After my lessons from Think And Grow Rich – Chapter 2 “Desire”, I’m going to write about chapter 3 of Napoleon Hill’s “Think and grow rich” today. It’s about FAITH, the “head chemist of the mind”.
It’s the very same lesson plan I sent to Mentoring for Free‘s Mental Cleanse Call, our mastermind group.
Remember: Being part of a mastermind group is an important and indispensable part of thinking and growing rich. To all proud members of the S quadrant pretending to be entrepreneurs: YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE.
Being part of a mastermind group is heart and soul of the process.
CHAPTER 3 “FAITH – VISUALIZATION OF, AND BELIEF IN ATTAINMENT OF DESIRE” THE SECOND STEP TOWARDS RICHES
I have always been confused by the words “Faith” and “Belief”. Are they synonyms or do they mean something different ?
I looked up their meaning.
According to the Oxford American Dictionaries, “faith” means “complete trust or confidence in someone or something”. “Belief” means “an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
Interestingly enough, there doesn’t seem to exist a verbal form of “faith” – of course in all types of composed forms like “have faith” or “lose faith” but not like “belief” and “believe”
It’s a linguistic blessing that the English language makes this distinction, in German this linguistic distinction doesn’t exist which makes it easy to get totally confused, as I used to be. Faith and belief are the same word in German, with different meanings, but the same word.
My confusion was even increased as I read in Aldous Huxley’s novel “Island” (his positive Utopia), this sentence, a bit ironic:
“Give us this day our daily Faith, but deliver us, dear God, from Belief.”
OK, what does that tell me and how does it apply to “Think And Grow Rich” ?
First of all, the word “belief” is pretty much ambivalent, you can believe all kinds of stuff, positive stuff, negative stuff – you simply believe that something is true, for example that rich people don’t go to Heaven or something like that.
Chances are that most of your past programming is reflected in your beliefs, so I dare to say that beliefs come from the outside and not from your true Self or Infinite Intelligence.
As there exists the verb “believe” it’s an active decision to believe this or that. If you believe that you are a sinner and have to confess in front of a priest, you probably believe in the concepts of sin, fear of going to hell and guilt and are motivated by them. If you believe that there’s no such thing as sin or guilt, you believe in different, less fear-driven concepts, even fear-free motivation is possible.
Secondly, as there doesn’t exist a verbal form of “faith”, it seems to be a state of mind and not an action. You have faith or you haven’t. You lose faith or you gain it. You can’t “faith” – and first, unlike belief, you can’t fake it. Its meaning is unique according to the definition above:”complete trust or confidence”. No room for negativity.
Faith comes from the inside and from our true Self and not from the outside, but in can be influenced by impulses from the outside.
I dare to say that all disharmony in people’s lives – myself included – is due to disharmony between our external belief system and our deeply ingrained Faith.
Chances are that all non-desired events and outcomes in our lives are a signal from the inside, from Faith, that we are in disharmony with our true Self and that we should and can (!) change something, in this case our belief system.
The good news is: No matter how big our challenges are today, we can master them because the challenges are simply feedback from our Self, from Faith and Infinite Intelligence. What would be the use of feedback if we weren’t able to do something about it ? So the existence of feedback is proof that we CAN do something, that we CAN change our lives to the better.
But we HAVE to stop talking ourselves further into a downwards spiral by saying “I always have bad luck” or “I knew that it won’t work.” and crap like that.
Let’s face it. Our current belief system mainly consists of lies. “I can’t do this and I can’t do that.” or “I am not good enough.” or “The rich go to hell.” or “All rich people are greedy.” or “Building a business is risky.” or “I can’t build a business because I have kids to feed.”
It consists of lies, excuses, justifications and self-evident “truths” charged with emotions, notably negative emotions.
So if we are lying to ourselves anyway (in most cases destructively) , why not lying to ourselves constructively ?
“I can do that.”
“I am good enough to fulfill my purpose in life.”
“I will go to Heaven regardless if I am rich or poor. So I choose to be rich.”
“If I truly want to build a business, I will find a solution to always put enough food on the table, no matter how long it takes to build it.”
The beauty of the belief concept is that you can manipulate your beliefs actively (they have already been manipulated by others), charge them with positive emotions (instead of negative emotions like so far) and reach your subconscious mind through this channel.
Your subconscious mind will react so, perhaps defensive at first, your ego may send signals of doubt.
Well, is that truly astonishing ? Why should your ego believe you that you won’t treach your diet anymore from one day to another if you have been treaching it for the last twenty years ?
I mean, it’s a normal reaction and simply part of the game.
Is it really astonishing that nobody believes you that you will quit smoking this time if you have announced that over and over in the past without doing so ?
It’s your business to give the proof that your new beliefs are true, through daily consistent action.
