Powerlessness and Undeservedness
February 12th 2008 11:07
In its most classic book “Think and Grow Rich” Napoleon Hill 1 lists the fears that in his view affect most people: poverty, criticism, ill health, lost love, old age and death. It’s interesting to notice that, except maybe for death, money would be a palliative for any of the above fears.
In a more recent and no less interesting book, “How to Think Like a Millionaire” Mark Fisher and Marc Allen 2 state that the two most powerful fears to becoming wealthy are powerlessness and undeservedness. This looks rather remarkable and makes me think.
With regards to powerlessness, it’s true, I believe, that if a common person is asked whether he could build a fortune like the one of Rockefeller, he would immediately sort of feel crushed in his inner by such monster proposition and, probably, would say ‘No, I could not!’
I’m convinced that what people think is that to get wealthy you need to be incredible intelligent, or incredible astute, or incredible courageous, or incredible ruthless, and so on. Thinking this way, one would no doubt feel powerless to create a great fortune. Wealth, for the common mortal, belongs in the realm of exceptional or even superhuman people.
I used to think that way and was disappointed every time the question above arose in my inner. I was too little, too unimportant, I believed then, to being able to build a fortune. Having no way out to believe I could make money, especially a lot of money, was suffocating to me. I am happy that, nowadays, at least I think I can and I actually make enough money for myself and also to invest, and I have a sense that I drive my life.
The other most powerful fear to becoming wealthy, according to Fisher and Allen, is undeservedness. I think we grew up so used to deserve first the things we get, though that having been so well meant from our parents, that it makes us think we would never deserve a large fortune but only some proportionally small parcels of compensation for your efforts.
There is a difference, though, between a large fortune that would be given to us ex gratia and one that would be earned. Most people would think of a fortune as a blessing and so the problem of deservedness would surface again. But it’s interesting to notice as I do that, if you seriously think you can build a fortune, you also feel you deserve it.
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1 – Hill, Napoleon; Think and Grow Rich Action Pack; Penguin Group; 1988; USA; p. 258; ISBN: 0-452-26660-2.
2 – Fisher, Mark; Allen, Marc; How to Think Like a Millionaire; New World Library, 1997; Novato, California; ISBN: 1-57731-035-7.
In a more recent and no less interesting book, “How to Think Like a Millionaire” Mark Fisher and Marc Allen 2 state that the two most powerful fears to becoming wealthy are powerlessness and undeservedness. This looks rather remarkable and makes me think.
With regards to powerlessness, it’s true, I believe, that if a common person is asked whether he could build a fortune like the one of Rockefeller, he would immediately sort of feel crushed in his inner by such monster proposition and, probably, would say ‘No, I could not!’
I’m convinced that what people think is that to get wealthy you need to be incredible intelligent, or incredible astute, or incredible courageous, or incredible ruthless, and so on. Thinking this way, one would no doubt feel powerless to create a great fortune. Wealth, for the common mortal, belongs in the realm of exceptional or even superhuman people.
I used to think that way and was disappointed every time the question above arose in my inner. I was too little, too unimportant, I believed then, to being able to build a fortune. Having no way out to believe I could make money, especially a lot of money, was suffocating to me. I am happy that, nowadays, at least I think I can and I actually make enough money for myself and also to invest, and I have a sense that I drive my life.
The other most powerful fear to becoming wealthy, according to Fisher and Allen, is undeservedness. I think we grew up so used to deserve first the things we get, though that having been so well meant from our parents, that it makes us think we would never deserve a large fortune but only some proportionally small parcels of compensation for your efforts.
There is a difference, though, between a large fortune that would be given to us ex gratia and one that would be earned. Most people would think of a fortune as a blessing and so the problem of deservedness would surface again. But it’s interesting to notice as I do that, if you seriously think you can build a fortune, you also feel you deserve it.
---------------
1 – Hill, Napoleon; Think and Grow Rich Action Pack; Penguin Group; 1988; USA; p. 258; ISBN: 0-452-26660-2.
2 – Fisher, Mark; Allen, Marc; How to Think Like a Millionaire; New World Library, 1997; Novato, California; ISBN: 1-57731-035-7.
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They are addressing themselves to people who want more money and material wealth. The question then is, will the advice from these writers get the readers to their desired state of wealth?
I dunno, just wondering.