Think and Grow Rich Summary
This is the top five takeaways summary of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
No matter which track you choose to follow in order to get rich. Becoming a trader, a value investor, a real estate pro, a chief executive or perhaps an entrepreneur, you must have the correct mindset.
Due to the law of averages, some people may be able to acquire the richest without following the advice in this book.
Let’s example how you can optimize your chances of gathering a great fortune.
If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self
Napoleon Hill
Takeaway number 1-It is what you think that matters
Truly, thoughts are things and powerful things at that. When they are mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a burning desire for their translation into riches.
Napoleon Hill
This is the main idea of Think and Grow Rich. You can tell it from the title. If you don’t see riches in your thoughts, how can you expect to ever see them in your bank accounts?
All achievements and all earned richest start with an idea.
Every leader that ever existed was a dreamer.
How do you think Mahatma Gandhi, George Washington, and Martin Luther King succeeded? It all started with an idea.
You have the ability to control your own mind because you can feed it with whatever thought impulses that you choose.
It is incredibly powerful.
Thought, backed by a strong desire, has a tendency to transmute itself into its physical equivalent.
It’s a double-edged sword though. if you fail to plant thoughts into your subconscious mind, deliberately, it won’t remain idle. It will pick up other thoughts that unintentionally reach it.
Once again, you don’t want to leave this to chance.
If you fail to control your own mind, you may be sure that you will control nothing else.
Napoleon Hill
Takeaway number 2-A burning desire
If you ask a hundred people what they want in life, they will probably not be able to answer.
If you push them though, they will mention some of their wishes. Perhaps money, fame or security?
But the universe doesn’t respond to vaguely expressed wishes. it responds to a burning desire, implemented through definite plans and constant persistence.
God seems to throw himself on the side of the man who knows exactly what he wants, if he’s determined to get just that.
Napoleon Hill
The desire part, I can’t help you with, but understand that you must have it in order to succeed.
If you want to reach higher than mediocrity, be sure that you can attach a burning desire to a possible outcome of that endeavor of yours.
Let’s pretend that the desired outcome is money. There is a six-step method for transforming desire into its material counterpart.
- Specify amount
- What are you going to give in return
- Specify date
- Create a definite plan and start right away
- Write down steps 1-4 into a statement
- Read statement two times daily preferably in the morning and before you go to sleep
The last step is called “auto-suggestion,” have you ever exaggerated a story or told a lie until you started to believe in it yourself?
Well, this is the exact same thing but it aims at creating faith inside you that your burning desire will one day come true.
Takeaway number 3-Become an unstoppable force
Let’s take a look at this analogy from the book.
Henry Ford, “We must replace our current four-cylinder motors with eight-cylinder ones, and they must be cast in a single block.”
If we can achieve this we can beat the competition by a landslide.
Ford Engineer, “Sorry Mr. Ford but that can’t be done.”
Henry Ford, “Produce it anyway.”
Ford Engineer, “But sir, it’s impossible.”
Ford, “Go ahead! And stay on the job until you succeed, no matter how much time it takes!”
Six months later and it’s still not done. Ford insisted.
Twelve months later and it’s still not achievable. Ford insisted.
Twelve months later, a breakthrough has been reached!
There may be no heroic connotation to the word persistence, but the quality is to the character of a man, what carbon is to steel.
Napoleon Hill
When someone has cultivated the habit of persistence, they gain insurance against failure.
Remember, there is no such thing as something for nothing.
At times, it may seem like other people succeed without first paying the price, but that is probably not true.
The grass is not greener on the other side.
Stick to your plan and win.
A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits.
Napoleon Hill
Takeaway number 4-Sexual energy
Nope, you didn’t get that wrong.
According to Napoleon Hill, the five strongest stimulants known to man are:
- Friendship
- Music
- A burning desire for riches
- Love
- Sex
Desire for sex is the most powerful of all human desires.
So strong is this desire that it was said the Trojan War was started as a result of it.
Observe what happens to any animal after it has been castrated, and you see what happens when sexual energy is removed from a being.
All men who have reached the highest level of achievements have had highly developed sexual natures.
The transmutation of sex energy and creativity in other endeavors is a primary source of genius.
The energy must be transmuted from desire for physical contact into some other form of desire and action before it will lift one to the status of a genius.
Napoleon Hill
Far from becoming genii, because of great sex desires, the majority of men lower themselves through misunderstanding and misuse of this great force, to the status of lower animals.
There’s a reason why most men don’t achieve much before they are 40, and it’s not only due to the fact that they become wiser and more self-confident by then.
Because of the temptations in today’s society, this is probably even more difficult to exercise today than it was when Napoleon Hill first wrote, “Think and Grow Rich.”
it requires a lot of willpower, the forming of new habits and the elimination of old behaviors.
Takeaway number 5-The six ghosts of fear
Before you can put Napoleon Hill’s philosophy into use, you must conquer your fears.
Here are six of the most common and most destructive ones and remember, they only exist in your mind, and you have the ability to control them, if you so desire, and if you practice enough.
The fear of poverty
A common symptom of this fear is the indifference towards money expressed through a lack of ambition.
Your mind can’t focus on how to become rich if it constantly must worry about how to put food on your table.
You must reach an absolute decision that whatever you can acquire, as long as you give your all, that is sufficient
The fear of criticism
This is characterized by nervousness in the presence of others and it destroys initiatives.
To beat it, you must stop worrying about what other people do, think, or say.
The fear of ill-health
A common symptom is the habit of faking illness to serve as an excuse for laziness.
To make this stop, you must forget about symptoms, and especially stop looking for them.
Any symptoms can be deadly if you Google it!
The fear of loss of love of someone
Jealousy is a common sign of this.
Reach a decision that you will be fine without love if necessary.
The fear of old age
Speaking apologetically about one’s age is characteristic for the fear of old age.
“It’s too late to start acquiring riches now, I am too old.”
Eliminate this fear by accepting aging is not as a handicap but as a blessing.
For you have the possibility of being much wiser and having better self-control than during your youth.
And hopefully, the wonders of compound interest have been working in your favor for a while.
The fear of death
A common symptom is the habit of thinking about dying instead of living your life to the fullest.
The reason why you must conquer this should be obvious.
I can’t imagine that anyone who is spending days worrying about going to hell or heaven can ever be happy.
Death is inescapable, learns to accept it.
In general, killing of these fears by coming to the conclusion that nothing life has to offer is worth the price of a constant worry.
Think and Grow Rich Recap
It’s what you think that matters.
God seems to throw himself on the side of the man who knows exactly what he wants if he is determined to get just that.
A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits.
Sex desire is the most powerful of all human desires. Use its energy to your advantage.
You must conquer your fears before you can achieve greatness.
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I find that Think and Grow Rich is quite abstract. However, if you think about it, the book contains some very powerful recommendations.
If you wanted to be a millionaire you will seek as many different methods as it takes to achieve your goals.
On the other hand, if you are content with what you currently have, will you ever become rich?
What do you think about the concepts in Think and Grow Rich? Do you want a more detailed look into this book? Why not support the author and this blog by purchasing it’s Audible version or paper copy today!