I got it all wrong for years.
Really wrong. My approach to changing my mindset was like trying to fill a leaky bucket – pouring in positive thoughts while my subconscious quietly drained them away through tiny holes of doubt.
Napoleon Hill understood something crucial about confidence that took me an embarrassingly long time to grasp. It’s not just about positive thinking. It’s about creating an entirely new operating system for your mind.
The Self-Confidence Formula Hill developed isn’t just some antiquated technique from the 1930s. It’s a psychological blueprint that reprograms how we think about ourselves at the deepest level. And when you change your mindset at that level, everything else follows.
A Formula? Seriously? (Hill Wasn’t Kidding)
The word “formula” might sound mechanical or rigid. But Hill’s approach is anything but.
Hill’s Confidence Formula consists of five specific declarations you read aloud twice daily – once before bed and once after waking. But the magic isn’t in the mere reading. It’s in how these declarations slowly reconstruct your mental architecture.
It sounds almost too simple to work. Read some words on a page twice a day? But that’s exactly what makes it brilliant. The simplicity means we’ll actually do it consistently. And consistency changes your mindset more than intensity ever could.
This isn’t about positive vibes or generic affirmations. The formula addresses specific mental barriers we all face: indecision, procrastination, fear, negative influences, and lack of definite purpose. These are the exact mindset obstacles that keep us stuck.
By deliberately confronting these barriers through Hill’s structured approach, we’re not just feeling better temporarily. We’re fundamentally rewiring our thought patterns.
First Mindset Shift: Definite Purpose Comes Before Confidence
Here’s where most confidence advice gets the order wrong.
We think we need confidence first, then we’ll decide what we want. Hill flips this completely. In the very first part of his formula, you commit to a definite purpose before feeling confident about it.
“I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose.” This comes first in the formula for a reason.
What’s happening psychologically? When you claim a specific purpose – I want to become a sought-after graphic designer, build a charity that helps 10,000 people, or create financial freedom for my family – you’re giving your mind something concrete to work with.
Vague goals produce vague results. Specific purposes create clear paths for confidence to flow.
To change your mindset using this principle:
1. Write down your definite purpose in excruciating detail 2. Include it in your daily reading of the formula 3. Don’t wait to feel confident before choosing your path 4. When doubt creeps in (it will), double down on clarifying your purpose
In our experience, nothing builds confidence faster than knowing exactly where you’re headed, even when you have no idea how you’ll get there.
The Bargain Method (Hill’s Brilliant Psychological Hack)
The second part of Hill’s formula contains a psychological technique so subtle most people miss it completely.
“I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects.”
This isn’t just an ethical statement. It’s a mindset changer that eliminates one of the biggest confidence killers: guilt.
Many of us unconsciously believe that success requires taking advantage of others. This creates an internal conflict where part of us sabotages our progress because we don’t want to become “that person” who succeeds at others’ expense.
By making a commitment to beneficial transactions for all involved, you remove this subconscious obstacle. Your mind stops fighting against itself.
Try this mental experiment: Think about your biggest goal. Now ask, “How can I achieve this in a way that benefits everyone involved?” Notice how different this feels compared to just focusing on what you can get.
This shift creates what psychologists call congruence – alignment between your conscious desires and subconscious values. When these two parts of your mind work together instead of against each other, confidence isn’t just possible – it’s inevitable.
Speaking Your Way Into A New Reality
Look, I used to think affirmations were kind of ridiculous. Saying things that weren’t true yet felt like lying to myself.
But Hill’s formula includes a specific instruction that changes everything: “I will induce others to serve me because I will first serve them.”
This isn’t just positive thinking – it’s a commitment to action. And this is where the mindset magic happens.
When you verbalize a commitment to service before expecting anything in return, you activate what researchers now call the consistency principle. Once you’ve stated something out loud, your brain tries to make your actions consistent with your words.
Hill understood 90 years ago what modern psychology confirms today: Speaking commitments aloud makes them far more likely to translate into action.
This is exactly why Hill insists you read the formula aloud twice daily. Not silently. Not just thinking about it. Out loud, where your ears hear your voice making these declarations.
Try it for just three days. Notice how speaking the words changes how you interact with people throughout your day. You’ll start looking for ways to serve first, which paradoxically builds your confidence faster than any amount of self-focus could.
Borrowing Mental State From Your Future Self
Part four of Hill’s formula is where things get weird – in the best possible way.
“I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism by developing love for all humanity.”
At first glance, this might seem like just nice words about being a good person. But there’s a profound psychological mechanism at work here.
Hill understood that negative emotions like hatred, envy and cynicism are massive energy drains. They create mental static that blocks confidence from developing. By actively working to eliminate these emotions, you’re not becoming a saint – you’re becoming more effective.
The mindset shift happens when you realize these negative emotions are luxuries you cannot afford if you’re serious about success. They simply cost too much mental bandwidth.
To implement this part of the formula effectively:
1. Notice when these emotions arise throughout your day 2. Don’t judge yourself for having them (that’s counterproductive) 3. Simply ask: “Is this emotion serving my definite purpose?” 4. Choose to redirect that mental energy toward solution-finding instead
We’ve seen people transform their entire outlook within weeks using just this portion of Hill’s formula. When you stop wasting mental energy on negative emotions, that energy becomes available for building the confidence you need.
The Persistence Loop That Changes Everything
The final part of Hill’s formula contains what might be the most overlooked yet powerful mindset changer: the commitment to repetition.
“I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory, and repeat it aloud once a day with full FAITH that it will gradually influence my THOUGHTS and ACTIONS so that I will become a self-reliant and successful person.”
Notice Hill capitalizes FAITH and THOUGHTS and ACTIONS. This isn’t random. He’s highlighting the three-part cycle that creates lasting mindset change:
1. You start with faith (acting before you have evidence) 2. This gradually shifts your thoughts (not overnight) 3. Your new thoughts create new actions
Modern neuroscience confirms what Hill intuited – repetition literally creates new neural pathways. When you repeat the formula daily, you’re not just saying words. You’re physically reshaping your brain.
The mindset transformation isn’t in understanding the formula. It’s in the boring, unglamorous daily practice of it. Most people won’t do this consistently. Which is precisely why most people don’t experience profound mindset change.
It’s Just Words On Paper Until…
I’ve seen this formula change lives. But not because it’s magical.
The real transformation happens when you move beyond just reading Hill’s words to embodying them. The formula becomes your own personal constitution – a document you don’t just agree with but live by.
For some, the language feels outdated. That’s fine. Rewrite it in your own words while keeping the psychological principles intact.
For others, it seems too simple. That’s the point. Complexity rarely leads to consistent action.
The beauty of Hill’s approach is that it works whether you initially believe it will or not. The formula creates its own evidence through practice.
Start today. Write out your version of the confidence formula. Read it aloud this morning and tonight. Then watch what happens to your mindset over the next 30 days.
Not because of magic words, but because you’ve engaged the most powerful force for change: consistent, directed thought backed by action.
And if you need the exact wording of Hill’s original formula to get started, you’ll find it in “Think and Grow Rich” – a book that’s shaped more success mindsets than perhaps any other in history.