The beauty of the belief concept is that you can make a conscious decision what you want to believe from now on and feed your subconscious mind accordingly, via auto-suggestion and affirmations.
Get rid of unwanted beliefs, neutralize negative emotions, acquire desired beliefs, charge them with positive emotions – that’s the language the subconscious mind understands.
Through constant repetition over time, it will send feedback of Faith. You are in the state of mind of Faith, of complete trust or confidence in your Self and that you can fulfill your purpose, what ever that might be.
Just like Desire, Faith doesn’t need to be built, it’s already there and giving you and me feedback all day long.
How we handle this feedback makes all the difference.
OK, that’s my lesson plan for the chapter about “Faith”. Stay tuned for next week’s lesson plan about “Think and grow rich” chapter 4 “Auto-Suggestion – The medium for influencing the subconscious mind.”
I published another lesson plan about faith in March 2011: Think And Grow Rich- Oliver Tausend Reads His Lessons – Faith
So what is your opinion ?
I always love your reaction, so please leave me a comment down below with questions, thoughts, or feedback.
And (yes, here’s my call to action) please share this post with your Twitter and Facebook friends by clicking on the share buttons.
I appreciate you telling others.
To a prosperous life,
Oliver Tausend
+49 1512 9125216 (Germany/outside US)
+1 201 984 5664 (US)
Skype ID: guernsey2016
wordpress@olivertausend.com
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P.S.: This is the pointer video I published on YouTube:
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Wow Oliver that is deep! But then so is the book.
I am amazed to find out in German faith and belief are the same word. That would be confusing when reading something in English as they are very different. I love your illustrations and examples of the two. There is so much to consider on the topic.
I personally have a challenge with faith from time to time as I understand the word at least. I think it is because I am a bit of a control freak and want to “fix things my way”.
I do see belief and faith very differently. I have had to work my way through many self defeating beliefs (and of course still am). When I do have absolute faith it is a very freeing experience.
Well done Oliver on a great analgesics of this chapter. I look forward to the next one.
Sue
Sue Price recently posted..Women and Money
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 22nd, 2010 at 23:02
Hi Sue,
they are the same word, but there are of course several meanings. Even in English people use these words as synonyms, confusing enough, right ? Now in German it’s even more confusing because it can always mean anything…you never know if people refer to religion, to beliefs or disbeliefs or eventually faith.
I just finished today’s Mental Cleanse call and there was the question if someone had ever seen God. Of course not. So if we are able to believe in God, the Creator, the Universe or Infinite Intelligence – whom nobody ever has seen – why shouldn’t we be able to have faith in other things our mind can’t explain ?
Having faith and feeling it definitely is a very freeing experience.
Thanks for your comment.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Astounding stuff you share with us Oliver.
I always differentiate between the two by reminding myself that I can have limiting beliefs but I cannot have limiting faith!
Faith is all encompassing – you either have faith or you don’t… there is no middle.
Stay inspired,
Michael
Michael B Wilbraham recently posted..How A 2 Minute Video Email Can Make You Stand Out From The Crowd
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 22nd, 2010 at 22:52
Hi Michael,
that’s exactly what I came to realize when studying this subject: Beliefs aren’t necessarily limiting, but they can be and we all have layers of wrong beliefs or disbeliefs – oftentimes religious ones – limiting us around our core. This core is called faith.
Thanks for sharing your great insights.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Thanks for posting this. Faith is such an important part of our industry – along with vision and action.
Al
Alan Sills recently posted..Only a Split Second Remains…a vitally important message for YOU
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 22nd, 2010 at 22:48
Hi Alan,
faith, vision, action – what an amazing triad, thanks for sharing that and adding value to my post.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Hey Oliver,
Man I’m impressed…This post was an awesome read and I got a lot of great stuff out of it
Someone once told me that faith was the ability to see the invisible, to believe in the incredible, which permits you to have what the masses call impossible.
It’s amazing how much we believe in something influences our behavior and how so many people are completely unconscious of this process…If only more people would read good stuff like this then our world would be a little better.
Keep up the good work buddy!
See you at the top,
Michael Stead
Michael Stead recently posted..“My Video Talk” – Why I Joined My Video Talk And Why You Should To
[Reply]
Twitter: davidhpaul
says:
You nailed it again, Oliver. Wow. If it is ok with you, I would like to borrow some of your words to use in a video blog post on this topic. I promise to give you credit, of course
Take Care,
David Paul
the Follow Your Bliss guy
David Paul recently posted..Follow Your Bliss- Avoid Getting Burned in MLM
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 08:43
Hi David,
thanks for your comment. I am glad you were able to resonate with my post. Feel free to quote me, just mention the source
Take care too
Oliver
[Reply]
Twitter: JymTarrant
says:
Very thought provoking Oliver!
