9781585428960 thinkandgrow tx p1-336 - learn. create. · pdf file2 think and grow rich master...

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I.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Master Mind Volume of Think and Grow Rich, the ultimate study edition of Napoleon Hill’s great classic bestseller, which has sold millions of copies and helped countless people

fi nd not only fi nancial riches but also riches of life, passion, and joy. You hold in your hands a book that can change your life—and will, if you dive into the ideas and concepts it contains.

The book itself is cited by many fi nancial experts, business titans, and other self-help gurus as one of the books that helped to shape their lives. Why has this book struck such a chord, and continued to be one of the bestselling books published since its initial publication, in 1937? We believe the concepts and exercises put forth in Think and Grow Rich work.

Charged by the great steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to learn if there was a commonality in beliefs and actions among the wealthiest self-made millionaires in America, Napoleon Hill spent twenty years studying these men and women. He found that there were ideas and actions that were common among them, and originally published his thoughts in 1926 in a series of books called The Law of Success (now beautifully published in one complete volume in the Tarcher Success Classics series). He later distilled those ideas into one compact volume, called Think and Grow Rich, and now generation after generation has been impacted by his philosophy.

Napoleon Hill found that there were “thirteen steps to riches”—these are the thirteen principles that make up his Think and Grow Rich philosophy. You’ll notice something interesting about these thirteen steps—not one of them mentions words like “money,” or “wealth,” or “fi nances.” These thirteen steps,

9781585428960_ThinkandGrow_TX_p1-336.indd 19781585428960_ThinkandGrow_TX_p1-336.indd 1 7/21/11 11:29 AM7/21/11 11:29 AM

2 � THINK AND GROW RICH MASTER MIND VOLUME

which include desire, auto-suggestion, and imagination, were revolutionary in that they identify the steps to fi nancial riches, as well as riches of whatever it is we desire greatly. In fact, people have used Think and Grow Rich to actu-ally think and grow whatever it is they want more of in their lives. The prin-ciples are universal and can be used by anyone of any background, at any age, in any place.

We believe one of the reasons Think and Grow Rich has succeeded for all of these years and why so many people read and love this book is that it is a book that places the responsibility for one’s life fi rmly where it belongs—with each individual. When you read the book and then begin to actually take the actions that the book requires, something amazing happens. Suddenly you are actively engaged in your own life. You are now taking an active part in your own suc-cess. You are creating your present and future experiences.

We’ve heard countless stories of people who have begun to read Think and Grow Rich and take the actions that Napoleon Hill suggests, and they not only achieve their desires but also begin to see that their success was within their grasp the entire time. When they begin to spend more time using this philosophy in their lives than they do procrastinating and avoiding their lives, their whole lives open up and they can see that anything they truly desire, they can have.

We’ve also noticed something else as we’ve experienced and taught this philosophy to thousands of people over the years, and that is this: We generally want to control the process of how our good comes to us. We want what we want, when we want it. But when we read Think and Grow Rich correctly, we discover that when we create a goal, based on our burning desire, we enter into a contract with Life. Our part of our contract with Life does not include the “how” our goal comes to us. That is Life’s part of the contract. Instead, our part of the contract is geared to keep us focused on those aspects of the journey that we alone are responsible for, such as creating a burning desire, using the principles of auto-suggestion constantly, being consistent and persistent in our daily positive actions, and so on.

Over the years, we’ve seen that when we begin to read Think and Grow Rich and do the exercises, we enter into what we call a “Think and Grow Rich journey”—that is, we begin an adventure in which we become conscious of our actions, beliefs, and our responsibilities in our own success and happiness. It is a journey, one that is fi lled with overcoming our self-imposed limitations and living a life that is larger, more abundant, and more joyous than before. That doesn’t mean the journey doesn’t have challenges and diffi cult moments—it will—but it does mean that you will now see these challenges and diffi culties for what they are: necessary adjustments on our road to success. When we can view everything that happens to us as either a blessing or a blessing in disguise, we are “seeing rightly.” Struggles become opportunities, and blocks become stepping stones.


