Sean Rasmussen

Are you skeptical? Is the thought of one all-powerful secret to wealth creation leaving you in doubt? Let Hill’s long list of well-known, wealthy and successful men speak to the effectiveness of creating wealth through his identified principles and, ultimately, the all-encompassing ‘secret‘.

“While I was performing the twenty year task of research, which I had undertaken at Andrew Carnegie’s request, I analyzed hundreds of well known men, many of whom admitted that they had accumulated their vast fortunes through the aid of the Andrew Carnegie secret; among these men were:

The Mentors

“HENRY FORD, WILLIAM WRIGLEY JR., JOHN WANAMAKER, JAMES J. HILL, GEORGE S. PARKER…GEORGE EASTMAN, THEODORE ROOSEVELT, JOHN W. DAVIS, ELBERT HUBBARD, WILBUR WRIGHT, WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN, DR. DMTID STARR JORDAN, J. ODGEN ARMOUR, CHARLES M. SCHWAB, HARRIS F. WILLIAMS, DR. FRANK GUNSAULUS, DANIEL WILLARD, KING GILLETTE, RALPH A. WEEKS, JUDGE DANIEL T. WRIGHT, JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, THOMAS A. EDISON…F. W. WOOLWORTH, COL. ROBERT A. DOLLAR, EDWARD A. FILENE, EDWIN C. BARNES, ARTHUR BRISBANE, WOODROW WILSON…DR. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL…CLARENCE DARROW”

The list goes on and on, but this sampling of notable men should give you at least some small proof that this secret is an effective cornerstone, and essential element in building wealth.

One Secret To Their Success

Note, however, that Napoleon Hill does not suggest that Andrew Carnegie personally taught this secret to each of these men (although among them there are some who learned the secret from him). These are men who were identified as great successes and wealthy individuals. That is why they were chosen as subjects to study in order to uncover the secret and the thirteen principles elemental to using it. These men all had certain aspects in common that boiled down to the one secret to their success.

I will see you back here Monday and Thursday every week for the continuation of the Mindset Mastery series.

Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 - 2008

There have been 2100 downloads of The Mindset Mastery eBook. My Easter Video proved popular too. I’m happy that so many people are benefiting from the book and am currently posting articles daily to help everyone a bit more.

Willpower vs Goals and Dreams

I touched on the topic of willpower yesterday. There are some areas where your power of choice and willpower really help you the more than others. One area is of course when you’re setting goals. And not just when you are setting goals but also when others are striving towards theirs. It’s easy to set targets and goals but how easy it is to stay motivated? Most goals are washed down the “tube of lost dreams” while only some come into fruition. We can support our own goals, along with our friends goals in many ways. The best way is simply to stay aware of the goals on a permanent basis.

How to support dreams and goals: Know that they are there

It’s easy to forget that everyone is trying to reach a goal at some point or another – especially when we have our own plans in place. We forget that by not taking a moment to notice others, we aren’t being as supportive as they might need us to be. If the tables were turned in this situation; we would want someone to cheer for us - wouldn’t we? Here’s how you can help others (and help yourself at the same time). Talking with others about their goals and dreams is the first step in learning how you can help. By simply asking others what they are planning on doing and how they are planning on reaching a specific goal, you can begin to show your interest as well as help them see the value of the work they are doing. Be interested in what others have to say and they will also help you look at your personal goals in a positive light as well.

Follow up with those whose goals you have learned

By checking in with people ever so often, you can show this person that they have someone supporting them and ready to help them should they need help. Even if they are always on track, it’s fun to see the progress of someone else – inspiring too. At the same time, if this person does need help, make sure to step in to help if you can or give them the direction they need to get unstuck.

Celebrate the success of others when you learn about it. A fun greeting card or a quick e-mail can help someone feel like they have really succeeded and that their work has been validated. Make sure to tell them that they are an inspiration to you as well, as they will be.

Also, don’t forget to reward yourself along the way when you achieve stepping stones and waypoints towards your own goals.

Have a most outstanding day

Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 - 2008

A few years ago, I used to work through holidays. This was not always by direct choice. Often I would be told to work by the boss. Other times, I was chasing the money. You know the term: Lose the farm? I nearly did. So money was always the elusive chase in exchange for time and lifestyle. You can read my intro to the Mindset Mastery eBook and you’ll get a fair idea what I went through physically and emotionally. This was my motivation to my Easter Message that I posted on this blog.

We are born with the power of choice

At the end of the day, though, it was my own choice to work through the holidays. I have no one to blame than myself for my own decisions and choices. And the news is this: Nor have you! We are all born with the power of Choice and Free Will. That is a powerful thing to have and something to be eternally grateful for. We make decisions every day that affect our own and others lives, for good and bad. So, with that in mind, let’s talk about Willpower or Self Control.

Willpower and your ability to change

Creating the will to change is easy – maintaining it is where most people have problems. We all have things we want to change about ourselves and we’ve been taught that if we just use our willpower, we will be able to succeed. But time and time again, this doesn’t seem to be the best advice. When it comes to making permanent changes in your life, maybe you need to rethink willpower.

When you think about what makes you tick, you need to realize that your free will is what sets you apart from other species. You aren’t acting on instinct most of the time – you’re acting based on your choices and your ability to reason out your choices. That’s free will. So when you want to change something in your life, you need to call upon this free will to make the right decision. And that’s where things get tricky.

Having the ability to choose doesn’t just mean that we should be compelled to make the right choice; it means that we have the opportunity to make any choice – even if it’s not the best one for us. Thus, calling on willpower to help us make better choices isn’t really going to work. Call on willpower only calls upon your ability to make a choice.

So, how do you make the right choice?

What does work is creating a new way of thinking in our brains that will compel us to make better choices that are more in line with our goals. By creating lists of reasons for wanting to reach a certain goal or measuring our progress as we move toward a particular goal, we can begin to see a compelling argument for moving our will into a different direction.

Our willpower isn’t the only tool we have in motivation our personal success – but it certainly can be a powerful one, once you understand how it works.

Have a most outstanding day

Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 - 2008