aashtech's Full Review: Napoleon Hill - The Think and Grow Rich Action Pac...
Andrew Carnegie, one of the wealthiest self-made men in this world's history, was also one of its pre-eminent philanthropists. Carnegie emigrated from Scotland in 1848 to Pittsburgh, eventually investing in a business that grew to the largest iron and steel works in the United States. He espoused the concept that philanthropy is the duty of the wealthy, and endowed Carnegie Hall in New York City, launched Carnegie Mellon University, and established the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, among many other influential and beneficial organizations. Carnegie knew little about steel, but a great deal about surrounding himself with men who were expert in that field.
In addition to these massive accomplishments, Carnegie believed that the principles of wealth could be studied scientifically and made available to everyone, so that all people could enjoy the fruits of the world. He challenged Napoleon Hill to study the habits and beliefs of 500 of the wealthiest men in the world. Mr. Carnegie provided the introductions and Mr. Hill took it from there. This was a twenty year effort--most of the time unpaid—resulting in this remarkable book. Many people have studied it and applied the principles with great success. Some names you know are Henry Ford, Theodore Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller, Thomas Edison, Woodrow Wilson, and Clarence Darrow, to simply name a few.
The book is arranged in chapters that, after the first introductory one, describe the thirteen principles. The final chapter outlines the obstacles that must be overcome to achieve success. This is a book that deserves careful study and is far too complete for a rendering here, so I will turn my attention to giving you a very brief overview.
The first principle in success is desire. Whatever you have wanted in your life—you have. Whatever you have, you wanted first. I'm sure there are things you want that you don't have, but the difference with these is how completely you desired them. In my early years of marriage, my wife and I faced a decision that many young couples do. Should we have children or buy a house? We felt that doing both was unattainable and either was daunting enough. Knowing what children were we spent a few months house-hunting to see what that was all about. What a discouraging exercise, as anything we really wanted was out of our price range. So, the decision was much simpler once we had the facts and we promptly became pregnant. But seeing those houses planted a strong seed of desire and we rearranged our finances and kept an eye on the housing market. After our daughter was six months old I got a promotion and some new construction appeared that placed a town-home within our reach. The promotion was aided by my extra efforts at the office and a keener sense of direction. I believe the same circumstances would have taken place if we really wanted a boat, or car, or whatever. Opportunities come and go all the time. With desire you have two added elements—the attention to see these opportunities and the means to take advantage of them.
Mr. Hill lists six activities to focus that desire.
A: Decide on the exact amount desired.
B: Determine how much you will pay (in effort or service) to accomplish it.
C: Select a date on which this will be accomplished.
D: Develop a plan to achieve it and begin immediately (whether fully prepared or not.)
E: Write the amount down along with all the elements listed above.
F: Read this statement aloud, twice per day, until it becomes part of your subconscious.
Mix this with faith, his second principle. This emotional charge is like fertilizer for your seed of desire. Together, these tools provide autosuggestion that guides your actions towards the goal you have set. Naturally, you will need specialized knowledge to meet these goals. Get this knowledge from public sources, gain experience in an apprenticeship role, and ally yourself with like-minded people. These people can help hone your skills, augment your talents, and help you find more opportunities than you might see yourself.
Combine imagination and organized planning to pursue your dreams. As you go along you will develop leadership skills (and Mr. Hill gives an in-depth assessment of what leadership is) and this leads to greater cooperation from the people around you. The next principle is persistence. His quote is that, "Persistence is to the character of man what carbon is to steel." Brian Tracy, world-renowned motivational speaker, also notes that, "Persistence is the measure of your faith in yourself." The next chapter briefly revisits the master mind principle of working closely with like-minded people. After that, Mr. Hill turns his attention to the transmutation of sex, noting that human sexual drive is a strong one. Channeling it towards a desired goal is a key component. Ultimately, the crucible for all of these thoughts that lead to actions take place in the subconscious mind. This part of our brain is enormously powerful and ultimately shapes our world. The previous components prepare the philosophy and attitudes that we turn over to the subconscious. The brain serves as a transmitter and receiver. Groups of people united in a single purpose are like batteries strung together. Think of Mahatma Gandhi, a single transmitter whose beliefs reached, motivated, and unified millions of Indians.
The last principle is the sixth sense, unavailable until the mind is prepared to receive it. These are the ingredients of success, studied for years and proven by many. I strongly recommend this book as a worthwhile read, but must caution you that it is a little dense in places. Do not try to rush through it. In my case, I read it quickly the first time and began to apply some of the principles. However, it was not until I reread it more slowly that I was able to better understand and use them. Now, I revisit it from time to time and am constantly reshaping my thoughts to help me improve my personal abilities and realize my own goals.
Just the facts
Publication year: 1960
ISBN: 0-449-21492-3
Section: Self-Help
Author Napoleon Hill (also You Can Work Your Own Miracles)
Features the instant-aid edition of Napoleon s Hill s classic Think & Grow Rich plus your own personal course for lifelong success, the Think & Grow R...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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