This week we examine faith: the second principle in Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich. Despite having a deep belief in Christianity and the Bible, I appreciate that Hill doesn't attach the concept of religion to how faith plays a role in the life of successful people. For many, religion helps codify their faith and belief in a higher power, but it's not exclusive or necessary to maintain a sense of faith.Hill contends his second principle of faith, coupled with his first principle of desire, is the gasoline that fuels the engine of the change you need to see in your life. As Hill says,

“All thoughts that have been emotionalized (given feeling through desire) and mixed with faith begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent or counterpart.”

His statement is a fairly simple concept when broken down into parts:

• You can’t have change in your life without wanting to have it — that’s desire.

• You also can’t see that change unless you believe it's possible — that's faith.

Practical Combinations of Faith and Desire

As a practical example, let’s say one of your goals in life is to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. You may have no immediate plan to go because you are short on both the time and money for that kind of travel. However, you want to go and believe one day you will. That’s desire and faith.It’s also easy to have desire without faith, but it limits your success. If one day you decide you want to visit a foreign country, you have a desire; however, if you have no faith that you will ever get there, you won't take the steps needed to make it happen. It's good to have desire, but it's equally important to have faith so that you believe you can make your dreams come true. 

Hill's Explanation

Hill suggests our beliefs either empower us to soar to previously unimaginable heights or chain us to the lower echelons of failure.In keeping with Hill's assertions, it's every individual’s birthright to claim the success and happiness they have coming to them in life. Far too many won’t grab for that brass ring, and they have nobody to blame but themselves because they're simply unable or unwilling to believe that change is possible.For many, faith is an abstract concept too hard to accept or practice. Some think the worst is always going to happen. To these people, please note: you already have faith; you’re just exercising it to the negative. As much as you believe things are going to go wrong, you can turn your mind-set around and believe things are going to go right. You’ll be surprised what manifests just by pivoting your thinking.

 The Non-Believers

Some segments of the population, whether atheist, skeptic, or scientific, only take things they can see, touch, and evaluate at face value. Unfortunately, faith can't be conjured up in a lab or bought by the case at a store — however — these non-believers do have faith; they just don’t want to use the word. Faith is really about positive thinking. Maybe a better word would be hope because there's a little less spirituality attached to it.Even the most strident non-believers have hoped for things in their lifetime. They hoped to get a boyfriend or girlfriend in high school, they hoped to get the job after an interview, or they hoped their children would be born healthy and always have the means to meet their needs.It’s OK if you don’t have your own definition of spirituality, and you don't subscribe to traditional religious beliefs or anything else lacking 100% scientific proof of existence. However, in your lifetime, surely you’ve hoped for positive things to happen — and it's OK to admit it.

If you’re having trouble tapping into that vein of faith that flows through all of us, or you’d like to discuss Hill's 13 principles and how to apply them to your life in more detail, please contact me, and we’ll schedule a time to talk.To catch up on my series about how Napoleon Hill's 13 principles help you live the life you desire, start here: "Fuel Your Desire and Live Your Dream."