A few months ago, I decided to develop a reading habit. So I finally finished reading 'THINK & GROW RICH' by Napoleon Hill, an American self-help author. It's a big book so I only read the parts I liked otherwise I wouldn't have finished it at all. Hoping to read them again and again after practicing what I learned. If you want to achieve financial success, all it takes is a little bit of imagination. That's what Napoleon Hill (a self-made man who went from poverty to riches) discovered when he asked the question, "What does it take to be successful?" As part of his research for this book which was published in 1937, he interviewed hundreds of successful people and found that there were commonalities among them. They all imagined themselves as having already achieved their goals in life, whether or not that goal was wealth or some other goal. In many ways, this book seemed outdated but many principles taught by Napolean Hill are timeless. If you are a beginner, then it's perfect for you since it's a light read. In this blog, you will get to know about 10 key lessons I learned from it. Let's start!
Desires Are Plants That Grow In Your Brain
Dr. Hill describes how your desires can be planted:
- By reading a book or magazine article about something you want to achieve.
- By listening to someone talk about something you would like to achieve and make it sound so appealing that it makes your imagination run wild with ideas of the benefits that could accrue from achieving whatever it is you desire, such as having money or becoming famous.
- By seeing something (such as a beautiful home) that stirs up deep-seated desires for financial security, which can lead us to dream up ways of getting rich or at least making enough money so we can create our own little piece of heaven on earth!
Grow Rich In Your Mind
If you want to get rich, there’s no need to wait for an inheritance or win the lottery. You can actually grow very rich in your mind, without doing anything to earn money. All it takes is a little imagination and a few minutes of your time each day.
It works like this: Imagine yourself as being successful at the end of your life (not necessarily financially) but whatever it is that you desire most . . . then imagine how that success would feel. What does success look like? And how will your life change when it's reached? For example, if you're dreaming of being famous as an actor or actress then picture yourself on stage accepting an Oscar after winning best actor/actress! Or if becoming healthy is more important than anything else then visualize yourself enjoying perfect health!
Now imagine that same success slowly coming into being now through small steps that are already happening around you right now (this can be done through visualization techniques like affirmations).
Do this every day until these images become clear enough so they feel real until they begin taking on lives of their own. Then watch them come true!
Condition Yourself To Act Instinctively In The Right Way
You can train yourself to act naturally in the right way and reach your desired result:
- Be aware of the thoughts that run through your mind each day. Are you positive or negative? What is your attitude toward other people, toward life, and toward yourself?
- Realize that the greatest rewards come from doing what we love and loving what we do.
- Learn to do more with less effort by developing self-discipline—self-discipline means being able to exert control over one's self, one's actions, and emotions at all times regardless of circumstances. Self-discipline is not always easy but it is possible.
Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind With Autosuggestion
Autosuggestion is the repetition of a positive statement to yourself with full faith and belief that you will achieve your stated goal. It’s a tool for reprogramming your subconscious mind to make it easier for you to achieve the goals you desire.
When written down, these positive statements should be in the present tense, as if they had already happened: “I earn $100k per year” or “I have 3 successful companies under my name.” The more specific they are, the better! For example: If a young woman wants to be an actress but hasn't yet gotten her big break, she might write something like "I am cast in three movies this year" or "My first leading role comes out next month." Try writing down 10 things daily that will help reach goals and stick them where they'll be seen often throughout each day (in your wallet? or on your bathroom mirror?).
Surroundings, Relationships And Inspired Thinking
Napoleon Hill describes the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are successful. He says that “there is no such thing as a man or woman who has not been influenced by others in the course of their development”. If you want to become successful, you need to surround yourself with people who are already successful in the field you want to excel. Reading about their lives and studying how they became successful can help motivate you when things get tough.
This idea also applies to relationships, but with one major distinction: Napoleon Hill does not say that you should only be trying to meet successful people and make friends with them; rather, he stresses the importance of being able to think like someone who is already successful within your field or industry. This allows the ideas found within this book (and others) to become part of your daily life – whether through conversations with other people or by simply reading them on a regular basis
You Cannot Succeed Alone
If you work alone, you're not only missing out on the opportunity to learn from others but also leaving yourself vulnerable to self-sabotage. For example, if your career is going well and you're doing something great at work, it's easy for a toxic colleague or boss to undermine your efforts by taking credit for what is really your accomplishments (or simply by being jealous of them). If that happens once or twice, maybe it's nothing more than a blip on the radar—but when it becomes common practice in an environment where there is no one else looking out for your interests? That can have serious consequences for someone who doesn't have formal mentorship opportunities. From this perspective alone, having good relationships with coworkers and supervisors becomes crucial if not imperative to success in any field.
Sixth Sense
The sixth sense is the ability to know whether a certain idea or thought will succeed or not. It may seem difficult at first, but you can actually train yourself to have this skill. You just have to stay open-minded and visualize what you want, then analyze it so that you can see if it's possible or not. For example, if someone tells me they want to be rich and famous by writing books, I would ask them: Why do they want these things? What will happen when they achieve them? And how can I help them? If their answers are vague and don't make sense (e.g., "I just want money"), then their goal probably won't work out for them either because there is no logical reason behind what they want in life. And without a good reason for wanting something, screw-ups happen all the time!
Fail, Analyze, Learn And Move On
One of the most important lessons that Napoleon Hill teaches in the book is that failure is inevitable. Throughout his life, he encountered numerous obstacles and difficulties; however, he always found ways to overcome them.
Napoleon states that “failures are generally people who have stopped doing what they were doing before they succeeded”. This means that if you ever fail at something, it’s not because you are a failure! Instead, it was probably because you quit trying or didn’t do enough research into how to succeed at your goal. Remember: success requires patience and perseverance—you must keep trying no matter how many times you fail!
Learn How Money Works
Money is a tool, and it can be used to build or destroy. The choice is up to you.
To develop a positive mental attitude in regards to money, you must understand how it really works and why some people seem to have so much more of it than others. You must also study successful people and learn what makes them successful with money management.
The first step in building your financial empire is understanding the fundamentals of wealth creation and management.
Set A Number Number As A Goal
Visualize success in terms of a specific amount of money you want to earn and work towards making it a reality.
Imagine yourself as already having achieved your goal. Work on this same principle that all great performers use when they are in the process of mastering their art or profession. For example, an artist will often visualize themself as being successful while they are doing their work before they actually become famous. They'll see themselves as someone who has sold many paintings and been praised for their talent by critics and collectors alike; they see themself enjoying the luxuries which come with such fame - fancy clothes, expensive cars, and homes, etc. They imagine hearing people talk about them with admiration and so forth.