#12 - Accurate Thinking



by Napoleon Hill, author of "Think and Grow Rich"

Accurate Thinking is the 12th Success Principle presented by Napoleon Hill.

The rules of Accurate Thought are simple and clear, but very few people ever take the time to learn the rules.

Analytical thinking is the very foundation of all successful achievements.

Accurate Thinking Index

Video of Napoleon Hill’s Lesson on Sound Thinking

Types of Reasoning

Important and Unimportant Facts

Assignment

Opinions

Example of Limiting Your Opinion

A Simple Rule to Avoid Being Misled

7 Rules of Accurate Thinking

Word of Warning

Related Links

Video - Accurate Thinking

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Types of Reasoning

Accurate thinking has at its base two simple fundamental types of reasoning:

1. Inductive Reasoning is used when you don’t have the necessary facts. In this case, you must act on hypothesis or what you assume the facts to be.

2. Deductive Reasoning is used when you believe you have the facts. The next step is to separate facts from fiction or hearsay evidence and determine if dealing with hypotheses or real facts. Once you have determined it is a dependable fact, you must separate out the Important from the Unimportant Facts. You might be surprised at the overwhelming larger number of unimportant facts.

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Important and Unimportant Facts

What is an important fact and how do you distinguish it from an unimportant fact?

An important fact is anything that will aid you to any extent whatsoever in attaining your major purpose in life. Everything else should be considered an Unimportant and you should waste no time on this matter.

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Assignment

1. Do a Daily Inventory of all the facts that claimed your attention in a given day and classify as Important and Unimportant.

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Opinions

Most opinions are without value because they are based on bias, prejudice, intolerance, guess-work, hear-say evidence, and ignorance.

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Example of Limiting Your Opinion

Napoleon Hill asked President Woodrow Wilson, "What affect will World War I would have on civilization?"

President Wilson answered, "I cannot answer your question because I have no facts on which to base an opinion."

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A Simple Rule to Avoid Being Misled

When you hear someone make a statement that your reasoning cannot accept as sound or you question, ask a simple forward question:

"How do you know?"

Force the speaker to reveal the source of his opinion or to reject the statement as false.

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7 Rules of Accurate Thinking

1. Never accept the opinions of other people as being facts until you have learned the source of those opinions and satisfied yourself of their accuracy.

2. Free advice requires the closest of examination before being acted upon as safe. Generally speaking free advice is worth exactly what it costs.

3. Alert yourself immediately, if someone talks about another in a discourteous or slanderously spirit. This should put you on notice that this information is bias at the very least and may be and outright misrepresentation.

4. When asking others for information, never disclose what you want the information to be, because most people have the bad habit of trying to please under such circumstances.

5. Anything that exists in the universe can be proved. Where no such proof is available it’s safer to assume nothing exists.

6. Truth and falsehood carry with them a silent and invisible means of identifying that they are true or false. Learn to develop your intuitive faculty to enable you to sense what is true and what is false.

7. Follow the habit of asking "How do you know?"

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Word of Warning

Study yourself carefully as you may discover that your emotions are your greatest a handicap in the business of accurate thinking. It is easy for you to believe that which you wish to believe… and that is what most people do.

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Related Links

Napoleon Hill

Quotes

Adversity Quotes
Napoleon Hill Quotes

17 Success Principles
Training Series

by Napoleon Hill

#1 - Definiteness of Purpose
#2 - Mastermind Principle
#3 - Going the Extra Mile
#4 - Applied Faith
#5 - A Pleasing Personality
#6 - Self-Discipline
#7 - Positive Mental Attitude
#8 - Enthusiasm
#9 - Personal Initiative
#10 - Overcoming Adversity
#11 - Creative Vision
#12 - Accurate Thinking
#13 - Cosmic Habit Force
#14 - Controlled Attention
#15 - Teamwork
#16 - Sound Health
#17 - Budgeting Time and Money



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