Million Dollar Habits

Fear of Trying Anything New 
This feeling of 
“I can’t” 
begins the development of the fear of failure. If you are 
discouraged or punished too often as a child, very early in life you will become 
fearful of trying new things. This fear will then carry over into later childhood, 
adolescence and adult life. Thereafter, whenever you think of doing something new 
or different, something that entails risk or uncertainty, your first reaction will be 
“I 

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Million Dollar Habits – Page 40 
can’t!”
As soon as you say the words 
“I can’t”
to yourself, you will begin 
immediately to think of all the reasons why such a thing is not possible for you. 
You will think and talk in terms of failure, rather than success. You will think of 
the uncertainties and all the possible risks of loss that may occur. Before you even 
try something new, you will talk yourself out of it. 
Napoleon Hill, author of 
Think and Grow Rich
, once asked an audience, 
“What is 
the average number of times that a person tries to achieve a new goal before they 
give up?”
After several guesses from the audience, he gave the answer. 
“Less than 
one.”
 
The point he made was that most people give up before they try the first time. They 
give up without even trying once. Even though they want to improve their lives, 
increase their incomes, and accomplish more than they are today, as soon as the 
new goal pops into their mind, they automatically respond with the words 
“I 
can’t!”
And begin thinking of all the reasons why it is not possible for them. 
The most important habit you can develop for great happiness and success is 
the 
habit of repeating to yourself and believing, “I can do anything I put my mind to!”
The most powerful words that you can repeat, over and over, to neutralize and 
overcome the fear of failure, are the words,