The Laws of Success – Part 6

In this sixth lesson of the laws of success, Napoleon Hill deals with the subject of imagination; the faculty which unites many of the other principles with which he deals. Again I remember the language of Stephen Covey from the 7 clothes. As Covey says, “there are always two creations, the mental creation precedes the physical.” Of course, Covey would have been well aware of Hill’s writing.

When I was eleven years old, my English teacher asked me to memorize a poem and I was surprised to find it here in lesson six. Is abu ben adhemwritten by James Henry Leigh Hunt while in prison convicted of slandering the Prince Regent in his newspaper editorial for the examiner. Thank goodness times have changed because otherwise I probably would have been sent to the tower for my post discussing the character of Prince Charles.

Regardless, Hill calls this poem, “The most inspiring poem in all of literature.”

Abu Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase)

I awoke one night from a deep sleep of peace,

And saw into the moonlight of her room,

making him rich and like a blooming lily,

An angel writing in a golden book,

Excessive peace had made Ben Adhem brave,

And to the presence in the room he said:

“What do you write?” – the vision raised its head,

And, with a look made of all sweet chords,

He replied: “The names of those who love the Lord.”

“And mine is one?” said Grandma. “No, it’s not like that”

The angel answered, – Abu spoke lower,

But cheerfully still; and she said: “I beg you, then,

Write to me as one who loves his fellow men.”

The angel wrote and disappeared. the next night

Came again, with a great awakening light,

and showed the names of those whom the love of God had blessed,

And look! Ben Adhem’s name led all others!

He goes on to say that many of the greatest problems in the humanities could be solved, in a single generation, if people had the attitude and imagination of the poet.

Imagination is such a critical ingredient to success that Hill suggests teaming up with other creative people if you lack the creative spark. The main point of this lesson is that problems can and often are solved when they are approached with enough use of the imagination.

As usual, Hill tells stories to illustrate his main points. Here is one from his own experience:

A few years ago I received a letter from a young man who had just graduated from Business College and wanted to get a job in my office. With his letter he sent a ten-dollar bill that had never been folded. The letter said the following:

“I have just finished a business course at a first-class business school and I want a position in your office because I realize how much it would be worth to a young man just beginning his business career to have the privilege of working under a man like you.

If the enclosed ten-dollar bill is enough to pay for the time you would spend giving me my first week’s instructions, I want you to accept it. I will work the first month without pay and you can set my salary after that at what I prove myself worth. I want this job more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life and I’m willing to make any reasonable sacrifice to get it.”

Apparently, the man landed the job and subsequently attracted even better offers. Hill tells this story to illustrate the power of the imagination. He also tells the story of how Edwin Barnes managed to get to work with Thomas Edison using much the same principle; a story you may remember that he also told in Think and Grow Rich.

These stories reminded me of something from my own experience. A few years ago, a young woman applied to join the computer company where I worked. Because she had no relevant prior experience (she applied directly from school), she was in the old catch 22 situation: she couldn’t get a job because of lack of experience and she couldn’t get experience because she couldn’t get a job. . .

So he wrote to the company offering his services, free of charge, for a period of one year to gain experience. The company was so impressed with her initiative that they hired her, and with full salary to boot. It is truly amazing what you can achieve through imagination.

I also love what Hill says about imagination:

If your imagination is the mirror of your soul, then you have every right to stand in front of that mirror and see yourself as you want to be. You have the right to see reflected in that magic mirror the mansion you claim to own, the factory you claim to manage, the bank you claim to be president of, the position in life you claim to occupy. Your imagination belongs to you! Use it!

Much of the lesson is about how imagination can be used to create value. Spend a little time discussing what is generally known as the concept of value chain gold value network. A value chain exists when someone takes raw materials and packages them, processes them, or in some way adds something to the mix to sell the materials at a profit.

The example of Hill’s ham sandwiches is a good one. He observed two restaurants that served essentially the same thing, but one of them charged much higher prices and its customers were willing to pay for the way the sandwiches were presented and the ambience of the establishment. In other words, by organizing the restaurant, equipment, and staff differently, value has been created in the process.

It’s something to think about. How can you create value by doing the same kinds of things? What materials can you take, then wrap, process, or embellish to create value?