Sean Rasmussen

Skeptical as humans tend to be, we often need to see the reason behind a belief before we can commit ourselves to the possibility of it. Leaving no stone unturned, Napoleon Hill gives us the reason he believed so strongly in the clues to success that he found.

The Power Of Faith And Desire

The reason Hill believed so strongly in the power of desire backed by faith was that he had seen this power lift people from very low beginnings to places of power and wealth; he saw it stave off what seemed as inevitable death; he saw it serve as the medium used by men to stage comebacks after being defeated in a hundred different ways; and he saw it give his own son a normal, happy, successful life, despite Nature’s having sent him into the world without ears. And every one of us who looks can see the same evidences in the lives of people all around us, both the rich and famous, and the lesser-known, yet highly successful in and around our own towns and cities.

Harnessing Desire

But how can a person harness and use the power of desire? This question has been answered in this chapter and in the subsequent chapters of this book. This message originally went out at the end of the longest and most devastating depression America and the world had ever known, and still, provided the essential elements of wealth creation to all of its readers. Yet the principles detailed in this book are equally as applicable to our lives today; there is no doubt that it will be read by many skeptics who have been quite beaten down by the stresses of modern living in the technology age, but the fact remains that those who can find and plan for the myriad of opportunities around them will also understand the truth behind what Hill has to say–that all achievement, no matter what its nature or purpose, must begin with an intense, burning desire for something definite.

Chemical Impulses

Through some strange and powerful principle of “mental chemistry” which still remains elusive despite all we know about the human brain and its inner workings, Nature wraps up in the impulse of strong desire “that something” which recognizes no such word as impossible, and accepts no such reality as failure.

Accept No Impossibility

Wealth and success are not impossible for you. Of all the impossibilities that have been disproven, that is one that should not even appear on the list—for the simple reason that it is so far from being an impossibility. Wealth and success can be yours, and they will be if you truly desire them to be, and maintain the faith that they can be.

Develop the desire, keep the faith, and enjoy the successful rewards of that ongoing commitment to you!

Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 - 2009

Clues to success—that is what we are all really after isn’t it? That is what Napoleon Hill was after, too, as he researched and wrote the Original Think and Grow Rich. He found many of those clues in some of the most common places.

Requiem For Greatness

As this chapter was being completed, Hill read in the news that the great German opera singer Mme. Schuman-Heink had passed away. Hill clued in on one short paragraph in the news report that he believed gave away the clue to this unusual woman’s stupendous success as a singer. The paragraph is quoted here because the clue to her great success is none other than desire.

The newspaper story read…”Early in her career, Mme. Schuman-Heink visited the director of the Vienna Court Opera, to have him test her voice. But, he did not test it. After taking one look at the awkward and poorly dressed girl, he exclaimed, none too gently, “With such a face and with no personality at all, how can you ever expect to succeed in opera? My good child, give up the idea. Buy a sewing machine, and go to work. You can never be a singer.”

Never Say Never

Never is a long time! The director of the Vienna Court Opera may have known a lot about the technique of singing, but he knew very little about the power of desire when it becomes an obsession. If he had known more about that power, he would not have made the mistake of condemning genius without giving it an opportunity.

Most of us have either known or heard stories about people who have battled illness, disease, or disability which medical professionals feared was hopeless. Where all tests and analyses pointed to the fact that the patient simply could not fight off the disease or overcome their disability to regain normal function (or anything close to it). In fact, today’s news stories from the frontlines in Iraq are full of accounts of young men and women whom doctors said could never recover, or walk or move normally again. In some cases, it was recommended to parents, husbands, and wives that they remove their loved ones from life-support systems. They were told to prepare themselves for the worst.

Whose Opinion Matters?

But that was the doctor’s opinion. It was not the opinion of the patient. Where the will to live and live well is strong, many of these brave men and women have recovered against overwhelming odds. And the opinions the doctors have to give are likely very similar to what Napoleon Hill was told when a good friend of his faced similar odds. After it was all over, the man’s physician told Hill, “Nothing but his own desire to live saved him. He never would have pulled through if he had not refused to accept the possibility of death.”

Form Your Own Opinion

Too often we follow the opinion of what others consider achievable for us. That, more than anything else, is probably why so few people are really successful and living lives of comfort and enjoyment. One of the most important lessons you could learn from Hill’s book is this point—it’s your opinion that matters; your opinion that determines your capabilities. Don’t let others form opinions of non-success for you. Master your opinions and master your mindset! Your life!

Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 - 2009

As I write this, it’s 6pm on New Years Eve. Only a few hours away from the big fireworks. In true AussieWood fashion, I have prefilmed a New Years Message with fireworks and all. Below the video is a list of my resolutions for 2009.

Happy New Year

I filmed this message at Hong Kong Disneyland a few weeks ago whilst on holidays with my family.

My 10 Resolutions for 2009

Here are some ‘quick off the bat’ resolutions for 2009. Making them official and online holds me accountable and helps me achieve these. I made some public goals in 2004 and most have been achieved. This is a very powerful thing to do: Making your goals public - because it makes you look like a goose if you don’t make the effort to achieve them.

Please give me feedback on these in the comments section. My goals are precious and important to me. They may not be on your wishlist, but check them out and see what you think:

1. Focus - 2008 was a mixed bag for me. I did heaps, had more success in my Internet Marketing business and traveled to places with my family. However, doing too much and trying to please to many people diluted my focus massively. 2009 holds a year of FOCUS for me. Do less - achieve more!

2. Charity. I set goals in the past of donating 10% to charity, blah, blah, blah… I have set up those charities as a permanent support structure but have fallen short of the amount I should be donating. The point is that goals have to be specific. So I’m setting a dollar figure. In 2009, I will increase my Charity Donations to a Minimum of $1,000 per month - every month. Regardless of my profit margins.

3. Family. This is my highest priority. Without family, no one is anything. I am nothing without my wife, children, mother, father and brother. I love them more than they could possibly imagine and 2009 means spending even more time with my family - which ties in my travel and lifestyle goals.

4. Travel. A long term goal of mine is to take my 2 sons to every continent in the world, by the time they are 20. This is happening now and is ongoing. This year, I will take them to a Pacific Island and South East Asia. My business will take me to the USA, Asia and possibly Europe in 2009.

Balancing travel with business and lifestyle can be tricky. There is a fine line between fun and work in this business.

5. Consolidation. Slow down! Despite my travel schedule, 2009 will be much easier than 2008. My 20 acre property needs more lovin’. I’ve promised my wife that 2009 will include plenty of ‘home stuff’. So I’m spending plenty of time at home with the loved ones.

6. Business. I am hell bent on being the number 1 name in Internet Marketing in South East Asia. That’s not from an Ego Perspective. I couldn’t give 2 Hoots what people think of me - as long as it’s good . Now I’ve said that, I suppose I’ll have to share it with all the other guys that will email me and tell me they are doing the same - LOL. Good. I love a challenge! And it’s all about having fun in the process.

Expect my dream business: WebVison2020 - Perfect Online Vision, to hit the streets in early 2009.

7. Gratitude. In 2009 I will state 5 things to be grateful for - every morning when I get out of bed. Gratitude is the mother of inspiration and possibly the grandmother of peace. Peace is good and so is inspiration. More thanks!

8. Dreaming. 2009 is the year I allow myself to dream like a child. We tell children to stop dreaming, yet dreams are the seed of all invention. Without dreams there are no new ideas, human creation or inventions. Why would anyone want to stop dreaming? Not me! I’m allowing myself to dream in 2009.

9. Provide The Dream. One of my main drives in business is to help others achieve their dreams. WebVision2020 is such a vehicle where I intend to help others get access to these tools and in a very affordable way. Far to many businesses over charge and under deliver. Stopping that is my Mission in 2009 through WebVison2020. Wish me luck!

10. Lifestyle and Passion. I love the internet. I love my family, travel, life, the world and having a positive attitude. All of the above 9 points culminate in one thing: PASSION. It is the one thing that keeps us going forward. None of the above points are valid for me or anyone if there is no Passion in it. I’m having a great lifestyle and I’m passionate about what I do.

I’m grateful for everything I have and everything I’ve been dealt in life.

So to add these all up: It’s all about lifestyle and passion. Throw in a grain of gratitude with it - and we have a winner!

Have a most outstanding year in 2009

Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 - 2009

We usually think of the word “devious” as having a negative connotation. But as Hill exemplifies here, sometimes surprises can be nothing short of wondrous.

