Andrew Carnegie, the leader of the American steel industry, was at the pinnacle of his career when he met with an impressive journalist named Napoleon Hill. Carnegie bonded with Hill and trusted him to document and share the strategies that turned him into one of the wealthiest and most successful businessmen of all time.
Carnegie became the richest man in the world after starting with little more than a penny upon arriving in the US from Scotland. Carnegie wanted to share the magic formula, and have this information available to people that do not have time to investigate how people make money.
He wanted to share his knowledge and the that of other successful people.
In order to help Hill with his research, Carnegie introduced Hill to more than 500 self-made millionaires over a span of 20 years. Hill's interviews and research culminated in the 1937 bestseller, "Think and Grow Rich". The book is an in depth look at how successful people almost gave up, right before the breakthrough of their careers and is an inspiration to never give up.
Hill focuses on breaking down the 13 psychological principles that will enable us to attain money and success.
1. Burning Desire: We have to want it.
All of the super wealthy started with a burning desire. Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, then planning definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing those plans with persistence which does not recognize failure, will bring riches.
2. Absolute Faith: Believe that we can achieve our goal. Riches begin in the form of thought! The amount is limited only by our thoughts. Having faith in ourself removes limitations! Self-made millionaire and author Steve Siebold writes, "Being rich isn't a privilege. Being rich is a right. If you create massive value for others, you have the right to be as rich as you want."
3. Auto-suggestion or Self Talk: Use affirmations to reach our goal. Turning desire for money or success into reality requires sending our subconscious mind phrases and mantras that support our goal. We have to repeat out loud, morning and night, what it is that we want, and how we plan to get it, so we become obsessed with our purpose,
4. Specialized knowledge: Successful people never stop acquiring specialized knowledge related to their major purpose, business, or profession. Those who are not successful usually make the mistake of believing that the knowledge acquiring period ends when one finishes school. We have to become a voracious reader and never stop learning and challenging our mind.
5. Creative Imagination: Ideas and hunches come into our mind. If we can imagine it, we can create it. Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes. Ideas are products of the creative imagination. Our only limitation, within reason, lies in our development and use of our imagination. Examples of great ideas that made people millionaires are Coca-Cola, Steel, Rail Roads, Spanx, Post-it Notes, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Barbie, Electric Light Bulb, Telephone, Radio, Microsoft, Apple Computers, Amazon, Ebay, PayPal, etc.
6. Organized planning: Take action.
Once we've visualized our success, we need to take action and go after exactly what we want. We must act with persistence and enthusiasm.
Hill explains; Opportunity has spread its wares before you. Step up to the front, select what you want, create your plan, put the plan into action, and follow through with persistence ... Most of us are good "starters" but poor "finishers" of everything we begin. Moreover, people are prone to give up at the first signs of defeat. There is no substitute for persistence.
7. Decision to take massive action: Defeat procrastination with decisiveness. A key trait Hill recognized in all of the individuals he studied who acquired great wealth was decisiveness. Those who settle on decisions quickly know what they want, and they tend to get what they want.
Hill writes; People who fail to accumulate money, without exception, have the habit of reaching decisions, if at all, very slowly, and of changing these decisions quickly and often. Decisiveness is not just a trait of the wealthy, but one of the most important qualities a leader needs to possess. At the end of the day, making a bad decision is better than making no decision at all.
8. Persistence: Don't stop until we get what we want. Persistence is crucial when trying to accumulate wealth, yet few people possess the willpower required to turn their desire for money into actual money. If the first plan fails, replace it with another. If that plan fails, replace it again. Thomas Edison replaced his plan over a thousand times before he invented the working light bulb.
Hill writes; Riches do not respond to wishes. They respond only to definite plans, backed by definite desires, through constant persistence. The most successful people tend to have dealt with, and overcome, failure.
9. Power of the Master Mind: Surround ourself with the best and smartest people that share our vision. The wealthiest people create a "Master Mind," meaning they surround themselves with talented friends and colleagues who share their vision. The alignment of several smart and creative minds is exponentially more powerful than just one.
Hill explains; No individual may have great power without availing himself of the "Master Mind". A group of brains connected in a spirit of harmony will provide more thought-energy than a single brain, just as a group of electric batteries will provide more energy than a single battery.
This may explain why rich people tend to make friends with other rich people. Exposure to people who are more successful than we are, has the potential to expand our thinking and catapult our income.
10. Transform Sexual Desire. Hill found that these successful people had a compatible sexual partner. They explained that sexual energy is an incredibly powerful human energy and when it is harnessed and redirected, it can enhance our creativity, passion, enthusiasm, persistence, willpower, imagination, and courage, all which are crucial in accumulating wealth. Love, romance, and sex are all emotions capable of driving us to heights of super achievement. When combined, these three emotions may lift us to an altitude of genius. Having a supportive partner is important to career success.
11. The Subconscious Mind: Master positivity and dismiss negative emotions.
Hill explains; The subconscious mind will not remain idle! If you fail to plant desires in your subconscious mind, it will feed upon the thoughts which reach it as the result of your neglect.
Positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the mind at the same time. One or the other must dominate. It is your responsibility to make sure that positive emotions constitute the dominating influence of your mind.
12. The Brain and Master Mind: Associate with other smart people and learn from them. Our brain is a "transmitter and receiver of thought vibrations". It absorbs thoughts from other individuals surrounding us, making it even more important to associate with intelligent, creative, and positive individuals.
Hill writes; Every human brain is capable of picking up vibrations of thought which are being released by other brains. The Creative Imagination is the "receiving set" of the brain, which receives thoughts released by the brains of others.
This principle is simply application of the Master Mind principle. It takes it one step further - rather than just surrounding yourself with people who are smarter and better, use the members of your group to find solutions to problems or brainstorm ideas. This is blending of several minds into one and Hill suggests sitting with a small group of people and diving deep into the problem at hand.
13. The Sixth Sense: Trust our gut and be open to the universe. The final principle is the "sixth sense" and it is an experience of a mind-shift or change in beliefs.
Hill says: "Through the aid of the sixth sense, you will be warned of impending dangers in time to avoid them, and notified of opportunities in time to embrace them."
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