Table of Contents
Ways to Get Rich – As the title might suggest, this is about get-rich-quick strategies. But it is the opposite. The book from which we will tell you today how to become rich is called “Think and Grow Rich”. The book was written by Napoleon Hill
Although the title of the book may seem like it only talks about how to get rich financially, as you read, you’ll discover that the knowledge within can be applied to achieve maximum success in any field.
If you were to spend time with 500 of the most successful people of your time, interview them, and compile their most common success factors into a book – that would be the ultimate guide to success. Napoleon Hill did just that. He spent over 20 years observing 500 of the most successful people of his time (including figures like Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Alva Edison).
Published in 1937, this self-development masterpiece remains popular today. To date, the book has legitimately sold over 100 million copies.
Many self-development books available today draw inspiration from Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” and Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
With about 250 pages, you may not have time to read the entire book. So, I’m considering your time and summarizing the main content of the book here, allowing you to glean its essence without reading it cover to cover. However, you can choose to delve into the book after reading this summary.
Now, let’s explore the top 10 principles of Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” to help you achieve significant success.
1. The Mindset of Success
This book serves as a guide to positioning oneself for maximum success. There’s no such thing as overnight success; it’s a culmination of sustained effort and perseverance. Behind every visible success lies a tale of hard work and patience, though not everyone’s journey is widely known. This lack of visibility sometimes leads to the misconception of overnight success. But before one can achieve outward success, they must first develop into a person worthy of attaining it.
Napoleon Hill famously stated, ‘To be rich or great is not so much a matter of money, but more of a matter of raising one’s ability to that level.’ Without the right mindset, no amount of wealth or success can be sustained. Rapid growth often leads to instability, akin to a tree that grows too quickly and topples in a light storm. Conversely, gradual growth fortifies the foundation, ensuring resilience even in the face of adversity.
The author differentiates between ‘Growing Rich’ and ‘Becoming Rich.’ Growing Rich involves more than just acquiring wealth; it encompasses personal development and resilience. Many acquire wealth through windfalls like lottery wins or inheritances, but over 90% of such windfall recipients squander their fortune in a short span.
Those who achieve wealth through their own efforts develop the necessary intellect and mindset to preserve it. A person who inherits a million dollars tomorrow after having only a hundred today is more likely to mismanage the windfall.
The author posits that self-made individuals, if stripped of their wealth and isolated for a decade, could likely rebuild their fortunes. Their acquired mindset and skills endure, enabling them to navigate back to success. Conversely, those who didn’t earn their wealth are more likely to flounder in such circumstances.
The primary requisite for self-made wealth is adopting the mindset of ‘I must acquire the skills and mentality to rebuild my wealth from scratch if necessary.’ True greatness transcends mere monetary success; it lies in possessing the resilience and capability to regain wealth if lost. Ultimately, your capacity to acquire and retain wealth defines your potential for true prosperity.
2. Burning Desire
Desire, in its true essence, is the fervent longing to attain something. The author refers to it as ‘Burning Desire’ – an unyielding passion for one’s life goals. Whether aspiring to be a wealthy entrepreneur, a renowned artist, a distinguished scholar, or a high-ranking official, the desire to achieve must surpass all else. This desire should border on obsession. Many successful individuals, prior to their success, were deemed ‘crazy’ by others. Despite facing numerous obstacles, they persisted. This persistence stemmed from their intense desire.
In 711 AD, Muslim general Tariq bin Ziyad faced a daunting task when he led his outnumbered army into battle in the Iberian province of Spain. Upon landing on the Iberian coast, his soldiers were disheartened by the vast enemy force. Tariq ordered the burning of their ships, eliminating any means of retreat. With no option but victory or death, Tariq’s force of 12,000 soldiers triumphed over the enemy’s force of approximately 100,000.
Similarly, in 1519, Spanish general Hernando Cortez employed a similar strategy during the conquest of Mexico when faced with overwhelming numbers of Mayan soldiers. He ordered the burning of all ships, leading his army to victory.
These stories impart a crucial lesson: when one’s desire to achieve is unwavering – to the extent that their very life depends on it – they are likely to overcome even the most formidable obstacles. Napoleon Hill advocates for this ‘ship-burning mentality’ as a prerequisite for true success.