INTRODUCTION � 3

This edition of Think and Grow Rich is unique and exciting. It contains, fi rst and foremost, the original 1937 edition of Napoleon Hill’s classic book. The original edition is, in our opinion, the most powerful and potent. This larger format allows for an easier reading experience, and also allows for larger mar-gins. Take advantage of these larger margins to write down notes, thoughts, and other inspirations. We’ve also added lines at the bottom of each page so that you can keep track of any of Hill’s ideas that inspire you, and perhaps inspire ideas in you.

We’ve also added more than two hundred quotes on success from many of history’s most important thinkers, as well as from many contemporary fi gures. These quotes are meant to augment the main text, and to ignite you further. At the bottom corners of many pages, we’ve also highlighted certain quotes from the text of Think and Grow Rich, to draw special attention to many of Napoleon Hill’s most important concepts. We like to call these “memorization quotes” because when we memorize important quotes from texts like Think and Grow Rich, they live inside our minds and can be useful for us when we need them the most.

At the end of each chapter, we’ve added some questions about that chapter to ask yourself, to think about, and even to discuss with your Master Mind. Allow these questions to help you ingest the information more fully. Following each set of chapter questions, we’ve also included a short checklist called Your Success Steps. After each chapter, make a list of what that chapter has motivated you to take action on, and then take that action. Once you complete the action, check the box next to it. In this way the book goes from mere ideas to actual ideas-in-action in your life.

Following the 1937 text are several features that need to be emphasized. First is a chapter on creating a Master Mind in your life, whether it be a Master Mind Group or a Master Mind Partner. Master Minds are essential, Hill tells us, to increasing our success. Use that section to help you create a Master Mind that works for you.

Following “Creating Your Master Mind” is a section of additional inspira-tional material. In this section we have included excerpts from six well-known and time-tested success classics: The Science of Being Great and The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett, The Power of Decision by Raymond Charles Barker, and The Pathway of Roses by Christian Larson. These excerpts can provide further inspiration, motivation, and instruction as you move through your Think and Grow Rich journey.

Immediately after those six insightful excerpts, we’ve added a Success Clas-sics Reading List. This is a list of other books on success that can enhance your



journey to riches. These are provided to help you become what Hill calls a “lifelong learner.” Learning is growing, and growth brings success.

If you are wondering what the best way to approach reading Think and Grow Rich is, you’ll also fi nd another unique tool at the back of this book—a Think and Grow Rich 90-Day Journey checklist. This list will break out the book into a 90-day program (well, actually it’s 91 days . . .). Instructions will guide you through how to read Think and Grow Rich, one chapter at a time, and then keep you on track so that each week you are maximizing your experience of the material you are reading.

Finally you will fi nd a series of blank lined pages. Use these pages to keep your Success Notes—fi ll these pages with ideas for actions, projects, and busi-nesses; insights, sketches, and anything else that will support your Think and Grow Rich journey. They are designed to give you a place to think outside of the box.

A couple of fi nal notes before you begin your journey. Throughout this book, we’ve left the material from Napoleon Hill, and the other authors, largely intact. That is, we’ve left the text essentially as they wrote it, including the use of male pronouns, capital letters, and certain words and spellings that were more commonly used at the time the pieces were written. Other than a few minor grammatical corrections made for ease of reading, you are reading the original Think and Grow Rich and other works as the authors intended. We felt it was important to keep the material as close to the original as possible.

The added material and format we’ve used are meant to supplement and enhance what is the main reason for buying and reading this book, which is Napoleon Hill’s magnum opus Think and Grow Rich, not to replace it in any way. Use whatever of the additional material works for you, and don’t use whatever doesn’t. However, it’s important to note that the additional material and tools were selected with great care and based on years of teaching these ideas, so we would suggest that using most or all of the additional material and tools will be using this edition of Think and Grow Rich to the utmost.

We also bring to your attention two other tools that you may consider using in conjunction with this Master Mind Volume edition of Think and Grow Rich. The Think and Grow Rich Workbook takes the exercises, suggestions, and ideas of Think and Grow Rich and puts them (along with a couple of exercises inspired by the book) in a workbook format. The workbook follows Think and Grow Rich chapter by chapter, so you can read a chapter of Think and Grow Rich and then use The Think and Grow Rich Workbook to write out the exercises. It’s a useful tool that we developed after years of using a three-ring binder to keep track of each exercise—our workbook is much handier, and will accelerate your journey.

