What If Napoleon Hill Had Not Written Think And Grow Rich?
What would this world have been like if Hill had not written that wonderful book? Think back to all the successful people you know who have mentioned that reading THAT book transformed their lives. Imagine if they had never read the book i.e. it had not been written. The implications would be multiple fold. Let's consider a few examples.
Maybe today, Dr. Walter Doyles Staples would not be the accomplished person whose works have been a source of education and inspiration for thousands of people worldwide. Robert Kiyosaki would probably not be the person we know today, whose message about proper education of children, and the need for a reform of our traditional educational system, opened the eyes of many parents to what they can do to help their kids succeed in life.
My point is that when people who undergo useful/authentic experiences (or who make contact with those who do so), write in order to share their acquired knowledge with others, significant positive social development can quite often take place as a result. This will happen especially if those who read the written works, actually take action to diligently apply the knowledge they acquire from doing so in their personal lives.
You Can Change Lives Through Your Writings
By writing, we give others the opportunity to embark, more intelligently, and therefore with greater chances of success, on doing something we(or persons we closely studied) have also done in the past and/or are still doing. Anyone who has applied honest and diligent effort to a particular cause, can write competently about what s/he has done in a way that can benefit others who wish to pursue a similar goal.
While we are on the subject, have you ever wondered why it is that millions of parents worldwide have bought books by Robert Kiyosaki, and followed his advice about how to educate kids/prepare them to achieve financial independence, even though Robert clearly stated in the books that he and his wife(Kim) had no kids of their own?
I have, and the ONLY logical explanation for what should have been an unreasonable action on that part of the parents is this: They (wisely) chose to look beyond Robert NOT being a parent, to the intuitive and common sense logic of the ideas he presented, which resonated with those they had themselves battled with, during their own childhoods. That's why when you read some of the re-printed testimonials in Robert's bestseller titled "If you want to be rich and happy, don't go to school?", you will notice many of those people quoted said things like "That's what I think"; "puts into words what I have been thinking for a long time" etc.
When I read those commentaries/testimonials by those who read the above mentioned book, I could not help wondering if they would have ever gotten around to doing anything about what they were "thinking" IF someone like Robert had not decided to write it all in a book by himself. Again, back to the questions with which I started this article: What if Robert had never chosen to write any of his books? One thing at least is certain: our thinking about how children should be educated and prepared to pursue success in life as independent adults, would be worse off than it is now. That is the value that Robert's writing has added to millions of lives the world over - mine inclusive(the distance between our continents of residence notwithstanding).
Many People Who Should Write Are NOT Writing
In many societies, people daily undergo unique experiences of all kinds, that those around them may never have the opportunity of going through. For each person, the learning acquired through those experiences literally shapes who they become over time, and ultimately determines whether or not - or better still how well - they succeed.
I am of the firm opinion based on the above, that EACH one of us(if s/he were to make conscious effort) can effectively draw upon the knowledge and insight acquired through his/her unique, personal experiences, to teach others how to deal with them successfully, should they encounter something similar.
What I have just stated is the reason why I am convinced we can never have too many motivational speakers in the world. It is not possible to have too many pastors, or preachers or trainers in the world either. I speak with regard to the possibility of a situation arising where you end up with many individuals who do the same thing in exactly the same way EVERY time, so that if you have seen one, you would have seen all the others.
No two motivational speakers can have exactly the same audience appeal, and effect on people when they speak. Think about it. When you hear that Zig Ziglar is going to be speaking at an event you plan to attend, there is a kind of expectation you have compared to what you feel when another speaker's name is mentioned.
Each one of us has a distinguishing trait or quality that sets him apart from others who do what s/he does. Not matter how many stand up comedians perform on one show, each ONE of them will always have at least ONE joke that is different from those told by his/her counterparts. And s/he will also have a peculiar "style of delivery" that is unique to him/her - except of course s/he unwisely chooses to mimic a role model, mentor etc.
If all of the above is true, it then logically follows, that if an individual were to write a (non-fiction) book or article based on his/her area of competence or experience, there is a possibility that a person looking for such information will find it a useful, if not entertaining, read.
