Previous lesson plan: Think and grow rich – Auto-Suggestion – Lesson from chapter 4
In “Think and grow rich” Napoleon Hill writes at the beginning of this chapter:”Knowledge will not attract money, unless it is organized, and intelligently directed, through practical PLANS OF ACTION, to the DEFINITE END of accumulation of money.”
What can we learn from this chapter and this sentence for our MLM Network Marketing business and life ?
THINK AND GROW RICH CHAPTER 5 “SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE – PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OR OBSERVATIONS” THE FOURTH STEP TOWARDS RICHES
Chapter 5 in “Think and grow rich” about “Specialized Knowledge” seems to be rather inconspicuous compared to the preceding chapters about desire, faith and auto-suggestion.
However, this prejudice isn’t justified at all because we all went to some type of school, college or university – institutions that monopolize the entire subject of knowledge and education. If we have kids who attend school today, like myself, this subject is highly important.
Our oldest daughter is in fourth grade. In Germany, especially in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, it’s normal that kids are sorted after fourth grade when they are barely 10 years old.
In the middle of fourth term, they get a recommendation from primary school for either “High School” (“Gymnasium” in Germany), “Middle School” or “Main School” (pretty euphemistic because no one wants their kids to be sent there). This recommendation is binding the parents unless they have their kids doing exams in math and German.
Our grades range from 1 to 6, 1 being the best grade and 6 the worst. If a pupil has a “3″ in either German or math, they usually can’t go to the “highest” school unless they pass this exam.
Everybody’s going crazy if their kids don’t get a recommendation for “Gymnasium”, both teachers and parents.
Our daughter has struggled in math so far, so it is uncertain if she will get a recommendation for “Gymnasium”. Well, at the moment we don’t know if it’s desirable at all to go there because it is a true Rat Race !
And now we are struggling what we should tell her.
What we learned from our personal development seminars, Robert Kiyosaki’s books, Think and grow rich and the Mental Cleanse, clashes completely with our own upbringing in this insane school system and the situation of our daughter.
It’s insane because this sorting process after the fourth grade is a sacred cow, especially in the conservative education establishment.
The exit from nuclear power generation was easier than changing the school system, especially this early sorting process.
We try not to amplify the pressure from the system. At the same time, we don’t want that our new knowledge about the limitations of the public school system and proper life education serves her as an excuse for being lazy.
Math is an important part of scholastic education, isn’t it ? Not higher math, but basic skills.
Which influence has success in school on success in life ? More or less than 10 % ?
I would say, less.
Why ? Because school “specializes on teaching knowledge, but they do not specialize on the organization, or the use of the knowledge” – other than working for money.
Which influence do the claim ?
Nearly 100 %, and most parents believe it and even amplify this lie.
Nothing, nothing, nothing could be farther from the truth because schools fail to teach their students “how to organize and use knowledge after they acquire it.”
They are force feeding our kids and call it education which has nothing got to do with “educate”, with developing from within.
I was struggling with this chapter about “Specialized Knowledge” because school is teaching specialized knowledge, highly specialized knowledge indeed designed to create employees and specialists, high paid specialists formerly. They educate kids to work for money, not to become rich or to build a business.
I don’t think that Napoleon Hill refers to this type of specialized knowledge, otherwise he wouldn’t mention the famous trial Henry Ford had to face, would he ?
In order to own their lives, people need to organize their knowledge towards a worthy ideal, building a business and creating true long-lasting wealth.
The type of specialized knowledge our schools teach is rather detrimental to the type of knowledge required to own one’s life, it’s about teamwork, masterminding, delayed gratification, people skills, leadership skills, to only name a few.
I would say, these qualities are the missing links Napoleon Hill refers to.
In order to teach their kids to own their lives, parents need to teach them about these missing links, the missing links that enable our kids to organize their knowledge towards their worthy ideal.
If kids know that they can work hard and build themselves nothing OR that they can work just as hard and build themselves a true business with residual income – what would a kid do if we really gave them the choice and didn’t influence them with our own fears ?
We have to teach them that they have choices. That’s specialized knowledge.
It’s part of my WHY to create these choices for my family in order to be a positive role model for my kids, a successful practical dreamer.
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 below. I appreciate you telling others.
By the way, feel free to join Mentoring for Free’s 30-day-mental-cleanse.
To be continued…Think and grow rich – Imagination – Lessons from chapter 6.
