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Think and Grow Rich test: Do you complain about feeling bad?

September 24, 2009 by JD
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

My answers to the Think and Grow Rich Self-Assessment Test

Recently, I was reminded of the self-assessment test in Napoleon Hill’s best-selling book, Think and Grow Rich.

There are fifty-four questions in that test, and I’m going to be giving my answers and thoughts on one or two of them as close to daily as I can manage. I may miss a day here or there, but I’m going to follow through until I reach the end of the test.

I’ve started the series of posts with:

Think and Grow Rich self-assessment test

Question Number 1. Do you often complain about “feeling bad?” If so, why?

In all the years that I’ve been taking this test, I’ve almost always answered “no” to this question.

I’ve been blessed with a life of good health, strength, very few doctors visits, and almost no hospital visits.

However, if I’m going to be truthful – and there is no reason to do this if I’m not – then I have to change my answer to “yes” this time.

When I was younger, I did a lot of physical labor, including working for several years paving roads and pouring concrete sidewalks as well as miles and miles of curb and gutter.

Other than spring and fall allergies, which can sometimes be severe, I’ve lead a pretty healthy life.

It’s not that I don’t get sick. I had pneumonia a few times as a child and teenager and I tend to get most of the colds and flus that come around, but usually they have been relatively mild.

It all changed a few years ago

On the day before Thanksgiving about five years ago, or thereabouts, I was repairing the concrete steps and sidewalk on Mom’s house.

As the afternoon progressed, I started running a fever and got to feeling progressively worse. I had been feeling fine before noon.

I managed to finish the job and clean the tools and put them away.

Then, I lived on the couch for the next week.

I was Mom’s full-time caretaker, so, no matter how bad I felt, I still had to help her and prepare her meals. There were a few days when it was very difficult to do these things, and I certainly didn’t want to eat anything.

I remember one day that I didn’t have the strength to walk to the kitchen and actually crawled there. Still, I managed to prepare Mom’s meals and help her with the other things she needed.

Other than that, all I did was sleep. Mom was very worried, to say the least.

So why didn’t you go to the hospital or doctor?

It’s been over 10 years since I’ve had health insurance and I simply could not afford to get medical help.

When I finally got out of credit card hell over 15 years ago, I swore that I would never get in debt again, and I haven’t. In fact, if it comes down to it, I’d rather be dead than living in debt.

So, since I could not afford a “visit” to the doctor or hospital, it was up to me to get better or not.

It took about a week, but eventually, I was back on my feet and even eating a bit.

A couple of weeks later, I was pretty much back to normal.

Except, that I wasn’t

I thought I was back to normal, but the truth is that I’ve never again had the strength or stamina I used to have before that illness.

Now, it’s all I can do to work for a half-hour or so, and then I have to rest. Previously, I could put in 16- to 18- hour work days and be ready to go again the next day.

These days, I can’t even manage to mow the grass.

I don’t want attention for feeling bad

I know people who spend their days talking about what’s wrong with them, and I don’t want to be one of those people.

I try not to talk about feeling bad, but sometimes it feels like the right thing to do, like when I was explaining why I haven’t done much on my blogs this month.

But, I don’t want to be defined by illness and bad health.

I want to be as positive as I can, but I also have to be realistic.

The truth is that I can’t do what I used to do and I’m not nearly as healthy as I once was.

More health problems this year

Earlier this year, I went through another round of health problems and got progressively weaker over several months. At one point, I got to where I could barely hobble from one room to the other using a cane, and seriously considered using Mom’s old walker.

I got to where it was a chore to buy groceries and had to use a cane everywhere I went, so that meant I went even less than I wanted.

My daughter and brother got really worried about me, but after a month or two, I began to grow stronger. I’m still worse off than I was a year ago, but much better than six months ago.

Is it an excuse when you tell the truth?

So, I have to wonder out loud. Am I just making excuses when I tell you that I’ve been too sick this month to do much work?

Would I be better off lying and saying everything is great, even when it’s obvious that it isn’t?

Do we expect an honest answer when someone asks us how we’re doing?

If you asked Zig Ziglar how he was doing, he’d likely say something like, “Better than good, and that’s an understatement.”

Is this a matter of being honest, or is it a matter of defining your expectations and taking action to realize them?

