Think and Grow Rich – Steps to success

Think and Grow Rich is a book written by Napoleon Hill, an American writer who is considered the father of personal development or the “personal success” literary genre.

As well as being a writer, Hill was an advisor to Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presidents of the United States.

One of his most famous phrases is as follows:

 “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”.

So read on to understand the main teachings covered in the book. 

How the book Think and Grow Rich came about

Before becoming a writer, Napoleon Hill was a reporter for a business magazine.

One of his main interviews was with Andrew Carnegie.

Carnegie was an immigrant from a poor background who overcame all his challenges to become the owner of a gigantic industrial empire in the USA.

He became the second-richest person on record.

In the interview, it was possible to understand that success is not the result of chance.

It is a series of characteristics and attitudes that, if identified, could be used as the science of success.

In this way, any individual who was willing to develop these characteristics would achieve success, create wealth and transform their own life.

As a result, Hill’s mission to interview, analyze and study in depth 500 of the greatest inventors, entrepreneurs and leaders of all time was born.

These include Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan and John Davison Rockefeller.

Rockefeller, for example, was a business magnate and philanthropist. Today, he is recognized as the first billionaire and the richest person in modern history.

In this sense, Hill’s goal was to discover what characteristics and behaviors were responsible for the extraordinary success that all these entrepreneurs had in common.

So, after 20 years of research, he came up with the “formula for success” which was revealed in the best-selling classic Think and Grow Rich.

Note that all the tips we will mention below have been obtained through meticulous research and made available to any reader interested in achieving the highest levels of professional success, personal growth and great wealth.

The power of thought

The author says that thought has power when it is combined with a purpose and the relentless will to materialize your desire.

From here, an opportunity arises.

In our article on the book Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker, we gave an example that also fits in here:

Let’s think that two people work in the gardening service in a certain region.

In this region, there are 100 houses that need this kind of service.

But the person with a poor mentality thinks as follows:

I’m going to service 20 houses so that I can pay my bills next month.

The wealthy person, on the other hand, thinks about starting a business to serve all the homes in the area and making a lot of money, not only to pay the bills, but also to fulfill their dreams and enjoy life.

In both cases, Eker and Hill, in their book Think and Grow Rich, point out that it all started with thinking.

The poor-minded person kept a pessimistic mindset and wasn’t able to at least notice the opportunity for growth.

The moment you learn to cultivate positive thoughts and combine them with a great purpose, the opportunity will arise.

A person with a rich and strong mentality also understands that an opportunity is no guarantee of success.

But at the same time, this person keeps in mind that challenges and failures are part of the process.

In fact, failures are seen as an opportunity to change and grow, to learn well and bring victory ever closer.

At the beginning of the book, Hill invites the reader to understand that:

A good idea is the seed of success.

Think and Grow Rich – Imagination

Imagination is where the plans created by human beings are shaped, where impulses and desires take shape and become actions.

Therefore, you need to force your conscience to work through the power of your desire.

In other words, abuse the power to create and imagine, using your brain as a time traveler.

Let me make it simple:

Imagine what your life would be like if you finally achieved all the dreams you put down on paper.

The human brain is capable of traveling between the experiences of the past and creatively going to the possibilities of the future.

Everyone does this, whether with positive or negative scenarios.

In Think and Grow Rich, we learn that the ideal is for you to use your imagination wisely to think about your dreams and goals.

In this sense, instead of focusing on things that didn’t work out in the past and your shortcomings, learn to use your imagination intelligently, in order to use this ability to make good things happen in your life.

And we’re not saying that you should spend all your time imagining scenarios in your mind that will never happen.

In fact, you should use your acquired knowledge to create ideas and plans.

Imagination helps you to start creating a plan to achieve your dream.

Here, the author gives a golden tip: don’t get hung up on the idea of coming up with something totally new.

It’s entirely possible to think of something successful that already exists, but develop a new version that’s better.

Think and Grow Rich – Desire

From here, we should move on to something more practical.

The author suggests that you set in your mind exactly how much money you want or what goal you want to achieve.

In this sense, it’s essential to be as specific as possible.

For example, if your dream is to become a millionaire, how much money do you want to have?

If you want to buy a house, where would it be?

Which neighborhood do you want to live in, with how many bedrooms?

