Think And Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill Part 1

I have been reading this great book recently, I have read it before but it was so good I am reading it again. I believe the tools this book gives you can translate not just into money, but to increasing your success in any aspect of life. The book is so full of great advice I don’t think I could do it justice in just one post so several sections will be coming to you over future days. The first thing Napoleon talks about is desire.

“The starting point of all achievement is desire.”

Only when you truly know exactly what you want will you be able to work towards it with purpose and consistent effort. It will be desire that keeps you working through tough times, it will keep you focused and will give you hope when there is no other source.

Napoleon uses Edwin C. Barnes as an example of the power of desire. He gave up his life to travel half way across America with only the desire to work with Thomas Edison, he arrived with nothing, no home, little money and looking like a hobo. But he was there and his desire had bought him closer to his goal of working with Edison. He became employed by Edison, as an office worker who never had any contact with Edison himself, but he remained faithful. He stuck to that job for FIVE years until finally he found his opportunity to work with Edison. He convinced Edison how valuable a person was and ended up becoming Edison’s partner, he made millions.

He worked in the same office as many other people, to a stranger he would have appeared as an average person with as little hope as everyone else in his job. There was nothing distinguishable about him, he was not richer, he was not from a better family he had no previous connections with Edison, the only thing that distinguished him from all his colleagues was his desire for success. He continued working there for five years without a single promise of his attainment of his goal.

If you consistently with purposeful effort it is impossible for you not to achieve your dreams.

How To Use Desire To Your Advantage

1. Find out exactly what you want. This has to be exact, if you want money find out how much you want right down to the penny, if you want to be fitter then tell yourself exactly how much muscle you want to gain. Whatever you want to achieve in life make sure it is a specific goal, it will allow you to visualise it, it will transform from a dream into your future.

2. Figure out what you are going to give in return. If you want to get rich then what value are you going to provide to the world, if you want to get fit how much work are you going to give in return. You will never get anything for free, effort equals reward. How are you going to make yourself deserving of your goal?

3. Burn all your bridges. When Arnold Schwarzenegger moved to america to become a movie star he didn’t have a plan b, he didn’t book himself a return ticket in case it didn’t work out. If you always keep one foot in your old life you will never fully achieve the life you want. Don’t allow retreat to be an option.

4. Put your plan into action. Begin becoming worthy of your dreams, only when you are worthy will you receive. Begin visualising your goal every day, make it a reality in your mind. “See and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money.”

Part 2: here