Think and Grow Rich.

Napoleon Hill’s best-selling book is the most widely acclaimed, influential book on success ever published.

If you’re serious about achieving success then Think and Grow Rich is a must read.

Think and Grow Rich has sold over 70 million copies since its publication, and has been ranked the sixth best selling business paperback of the last 70 years. And there’s a good reason for this, as it contains a detailed breakdown of the strategies used by some of the world’s most successful and influential entrepreneurs.

Although the book does include practical steps that you can take in order to make the goals that you hold for yourself and business a reality, it focuses more on your mindset – after all , our attitude and beliefs have a direct correlation to our actions and our decisions. So it stands to reason our mind needs to be geared towards success before our actions can be.

The book started as a project for the journalist Napoleon Hill. Tasked by the business magnate Andrew Carnegie to interview 500 self made millionaires, Hill spent 20 years conducting and collating his research and as a result produced what many have touted as the most important and influential business book ever written.

Motivated by Carnegie’s belief that anyone could build wealth, and that there was a formula to it, Think and Grow Rich could be seen as a blueprint to success. Of course it’s never that simple, but by compiling the interviews that he conducted over that 20 year period Napoleon Hill lays bare the strategies and common behaviours of some of the world’s most successful people.

The story behind the book.

When assigned to write a series of success stories detailing the journeys of famous men, Napoleon Hill interviewed Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. It was during this interview that Carnegie suggested to Hill that he should interview others to find out their secrets to success. Carnegie commissioned Hill to perform this task (but there was no payment made to Hill. For details of the original interview between Hill and Carnegie see “Outwitting the Devil” by Napoleon Hill and Sharon Lechter) to interview over 500 millionaires. Hill’s goal was to discover a formula for success that would bring even the most average person financial wealth. Throughout the process Hill would interview men such as Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, John D Rockefeller and Theodore Roosevelt.

Hill’s conclusion, upon the end of the project, was that thoughts and personal beliefs have the utmost influence on success and the outcome of an individual’s endeavours. Hill identified thirteen principles of success, based on the conversations and stories he shared with his interviewees.

The Thirteen Principles of Success.

Principle of Success No.1 Desire.

According to Hill, desire must be more than simply a hope or a wish. Instead, it should be a hunger which Hill categorizes as a “burning desire” that is constant and definite and he provides six steps to using desire to attain financial wealth:-

Determine the exact amount of money desired.
Decide what will be given in return for the money.
Set a date by which the money will be attained.
Create a plan and implement it immediately.
Write a clear statement that includes steps one through four.
Read the statement aloud twice daily.

The challenge that Hill poses to readers is to hold that desire, and stick to those steps, even under adverse conditions, doubt and even failure, highlighting Edison’s 10,000 attempts to create the incandescent electric lamp.

Hill also shares the personal story of his own son who was born without ears. Rather than believe the prognosis that his son would be deaf and mute. Hill’s own desire for his son to hear and speak, he believes, was transferred to his son, who went on to be very successful.

Principle of Success No.2 Faith.

Faith is essential to success, Hill believes, although he acknowledges that maintaining faith is difficult at times Hill states that:- “faith is the only known antidote for failure”.

He suggests that you build faith in the following way:-

Believing in your ability to achieve the goal, being persistent and taking constant action.
Recognising that thoughts influence action and therefore you should spend 30 minutes a day focusing on your desired outcome.
Using auto-suggestion for 10 minutes a day to build self confidence.
Writing down your definite purpose or aim in life.
Committing to give back and take action that also benefits others.

Hill also includes a verse to illustrate the importance of faith, here it is in full:-

“If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don’t,

If you like to win, but you think you can’t,

It is almost certain you won’t.

“If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,

For out of the world we find,

Success begins with a fellow’s will-

It’s all in the state of mind”.

“If you think you are outclassed, you are,

You’ve got to think high to rise,

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize”.

“Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man,

But soon or late the man who wins

Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!”

Principle of Success No.3 Auto Suggestion.

The principle of auto-suggestion is closely linked to the previous principle of maintaining faith, as “faith is a state of mind which may be induced by auto-suggestion” – it builds a subconscious belief in your ability to achieve your desires.

Auto-suggestion refers to the process of programming the subconscious for success through stating goals twice throughout the day, for example, but only if you feel the words. “Learn to reach your subconscious mind with thoughts which have been well emotionalized with belief,” Hill says. Whilst Hill does recognise that many will be skeptical of this principle he does encourage you to create a clear picture of your financial goal every morning and night, whilst in a quiet place.

Principle of Success No.4 Specialised Knowledge.

