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"Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill."  A review.

October 16, 2009 reviewed by Mike Strawbridge

When I first started my study of prosperity, one of the books I read was Think and Grow rich by Napoleon Hill.  This book is considered one of the classics for any student of prosperity or business.

The first time I read the book I really did not understand it.  There were too many ideas that were just too foreign to me.  However, I did start to notice the concepts in the book were used by many successful marketers and business men.  I saw the concepts used in everything from selling computers to seducing women. I knew there had to be something to the stuff in this old book.

After studying many similar works and learning a great deal more about how the universe works, I returned to to give this old book a reread.  I have found that I really enjoy getting the authors original intent so I was happy when I found the original version by BN Publishing available on Amazon.

The story goes that Mr. Hill was commissioned to create a study course for sales people and business leaders by studying the traits of successful business men.  He interviewed many prominent business men of his time such as Henry ford, Thomas Edison and JD Rockefeller.  He set out to find the common elements that made these men successful.

He developed sixteen lessons on the laws of success that he put together as a class to teach to his clients.  This course he later summarized in the book Think and Grow Rich.

The basic premise of the book and the study course is that we create whatever we think about.  This was a foreign concept to me the first time I read the book so I had trouble with some of the other concepts he teaches.  However after taking a closer look at how the universe actually works, I see that what I think about does in fact manifest itself. 

His main point for creating a successful business is to have a burning desire.  This burning desire can also be described as ones life purpose.  With out strong desire, a man will not be successful.  With a clear burning desire, a man can create what ever he wants and nothing can stand in his way.

A burning desire is the combination of a clear mental image and a strong emotional feeling of wanting to accomplish the desire.  If either is lacking, then you do not have the kind of burning desire that he speaks of that is necessary for success.

He gives many examples in his book of people who combined their clear image of what they wanted to accomplish with the strong emotions of a feeling that they must be successful.  These are the people who created the great industries of the United States and grew great fortunes out of the economic depression of the early 1900's.

He gives instructions on how to create a clear image and how to develop the strong emotions needs to be successful.  He also discusses what he calls the Mystery of Sexual Transmutation.  He explains that this phenomena is why many men are not successful until they are over forty years old.  See my article on  the process of Sexual Transmutation for further information.

Overall, Think and Grow Rich is a must read for all students of prosperity or metaphysical manifestation.  The concepts in this book are just as useful today as they were when they were first written.

 

Mike Strawbridge October 16, 2009