Page 230 - Napoleon Hill Think and Grow Rich Full Book | Success Learned

IF I didn't have a "past" . . .

IF I only had a business of my own . . .

IF other people would only listen to me . . .

IF - and this is the greatest of them all - 1 had the courage to see myself as I really
am, I would find out what is wrong with me, and correct it, then I might have a
chance to profit by my mistakes and learn something from the experience of oth-
ers, for I know that there is something WRONG with me, or I would now be where
I WOULD HAVE BEEN IF I had spent more time analyzing my weaknesses, and
less time building alibis to cover them.

Building alibis with which to explain away failure is a national pastime. The habit
is as old as the human race, and is fatal to success! Why do people cling to their
pet alibis? The answer is obvious. They defend their alibis because THEY CRE-
ATE them! A man's alibi is the child of his own imagination. It is human nature
to defend one's own brain-child.

Building alibis is a deeply rooted habit. Habits are difficult to break, especially
when they provide justification for something we do. Plato had this truth in mind
when he said, "The first and best victory is to conquer self. To be conquered by
self is, of all things, the most shameful and vile."

Another philosopher had the same thought in mind when he said, "It was a great
surprise to me when I discovered that most of the ugliness I saw in others, was
but a reflection of my own nature."

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NAPOLEON HILL THINK AND GROW RICH

"It has always been a mystery to me," said Elbert Hubbard, "why people spend so
much time deliberately fooling themselves by creating alibis to cover their weak-
nesses. If used differently, this same time would be sufficient to cure the weak-
ness, then no alibis would be needed."

In parting, I would remind you that "Life is a checkerboard, and the player op-
posite you is TIME. If you hesitate before moving, or neglect to move promptly,
your men will be wiped off the board by TIME. You are playing against a partner
who will not tolerate INDECISION!"

Previously you may have had a logical excuse for not having forced Life to come
through with whatever you asked, but that alibi is now obsolete, because you are
in possession of the Master Key that unlocks the door to Life's bountiful riches.