In the book Think and Grow Rich, it is explained that there is a psychological reason for a specific desire, because, along with your dream, you need to determine what you are willing to give in exchange for what you want.

Following the same example, in order to achieve your dream home, you need to have good control over your spending.

In other words, you can’t spend your money on unnecessary items while hoping to achieve a big financial dream.

In this sense, have a plan in place and put it into action as soon as possible.

Think and Grow Rich – Take action as soon as possible

You may be waiting for the best circumstances to start fighting for your dreams, but the best time is now.

Don’t wait until you’re ready to start putting your plans into action, because action begets excellence, not excellence begets action.

Don’t be a slave to the idea of waiting for the “right moment”. Do it before it’s too late. 

To do this, grab a pen and paper.

Then write down your plans, how much you want to get, the time limit, what you want to give in return and what your action plan will be in order to achieve your goal.

This sheet of paper should be in your field of vision every day so that you can read it and imagine your life having achieved these goals.

Faith and confidence 

The author of Think and Grow Rich points out that faith is the fuel for thoughts and desires.

According to Napoleon Hill, there is no such thing as bad luck, but rather subconscious impulses of a negative and destructive nature.

In this way, a person who is trapped in failure is the creator and maintainer of their reality.

Thoughts confused with feelings and emotions act as a magnet for other similar or related thoughts.

That’s why you have to train your mind to believe in your plans and goals.

Specialized knowledge

According to the book Think and Grow Rich, there are two types of knowledge.

The first is general knowledge obtained at school or in everyday life.

This type of knowledge does not generate wealth.

Within general knowledge, we can also consider college.

Note that having several degrees doesn’t mean much when it comes to success and wealth.

The market is full of educated people, but at the same time, they are in debt.

Hill points out that to make money, you need specialized knowledge.

Basically, the greater your focus on your goal and the more knowledge you have about your journey and activity, the greater your chances of success.

In other words, as well as drawing up a plan to achieve your goals, you need to draw up an action plan to obtain as much specialized knowledge as possible.

Think and Grow Rich, become an expert, master what you do. Seek out the most varied sources of knowledge. Become passionate about learning.

There’s the same kind of teaching here: start as soon as possible.

But if you can’t get specialized knowledge when you’re young, remember that it’s never too late to study, learn and grow.

To simplify things, let’s consider John and Mary.

John obtains general knowledge from college and gets a job in a certain company.

But now let’s think about Maria, who takes specialized knowledge into account.

As well as going to university, she reads the main books in her field and searches the internet for videos and articles about it.

She also listens to podcasts on the subject and goes to networking events.

More on the fundamental step of Think and Grow Rich

There is a huge difference between the people mentioned above.

Certainly, John can get a good job and salary.

But Maria is the person who will stand out in a job interview.

The one who can best deal with the problems in her field or come up with innovative ideas will always be Maria because she went above and beyond.

She didn’t simply obtain the knowledge that was in her hands, but valued other types of knowledge.

The author points out that this is the most important step of all, because if you learn to apply it correctly, you will evolve in 1 year, which would normally take 10 years.

And this is what separates those who achieve success from those who value the teachings of Think and Grow Rich.

But make no mistake.

We’re not saying that college isn’t essential, we want to show you that it’s not a differentiator.

Stop for a moment and consider how many people in the world have graduated from advertising school.

There are thousands of people who have learned basically the same concepts, with a modest variation, since they were different educational institutions.

Therefore, no one stands out simply by going to college.

Although many people know this indirectly, few are actually willing to seek out specialized knowledge.

As a result, a small proportion of people specialize in high-value non-formal content and in a self-taught way.

Few people manage to maintain discipline and delve deeper into subjects in their area.

In this sense, keep in mind that the main reason for seeking knowledge on your own is to create your own identity and become an incomparable professional.

Always remember that success requires something more:

Success requires inner transformation.

Organized planning

In the book Think and Grow Rich, there is the following sentence:

“No one is capable of attracting great wealth without the cooperation of other people”. 

You should team up with as many people as you think you can to create and execute your plans.

Let’s say you have a plan to create a new company.

By looking in the right way, you can find professionals with the same goal as you.

They plan to achieve their goals in the same timeframe and have also dedicated themselves to gaining specialized knowledge.

But the interesting thing about specialized knowledge is that you and these professionals haven’t read the same books, listened to the same podcasts or been to the same events.