Did saying he was better than good actually make him better than good?

The power of positive and negative thoughts

I’ve watched people who were experiencing declining health.

Some refused to admit it and kept up a positive stream of thoughts until the day they died. They were a pleasure to be around and I usually felt better after visiting them.

Others dwelt upon their bad health and constantly complained about it. I always felt drained after visiting them, and swore I’d never become one of them.

Even if positive thoughts won’t change your condition, they can change the environment in which you live and can greatly affect those around you.

I have to come to terms with this

Most people don’t see me as happy, and, truthfully, it’s been a long time since I’ve really felt happy. I’m comfortable, and mostly satisfied, but not happy.

I try to remain positive and to encourage as many people as I can.

But, when someone asks me how I am, I generally tell the truth.

On a good day, I’m “finer than frog hair split three ways.”

On a bad day, I’m “not feeling well.”

I’d much rather talk about the good days and concentrate on feeling good, rather than tell you how I feel on the days I’m not doing so well.

Is it better to lie?

Sometimes I think it really is better to answer some questions with a lie.

If a truthful answer is setting you and those around you up for a negative experience, is it better to lie?

I don’t know.

I would never advocate lying about serious questions, however.

If someone asked me if I would help them do something, I would never say yes, unless I fully intended to do it. If I really didn’t plan on helping them, I’d give them a straight answer so they could find someone else.

However, I’m wondering if it is better all around to just answer “Great!” whenever I’m asked how I’m doing or how I feel.

Committed to complaining less about everything

I’m going to make a strong commitment to complain less about everything, especially about feeling bad.

I won’t lie, but I will do my best to keep the complaining at a minimum.

What about you?

Do you often complain about “feeling bad?” If so, why?

Act on your dream!

Tags: Napoleon Hill, self-assessment, test, Think and Grow Rich

Comments

5 Comments on Think and Grow Rich test: Do you complain about feeling bad?

Mitch on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 10:54 pm

First, I hope I catch all of these because I think the journey might end up being good for both of us.

The last six weeks, I’ve been doing the Get Clients Now process, and a part of it is grading how you feel each day, as well as how your body feels. I’ve noticed that less than 50% of the time do I have both criteria over 5, which is midpoint but not quite, if you know what I mean. Now, I don’t know that I complain about it all that often, but I do acknowledge it, and I don’t like it one bit. I will tell my wife I’m tired, and I’ll acknowledge when my glucose is high, but otherwise, I tell people I’m okay so often that they expect that’s just my pat answer instead of how I’m feeling.

Having said that, I don’t let it stop me from doing things, though I produce a heck of a lot more when I’m feeling better. I try to find something to help me break out of the malaise, and I find that when I’m serious about it I’m eating better; seems to be a correlation there.

I’m sorry you’re not as happy a guy as you’ve been in the past. I hope this link gives you at least a quick little laugh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdwuiyO7hOU&feature=fvw
.-= Mitch´s last blog ..Creating Your Own Products; Let Me Talk About Mine =-.

JD on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 1:44 am

After answering this question last evening, I read my friend Mitch’s blog post on The Secret.

As a result, I took a break, ate a snack, and watched the movie, again.

While watching the movie, I had a flash of inspiration.

I realized that when I was growing up and for most of my adult life, the only time I could really take a break was when I was sick. If I was sick and running a fever, I could stay home from school. The same was true for staying home from work.

In my family, being sick was the only acceptable reason for not doing something that was required of us.

I’m thinking now that I may be making myself feel worse than I should as a way to get out of doing some things I don’t want to do, or at least to take a break.

The ironic thing is that I’m an adult and own my own business. I can take a day or week off any time I want and I don’t have to be sick to do it.

But, am I still a product of my upbringing?

Do I still feel the need to be sick when I want to take time off to think or sleep?

I’m thinking right now that this may be the case, at least part of it.

There’s no doubt that I’ve had health problems, but by focusing on them instead of focusing on being healthy, there’s a good chance that I’m making things worse, even if that isn’t my conscious intent.

Something to think about.

Act on your dream!

JD on Sat, 26th Sep 2009 3:44 am

Good morning, Mitch.

I hope you catch all of these, too. I think the process of working through these questions and the thoughts they bring up will be beneficial to anyone who participates and may have value for others who just read what we’re saying.

