Sophia Bailey Larsen

The Possibility of Success

Sophia Bailey Larsen

Have you ever read a book that changed your life? I have.

This book contained 13 steps to becoming successful and I spent a year and a half studying it to find out if the claims were true.

Think and Grow Rich was written by Napoleon Hill in 1937 after a 20 year study of the wealthiest people in the world.

He claimed that these 500 people had 13 traits in common and by applying them you could become rich too.

When I first read the book I found it to be too male centric; the stories were dated and unrelatable so honestly, I didn't take it seriously. I couldn't see how it would be relevant for me, a single mum from a council estate in London.

It was years down the line that I heard this book recommended by successful people I really looked up to. They said that most millionaires have read Think and Grow Rich an average of 14 times. They owed their achievements to this book, and said that following the 13 steps towards riches was critical to what they had achieved in life.

It caused me to question if I had been doing this all wrong. What if it was possible to think and grow rich by applying these steps?

I made a decision to not just re-read Think and Grow Rich but to study it. What I discovered took me from student to success. My story was included in a book featuring authors inspired by the work of Napoleon Hill. My mission became to make the possibility of success accessible, relatable and real by showing it in action in my own life.

The Journey to Success

Napoleon Hill says that success begins with a Definite Major Purpose. You must have a burning desire to achieve something in life; and successful people place a value on their time, ensuring that every day is focused on making some effort towards achieving their goal.

When I shared my story of overcoming redundancy and abusive relationships to living an abundant and happy life, I got three repeating questions on how to do the same.

1. Which principle is most important to focus on if I want to become rich?

All, every step is needed. There may be some principles you already apply to your life but by studying each of the steps, you may discover the inspiration to move you to the next stage of your journey. Don’t skip chapters, master them all.

2. What is the secret that jumps out at you as Napoleon Hill claims?

I believe it depends on where you are at in life. If you have mastered each principle you will already be succeeding. Some ideas may jump out, while reading or later, as a spark of inspiration in your subconscious mind.

My spark came to me when I studied the chapter on imagination. I was surprised by how difficult it was for me to let go of past ideas or envision greater outcomes for my life. I identified what thoughts were holding me back and released them, this was my secret.

Whether it is to define your purpose, or perhaps to create the right circle of influence around you. What jumps out at you, is your secret.

3. If I read this book will I become rich?

My husband will tell you that he has been in the same profession for two decades but it wasn’t until applying these steps that he was able to grow rich from what he does. However, mastering the steps towards riches isn’t easy. Even Napoleon Hill had trouble applying it to his life and he felt like a failure until he did.

500 of the wealthiest people had followed these principles but they only formed 2% of the population, the other 98% are not using their thoughts powerfully because they simply don’t know how.

I can not promise you will become rich by reading this book but if you are looking for riches, studying Think and Grow Rich will convince you that you will become what you think about. Think of riches.

The Science of Success

For deeper answers, I became a Science of Success instructor with the Napoleon Hill Foundation. The first question they asked me was “have you decided upon your definite goal in life?”

Like most, I have a vision of what I would like to become, a world-leading success trainer for women, but it felt a long way off. As a young working Mother, I had no examples of outstanding success around me but I knew it was possible to succeed because I had read success stories. In Success Magazine, there were inspirational people who had overcome the odds to live their dream life and this encouraged me to believe in my own possibility.

I knew that if I was on track with my definite purpose, I would one day be featured in Success Magazine. Applying the Science of Success allowed it to happen.

This year I was accepted among 150 women of influence nominees for Success Magazine Women of Influence 2022.

The law of cosmic habit force allows us to co-create new possibilities using the power of thought. Believing this was possible, collapsed time frames and brought this goal to my reality a decade early.

The Power of Success

Napoleon Hill says of his teachings, “these instructions may, at first, seem abstract. Do not let this disturb you. Follow the instructions, no matter how abstract or impractical they may, at first, appear to be. The time will soon come, if you do as you have been instructed, in spirit as well as in act, when a whole new universe of power will unfold to you.”

Your purpose is possible when you believe it and work daily on achieving it. The power of success is that by achieving your purpose you make it possible for others to believe it too.

About Sophia Bailey Larsen

Sophia Bailey-Larsen is a Vision Creation Mentor and Inspirational Trainer, certified to teach the Science of Success by the Napoleon Hill Foundation. She shares her personal brand of self development for the spiritually minded.

Starting as a teenage Mum on a council estate, personal development transformed Sophia ́s life by helping her see what’s possible when you master your mind and focus on your vision. She has been studying Napoleon Hill ́s work for over a decade and has trained over 7,000 women worldwide on what it takes to create wealth from a definite purpose.

As well as being one of the first British Napoleon Hill Certified Leadership Instructors, Sophia has been recognised as one of the 50 most influential Black Entrepreneurs in the UK and Success Magazine women of influence nominee.

She is coauthor of two international best selling books on success and a guest expert in the upcoming Think and Grow Rich movie, the Mystery of Sex Transmutation. Her next goal is to reach a global stage where she can impact 5,000 families with her message of possibility.

She offers her expertise as a meditation teacher and Neuro-Change practitioner at her private retreat in Spain.

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