In March 2011 I published another lesson plan about this chapter: Think and grow rich – Oliver Tausend reads his lessons – Specialized knowledge
To a prosperous life,
Oliver Tausend
+1 201 984 5664 office North America (anytime)
+49 1512 9125216 office Germany & other countries (anytime)
Skype ID: guernsey2016 (anytime)
wordpress@olivertausend.com
How to apply ‘Think and grow rich’ in your MLM business
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- MLM Success With Think And Grow Rich And Oliver Tausend Pt. 9
- Think And Grow Rich – Faith - Lessons From Chapter 3
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Twitter: stephensheather
says:
Hi Oliver,
I’m going through the same situation with my daughter. She’s in all honors at her school and I’m worried about the pressure that places on her. She’s a bright girl and can certainly handle the workload, but I have the feeling that there is some performance anxiety that she struggles with in class.
Midterms just came out and she’s got a C in one of her classes…the thing is that only a few assignments and one test have been turned in so far, so one not so great assignment will pull the whole average down.
The trouble is that if she doesn’t keep a B average she will not be able to stay in honors. It frustrates me and angers me that her confidence can be shaken so early in life.
What is this teaching her?
I’m hoping that by involving her in other activities outside of school we’re giving her enough opportunity to develop her skills and confidence in the areas of her strengths and that it will compensate for what she’s going through in school.
Your sweet daughter is an incredible girl, I’m positive…she’s got to be with a dad like you! And I know that whatever she faces, she’s very lucky to have parents who are teaching her to think outside of the box.
Heather
Heather C Stephens recently posted..Overcoming the Impostor Syndrome With a Little Help from My Friends
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
October 7th, 2010 at 14:35
Hi Heather,
first of all thanks for your compliments and your praise. We’re giving our best, even if it’s not always “the best”.
In the situation of oyur daughter, it’s important not to amplify the pressure. She can do ANYTHING in life regardless of that f…… B or C.
I’m sure you’re doing that by involving her in other non-school related activities.
Sounds like you’re doing an awesome job, too !
Thanks again for your comment.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Hi Oliver,
Wow. I totally relate to your post.
I just graduate from college in ’08. While going through college, I wanted so many times to drop out because I knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur…and all I was getting taught were job-seeking skills.
So, like you said, what we are taught in school is specialized knowledge. But, we much take that knowledge and organize it and put it into ACTION!
Thanks Oliver,
Stacia
Stacia Hopkins recently posted..You Hate Weeds Too
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
October 7th, 2010 at 14:30
Hi Stacia,
approval by someone who just recently left this machinery is cool
You nail with the word “job-seeking skills”. I would add, “job-keeping skills”, that means obedience and avoiding mistakes.
None of these skills are a guarantee for success – but they’re a guarantee for failure in case something unexpected happens.
Thanks for your comment.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Hi Oliver,
While I used to live in Germany, I was in the DODDS schools through the military, and we really did not have to deal with this much. I can understand the pressure and can understand what you are being challenged with.
I would say that many of the greatest minds that have had the biggest impact on the world and how we live today had little to no schooling. While I do believe schooling is important, it is not a guarantee for a successful career and lifestyle until the day you “want” to retire.
Who and what we are could be molded a little by school in my opinion, but passion has much more power to become successful. If you have the passion to do something in your life or be something, passion will drive you until you obtain this goal. Taking some type of action every day and having meaningful conversations with people that have your mindset are also other determining factors along with passion.
I am different, you are different and your other com-mentors are different, we believe that we are unique and are not going to follow the status quot. Being unique gives us an advantage over other people because we are not following the herds or others or their ideas, people like us are the ones that provide the world with a different outlook and alternative answers.
Thank you for the great post ! I look forward to the next one !
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
October 7th, 2010 at 14:27
Hi Robert,
thanks for your comment. Now I know that you were in Germany. Where exactly were you ?
You hit the nail on its head when saying: I do believe schooling is important, it is not a guarantee for a successful career and lifestyle until the day you “want” to retire. That couldn’t be formulated better.
Passion and desire are very important – aren’t they sucking passion and desire out of the kids ? People with true passion and burning desire can be hard to deal with…
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Hey Oliver – thought provoking post – you use the term Education System which is what it is a system or institution designed to cater efficiently to the group medium – alas this predicting of relative strengths and weaknesses from such a young age really does a disservice to those who mature more slowly
The likes of Einstein or more recently Branson suggests that ‘genius’ is often misdiagnosed as weakness or retarded when its usually related to a low boredom threshold or a learning quirk such as dyslexia
Ultimately I believe instilling a strong sense of self esteem in a child is what most impacts their ability to overcome obstacles in life
Cheers Kiaran
kiaran recently posted..Rip Up the Rule Book!
