In the last few weeks an idea came my way that I’d not heard of before even though I’ve read several Napoleon Hill books, articles, etc….Apparently Hill met regularly with what he called his “Cabinet of Invisible Counselors”. Every night he would have an imaginary Master Mind gathering with nine men he admired a great deal in an attempt learn from them a trait he wished to acquire. The nine men that Hill chose were Emerson, Paine, Edison, Darwin, Lincoln, Burbank, Napoleon, Ford and Carnagie. That’s quite the group. Definitely a circle of friends of that could help anyone improve their human capital.
I’ve been thinking about this idea for awhile now and decided to finally get on the record my choices for “Cabinet of Invisible Counselors”. Ten headstrong dudes in one room shouting over one another seems like more than I care to handle, so I went with a much smaller group, only four members in my cabinet plus me. I also chose a much more contemporary group with the exception of one man. I’ve invited Ben Franklin, Jocko Willink, Henry Rollins, and Jack Kornfield to sit with me.
From Ben Franklin I plan to learn and emulate his rebellious nature as well as his determination to be himself and craft the life he wanted. Franklin was going to do things his way from a young age and wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in the way of how he saw his life’s work panning out. First his father and then his brother tried to keep Ben from becoming a writer. Neither was successful. Ben was published anonymously at a very young age and eventually broke his apprenticeship and left for Pennsylvania with very little money and succeeded in founding his own newspaper and eventually became the man we know today. I love this story and only wish I would have been inspired by it earlier in life. I find myself at this point in life of sometimes feeling like everything is set in motion and I cannot do anything to change life’s arc. I need to be more stubborn, more rebellious, more determined, and make things happen the way I want them to.
From Jocko Willink I’ll learn self discipline. I lack it. His quote “Freedom equals discipline” will become a mantra. Jocko is a highly decorated Marine warrior and commander and continues to lead from the front to this day. He’s written books, does a podcast, and runs a leadership business training high performing civilians to lead their teams. His self discipline is super human. 4:30 AM workouts are the norm prior to days full of teaching and making the world a better place through sheer will power. Check out the YouTube video of Jocko’s titled "Good" for an arm-hair raising kick in the ass.
From Henry Rollins I’ll learn more confidence and to care less what other people think. Rollins is a jack of so any trades is absurd. He was in Black Flag, he writes articles, books, essays, he acts, he podcasts, and he’s a wild man minimalist traveler. He’s obviously got some innate talent, but beyond that he’s got a middle finger in the air not caring an ounce what others think about him and what he’s trying to do. He’s straightforward and brutally honest. I’m not meek, or a pushover. And I’m not paralyzed with fear of other’s opinions either, but I have room to improve. I do find myself second guessing and wondering if I’m capable of or worthy of an accomplishment. I still have the random bout of anxiety feeling that I’m going to look foolish attempting something new or my friends won’t understand what I’m trying to make happen and think less of me. Instead of pushing my envelope and stretching my comfort zone inoculating myself to these feelings, I balk.
The final attendee will be Jack Kornfield. Jack is a trained Buddhist monk and author. He has taught meditation EVERYWHERE since 1974 and played vital role in the introduction of Mindfulness practice to the West. I’ll learn mindfulness and how to quiet my mind from Jack. I will learn a mediation practice that will allow me to slow things down around me and realize that what I’m thinking about is not as dire as I make it out to be. In fact, it likely doesn’t matter at all.
I’ll take the selected attributes of each member here and evolve. I’ll keep the beneficial qualities I already have and add more self confidence, less concern for others opinions. I’ll become more mentally strong, more self disciplined, more mindful, and quieter. My determination will grow and I’ll learn to appreciate the now and express more gratitude. I may add another member if I feel like someone else needs to join the club, but I plan to keep it simple. Simplicity is beautiful. I’m not far from where I’d like to be in how I experience my journey through this world. I know these tweaks will make a welcome addition though.
Comments