This question of faith and belief is a very significant one.
My feeling is that beliefs are structural conceptual limitations which, as you say, can be changed, removed, built or otherwise manipulated to create certain results.
Faith on the other hand is more intuitive, felt, inherently known and less connected with logic or structure.
Shifting beliefs is not an easy work… generating faith where there is none? I’m not sure how I’d go about that. But both are important aspects of the inner architecture of success in this industry, or any field of endeavour.
Thanks for this deep post!
Jym
Jym recently posted..Review- THarv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Seminar
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 23:27
Hi Jym,
of course I don’t have the universal answer, but I think that faith that doesn’t need to be built. It’s already there yet overshadowed by all kinds of stuff.
In yesterday’s Mental Cleanse call one fellow brought up the analogy with an onion. The core of the onion is faith, our core that has been described by you pretty precisely. The layers around the core are our beliefs, a lot of them are made up of religious beliefs, but that’s another story.
Great thoughtful insights, thanks for sharing.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Inspiring stuff Oliver – I like your observations regarding faith and belief – two very nebulous concepts that roll off the tongue and are rarely analyzed too deeply.
Think and Grow Rich was written in the an era where language was tightly syntaxed or arranged – and today would be considered labored in the same vein as legal ramblings – and seems a bit old fashioned – the message however is remarkably enduring.
I think the chapter on creating mastermind think tanks and visualization is the most digestible and useful technique in the book – my take incidentally on Faith and Belief for what its worth is that faith is a tad blind veering towards hope whereas belief has an element of emotional conviction
Great stuff Cheers Kiaran
kiaran recently posted..Ordinary May Be Overrated!
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 23:21
Hi Kiaran,
thanks for your comment. And now imagine you use the same word “glauben” as a verb or “Glaube” as a noun (in German) for both faith and belief- it becomes even more nebulous.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Amazing stuff Oliver! I loved how you shared the comparison so deeply and got into an analysis on the difference. It was very profound I must say.
For me faith is very different from belief. Faith is something that is an ABSOLUTE KNOWING that things will happen. That if you put your intent, heart and determination into whatever you are striving for… having that deeper knowing or deeper being that it WILL happen or it will bring what is necessary into your path.
With that said, I feel faith is of course much more widened and broadened from this simple explanation I share. FAITH is in my opinion our core being. It is what is our connection to the universe and allows us to bring what we are wanting into reality. Faith is intertwined with our heart and being.
Belief is more of a factual base. Beliefs can be either allowing you to create success or hindering you from moving in the direction you need to go. The key to this is to utilize your faith into finding what those “limited beliefs” or “beliefs” are within you that are stopping you from stepping into the new path or creating that disturbance in your life and journey. Or creating those beliefs that will bring more abundance and prosperity into your life. It is up to us to search ourselves through our strong faith into finding these beliefs.
What a great post and I truly appreciate your heart placed in it.
Jennifer May recently posted..7 Essential Ingredients To Achieving TRUE Network Marketing And Online Marketing Success
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 23:18
HI Jennifer,
wow, that is an amazing and thoughful comment. Thanks for adding this much value to my post. What you’re sharing here, could serve as en entire lesson plan to chapter 3.
I fully agree with you that faith is about absolutely knowing that things will happen and be falling into place. I also subscribe to the idea of faith being our core being. And through faith, we are connected to the universe or Infinite Intelligence, as Mr. Hill writes.
And yes, beliefs can be two-fold, they can help us or rather block us. People acting entirely on an unconscious basis – most of us probably do – tend do have beliefs that rather block them. And of course, faith plays a critical role in order for us to find out what our limiting beliefs are. Even if I talked about the idea that our core being – or faith – gives us feedback, I have never seen it this way though.
Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your insights.
Come back soon.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Hey Oliver,
wow you created a fabulous post here! I also believe that faith can be formed by regular sel affirmation. You´re really in the game Oliver, because leading by examples is a great method to see on what it really depends on.
Yeah, faith is always present, only sometimes it seems to be hidden because of negative influence or of just not taking use of it. We are in the position to wake up and start reprogramming our mindset to the point, when it is fully active again.
Keep on going buddy,
Gerald
Gerald Gigerl recently posted..“My Video Talk Review” Nothing Is Replaceable With Consistency
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 23:08
Hi Gerald,
affirmation and auto-suggestion, that’s going to be part of the next chapter. Faith will find its way like water because it comes from the source.
Thanks for stopping by and take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Twitter: TristramLodge
says:
Hi Oliver,
I tend to think of faith and belief as the same thing, I mean if I have faith in something I believe in it also. However you have set out the meaning of each and I guess they do mean different things.
