Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Think and Grow Rich Review

Think and Grow Rich should be required reading for all entrepreneurs. Although it was originally published in 1937, a quick reread shows that its philosophy has stood the test of time. The content of this book is just as relevant today as it was when it was published near the end of the Great Depression. "Think and Grow Rich" was inspired by Andrew Carnegie, one of the wealthiest individuals in the world at the time, who disclosed his formula of personal success to Napoleon Hill. Hill went on to interview more than 500 very wealthy men do discover their personal secrets and philosophies of success. From his research, Hill went on to identify the similarities in the philosophies of these magnates and assemble the ultimate "what-to-do" and "how-to-do-it" manual for personal achievement.

The book is not only for those who want to achieve financial success, but for anyone who needs a breakthrough in order to achieve a personal accomplishment, whether it is financial, technical, physical, mental, emotional, or even habitual. One of my favorite passages of "Think and Grow Rich", that I immediately committed to memory upon reading, is taken from the second chapter entitled "Desire, The Starting Point of All Achievement, The First Step Toward Riches" Hill states, "Every human who reaches the age of understanding of the purpose of money wishes for it. Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches, with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, then planning definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing those plans with persistence which does not recognize failure, will bring riches." Hill then goes on to list the six ways to turn desires into gold. It was at that point that I was immediately hooked, not only because of his writing style, but because every chapter was teeming with lists and how-to's on various topics of achievement and success.

This is not to say that Think and Grow Rich is simply a book of lists. On the contrary, the lists are usually generalized summaries of the preceding passages, and they typically paraphrase and present the moral or lesson of the story of an individual or group who was able to accomplish a seemingly impossible task by 1) taking control of their mindset, 2) creating a definite plan, 3) persisting until success, and 4) not accepting failure as an option. As an example, in the chapter on Desire, before presenting the six ways to turn desire into gold (or more symbolically, riches) Hill tells the story of Edwin C. Barnes. Barnes was a man who at one point in his life would be considered a tramp by any reasonable person's standards, yet through a burning desire and definite plan, created a partnership with Thomas Edison five years after deciding that was his goal.

As he revealed how he accomplished this feat he stated, "There is but one thing in this world that I am determined to have, and that is a business association with Thomas A. Edison. I will burn all bridges behind me, and stake my entire future on my ability to get what I want." It was through this dogged determination he went from a man who a) did not personally know Thomas Edison and b) did not have enough money to pay railroad fare to Orange, New Jersey, to a partner of Edison's as the chief distributor and marketer of the Edison Dictating Machine, which was a new office device Edison had recently perfected. Think and Grow Rich is the result of over 20 years of research by Napoleon Hill, who studied and interviewed over 500 of the wealthiest individuals in the world in order to learn their secrets to obtaining financial success. The list of subjects reads like a Who's Who of the Industrial Revolution and Political Landscape of the early twentieth century.

Those that have read "Think and Grow Rich" in the past (before 2004) will be pleased to learn that the book is now being published in unabridged format, presenting a higher fidelity of Mr. Hill's original writing and including a lot of material and whole sections that had not been previously released in the Fawcett Crest Version that was published in 1960. I have not yet read this latest edition, having read the Fawcett Crest Edition several times, however I understand it to be very favorably received. This Tribeca Books Original Classic Edition is in my queue of Kindle books to read in order to glean even more nuggets from Mr. Hill that may have not been included in the Fawcett Crest Edition. Whether you have never picked up Napoleon Hill's writings, or you are due for a reread like I am, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of "Think and Grow Rich."

Nate Jackson is a loving husband and father of four beautiful girls. A Mechanical Engineer with a B. S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, Nate has successfully moved into the worlds of internet marketing and network marketing. He has made it his passion to ensure new network marketers avoid the pitfalls that plague most new network marketers. He uses his analytical background to focus on keyword optimization for Pay-Per-Click Marketing and Search Engine Optimization. Examine the Lead Generation system he uses to generate 25+ leads per day, or connect with Nate at http://natejacksonmarketing.com/marketing-tools/#tagr


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