Episode 615 · Apr 4, 2023

4 Steps to Persistence That Unlock the Power of Affirmations

Listen

Affirmations work. The research, the literature, and the stories of real people who have transformed their lives all confirm it. Yet most people who try affirmations eventually give up, convinced the practice is not for them. On the Daily Mastermind, George Wright III argues the problem is not affirmations themselves; it is a missing ingredient called persistence. And persistence, it turns out, is not some vague character trait. It is a skill built from four specific steps.

Drawing on Napoleon Hill's classic *Think and Grow Rich*, George breaks down exactly what persistence looks like in practice and why applying only part of the formula keeps so many people stuck. If you have ever felt that affirmations worked a little but not as much as you wanted, or not at all, this is the episode that explains why.

Why Affirmations Fail Without Persistence

Bob Proctor defined affirmations as positive statements which, when given to your subconscious mind repetitively, have a tendency to alter old habits and old conditioning. That definition holds up. The issue is that most people deliver their affirmations without the full set of conditions that make them land.

Napoleon Hill put it directly:

The hidden guide lets no one enjoy great achievement without passing the persistence test. Those who can't take it simply do not make the grade.

This is not a metaphor. It is a description of how the subconscious mind actually operates. Repetition alone is not enough. The quality, consistency, and environment surrounding that repetition all matter.

Step 1: A Definite Purpose Backed by a Burning Desire

The first step is not just having a goal; it is having a goal you genuinely want. George emphasizes the word "burning" because a mild preference will not carry you through resistance. When you write your affirmations, they need to point toward something that truly matters to you, something specific enough that you can feel it.

If your affirmations feel empty or mechanical, this is usually where to start. Go back to your purpose and ask whether the desire behind it is real or just a wish.

Step 2: A Definite Plan Expressed in Continuous Action

Having a plan is not enough if the plan stays on paper. The second step requires that your plan show up as continuous action. Many people get excited about their goals, create a written plan, and then let that plan collect dust.

Affirmations reinforce direction, but they do not replace movement. You need both: a clear plan and the daily discipline to act on it. The two work together. Your affirmations focus your mind; your actions build the evidence your subconscious needs to believe the new story.

Step 3: A Mind Closed Against Negative Influences

This step is where a lot of people underestimate what is required. It is easy to say you avoid negativity. It is harder to examine the actual inputs you allow into your mind every day.

A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends, and acquaintances.

George points out that your subconscious mind does not distinguish between a news broadcast and a direct personal criticism. Both land in the same place. If you are feeding your mind negative content all day and then spending five minutes on affirmations, you are fighting a losing battle. The ratio matters. You have to actively protect your mental environment, not just passively hope the negativity does not stick.

Step 4: A Friendly Alliance with Encouraging People

The fourth step is the one George observes most people skip. Many people feel they do not have access to the right kind of support, or they do not think they need it. But Napoleon Hill was clear that a friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage you to follow through with both plan and purpose is not optional; it is essential.

This is why masterminds, accountability partners, and communities built around growth exist. You do not have to do this alone, and the evidence suggests you will get further if you do not.

The Enemies Waiting to Stop You

George identifies three forces that will undermine all four steps if you let them: fear, doubt, and indecision. These are not external obstacles. They live in your mind, and they are most active precisely when persistence matters most.

Make no mistake, these are enemies in your mind and they will keep you from your greatness.

Awareness is the first defense. When you recognize fear or doubt as the mechanism that is slowing you down, rather than evidence that your goal is wrong, you can choose to continue anyway. That choice, repeated enough times, is what persistence actually looks like from the inside.

Action Steps

Write or rewrite your affirmations so they connect to a specific, genuinely desired outcome, not a vague wish.
Attach your affirmations to a written plan that includes at least one concrete action you will take today.
Audit your daily inputs: news, social media, conversations. Reduce or eliminate sources that consistently leave you feeling doubtful or discouraged.
Find at least one person, a friend, a coach, or a community, who will support your goals and hold you accountable.
When fear, doubt, or indecision shows up, name it out loud. Recognizing the enemy is the first step to moving past it.

