3 Key Lessons From Think and Grow Rich

Imagine walking into a room full of 500 of the most successful business people in the world and being able to ask them, what were the keys to their success?

Then being able to compile this information down into a manifesto of 13 principles which you could follow to achieve similar success.

Think and Grow Rich, is that manifesto.

TGR is possibly one of the most recommended self development books in the entire universe and it took the author Napoleon Hill more than 20+ years to gather and compile this information in to the 13 principles found in the book today.

Napoleon Hill allegedly interviewed 500 of the most successful people of his time including John D Rockefeller (the richest man in the world at the time) Andrew Carnegie (the biggest steel tycoon and the 2nd richest man in the world after Rockefeller), Henry Ford (owner of the Ford Motor Company) and Thomas Edison Inventor of the light bulb and holder of more than 2000 patents, and distilled their advice and knowledge about success down into his book Think and Grow Rich.

Now there is lots of discussion online around whether Napoleon Hill is a reliable resource or if he even met the people he mentions in the books but this post isn't about that.

Regardless of all the controversies online, there are some good general nuggets in the book which can be taken and applied to our lives to improve them.

So here are 3 lessons that I learned from Think and Grow Rich, and how you can apply those to your own life.

1. Inner Game & Mindset

Becoming successful in any part of your life whether that is health, wealth or relationships is more about the inner game, the mindset as apposed to the tactical, step by step strategy stuff.

Now that has it’s place don’t get me wrong but if you don’t have the correct mindset then it’ll be a huge uphill battle, one which will wear you down.

That’s when you see those super successful people who are burned out, working 24 hours a day with little time for their family and friends. They’re heavily focussed on the tactical stuff as opposed to the mindset behind acquiring wealth.

That's not a place you want to be.

Have you ever seen that illustration of the success iceberg, I have this in my journal to always remind me that 80% of success is all about your mindset and the inner game.

In the picture you can see that 80% of the iceberg is below the surface, and those things like discipline, persistence, dedication and hard work are all below the surface, this is all the inner work you have to do before you can achieve real success.

Most people focus on the 20% of the iceberg above the surface, but what’s more important is the stuff below the surface, the thoughts you think and the habits you need to acquire to become someone who achieves the success.

In the book Napoleon Hill gives you a 6 step formula to prime your mind to achieve the success you are looking for. This formula can be applied to any goal you have.

In fact clear scientific research now proves that the process Napoleon Hill described back in 1937, which in known as cognitive priming is an effective method to prime your subconscious mind to achieve your goals..

Now If you look at successful athletes, most of them use this very strategy to visualise their success.

They constantly prime their mind with the outcome they want, the repetition creates new neural pathways in the brain which make the steps you need to take to achieve the success an unconscious process.

Your subconscious mind is a powerful ally, so why not use it to help you achieve the success you deserve.‍

2. A Burning Desire

So was there ever a time in your life, when you wanted to do or have something so badly that you couldn’t stop thinking about it until you got it.

All your actions and thoughts were focussed on that one thing?

Thats what known as a burning desire.

It’s the unstoppable resolve that literally propels you forward to remain persistent and determined to achieve your goal no matter what it throws at you.

Now at this point you're probably wondering, well that’s all well and good but I don’t actually have such a desire, I just want to make money, get fit and healthy or stop procrastinating but I keep being lazy and getting demotivated by all the setbacks and failures.

I just have a small flame that lights up once in a while in the form of motivation, but then fades away as soon as it get's hard.

Napoleon Hill shows how you can cultivate a burning desire:

1. Create a definite goal, with a definite date
2. Write it down (journal)
3. Think about your goal on a daily basis and change your thoughts about it (eliminate the doubts)
4. Create a plan of action (a system of how you will achieve the goal)
5. Self motivate, listen to podcasts, read blogs and books by people who have done what you want
6. Believe in yourself (as mentioned before 80% of success is your mindset) be positive and believe that you deserve the success.

3. Persistence

Persistence is the common thread that runs through any success story you come across, why? Because without persistence nothing works!

When you embark on achieving amazing things in your life YOU WILL encounter road blocks and only the persistent person will overcome these and keep moving forward despite all the set backs.

Success is not a straight line, every day you’ll hit hurdles and new problems which will force you to level up and become a new person and to do that you need to remain persistent, if you don’t you’ll be like that person who stopped digging three feet from gold.

I love the story of J.K.Rowling the creator of the Harry Potter series of books, it’s a beautiful example of persistence and not giving up. J.K.Rowling was a single parent who had reached rock bottom, in her Harvard University commencement speech she mentioned:

Being jobless, a lone parent and on welfare I was the biggest failure I knew.

Her book had been rejected by more than 12 publishers over the course of a year yet still she persisted until finally it was accepted by Bloomsbury and has now made her one of the wealthiest women in the world.

I just love her story it’s a great example of someone who just never gave up.

There are countless similar examples of people who are doing extraordinary things in their lives, simply because they never gave up and persisted with their dreams.