First published in 1937, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, remains an instant classic. It is widely cited as being the most of popular and influential self-help books of all time. Indeed the book’s author is frequently referred to as the “grandfather of all motivational literature.” High profile businessmen and aspiring entrepreneurs, to this day, lavish praise on the teachings contained within its pages. So what’s it all about then and why does Think and Grow Rich continue to remain so popular?
Quite simply, in the book, the author imparts the secrets to serious wealth building and lasting success in life. The book is the culmination of two decades of research, in which Napoleon Hill studied some of the world’s most successful people. His first subject was steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie (who at the time was the richest person on the planet); however, Hill went on to interview a further 500 high achievers, including Henry Ford, J D Rockefeller, Thomas Edison, Charles Schwab, Alexander Graham Bell, William Wrigley JR, and many others.
During the course of his research Napoleon Hill started to notice that all people who had become extremely successful in life had done certain things in a certain way. While many of the people Hill researched had make their fortunes in different industries, countries, and time frames, they all followed a specific set of rules or laws. Think and Grow Rich is essentially a succinct distillation of those specific principles for success.
In the book, Hill writes about 13 specific principles we must implement if we want to accumulate real wealth and be truly successful. Those principles involve:
- Specialized Knowledge
- Organized Planning
- The Master Mind Group
- The Mystery of Sex Transmutation
- The Subconscious Mind
- The Brain
- The Sixth Sense
During the course of the book Hill goes into each of these principles in much further detail, giving the reader a complete blueprint for success and wealth creation. Briefly, the principles of success according to Hill are first of all conceiving and believing in an idea or goal (i.e., I am going to build a vast fortune for myself) and then doggedly pursuing that goal until it’s achieved. Now there is, of course, a lot more to Think and Grow Rich, but those are its main teachings.
Part of the huge appeal of Think and Grow Rich is that Hill frequently notes that wealth creation is totally impartial. Anybody, no matter what their background or personal circumstances, can build a vast fortune, if they only follow the principles Hill lays down in the book. If you are really serious about creating wealth for yourself then Think and Grow Rich is mandatory reading.