The biographies of great entrepreneurs and many other successful individuals illustrate how their unwavering desire propelled them forward despite daunting odds, leading to eventual success. Bill Gates and Elon Musk, for instance, dropped out of Harvard but went on to become billionaires.
Even if you find yourself penniless and without support today, it’s still possible to achieve great wealth and success one day – if your desire is strong enough.
Consider this scenario: you aspire to own a textile mill, but currently work a small job in one. If a pharmaceutical company offers you a higher-paying position, would you stay in the textile industry to pursue your dream, or switch to the pharmaceutical company for the higher salary? Opting for the latter would signify a lack of true desire. It’s akin to forsaking your dream for immediate gain, akin to not burning the ships.
If you possess a burning desire, you’d persist in your chosen field, even in the face of adversity. Regardless of the challenges, you’d relentlessly pursue your dreams. Success, then, becomes inevitable, only a matter of time.
3. Faith
In continuation of the previous point, if you’re pursuing a dream with unwavering determination, you must also have faith in yourself. Until you wholeheartedly believe in your ability to manifest your dreams, you cannot fully commit to making them a reality.
If doubts about your own success linger, it becomes challenging to resist the allure of higher salaries or perks. In essence, you cannot ‘burn the ship.’
There’s a powerful method to bolster your self-belief. The human mind is susceptible to repetition – exposure to incredible events or stories can eventually lead to belief. For instance, if an ordinary person is repeatedly convinced that they will become a king within the next ten years, their behavior will inevitably change. Similarly, if you can convince yourself of your future success, your actions and behaviors will align accordingly, paving the path to success or wealth. For instance, if your current weight is 90 kg, but your ideal weight is 65 kg, believing that you can shed 25 kg in a year will motivate you to hit the gym or adjust your diet. Every action you take sets the process of achievement in motion.
Instilling this belief in yourself doesn’t require excessive effort. Simply jot down your desired goal and the timeframe for achieving it on one side of a card. On the other side, write, “He who can believe, can achieve. I believe, I will achieve.” Review this card every night before bed and every morning upon waking. Additionally, spend a few moments each morning visualizing yourself achieving your goal, striving to believe in this envisioned reality. Although challenging at first, consistent practice will eventually cultivate genuine belief.
Starting each day with positive affirmations, reading motivational quotes or books, and engaging in visualization exercises will significantly enhance your daily productivity and boost your self-confidence.
4. Don't give up attitude (Auto Suggestion)
A man is not truly defeated until he accepts defeat. When you set out to do things your way, or chase your dreams, there will be many obstacles around to stop you. People might laugh at you. But you must not give up.
Napoleon Hill wrote, “A man’s path to ultimate success must include some temporary defeats.” They cannot be avoided.
To become a big man or to fulfill other big dreams, you need to develop a mindset of not giving up. No matter what situation you are in – stay positive at all times. Control of the situation should be kept in your own hands. Our lives are the result of our decisions. What decision you make in any situation, what is your reaction to any event – your future success or failure depends a lot on these.
Many times you will feel that there is no use in doing these things; You may want to give up in great despair – but if you want to succeed – you have to keep working. You may not have control over your feelings, but you can decide how you react to those feelings. Use this power. Force yourself to work even if you don’t want to work. Despair actually forces you to be optimistic.
The author says that when temporary failure comes, the easiest thing to do is to give up. And that’s what most people do. More than 500 successful people have told the author that most of their successes came when they gave up and tried again. They were in such a bad situation that they almost decided to give up everything. But each time they told themselves, try one more time. This ‘try one more time’ attitude is actually an attitude of not giving up. No matter how many times you lose, each time you say to yourself, “Let’s try one more time.” You never know when success will hit you, but if you keep trying – it will catch you one day
5. SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE
As children, we often learn that science refers to specialized knowledge. However, Napoleon Hill’s concept of “specialized knowledge” extends beyond mere scientific expertise. Here, he refers to a profound and specialized skill and knowledge in a particular subject.