The phrase ‘knowledge is power’ is one that Hill doesn’t entirely agree with, as he believes that knowledge is only potential power and that traditional education fails us, because it doesn’t tell us how to correctly use the knowledge we have. “Knowledge will not attract money unless it is organised and intelligently directed through practical plans of action.”

Hill uses the example of Henry Ford to illustrate this. Ford brought a libel case against a Chicago newspaper for calling him an ignorant idealist and when tired of the questions that he faced (Ford was on the witness stand for 8 days) in the dock, he asked the lawyer “Why should I clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I have men around me who can supply me any knowledge I require?”

Hill argues that education isn’t about how much you know, but in your ability to find answers.

Principle of Success No.5 Imagination:The Workshop of the Mind.

Here Hill distinguishes between two types of imagination, synthetic imagination and creative imagination. Synthetic imagination involves arranging existing ideas or plans into new forms. Creative imagination, however, comes in the form of inspiration, which Hill connects to “infinite intelligence”. He tells the story of the ‘old kettle’ to show how important imagination can be in achieving financial wealth; a doctor approached a pharmacy clerk hoping to sell an old kettle, wooden spoon and recipe. The clerk purchased the items for $500.

The clerk, Asa Candler, mixed the recipe, added one of his own ingredients and created Coca-Cola. Without the imagination to add the ingredient, the company would never have existed.

Hill argues that wealth comes from ideas and that ideas come from imagination, and that these ideas have the power to outlive their creator, using Asa Candler (Coca-Cola) and Henry Ford (assembly line) as examples.

Principle of Success No.6 Organised Planning.

This is the process in which desire is turned into action, and Hill likens a man without a plan to a chip without a course (Earl Nightingale would use the same analogy decades later)- no place to go, with disaster a probability.

Hill then provides a four step process to developing plans:-

Step 1. Form a mastermind group by connecting with people who are needed to assist in carrying out your plan.

Step 2. Determine what to offer the people in the mastermind group.

Step 3. Make arrangements to meet with mastermind members at least twice a week or more.

Step 4. Maintain harmony with members of the mastermind group.

The purpose of a mastermind group, Hill stresses, is not to come up with the plan itself (that should be down to the individual) but rather that the mastermind group is there to provide feedback on the plan and help improve it.

Hill encourages you to create new plans if your current plans don’t work out as you’d hoped and reminds readers that Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the incandescent lamp, referring to failure as a temporary defeat. So keep tweaking until you find a plan that works.

Hill also writes that the most successful people are leaders, not followers, and lists some of the most important characteristics of leadership as:-

Unwavering courage.
Self-control
A Keen sense of justice
Definiteness of decision
A Pleasing personality
Sympathy and understanding
Mastery of detail

Principle of Success No.7 Decision.

It’s something that many business owners struggle with, but Hill lists the ability to make decisions and avoid procrastination as the seventh principle of success. He argues that procrastination is one of the top reasons why so many people fail.

Hill provides examples of successful men who have had to make a decision quickly, despite the fact that it involves risk. Hill cites Henry Ford’s ability to make a decision quickly, and change it slowly as a particular strength. Despite giving him the reputation of being obstinate, it was this quality that encouraged Ford to continue to manufacture his Model T car when many advised him to stop.

“Those who reach decisions promptly, and definitely, know what they want and generally get it. The leaders in every walk of life decide quickly and firmly,” says Hill, going on to say how you will have the opportunity to test your decision making skills when you begin to put your plans into action.

Principle of Success No.8 Persistence.

Hill believes that persistence is the key to developing faith and achieving one’s goals. Most of the successful people that Hill spoke to had to practice persistence in order to reach success, for example author Fannie Hurst received 36 rejection slips from the Saturday Evening Post before finally being published.

Hill also shares a story entitled “Three feet from gold”, in which Mr R.U. Darby sought to mine gold and initially had some success, so much so that he got investors and started mining. Unfortunately the gold soon disappeared and disheartened Darby sold the equipment and his interest in the mine to a Junk Man. The “Junk” man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up. Most of the money which went into the machinery was procured through the efforts of Darby, who was then a very young man. The money came from his relatives and neighbors, because of their faith in him. He paid back every dollar of it, although he was years in doing so.

R.U. Darby paid back every penny of the borrowed money to his family and neighbors and latter did find much wealth himself, selling insurance. He said that the owed his success to the lesson he learned through that one mistake. He would always remind himself “I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say ‘no’ when I ask them to buy insurance.”

Definiteness of purpose, desire, self-reliance, accurate knowledge and habit are all ways in which persistence can be developed, according to Hill. He also suggests that, unable to persist, people very often blame others for their shortcomings, rather than:-

Create a definite purpose backed by burning desire.
Develop a definite plan backed by action.
Close the mind to negative and discouraging influences
Develop alliances with people who encourage and support your goal.