It might help to inform (or remind) you, that even Napoleon Hill was initially plagued with self-doubt, when Andrew Carnegie first asked him to write the book(Think And Grow Rich). Hill worried among other things that he was not "qualified" or "competent" enough - at the time - to write it. But thankfully, he eventually brushed those fears aside, and did us all a favour by working hard to write the book that today has changed millions of lives for the better.
No One Needs A Teaching Certificate Or University Degree To Share His/Her Experience-Based Knowledge With Others Who Need It
I am yet to learn of a situation where a person who - through great will power and endurance - survived years of isolation as a prisoner of war was asked to get a writing degree, or teaching certificate before s/he could write a book or speak to audiences in seminars about (a) what it feels like and (b) how to survive under such situations.
At the least, if you feel you cannot write it yourself, engage the services of a freelance professional, who will work with you to produce a worthwhile summary of your experiences in your chosen area of interest or competence. Ultimately however, developing your writing skills would not be a bad idea, as it would enable you do more spontaneous writing than you could if someone was taking notes from you.
You Can Write While Still In The Process Of Acquiring The Experience(s)
Incidentally we need not wait until we have succeeded in achieving the goal we pursue before we write for others to learn from us. For instance a person who never won the gold at the olympics or indeed, who never made it to the finals of the Olympic 100m finals could use THAT thought to motivate him/herself to draw from his/her "failures" and coach a younger athlete with potential to win the gold.
Taking this further, a person who has "failed" in a bid to achieve a goal could, with a positive mental attitude, articulate a set of learning points about what caused him/her to fail, and use them to teach others(one-on-one or through a book or article) about what to do to increase their chances of success.
You do NOT need to wait till you become the Managing Director of the company you work for, before you begin to share the useful learnings about how to pursue career advancement in a corporate organisation, that you pick up along the way. This is because while you are BUSY "climbing", others coming after you will be in the process of taking the decision to START "climbing", and compared to you, will be LESS experienced or knowledgeable about what to expect. Many of them are likely to appreciate hearing from you, up front, some hints about what they will face during their journey, and how you dealt with the challenges that cropped up, plus what you think THEY can do to make good progress.
In my case, I am sharing insights gained from my experiences as an entrepreneur, through writing articles and books, and in daily interactions. I implore you to begin documenting as much of your own experiences as possible. This way, you can also become equipped over time, to share useful learning with others, and make their journey less difficult.
No one person has the duty of teaching others about how to succeed in life. Every one of us can teach what s/he knows to those who need to know it by writing about it. The best part is that once you've written it, you will not need to write it again. All those who want it will only then have to go to the bookstore or website where it is available and get their copy.
I Found Supporting Evidence That "You Need To Write", In Dr. Spencer Johnson's Book: "Who Moved My Cheese"!
Who better to tell you what it feels like(or takes) to survive as a start-up entrepreneur, if not someone currently in the struggle - or recently out of it? If you wanted to get an authentic update on the socioeconomic situation in Nigeria, would you ask your "Professor Uncle" who travels once-a-year to Lagos on official visits - or would you ask your Aunt who lives in Lagos, and visits New York on business every other month?
The foregoing is why I chose to write about my experiences early in my entrepreneurial career, and not wait till I get "up to the very top" before doing so. But I got even more convinced that this was the right thing to do, when I read the little book titled "Who moved my cheese?" written by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
The Book's Parable About Hem & Haw(2 little people) As Well As Sniff & Scurry(2 Mice)
The book narrates an engaging parable about 4 characters - Sniff and Scurry (2 Mice) and also Hem and Haw (2 little people). The parable illustrates the various ways different people react to unexpected changes/setbacks that occur in their lives on a daily basis.
In admonishing us(readers) to learn to laugh at ourselves, and the mistakes we make in life, (so as to be able to learn from them and "move on" with our lives), Dr. Johnson uses the analogy of "moving cheese" to illustrate how our circumstances/situations in life will inevitably change. The moral of the parable is that we all need to be prepared for those changes when (not "if") eventually they occur. If we're prepared, and we respond quickly and intelligently to them (instead of protesting and complaining), we will often find that we end up being better off in the long run.