According to the author, knowledge can be categorized into two types: general knowledge and specialized knowledge. Specialization entails becoming an expert in a specific subject. General knowledge encompasses more than just basic facts like country names and capital cities; it can also pertain to a particular subject area. Merely possessing some knowledge in all aspects of a subject does not qualify one as an expert in that field.
Consider a doctor who has a basic understanding of various diseases and their treatments. Such a doctor cannot be considered an expert. While there may be many doctors with this level of knowledge, they are not in high demand. On the other hand, specialist doctors, despite having knowledge of all diseases, choose to specialize in one area, becoming experts in their chosen field. These specialized doctors are in high demand and command higher incomes. For instance, if you have liver problems, you would likely seek out a liver specialist rather than a general practitioner.
Being an expert entails having extensive knowledge about a specific aspect of a broader subject. It is more advantageous to have in-depth knowledge about a narrow topic than to have superficial knowledge about various aspects of a broad subject or multiple subjects. This holds particularly true if you aim for financial success through leveraging your expertise. For instance, if you possess comprehensive knowledge about a specific industry—such as the watch business—you are more likely to succeed in that industry than if you have only superficial knowledge about various businesses.
Napoleon Hill emphasizes the importance of acquiring specialized knowledge and skills in achieving greatness.
6. Organized Planning
The author says that it can take years to build yourself up as a rich or big man. No one can become a real big man overnight. Staying motivated for such a long period of time becomes difficult at times. If you have a goal of owning $1 million after 5 years – then it’s normal to feel a little disappointed when you don’t make even $0.5 million in the first year.
To avoid this situation, the author has given a good solution. In his language it is “Organized Planning” – or organized planning. Break your big goal down into smaller goals. Then give all your attention to accomplishing just one small goal at a time. Breaking down one big goal into 10 smaller goals will give you new motivation as you complete each smaller goal.
A marathon is run for 26 miles. But if you want to be a marathon runner, and try to run 26 miles first, chances are you’ll fail. To gain the ability to run 26 miles you must first gain the ability to run 1 mile. Then when it gets easier for you, you will gain the confidence to master the ability to run 2 miles. In this way you will gradually acquire the ability to run 26 miles continuously.
A 10-year goal is a year, a year is 12 months, and a 12-month is 52 weeks – so set goals for each day and work toward them. You will be inspired every day.
When you break down a big goal into smaller plans or smaller goals – you will see your future success clearly. Also, there will be no shortage of motivation to achieve goals.
7. Persistence
Whether you want to become a big man, or achieve any other big goal – there is no other way but to persevere. Almost all the successful people in the world have said that patience is the key to success in their lives. Because, patience had a big contribution behind their success.
Bill Gates once said that behind his overnight success was 10 years of patience and hard work. He had nothing to show for 10 years. But he had aspirations, he would do something great one day. So he tried despite failing time and again. Had he lost patience and faith in 9th year, he would not have revolutionized the technology world today.
Thomas Alva Edison failed 10,000 times before creating an effective electric light bulb. But he did not lose patience, and in the end he succeeded.
In the story of failure of successful people, we talked about the founder of KFC, Colonel Sanders. When he was over 60 years old, he decided to give it one last try with his own recipe for chicken fries. He did not have the money to pay for his own restaurant. After his last restaurant closed, he had only $165 on hand. “I have a great recipe,” he said as he gulped at one restaurant after another. I don’t have to pay you anything for it; Only if there is a profit, you can give something from him. ” – Restaurants started turning down his offer. He started keeping track of how many restaurants had turned him away. One by one, 1009 restaurants turned him back; Finally, after knocking on the door of restaurant number 1010, they agreed to his proposal. Today, KFC is one of the most expensive and profitable restaurant chains in the world.
JK Rowling, the world’s richest author, was turned down by 12 publishers before her Harry Potter series was published, according to a biography. Everyone said, this story will not work. But Rowling persevered. And when Harry Potter finally appeared from a small publishing house, it ushered in a new era in world literature.
This is the story of every successful person in the world. From a distance, it seems that the man has become an overnight success, but behind each of them is a history of patiently suffering day after day. According to Napoleon Hill, the main way to become a great man is to have ambition and faith as well as patience. No matter how many days, no matter how many years – if you don’t lose patience, one day your hope will be fulfilled.
