第一节 好习惯和坏习惯都具
有很强大的力量
好的习惯让人立于不败之地，坏的习惯则让人从成功的宝座上跌下来。拿破仑·希尔认为，保罗·盖蒂的这句话很有道理。
有一段时期，盖蒂抽烟抽得很凶。一天，他去法国度假的途中，在一个小旅馆投宿。晚上下起了大雨，地面特别泥泞，开了好几个钟头的车之后，盖蒂实在是累极了。吃过晚饭，他就回到自己的房间里，睡着了。但是清晨时分盖蒂突然醒了过来，他很想抽支烟，于是他就打开了灯，很自然的伸手去摸他一般都会放在床头的烟，但是没有。他下了床，到衣服的口袋里去找，也没有。于是他又在行李袋里找，结果他又一次失望了。他知道这个时候旅馆的酒吧和餐厅早就关门了。他想，这个时候把不耐烦的门房叫过来，实在是不可能。现在他唯一能得到香烟的方法就是穿好衣服，到火车站去，但是那还在6条街之外呢。
看来情形并不乐观，外面还下着雨。他的汽车也停在离旅馆还有一段距离的车房里。而且，在他住店的时候，别人也提醒过他了。车房的门是午夜关，第二天早上6点才开门，现在能叫到出租车的机率也相当于零。
显然，要是他真的迫切地需要一支烟，那么他只能在雨里走到黑暗中。抽烟的欲望不断地折磨着他。于是，他下了床，脱下睡衣，穿好衣服，准备出去。正在他伸手拿雨衣的时候，他突然笑了起来，笑自己傻。他突然觉得，自己的行为多荒唐可笑。
盖蒂站在那里，心里不停地想着，一个所谓的知识分子，一个商人，一个认为自己有足够的智慧可以对别人下命令的人，居然在三更半夜要离开舒适的旅馆，冒着大雨走上好几条街去买香烟。
盖蒂也是生平第一次注意到，他现在早就养成了一个坏习惯，那就是为了一个不好的习惯，他可以放弃极大的舒适。看来，这个习惯对他并没有什么好处，于是，他的头脑立刻就清醒了过来，很快他就做出了决定。
他已经决定好了，就走到桌子旁边把那个烟盒团起来扔出去，然后重新换上睡衣，回到舒服的床上。心里怀着一种解脱，甚至是一种胜利的感觉，很满足地关上灯，合上了眼睛。在窗外的雨声里，他进入了一个从来没有过的深沉的睡眠。自从那个晚上之后，他再也没抽过一根烟，也再没有想过要抽烟。
盖蒂说，他并不是想用这件事来指责那些有抽烟习惯的人。但是他经常回忆那天晚上的情形，他只是为了表示，按照他当时的情况，他差点被一种恶习俘虏。
经常做一件事就会形成习惯，而习惯的力量是难以抗拒的。但是人类还有一种潜藏的缓冲能力，也不容小觑。既然人有可能养成一种习惯，那肯定他也有能力改掉这种习惯。
还有些人说，奇怪的是，养成好习惯很难，但是一个坏习惯却在不知不觉中就已经形成了。但是，事实并非如此，这还要看一个人的毅力。不管怎么说，习惯终归是习惯，并没有合理的理论说坏习惯要比好习惯更容易养成。
动作敏捷或迟缓只是个时间的问题，一个人要么习惯了准时，要么他就会习惯迟到。
一个准时的人，总会体会到这种习惯给他带来的好处，无论是约会，会议，还是什么别的方面的承诺。如果别人请你吃饭，你迟到了，那就会给主人和其他的客人造成不便。你可能会因此而变得很不受欢迎，以后人家都不会再请你吃饭了。
拿破仑·希尔认为，对商人来说，准时是一项特别宝贵的资产。俗话说得好，“时间就是金钱”，这句话永远是正确的，现在这个时代里，这个原则比以前更加重要。现代企业的步调是一日千里，分秒必争。主管和高级职员的每日安排都是满满的，因为他们可没有多余的时间可以浪费，就像生产线不能耽搁一样。
守信对生意人来说，是个难得的品德，最有希望成功的商人和公司，他们一定是准时接受定单，准时回复并交货，提供服务，准时付款，准时还债。如果等时间已过去了，订货还没到，那顾客下次可能就不找你了。
节俭是另外一种可以养成的习惯，对天生节俭的人来说，这个习惯给他带来的成功的机会要比别人多。而习惯了节俭的人，他只知道在乎时就要注意节减开支和成本。在今天，竞争这么激烈的商业社会里，就算是在很小的地方去节省，积少成多，最后节省出来的东西也是可观的。甚至可能造成赢利和亏本的区别。
任何刚开始经营事业的商人，最有价值的习惯就是在做出决定之前，都要好好地回顾一下他的推理。这种最后的检查，也许只需要几分钟，甚至几秒钟，但是收获却很大，它可以让人有一个机会来整理自己的思路，回想自己为什么会做出这样的决定。这么一个看起来很简单的过程，实际上非常有用。这就像是世界上那些非常有名的演员，他们在每次登台演出之前，虽然已经对自己扮演的角色很熟悉了，却还是要合上剧本，在心里迅速地把自己的角色重温一遍。
