Think and Grow Rich test: What are your three most damaging weaknesses?

November 16, 2009 by JD · 1 Comment
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

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

Question Number 31. Can you name your three most damaging weaknesses and explain what you are doing to control them?

I hate this type of question! I don’t like it in interviews and I don’t like it here.

OK. I feel better now that I have that out of my system.

I don’t like to admit that I have any weaknesses and I believe it is much more productive to identify your strengths and make the best use of them that you can than it is to spend too much time looking at your weaknesses.

Still, I understand that there is some value in this, especially if those weaknesses are interfering with being able to exercise your strengths effectively.

So, enough beating around the bush, JD. What are your three most damaging weaknesses and what are you doing to control them?

1. Procrastination.

This is not as much of a problem as it used to be. Still, there are times when I know I have to do something that I don’t want to do and I’m really good at finding other things to do, instead.

Most days, I try to tackle something as it comes up, unless I have other, more important things that have to get done first.

Prioritizing and scheduling have helped lessen my tendency to procrastinate, but I still have to be aware of this tendency and keep it in check.

2. I’m a slob.

I have a very high tolerance for disorder in my life and I’m not good at organizing things in the real 3-D world and putting them in their place.

In fact, I frequently don’t even see the problem until it is pointed out to me.

While I can organize just about anything on a computer, it gets much more difficult out there in the real world. When this is coupled with my tendency to procrastinate, it can result in things looking like a tornado went through my office.

I’m a piler, not a filer.

I’m trying to control this and to get things back under control, but it is very difficult for me. One of my main goals is to declutter my life and I’ve been doing that in my business by dropping things that are unproductive, but I haven’t been as successful in my real-world life.

That’s tied in with my tendency to be a…

3. I’m a packrat.

I hang on to everything because I might need it “one of these days.”

I know that is a symptom of poverty-consciousness, but it’s a fact of life for me.

I could blame Mom for this, because she was a world-class packrat, but I won’t. I do it to myself and it’s my problem.

I remember 30 years ago when I could put everything I owned into my pickup and tie my canoe on top and I could go anywhere I wanted.

Now, I couldn’t do that with an 18-wheeler, maybe two of them.

There’s no excuse for it. I know.

Still, it’s a very difficult thing to overcome and I don’t know how I’m going to come to terms with this and get things back under control.

I’ll continue working on it.

I hate talking about this. I hate telling you my weaknesses. It’s something I need to deal with.

What about you?

Can you name your three most damaging weaknesses and explain what you are doing to control them?

All the best,

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

Think and Grow Rich test: Do you analyze mistakes and try to learn from them?

November 11, 2009 by JD · 4 Comments
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

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

Question Number 30. Do you analyze mistakes and try to learn from them?

Yes, I do.

As some have pointed out, I tend more towards over analyzing than under analyzing a situation.

I don’t like repeating mistakes and I try hard to learn from my own mistakes as well as those I see others making.

Perhaps it would not be a real mistake for them, but it would be for me.

As I get older, I feel more strongly about being true to myself and acting with as much character as I can muster.

Sometimes it places some limits on what I’ll do that others feel are too self-limiting, but that’s okay. When I look in the mirror, I want to see someone who is comfortable with himself and true to his word.

Some mistakes I’ve made in the past include…

…too much credit card debt. I solved that one and have no debt, now. I still use a couple of debit cards, but no credit cards.

…promoting something for the money, even if I didn’t believe in it. For example, for a year or so, I promoted a variety of credit cards on my sites. They offered good commissions, but it never felt right. Eventually, I stopped doing it. The money I lost was not worth the self-respect it was costing me. Now, I feel better.

…buying someone else’s content and putting my name on it. When I first got started with affiliate marketing, I subscribed to a service and received a year’s worth of mailing list articles. They were well-written and informative, but I knew what I was doing was wrong, even though I had a license to use them. I was misrepresenting something as my work, and it wasn’t. That is clearly wrong, even though many people would disagree with me. So, I stopped doing it. Now, I write all my own content and feel good about putting my name on it. It’s a lot more work, but I think it’s more effective and certainly more honest.

…fighting with my brother. Arguing with a sibling is a part of growing up, but it can be carried to extremes. I remember the exact moment when I realized that my brother and I were too grown up and too strong to fight any more. It was about a second after I dodged a four-speed transmission that the threw across the room at me. We stopped fighting that day, but not the arguing. For years, we had little to say to each other. Now, decades later, he’s one of my best friends.

