Think and Grow Rich test: Do you form your own opinions?

December 8, 2009 by JD · 7 Comments
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 35. Do you form your own opinions or do you let yourself be influenced by others?

I definitely form my own opinions.

While I try to learn from others and value a range of different opinions from a variety of people, I form my own opinions and make my own decisions.

This annoys some people who know me. Some of them would rather that I’d just “join the crowd.” I’m just not like that.

When I was growing up, one of the anthems was “question authority,” and I’ve always done that.

I took it a step further and entered the realm of the philosophers when I decided to “question reality.”

I don’t take anything on its face value, no matter what authority it calls upon.

Sometimes it makes life more difficult, but it also means that I’m carving out my own slice of the pie and living my life on my own terms – for good or bad.

I will listen to others’ opinions and respect them for what they are – their opinions.

Whether I agree with them or not, is an entirely different matter.

When I was younger, I would stay up late at night and debate issues that nobody has ever solved or agreed upon. It was a valuable exercise in debate and logic – and, now and then, tempers would flare for awhile.

These days, I tend to debate with myself rather than others, but I still look at many sides of the issues I consider before making a decision.

Even when I do decide upon an opinion, it is still open for debate and reconsideration at a later date, if I get more facts to consider or encounter differing opinions of which I was previously unaware. It can make life interesting and dynamic, instead of being stuck in the ruts that others have carved and want us to travel within.

I’m not conceited enough to think that I’m always right, but I try to do the best I can.

What about you?

Do you form your own opinions or do you let yourself be influenced by others?

All the best,

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

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-06

December 6, 2009 by JD · Comments Off
Filed under: Twitter

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