I have really enjoyed this post and am looking forward to the next one.
Tristram Lodge
Tristram Lodge recently posted..The Last Chapter of The Science of Getting Rich
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 23:06
Hi Tristram,
you can have faith and believe in it. You can also struggle having faith in something because you don’t believe in it. And you can believe in something without being in the state of mind of having faith, that means without having complete trust and confidence. In this case, your belief would be rather superficial and rational.
Thanks for yor comment.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Hey Oliver,
I love this idea of covering this book, one post on a specific topic, I am looking to do the same with the book called “The Travelers Gift”. I have read the book you mention “Think and Grown Rich” it was very deep and I am in desperate need of reading it again as I know that I did not get everything out of the book as intended.
It has been 6 months since I read the book and I did learn something but it is time to reread it.
There are differences in Faith and Belief in my opinion and as you have proven many people feel the same way. I do feel that they do compliment one another as we move through our lives and without one, the other could become complacent.
Thank you for this great post!
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 25th, 2010 at 16:54
Hi Robert,
faith and belief should be one of a kind, but in most cases, they aren’t. Reading books such as “Think and grow rich” with a loving, giving and caring mastermind group is the key to realign and harmonize them.
Thanks for your comment.
I’m looking forward to your series about the “Traveler’s gift”.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Hi Oliver,
This is such a wonderful chapter. You explained what faith is all about beautifully. I would like to add that faith is something that we all have within us. Some of us our faith for different reasons, but they all work the same.
If we can treat faith in all aspects of our lives, the better off we will be.
Thanks buddy…
Jerome Ratliff
Jerome Ratliff recently posted..Learn How to Take Risks One Bite at a Time
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 25th, 2010 at 16:52
Hi Jerome,
yes, sir, faith lies within us regardless how intensively we search for it outside of us.
Thanks for your beautiful additional value.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
After reading through all the comments here Oliver, I don’t know what else to add. But I’m very inspired by your lessons, and it’s motivating me to redo my own 30 Day Mental cleanse.
Failure is not an option for me. It’s not a “luxury” I can afford. I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve my ambitions, even if it takes a lifetime, but I don’t believe it will. When you cut off all other possibilities except the attainment of your dreams, that’s a clear demonstration of faith.
Wayne
Wayne Wu recently posted..What do You do when Your MLM Company Fails
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 25th, 2010 at 16:50
Hi Wayne,
thanks for your comment. Well, you found a way to add value, my friend. Awesome.
I’m glad if you feel motivated now to redo your 30 day Mental Cleanse, it’s highly recommended.
Failure is not an option, I find, that’s two-fold. Failure is part of winning, it’s part of the process. So I would say, it is an option.
It’s definitely not an option to treach my dreams, and I’m sure you meant it like that. Burning bridges.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Twitter: stephensheather
says:
Hi Oliver,
Wow, I had never stopped to think about the differences between belief and faith and I’m so glad you made me aware of it. I will no longer confuse the two in my mind. I do know that my mind is full of the lies I’ve told myself and absorbed from my perceptions of situations around me. When I first started to learn about self talk and the law of attraction I felt like affirmations were phony or like I was telling myself lies. It took me a while to realize that much of what I have thought was a lie to begin with.
Your post was very powerful and I’m so enjoying this series on think and grow rich. I’m going through Napoleon Hill’s The Master-Key to Riches right now and it’s very deep and takes me a while to really process.
Great job,
Heather
Heather C Stephens recently posted..Network Marketing Success Mindset- Finding the Strength to Overcome Obstacles
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
September 25th, 2010 at 16:40
Hi Heather,
it’s not the easiest stuff to digest, that’s true.
Regarding belief and faith, well, in German everybody’s uses the same word and means something different. In English, everybody uses different words and means the same (or not ?)
I wouldn’t get obsessed about it, it’s simply important to realize that faith is truth, overshadowed by false beliefs or disbeliefs we acquired through our lifetime. We can change these beliefs or disbeliefs which can be physically painful because we conncected them with our physical being – that causes pain and fear.
Thanks for sharing.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Iv always believed that Oliver. Belief is something you have been taught it comes from external source. To believe in things. Where as Faith is an internal thing,its like ones spirit has been embedded with Faith. The soul knows Faith. Its such a serene place to be when you have faith in something or another….
I to have been reading the book “Think & Grow Rich” and oh my gosh Im so glad for my mental cleanse…..It really did open up the door to faith and belief.
Oliver these series are great!!
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
December 12th, 2010 at 14:53
Hi Maria,
thanks for your recognition and appreciation. To me, it was nearly impossible to discriminate between the internal source and the external one because we use one and the same word in German even though the same word can have different meanings. So coming from the backdoor of a foreign language was very helpful for me.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]