here