Similarly, The Think and Grow Rich Success Journal will amplify your eff orts. It’s a journal in which you can record your Think and Grow Rich journey, track your action steps, and create a place where all of your ideas, thoughts,


INTRODUCTION � 5

and actions can come together in one volume. The printed edition also con-tains a bonus CD with selections of Think and Grow Rich quotations and success affi rmations, which you can use to listen to the ideas as well as read them.

And now it is time to begin your own Think and Grow Rich journey. Enter into this journey with an open mind, a willingness to do what Napoleon Hill suggests, and a newfound commitment to take actions until you have reached your goal. Don’t stop until you have created the very life you desire. Make this journey as creative, meaningful, and enjoyable as you can. This is your journey—this is your life—and the keys to transformation can be found starting on the very next page . . .

—Joel Fotinos & August Gold


�Auto-suggestion is a term which applies to all suggestions and all self-administered

stimuli which reach one’s mind through the fi ve senses. Stated in another way, auto-

suggestion is self-suggestion.

All truly wise thoughts have been

thought already thousands of times;

but to make them really ours we

must think them over again honestly

till they take root in our personal

expression.

—Goethe

CHAPTER 4

AUTO-SUGGESTION

The Medium for Infl uencing the Subconscious Mind

The Third Step Toward Riches

Auto-suggestion is a term which applies to all suggestions and all self-administered stimuli which reach one’s mind through the fi ve senses. Stated in another way, auto-suggestion is self-suggestion. It is the

agency of communication between that part of the mind where conscious thought takes place and that which serves as the seat of action for the subcon-scious mind.

Through the dominating thoughts which one permits to remain in the con-scious mind (whether these thoughts be negative or positive is immaterial), the principle of auto-suggestion voluntarily reaches the subconscious mind and infl uences it with these thoughts.

No thought, whether it be negative or positive, can enter the subconscious mind without the aid of the principle of auto-suggestion, with the exception of thoughts picked up from the ether. Stated diff erently, all sense impressions which are perceived through the fi ve senses are stopped by the conscious think-ing mind, and may be either passed on to the subconscious mind, or rejected, at will. The conscious faculty serves, therefore, as an outer-guard to the approach of the subconscious.

Nature has so built man that he has absolute control over the material which reaches his subconscious mind, through his fi ve senses, although this is not



�Through the dominating thoughts which one permits to remain in the conscious mind

(whether these thoughts be negative or positive is immaterial), the principle of auto-suggestion

voluntarily reaches the subconscious mind and infl uences it with these thoughts.

Let a man strive to purify his

thoughts. What a man thinketh,

that is he; this is the eternal

mystery. Dwelling within his Self

with thoughts serene, he will obtain

imperishable happiness. Man

becomes that of which he thinks.

—The Upanishads

meant to be construed as a statement that man always exercises this control. In the great majority of instances, he does not exercise it, which explains why so many people go through life in poverty.

Recall what has been said about the subconscious mind resembling a fertile garden spot, in which weeds will grow in abundance if the seeds of more desir-able crops are not sown therein. Auto-suggestion is the agency of control through which an individual may voluntarily feed his subconscious mind on thoughts of a creative nature, or, by neglect, permit thoughts of a destructive nature to fi nd their way into this rich garden of the mind.

You were instructed, in the last of the six steps described in the chapter on Desire, to read aloud twice daily the written statement of your desire for money, and to see and feel yourself already in possession of the money! By following these instructions, you communicate the object of your desire directly to your subconscious mind in a spirit of absolute faith. Through repetition of this pro-cedure, you voluntarily create thought habits which are favorable to your ef-forts to transmute desire into its monetary equivalent.

Go back to these six steps described in chapter two, and read them again, very carefully, before you proceed further. Then (when you come to it), read very carefully the four instructions for the organization of your “Master Mind” group, described in the chapter on Organized Planning. By comparing these two sets of instructions with that which has been stated on auto-suggestion, you, of course, will see that the instructions involve the application of the prin-ciple of auto-suggestion.

Remember, therefore, when reading aloud the statement of your desire (through which you are endeavoring to develop a “money consciousness”), that the mere reading of the words is of no consequence—unless you mix emotion, or feeling, with your words. If you repeat a million times the famous Emil Coué formula, “Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and better,” without mixing emotion and faith with your words, you will experience no desirable results. Your subconscious mind recognizes and acts upon only thoughts which have been well mixed with emotion or feeling.

