Enemies of Character
Napoleon Hill’s Definition of what will hold us all back from Success
In Napoleon Hill’s book ‘Grow Rich with Peace of Mind’ he writes about 26 character traits that will keep those who use any one of the 26 traits from success.
Most people are not aware of the damage these character traits will do.
They seem natural (only human) mainly because most of us have grown up being influenced by others who we held in authority using and vocalizing the 26 enemy traits.
I list them here in order of Dr. Hill’s estimate of which are most damaging.
There are references to the ‘Creator’ in these quotes which is Hill’s way of relating to his personal chosen beliefs. You may and should change the term to one of your personal choice.
FEAR: ‘The expression of fear denies the use of true power of thought — a power which can enable each individual to acquire all physical needs and control his or her earthly destiny.’
GREED: ‘for the possession of material things and for power to control others for selfish ends. No person who is filled with greed and avarice can pass through the Jungle of Life and successfully attain and use the Supreme Secret, for he or she affronts the Creator when the rights of others are violated.’
INTOLERANCE: ‘Intolerance is the evil partner of selfishness and ignorance. It closes the mind and shuts out facts. It deprives a person of valuable friendships that will be needed in the journey through life and repels the co-operation of others.’
EGOTISM: ‘is the fourth great enemy of man. Self-respect is a most desirable quality, but self-love is self-deceit and causes one to lose respect for others.’
LUST: ‘It prevents sex emotion from being properly transmuted and properly directed. It leads to excessive sexual expressions which dissipate the vital creative forces of mind and body.’
ANGER: ‘…is a form of temporary insanity. Righteous indignation that is controlled and directed toward the correction of a cause is occasionally necessary, but those who live with rage cannot truly know the Supreme Secret.’
HATRED: ‘…is anger which has been allowed to dwell in the mind until it has hardened like so much cement. It is a mind-poison which erroneously twists the individual’s thinking. One who harbors hate cannot control and direct power of thought toward constructive ends, and thus is denied this one and only outright prerogative with which mankind has been blessed by the Creator.’
JEALOUSY:, ‘that mixture of covetousness and fear; and of IMPATIENCE, which prevents cause from bearing its fruit in effect.’
DECEIT, ‘which in the end deceives the deceiver; FALSEHOOD, which weaves a noose with which the liar spiritually hangs himself; the related enemy of INSINCERITY; and VANITY, which makes one vulgar and forms a repulsive force.’
CRUELTY, ‘which attracts all the other enemies like a pack of wolves, and MERCILESSNESS, which turns it’s back upon those in need and makes the soul shrivel.’
‘INJUSTICE, SLANDER and GOSSIP.’
‘…one may know the Supreme Secret in words but cannot use it if he or she ever attempts to destroy others.’
‘… the Black Forest closes in for a lifetime upon those who do not vanquish the enemies of UNDEPENDABILITY, DISHONESTY, DISLOYALTY and REVENGE.’
WORRY: ‘,which reveals that one is no bigger than that which that which is allowed to cause the worry; ENVY, a form of jealousy which most particularly destroys initiative and self-discipline; HYPOCHONDRIA, which prevents the mind from conceiving the continued good health of its bodily temple and so gives ill health its first foothold, which often is in the mind; and INDECISION, which grows stronger the more it is indulged until it rides one’s back and one can fall and lie lost in the Black Forest.’
“There are other enemies of man, but who conquers these twenty- six will conquer all the others.’”
The principle of prayer.
“Prayer is to be based upon a real need for help to accomplish something of constructive value.
In true prayer one asks for help only after it has been proved, by individual effort, that one’s own powers are not sufficient for the accomplishment of the purpose.
The person who prays for help should not assume to give over individual freedom of action, but rather should know he or she is to co-operate with the helping agencies that cannot be seen.
It must be known, with confident self-respect, that the first duty is to improve oneself and his or her condition; and that out of this, when it is well done, flows the second duty, which is to help humanity.
A Word Of Caution
…now and then open spaces appear in that Black Forest, and as one walks clear of clinging underbrush it may be concluded that all of the twenty-six enemies have been conquered. This may be a deception on the part of the enemies.
A dependable way to keep track of the enemies one has overcome is to list them on a chart, thus:
Fear — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Cruelty
Greed — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Mercilessness
Intolerance — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —Injustice
Egotism — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Slander
Lust — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —Gossip
Anger — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —-Undependability
Hatred — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Dishonesty
Jealousy — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -Disloyalty
Impatience — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Revenge
Deceit — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —Worry
Falsehood — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —Envy
Insincerity — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Hypochondria
Vanity — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Indecision
The list should be checked at least once a year. Done honestly, and with the insight and self-knowledge one has gained, such a check enables one to search his or her record and know the names of the defeated enemies. These are crossed off the list. As long as one enemy remains, the person who made the list still wanders in the Jungle of Life. When every enemy has been accounted for, one has passed through the Jungle.”
Here is a PDF Gift: Grow Rich With Peace of Mind
To Your Success,
Chris Stage
chris@refocusingcoaching.com