Devious Manifestations Of Desire

“Verily, a burning desire has devious ways of transmuting itself into its physical equivalent. Blair desired normal hearing; now he has it! He was born with a handicap which might easily have sent one with a less defined desire to the street with a bundle of pencils and a tin cup. That handicap now promises to serve as the medium by which he will render useful service to many millions of hard of hearing, also, to give him useful employment at adequate financial compensation the remainder of his life.

“The little “white lies” I planted in his mind when he was a child, by leading him to believe his affliction would become a great asset, which he could capitalize, has justified itself. Verily, there is nothing, right or wrong, which belief, plus burning desire, cannot make real. These qualities are free to everyone.

Putting Belief To The Test

“In all my experience in dealing with men and women who had personal problems, I never handled a single case which more definitely demonstrates the power of desire. Authors sometimes make the mistake of writing of subjects of which they have but superficial, or very elementary knowledge. It has been my good fortune to have had the privilege of testing the soundness of the power of desire, through the affliction of my own son. Perhaps it was providential that the experience came as it did, for surely no one is better prepared than he, to serve as an example of what happens when desire is put to the test. If Mother Nature bends to the will of desire, is it logical that mere men can defeat a burning desire?

The Magnificent Mind

“Strange and imponderable is the power of the human mind! We do not understand the method by which it uses every circumstance, every individual, every physical thing within its reach, as a means of transmuting desire into its physical counterpart. Perhaps science will uncover this secret.

“I planted in my son’s mind the desire to hear and to speak as any normal person hears and speaks. That desire has now become a reality. I planted in his mind the desire to convert his greatest handicap into his greatest asset. That desire has been realized. The modus operandi by which this astounding result was achieved is not hard to describe. It consisted of three very definite facts; first, I mixed faith with the desire for normal hearing, which I passed on to my son. Second, I communicated my desire to him in every conceivable way available, through persistent, continuous effort, over a period of years. Third, he believed me!”

Words To Live By

I said it in the last post, and I’ll say it again here. These are words for a New Year; for a new beginning; for a new experience of success and abundance. Take these words—desire, faith, and also, belief—into the New Year with you. Believe in you and your success will follow!

Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 - 2008

People do not always know their own destinies from the beginning. Both Napoleon Hill and his son Blair became proof of this. At the outset, Hill could never have guessed what his destiny, and that of his son, would be. He knew only that he had a burning desire to succeed, a gift he passed onto his son.

How Turns The Wheel Of Fate

“Thus, through some strange turn of the Wheel of Fate, my son, Blair, and I have been destined to aid in correcting deaf mutism for those as yet unborn, because we are the only living human beings, as far as I know, who have established definitely the fact that deaf mutism can be corrected to the extent of restoring to normal life those who suffer with this affliction. It has been done for one; it will be done for others.

Disadvantage Forestalled

“There is no doubt in my mind that Blair would have been a deaf mute all his life, if his mother and I had not managed to shape his mind as we did. The doctor who attended at his birth told us, confidentially, the child might never hear or speak. A few weeks ago, Dr. Irving Voorhees, a noted specialist on such cases, examined Blair very thoroughly. He was astounded when he learned how well my son now hears, and speaks, and said his examination indicated that “theoretically, the boy should not be able to hear at all.” But the lad does hear, despite the fact that X-ray pictures show there is no opening in the skull, whatsoever, from where his ears should be to the brain.

Seeds Of Success

“When I planted in his mind the desire to hear and talk, and live as a normal person, there went with that impulse some strange influence which caused Nature to become bridge-builder, and span the gulf of silence between his brain and the outer world, by some means which the keenest medical specialists have not been able to interpret. It would be sacrilege for me to even conjecture as to how Nature performed this miracle. It would be unforgivable if I neglected to tell the world as much as I know of the humble part I assumed in the strange experience. It is my duty, and a privilege to say I believe, and not without reason, that nothing is impossible to the person who backs desire with enduring faith.

Words For A New Beginning

The timing of this post seems, in many ways, serendipitous. These two words, desire and faith, come to us at a time when so many people need them. And as Napoleon and Blair Hill show, with a desire to succeed and the faith that you will be successful, all manner of things can happen. As you set out to capitalize on the opportunities of the New Year, remember these two words. You may not know the exact outcome yet, but you can count on it being quite remarkable!

Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 - 2008