"Think And Grow Rich", by Napoleon Hill

And just like that the last chapter has creeped upon me.

I wonder how many persons consider themselves fearless, having the ability to conquer the sky and depths of the waters untouched by man and potentially even the creeping things. How often do you spend time reflecting on yourself, spewing countless therapeutic questions forcing one to think and evoke a response? Increasing your self-awareness is one of the best ways to develop and grow as a human being. If you assume that everything is going fine, why would you attempt to fix something that isn’t broken?

In a nutshell, the book listed the six basic fears: the fear of poverty, the fear of criticism, the fear of ill health, the fear of loss of love of someone, the fear of old age as well as the fear of death. All in all, fear is simply a state of mind. Every human being has the ability to completely control his own mind, and with this control, obviously, every person may open his mind to the tramp thought impulses which are being released by other brains, or close the doors tightly and admit only thought impulses of his own choice.

The six basic fears become translated into a state of worry, through indecision. Relieve yourself, forever of the fear of death, by reaching a decision to accept death as an inescapable event. Whip the fear of poverty by reaching a decision to get along with whatever wealth you can accumulate without worry. Put your foot upon the neck of the fear of criticism by reaching a decision not to worry about what other people think, do, or say. Eliminate the fear of old age by reaching a decision to accept it, not as a handicap, but as a great blessing which carries with it wisdom, self-control, and understanding not known to youth. Acquit yourself of the fear of ill health by the decision to forget symptoms. Master the fear of loss of love by reaching a decision to get along without love, if that is necessary.

Kill the habit of worry, in all its forms, by reaching a general, blanket decision that nothing which life has to offer is worth the price of worry. With this decision will come poise, peace of mind, and calmness of thought which will bring happiness.

This is the line that really hit me:

“Life is a checkboard, and the player opposite you is time. If you hesitate before moving, or neglect to move promptly, your men will be wiped off the board by time. You are playing against a partner who will not tolerate indecision!”

Was a good read.