October 24, 2019 6 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The following excerpt is from Napoleon Hill’s Success Masters. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | IndieBound

The most fulfilling path to success and personal fulfillment often comes through the pursuit of your own self-development. The radically successful and happy immerse themselves in self-development and a deep interest in life and relationships. Through self-exploration, they remain openly curious and passionate about their self-education and improvement.

Through life’s experiences, good and bad, you become able and ready to be proactive in all your efforts, challenges, and successes. You choose to no longer wait for success or happiness; you go out and make it happen. Making a commitment to your own personal development is the first step on the path to living your personal legend. Here are some important elements of a self-development mindset.

Related: 8 Simple Keys to Becoming a Better Salesperson

Sense of self

Self-improvement begins with a keen awareness of who you are, your values, your beliefs, and the larger purpose you wish to pursue. True satisfaction can only manifest from chasing your own dreams. Life, people, and business can be hard and insensitive, so remind yourself that you’re more than the sum total of other people’s opinions and continue pursuing what’s meaningful to you.

The experiences you have in life can only have true meaning when you seek to understand them. To become a pristine student of life is to always remain teachable-ready. Examine how each experience life brings can be used for greater self-knowledge and better decisions going forward. As you gain a more solid sense of who you are, you become ready to start planning, designing, and pursuing your goals and objectives.

Executive Summary

It’s natural to get your hopes up about a professional opportunity that seems perfect — and to feel somewhat defeated when it doesn’t come through. The author offers four strategies to overcome the disappointment and take action. First, put your rejection into context. A useful step is to look back on your own past history of failed efforts, and reflect on how they made other things possible for you. Two, channel your frustration into motivation. If you were turned down because you lacked certain skills or experience, this is the chance to harness your indignation productively. Three, identify alternate ways to achieve your goal. And finally, find ways to stay on the company’s radar.