MASTER-MIND GROUP : FROM VISION TO REALITY
Over the course of the next few weeks, we will explore Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, under a modern Benshen-esque lens. Though one might believe that wealth only equals money, “rich” expands beyond that: it means being able to create prosperity in your life, which can take shape in many different forms. Money is just one medium. Prosperity goes so far beyond financial gains and Hill, with his 13 Principles of Success and teachings on the Laws of the Universe, pioneered a unique roadmap to excellence and how to unlock prosperity—one that focuses on how to program our mental faculties rather than lean on external circumstances.
LAW SIX: ORGANIZED PLANNING
- THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF DESIRE INTO ACTION -
“Set your mind on a definite goal and observe
how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass”
—Napoleon Hill
As we gain clarity on what it is we REALLY want, and our most audacious desires come into view, it’s then important to create the structures in our life to welcome in that next level of prosperity. We are constantly co-creating our reality and we are often matched with what we can handle; if our current reality can’t accommodate what we’re calling in, it’s hard for there to be space for what we want to come through. For example, if we want a raise, but we know we still keep showing up as unorganized, we may be shown glimmers of one but it keeps getting put off. If we then decide to finally finesse our organizational skills, clean up all the areas in which we are showing up less than 100%, we end up creating a container for a higher level of prosperity to come through as the structure is now stronger. As Fergie says, the Universe needs to “Meet Me Halfway” to connect our desires with our reality.
The sixth law of Napoleon Hill’s Principles of Success says the next step to gaining your “fortune” (however that looks or whatever that means for you) is to ORGANIZE ourselves and build the container for our successes. This doesn’t necessarily mean hustling harder or working more or making spreadsheets. Instead, this is about taking inventory of the people we surround ourselves with (who we surround ourselves with we begin to mirror) as well as addressing our patterns of behavior and default-mode thoughts (the container of the mind)—and decide if it is all helping us build a strong physical and mental foundation or keeping us stuck in old feedback loops we’re ready to grow out of.
The sixth principle is the step that asks us to reorganize the structures of our lives to help higher levels of prosperity come through. In this newsletter, we wanted to focus specifically on community—the people we surround ourselves with (physically and digitally), every single day. Community can be one of the most potent tools for bringing our dreams to fruition. If we fill our lives with those who are also reaching for dreams, we’re inspired to move forward too. If we fill our lives with those who are stuck in the past without any desire to grow, then we begin to mirror this—consciously and unconsciously—by playing it small.
The term “squad” has become a bit too overused these days, but there is something deeply transformative about creating an intentional tight-knit army of people to have your back, where you each have the privilege and responsibility to hold each other accountable, hype each other up during the high points, and rally behind each other at the low ones. We all need people who remind us of WHO WE ARE when the self-doubt creeps up—fostering relationships, friendships, and mentorships like this will serve as an energetic fortress as we inevitably hit roadblocks on our path of growth and evolution. Let’s take a look at how to foster the community that will bring our Visions to life.
Image: Mafalda Magalhães Basto
As you create the structure and plan for your prosperity to come through,
begin to form what Napoleon Hill calls The Master-Mind Group.
A) Hill writes, “Ally yourself with a group of as many people as you may need for the creation and carrying out of your plans.” It’s valuable to surround ourselves with people who will help bring our Visions to life—not necessarily because they’re focused on helping us achieve our goals, but because they’re passionate and focused about achieving their own as well. In neuroscience, this concept is referred to as “mirror neurons” where humans have certain motor cells in the brain that activate when seeing different movements and actions in others, and they naturally try to assimilate. We can use this idea to our advantage as we network and surround ourselves with people we are inspired by and remember that if we see it, we can be it.
As we distance ourselves from relationships that leak our energy and link up with people who we feel are doing extra-ordinary things or are inspiring to us, it might feel natural to start comparing or feel out of place. However, it’s only “out of place” because it’s not familiar to us yet. Whether old patterns surface and we question our sense of belonging, feel jealous, or get hit by a wave of imposter syndrome, it’s important to observe those emotions objectively, as outside of ourselves. Instead of feeding into these negative emotions, put a positive spin on them instead. Jealousy for instance is our deeper desires showing us what we really want but our negative mind is the one that tells us we can’t have that. Instead of jealousy, use it as INSPIRATION; be grateful that someone or something is showing you what you really, truly want.