Dr. Johnson takes the reader through a series of scenarios in which the 4 characters employ various methods to deal with the unexpected changes. The 2 little people - Hem and Haw - unlike the mice, had major problems getting over the setback (not surprising is it? A typical human reaction!) and moving on with their lives. Hem in particular remained adamant that it was "unfair" for the cheese to have been moved - and prevailed on Haw(who over time became more disposed to trying to find a way out of the fix they were in) to stay with him till things "returned to normal", or "someone gave them an explanation" for moving their cheese.
Remember! It's a parable, and if you think back to our lives as humans, you should't have much problems recalling those occasions when you've been a complainer. Sometime in the past(or possibly even now) you may have been just like Hem - who never saw any good in a change that affected you(in your opinion) "negatively". An example of such a change is a lateral movement from your job to another seemingly less glamorous one in your company.
Lest I reproduce the entire book here, I will get straight to the point I wish to make. At a point, Haw decided that since the mice had taken off in search of another cheese almost immediately the initial cheese had moved, he would do the same. So, he left Hem, (after trying without success to get him to go along), sitting and complaining, and began his search.
"Haw" Starts Writing To Share What He Learns BEFORE He achieves Success
As he journeyed, he made a lot of new discoveries, gaining new and fresh insights that excited him a great deal. In fact, he found the learnings he picked up while trying to find new cheese so profound that he decided to write each learning on the wall(in form of a short phrase). This was so that anyone who was coming along after him, would benefit from the knowledge he had discovered.
Examples of the phrases he wrote are: "If you do not change, you can become extinct"; "When you move beyond your fear, you feel free"; and "Imagining myself enjoying new cheese even before I find it, leads me to it".
I have chosen to adopt the method used by Haw, by writing to share my experiences so far, for the benefit of others who might wish to also go into entrepreneuring. Even before he found new cheese, Haw began to share the little knowledge he was picking up along the way/during the journey. He felt (quite rightly too) that there was no point waiting till he got to the "end" of his journey, and found new cheese, before he shared the little he already knew. This was because he recognised that he was experiencing useful - though sometimes painful - lessons that could benefit others tremendously, if they knew them before facing similar challenges.
Summary
I personally believe that it takes strength of character - and tremendous self belief - to repeatedly make out time to share painful lessons learnt(through writing, and/or speaking), in the pursuit of a challenging goal(s), especially while still working to achieve it(them).
Another lesson we can take away from Dr. Johnson's book, is that we can each move our own cheese(become "masters of our fate"), instead of waiting for others to do it for us. Nearly five years ago, I chose to move mine by leaving the comfort of what should have been a comfortable job in a corporate organisation, to follow my longstanding vision of running my own businesses. I also decided that I wanted to spend much of my time, sharing with others about how to do the things I have achieved in various areas of my past, present and future endeavours.
We need to share information/knowledge and discoveries about life, and how to live it better, with each other. We need to do so regularly, and with plenty of excitement and passion. Our actions in this regard must be borne out of a genuine desire to enrich the lives of others, and help them get ahead like we are doing.
The result would be a society in which mutually beneficial exchange of information takes place among people in a way that enhances social development, making life more fulfilling for every member. A society where this happens continually, and spontaneously, would be a very successful one. Many developed countries are already on the path toward attaining this futuristic state.
Developing countries which desire to achieve similar progress, will need to challenge MANY MORE of their members to write MORE OFTEN(give more public speeches, seminars, practical workshops, coaching programs) based on authentic experiences they have had, that would empower others to succeed in pursuit of their life goals.
Writing is a powerful way to communicate useful knowledge acquired through years of experience and sometimes painful effort by the writer, to others. Any society that wishes to develop fully, in all aspects of the life of its people MUST encourage her members to write - and read - as frequently as possible(especially non-fiction). You can play a role today in the development of your own society, by deciding to go out and acquire qualitative experiences in the pursuit of challenging, worthwhile goals, and then writing to share what you learn with others.
Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist ? Tayo Solagbade - works as a Multipreneur, helping individuals/businesses develop and implement strategies to achieve their goals, faster and more profitably.
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