We’ve all heard the saying: no man is an island. Yet, a
select few, including myself, persist with the contrasting philosophy of being
an island. Napoleon Hill, on the other hand, speaks explicitly about the power
of 2 or more minds committed to a definite purpose. Hill called this coming
together of people a mastermind.
Hill says that to accomplish anything great, 2 or more
people must put their minds together. He compares it to the natural elements.
When you mix hydrogen and oxygen in the correct proportion, you get water.
While both elements are important, neither can create water on it’s own. He
said the ideal number in a mastermind is 6-7 people. Depending on the size of
the goal, 12-13 can be perfect.
He further explains that when a man and woman come together
for a definite purpose,
it is the best of all worlds. He believed that the
intimacy only enhanced their ability to be creative. He did, however, state
that the individuals in the group would need to meet certain criteria.
First, you have to have a definite purpose for bringing the
group together. If each person in the group provides specific talent that
others do not possess, you must be able to employ those skills in a way that
benefit everyone involved.
Second, if you bring the group together, it is critical that
you be of value to each of the members. If not, the relationship would have no
way of sustaining itself and would eventually fall apart.
Third, if any person in the group loses confidence in you,
remove them from the group.
Hill was so convinced about the importance of a mastermind
that he promoted this philosophy for every husband and wife who had a
harmonious relationship. He believed that even boyfriend and girlfriend should
choose someone who could be a member of their mastermind.
He saw the mastermind as a foundation for personal and
professional achievement as well as a source for generating wealth. At the same
time, those who choose to go it alone will use much more energy than an
intimate couple and an intimate couple will expend more than a group of 6 or 7.
While I am an example of being an island, I have also seen
the clear benefits of having a relationship with a woman who is capable of
creating an empowering relationship. In fact, I attribute my success in my
personal and professional life to the times I allowed myself to combine my mind
with another. Without question, it is an amazing experience.
If you look at some of the people who have made history in
the US, the idea of partnership is validated. Henry Ford was once a laborer who
was very shy. His wife is said to have been the first member of his mastermind.
She empowered him to be the man who made history. The partnerships Ford and
other accomplished men had with their wives were not only extraordinary they
were harmonious.
I encourage you to first focus on creating a harmonious
relationship with your significant other. In addition, make yourself a valuable
resource to him or her. From there, envision a definite purpose the 2 of you
can work towards. As that vision expands, you may have to invite other people
to be part of your mastermind.
Since no great man is an island, a powerful partnership must
be factored in as a contributing part of your success.
Two minds are better than one. Harmony helps get the job
done.
What do you think? I’m open to ideas. Or if you want to
write me about a specific topic, let me know.
"THE GREAT MONAD, or the Great Beginning, or the Great Extreme, or the Great Vacuum, or Yin and Yang, or "Heaven," is one of the old, mysterious figures of Earth. It represents all the pairs of opposites that we know--Light and Darkness, life and death, death and re-birth, heat and cold, good and evil, subtle and gross, male-female in Nature, or the great principles Yin and Yang. It is One yet All Things, the great hermaphrodite--"the indivisible monad, of itself generating itself, and out of this were formed all things." It looks like a shell, it looks like an ear; it looks like a tadpole, an embryo, a whirlpool, a claw, a comma, two eyes, strange Moon upon the Sun. It looks perhaps like the Universe itself before the creation of Heaven and Earth. It is the epitome of all the "egg-shaped" figures of Earth. It is animated Chaos, primordial Air dividing into two Airs to generate a multiplied cosmos, for they have the power to make and transmute all things. It is the Ovum Mundi--Egg of the World."
ReplyDeleteThat is clearly another way to perceive partnerships. A strong partnership is designed to create something that one person could not do on their own.
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