Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

I read Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, for the first time last year. I kid you not, I found it to be THE BOOK I had been looking for. I’ve read numerous books about money and success over the last 15 years, and picked up many valuable ideas, but was really searching for a book that would push my thinking up a notch. There is certainly great information in Hill’s book that is specifically about making money, however the main focus is success and the mental tools you need to achieve it.

The writing of Think and Grow Rich is in itself an interesting story. Napoleon Hill was a journalist and assistant to Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie commissioned him to interview the wealthy Americans of the era, so Hill spent 10 years interviewing the wealthy men and women of his time, including Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison. The book made Napoleon Hill himself a wealthy man. Since it was published in 1937, 15 million copies have been sold worldwide.

The book is really about making a plan and following through–cultivating persistence and the mind-set that will bring you success. Perhaps even more importantly, it discusses how to avoid destructive, limiting and unproductive ways of thinking. These ideas are thoroughly and powerfully elucidated upon, making this a compelling read.

The ideas in Think and Grow Rich are similar to those in the popular and inspirational movie The Secret. The movie did a good job of introducing these ideas, making them simple and easy-to-grasp. However, the book, because it’s a book, covers the same ideas in more detail. It offers a real mental toolkit of practices you can implement to ensure your thoughts and actions lead to success.

I can honestly say–if you haven’t read this book, get a copy and read it. If you read it once or read it a long time ago, read it again. I intend to re-read once every year.

Please comment if you’ve read this book and say how it helped or didn’t help you?