Start Living the Life You Were Meant to Live

Persistence is not about grinding through pain. It is about applying a proven set of principles with enough consistency that your subconscious mind finally has what it needs to help you. Napoleon Hill wrote this nearly a century ago, and *Think and Grow Rich* has sold over 100 million copies because the principles work when people actually apply all of them.

You have the capacity. The steps are simple, not easy, but simple. And as George Wright III reminds you, it is never too late to start living the life you were meant to live.

READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT

All right, welcome back to the Daily Mastermind. George Wright III here with your daily dose of inspiration, motivation, and education. And today we're going to be talking about persistence. Persistence is that secret key that unlocks the power of affirmations. Now, look, I know you've learned, you've probably used affirmations in your life. Bob Proctor says, if you don't already know this, affirmations are positive statements, which when given to your subconscious mind repetitively, have a tendency to alter old habits and old conditioning. So if you haven't used affirmations, or you're trying to understand them more, or maybe you felt that affirmations haven't worked for you, maybe they've worked a little and just not as much as you'd like. But today we're going to talk about how to truly unlock the power of affirmations. So let's go ahead and get into it. What you really probably haven't done when we've looked at affirmations and when we're really looking at this idea of affirmations is you probably haven't applied all the necessary ingredients of persistence. Let me say that again. Affirmations, but apply the necessary ingredients of persistence. See, many secrets of success that we've applied, you know, we talked about a lot of things on the podcast here. But one of the things that I've noticed is that a lot of secrets to success, people only slightly understand and they don't study and apply all the principles. You know, Napoleon Hill wrote this in Think and Grow Rich. He wrote a little bit more about this. And today, what I want to do is I want to read you a short couple of thoughts on persistence that Napoleon Hill wrote. and that might give you some added benefits, ideas, and learning that you've never really heard of before or that you could apply in order to expand the power of affirmations in your life. Then what I'll do is I'll add a few thoughts for you to consider and apply when you're looking at this in your life. So Napoleon Hill says this about affirmations. He says, the hidden guide, you know he's talking about affirmations here, the hidden guide lets no one enjoy great achievement without passing the persistence test. Those who can't take it Simply do not make the grade. Those who can take it are bountifully rewarded for their persistence They receive as their compensation whatever goal they pursuing And that not all They receive something infinitely more important than material compensation The knowledge that every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent advantage. Let me read that again. Every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent advantage. And he goes on to say that there are no exceptions to this rule. Now, a few people know from experience the soundness of persistence and they're the ones that have not accepted defeat as being anything more than temporary. So to develop persistence there are four simple steps which lead to the habit of persistence and notice he says habit of persistence and these four steps they don't call for any great amount of intelligence no particular amount of education and little time or effort. That's very important but here are the necessary steps. Number one a definite purpose backed by a burning desire for its fulfillment. Number two, a definite plan expressed in continuous action. And then number three, a mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends, and acquaintances. And then number four, a friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose. Now I'm going to break these steps down for you here in a minute, but listen to this last kind of final thought from Napoleon Hill on this topic. These four steps are essential for success in all walks of life. When one makes an impartial study of the prophets, philosophers, miracle men, quote unquote, and religious leaders of the past, one is drawn to the inevitable conclusion that, listen to this, persistence, concentration of effort, and the definiteness of purpose were the major influences of their success. See, when riches take the place of poverty, the change is usually brought about through well-conceived and careful executed plans. Anyone can wish for riches. The most people in life do, right? But only a few know that a definite plan plus a burning desire for wealth are the only dependable means for accumulating wealth. One of America most successful and best financiers listen to this I really like this followed the habit of closing his eyes for two or three minutes before making a decision And when asked why he did this he replied, with my eyes closed, I'm able to draw upon a source of superior intelligence. So make your desires