Sex is listed in Napoleon Hill’s "Think and Grow Rich" as one of the seven major positive emotions. Presumably it is not sex itself that is being classified an emotion but the emotions of calm, satisfaction and clarity along with the increase in energy and the inspiration that might result from engaging in sexual intercourse. The operative term is "might", as sexual release is not always accompanied by positive emotions. However, it is suggested that having frequent shame-free, guilt-free, spirit-cleansing sex can infuse brighter colors into a gray financial picture.

Of course it is not being suggested that sex is some kind of miracle pill you pop and suddenly a million dollars appear in your bank account. What is being suggested is that frequent sex can improve your outlook, remove some of the mental and emotional burdens that might be responsible for your inability to focus on the goals you’ve set for yourself, increase your energy level, help combat the chemical imbalances that drain your spirit and suck you into a crippling void of depression, calm you so that you’re not riddled with stress and anxiety; and in so doing provide you with the inspiration, the unobscured vision, the desire, the fuel you need to propel you to the apex of your particular Mount Everest.

This is not a red light to go out and become sexually promiscuous or irresponsible. It is not a suggestion that you should alter your lifestyle in any profound way to make sex so important as to become a distraction in your life. It is not a suggestion that sexual pleasure should become a daily pursuit or that you should in any way center your life around sex or use sex abusively. On the contrary, you are using the power of sex to balance your life and in order for that to occur your relationship with sex must necessarily be disciplined and controlled.

Ideally sex with another person is better for your mind, assuming you are having sex with a partner with whom you are physically, mentally and emotionally at ease, and with whom you can count on the experience being mutually satisfying. The psychological benefits of sex with a partner under positive conditions can be greater than the benefits of self masturbation; however lack of a partner is no reason not to use the positive power of sex to your advantage. Sexual release does not necessarily require that there are two people involved, and keeping in mind that you are having sex for therapeutic reasons, having sex with a partner could conceivably be counterproductive if the partner is not someone with whom you are physically, mentally and emotionally at ease or if the partner is someone who might inspire feelings of frustration during intercourse and regret and dissatisfaction afterward.

If you are uncomfortable with the subject of sex and masturbation then very likely the idea that you should make a point of having sex frequently whether with a partner or by yourself so that you can calm your mind and spirit and be better able to function in your daily life embarrasses and appalls you. Most of us are raised to regard sex as something you do only in your marriage bed and in moderation. Not everyone is able to talk about sex in a casual manner much less to contemplate having sex for reasons that have nothing to do with love and marriage. Masturbation is still something people are ashamed to do even when they alone know that they do it. There is plenty of shame and guilt associated with sexual activity that is not sanctioned by law whether moral or written. In order for you to benefit from the therapeutic use of sex you cannot be at conflict with your sexuality or be prone to feelings of guilt and shame after sexual indulgences. The objective is to reap the calming and uplifting benefits of sexual release, so if you are going to be tortured with shame for bringing yourself to sexual climax or for having sexual intercourse without the motivation of love you might not want to put to the test the theory that frequent sex might help you in your quest to achieve success in business.

Some will no doubt call it insanity, but if you are one of us, then you can probably identify with those moments of having no idea what the point is of anything you’re doing. And truth be told, you’re sometimes in such a state of cluelessness as to who you even are, that the idea that you could possibly know what your purpose is, what your goals are, where you’re trying to go and what you’re trying to do, well, it’s laughable; but you don’t have the energy to laugh and you seriously don’t find it funny at all. Particularly with only 11 days left until you have to come up with money to pay the bills and your tally of the funds in your accounts suggests it’s time to hit the panic button.

I am not here to preach to anyone about facing reality and being practical and doing what you have to do even if it means giving up on the business you’re trying to run, what ever that business may be, and finding a more secure and steady means of generating income, like a 9-5 job. I cannot tolerate people preaching to me about how irresponsible it is of me to live my life on the edge. The last time I checked, it was my life to live on the edge if I chose to live it that way. And by the same token, your choices are your own. Your life is your own and the decisions about how to live it are your own to make. Whether or not it’s time to give up on your entrepreneurial efforts or change from pursuing one thing to pursuing another is entirely your decision to make. You know your reasons for doing what you do. You know the impact of your choices on your very livilihood. You know better than anyone what is in your best interest.

That being said, let’s assume you go through moments when everything seems to be pointless. You’re running your own business. Maybe you have an office in the city, or your office is the corner of your living room. You wake up one morning and you just don’t feel like bothering. What’s the point? You have no clients. You’re not making any money. No one can tell the difference between you and someone who is unemployed. You say you’re self-employed, you’re running your own business but you have nothing to show for it. It can be pretty depressing waking up every day to the same reality that you really have nothing to do that you can expect to get paid for. Not that you have nothing to do. There’s always plenty to do, but doing it doesn’t guarantee you money, so you figure why bother?

I’d be lying if I said I don’t go through these periods. I go through them frequently. I have run my business now since 1998. I’ve had panic moments when bill collectors were threatening to sue me, when I was receiving disconnection notices for everything every month. The people in my life preached ad infinitum. You need a job. You’re not getting anywhere. You’re not making any money. You’re not self-employed, you’re unemployed.

But at those moments when I didn’t know the point of any of it, I still kept at it, even while not knowing what “it” was that I was keeping at. I kept waking up and going to the living room corner office, turning on the PC, loading up the sites and working. I can’t promise if you keep at it even when you don’t know what you’re keeping at you’ll see results and everything will work out the way you want it to; but it is guaranteed that if you don’t keep at it, if you quit trying, you won’t accomplish whatever it is you are trying to achieve. Just keep at it. Go into the office when you don’t feel like bothering. That in itself is an achievement.