拿破仑·希尔对“养成自己这种习惯的秘诀”的态度是肯定的。他认为任何人都能在下定决心之前留下一分钟，最后一次冷静地整理思绪。
还有一种习惯是，任何一个想在商业上成功的人，一定要养成在面对重大事情时轻松应对的习惯，成功的商人都是能放松自己的人，他们就算碰到了逆境，也能坦然地接受。他的脑筋总是保持着能思考，能反应的状态，他们随时准备开发新的机会，随时准备了解和应对新问题和新情况。
高明的商人这种轻松的心态，就像是一个合格的橄榄球运动员一样。当球员传球的时候，如果球意外地落到了对方的手中，他也不会慌乱。商人也是如此，在激烈的商业竞争中，遇到突然事件，他也不会手忙脚乱，他会很敏捷地作出反应，他有办法应付情况，他可能会抱紧了球跑过去，也可能会警觉地转个身，以免对方扑上来。
有些刚开始做生意的人，早就具备了这种轻松的内在的推动力，但是大多数的生意人却要经过反复地检验，才会最后明白这个道理。
一个想成功的人，必须知道习惯的力量是相当大的。他也必须了解，要养成好习惯，必须一直努力地去做，同时要警惕那些可能会破坏他的好习惯的恶习，还要赶紧养成对自己的追求有帮助的好习惯。
第二节 好习惯的报酬就是成功
拿破仑·希尔的一位好朋友，成功学家曼秋诺曾经提出过一项培养好习惯的心理暗示，他要求他的学员对自己说：
“今天是我生命的新开始，我要脱去我的旧衣，因为失败早已让它伤痕累累。
“今天是我再生的日子，葡萄园是我的出生地，欢迎大家来品尝我的水果。
“今天，在这个葡萄园里，从那些最高、结的果实最多的葡萄藤上，我要摘下智慧的果实。因为这些是我职业生涯里最值得尊敬的那些人，一代一代地种下来的。
“现在，我要品尝这些果实的滋味，我还要吞下每一颗果实的种子，让新生的力量在我的心里发芽。
“我选择的这个行业，充满了机会，从来没有失败和失望。而那些已经失败了的人，如果他们像叠罗汉那样叠起来，肯定比金字塔还高。 “但是，我是另外一批人里的，我是不会失败的。因为我的手里有方向图，带领我走出扑朔迷离的大海，离开波涛汹涌的海面，来到成功的彼岸。过去的不过是一场梦。
“我的奋斗不再以失败告终，因为失败就像是痛苦一样，不适合我的生活。过去，我接受它，那是因为我需要磨炼，现在我拒绝它，是因为我的能力和智慧都有了提高。它们会指引我走出黑暗，走向光明和幸福。在那里，金苹果也不过是我的报酬里的一个小部分而已。
“要是人能长生不老，那他就可以学到很多的东西，但是我不能，所以，我学的东西都是有限的。我要学会忍耐的工夫。因为，上帝做事的时候，从来都是按部就班的。创造橄榄树花了他100年的时间，而我不过是一颗小小的洋葱，我曾经像一个洋葱一样卑微地活着，现在我不想过洋葱那样的生活了，我要成为一棵橄榄树。实际上，我一定要成功(具体一点，比如演说家，科学家等)。”
一、良好的习惯是成功的钥匙
如果你没有做伟大事业的知识，你也没有经验，而且你还经常处于一种无知的状态，甚至还曾经堕入过自怜的深渊。那么，你应该怎么养成良好的习惯呢?事实上，这个答案很简单，只要在你没有知识的前提下，开始你的旅程就好了。因为上帝已经给了你比这个原始森林里的任何其他动物都多的知识和本能，只是人们把自己的经验估计得过高了。
说真的，经验是对教训的总结，但是，要想获得经验，就必须牺牲很多的时间。而且，等人类知道了它的知识的时候，它的价值已经退步了。结果呢?有了丰富的经验，可是人也死了。而且，经验也只是一时的，今天可能很有用的措施，到了明天可能就没有效果了。
只有原则可能永远不变，而这些原则都掌握在你的手里，因为，这些能带你走向伟大之路的原则，都已经写在这里了。它会引导你走向成功，避免失败。
其实，已经失败了的人和已经成功的人唯一不同的地方就在于他们的习惯不同，良好的习惯是成功的钥匙，坏习惯是失败的钥匙。所以，你要遵循的第一个原则，就是养成良好的习惯，并且全心全力去执行。在你还是小孩子的时候，你可能会为了一点小事而感情冲动，在你已经过去了的岁月里，你也有过受感情、环境、偏见、贪婪和习惯支配的时候，而这些暴君里，最坏的就是习惯了。必须将所有的坏习惯都摧毁，准备在新的田地里播种，种下成功的希望。
拿破仑说，最好大声地对自己说，我要养成良好的习惯，我要全心去实行。
那么，怎么完成这艰难的伟大事业呢?就是要革除你生活上的坏习惯，换成一个能帮助你走向成功的好习惯。因为一个习惯能遏制另外一个。