8. Honest Parter
At this point in the book, Napoleon Hill talks about hanging out with people who can help you grow. Here he did not say to take financial help from them. The 5 people we spend the most time with – our personalities are shaped by them. If you spend a lot of time with 5 successful traders, your knowledge and sense of business will already increase. By spending most of your time with 5 doctors you will already have a good knowledge of medicine. On the other hand, if you spend most of your time with depressed and withdrawn people – you will become like them at some point.
Napoleon Hill called this process the “Master Mind”. To get rich you need to spend most of your time with people – who are already rich, or who want to be rich. The more time you spend with such people – the more you will learn how to be a great person.
The main point of Think and Grow Rich is to strengthen the thought and interest of becoming rich in oneself. The stronger this thought – the easier it will be for you to become truly rich or successful. According to the 80/20 principal, 80% of a person’s success or failure depends on their thinking and mindset.
The author says that the mastermind method is most useful when you regularly discuss your goals with 3, 5, or 7 like-minded people. You can learn from their knowledge and experience, and stay mentally strong. 3 30-year-olds coming together means 90 years of experience and knowledge coming together. Everyone can learn something from everyone. Whatever you want to do, try to gather some like-minded and experienced people, and discuss with them regularly. If you can do this every week, in one week you can take in what others have learned, as well as discuss what you have learned yourself.
Even if you can’t group like this, always try to be with positive and successful people. Avoid pessimistic and negative people as much as possible. It is very effective in building a mindset to succeed.
9. Spend Time for Yourself
Just as you need good communication with others to be successful, you also need to devote time to yourself. Take time for yourself to think deeply about your life, goals, and plans. The author calls it “boring yourself”. If you cut yourself off from the rest of the world for one day a week or a month – and do nothing – you’ll be able to sink into that deep self-reflection at some point during the day.
Keep yourself away from pets, books, internet – everything. While doing nothing, thoughts of different things will start coming into your mind at some point. Cluttered thoughts will also end at some point. Then you start feeling bored – and then you start thinking about yourself and your life.
Exactly where you are now, where you want to go, and what you need to do to get there – these thoughts will come very clearly to you. If you practice being alone regularly, you will get a clear idea of your current position and future plans.
With social media, phones – etc these days it is really difficult to find time for yourself. Stay away from them to get a clear idea about your life and goals. Forget the benefits of even reading books; It means don’t even read the book. Don’t have anything to occupy your time – let your thoughts be your only means of passing your time. You can travel far away if you want – but you must go alone. – If you practice this matter for a few days, you will see how clearly you can think. You may not have thought before that you can think so beautifully!
10. Set specific goals, and dedicate your life to them
To be rich or successful, you must have one specific goal, and pursue that goal with all of yourself. This is the crux of the whole discussion. When you can fix a specific goal – then you can apply all the other principles or means behind this goal.
The method mentioned in the previous point is very useful for finding specific goals in your life.
Once the target is fixed, do not change the target under any circumstances. If judging by the situation, it seems that you cannot achieve the goal, consider changing the strategy instead of changing the goal. Never think that you can’t achieve the goal. You may not have the ability to accomplish your goals at the moment – but if you try one way after another, you will surely know the right way one day. Napoleon Hill said, “When success begins to come, your progress will be so rapid that you will think it is magic.”
But it’s not really magic, chasing the goal, you have actually unknowingly discovered the secret way to be big or successful!
Appendix
The way to be great or the way to be successful is not really a secret. You have those methods right in front of me – but they are so common that we often don’t believe people have been so successful using them.
Each person’s formula for success may be different, their journey different – but some things happen to everyone in one way or another. Everyone uses some method. Maybe they are invisible to the naked eye – so they seem strange to us. Napoleon Hill captured those amazingly simple ways over 20 years, researching over 500 successful people. In the introduction of the book, the author says that Andrew Carnegie himself asked him to write this book, so that people can get a simple guide to become successful and rich. Napoleon Hill’s son could not hear. While Baba was writing the book, he read parts of the unfinished book and applied them to his own life – and became wildly successful and wealthy.