clear and reduce them to writing. Now what Napoleon Hill is talking about here is he's talking about affirmations. And he's talking about the power of affirmations and what they can have in your life. And you've got to remind yourself over and over that these are proven through time. They've been proven to work. So let's get back to the four steps. And I want to really talk about how you can use these to unleash your power and your unlimited power and your internal potential and using the power of affirmations. See, most people, I think, have implemented only part of the steps and that's the problem. So let's break this down. Number one, you got to have a definite purpose but it's got to be backed by a burning desire for its fulfillment really understanding this burning desire for fulfillment is a key so i want to bring that up second a definite plan but expressed in continuous action how many of us have a plan we're all excited but we're not putting the action in to make that happen so it's a definite plan the second step definite plan expressed by continuous action. Third, a mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Now, I think a lot of us try to avoid negativity, but he talks about a mind closed tightly against negativity. Do you let this negativity surround you in the workplace? Do you listen to the news? Do you watch your social media feed and see and hear negative things? Because remember, your subconscious mind doesn't know the difference. But you've got to have a mind closed tightly against negative influences. And then fourth, and this is the one I think a lot of people just don't do because they feel like they don't have the opportunity to do it. It's a friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage you to follow through with your plans and purpose. Now, I think it's really important to point out here that, you know, these principles have been proven to work over time, but you've got to apply the full principle, the full success prospect and principle and promise that it gives you And remember this Napoleon Hill and the power of influence of affirmations dates back 80 years and and the think and think and grow itch has sold a hundred million copies over those 80 years so listen to me closely success leaves clues my friend success leaves clues you got to really understand study and implement these powerful strategies like affirmations, but don't do them half-assed. You've got to be able to implement the full power. Now, we don't have time to get into the reasons and enemies that'll keep you from truly implementing and capitalizing on these powerful tools, but I can tell you what they are, and maybe we'll talk about them at a future time and so that you can really address these. And so I'm going to bring these up for you. The things that will hold you back from really implementing your affirmations are fear, doubt, and indecision. And make no mistake, these are enemies in your mind and they will keep you from your greatness. So be aware of them. At least understand that fear and doubt and indecision are what's going to hold you back. But for now, I want you to just revisit this idea of affirmations and maybe re-energize and recommit yourself to using this powerful tool in your life. You might have to rewrite your affirmations. You might have to redo them. But later this week, I'm going to spend some more time and we'll talk about some additional things that will help you. like how to write your affirmations maybe more clearly, how to overcome that fear, doubt, and indecision. And for now, I wanted to just share with you this powerful idea of persistence and the idea of what it takes, these four steps, to have persistence in your life with the affirmations. So I really want to thank you for listening. Ben, I want to ask you to do me a favor. If you found any value with these concepts and these ideas, I want you to share it with somebody, at least one person. it would mean the world to me do it right now while you're thinking about it because it would mean the world to me but it would make the difference in someone else's life if you do it and so that's the principle I want to talk to you about today later this week I got some great stuff coming up for you but I want you to have an amazing week and realize that it's never too late to start living the life that you were meant to live so I'll see you here tomorrow on the Daily Mastermind my name is George Wright III and I'll talk to you soon Thank you.

About the host

George Wright III

George Wright III is an entrepreneur, investor, and the host of The Daily Mastermind. Over more than two decades he has founded and scaled several multimillion-dollar companies and built a renowned seminar business that put some of the world's biggest names and brands on stage. With 25+ years across marketing, sales, and executive leadership, he's made a career of turning bold ideas into results — and momentum into lasting growth.

Today his mission is singular: empower driven entrepreneurs everywhere to master their mindset, unlock their potential, and live their ultimate destiny. Through The Daily Mastermind, George shares the Prosperity Principles and strategies that help people create massive change — in their business and in their life.

MORE ABOUT GEORGE→