I know that there are some out there who have been able to make a transformation like I’m under very quickly – they saw what they wanted to do, Had already been working at it for some time, then found their time and direction and moved very clearly.
Yet for many, their stories are like mine… they desperately want to have some business of their own to succeed at, but it eludes them. That’s a very frustrating place to be and it can lead to discouragement and heartbreak. I want to reach out to those who are having that struggle and pass onto them something a mentor of mine, Jim Piccolo, has burned into my mind…”Never, Never, Never, Ever Give Up!!!” So much of this whole world has to do with perseverance and adversity; these are the things that make us what we are. This quest is only partly about what we want to achieve, but it’s more about who we become in the process.
At some point I’ll tell you about the opportunities that I’m involved with, some of which you will see on the pages in my blog, but this issue of persevering is one I think we need to tackle first. I’ve been at this for awhile and I’ve learned quite a bit about adversity, so I think I’ve got some thoughts of value. There are no magic formulas because it takes slugging it through the throes of life to learn some of these lessons. I actually worry about some folks who have had it too easy in life. They may have never really learned the hard lessons that root deep into a soul. So if you hit walls in this quest or have setbacks and disappointments, count it joyfully because those are the opportunities to learn some of the important things in life. Remember… Never, Never, Never, Ever, Give Up.
When anyone starts on this journey, one of the things you always get is a reading list of books. It always seems overwhelming because it’s a lot of reading. But I’m telling you, it’s absolutely essential. You see the first thing you need to learn is not the ‘How’ of the business you want to find yourself in, but it’s the ‘How Come’ – why you want to do it, and it’s also the ‘How To Be’ the person you need to be when you’re in that place you want to be. If you don’t have both of those settled in your mind, you’ll be climbing up a sand hill with sand continually poured at the top.
And of course, at the top of that list is usually the tried and true “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. 
Now, I’ve actually read through T&GR a couple of times, and I’ll admit, I really didn’t let it sink in. I think for a couple of reasons. One, I chose my reading materials cautiously and test for truth. I don’t just jump at what someone says and take it as gospel truth. People can say anything, but it doesn’t make it true. And as a confessional Lutheran for whom the writings of the Bible hold the ultimate truth for all of us on this earth, I’m concerned not only with what brings success in this life, but more with the truths that take us to eternity. That being said, although T&GR is not a religious text in any sense of the word, it does describe principles that our Creator has put to work in this life that we can discover. I’m convinced that Napoleon Hill has described the nature of these truths – truths that have been consistent across so many lives – and I believe it’s probably the best text from which to learn them.
The second reason is, frankly, that I don’t think I was ready to receive them. I wasn’t hungry enough. I can’t make myself hungry, but I’m convinced that if I don’t continue moving forwards in this quest I’ll sit stagnant and quit. So, the best way I know to deal with what hunger I do have for this transformation is to discipline myself to feed on this ‘food for the mind’ that is readily available.
I picked up a Think and Grow Rich workbook awhile ago and have been trying to figure out a way to just get through it – all the way through it and really digest it. I came on the idea for this blog because I had picked out the domain name EpicTransformation over a year ago. At this point it seems somewhat fortuitous because I think this subject is a perfect fit, don’t you? So here’s my plan… I will go through every chapter in this workbook, which actually takes you through the actual book itself, and with each chapter, I’ll share what I’ve learned here on these pages. That way, I’ll not only force myself to walk through the book, but in summarizing it for you, I’ll also have to restate the lessons, which is one of the best ways to learn.
So if you have a copy, read along with me. If you don’t, go get a copy and read along. Either way, we’ll all learn and grow.
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