This means that when you partner with a good professional in your field, they are experts in something you haven’t studied yet.

At the same time, you have sufficient knowledge of a subject that other people don’t.

This is how partnership works, according to the book Think and Grow Rich.

So, the first step in forming a good alliance would be to decide what advantages you can offer the members in exchange for their collaboration.

However, it’s not enough to find someone who has different knowledge of your area.

It is essential that there is harmony between the members of the group, otherwise it will be doomed to failure.

Leadership

In this part of the book Think and Grow Rich, the author also talks a little about leadership and the two main attributes for obtaining it:

Cooperation, determination to take full responsibility, attention to detail, solidarity and understanding, a pleasant personality and the habit of giving more than you receive.

Also, definition of plans, firmness of decision, a keen sense of justice, self-control and unwavering courage.

Note that it’s no use having the best plans and all the courage to carry them out if you don’t have a pleasant personality and don’t know how to deal with other people.

Likewise, it’s not enough for a leader to have attention to detail, self-control and great courage if they are not willing to take full responsibility.

That’s because those who don’t take responsibility have the habit of blaming others for their own mistakes. 

And without recognizing your own mistakes, it’s impossible to evolve.

In Think and Grow Rich, Hill also points out the main causes of leadership failure:

Among them, it is worth mentioning the emphasis on titles, emphasis on the “authority” of leadership, disloyalty, lack of control, selfishness and lack of imagination.

In addition, we can mention the fear of competition and the expectation of being paid for what you “know”, rather than for what you do with what you know.

Finally, bad leadership has the following characteristics: refusal to carry out the tasks of positions below their own and an inability to organize details.

Resolute

Being resolute is a common characteristic of those who reach the highest levels. 

Therefore, one of the most important tools on the road to success would be to have the power to make a decision quickly and stand by it firmly.

According to the book Think and Grow Rich, a person who makes decisions indecisively and slowly is unlikely to achieve wealth.

This is especially worrying if they tend to change their minds quickly and frequently.

This is because this group misses out on great opportunities while being unable to sustain their plans.

They also have a tendency to let themselves be influenced by the opinions of others, as well as failing daily in their fight against procrastination.

To avoid such problems, keep your ideas and thoughts to yourself and also to the group of professionals who are your partners in your business.

Be true to yourself. 

Remember that modesty and silence are virtues of wise people. And have the courage and firmness to make the decisions you have decided on, because you will have to deal with many of them on your way.

Think and Grow Rich – Persistence

People fail because they lack persistence.

They are not willing to persist until their plans work, but are willing to give up when the first action does not bring positive results.

Keep in mind that the intensity of your desire dictates your ability to persist.

In other words, the sign of a weak desire is a lack of perseverance.

If you have difficulty in this area, just follow the 4 keys to persistence:

First, define your purpose in such a way that it is based on a burning desire for fulfillment.

Don’t aim to start a company simply to make money, as that’s not clear enough.

Have the desire to start a business in order to get enough money to achieve other dreams such as homeownership or family trips.

Secondly, the book Think and Grow Rich recommends that you have a defined plan of continuous action.

What will you do every day to achieve a certain goal?

In our content on financial goals, we explained that to achieve a big goal, you need to break it down into small pieces.

That way, every day you do something small to reach your goal in the right timeframe.

Other keys to persistence from the book Think and Grow Rich

The next step is to have your mind blinded to any negative or discouraging influences.

This is where the opinions of acquaintances, friends and relatives who have never actually offered you any help, but rather judgments, come into play.

Overall, the ideal is to keep your plans for yourself and your business partners.

But if you decide to share, analyze whether the person is offering a constructive opinion that will serve your growth or your downfall.

Finally, make friendly alliances with one or more people who encourage you to follow both your plan of action and your purpose.

Keep in mind that you should team up with other people to work with, especially those who complement your strengths and weaknesses.

Conclusion

To conclude our summary of the book Think and Grow Rich, you should know that being in a bad financial situation is quite easy.

That’s because poverty doesn’t need plans.

On the other hand, getting rich requires a lot of planning and organization, backed up by a burning desire to win.

If you’re willing to take on this challenge, you’ve understood the core of the book Think and Grow Rich.

Daniel 2 de April de 2024