This is a fact of such importance as to warrant repetition in practically every chapter, because the lack of understanding of this is the main reason the major-


AUTO-SUGGESTION � 79

�Man has absolute control over the material which reaches his subconscious mind . . .

although this is not meant that man always exercises this control. In the great majority of

instances, he does not exercise it, which explains why so many people go through life in poverty.

All that we are is the result of what

we have thought. The mind is

everything. What we think, we

become.

—Buddha

ity of people who try to apply the principle of auto-suggestion get no desirable results.

Plain, unemotional words do not infl uence the subconscious mind. You will get no appreciable results until you learn to reach your subconscious mind with thoughts, or spoken words which have been well emotionalized with belief.

Do not become discouraged if you cannot control and direct your emotions the fi rst time you try to do so. Remember, there is no such possibility as some-thing for nothing. Ability to reach and infl uence your subconscious mind has its price, and you must pay that price. You cannot cheat, even if you desire to do so. The price of ability to infl uence your subconscious mind is everlasting persistence in applying the principles described here. You cannot develop the desired ability for a lower price. You, and you alone, must decide whether or not the reward for which you are striving (the “money consciousness”) is worth the price you must pay for it in eff ort.

Wisdom and “cleverness” alone will not attract and retain money except in a few very rare instances, where the law of averages favors the attraction of money through these sources. The method of attracting money described here does not depend upon the law of averages. Moreover, the method plays no fa-vorites. It will work for one person as eff ectively as it will for another. Where failure is experienced, it is the individual, not the method, which has failed. If you try and fail, make another eff ort, and still another, until you succeed.

Your ability to use the principle of auto-suggestion will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire until that desire becomes a burning obsession.

When you begin to carry out the instructions in connection with the six steps described in the second chapter, it will be necessary for you to make use of the principle of concentration.

Let us here off er suggestions for the eff ective use of concentration. When you begin to carry out the fi rst of the six steps, which instructs you to “fi x in your own mind the exact amount of money you desire,” hold your thoughts on that amount of money by concentration, or fi xation of attention, with your eyes closed, until you can actually see the physical appearance of the money. Do this at least once each day. As you go through these exercises, follow the



�Remember, there is no such possibility as something for nothing. Ability to reach and

infl uence your subconscious mind has its price, and you must pay that price. You cannot

cheat, even if you desire to do so.

Thoughts lead on to purposes;

purposes go forth in action; actions

form habits; habits decide character;

and character fi xes our destiny.

—Tryon Edwards

instructions given in the chapter on faith, and see yourself actually in possession of the money!

Here is a most signifi cant fact—the subconscious mind takes any orders given it in a spirit of absolute faith, and acts upon those orders, although the orders often have to be presented over and over again, through repetition, before they are interpreted by the subconscious mind. Following the preceding statement, consider the possibility of playing a perfectly legitimate “trick” on your sub-conscious mind, by making it believe, because you believe it, that you must have the amount of money you are visualizing, that this money is already awaiting your claim, that the subconscious mind must hand over to you practical plans for acquiring the money which is yours.

Hand over the thought suggested in the preceding paragraph to your imag-ination, and see what your imagination can or will do to create practical plans for the accumulation of money through transmutation of your desire.

Do not wait for a defi nite plan, through which you intend to exchange services or merchandise in return for the money you are visualizing, but begin at once to see yourself in possession of the money, demanding and expecting mean-while that your subconscious mind will hand over the plan, or plans, you need. Be on the alert for these plans, and when they appear, put them into action immediately. When the plans appear, they will probably “fl ash” into your mind through the sixth sense, in the form of an “inspiration.” This inspiration may be considered a direct “telegram,” or message from Infi nite Intelligence. Treat it with respect, and act upon it as soon as you receive it. Failure to do this will be fatal to your success.

In the fourth of the six steps, you were instructed to “create a defi nite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once to put this plan into action.” You should follow this instruction in the manner described in the preceding paragraph. Do not trust to your “reason” when creating your plan for accumu-lating money through the transmutation of desire. Your reason is faulty. More-over, your reasoning faculty may be lazy, and, if you depend entirely upon it to serve you, it may disappoint you.