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
October 7th, 2010 at 14:10
Hi Kiaran,
thanks for your comment. Instilling self-esteem is very important. That’s something we are working on.
If babys learn to walk, it ranges from 10 months to 20 months until they are able to walk on their own – which is considered as “normal” – well that’s a span of 100 %, isn’t it ? Most babys crawl, some don’t – everybody’s happy. They fall down, everybody’s happy, they get up again, fall down again and so forth.
I don’t know when that natural learning and growing by trial and error, falling down and getting up again, stops. In kindergarten ? There it definitely starts, right ?
In kindergarten, they start comparing the kids (sometimes parents do that with siblings, too) and in school, they need to learn the same way and in the same pace.
There’s no better, no worse, no faster or slower – simply a different.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Twitter: JymTarrant
says:
Too true Oliver.
And simultaneously sad and ridiculous to see the way that our schools and culture as a whole sculpts ever new generations of ‘E’ and ‘S’ quadrants without ever revealing the alternative.
It’s amazing to consider the different experiences I may have had if I had learned the basics of wealth and business at school, instead, perhaps, of 18th century European politics and what you can do with the square root of -1…
Thanks for another poignant and thought provoking post,
Jym
Jym recently posted..The MLM Industry- Echoes Of A Bright Future
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
October 7th, 2010 at 14:00
Hi Jym,
oh, yeah history. That’s a good one. The British schoolteacher Gordon Matthew Sumner, better known as Sting, says in one of his songs:”History will teach us nothing.” Consider how many kids are tortured with historical events, but nobody ever asked: What did people really learn from that ? Did anybody make money with this type of knowledge ? Did anybody do something good other than money to other people that they couldn’t have done without this information ?
The system is run by E’s – from school you can’t expect entrepreneurial education. They need to put labels on the kids, then they are able to deal with them.
Thanks for your comment.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Twitter: TristramLodge
says:
Hi Oliver,
This is something i am very interested in as I never did well at school, becasue i couldn’t see the point of it all.
We will be struggling with the same things you are in a few years time when our son starts school.
I agree that all childern should have the bascis of math and in my case English to be able to do the basic things in life. But do children really need geography, metal and wood work and so on. These to me are the breeding ground for getting a job.
We can’t force our children into doing anything really but the focus should be shifting towards supportting themselves and being able to make money rather than earn it.
If they have those skills I truly believe that when downturns happen, which they will again and again more people will be able to fend for themselves.
Thanks for sharing your great post Oliver.
Tristram Lodge
Tristram Lodge recently posted..How To Send Your Twitter Followers A Really Cool Welcome Video
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
October 7th, 2010 at 23:28
Hi Tristram,
it’s important for us parents to back up our kids and not to amplify the pressure that comes form school. I’m sure that you are going to do that when your son will go to school
Well, basically there’s nothing wrong with geography or any other subject, but the problem is the context they put into, for example the context that this kind of stuff belongs to essential job-seeking skills. You could it put into a fun context too, right ?
History for example is weird. The battle of Hastings was 1066, that’s what I learned, what I needed to learn. Question: Did I make only € in money from knowing that ? Did it make me a better person, a better spouse or a better dad ? It didn’t even make my job more secure, did it ?
Hey, that does regard you because you’re in the UK
Columbus came to America in 1492 – did I make only 1 € from knowing that ? The answer is no, it’s simply worthless information cluttering my mind.
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you liked it.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Hey Oliver,
Our school system is the same way. However, Montessori school learning systems are more geared to embracing the knowledge they do have and in some cases that may mean that an older kid may know less then a younger kid.
I don’t have any kids in this type of school, but it bridges the gap for organizing the knowledge they do have.
It especially encourages kids to do well with what they do know. Every kid or person operates at a different pace, so why not embrace that.
Have a great day,
Jerome Ratliff
Jerome Ratliff recently posted..Change Your Mindset From Failure to Success
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
October 7th, 2010 at 23:17
Hi Jerome,
thanks for your comment. Montessori or Rudolf Steiner are certainly interesting alternatives. We don’t want to buy just another “philosophy” – but we’re certainly thinking about these alternatives…
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Oliver,
I just can’t stand what our countries and states do to our children!! They are labeled and put in a box by the time they can spell their names. At least with what we are learning, we can change the next generation by teaching our children what we are learning, CRITICAL THINKING!
