Applying Napoleon Hill's Lesson On Adversity
"Every adversity, every failure, and every heartache carries with it the Seed of an equivalent or a greater Benefit."
- from "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill
I love that lesson from Napoleon Hill because it shows us how our beliefs, which include our thoughts, values, and attitudes, directly affect our feelings and actions.
The theory that our beliefs influence our feelings and actions is not new.
This viewpoint was put forward over two thousand years ago by the stoic philosopher Epictetus and his student Marcus Aurelius.
It is not necessarily the events in our lives that shape our actions, but what we choose to believe about these events.
Recent adversity and heartache in my life:
My father, who is 80 years old, had a very difficult surgery 2 weeks ago.
There were post-operation complications, and his recovery has been very slow and painful.
How have my beliefs about this event influenced my reactions?
We can summarize our thoughts into 2 categories: rational and irrational.
Irrational thoughts about my father's illness could be characterized by "awfulizing" and "terriblizing":
- "This is just so terrible, why does he have to go through this?"
- "How absolutely awful this is. I can't handle this. This can't be happening."
Irrational thoughts tend to lead to undesirable and often inappropriate reactions such as anxiety, depression, and rage.
Rational thoughts can be described as viewing adversity as unfortunate and undesirable, but something that can be dealt with and worked through.
My thoughts about my father's surgery have been rational and have helped me to deal with the situation in a practical way.
This has made it possible for me to look for the "seed of benefit" from this adversity:
- I have been able to show my Dad that I love him, not only in words, but by actions
- we have been able to have many intimate discussions
- I have been inspired to engage in heartfelt prayer
- I have experienced the love and support of friends, family, and strangers
How is this related to online marketing?
We all face challenges in our lives and our attempts at making money online are no exception.
Who hasn't experienced procrastination, information overload, frustration, or writer's block?
The key is to look at the event and see if you have any irrational thoughts surrounding the issue.
For example, you keep putting off writing an ebook.
What are you thinking about this?
- are you avoiding it because you see the work as burdensome?
- do you keep delaying because you think it HAS to be perfect?
- are you putting yourself down for procrastinating, thereby causing anxiety which leads to more procrastination?
If you discover that you have any irrational thoughts, dispute them, and get rid of them.
The process of identifying irrational beliefs and replacing them with rational beliefs is an extremely powerful way to help you get more of what you want in life.
This is based on the work of American psychologist Albert Ellis.
I highly recommend reading his "New Guide to Rational Living".
His work, known as Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) offers a very practical and effective method for personal development.
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June 18th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Thanks for sharing your story. It's amazing how easy it actually can be to replace our irrational (or even unhelpful rational thoughts). You point is valuable - if we can discover them, we can dispute them and then dispose of them!
Best regards
Robert
June 18th, 2008 at 8:55 am
@ Robert - it can be easy, but it usually does involve work, yes, that famous, four-letter word, to not only dispute irrational thoughts but also to take action to work against and overcome undesirable behaviour.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Napoleon Hill's writings are classic for a reason. He's one of the people I go back to all the time for inspiration. His writings help me look at things rationally and from a different angle.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:58 am
My dad had congestive heart failure 7 years ago and it changed our relationship. He was able to see I love him by the dedication I showed to his recovery. The great part is, he's still around and has had time to enjoy that knowledge.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
You always have a choice in how you respond to a situation. If life hands you lemons, you can sit and whine or you can make lemonade!
I've found in my life that many situations that were so terrible when they were happening turned out to be blessings in disguise. Staying positive as much as you can really does help.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
@ Niche - I find inspiration from Napoleon's writings as well. And I think there are some very practical lessons there.
@ Terry - I'm hoping that my Dad will still be around for awhile and I feel that our relationship has deepened so it will be nice to explore that further once he is out of the hospital and back on his feet.
@ Darlene - yes, I think there are always blessings to be found, if you stay positive and choose to take that viewpoint.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Applying Napoleon Hill's Lesson On Adversity…
In "Think and Grow Rich", Napoleon Hill wrote, "Every adversity, every failure, and every heartache carries with it the Seed of an equivalent or a greater Benefit." It is not necessarily the events in our lives that shape our actions, but what we c…