Success involves a rigorous process of conditioning. That process involves defining what success is and aligning one’s thoughts as well as actions towards that desired outcome. Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) created what I’d call a manual for success. He studied the GOATs of his time, which included Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, Theodore Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller, Abraham Lincoln, and Napoleon Bonaparte. From studying their lives Hill identified common traits and turned them into digestible principles which led to the creation of The Law of Success, a multi-volume course that laid the groundwork for Think and Grow Rich.
To provide some background, Napoleon Hill was born in rural Virginia and faced with hardship and adversity at a young age. He was an early pioneer for the self-help and personal development industry. He gave lectures on the radio and around the world about the principles of success he had learned along with anecdotes from the lives of those he studied. His work has left a lasting legacy which continues to be a source of inspiration for individuals seeking personal and financial success. In 1937 Hill published, Think and Grow Rich which draws insights from his interviews with hundreds of successful individuals. These principles include:
Desire ❤️🔥
The first step towards success. Having a an extreme hunger for what you want to achieve. I’m reminded my Eric Thomas’ guru story, where a man wants to be successful so a guru holds his head down in the water until he nearly passes out. When he’s brought up, the guru says when you want to succeed as bad as you want to breath only then will you be successful.
“The starting point of all achievement is desire.” Napoleon Hill
Faith 🙏
This is the belief that causes one to take action. Faith is NOT a gamble 🎰 It’s moving forward with an understanding of what tools, resources, and steps are needed. Faith has the weight to tip the scale against the odds, especially when faced against challenges and setbacks.
Auto-suggestion 📱
Think of the auto suggestions on your phone. When typing a message your keyboard will suggest words and vocabulary, and in some cases unique words that the user uses. This is because phones program themselves based on their users history, to provide suggested words. Similar to the training an iPhone goes through, the subconscious mind will auto suggest reactions and responses to different scenarios. Think and Grow Rich provides the template to program the mind with positive affirmations and visualizations to align thoughts and actions with goals.
Specialized Knowledge 👨🔬
Acquiring specific knowledge in a field sets one apart from peers. Depending on the level of expertise and time investing in gaining more knowledge will determines your market value. Never plateau, and never be satisfied with the knowledge you have.
An example of someone who lives this is my father in law. He’s a cardiologist and every time we stay with him, I see him spending time reading and attending online conferences. That’s his way of making sure he’s aware of the latest studies, best practices, and trends in his industry.
“The way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge.” Napoleon Hill
Imagination 🌈
Vision boards, reviewing goals, and even spending time during the day imagining yourself achieving success will make it more real. Napoleon Hill says,
“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
Organized Planning 🗓️
Having a vision becomes more realistic once’s it’s thought out. It should be clear, actionable, measurable, and written down. By writing down goals, the chances of success increase by 42% according to research study conducted by the Dominican University of California.
Decision
Making firm, informed, and decisive decisions toward actions is like drawing a line in the sand. When a decision is made, act on it as if there’s no going back. To cite an example from history, Cortez the conquistador when arriving in the new world to challenge the Aztec empire, he burned his ships. That way he and his men had only option, which was to move forward (inspiring video on this here)
“Action is the real measure of intelligence.” Napoleon Hill
Persistence 🔨
“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” Napoleon Hill
Persistence and knowing when to quit is a mental skill that should be taught in school. There’s a great book called The Dip by Seth Godin (and a blog I wrote about this here) that discusses this. If there’s long term potential, keep pressing on. If the current path leads to a dead end, quit and pursue something greater. Godin says,
“The next time you catch yourself being average when you feel like quitting, realize that you have only two good choices: Quit or be exceptional. Average is for losers.”
The Master Mind 🪴
Networking and forming master mind groups will help build connections and an exchange of ideas from like minded individuals. When forming these groups, there’s good, better, and best. It’s good to…
👂Listen to podcasts
📚Read books
💭 Follow and subscribe to thought leaders on social media.
It’s better to…
💻 To join and participate online with groups on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Reddit.
It’s best…
🕸️ Network.
🤝 Develop relationships in person by attending a conference.
👨🏫 Finding a mentor you can meet with.
In summary, going with all the above is the best course of action to leverage mastermind groups.
The Subconscious Mind 🧘♂️
Harnessing the power of the subconscious mind comes from conditioning and treating the mind like a night club with a bouncer. Only constructive, positive, and powerful thoughts can remain. Anything toxic or degrading should be thrown out. Positive affirmations, quality content, being aware of one’s thoughts, and meditation will condition the subconscious mind into a resource. 🕺🪩
The Brain 🧠
The most valuable asset in life is your brain. It is literally your money maker, companies pay for your brain to provide them value. And it’s not our most important asset just because we rent it out to solve peoples problems. It plays a major role in shaping our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Learning best practices that optimize brain health and function should be top priority. Easy things to do now are…
🏃♂️ Exercising daily (minimum of 25 minutes) 🚶♂️ Walking daily (minimum 45 minutes)
🥗 Eat better (greens, blueberries, and fish oil)
The Sixth Sense
Conditioning yourself for success, leads to “successful thinking.” This means your intuition, inner guidance, ability to make wise decisions, and recognize opportunities are wired in the brain.
When learning these principles there are many modern day examples that come to mind. This personal list of mine will be different from yours, and there are people that aren’t in the media who also live principles from Think and Grow Rich. They include teachers, doctors, parents, and servers. Regardless of the profession and background, success is obtainable by all. And we should show up to give our best in all that we do. Martin Luther King Jr. shared a quote that illustrates this. He said:
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
Here are the individuals along with their bio, who I’d add to the hall of fame for representing and living the values from Think and Grow Rich.
Dana White: president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which has grown into the largest MMA promotion company in history. He’s at the center of transforming the UFC into what it is today. He’s an entrepreneur, who recently started the program Power Slap. To learn more about Dana White check out his interview with Lex Fridman.
Patrick Bet-David: “born in Iran and made in America,” he is an entrepreneur, author, and financial advisor. He founded the PHP Agency Inc. which is one of the fastest-growing financial marketing organizations in the country. Online he’s well known for his YouTube channels and Podcast Valuetainment. He’s written several books, Drop Out and Get Schooled, Choose Your Enemies Wisely, and Your Next Five Moves.
Joe Rogan: Joe Rogan is a stand-up comedian, podcast host, and former mixed martial arts commentator. He gained fame as the host of the reality television series “Fear Factor” and is best known for “The Joe Rogan Experience,” one of the most popular podcasts globally
Melinda Gates: Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda Gates is a philanthropist and advocate for global health and gender equality. Her commitment to making a positive impact on the world exemplifies the principle of giving back and serving others.
Warren Buffett: CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and one of the most famous investors. Buffett’s discipline for investing shows a long-term mindset. He devours multiple books a day and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning.
Sheryl Sandberg: Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and author of Lean In (great book ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️). She’s a trailblazer for women in leadership roles and a major advocate for gender equality.
Jeff Bezos: Founder and former CEO of Amazon. Bezos also owns Blue Origin, Whole Foods, the Washington Post, Audible, IMDB, Zappos, MGM, Twitch, Zoox, Ring, and many more companies acquired by Amazon.
Bezos is one of the wealthiest individuals in the world as a result of his bold vision, the customer-is king approach, and willingness to take calculated risks.
I highly recommend reading or listening to Think and Grow Rich. My favorite version is the “revised and updated version for the 21st century.”
It includes modern examples such as the formation of Papa John’s, Starbucks, Intel, and Bruce Lee. The principles are timeless and applicable to anyone wishing to achieve success.
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