B) As we continue to network and build connections, we can narrow the bubble by intentionally creating a small “master-mind” group of people to support one another on a regular basis as we each build our Visions. In Benshen, this translates to our monthly PODS, which are small groups of four to five people who hold each other accountable on creating achievable action steps with their Visions and check-in daily to build momentum and keep the Vision top of mind amidst all the day-to-day “life” happening around us. With the only rules being “no complaining/gossiping” and “no giving unsolicited advice,” this new paradigm of relationships doesn’t depend on bonding through negativity or shooting the shit or finding something to be catty about. Instead, these relationships become a sacred container of elevated energy where people empower each other, give each other agency, and connect on something grander than the minutiae of life. There is so much more power in finding alliances and supporting each other to become the best version of ourselves rather than connecting with others through gossip, negativity, and complaining. Whether or not you have a Benshen pod, arrange to meet with your own Master Mind group on a weekly cadence—in-person or virtual, of course—and hold each other accountable to daily/weekly goals and your grander overall vision.
C) Lastly, maintain harmony within the “Master-Mind” group by being transparent and allowing for conscious, honest communication to take place. This can look differently amongst each group, but if someone is becoming less responsive or not following through with their presence, vulnerability, or accountability, find a moment to reach out and see what’s going on, instead of letting someone drop off. Maybe they’re going through something. Maybe they need support. Rather than just assuming a story, practice showing up in a way that is bigger than what we project about the world around us. This is an incredible opportunity to practice vulnerability while also showing up for others the way we want others to show up for us. It’s also not unheard of that there may be tension, emotions, and old patterns that come up as we shift the dynamic from connecting only through negativity to connecting with others in a supportive and transformative way. This is when it’s imperative to check-in with our own patterns and relationships in group settings and be honest about how we’re contributing to the accountability group dynamic, but also to our friends, family and everyone else we surround ourselves with. Remember: how you do anything is how you do everything.…
Image: Milla Jovovich (outtakes) Vogue Italia, 1998
When the things we want so badly aren’t “happening” and we push harder, or feel desperate and impatient in our need for what we want to work out—maybe it’s a move or a job or a relationship or any fill-in-the-blank—this is a great opportunity to remember that everything is always working out. When it comes to our current reality and knowing our personal threshold of MORE (responsibility, prosperity, fortune, etc) sometimes we have to understand that the timing may be working out in our favor, so that we have time to restructure and build for the BIGGER thing. When things aren’t coming through, perhaps it’s the Universe’s way of buying us time to build the space to let it come through. The plan can change 1,000 times but the Vision stays them same. For example, if you run a business and found an incredible investor but they decide not to join you, 1. Remember rejection is always protection so you don’t know what you were just protected from but it’s always for the best and 2. It gives you extra time to look at your business and decide if that’s what you REALLY, truly want - maybe there is other ways to raise money instead. Or imagine you’re ready to call in a lover or a partner but your apartment has so much stuff inside of it there is literally no room for anyone else to fit in your life. Cleaning up our lives and reorganizing what needs to be organized is one of the more powerful ways we make space as well as show the Universe we’re really ready for what we want.
The same idea holds true here; we must build the container and they will come. As Hill writes, “when your plans fail, temporary defeat is not permanent failure. It means that your plans have not been sound. Build other plans. Start all over again.” Above all, believe in the timing and physically get ideas to paper so that the passion for the vision holds true, whether the plans change one hundred different times.
OCTOBER BENSHEN COURSE BOOK CLUB GEM:
"You might imagine your thoughts as magnets. These magnets go out into the world and attract the substances that match them; they duplicate themselves in form. Everything around you was a thought in someone’s mind before it existed in your reality."
— Creating Money, Sanaya Roman + Duane Packer