The Hesitation Frustration: Is Indecisiveness Hindering Your Success?

What sets successful, world-renowned geniuses, tycoons, and leaders apart from other so-so ones in history? In one of the most popular books by Napoleon Hill, “Think and Grow Rich,” the self-development author reveals the answer to that question.

Hill wondered, “What sets the most successful people apart?” For years, he studied successful people like Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford to find the answer.

Hill noticed a common trait he details in his works. It wasn’t a person’s crazy good luck with inventions, fortunes, or good looks.

What set the most successful apart from all others? Hill concludes it was their resoluteness. Decision-makers come out on top.

​Ready to dive into creating your success by cultivating a more decisive personality? Below, you’ll learn why decisiveness is a trait you want and how to get it.

Decisiveness—a person’s ability to make a decision quickly and stick to it—more than any other trait is what sets the stage for all those hailed as successes. You could have every other marking of a successful individual: creativity, discipline, communication, optimism, etc. But if you’re missing decisiveness, you lack the core principle of success.

Imagine, if you will…

There you are, stuck in the middle of a forest with a group of people. You don’t know which way to turn to get out.

​Of the following ways this could play out, which option(s) depict a successful leader and which point to an unsuccessful one?

Indecisiveness leaves you looking like a wishy-washy, uneducated guesser or a procrastinator. Neither of those labels screams “Successful.” And neither ends in successful outcomes because you either change paths before reaching the destination or fail to start.

Many paths lead to success. However, you’ll never realize accomplishments when you don’t see a plan through, no matter how long or winding that path may be compared to others.

​Procrastinating is like waiting for the outcome to land on your doorstep. You can probably guess the likelihood of that happening. Procrastination does not yield success.

Napoleon Hill doesn’t stop with noticing commonalities among the world’s most successful people. He describes them and advises you on developing the same successful habits. Here’s how to improve your success by boosting your decisiveness:

A purpose or clear goal can prevent you from going whichever way the winds of change blow you. A ship that stays the course gets to its destination faster than one that constantly changes direction.

Research your ideas, solutions, inventions, or dilemmas. Seek counsel from those better educated than you in the subject matter, but avoid blabbing your business and ideas to everyone.

Act within the first five minutes of having an idea. You don’t have to commit much time to your act—just five or ten minutes.

​Break ambitions down into smaller goals. Give yourself a deadline for achieving those goals.

Don’t change your mind. It’s easy to develop a quitting habit when you do it once. You must deliberately stay the course instead of quitting.

​Cautiously change your mind, and only in the face of mounting evidence that your intended goal is way off course.

Opinions—everyone has one, and they usually stink, so the joke goes. In “Think and Grow Rich,” Hill calls opinions “the cheapest commodity on earth.”

​Don’t let someone else’s viewpoint sway your course or decision. There’s often no wrong way to chart a path to success.

Take risks. The most rewarding endeavors require courage.

​Don’t look at setbacks as “failures.” You either learn a lesson and reapproach a goal with more intelligence, or you quit before achieving your dream.

Approach your goals with an attitude of already having achieved them. Expecting good outcomes increases your odds of reaching them.

​You can take a note from Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!”: “And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)”

Success never fell into anyone’s lap. The world’s most successful people had a clear goal and purpose, gathered knowledge, acted on it, and committed to their decisions to see something through without changing course. They didn’t bend to the will and whims of others. They took risks and viewed setbacks as lessons.

You can also achieve great things when you model your success after the success of others. The core of success is making a decision and sticking to it.

Consider the great Henry Ford. Despite all the advice he received to change his Model-T, he stuck to his guns, which eventually proved fruitful.

​Decisiveness drives success, whereas wishy-washiness is unproductive. Be fruitful. Be decisive.

Napoleon Hill and other self-development authors can help you develop decisiveness and more successful habits. Read success mindset books like Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” to strengthen your resolve to live your best, most purposeful life.

And if you’re ready to develop the decision-making skills that can unlock your potential, join the free Think & Grow Rich Challenge today to gain actionable insights inspired by Napoleon Hill's timeless principles. This interactive experience offers rare footage of Hill himself, expert guidance from renowned speakers, and tools to help you make confident decisions, embrace risk, and achieve your biggest goals.

​Don’t wait—start cultivating the habits of success now! Join the Think & Grow Rich Challenge today and take charge of your future.