Principle 6: Personal Initiative

Introduction

The fifth principle of Napoleon Hill's 17 principles of success is the Pleasing Personality. Personal initiative is that aspect of success, which in the process of rendering one’s paramount purpose into its physical financial equivalent, initiates the transition of faculty of imagination into action.
Success, if chosen above mediocrity, requires you to learn to act on your own personal initiative. It must be achieved by you for yourself without anybody’s interference or suggestions, as to, what should be done or how should it be done.
Cyrus H. K. Curtis, the former owner of the Saturday Evening Post, once said that two kinds of men never amount to much;
First, those who cannot do as they are told,
Second, those who can do nothing else!’
This implies that people who move on their own personal initiative without being told what to do or why they should do it, are the ones who amount to something worthwhile in life.
A person who is habitual of taking action on his own personal initiative is not only inspired to move on his own responsibility but also carries through until he completes that which he started in a manner that is pleasing to everyone concerned because he knows and believes in the saying that;
‘Winner Never Quits and Quitter Never Wins.’
A huge number of little circumstances which seems to be so insignificant that generally most of the people let them pass by are the ones which lead to a great success. For example, F.W. Woolworth started a five and ten cents store. It was his original idea and he acted on his own personal initiative in putting his idea into action, which yielded him a fortune of more than One hundred million dollars. W. Clement Stone, started his insurance business with an operating capital of only $100, on his own personal initiative that yielded him an annual gross income of many millions of dollars. Henry J. Keiser built a great industrial empire raising himself to a very high position in the industrial world with the habit of acting on his own personal initiative as his chief trait in his personality.
Personal initiative inspires a person to form friendships and to make contacts with people who, in times of need, can be of aid to them.

Significant Attributes

Significant Attributes of the person who has sufficient personal initiative to render him leadership in his chosen field, are as follows:
1. Firstly, any person with the habit of personal initiative has two basic things; a definite major purpose in life, and, a proper plan for its accomplishment.
2. A Mastermind Alliance with the people whose help is essential for the achievement of his major purpose.
3. The qualities of Necessary Persistence and, the Will to Win are present in that person to enable him to carry on even when the going gets hard or he meets the obstacles.
4. S/He is a Prompt decision-maker, based on necessary facts and if at all needed, then, change them slowly.
5. He does more than what he is paid for with a pleasing and positive mental attitude.
6. He takes on full responsibility for what he chooses to do and even if things go wrong, he never passes the buck.

7. He has acceptance towards friendly criticism without resentment, as he has learned the art of gaining profit out of that too.
8. He knows the nine basic motives that inspire all human endeavours, and only requests someone to do something for him after giving that person a sufficient motive for doing that.
9. He only expresses an opinion about anything if he has thought about that subject thoroughly and can state the reasons behind his opinion
10. He embraces the habit of listening more, and talking only if it’s significant and may benefit himself or others.
11. He observes minute details and understands the job from very basic to the complex level.
12. He explains why a certain work needs to be done and the best way to perform it before telling someone to do it.
13. He concentrates fully on one thing at a time.
14. He possesses a very positive mental attitude at all times while communicating with people.
15. Such a person gives direct answers if asked about anything even if he has to mention not knowing the correct answer.
16. The most important thing that he has is, he never procrastinates as he knows that this habit is one of the biggest causes of failure.

Summary

The success or failure of a person, very largely, depends on the action that person takes in connection with his occupation. The decision of what should be done or what should not be done must be your own and no one will tell you that.
One must know the fact that, if you work for wages or a salary, your promotion or you reach the top of the scale of in your job, is entirely in your own hands. It’s you who decide to promote yourself through your own personal initiative.