二、凡事变成习惯就好做了
养成了好的习惯又有什么用呢?这里实际上还隐藏着人类本能的秘诀，当你每天都重复这些话的时候，它们很快就会成为你心灵的一部分。而最重要的是，它们还会溜进你的心灵，变成奇妙的源泉，永无止歇，为你创造环境，并做出让你自己都难以相信的事情。
当话语被你的心完全吸收的时候，每天早上，你会带着一种从来没有过的活力从梦里醒来。你觉得自己精力旺盛。你的热情高涨，你迎接新世界的欲望将会让你克服一切恐惧，你会比你想象中过得更快乐。
随后，你发现自己有了应付一切的办法。你惊奇地发现，你能轻松自如地运用这些方法。因为，任何方法只要经过了练习，就是熟能生巧，难的也变成容易的了。
所以，一个好习惯就养成了，当一种习惯经常反复地练习而逐渐变得容易的时候，你就会喜欢去做。而你一旦喜欢去做，你就愿意经常去做。这是人的天性。当你经常去做时，这就是你的习惯了。你也就是习惯的奴仆了。
三、今天是我新生命的开始
你现在要郑重地对自己说：“今天是我新生命的开始，没有人能阻止我的成长。我不能一天不读这些书。因为，损失了就再也没办法补救了，我也不会找别的事情来代替，因为我坚持每天阅读的习惯，实际上，在这新习惯上花费上几分钟的时间，对将要属于你的那些快乐不过是一点微笑的代价而已。”
当你阅读本书里的这些字句的时候，你一定不要忽略任何一个字，也不要简化任何一句话。以免忽视这里的寓意。这些智慧的葡萄已经被挤压到了一个瓶子里面，不能用的残渣都已被剔除了，剩下的只有纯净的真理。你按照我的指示喝下去吧，不要浪费一口，这就是成功的种子。
今天，你的旧貌已随风而逝，你要在众人当中昂首阔步，不管他们是否认识你。因为，你是一个拥有新生命的人。
不断地对自己重复这些心理暗示，你就能培养出良好的心理习惯。
译文:
How to Form Good Habits in Your Life
Part I Both good habits and bad habits have great power
Good habits guarantee one invincibility while bad habits make one fall down from the throne of success. Napoleon Hill thought Paul Getty’s quote made sense.
There was one time when Getty smoked heavily. One day on the journey to French for holiday, he stayed at a hotel. It began to rain at night, with the ground muddy. Having driven quite a few hours, Getty was extremely tired. After dinner, he went back to his room and fell asleep. But on early morning Getty was awaken all of a sudden. He wanted to have a cigarette, so he switched on the light and reached out for the cigarettes at his pillow, but there was none. He got up and searched his pocket, still found nothing. Then he searched his baggage, and he felt disappointed again. He knew the bars and restaurants had closed at that time. It was impossible to call in the impatient doorman. The only way to get the cigarette was to put up his clothes and go to the railway station, which was six blocks away.
