Finding Inspiration When Going Solo

Napoleon Hill reading his book 1937.

“Going solo” is a popular term that describes the decision to become an entrepreneur.

Striking out on one’s own has always been an attractive alternative for people who are dissatisfied with working for a large company.  In today’s economy, it has also become a survival strategy for people who are unemployed or for people who have a job but need extra income to cover the mortgage or pay the bills.

Everyone who goes solo wants success, but many people don’t have a clear vision of how to achieve it.

No one plans on failing when embarking on a solo career, and yet some do.  Besides luck and being in the right place at the right time, what are the factors that cause one person to succeed while another fails?

Knowledge is an important part of starting a business and passion is the fuel that keeps an entrepreneur going when times get tough.  But perhaps the most important component of success is daily attitude.  A positive and happy attitude will provide the inspiration, motivation and self-belief that are required to keep going when times are tough.  If you’d like to go solo or have recently made the leap, you need to remember that a positive attitude will allow you to rededicate yourself each day to your vision of success.

Reading about people who have succeeded is a great way to boost your attitude.

You can gain a better understanding of what success is and what it takes to achieve it by studying the lives of successful people.  This approach was first promoted by a journalist named Napoleon Hill.  Born in a one-room cabin in Virginia in 1883, Hill began his writing career when still a teenager as a reporter for a small town newspaper.

The turning point in Hill’s career came in 1908, when he was assigned to interview billionaire Andrew Carnegie, who was at that time was one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.  Carnegie explained to Hill a theory he had that success could be summed up by a simple formula that could be used by anyone.  The catch was that Carnegie couldn’t articulate this formula.  Instead, he suggested that Hill take on a project of interviewing 500 famous and successful men and women in an effort to define the formula for success that Carnegie believe existed.

Over the next 20 years, Hill interviewed most of the leading figures of his time, including Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and Henry Ford. He became an advisor to Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt.  He eventually developed a “Philosophy of Achievement” that summarized the common traits and beliefs of successful people.  Hill became a founder of the genre of personal success writing with the publication of “Think and Grow Rich” in 1937.

This book stands as one of the best-selling books of all time. Download it here for free.

Hill’s philosophy resonates today because it was based on an examination of the universal mind-set of successful people.

These are 5 of the most important concepts of
Hill’s Philosophy of Achievement

• Achievement begins with purpose. Successful people work toward a definite goal.  “Decide what you want, find out how to get it, and then take daily action toward achieving your goal.”

• A positive mental attitude will attract what you desire. Focus on the things you want and avoid thinking about the negative.  “A positive Mental Attitude is the greatest of life’s riches…  It is through this attitude that anything worthwhile is achieved.”

• Enthusiasm is born from physical and mental energy. Healthy living and a healthy body are key components of enthusiasm.  “Enthusiasm is a state of mind.  It inspires action and is the most contagious of all emotions.”

• We can control our thoughts and actions through self-discipline and self-determination.  “Direct your thoughts, control your emotions and ordain your destiny!”

• Every defeat contains the seed of a greater benefit. Every problem has a solution that can be found.  “If you can look at problems as temporary setbacks and stepping-stones to success, you will come to believe that the only limitations you have are the ones in your own mind.”

Napoleon Hill is a good place to start in any study of success, but there’s no reason to read only Hill.  Just as an athlete continuously trains for an event, any person who has embarked on a solo career needs to constantly seek out new knowledge and understanding.

Make a list of your own mentors for success and then seek out information on how they achieved it.

In addition, you need to constantly increase your knowledge of the field of business where you want to succeed.  Personal development is a key factor to success as an entrepreneur.

As your knowledge increases, it’s important to set goals and take action.  This goes back to having a clear vision of how to succeed.  You begin with a vision and then create a plan.

As your knowledge and experience grow, your plan should become more detailed.  Each day you should accomplish something that moves you along the path to your goal of success.  It may be just a small step, but a positive mental attitude will help you see that your overall success may be built on a series of small steps.

Having a positive attitude can’t be dependent on circumstance.

Problems arise with friends, family and health, but your mental attitude can’t be affected.  Thinking that happiness will come with success or with some future event is like living underwater and holding your breath.

Decide that you will be happy today, and let happiness be the oxygen that gives you life.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” Napoleon Hill

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