I’m sure I’ve made lots of other mistakes, but, when I realize it, I try to learn from it, correct it, and not repeat it.

What about you?

Do you analyze mistakes and try to learn from them?

All the best,

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

Think and Grow Rich test: Do you accept responsibility for problems?

November 10, 2009 by JD · 6 Comments
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

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

Question Number 29. Do you accept responsibility for problems?

I can interpret this question in at least a couple of ways and each interpretation demands a different answer.

For example, perhaps it means that I’m the cause of the problems.

In that case, yes, I accept responsibility and I look for ways not to cause the same or similar problems in the future.

On the other hand, perhaps it means that I find myself in a situation not of my making. Do I accept responsibility for those types of problems.

Of course, I do.

If I’m involved in a situation or other problem, even if it’s not of my own making, then I still accept responsibility for finding a solution.

Who else can I depend upon to solve these problems?

Sure, I could bellyache and whine about it, but that would not do anything constructive to eliminating the problem.

I could get mad at someone and harangue them, but what’s the sense of that?

If I find myself in the middle of a problem or situation, I have to take responsibility, look for solutions, and then implement them the best I can.

I can directly apply that to my affiliate marketing business and the situation I find myself in regarding Mom’s estate.

I don’t think I caused those problems, but I’m certainly involved and therefore I have to accept responsibility for them and try to find a solution.

What about you?

Do you accept responsibility for problems?

All the best,

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

Think and Grow Rich test: Have you learned anything of value today?

November 10, 2009 by JD · 2 Comments
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

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

Question Number 28. Have you learned anything of value today?

I try to learn something of value every day. Most days, I succeed; a few, I don’t.

Today, I learned the value of going back to sleep when you’re too tired to do your best work.

I woke up about 2:00 am and was ready to go, but just couldn’t quite get into the swing of things. About 4:00 am, I decided to go back to bed and try again when I was really awake and ready to go.

It worked.

I’ve gotten more done in the last hour than I would have achieved in several hours, if I had not gone back to bed.

I’m not one of those people who can just grind out work. To do my best – and that’s what I always strive to do, I need to feel like doing it.

I learned something valuable yesterday, too.

I spent the whole day out and about in Murphy, NC talking to a variety of business owners and managers. We discussed the state of the economy, how their business was doing, the Murphy Gold marketing system I’m building, and other topics of interest.

One of the local business owners had already found Murphy Gold and Murphy Connections and we had a very interesting, brief discussion about what I was doing and how it could help promote not only locally-owned, small businesses, but the town, itself.

Later, I talked to the Mayor of Murphy and the Chairman of the Cherokee County, NC Commissioners and asked them a couple of questions. Based on their positive responses, I’m going to ask the members of the Murphy Town Council and all the County Commissioners the same two questions and I’ll be publishing their responses on Murphy Gold and Murphy Connections.

It’s amazing what you can learn when you just take the time to ask a couple of simple questions.

What about you?

Have you learned anything of value today?

All the best,

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

Think and Grow Rich test: Are you easily influenced by others?

October 28, 2009 by JD · 1 Comment
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

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

Question Number 27. Are you easily influenced by others?

For the most part, I am not.

For a better answer, it depends.

I have pretty much been able to control how negative people influence me, but I really would like to be more influenced by positive, happy, successful people.

For the most part, I do a good job of setting the course I’ll follow in life, but part of that course has isolated me.

I’m looking to meet new, interesting, successful, positive people and look forward to seeing how I can improve with their influence.

It’s going to be an interesting new chapter in my life.

I will not allow negative people to influence what I do; I’ll always fight that.

I hope to be more influenced by positive people.

What about you?

Are you easily influenced by others?

All the best,

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

Think and Grow Rich test: What do you value more?

October 28, 2009 by JD · 1 Comment
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

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

Question Number 26. What do you value more, your physical possessions or your ability to control your own thoughts?

This may be the easiest question to answer, so far.

Without a doubt, I value the ability to control my own thoughts.

I’m mostly past the point where I want to acquire any more stuff. In fact, I want to declutter my life as much as I can and that means that I’m giving away or tossing all the stuff that used to be really important to me.

I used to dream about fancy cars, big fancy houses, expensive vacation trips and all the new gadgets, but I don’t ever do that anymore.

