For many of us, although not everybody, we feel the calling or tug for something better. We know it’s out there because we see it around us. There are others who have found it and the law of abundance tells us there is more than enough to go around. It’s not given freely nor is it easily obtained, but wealth and prosperity are ours should we seek them diligently.
In 1937, the method by which we seek out and move to achieve success is exactly what Napoleon Hill compiled and laid out for us. Hill was a contemporary, student and friend of the Andrew Carnegie, who had put Hill on a 25-year journey into seeking a common formula used by those who had built fortunes and empires. After 25 years, Hill had it.
Hill published Think and Grow Rich and made that formulate available to us all. He put into words the efforts, thoughts and manifestations of power houses like Charles Schwab, Carnegie, Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Ford, and sequenced them into a practical guide or anyone to grasp and utilize. In for form of 13 principles, Hill devised an outline for wealth and achievement!
What are the 13 principles of Think and Grow Rich?
- Desire: The Starting Point of all Achievement
- Faith: Visualizing and Believing in the Attainment of Desire
- Autosuggestion: The Medium for Influencing the Subconscious Mind
- Specialized Knowledge: Personal Experience or Observations
- Imagination: The Workshop of the Mind
- Organized Planning: The Crystallization of Desire into Action
- Decision: The Mastery of Procrastination
- Persistence: The Sustained Effort Necessary to Induce Faith
- Power of the Master Mind: The Driving Force
- The Mystery of Sex Transmutation
- The Subconscious Mind: The Connecting Link
- The Brain: A Broadcasting and Receiving Station for Thought
- The Sixth Sense: The Door to the Temple of Wisdom
Within each of the chapters of Napoleon Hill’s Book Think and Grow Rich (link to the version we recommend on Amazon) we were given the keys to the kingdom of success. It’s the application of this formula to your own life along with the daily affirmations embedded within Hill’s book that will propel you towards creating a wealth mindset and achieving your own success.
While knowing the principles seems like it might be enough, the simple list above is not to be substituted for the hours we recommend you spend reading, taking notes and meditating over the application of these principles to your own life.
“Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, then planning definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing those plans with persistence which does not recognize failure, will bring riches.” – Napoleon Hill
How Can I Think and Grow Rich?
In the 2nd chapter of the book, surrounding the first principle of Desire, Hill lays out a necessary beginning to your journey on how to Think and Grow Rich. He outlines 6 practical steps to give clear focus towards achieving success. These are not to be substituted for the full formula of the 13 principles or mastering your own personal finance, however this is just the beginning.
As Hill states, “The method by which desire for riches can be transmuted into its financial equivalent consists of six definite, practical steps:
- Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not sufficient merely to say, “I want plenty of money.” Be definite as to the amount. (There is a psychological reason for definiteness which will be described in a subsequent chapter.)
- Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for money you desire. (There is no such reality as “something for nothing.”)
- Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.
- Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.
- Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire. Name the time limit for its acquisition. State what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
- Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night, and once after rising in the morning. AS YOU READ, SEE AND FEEL AND BELIEVE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY.
It is important that you follow the instructions described in these six steps. It is especially important that you observe and follow the instructions of the sixth paragraph.”
Again, use this as a beginning to your journey. The importance of focus is what Hill is emphasizing here. How will we know where our journey and efforts are to take us without visualizing the goal? By beginning with these six steps Hill ensures we are also accountable and conscious of the efforts we personally outline as being necessary for the achievement. This is a critical point of understanding because it puts the onus on ourselves to take the action we’ve laid out!
In combination with the above list of 13 principles, we’ve also outlined below answers to some of the common questions asked about Think and Grow Rich as well as Napoleon Hill himself.
How long is Think and Grow Rich?
In the revised and expanded edition of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich by Dr. Arthur R. Pell the book itself is 290 pages. That doesn’t include the Index, author’s preface or preface to the expanded edition which add an additional 20 or more pages.
What was Napoleon Hill’s Net Worth?
It’s debatable to the exact figure of Napoleon Hill’s net worth but estimates are between $1M and $5M. That was in 1970 and the approx. value of what that would be worth in modern dollars is a range between $7M and $30M. (source)
The actual means by which each of us who choose to follow this formula and achieve success are going to vary. For some of us it will be through profitable careers in professional services while others will find their niche and found their own businesses. What is certain, is that the formula for success will be consistent.
Don’t let anyone else or even your own fear and ego get in the way! Develop yourself and take confidence in your continued rise in talent and take pride in your struggle. As Hill describes, “In planning to acquire your share of the riches, let no one influence you to scorn the dreamer. To win the big stakes in this ever-changing world, you must catch the spirit of the great pioneers of the past, whose dreams have given to civilization all that it has of value, the spirit which serves as the life-blood of our society- your opportunity, and mine, to develop and market our talents.”
Keep charging forward and keep your eye on the prize! Follow your dreams! (see J.K. Rowling’s Harvard Speech for additional motivational here) Good luck.
