Introduction

According to a scientific study by the esteemed Harvard University, USA, until our 18th birthday we hear from our parents, neighbors, acquaintances, friends, and society a total of 148,000 times:

"You can't do it!", "You can't manage it!", "That's impossible!", "Stop that nonsense!", "Get it out of your head!", "Wake up already!", "If it were that simple, someone else would have done it long ago!", "You lack the necessary capital, education, and connections...", "Just wait until you're older, then they'll sort it out for you."

Again and again, these phrases are drilled into us until we eventually come to believe them ourselves. Is it any wonder, then, that as adults we have long since buried the audacious dreams of our childhood and settled for mediocre goals? In a world where no one believes in us or our dreams, it is very hard to believe in oneself – especially when the fulfillment of our deepest desires seems so unfathomable and impossible. Yet the belief in the possibility of the impossible and the irresistible allure of a grand dream are forces capable of propelling us immensely forward and leading us to magnificent victories. They can help us take the first small steps, which in time can lead to dramatic changes in our lives. A small ant, through persistent work, can build an entire mountain. As the saying goes, constant dripping wears away the stone. However, it is often at these small steps that failure occurs. The dream appears unreachably distant, the path littered with obstacles, and no help in sight—nothing that even sparks a glimmer of hope for the dream's realization.

In 1908, the famous American multimillionaire Andrew Carnegie commissioned a journalist named Napoleon Hill with a special task. Hill was to interview the 500 most successful Americans and, from that material, develop a fundamental philosophy of success. Among the personalities Hill interviewed were men like Ford, Wrigley, Rockefeller, Edison, Woolworth, and three Presidents of the United States. For 20 years, Napoleon Hill questioned his interviewees about the laws of success, and time and again he received the same answer!

For virtually all of them, a definite, grand goal was paramount. Great goals or dreams shape our future. They are the source of all our energy. Yet many people have experienced that even great and powerful dreams that once magnetically attracted and fascinated us can disperse into the monotony of everyday life and vanish. Some people have resolved more than a hundred times to finally start doing something tomorrow to achieve their goals. They do not realize that “tomorrow” only exists in the calendars of the unsuccessful. How often have you, full of zeal and determination, decided on New Year’s Eve to start a new life tomorrow—only to find yourself reverting to your old habits just two weeks later?

Clearly, most people find it difficult to bring about a lasting positive change in themselves. And indeed, it is a lifelong process. But there are those who have succeeded! People like Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein, or Mahatma Gandhi, who embarked on this journey, light the way for us and show us the tremendous forces we can unleash when we have a dream that insists on being realized. These individuals not only mastered their own lives, but at the same time influenced the lives of millions of others. John F. Kennedy, Madame Curie, Michael Jackson, or Bill Gates—didn't they all change the world? Would they have succeeded if they had given in at the first sign of resistance? Would they have succeeded if they hadn't persistently and unwaveringly taken every small step on the path to fulfilling their dream?

It is not easy, but it is not impossible to transform your life into a triumph. You can do it—if you wish; the question is simply: When will you do it? And how much energy, diligence, will, and endurance are you prepared to invest?

If you want to master a foreign language perfectly, is it enough to sit down once and read a book about that language?
If someone is learning to drive, is it enough to attend one driving lesson?
If an athlete trains just once a week, can they achieve top performance?

Most people would likely answer “No” to these questions each time. Yet when it comes to the success of their own lives, many believe that reading one book on success, attending one success seminar, or watching one video on success is enough to be successful for life.

This is a fatal error! You learn only by doing. Even if you read a hundred books, attend a seminar every week, but never perform a single exercise yourself, you will not be successful. You may be told a thousand times how to ride a bicycle, but as long as you do not mount one yourself, you will never be able to ride it.

How often do you practice your success training?
How much time do you set aside to work on your success?
How many times have you read a book and then said, “What a great book!”?
And how often has such a book decisively changed your life?

If you read this book, you will enjoy it in the short term. But if you work with this book, you will benefit from it for your entire life!

This book is a workbook! It provides you with strategies, techniques, and tools that enable you to change your life! However, you must participate actively. Time and again, I will challenge you with questions prompting you to reflect on your life. I will provide you with many exercises that give you the opportunity to develop further and grow. Give the sleeping giant within you a chance—answer the questions in writing and actually carry out the exercises!

The time and concentration you invest will pay off many times over. Never before have we known so much about how to motivate ourselves to achieve personal mastery. This is what this book is all about!

The knowledge presented here is for people who are truly determined to work on their personality and turn their life into a masterpiece. After working through it, you will not achieve average results but outstanding ones. You will discover that, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially, you can achieve and become more than you ever dared to dream. How much are these results worth to you?

Do the exercises with joy and curiosity. Imagine yourself as someone embarking on an expedition to a new land. In this way, you will gradually track your own progress and build a strong foundation for your success. You do not have to use everything stated in this book. Choose—as if from a buffet—the elements that appeal to you the most.

Each of these exercises can stimulate tremendous personal growth; taken together, they will cause your motivation curve to skyrocket.

Give yourself an honest chance and try it. What do you have to lose by doing it? It is nothing compared to what you can gain:

I want to share the knowledge presented here with you because I believe that you and all the people on this planet deserve to live a life full of happiness and success at the highest level. You were not born to be poor and unhappy, but to be winners in life and to celebrate magnificent triumphs. With this book, you will succeed in awakening the sleeping giant within you. In doing so, you will gain the power—the power to change your life and the lives of those around you. Use that power to help shape our planet and to contribute to making it friendlier, more open, and happier. The possibilities are endless! They range from relentless dedication to a development project or environmental protection to the very simple, small acts. This can happen by, for instance, offering one more smile tomorrow or by eliciting positive feelings in others with a small compliment. Present yourself as a creator! Help build the future of our world! It will be worth it. Show gratitude and respect through your actions towards life, your fellow human beings, and the world. Do it for yourself, for the feeling in your own heart, for your own future, for the future of your children, and for the future of humanity.

When I set out many years ago to explore my own inner world, I could not have imagined that I would find an enormous treasure chest there. The future seemed hidden behind a veil of mist, and I had no idea that I was its creator. I felt powerless in its presence until I discovered the secrets that I wish to share with you in this book. This is the key to fulfilling your dream. The beginning of a great adventure! Have the courage and dive in.