After Dan Miller had inspired me to keep dreaming big, my next step was to form a plan to make that dream a reality, not letting it get extinguished by fear, or the opinions of friends, family, or coworkers. I immersed myself in all sorts of motivation/goal setting stuff by people like Napolean Hill, Zig Zigglar, etc. I probably listened to literally 200 hours worth of podcasts, books on tape, sermons, etc. Slowly a vision began to take shape, and I began to form a plan of action.
It's at this point that I'd like to interject that when you enter the realm of positive thinking, self motivation, etc. there's a lot of junk out there. Books like “The Secret” or most any of the fluff on Oprah, most anything by a guy who calls himself a “guru”, the bald guy on PBS fundraisers (you know who I’m talking about), anyone talking about energy, metaphysics, ancient wisdom, or invisible horsemen that point the way.
Or the people claiming to be Christian who preach the idea that God's a divine santa clause wanting to give you anything your heart could desire if you simply "name it and claim it". Or those that teach God is bound by His word and is forced to bless you if you only follow a few simple life principles.
Napoleon Hill is a good example of an inspiring speaker who offers lots of motivational advice, but when he gets around to discussing the nature of this power, he relegates God to some sort of infinite intelligence out there to do your bidding. I go back and forth between chucking his advice wholesale, or just the parts that are out in left field. It reminds me a bit of how often times a good theologian doesn’t make a good scientist, or an excellent scientist who has a messed up theology. In those cases, I’d say people should stick to their area of expertise, but now I’m starting to drift off into another topic entirely…
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