These days, I spend most of my effort controlling my own thoughts and planning my future.

I already live a life that I love and only need a few relatively minor improvements to be a very happy camper, indeed.

That helps to keep things in perspective, too.

What about you?

What do you value more, your physical possessions or your ability to control your own thoughts?

All the best,

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

Think and Grow Rich test: Do you actively attempt to keep your mind positive?

October 28, 2009 by JD · 2 Comments
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

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

Question Number 25. Do you actively attempt to keep your mind positive?

I almost have to laugh out loud when I read this question!

If I didn’t actively work to keep my mind and attitude positive, I’d have sunk into a deep dark depression this year. As it is, I’ve had a struggle, but I think I’m mostly succeeding in keeping a positive attitude and looking for a way to turn my life back around.

Yes, it’s been difficult, but I really don’t know any other way to deal with what life throws at me.

I’m not the only one to face this issue, either.

I know lots of people who are struggling financially, facing health issues, and just trying to find a way to survive until they can thrive again.

Still, when I look at my situation and the plight of many people around the world, I have to remind myself that I’m extremely fortunate.

Nobody is trying to kill me. Nobody is bombing the area where I live.

I may be behind in some payments, but I still have money coming in and I need to concentrate on increasing it.

I have clean water to drink, food to eat, a dry place to live, and family and friends who are very supportive and positive.

Compared to many people on this planet, I live very well, indeed.

It’s something I remind myself every day.

When I want to whine and wallow in self-pity, all I have to do is think of the people – millions of them – who are worse off than I am.

That’s usually incentive enough to turn my attitude around and get back to work.

I always ask myself, “What is the worst that could happen?” and “Will this matter to anyone a hundred years from now?”

They help put things back into perspective.

Almost every day, I ask myself, “If I knew I was going to die today, what is the one thing I would most want to do?”

If I can find a way to do that one thing, I do it.

If I can’t, I try to find a way to make it possible.

Keeping a positive attitude is essential to achieving what I want to do and I work at it every day.

Even if I were to fail miserably at something, it won’t be the end. We fail only when we give up and stop trying.

I don’t intend to do that.

What about you?

Do you actively attempt to keep your mind positive?

Act on your dream!

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

Think and Grow Rich test: Do you have a way to shield yourself from the negative effects of others?

October 28, 2009 by JD · 1 Comment
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

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

Question Number 24. Do you have a way to shield yourself from the negative effects of others?

I’m not sure how to answer this question.

There are both metaphysical and practical aspects to shielding ourselves from the negative effects of others.

I won’t go into the metaphysical aspects here, but I’ve used shielding in the past when it was necessary. That was a long time ago.

Practically, I try to avoid negative people and therefore don’t have to deal with their influences. I’m lucky that most of the people I know are positive and supportive.

Now and then, I have to deal with situations that are very negative, but that’s a different question, entirely.

So, I guess the short answer is that I do know how to shield myself from the negative influences of others, but – fortunately – don’t really need to do it.

What about you?

Do you have a way to shield yourself from the negative effects of others?

All the best,

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

Think and Grow Rich test: Do you suffer from any of the six basic fears?

October 17, 2009 by JD · 3 Comments
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

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

Question Number 23. Do you suffer from any of the six basic fears?

I guess the first place to start answering this question is to list the six basic fears according to Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich.

Fear of Poverty
Fear of Old Age
Fear of Criticism
Fear of Loss of Love of Someone
Fear of Ill Health
Fear of Death

Now, you might think there are other basic fears or may want to discount these, but that’s not the point. These are the fears that Napoleon Hill identified and are part of this self-assessment test.

He spends some time talking about each of them and relating stories of how they sabotage our success, both in Law of Success and in Think and Grow Rich.

Let’s take them one at a time, briefly.

I’ll talk about how they affect me, but not go into the big discussion of what they mean and how Mr. Hill described them. If you want to know more, read the book.

Fear of Poverty

I have mixed feelings about this.

I’ve lived close to, or below, the poverty line for much of my life. Sometimes I was doing well and had all the money I wanted and other times I ate when I found money in the parking lot or one of my friends gave me food.

I’m not really afraid of poverty. I know how to deal with it.

But, on the other hand, I am definitely not a friend of poverty. Poverty and debt have destroyed the dreams and aspirations of millions of people and continues to do so, today.

I learned how to escape debt hell and that made a huge difference in my life.

