Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

In the spirit of re-reading books, a book that was top of the list for a re-read was Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Originally written in 1937, this book has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. I would say that makes it either a great book or just shows that there are a lot of people interested in making money.

I originally read the book because it is THE most recommended money making book by millionaires. Napoleon wrote the book after analysing over five hundred exceedingly wealthy men. The idea originated from a discussion with Andrew Carnegie who believed that “the magic formula, which gave him a stupendous fortune, ought to be placed within reach of people who do not have time to investigate how men make money”.

Think and Grow Rich suggests that “riches are not beyond your reach” and that by following the steps in the book anyone can accumulate wealth.

The 13 “steps” listed in the book are:

• Desire
• Faith
• Auto-suggestion
• Specialized Knowledge
• Imagination
• Organized Planning
• Decision
• Persistence
• Power of the Master Mind
• The Mystery of Sex Transmutation
• The Subconscious Mind
• The Brain
• The Sixth Sense

As the title suggests Napoleon put an emphasis thinking and one’s mind. Some people mistakenly read the title and imagine that they can just think riches into their life. This isn’t what Napoleon was suggested. He clearly says that “wishing will not bring riches”. However, he is clear that you wealth begins in your mind – “If you do not see great riches in your imagination you will never see them in your bank balance”. In fact, he feels that your financial situation, either way, is a result of thought – “poverty and riches are the offspring of thought”.

Ideas play an important role in achieving wealth. Napoleon states that “All achievement, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea”. The beauty of ideas is that “There is no standard price on ideas”.  In fact, Napoleon argues that the “creator of ideas makes his own price, and, if he is smart gets it”

As mentioned previously, the title is misleading in the sense that becoming rich isn’t about thinking. You will need to take action and you will need to be determined to achieve riches. One way to show your determination to an idea is to “Have one clear desire, commit to it, burn all other bridges”. The idea of burning your bridges and going all in, is on that lots of individuals support. Furthermore, Napoleon focused on you needing to “stand by that desire until you realise it”. The reason so many don’t achieve riches is because they quit. Napoleon believes that “One of the most common causes of defeat is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat”. It is important to realise that defeat is a part of life. You aren’t going to achieve everything you want first time. You need to remember “when your plans fail that temporary defeat is not permanent failure”. A defeat is only failure if you five you! As Napoleon said:

“A quitter never wins and a winner never quits”

One of the most noted ideas from Think and Grow Richis the idea of the MASTERMIND. Napoleon described a mastermind as the “Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose”. This idea has been adopted by many successful people and directly ties into the idea of you needing to build a circle/network/group of like-minded people to surround yourself with.

When it comes to money the amount you can make is unlimited. I absolutely agree with Napoleon that “Our limitations are those we set up in our minds”.

Overall, Think and Grow Rich is an interesting read. It is an old book and at times is difficult to read. It is also a very male-centric book. Although there are 13-steps it isn’t a simple how to become book. It is suggested that it is read often and that makes sense. The more you read it, the more it makes sense and every time I have read it I get something new from it.

The important lesson is that your mind has a direct relationship with the wealth you will accumulate and as humans we have two choices: “You either control your mind or it controls you.”

Like what you read? Leave a comment below and why not buy a copy of Think and Grow Rich for yourself?