You said:

I’ve noticed that less than 50% of the time do I have both criteria over 5, which is midpoint but not quite, if you know what I mean. Now, I don’t know that I complain about it all that often, but I do acknowledge it, and I don’t like it one bit. I will tell my wife I’m tired, and I’ll acknowledge when my glucose is high, but otherwise, I tell people I’m okay so often that they expect that’s just my pat answer instead of how I’m feeling

You raise a great point here. Is acknowledging that we feel bad the same as complaining? I don’t think it is.

Still, it may come across that way to others.

Truthfully, I don’t know which is better, to just disappear for awhile when I’m not feeling good enough to write, or to acknowledge it and try to do whatever I can each day.

I certainly don’t go around telling everyone I come into contact with that something is wrong with me, but, if they ask, I tend to tell the truth. That may not be the best strategy, but it is honest.

I learned a long time ago that there just isn’t any point in trying to force myself to do something I don’t feel like doing. When I do, I’ll produce an inferior product at a slower pace. For me, it’s better to do something else until I feel like being productive, again.

Then, almost always, I can do enough in a few days to more than make up for the days I missed.

I’m not saying that would be right for everyone, but it does seem to work well for me.

I also think you’re right about eating well. A few years ago, I completely changed my diet. As a result, I’ve lost over 100 pounds and I know the foods that I’m eating are better for me than a constant diet of hamburgers, pizza, fried chicken, and all the related side-plates.

These days, I tend to eat more baked chicken than fried chicken, a hamburger every couple of weeks or less, and pizza only rarely.

As much as I love doughnuts and cinnamon buns, especially with my morning coffee, I rarely eat them anymore.

I’m eating a couple of boiled eggs instead of three or four fried eggs with bacon or sausage and several biscuits. Many mornings, breakfast consists of a little oatmeal, instead of the omelets I love so much.

I’m eating more fruit, even though I really don’t like most fruit.

I love ice cream, but now I eat only a tiny fraction of what I used to eat.

I think it has made a real difference, but it has not helped me feel better.

Truthfully, I felt much better eating a terrible diet when my health was better, but we grow older and have to make adjustments.

I would love to watch that video, but my Internet connection is so slow that I won’t be able to see it. Maybe the next time I visit my daughter or go to the library I’ll remember to watch it. I do appreciate the suggestion.

The matter of being happy has not seemed all that important to me.

I enjoy the things I do, but I have never been a real smiley and laughing kind of guy. I love visiting my family, but would not say that it makes me happy.

I’m going to have to think a lot more about this whole happy thing. Right now, I just don’t grok it.

When I lived in a city, I loathed all the noise, traffic, and congestion. Now that I’ve lived in the mountains for a couple of decades, I find that I’m content here and really appreciate that I’m living somewhere I enjoy. I love the scenery, the people, and the friendlier atmosphere.

So, in almost all aspects of my life, I’m content and satisfied.

Is that more or less important than being happy?

Act on your dream!

Mitch on Sat, 26th Sep 2009 9:20 am

We all must try to find the things that make us happy in life. I think, however, that for me, it’s balanced between how I feel also. And when I’m not feeling well, then there’s little that can make me happy. I’m not unhappy, by the way; I’m more neutral than anything else.

I need to give up more of those things you mentioned. I have diabetes but not high blood pressure, and no problems with cholesterol; at least not yet. And I don’t complain about how I feel in public unless specifically asked; just being “okay” works for me because I’m not lying, and it’s almost a noncommittal answer, if you know what I mean.

I keep forgetting about your slow internet connection; man!
.-= Mitch´s last blog ..An Interview With Jim Turner =-.

JD on Sat, 26th Sep 2009 11:15 am

Good afternoon, Mitch.

I’m like you. I’m not unhappy, but I’m not happy. Just sailing somewhere in the middle, but closer to the happy side. Maybe a 6 or 7 if happy is 10.

I won’t complain much about my slow connection today. It’s been raining a lot here for over a week and all this old copper phone line is saturated. That means more noise and slower connections. Today I’m connecting at about half the speed I normally do, and the normal connection is slow. sigh.

I hear thunder approaching slowly, looks like I may take some time off to read or take a nap, soon.

Act on your dream!

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