When was the last time you had a good whack on the head?

Through-out history there have been certain people with a knack for saying things in a way that cause us to sit up and say, "WOW, that's profound!"

I'm talking about quotations. You know, those little gems of wisdom that get passed down from generation to generation. With just a few words, these people give us something that can change our lives, open our eyes, or give us new ways of thinking about things.

Like a quick knock on the noggin, a quotation grabs our attention. A lot of easily remembered meaning is driven directly into our brain.

Here's one of my favorite whacks on the head.

This one comes from Napoleon Hill. After studying the lives of wealthy, successful people for many years, he wrote the now classic Think and Grow Rich. This one book is credited with changing the lives of untold numbers of people.

He said, "Whatever the mind of man can conceive, and believe, it can achieve."

Do you think that's true? Let's take a closer look at this quote.

"Whatever the mind of man (or woman) can conceive"

Look around at your surroundings. Unless you're naked in the center of a rain forest, almost everything you see began as an idea or concept in someone's head. Humans conceive of new products, new governments, new religions, and even wars and holocausts. This conception process can result in life supporting or life destroying ideas. Don't under-estimate its power.

The next part... "And believe" is also very important.

What is a belief? If you were to look up the origin of the word believe, you would find that it comes from a word that means love. So a belief is simply an idea or concept that you love. When you love something you put energy into it. This energy that you put into an idea is what causes the last part of this quotation to happen... "It can achieve".

So there you have it. This quote from Napoleon Hill has a simple, easily remembered, three part formula for creating and making things happen in your life.

Conceive - Believe - Achieve

Put this formula to work every day and see what happens. Get yourself a copy of Think and Grow Rich and study it. If you already have a copy, read it again.

When you put this formula to work in your life, there's another thing to keep in mind. Another whack on the head for you.

Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.