Credit: kellepics In his legendary book, "Think and Grow Rich", Napoleon Hill ends the book with a chapter that could have as well functioned as the opening chapter for it. Why? Because as he states it in the final chapter named "How to Outwit the 6 Ghosts of Fear", without mastering those fears, all the previous chapters are practically impossible to carry out, since if unchecked, the "6 ghost of fear" will be constantly gnawing at you and undermining the whole process, no matter how hard you try to internalize Hill's amazing philosophy of success and strive to make it an integral part of your life and mindset:

Before you can put any portion of this philosophy into successful use, your mind must be prepared to receive it. The preparation is not difficult. It begins with study, analysis and understanding of three enemies which you will have to clear out. These are indecision, doubt and fear.

Hill calls indecision, doubt and fear part of "the unholy trio" that always abide together:

Indecision is the seedling of fear! Remember this as you read. Indecision, crystalizes into doubt; the two blend and become fear!

And the bad news is, that this process cab be very slow - it can take years, striking roots in one's subconscious mind, as it grows slowly and unnoticed like cancer. That's why it is so dangerous, and why you must be brutally frank with yourself, when analyzing yourself for its presence.

The 6 basic fears

1. The fear of poverty (Credit: schuldnerhilfe)

2. The fear of criticism (Credit: geralt)

3. The fear of ill health (Credit: unclelkt) The fear of loss of love of someone

4. The fear of loss of love (Credit: geralt)

5. The fear of old age (Credit: Leroy_Skalstad)

6. The fear of death (Credit: kellepics) The symptoms that Hill presents for each and every fear are truly insightful and eye opening - you should definitely read the book (and I mean READ. This book can not be effectively internalized and digested by listening to an audio book when driving - you need FULL mindfulness with it!) Read it least once from start to finish, and then several more times as you go through life - when you reach the final chapter, give it some time - a LOT of time. Read it slowly, realize its deep meaning and soak up the tools it offers for overcoming your fears (one of those is presented below) Answer the questions presented in the final chapter over and over again, as a means of reviewing your progress. I really believe this chapter is THE most important one in the whole book. Why do I think so? Simply because this knowledge is absolutely foundational, and without handling one's fears first, it's really hard to develop desire, persistence or any other imperative trait, since your character is infected and slowly devoured with the unseen ghosts of fear, of which IMHO, the fear of criticism and the fear of poverty followed with the fear of ill health, are the most prevalent in our modern times. And once the basic fundamentals are managed, the natural happiness, peace of mind and excitement that ensue from the mere fact of life, bring confidence, desire and the ability to persevere and cooperate with people, back into play - which are all but a part of a mandatory set of human abilities that true success is a delusional fantasy without. And here is a simple, practical advice from Napoleon himself, on how to achieve that state of happiness and peace of mind, that will literally unlock Hill's philosophy of success and make it achievable for anyone desiring to live it. Obviously, it is easier said than done, but like everything in life, practice and tenacious perseverance will make it as close to perfect as humanly possible. So here is the original advice, in its entirety, taken from the book AS IS:

The six basic fears become translated into a state of worry, through indecision. Relieve yourself, forever of the fear of death, by reaching a decision to accept death as an inescapable event. Whip the fear of poverty by reaching a decision to get along with whatever reaches you can accumulate without worry. Put your foot upon the neck of the fear of criticism by reaching a decision not to worry about what other people think, do, or say. Eliminate the fear of old age, by reaching a decision to accept it, not as a handicap, but as a great blessing which carries with itself wisdom, control and understanding not known to youth. Acquit yourself of the fear of ill health by the decision to forget symptoms. Master the fear of loss of love by reaching the decision to get along without love, if that is necessary. Kill the habit of worry, in all its forms, by reaching a general, blanket decision, that nothing that life has to offer, is worth the price of worry. With this decision will come poise, peace of mind, and calmness of thought which will bring happiness.

In a word, "decision" is where it all starts. Decision, is the magic word as you have surely noticed by its repetition and its golden shimmer :) So, decide to make the above decisions NOW.

Cut off yourself from the associations that the above fears bring with them, just like Napoleon Hill suggests, and when you make the above excerpt a natural part of your thought process (by reading and re-reading it twice a day, morning after you wake up and night just before you go to bed), you will be relieved from the ghost grips of the fears, and the infrastructure for realizing the philosophy of success, will be set - for as long as you remember: that it all begins in your mind, with a decision that you live by, every day, without exceptions. Live smart, YBZ

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