Napoleon Hill – Part 2. Mastermind Alliance (Think and Grow Rich – Success Principles)

We can now do the second of the 17 principles which lead to the master key with which you may open the door to the attainment of your definite major purpose in life. This principle of success is called The mastermind principle. I want you to understand the nature of the mastermind principle, because you must use it before you can take possession of the master key. An understandable definition of the mastermind is this, it consists of two or more people who work in perfect harmony for the attainment of a definite purpose. Now here are some interesting facts about the mastermind, which give you an idea of how important it is and how necessary that you embrace this principle and make use of it in attaining success in your chosen occupation.

#00:00:55-1# First of all, it is the principle through which you may borrow and use the education, the experience, the influence and perhaps the capital of other people. In carrying out your own plans in life. It is the principle through which you can accomplish in one year, more than you could accomplish without it in a lifetime. If you depended entirely on your own efforts for success. And I have heard well-informed bible students say that the first known application of the mastermind, was that which existed between the Nazarine and his 12 disciples. Of one fact, I am absolutely sure, when you form a true mastermind alliance with others. And work with them in a spirit of perfect harmony.

#00:02:20-1# Interviewer: You can draw freely upon the spiritual forces within you, in carrying out your plans and desires. I also know that the mastermind principle, can give you absolute protection against failure, provided always that your purpose in using this principle is beneficial to all whom you influence. If I research while organising the science of success, I have the collaboration of practically every outstanding successful man this country has produced during the past fifty years. And I can tell you definitely that their success was due in the main to their knowledge and application of the mastermind principle.

#00:02:20-1# I wish also to call your attention to the fact that our great American way of life, and our unmatchable system of free enterprise, have been built upon the mastermind principle. The greatest document ever conceived by the mind of man is a perfect example of the mastermind principle in action. It is the declaration of the independents and the best evidence of the importance of maintaining perfect harmony in a mastermind alliance, may be found in the fact that the 56 men who signed the declaration of independence, knew full well that it might turn out to be either a licence of freedom for all mankind or a death warrant which would cause each of the signers to be hanged. Now let us see how the mastermind principle has brought success to people whom we all know.

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1. First consider when Kate Smith began her career as a singer. She had difficulty in earning enough from her singing to pay her living expenses. And she never would have perhaps made her singing pay if she had not discovered and applied the mastermind principle which gave her access to the master key to success. When she formed the mastermind alliance with Ted Collins. And according to a report I saw in Reader’s Digest. Kate Smith has earned upwards of $30 million dollars. And she is still in the upper brackets of income.

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2. I remember when Edgar Bergen and that cute little block of wood known as Charlie McCarthy. He used to play anywhere they could get an engagement. And I rather suspect all they got for their services was a meal. But Edgar Bergen is a smart man in the field of entertainment, so he formed a mastermind alliance which introduced him and Charlie to millions of people. By radio and television and I suspect he is not concerned about money any longer.

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3. And you may be surprised when I tell you that the Great Ford Industrial Empire started with a formation of a mastermind alliance between Henry Ford and his wife.

#00:04:20-9# At the beginning of his career, Henry Ford was shy and lacking in self-confidence. It was Mrs Ford who inspired Henry Ford with the faith and the courage to go ahead with the perfection of his horseless carriage. Although his relatives and his neighbours generally tried to discourage him from wasting his time with the contraption as they called it.

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4. The Federation of states known as the United States of America is the richest and the most powerful nation civilisation has yet produced. And the secret of our strength and riches consists in our form of government through which all our states function in a spirit of harmony, based on the mastermind principle, through a central federal government located at Washington. And now a word to you personally. If you work for a salary or wages, you have a marvelous opportunity, promote yourself into a higher income, and a more responsible position, by performing a mastermind alliance with your associate workers including the management.

In my next visit, I will give you further instructions on how to apply the mastermind principle so to increase your own income and promote yourself to a higher position. With the full cooperation of your management. Yes that is correct. I will show you how to write your own price-tag, fix your own wages, establish your own working hours. And give yourself financial independence. But right now, I want you to do three things before our next visit.

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1.  Decide definately where you wish to be and what you wish to be doing during the next three years

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2. Decide how much money you desire to be making and what you are going to do to earn it.

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3. Form a mastermind alliance with at least one person in your immediate family and at least one other person among those to whom you are selling your services.

#00:06:13-3# By taking these three steps. You will have gone a long way toward appropriating the great master key to success. There is no such thing as something for nothing. Everything including your personal success has a price that must be paid. And the only price you are requested to pay for the present, is the effort necessary to do three simple things that I have suggested. Now, before you begin to take the three steps that I have suggested. There is one important fact I wish you to remember. And it is this, control your mental attitude and make yourself friendly and agreeable with everyone with whom you are closely associated if you expect friendly cooperation in return.

#00:06:55-6# Indifference cannot create a mastermind alliance for you. A negative mental attitude can bring you nothing but fear. Remember always, you are where you are and what you are because of your mental attitude in which you relate yourself to other people. Remember also your mental attitude is the one and the only thing over which you have complete control. Success is something which has to be planned, and success is something which has to be earned in advance. True there is such a thing as luck, but just remember that luck is something you can create for yourself. If you know the rules and follow them, just as I give them to you.

#00:07:32-9# Remember too, that success in the higher brackets of achievement is something that can be had only by taking others along with you. And the best definition of success which I know is this. Success is the knowledge with which to get whatever you want from life without violating the rights of others and by helping others to acquire it. There is a known formula for the attainment of success, and it is as definate and certain as are the rules of mathematics or other principles of science. My purpose in these visits is to bring you that formula in simple terms that you can understand and apply. But I can never give you that for which you are not ready. If you are ready to advance into the higher brackets of success, you will recognise this fact by your willingness to follow the simple instructions I shall give you as we go along.

#00:08:28-6# If Kate Smith had not been ready for success, when she formed a mastermind alliance with Ted Collins. He couldn’t have brought her success. This thing called success is a very profound and interesting thing because the line of demarcation between success and failure is so slight. That it is often hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. For example, in my association with the late Henry Ford. I recognise that he had thousands of people working for him, who had much more education than he. More magnetic personalities, more ability to make friends and a much better chance of succeeding than Mr Ford had when he was working for wages.

But Mr Ford had one simple quality the others who worked for him did not possess. The same quality I will clearly describe for you in my future visits with you. Meanwhile, I would be interested in knowing if you could describe this one simple quality Henry Ford possessed. Which made him the greatest industrialist this nation has ever produced. In my next visit, I will give you a definite clue as to the success quality which helped Henry Ford spread his influence throughout the world. And make himself richer than Croesus. Despite the fact that he had only a meagre common school education.

#00:09:44-1# Until then, please be of good cheer will you? and just remember that your only real limitation is the one you accept and set up in your own mind.