What Is Genius?

Every time I read a something from Napoleon Hill I am still amazed at how true and strong the teachings are especially in today’s environment. 

In the below excerpt Dr. Hill discuss the attributes of a genius…I think you’ll be surprised that IQ is never mentioned! 

At the end of the passage I have provide some additional comments…enjoy the reading. 

What Constitutes Genius?

by Dr. Napoleon Hill

“Any dominating desire, plan or purpose which is backed by faith is taken over by the subconscious mind and acted upon immediately.  

The mind, stimulated by dominating desire, draws power directly from the subconscious, and, when reinforced by the power of faith, is able to create a conviction of such force that it completely rejects the idea of a possibility of failure.  This constitutes genius.  And genius is that which may be developed by any person in possession of his or her normal mental faculties.

A good many people have the mistaken idea that there are certain types of people in this world who can be called geniuses.  The ingredients which make up genius have been discovered in the last forty years and it is now known that those persons often alluded to as possessing a rare genius actually do not have any powers which you do not possess.  They are invariably persons who are consciously and subconsciously following certain basic principles which are responsible for their apparently abnormal power.  The following are the basic ingredients of genius, as determined from an extensive analysis of the lives of outstanding men of this nation.

The first ingredient is the subject of this entire lesson – definiteness of purpose.  A genius knows what he wants from life.  Today’s geniuses are busy at the moment, moving directly, with little waste motion, toward accomplishing their objectives.

The second factor is applied faith.  Not just a general faith, but applied faith, faith that is concentrated upon the attainment of the definite purpose.  Definiteness of purpose is the foundation upon which all faith is based. 

The third factor is something that is contagious; it is called enthusiasm, and you should catch some of this.  Enthusiasm is the expression of a certain dynamic vitality in the way you walk, talk, and act.  It is the result of your motivation and your physical magnetism and energy.  It is the light in your eye, the vibrant timber of your voice, the vigor of your handshake.  It is the element which can really build a fire under your desire and make it literally a burning desire.  It is a quality which must be controlled and turned on and off at the right time.

The fourth ingredient is imagination, the activity of the mind that makes possible the creation of new ideas.  Without imagination nothing new would ever be created.  It, too, must be controlled and directed.  It is usually most productive when activated by a specific aim or issue.

The fifth factor is motive.  You are familiar with the ten basic motives previously discussed.  No sane person does anything without a motive; there has to be a reason back of every act.

The sixth factor is personal initiative, backed by intense action.  You will never be a genius unless you get into the habit of doing what should be done without waiting for someone to tell you to do it.  Personal initiative is the self-starter and it must be kept in perfect shape for instant use.  Another way of defining personal initiative might be:  The ability to see things as they are and to do things as they should be done.

The seventh factor is the habit of going the extra mile.  You will never be a genius unless you make it a habit to do more and better than you are paid to do, every single day of your life.

The eighth factor is forming a master mind alliance with other people.  The number in the alliance depends on what you want to accomplish.  For your goal in life you may not require more than a dozen or a half-dozen – maybe only one; but if you are going to be a genius you will have to learn to use other people’s brain power. 

The ninth factor and last is perhaps the most important of all.  You may have guessed it.  It is a positive mental attitude.  You certainly will ever rank as a genius until you can positivize your mind and keep it that way at will.  Without a positive mental attitude, none of the other ingredients of genius will be available to you.” – Source: PMA Science of Success Course: pgs. 29 & 30.

I’d like to highlight a few points that I found extremely powerful.

• “…create a conviction of such force that it completely rejects the idea of a possibility of failure.”

Did you get this? Rejects the idea of a possibility of failure! How often have you or heard someone say “if it works out, great, if not, no big deal”…guess what happens?  It usually doesn’t work out. 

When we take on the attitude of no failure and we will never stop until we achieve our goal there comes a clam understanding that removes any stress around the goal.  That’s not to say there won’t be obstacles and set-backs, sure there’s going to be some.  And when we have the perspective of ‘are no failures, only feedback,’ we activate our personal empowerment to continue until we are successful. 

• “A genius knows what he wants from life. “

Most people know what they DON’T, but have no idea what they DO want.  When we absolutely know what we want we’re able to articulate the goal.  We know how it will feel, smell, taste and look like when we get it, and the exact date.

If we set goals as “it would be nice to have”, then we are acknowledging, at the unconscious level that is OK if we don’t get.  In order to increase our personal performance we must know exactly what we want.  

• “Enthusiasm is the expression of a certain dynamic vitality in the way you walk, talk, and act.”

This can also be thought of ‘act as if’ and the real power in this instruction is “talk.”  Sure it’s easy for us to strut around as if we have achieved our goal or have the capacity TO achieve our goal.  But it’s another thing to talk as if.  We often fear that we’ll be perceived as phony or even a liar.  The key is talk (and believe) as if you have ALL the resources available and this is where the enthusiasm comes from.

• “…personal initiative, backed by intense action. “

I LOVE this one…’intense action.’  Not, weak action…not I’ll see what happens action, but INTENSE action.  When we take intense action towards our goal, we obviously must know what we want and this action also unlocks the enthusiasm and rejects the possibility of failure.  Intense action ignites our personal empowerment so that we can significantly increase our personal performance.

Intense thoughts and action leads to intense results….weak thoughts and action lead to weak results.

Which would you rather have?

In the book “How to Develop the Mental Strength of a Warrior” you’ll find out exactly how to develop strong and powerful thoughts so that you can take strong and powerful action and get the results you want!   

Please let me know your thoughts on this post in the comments below.