Friday - October 14, 2011

Think and Grow Rich

Some of you know that I’ve been unemployed since April. I quit. Voluntarily. Which means I’m not eligible for unemployment welfare. I quit knowing that. I also knew I had savings to fall back on. And, ultimately, I can cash-out my retirement funds. Sure I’ll take a tax penalty for early withdrawal. But under Obamanomics, seems like the lesser evil in view of the massive inflation Obamanomics is already causing. Not to mention that Democrats are already considering seizing retirement accounts (401(k), IRAs, etc) to bolster Social Security. Take the money I saved and run!

Meanwhile, between jobs I’ve been rereading the classic Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it to you. Back when I was a dance teacher, the boss started off each day by having us read, out loud, passages from Think and Grow Rich. It’s a highly motivating book. Especially useful in the demotivating Obama misAdministration.

I’d just like to offer this quote from the book:

During the first World War, a Chicago newspaper published certain editorials in which, among other statements, Henry Ford was called “an ignorant pacifist.” Mr. Ford objected to the statements, and brought suit against the paper for libeling him. When the suit was tried in the courts, the attorneys for the paper pleaded justification, and placed Mr. Ford on the witness stand for the purpose of proving to the jury that he was ignorant. The attorneys asked Mr. Ford a great variety of questions, all of them intended to prove that while he might possess considerable specialized knowledge pertaining to the manufacture of automobiles, he was, in the main, ignorant.

Mr. Ford was plied with such questions as the following: “Who was Benedict Arnold?” and “How many soldiers did the British send over to America to put down the Rebellion of 1776?” In answer to the last question, Mr. Ford replied, “I do not know the exact number of soldiers the British sent over, but I have heard that it was a considerably larger number than ever went back.”

Finally Mr. Ford became tired of this line of questioning, and in reply to a particualrly offensive question, he leaned over, pointed his finger at the lawyer who had asked the question and said, “If I should really want to answer the foolish question you have just asked, or any of the other questions you have been asking me, let me remind you that I have a row of electric push-buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid men who can answer any question I desire to ask concerning the business to which I am devoting most of my efforts. Now, will you kindly tell me, why I should clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I have men around me who can supply any knowledge I require?”

There is certainly was good logic to that reply.

That answer floored the lawyer. Every person in the courtroom realized it was the answer, not of an ignorant man, but of a man of education. Any man is educated who knows where to get knowledge when he needs it…

Being between jobs, I’m reading this again for uplifting motivation. Books like this tell me that–to coin a phrase–Yes, I can! Apologies, I know it’s close to a slogan our misAdministrator-in-Chief used. But note the difference: ‘I can’ vs ‘We can’. I’m taking responsibility if I fail. Those that follow the ‘We’ model will point fingers at others when they fail. See the current Occupy (insert city) protests.

Posted by Christopher     on 10/14/2011 at 11:08 AM   
Filed Under: • Editorials • Literature • Personal •  
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

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It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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