Think and Grow Rich
Written by Napoleon Hill and first published in 1937, Think and Grow Rich is a book of distilled wisdom gleaned from a 25 year personal quest. Hill set himself the task of interviewing 500 millionaires in the hope of finding a universal success formula that will work for the average person.
The steel magnate Andrew Carnegie mentored Hill during his project to uncover the secrets of wealth and success, and many of the greatest and wealthiest men of the era were interviewed. They included among them Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Charles Schwab, F.W. Woolworth and John D. Rockefeller.
The current edition of Think and Grow Rich was revised by Arthur R. Pell, to bring it into the 21st century, with examples of high achievers from more recent times, including Ray Kroc, Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg and even Arnold Schwarzenegger.
If you have read any kind of self-help book on positive thinking or wealth creation, or abundance, the chances are pretty good that the author read Hill’s book at some point during their research. Most of the key facts and guidelines on these subjects that I have read over the past decade have their equivalent in Think and Grow Rich.
The book is written as a 13-step formula, with a couple of important extra chapters at the end dealing with what Hill calls ‘The Six Ghosts of Fear’ and ‘The Devil’s Workshop’. Behind the system is Desire and Belief (which fits in with my previous post Cash Karma and the Law of Abundance). There must be an almost overwhelming desire to achieve the goal that you set yourself. There can be no laziness, no doubt that what you want will be obtained. So after the Desire comes the mantra: Conceive, Believe, Achieve.
Many other books inform the reader that ‘they will get more of what they concentrate on’. This is how Hill writes it in his book: ‘All impulses of thought have a tendency to clothe themselves in their physical equivalent‘.
Notice his words ‘all impulses of thought’. Whether constructive or destructive, the thoughts will readily crystallise in the physical world. Hill’s advice throughout the book is to be extremely careful in your own thinking, and especially to kill all instances of negative thinking, or self-doubt. They are the paths to failure.
The book goes on to describe Autosuggestion and how to influence the subconscious mind to assist us in the achievement of our goals. And building a Master Mind group to develop a network of mentors willing to help us. Hill then talks about leadership, its attributes and causes of leadership failure; and how to develop persistence in the pursuit of what we desire.
Each chapter is so packed with gems and insight, that the book needs to be read several times. I have done this, and like to dip into chapters for refreshers every now and again.
The only downside to the book – which I have discovered by reading other people’s reviews – is that this particular edition is an abridged version. Many other reviewers prefer the original, unmodified version, and one without all the modern references to present day entrepreneurs. At the moment, I cannot comment on what these other reviewers think. I prefer to see the value in the information presented by Hill, and to work on these ideas everyday. Nevertheless, I have just ordered a new copy of the original and unabridged version. Once I have read it, I’ll post some comments on how the versions compare.
Think and Grow Rich is possibly one of the most important books on achievement ever written, and whether or not you have an interest in self-development or generating wealth and success, it is a must-read book.
Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill (LifeSiren Score: 9/10)
If you have read it, what did you think of it? Which edition did you read?
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