“I am a Compassionate Capitalist. And proud of it!”
~ Victoria Prehn & Genie Lupo
Yesterday, I was chatting with a friend. And she mentioned that she is struggling with this nagging voice of fear inside her head. The one that tells her she’ll be a failure, that no one will be interested, so why do it?
I think all of us are familiar with that voice. And who’s voice is this anyway? And how do we overcome it?
I’m really looking forward to the upcoming chapters on overcoming procrastination and the six basic fears.
I cannot stress again how important beginning a mindfulness meditation practice is. First, we have to be still enough to actually hear this voice of negativity that drones on inside our head. If we don’t become highly aware of our own self-talk, we won’t be able to separate out fact from fiction.
Most of what goes on inside our heads has very little to do with the truth. It’s the past, coming to haunt our present. These ghosts need to be met with compassion at the door, then quickly escorted outside.
One of my favorite quotes by Lloyd Douglas: “If a man harbors any sort of fear, it makes him landlord to a ghost.”
As Napoleon Hill closes out his chapter on Organized Planning, Napoleon Hill gives us a beautiful pep talk.
As I read through this section for the first time, I was truly filled with gratitude for the opportunities I’ve been given. Not just me, but everyone …
Hill writes: “No that we have analyzed the principles by which riches may be accumulated, you naturally may ask: “Where can I find the opportunities to apply these principles?” Very well, let us take inventory and see what the United States of America offers the person seeking riches.”
Let’s think about it !! Most of us have never taken inventory of the advantages of freedom. We have never compared our unlimited freedom with the curtailed freedom in other countries.
We have the freedom to aim for any station in life for which we’ve prepared ourselves, even for the presidency of the United States !!!!!
Almost every American is free from the worry of food, shelter and clothing. Think of all our freedom … We are have security of property rights, we can place money in a bank without worry, we can travel anywhere we want without permission.
And where does this freedom originate? “Having no axe to grind, no grudge to express, and no ulterior motives, Hill gives you a frank analysis of that mysterious, abstract, greatly misunderstood “something” that gives to every citizen of America more blessings, more opportunities to accumulate wealth, and more freedom of every nature than may be found in any other country!”
The name of this mysterious benefactor of mankind is CAPITAL.
For me, the next paragraph is very important ….
“Capital consists not only of money but also of highly organized intelligent groups of individuals who plan ways and means of using money efficiently for the good of the public, as well as profitably to themselves.”
And here’s the kicker. I know that voice of doubt inside my head. It belongs to my mother. I see how proud she is of my brother in-law who was recently promoted to a senior vice president of a large banking conglomerate. He’s highly ambitious. But because he has a family to care for, this is acceptable. He’s the breadwinner. As a female without a family to support, had I followed in his footsteps, I can guarantee you I’d be viewed differently. The words “greedy” and “self-serving” come to mind.
Women in our society, even to this day, are not encouraged to “get ahead” the way Napoleon Hill champions us to in this book.
Well, I for one really don’t care! Because I know that if I am providing service (being self-serving), this is simply the law of capital at work. By serving the public good, I will be compensated. It’s a simple as that. No need to have hang-ups over it …
“Briefly stated, the capitalists are the brains of civilization because they supply the entire fabric of which all education, enlightenment, and human progress consists.”
“Money without brains is always dangerous. Properly used, it is the most important essential of civilization.”
To give us an idea of how important organized capital is, Hill asks us to try to imagine that it is our job to provide and prepare breakfast for our family. Not just how we normally do it, but the whole kit and kaboodle …
To get our tea, we’d have to swim to China. For the sugar, we’d have to go to Montana and process beets. For the eggs, we might have a long walk. We’d have to grind wheat for our cereal. How about some milk and bananas to go with that cereal?
As we deeply think about all it takes for society to deliver a breakfast plate, we have to come to a pretty big realization! The only possible way these simple items of food are delivered is thorough a highly organized system of capital at work.
“The sum of money at required for the buildings, maintenance of the planes, trucks, trains, and cargo ships used in the delivery of our simple breakfast is so huge that it staggers the imagination!”
The systems in place came in response to the call of civilization. The came through the labor and ingenuity and organizing ability of people who have imagination, faith, enthusiasm, decision, and persistence.
These men and women are known as capitalists.
They are motivated by the desire to build, construct, achieve, render useful services, earn profits, and accumulate riches. And because they render services without which there would be no civilization, they earn for themselves great riches.
These same people are often denounced as the “greedy establishment” or “Wall Street”.
So my friends. This is what America offers us. Neither riches nor opportunity would be available to us if organized capital had not provided these benefits.
Step up to the front, select what you want, create your plan, put the plan into action, and follow through with persistence. Capitalist America will do the rest. Render useful service, and you will be rewarded. Give and you will get.
How’s that for a pep talk ?!?!?!?!?!? I’m pumped!! I think I’ll go print up a tee-shirt that says “Capitalist. And proud of it !!” My friend Genie, who’s owned multiple business over the years, always refers to herself as a Compassionate Capitalist. Nothing wrong with that 😉
