Think+and+Grow+Rich

Josh Allen Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill explains, through the novel “Think and Grow Rich,” that if one puts his mind to it he can accomplish success. Napoleon Hill goes through the steps to excel above others and become quite rich. In this novel, it covers how many people have become wealthy. From Henry Ford to Andrew Carnegie, Hill covers all of their success stories. Hill gives many steps to attain a fortune; just by thinking one can accomplish his or her goals. The only thing Hill doesn’t cover in his book is the actual physical being of making money. Hill is trying to mentally motivate you to accomplish your dreams and goals. “Think and Grow Rich” starts off by telling the story of Edwin C. Barnes. Edward C. Barnes was Thomas Edison’s right-hand man, but he wasn’t always. Barnes was a man who started with nothing but a dream and big expectations. He found Edison and convinced him to help Edison sell his inventions. Unlike Edison’s other salesman, who said it was practically impossible to sell his invention, Barnes went out and sold the inventions. Building his trust with Edison, Barnes finally became Edison’s right-hand man. Barnes believed he could do so and did. The point of the story is while all the other Salesmen said it couldn’t be done, Barnes went out and did it. Barnes set his mind to accomplishing one thing and one thing only, to work with Edison and not for him. Hill also tells the story of R.U. Darby, a man who left everything he had for the gold rush. He found gold in a Colorado mine. He went back to his home town and convinced his family and friends to give him money to buy machinery to help him mine for more gold. After drilling for a long time, Darby gave up, sold his machinery, and went home. Little did he know that if he had mined three feet over, he would have struck gold. The man he sold the machinery to, ended up becoming rich. The morale of Hill telling this story is that a man should never give up until the job is done. This man learned the lesson the hard way, but he didn’t make the same mistake twice. Darby became one of few men to sell a million dollars worth of life insurance a year. When Henry Ford decided to build a V-8 engine, all of his engineers said it was impossible. Ford thought differently, he told his engineers to keep working on it. After about a year, the engineers finally accomplished the unattainable. Ford was very pleased. The point was, a man should never think anything is unattainable. For instance, we once thought flying was impossible, but that was disproven by the Wright brothers. Hill believes that we are the masters of our fate and captains of our souls because we attain the power to control our thoughts. We can attain riches if we magnetize our minds with intense desires for wealth. We must become “money conscious.” Desire is one of many of man’s strengths needed for acquiring wealth. Hill believes there are six ways to turn desire into “gold” or wealth. First you must set an exact amount of money that you desire. Secondly, you must determine exactly what you are willing to give for your wealth; you can’t turn nothing into something. Third, you must plan exactly when you are going to acquire this money. Fourth, create a definite plan on how you will attain the money. Fifth, write out the exact amount of money you plan to acquire and by when. Also write out how you are going to attain this money. Sixth, read your written statement daily out loud. Getting started may be the hardest part of being successful. The desire to be or to do has to take off. Dreams cannot be born or accomplished if there is lack of ambition or laziness. Many successful people got off to a bad start and dealt with rough times before they succeeded. Desire to be successful can help overcome many obstacles in the way. Desire only gets you started. Faith is also needed in being successful. People, who think they are doomed, are creators of their own “misfortunes.” “//Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith//.” A subconscious mind will transmute into its physical equivalence. Hill believes it is essential for you to encourage positive emotions as dominating forces of your mind. There are disasters of thinking negative, our brain works with the impulses we give it. Therefore, if there are negative thoughts, the negative thoughts will become a disastrous reality. Knowledge is not always gained through education. There are two types of knowledge; one of them is generalized knowledge. Generalized knowledge will not make you rich, unless it is organized. When knowledge is directed through a plan, it can make one very successful. Many believe “Knowledge is power,” but knowledge is only potential power. It is only power when it is organized into a definite plan to a definite end. Take for example, Henry Ford, even though he had little schooling, he was a man of great power and he contained a large amount of knowledge. Henry Ford was accused of being “ignorant” by a writer for a Chicago newspaper. This ended up becoming a lawsuit. After being questioned questions one would learn in school, Henry Ford became fed up. After one question, Henry Ford pointed his finger at the lawyer and said that if he really wanted to, he could push a button and ask one of his men the question. It was not essential for him to have this knowledge in his mind, he had specialized knowledge. Specialized knowledge, the other type of knowledge, gave Ford power and with his power he could ask a man at the touch of a button for general knowledge. Ford could purchase knowledge. Knowledge is nothing unless it is put into use for a definite purpose. The next step in thinking and growing rich is Imagination. Imagination is where all the great ideas come from. It is where plans are created. It is also the next step towards being successful. Desire is shaped by imagination. Hill states that man’s only limitation is lies in his development and use of his imagination. There are two types of imagination, synthetic and creative imagination. Synthetic imagination allows someone to take old ideas and combine them to make new ideas. Creative ideas are new ideas that are created. They either become successful, or unsuccessful. The great leaders of business, industry, finance, and the great artists, musicians, poets, and writers became great, because they developed the faculty of creative imagination. You have to know how to use your imagination to be successful. An example of the use of the imagination was how coke was found. A clerk spent all of his money on an old paddle and a