Napoleon Hill

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Some years ago Louis Victor Eytinge was given a life sentence in the Arizona penitentiary. At the time of his imprisonment he was an all around "bad man," according to his own admissions. In addition to this it was believed that he would die of tuberculosis within a year.

Eytinge had reason to feel discouraged, if anyone ever had. Public feeling against him was intense and he did not have a single friend in the world who came forth and offered him encouragement or help.

Then something happened in his own mind that gave him back his health, put the dreaded "white plague" to rout and finally unlocked the prison gates and gave him his freedom. What was that "something"?

Just this: He made up his mind to whip the white plague and regain his health. That was a very definite chief aim.

In less than a year from the time the decision was made he had won. Then he extended that definite chief aim by making up his mind to gain his freedom. Soon the prison walls melted from around him. No undesirable environment is strong enough to hold the man or woman who understands how to apply the principle of Autosuggestion in the creation of a definite chief aim.

Such a person can throw off the shackles of poverty; destroy the most deadly disease germs; rise from a lowly station in life to power and plenty. All great leaders base their leadership upon a definite chief aim.

Followers are willing followers when they know that their leader is a person with a definite chief aim who has the courage to back up that purpose with action. Even a balky horse knows when a driver with a definite chief aim takes hold of the reins; and yields to that driver.

When a man with a definite chief aim starts through a crowd everybody stands aside and makes a way for him, but let a man hesitate and show by his actions that he is not sure which way he wants to go and the crowd will step all over his toes and refuse to budge an inch out of his way.

Nowhere is the lack of a definite chief aim more noticeable or more detrimental than it is in the relationship between parent and child. Children sense very quickly the wavering attitude of their parents and take advantage of that attitude quite freely. It is the same all through life - men with a definite chief aim command respect and attention at all times.