[Reply]
Twitter: AnaTrafficCafe
says:
Oliver: I don’t really think that it has to be one or the other. “Theoretical” knowledge can always be put into practice with a little bit of thinking.
I don’t think anybody or anything can truly teach us to be an entrepreneur. It has to come from within. And once we know that you’ve got what it takes, then you acquire more knowledge and implement it.
I am all for education though; not everyone is made to be an entrepreneur.
Hope this makes sense.
Ana Hoffman
Ana | Traffic Generation Cafe recently posted..7 Practical Ways to Keep Your Blog Comments Out Of Spam
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
October 11th, 2010 at 10:01
Hi Ana,
thanks for your comment that makes perfect sense.
Of course I don’t have a proof for it but it I believe that being an entrepreneur is a more natural state of human being than being an employee.
Definitely, even general knowledge can put into practice, however schools fail to teach that, don’t they ?
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Oliver…awesome post as always. I could go on for hours about the limitations that school systems put on our children! One of the biggest benefits I have received since becoming an entrepreneur is that I gained a new perspective on how to educate my two boys. I strive now to instill in them the entrepreneurial spirit where your only limitation is your imagination.
Karen Newman recently posted..Ideas for Entrepreneurs Starting A Business
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
October 12th, 2010 at 09:58
Hi Karen,
thanks for your comment. I’m glad you like my post. We’re also trying to give our daughters alternative points of view, for example by playing Robert Kiyosaki’s Cashflow. That helps a lot.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
[...] Think And Grow Rich – Specialized Knowledge – Lessons From Chapter 5 [...]
Wow Oliver! You bring up so many good points.
The dilemma on what to teach your children, especially if it contridicts with what you have been taught your whole life can be a daunting decision.
I love you missing skills and I think team work is my favorite!
Cara Oberfoell recently posted..Running Barefoot is a lot like Network Marketing
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
October 18th, 2010 at 17:18
Hi Cara,
thanks for your comment. I like that you like my post. Working as a team closely together is definitely a possibility to bring different people’s strengths to the table.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
I Oliver
This is a profoundly thought-provoking post, that captures so well the incredible dilemmas that you and your wife face in regard to your daughter’s education and direction in life and sense of self and well-being. No wonder you were up till all hours discussing it with your wife and writing it!
I actually wrote about the way this whole system emerged in my PhD thesis. It all started with the introduction of statistics (a science that first emerged in the 18th Century and was first called ‘moral science’), the emergence of the actual idea of ‘categorization’ (in the 19th Century) and putting school children under surveillance via the ‘grading’ system (late 19th, early 20th Century).
It is all about efficiency and normalization and yes, specifically about classifying students’ competencies in regard to future work! That is what the entire system is set up for and it has been going on for a very long time!
Thank goodness that books, such as those of Napoleon Hill and Robert Kiyosaki, and technologies, such as the internet, and blog posts, such as yours, are finally giving people the knowledge that is needed and the spaces in which to have conversations like this. Conversations that will start to change a system that was not set up for individuals to be self-empowered and leave school to become independent entrepreneurs and make their own fortunes!
Thank you for creating this post.
ciao
Kisane
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[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
January 23rd, 2011 at 13:14
Hi Kisane,
you’re most welcome. I say “Thank you” for your beautiful comment – I am actually blown away.
The trouble is – at least in the Germany school system – that dyslexia is being recognized widely – there are famous people, for example Mark Twain and the entire Swedish royal family, that were or are dyslectic.
With the same in math it’s different – it’s the same issue and doesn’t affect general intelligence at all but it is still frowned upon.
With regard to dyslexia, teachers can lift the grades of their students until they pass their high school exams (called “Abitur” in Germany) officially (!).
Not so in math. It’s possible as long as they are in primary school. As soon as they are in secondary school, teachers are officially not allowed to lift the grades of their students affected by dyscalculia.
Guess what: I looked this two words up in the “Oxford American Dictionaries”
The definition of dyslexia says that it doesn’t affect general intelligence.
The definition of dyscalculia says that it’s an expression of psychiatry:”Severe difficulty in making arithmetical calculations, as a result of brain disorder.”
Brain disorder ! That’s totally insane.
Dyscalculia doesn’t affect general intelligence either. Period. And it’s not about a psychiatric disease either. People can go mad about it, but it’s rather that their environment drives them nuts.
Adequate treatment of this issue is possible. This adequate treatment is not about math courses or even detention. It’s not about psychiatry either.
We are glad that we found adequate help for our daughter and that she responds quickly to the new impulses she gets.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]