I learned that stuff was much less important than freedom.

As Robert Kiyosaki advised in one of his Rich Dad, Poor Dad books, “First, learn to live within your means, and then increase your means.”

That’s awesome advice.

I can deal with poverty, but I don’t like it, and I’m working to leave it in the dust behind me.

Now that I have a new chief aim in life and a plan for achieving it, it’s just a matter of time, effort, and work to get there.

My parents had different views of poverty, and both of them lived through the Great Depression. Dad lived on a farm and knew they didn’t have any money, but they had all the food they needed and more work than they could handle. Mom lived in town and it was harder on them.

As a result, Mom became a packrat and never threw anything away that may one day be useful. Unfortunately, I’ve inherited that tendency and I’m working hard to overcome it.

There’s no reason to hang on to stuff “just in case” unless you are afraid that poverty is your lot in life. If a world of abundance, you’ll be able to get what you need in the future, so it’s much easier to declutter your life and not be weighed down by unnecessary and unwanted stuff.

So, do I suffer from the Fear of Poverty? Yes, I do, to some extent, but I’m getting better.

Fear of Old Age

In the past, just a generation or two ago, old age, for many people meant poverty, ill health, and imminent death.

Things are better for many of us and Social Security and Medicare have made a huge difference for many people who otherwise would have had a much different last few years of their lives.

I never feared old age, because I never expected to live past 30. Yet, here I am 27 years past that point and still putting one foot in front of the other, although much slower than I used to.

I’ve watched old age wear down strong and vital people and it is not a pretty sight. People lose their dignity and their zest for living when they are no longer able to do what they once did.

I don’t fear getting old, but I do fear being incapacitated and having to depend upon someone else to care for me. I really don’t want that to happen.

So, even if I don’t really fear old age, I’ve seen first-hand that there are real reasons to fear it. Some of our social nets have improved the situation as compared to 100 years ago, but they’re not perfect solutions for many old people.

Fear of Criticism

I don’t fear criticism. Sometimes, in fact, I thrive on it.

I don’t see the world as other people do and I question both authority and reality.

I don’t wish for criticism, but it mostly rolls off my back without much impact.

Fear of the Loss of Love of Someone

This can be a very painful experience, as you may already know. I’ve lost the love of both of the loves of my life, but, after moving through the pain, life goes on.

I haven’t seen one of them for over 25 years and don’t even know if she’s still alive. I see the other one at least a couple of times per month and we remain great friends.

But, I never feared the loss of their love. I’ve never been jealous and don’t understand it.

I’ve seen it have a powerful and debilitating effect on some of the people I know, however.

Fear of Ill Health

For most of my life, I was a strong and vital man, a small giant.

A few years ago, I was sick for a couple of weeks and I’ve never fully recovered. It has changed my life. Earlier this year, I was really sick, but I’m slowly recovering from that.

When I was younger, bending steel was a fun thing to do. These days, opening a can of home-canned soup can be a challenge.

I love blacksmithing, but I’m no longer strong enough to do it. Maybe one day, but not now.

Yet, even on my worst days, I can sit here in front of the computer, deal with email, and maybe even write something of value.

On better days, I can build sites, connect with friends around the world, and work to support myself.

I would not be able to do those things if I had to have a full-time job, pave roads, pour concrete, or smite metal, to use examples from the past of how I supported myself.

So, learning how to build a business on the Internet has given me the freedom to deal with ill health and survive – perhaps to prosper again, one day.

I don’t really fear ill health, but I do understand both the problems and the fears that are associated with it.

That’s one of the reasons I just don’t understand all the debates and vitriol surrounding the attempts to improve health care in the United States.

I have no health insurance and I just don’t go to a doctor, even when I’m sick. I either survive and get better, or I’ll die.

That wasn’t true in the past. For much of my life I had excellent health insurance. Oddly enough, it was when I was strong and healthy and didn’t really need it.

Life throws curves at you. Get used to it.

Maybe I’ll live long enough to take advantage of Medicare. Maybe I won’t.

Either way, I’m not going to succumb to the fear of ill health. I’m going to do everything I can on the days I feel strong enough to work.

Fear of Death

No, I’m not afraid of death or whatever may come afterwards.

I’ve studied various religions and philosophies over the decades and I’ve come to the conclusion that nobody knows what happens to us after we die.

