Thinking is just the first step…
If you haven’t read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, I highly recommend it. It’s a classic for a reason. If you have read it, I think it’s worth reading again. I just re-read after several years and was surprised by how much I had forgotten or missed the first time. It amazes me how much of a tendency I have to reduce the book to its title alone and forget that even though the way you think is critical, it’s only part of the process.
The power of thought is critical to getting what you want in life and that is where the journey starts, but there is much to do beyond thinking if you want to grow rich. Before re-reading the book, I struggled to remember what it was all about. I remembered several vague ideas, but I had forgotten how much of a timeless, practical guide it is. Thinking is just the first step. Hill share several practical steps to creating wealth.
The Challenge
Napoleon Hill describes how the idea for ‘Think and Grow Rich’ was suggested to him by Andrew Carnegie. Hill had the opportunity to interview several of the most successful people of the day, including Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie suggested that there is a secret that the wealthy and successful know that allowed them to achieve success. He believed that if this secret were shared with more people in the right way, it would revolutionize the education system and industry. Carnegie challenged Hill to interview hundreds of the most successful people of the day and try to capture the success formula and share it with the world. Hill spent 25 years doing just that.
Principles to Riches
In ‘Think and Grow Rich’ Napoleon Hill describes 13 principles to riches. I won’t go through all of them here, you’ll have to read the book. but I wanted to share a few of them that were meaningful to me.
Desire
It all starts with desire. You have to want something that is worthwhile to pursue. It takes a deep desire, an obsession to really go for something that will truly change your life.
Faith
Faith is critical. You have to believe that you can achieve what it is that you desire. Self doubt stops so many people before they even get started. You have to have faith in yourself, your ideas, the economy, etc.
Specialized Knowledge
The key here is specialized knowledge. There is a tendency to try to learn everything, but that is really just a form of procrastination. You trick yourself into thinking that you are taking action, when you are really just learning trivial things that will not bring you closer to your goal. The idea is to focus on action and seek out the knowledge you need to take the next action.
Imagination
Imagination is really bigger than ourselves. It’s about tapping into a higher consciousness. Picking up on ideas that transcend our individual experience. It’s one thing to be creative to riff on ideas that are within our own experience. It is something else entirely to be inspired with brilliant ideas that seem to come out of nowhere. These ideas are seeds that we can plant, nurture and reap the fruit of.
Organized planning
Hill describes planning as ‘the crystallization of desire into action’. Desire is critical, but without a plan there is little chance of success. The irony of plans is that even though things rarely go to plan, the process of planning is critical. We are unable to foresee exactly how events will unfold, but the process of thinking them through and organizing our thoughts is critical.
Decision
True decision is rare. When people make a real decision, they don’t look back. They don’t waffle or flip flop. They decide, change course and move forward without looking back. You won’t reach your destination if you keep changing it. Successful people make decisions quickly and generally stick with the decisions they have made. I used to struggle with decisions and didn’t understand this idea. I now realize that when you are clear about your values, your vision and your mission, making decisions becomes much easier. It’s much easier to see what aligns with your vision and what doesn’t when you have clarity about it.
Persistence
Persistence is so critical to success. So many people give up too soon. So often it is just past the point of wanting to quit that we realize success. It’s like a test of your will. When your goal is just beyond your reach, you are tempted to give up, it might seem hopeless. This is when your faith will be tested and you must push forward. The rewards are there for those who do.
Master Mind
This is one of the most critical ideas in the book. We all have individual strengths and weaknesses. The Master Mind allows us to leverage our strengths and benefit from the best of all those in the group. It’s easy to fool ourselves, but when we have a dedicated group to help us test our ideas and come up with new ones, we are able to get critical feedback to improve the quality of our plans.
‘Think and Grow Rich’
The central idea in the book is that anyone can achieve success against great odds. It really comes down to how you think. You must have the desire to accomplish something. Have the faith that you can do it. You must seek out the specialized knowledge to do it. You’ve got to have a plan and be persistent. You’ve got to leverage the help of others who can help you to make it a reality.
How to get started
Joining a Master Mind group is one of the best ways to get started. Find a group of people who are seeking the goals that you are seeking. They will be on the same path as you. The one’s who are further along the path can be a critical guide to help you succeed. As you grow, you will be able to guide others.
The Entre Nation is the best group that I have found so far. Jeff Lerner created this group that is dedicated to creating awesome lives by pursuing excellence in health, relationship and wealth building. It is a positive and supportive group that can help connect you to resources that will help you along your journey.