Principle of Success No.9 Power of the Mastermind.

Napoleon Hill defines power as “organised and intelligently directed knowledge” and believes that it is crucial to success, as not only is it power alone that will turn plans into action, but also that power is necessary to maintain and keep wealth after it has been earned.

A mastermind group comes into play as it is the combined knowledge of multiple people, all working towards a clearly defined goal or purpose; “All great successes received support, knowledge and assistance from others”. Hill uses Henry Ford and Thomas Edison as examples of this; Henry Ford was able to overcome being born into poverty, and his illiteracy, in order to set up his business, but it was only through his friendship with Thomas Edison that he was able to grow his business to greatness.

Hill argues that when two or more people, who are knowledgeable and supportive of each other’s goals, get together, a third mind is created. As a result, ideas, plans and actions that would never have happened with just one mind, are formed.

Principle of Success No.10 The Mystery of Sex Transmutation.

Hill’s principle of success “The Mystery of Sex transmutation” doesn’t fit well with modern day thinking and was very much ‘of its time’ however it is still worth knowing about. The concept of sex transmutation is to convert sexual energy into creative energy.

Hill says “Among the greatest and most powerful of (these) stimuli is the urge of sex. When harnessed and transmuted, this driving force is capable of lifting men into that higher sphere of thought that enables them to master the source of worry and petty annoyance which beset their pathway on the lower plan.”

Hill wasn’t advocating celibacy in order to achieve success, but he did believe that by choosing to exercise your willpower and channeling that energy into achieving your goals, one became more creative.

Principle of Success No.11 The Subconscious mind.

Although he acknowledges that we are unable to control our subconscious mind completely, Hill states that we are able to voluntarily plant any plan, thought or purpose that we desire into our subconscious, so that we can convert it to its physical or financial equivalent.

Hill sees this ability as important, as our subconscious mind works 24/7 365, and therefore is constantly influencing our actions and their outcomes. He says that regardless of what we do, thoughts and feelings exist in our subconscious, so we might as well plant positive thoughts.

According to Hill, the thoughts that hold the most influence on our subconscious are those that are attached to feelings, and he goes on to list seven emotions that you could apply to thoughts:- Desire, faith, love, sex, enthusiasm, romance and hope.

Principle of Success No.12 The Brain.

Here, Hill discusses the knowledge of the brain that was available at the time (if you want to read a later book about the workings of the brain then I would recommend Daniel Kahneman’s excellent book “Thinking Fast Thinking Slow” ) which was that it was made up of millions of cells and billions of neurons. Hill refuses to believe that an organ so complex was created solely to grow and maintain our bodies, so concludes that there must be another, greater, purpose for it. Arguing that all of the great technological advances of time had come ultimately from someone’s brain. With that in mind, Hill believes that most people do not use their brains to its full potential and likens it to having access to all of the wealth in the world, but only taking a cent. Hill reports that the brain should be thought of as a broadcasting and receiving station; that the subconscious mind is the broadcasting station and that creative imagination is the receiving station. He believes that the vibrations that both of these stations emit and receive can be increased using the collective power of a mastermind group.

Principle of Success No.13 The Sixth Sense.

The sixth sense is the ability to access ‘infinite intelligence’ without any effort, but it can only be achieved when the previous 12 steps have been mastered. Hill states that the sixth sense cannot be explained, but can only be felt and experienced by those who cultivate their mind from within.

He believes that the sixth sense will notify you of opportunities, as well as warn you of dangers and threats. Too many people it would be their ‘gut feeling’, or sense of intuition. However to Hill, the sixth sense is not a spiritual or religious concept, instead, he believes that it works within the laws of science and nature.

Napoleon Hill ends Think and Grow Rich with a list of 57 common excuses that most people use to explain their own procrastination and consequent lack of achievement – he maintains that his thirteen principles for success make “everyone of these alibis obsolete.” The principles are challenging and to some extent it is easy to dismiss them as being of their time and no longer relevant. However, the amount of research that Hill conducted over 20 years and the 500 millionaires he interviewed means that it would be foolhardy to dismiss his work.

Think and Grow Rich identifies the common behaviours shared by some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and provides their strategies for anyone hoping to achieve similar levels of success to adopt and work with. Hill acknowledges that it is not an easy process, but by adopting the thinking and behaviours in Think and Grow Rich really is a case of shunning the practices of average people in favour of those practiced by entrepreneurs that have done things differently in order to propel themselves to success.

Final word.

This is an excellent book that most entrepreneurs haven’t read. Be different, grab a copy of it from the link below and don’t just read it study it. Think and Grow Rich.

Happy reading