Napoleon Hill and Persistence: Warren Cullar

The Beginning of Persistence

Several years ago, I helped edit the book, "Yes, You Can Make Money as an Artist." The project began as Warren Cullar's journey to publish how his life was changed by Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich, and how it led him to be a successful artist.

Warren got to where he is because he persisted in moving towards his goals and the fulfillment of his life dream.

If you're not familiar with Napoleon Hill, you might be just beginning to learn how to expand and get what it is you want in life. If you aren't new at personal growth and expansion, but haven't heard of him, then you're in for a treat. His most famous book is Think and Grow Rich. It's a distillation of his much larger book The Law of Success in 16 Lessons.

The World Programs Us to Quit

We live in a society in which the technology of today imprints upon us that everything we want must come immediately. Food comes out of fast food restaurants or microwaves at home, you can text someone for an immediate answer, you can find almost any answer by using your search engine.

This "instant gratification" has spilled over into our educational system and work environment. Kids think they should be able to get the grades they want without doing the work needed. Young people coming out of college believe they should be hired for a job that requires 10 years experience. Almost everyone seems to forgotten that it takes time to learn new skills and achieve the goals you want.

Society, in general, wants things fast and wants them now. If it doesn't happen in the time frame allowed, people just up and quit.

Napoleon Hill

Today I want to focus on one of Napoleon Hill's quotes. "Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success."

When you learn any new skill it takes time. You are integrating your brain and your body. The two have to learn to work together. Each time you practice electrical impulses form tracings, or roadways, in your brain. You have to be patient while waiting for everything to come together so you can learn your skill.

Once you learn, and keep practicing, you get better and better. If you want to be the best at what you do, count on spending about 10 years to become a master in your chosen area.

You don't have to be number one in order to accomplish anything. If you're learning how to set up a webpage all you need are step-by-step directions, the patience to follow them and the persistence to keep doing what you're doing.  Keep following this process and, what would have taken you 100 hours to accomplish, you could get down to 10 depending upon the project.

Not everyone wants to be the top in their field. They simply want to be good. There is certainly nothing wrong with being "just" good at what you do. If you have a passion for something, be it a hobby or an area of work, you will naturally be drawn into learning more and practicing more. Because you'll be having such a great time following your passion, one day you'll become aware of how good you are. In fact, you'll be better than most.

My Friend Warren Cullar

Warren, a wonderful friend of mine as is his wife Kitty, had persistence. His dad gave him Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich and then sent him to make his way after he graduated high school. Warren was so persistent that he made it into the Marines even when he was below their minimum height. He took classes. He went on adventures. He struggled with becoming known.

I don't want to take away the magic of the book, but I want to tell you a story.

I was visiting Warren and Kitty at their home in Austin. (They are now in Wimberly TX). A friend I hadn't seen in some time came over. Usually he greets me with a hug. He was startled and kept looking around with Warren's name on a large sign and beautiful sculptures adorning the yard. Finally, he asked me if they were family. I told him they were good friends. He then said, "Do you know he's famous?" (You can see some of his art on his website: artwarren.com.)

What Have You Accomplished... What Do You Want to Accomplish

There are number of things I enjoy doing but I'm not particularly good at, at least when compared to other people. Video games is one of these areas. I was playing a Harry Potter Lego video game with my  then seven-year-old great-nephew. Let's just say that he beat the socks off of me. I also frustrated him to no end because he couldn't understand why I couldn't even compete with him. He now has a 7-year old sister who, I'm sure, can beat me at any video game.

I'm a writer and healing facilitator by profession. These parts of my life are very important to me. I want to master them. I practice and practice and practice, with some timeout for more education, and then practice some more. I don't want to be just good in these areas. I want to be excellent. I want to be a master, and I am known as such to many. It took time, education and persistence.

What is the most important thing to you in your life? Your answer tells you what you need to focus on. This is where you keep working, keep learning, keep practicing and never give up. Don't worry about how much time it takes. Time will pass. You can either accomplish something with it or look back and wonder why you didn't do anything of value to you.

If you need some assitance, I can help you remove the emotional blocks to moving forward in your life. I have limited appointments availble, but I'd love to make space for you.

Here's my appointment calendar: https://odysseytowholeness.com/appointment-calendar/