Some people believe that one thing or another will happen, but they don’t know and they can’t offer demonstrative proof.

So, just like trying to understand UFOs, understanding what happens after death is largely wasted time and effort.

Now, I’m sure that you may have a very different view on this, and that’s great. Just don’t try to impose your views on me.

I don’t fear death and I don’t look forward to or fear what may come afterward. That’s an adventure that I’ll leave until later.

As someone I respect once said, “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

In Summary

So, of all these basic fears, the only ones that really affect me are the fear of poverty, old age, and ill health, and I’m doing all I can to eliminate or at least reduce their effects on how I live my life.

There are other things I fear, but I try to keep them under control, too.

What about you?

Do you suffer from any of the six basic fears?

All the best,

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

Think and Grow Rich test: Do you have an aim in life and a plan for achieving it?

October 17, 2009 by JD · 3 Comments
Filed under: Books, Self-Improvement, Success and Failure

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

Question Number 22. Do you have an aim in life and a plan for achieving it?

One of the things I keep noticing in a variety of places is that there seems to be a 5% success vs. 95% failure rate for lots of people and situations.

It is interesting to note that Napoleon Hill analyzed thousands of people during his life and found that about 5% had a definite chief aim or goal and the other 95% didn’t.

What does that say about success?

I’ve had many aims in life over the years, and I’ve achieved most of them.

A few years ago, before Mom got sick, I spent a week thinking about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and decided I wanted to build Castle Freedom, the first castle in the history of the world built by average people and dedicated to peace and freedom.

Not long after that, Mom got sick, and my aim in life switched to caring for her. I did that as well as I could. Not as well as I wanted, however.

This year, following her death, I realized that I’m just not interested in building the castle. I like the idea, but I realized I wasn’t taking steps every day to accomplish it and that’s a sure sign that it isn’t really a chief aim in life.

So, I reconsidered what I wanted to do with the next stage of my life.

I’ve gone through big changes this year and so have lots of other people.

I knew I wanted to do something to help other people I care about and I wanted to earn enough money to continue to live in Murphy, NC, a place I’ve grown to love over the last quarter-century.

So, I pulled out a fresh notebook and started writing. A couple of weeks later, I had a new chief aim for my life and I started making plans to bring it together.

My new aim in life is to build the best marketing system for locally owned small businesses in Murphy, NC.

Lots of traditional marketing doesn’t work as well as it used to, but I’ve become convinced that there is a good mix of offline traditional advertising and marketing that can be combined with 21st century marketing tools that include websites, social networking, email marketing, blogs, and forums.

So, in January, I started brainstorming about what would be needed and started planning how to make it happen.

I created and manage a social networking site for people interested in Murphy, NC at MurphyConnections.com. It’s been slowly growing for the last few months and now has nearly 100 members, some of whom are more active than others, but it’s getting a large readership from people finding us via the search engines.

So, now that we have a place where we can get to know each other as real people, it was time to find a way to pay for all the time and effort, and to promote those local business owners who want to cooperate and co-market each other.

Now, I’m working to build the Murphy Gold Marketing Alliance at MurphyGold.com.

Slowly, but surely, I’m attracting like-minded small business owners in Murphy who want to cooperate and promote themselves, their businesses, and the best things about living in and near Murphy, NC.

I opened Murphy Gold in July, but lost much of August and September due to illness. Now that October has rolled around and my allergies are going away, I’m feeling much better and I’m enjoying working on developing the sites and telling more people about them.

That’s just the start.

I met Audrey and Tom, owners of The Green Sheets, about a month ago and now we’re working together. I’m helping them build an online presence and they’re helping to promote Murphy Gold in their offline direct mail paper that is mailed to about 10,000 mailboxes in the Murphy 28906 ZIP Code.

I have other ideas for offline promotions, but they’re going to have to wait until my cash flow improves.

I went from not knowing what I would be doing in January to coming up with a plan by June, and started implementing it in July.

Now, I know what I’m going to be working on every day, at least part of the day, and interest is starting to grow.

It’s going to take some time to build the best marketing system in Murphy, but now I know my goal and many of the things I need to do to get there.

Will this be the ultimate goal for the rest of my life? I don’t know. It is likely. I love living here and I love marketing, so I think Murphy Gold and Murphy Connections are a great fit.

It’s great to be back on track and working on something I love doing.

What about you?

Do you have an aim in life and a plan for achieving it?

All the best,

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

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