It didn’t seem optimistic, for it was raining outside. His car parked in the garage, some distance away from the hotel. Moreover, when he checked in, he had been reminded that the garage was closed at midnight and opened at 6 a.m. the next morning. There was no possibility to call a taxi at the moment.
Obviously he had to walk in a rainy darkness if he was in great need for a cigarette. The desire for smoke kept afflicting him. So he got out of bed, took off pajamas, put on clothes and got ready to go out. As he was reaching for the raincoat, he suddenly burst into laughter for his stupidity. He felt how ridiculously he behaved.
Standing there, Getty was thinking a so-called intellectual businessman, who believed he had enough wisdom to order others, should leave the cozy hotel at midnight and walk away a few blocks for cigarettes in the heavy rain.
For the first time in his life, Getty noticed he had early formed a bad habit, that is, he could give up the most comfort for a bad habit. It seemed the habit didn’t do any good to him. So he became awake and made a decision at once.
He decided to walk to the table and throw the package of cigarettes away, then changed back his pajamas and went back to the cozy bed. With a kind of contented relief and even sense of victory, Getty turned off the light and closed his eyes. As it rained outside, he fell into deep sleep which he had never had before. Since then, he had never had a cigarette, nor had he want to smoke.
Getty said he didn’t mean to blame those habitual smokers, but he often recalled that evening. He just wanted to make it clear that he had almost been imprisoned by the bad habit.
Doing one thing often is easy to form a habit, the power of which is irresistible. But we should not ignore the buffer capacity lying within human. Since one has the ability to form a habit, he is sure to be able to give it up.
Some say, strangely, it is hard to form a good habit but a bad one is formed unconsciously. Actually that is not the case. It all depends one’s perseverance. Anyway habit is after all habit, so it is unreasonable to say bad habits are easier to form than good ones.
It is only a matter of time for the quickness or slowness in movements. One can make a practice of being punctual or late.
A person of punctuality will always appreciate the benefits of the habit whether in dating or meeting or any other promises. If you are late for dinner, you will bring inconvenience to the host and other guests. You may become unpopular for this reason, and thus you will be no longer invited again.
Napoleon Hill believes punctuality is a specially valuable asset for businessmen. As the old saying goes, time is money. In modern times, the proverb makes more sense than before. Modern enterprises make every minute count. The directors and senior officials are busy working full time, for they have no spare time to waste, as for the production lines.
Punctuality is invaluable virtue for businessmen. The most promising merchants and companies are sure to be punctual in the booking, replying and delivering, providing service, paying money and debts. If the order cannot be received on schedule, customers may not choose you again.
Frugality is another nurtured habit. For people who are naturally frugal, it brings more chances to success than others. But for those who make a practice of being frugal, they only care about cutting down in expenditure and cost. In today’s competitive business society, even economization in small expenditure could save much, which may cause difference between profits and deficits.
Any businessman who begins to manage his career will make a valuable practice of reviewing his reasoning before making a decision. The final examination may only need several minutes or seconds, but bring great benefits. It gives a chance to collect thoughts and think about why he has made such a decision. A seemingly simple process is actually very practical. This is true of those world-famous actors. Before they make their appearance on the stage, they will always close the playscripts and reexamine their roles with which they are very familiar.
Napoleon Hill is positive about “the secret to form the habit”. He thought anyone would clear up his thoughts calmly one minute before the final decision.
Another habit should be that anyone who wants to succeed in business must face important things with a light mind. Successful businessmen can relax themselves and calmly accept adversity which they are faced with. They always stay in a state of thoughts and reactions, ready to develop new opportunities, understand and resolve new problems and situations at any time.
A wise businessman, like a qualified football player, keeps a light state of mind. When a player passes the ball, if by accident, it falls into the rival’s hand, he won’t become flustered. This is true of businessmen. In fierce business competition, he won’t fluster when emergence appears. Instead, he will make quick reaction and have ways to deal with it. He may run forward with the ball tightly held in his arm, or turn around alertly in case the rival comes over.
Some businessmen had the early possession of the inherent impetus, but most of them need constant examination again and again before they realized it in the end.
He who wants to be successful must know the great power of habits. He also knows he must make constant efforts and stay alert to those bad habits, which may break good habit. Meanwhile, he should form a good habit which is beneficial to his pursuit.
Part Two Success is the reward of good habits
One of Napoleon Hill’s good friends, a successful man, Auge M., once put forth a psychological hint to cultivate good habits. He asked his students to say to themselves,
“ Today is the start of my new life and I will strip off old clothes which were early covered with failure.
