Reflections On Sunrise

 “I have a dream …”
   ~  Martin Luther King

What a beautiful quote, in honor of this fine man, as we continue our contemplations on “Thinking and Growing Rich” and The 4th Principle of Success or Specialized Knowledge.

Wikipedia says of King’s early life that he was “a precocious student, skipping both the ninth and the twelfth grades and entered Morehouse College at age fifteen without formally graduating from high school.” It’s worth taking a moment to read King’s bio on Wikipedia, noting the Principles of Success that King, like Gandhi, possessed: Specialized knowledge being one of them! read more

“Knowledge has no value except for what can be gained from it’s application toward some worthy end.”

It’s a still and hazy morning here in the Virgin Islands, creating a surprisingly nice filter to this morning’s sunrise.   I might have guessed this sunrise would be pretty, as friends posted some pretty spectacular sunset photos last night, one catching the elusive “green flash”.   Thanks Mother Nature for keeping me on my toes … There’s something to be said for just showing up with an open-minded attitude ! read more

“You, and you alone, must decide whether or not the reward is worth the price you must pay for it in effort.”
  ~ Napoleon Hill

The Third Principle of Success:  Autosuggestion.

“Nature has built human beings, so that, through our five senses, we can have control over the material that reaches our subconscious mind. ”

We have already been introduced to the concept of Auto-Suggestion earlier in the book, but it appears so important, Hill gives the concept it’s own chapter.  And we are instructed to come back to this chapter – which repeats the Six Steps of Turning Desire into Gold – and re-read it after we finish the book.  It is of such great importance, it will warrant repeating in practically every chapter !! read more

“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”
~ Steve Jobs

Good morning friends! Since I began blogging this year, I’ve changed my method for writing. In the past, I’d write immediately after catching the sunrise.  This lent itself to a certain level of stress, as some days I just didn’t feel like writing.

Now, all I have to do is catch the sunrise.  And even that can hold a challenge, as this morning, I was exhausted from a very challenging villa turnover … That, coupled with the full moon, did not lend itself to a good night’s sleep. read more

“Riches begin in the form of thought and faith removes limitations.”
  ~ Napoleon Hill

It’s a beautiful still morning here on St. Thomas today.  The Christmas winds have “slowed down”, allowing me to slow down too, and spend some time contemplating on my morning bench.

As we continue on with Think and Grow Rich, to end the chapter on our second principle of success –  faith in our abilities – Hill tells the story of the United States Steel Corporation. read more

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”
  ~ Buddha.

Following the first Principle of Success, Desire, we are introduced to the 2nd Principle of Success: Faith in Our Ability.

I personally found this chapter fascinating.  I re-read it a number of times, getting a little something different each time, including noticing that Buddha and Napoleon Hill seem to be preaching from the same scripture 😉

Napoleon Hill expresses Buddha’s most widely quoted tenant this way:  “You are what you are because of the dominating thoughts that you permit to occupy your mind.  There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge.” read more