The 12 Components to True Wealth

Napoleon Hill, best known for his book "Think & Grow Rich" itemized the twelve components to true wealth as follows:

1. A Positive Mental Attitude
2. Sound Physical Health
3. Harmony in Human Relationships
4. Freedom from Fear
5. The Hope of Future Achievement
6. The Capacity for Applied Faith
7. Willingness to Share one's Blessings with Others
8. To Be Engaged in the Labor of Love
9. An Open-mind on all Subjects Toward all people
10. Complete Self-Discipline
11. Wisdom with which to Understand People
12. Financial Security

Each of these items can be discussed individually in great detail. This is a bird's eye view. In future articles, we'll take a deeper look. For now, just consider the numerous levels of fulfillment we can have in our lives.

As I was reading the list, I realized how many of these components I, as many of you, already have (at least to a moderate degree). I realized how wealthy we already are. It truly adds perspective to some of the great things in life that we have, and that we may be taking for granted.

Try it yourself. Read each item in the list and ask yourself, from a scale of 1 to 10, how much of that characteristic you already possess. It's important to acknowledge some of the components you already have. And here's a tip: If you find an item that is at a low number for you, spend some time nourishing and expanding that trait. We'll find that by doing so, we not only enhance our quality of life, we inherently feel a lot wealthier!

One of the most important steps in our individual personal development is to acknowledge our progress along the way, otherwise we become de-motivated and eventually give up. We are, after all, human.

And here's another tip: Don't get caught by focusing solely on Component #12 first. As Anthony Robbins said in an interview with a prisoner of war, Captain Gerald Coffee, "The only way to get beyond survival -- is to start beyond it."

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