kettle. Later on, that clerk ended up making what is known today as Coca-cola. The clerk made one of the world’s most famous drinks, even though he was willing to give up all he had. The next step is turning desire into action. Beginning in the form of desire, that desire is taken on the first lap of its journey, then into the workshop of the imagination, where plans for its transition are created and organized. In order to turn your plans into action, you must first surround yourself by as many people as you need to be successful and help you carry out your plans. Second, arrange members of your team and offer them benefits in order for their cooperation. Third, meet with your group until you decide how to acquire the money to get started. Lastly, make sure there are no conflicts among you and your team. There are 11 things needed to be a great leader. “First,  unwavering courage based upon knowledge of self, and of one's occupation. No follower wishes to be dominated by a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage. No intelligent follower will be dominated by such a leader very long. Second, self-control, a man who cannot control himself, can never control others. Self-control sets a mighty example for one's followers. Third, a sense of justice, without a sense of fairness and justice, no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers. Fourth, good decision making, a man who wavers in his decisions, shows that he is not sure of himself. He cannot lead others successfully. Fifth, knowing your plans, a successful leader must plan his work, and //work his plan.// A leader who moves by guesswork, without practical, definite plans, is comparable to a ship without a rudder. Sooner or later he will land on the rocks. Sixth, Doing more than asked or paid for, one of the penalties of leadership is the necessity of willingness, upon the part of the leader, to do more than he requires of his followers. Seventh, a pleasing personality, no slovenly, careless person can become a successful leader. Leadership calls for respect. Followers will not respect a leader who does not grade high on all of the factors of a pleasing personality. Eighth, sympathy, a successful leader must be in sympathy with his followers. Moreover, he must understand them and their problems. Ninth, mastery of details, successful leadership calls for mastery of details of the leader's position. Tenth, taking full responsibility, the successful leader must be willing to assume responsibility for the mistakes and the shortcomings of his followers. If he tries to shift this responsibility, he will not remain the leader. If one of his followers makes a mistake, and shows that he is incompetent, the leader must consider that it is he who failed. Last, cooperation, a successful leader must understand, and //apply// the principle of cooperative effort and be able to induce his followers to do the same.”  Leadership calls for power, and power calls for cooperation. “There are two forms of Leadership. The first, and by far the most effective, is leading with consent of, and with the sympathy of the followers. The second is leading by force, without the consent and sympathy of the followers.” If one follows these steps towards being a great leader, he will have more followers and therefore be more successful.  The next step towards becoming wealthy is mastering procrastination. If one can master procrastination, then he will constantly be working until his product is finished or his goal is met. Procrastination is lack of decision. Every man must conquer procrastination to be successful. A man who is influenced by other’s opinions will have no desire of your own. Many people do too much talking and too little listening. Many people oppose ideas, but don’t speak up because of fear. Take for example, the Declaration of Independence, if Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams, and John Hancock were scared of being killed for creating and signing the document, then America would probably still be a colony instead of a country. Procrastination is the downfall of mankind.  Persistence is essential for turning desire into “gold.” Many give up after their first encounter with opposition or misfortune, but those who persist towards their goals turn their desire into “gold.” Lack of persistence depends on one’s desire. Hill states that without persistence you will be defeated before you even start. There are four steps to acquiring persistence. The first step is: a definite backed purpose by desire to fulfill it. Second, a definite plan, expressed in action. Third, a mid closed against negative and discouraging influences. Last, a friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage you to follow through with both the plan and purpose.  Power is essential to become successful. Plans are useless without power to help you follow through with them. Powerful and successful men surround themselves with intelligent people. They do this in order to maintain power, which maintains money. Power must be mixed with desire, persistence, and faith to be set into action. Sex transmutation is also necessary to becoming successful. The emotion of sex has back of it the possibility of three constructive potentialities. The first is the perpetuation of mankind. Second is the maintenance of health, (as a therapeutic agency, it has no equal). The third is the transformation of mediocrity into genius through transmutation. Sex transmutation is simple and easily explained. It means the switching of the mind from thoughts of physical expression, to thoughts of some other nature. Sex desire is also the most powerful of human desires. The sixth sense is also needed in attaining wealth. The sixth sense is creative imagination. This comes from many sources, your mind, someone else’s mind, and someone’s subconscious store house. Being a genius requires knowing your faculty, “the major difference between the genius and the ordinary "crank" inventor, may be found in the fact that the genius works through his faculty of creative imagination, while the "crank" knows nothing of this faculty. The scientific inventor (such as Mr. Edison), makes use of both the synthetic and the creative faculties of imagination.” Hill states that: “There is no other road to genius than through voluntary self effort!” In this book, it explains in each chapter, another piece to help one become successful. Each chapter builds upon the next until you have everything, but the physical work to be successful. This book states that if you follow your goal to become wealthy, you will accomplish it.