“ Today is a reborn day for me. Vineyard is my birthplace. Welcome to taste my fruit.
“ Today, from the high and fruitful grapevine in the vineyard, I will pick up sapiential fruits, which are planted from generation to generation by those most respectable in my career.
“ Now, I will taste these fruits and swallow down every seed, making the newborn power burgeon in my heart.
“The career I choose is full of opportunities, never of failure and disappointment. Those people, who have failed, if piled up like human pyramid, must be higher than pyramid.
“But I belong to those successful people, I won’t fail. That is because I have in my hand a direction map, which leads me out of the complicated and confusing sea, away from surfy sea surface, and into the successful side. The past is nothing but a dream.
“ My struggle won’t end with failure, for like pain, it is not suitable for my life. In the past, I accepted it, for I needed to temper myself; I refuse it now, for I have improved my ability and intelligence, which will guide me out of darkness and into brightness and happiness. There a golden apple is only part of my reward.
“ if one can live forever, he can learn much, but I can’t. So what I learn is limited. I should learn tolerance, because God always acts step by step. It takes one hundred years to create olive flowers. I am nothing but a small onion. I used to live humbly, but now I don’t want to. I want to become an olive tree. Actually I must succeed ( more specifically, to become an orator or a scientist etc. )
Firstly, a good habit is the key to success.
If you have no knowledge or experience in great career, and often stay in a state of ignorance and even once fell into abyss of self-pity, how should you form a good habit? Actually the answer is easy. You just begin your journey with no knowledge. That is because God has given you more knowledge and instinct than any other animal in the virgin forest. What is different is that humans estimate too much about their experience.
To tell the truth, experience is the sum of lessons, but one must sacrifice much time to get it. Moreover, when humans realize the knowledge, its value is falling behind. As a result, people may die when they become experienced. Besides, experience works only at one time. That is, the treasures which are effective today may lose work tomorrow.
Only principles which you have grasped may be invariable, for all these that lead you to success are written here. They will guide you to success and avoid failure.
As a matter of fact, the difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in their different habits. A good habit is the key to success while a bad one is the key to failure. So the first principle to obey is to form a good habit and carry it out with great efforts. When you were a kid, you might have impulse of emotion for some trivial things. In the past days you also had some time dominated by emotions, environment, greed and habits, among which habits are the most severe. You must destroy all of the bad habits and prepare to sow seeds of hope and success in the new field. Napoleon says, “It is better to speak loudly to yourself that you will form a good habit and carry it our wholeheartedly.”
Then how to complete the difficult cause? To get rid of the bad habits in you life and form a good one to help you towards success. The formation of one habit can stop the occurrence of another.
Secondly, custom is the second nature.
What is the use of good habits? Actually here hides the secret to human instinct. When you repeat these words every day, they will quickly become part of your heart. More importantly, they will slip into your heart and become eternal source of wonder, creating environment for you and doing unbelievable things.
When you are completely absorbed in these words, every morning you will wake up from the dream with vitality that you have had never before. You feel energetic and enthusiastic. The desire to meet the new world will make you overcome all fear, and you will live happier than you imagine.
Thereafter you find you have means to deal with everything. You discover in surprise you can apply them with ease. Practice makes perfect, so any difficult means will become easy to grasp after being exercised many times.
Thus a good habit is formed. When a habit becomes easy after constant practice, you will have a liking for it. Once you like to do it, you will be willing to do it often. That is man’s nature. When you do it often, it becomes a habit and you are enslaved by the habit.
Thirdly, today is the start of my new life
Now you should say to yourself with earnest, “today is the start of my new life, and nobody can prevent me from growing. I can’t bear not reading these books even for a day. Because there is no way to remedy the lost and I won’t replace it with anything else and I have made a practice of insisting on reading every day. Actually several minutes spent on the new habit gets nothing else rewarded but some happy smile belonging to you. ”
When you are reading these words in the book, you must not ignore any word or simplify any sentence in case you pay no attention to the meaning. The sapiential grapes have been squeezed into a bottle. With the unuseful leavings deprived, what remains is only sincere truth. Drink up following my instructions; never waste a mouthful, because that is the seed to success.
Today, your old appearance have died with wind, so you should stride forward with your chin up among the mass, no matter whether they recognize you, because you are a human being with a new life.
Repeat these psychological hints to yourself constantly and you will cultivate a good psychological habit.