Think and grow rich

The author of Think and Grow Rich

American born Napoleon Hill is considered to have influenced more people into success than any other person in history.

He has been perhaps the most influential man in the area of personal success technique development, primarily through his classic book Think and Grow Rich which has helped million of the people and has been important in the life of many successful people such as W. Clement Stone and Og Mandino.

Napoleon Hill was born into poverty in 1883 in a one-room cabin on the Pound River in Wise County, Virginia.

At the age of 10 his mother died, and two years later his father remarried.

He became a very rebellious boy, but grew up to be an incredible man.

He began his writing career at age 13 as a "mountain reporter" for small town newspapers and went on to become America's most beloved motivational author. 

Fighting against all class of great disadvantages and pressures, he dedicated more than 25 years of his life to define the reasons by which so many people fail to achieve true financial success and happiness in their life.

How did it all start?

It all started with an interview conducted by Napoleon Hill, who as a journalist, writer, professor and salesman, was presented with the opportunity to interview Andrew Carnegie, the richest man in the world at that time, and the second richest man in history after Rockefeller.

As we know that all achievements come from an idea that is well organized and crystallizes, including having wealth and becoming a millionaire. Everything is achieved through self suggestion, a well done planning, linked to a mental mastery, with an internal harmony where thoughts, actions and objectives participate.

Main leadership qualities

• Unwavering courage based on knowledge of oneself and one's occupation.
• Self-control.
• A strong sense of justice.
• Accuracy in decisions.
• Accuracy in plans.
• The habit of doing more than one's share.
• A pleasant personality. Leadership demands respect.
• Sympathy and understanding.
• Mastery of details.
• Willingness to assume full responsibility.
• Cooperation.

There are two forms of Leadership. The first, and by far the most effective, is leadership with the consent and support of the followers. The second is leadership by force, without the consent and support of the followers.

Major causes of leadership failure

• Inability to organize details.
• Unwillingness to render humble service.
• The expectation of retribution for what they "know" rather than what they do with what they know.
• Fear of competition from followers.
• Lack of imagination.
• Selfishness.
• Lack of restraint.
• Disloyalty.
• Emphasis on the "authority" of leadership.
• Emphasis on title.

Main ideas of the book

The book "Think and Grow Rich" is composed of 15 chapters that are linked to each other, giving the reader how to be victorious in the financial field.

The author's main objective is to show the reader that in order to achieve a goal, you must have a lot of desire, enthusiasm and above all, strength. Also, he reminds them of the importance of maintaining the firm commitment for which the business is started.

It teaches the ways to act before any failure or difficulty in this area, there are notes on how to act to make friends and increase the influence you have.

Three very interesting ideas from Think and Grow Rich.

The approach.

Not only is it a practical book if you move into entrepreneurship and business. Also, it is one of the best-selling personal growth works of all time.

It talks about success with a global approach and what it explains can be useful to you at any point in life. It is a number one in motivational literature.

The examples.

To write the book Napoleon Hill documented himself by interviewing the richest, most powerful and influential people in the United States. 

So he gives us first-hand accounts of the experiences of Henry Ford, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas A. Edison, Graham Bell, John Rockefeller, King Gillette, George Eastman Kodak, Harvey Firestone, and others?

These names ring a bell, don't they? Well, it is a luxury to know their teachings, because they were all super entrepreneurs who achieved success. 

Following the 13 steps

It explains step by step the changes you have to make in your life, in your attitude and in your mentality to achieve success.

Napoleon Hill assumes that whatever your mind can imagine and believe can be achieved: thoughts are things.

This belief is the basis of everything the author develops. You, like everyone else, have a set of dominant thoughts, those that are in your mind most often.

These dominant thoughts somehow influence everything that happens to you. Let's say that they "magnetize" your life and attract to you that which is in harmony with your thoughts: people, opportunities, etc.