When visualizing the money you intend to accumulate (with closed eyes), see yourself rendering the service, or delivering the merchandise you intend to give in return for this money. This is important!



�The method of attracting money described here

does not depend upon the law of averages. Moreover, the method plays no favorites. It will work for one person as eff ectively

as it will for another.

Nothing is easier than saying words.

Nothing is harder than living them

day after day.

—Arthur Gordon

SUM M A RY OF INSTRUCTIONS

The fact that you are reading this book is an indication that you earnestly seek knowledge. It is also an indication that you are a student of this subject. If you are only a student, there is a chance that you may learn much that you did not know, but you will learn only by assuming an attitude of humility. If you choose to follow some of the instructions but neglect or refuse to follow others— you will fail! To get satisfactory results, you must follow all instructions in a spirit of faith.

The instructions given in connection with the six steps in the second chap-ter will now be summarized, and blended with the principles covered by this chapter, as follows:

First. Go into some quiet spot (preferably in bed at night) where you will not be disturbed or interrupted, close your eyes, and repeat aloud (so you may hear your own words) the written statement of the amount of money you intend to accumulate, the time limit for its accumulation, and a description of the service or merchandise you intend to give in return for the money. As you carry out these instructions, see yourself already in possession of the money.

For example: Suppose that you intend to accumulate $50,000 by the fi rst of January, fi ve years hence, that you intend to give personal services in return for the money, in the capacity of a salesman. Your written state-ment of your purpose should be similar to the following:

“By the fi rst day of January, 19. . , I will have in my possession $50,000, which will come to me in various amounts from time to time during the interim.

“In return for this money I will give the most effi cient service of which I am capable, rendering the fullest possible quantity, and the best possible quality of service in the capacity of salesman of . . . (describe the service or merchandise you intend to sell).

“I believe that I will have this money in my possession. My faith is so strong that I can now see this money before my eyes. I can touch it with



�Your ability to use the principle of auto-

suggestion will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire

until that desire becomes a burning obsession.

I know for sure that what we dwell

on is who we will become.

—Oprah Winfrey

my hands. It is now awaiting transfer to me at the time and in the propor-tion that I deliver the service I intend to render in return for it. I am awaiting a plan by which to accumulate this money, and I will follow that plan when it is received.”

Second. Repeat this program night and morning until you can see (in your imagination) the money you intend to accumulate.

Third. Place a written copy of your statement where you can see it night and morning, and read it just before retiring and upon arising until it has been memorized.

Remember, as you carry out these instructions, that you are applying the principle of auto-suggestion, for the purpose of giving orders to your subcon-scious mind. Remember, also, that your subconscious mind will act only upon instructions which are emotionalized, and handed over to it with “feeling.” Faith is the strongest and most productive of the emotions. Follow the instruc-tions given in the chapter on faith.

These instructions may, at fi rst, seem abstract. Do not let this disturb you. Follow the instructions, no matter how abstract or impractical they may, at fi rst, appear to be. The time will soon come, if you do as you have been in-structed, in spirit as well as in act, when a whole new universe of power will un-fold to you.

Skepticism, in connection with all new ideas, is characteristic of all human beings. But if you follow the instructions outlined, your skepticism will soon be replaced by belief, and this, in turn, will soon become crystallized into absolute faith. Then you will have arrived at the point where you may truly say, “I am the Master of my Fate, I am the Captain of my Soul!”

Many philosophers have made the statement that man is the master of his own earthly destiny, but most of them have failed to say why he is the master. The reason that man may be the master of his own earthly status, and especially his fi nancial status, is thoroughly explained in this chapter. Man may become the master of himself, and of his environment, because he has the power to



�

The mental attitude of gratitude

draws the mind into closer touch

with the source from which the

blessings come.

—Wallace D. Wattles

Man may become the master of himself, and of his environment, because he has the power to infl uence his own subconscious

mind, and through it, gain the cooperation of Infi nite Intelligence.

infl uence his own subconscious mind, and through it, gain the cooperation of Infi nite Intelligence.

You are now reading the chapter which represents the keystone to the arch of this philosophy. The instructions contained in this chapter must be under-stood and applied with persistence if you are to succeed in transmuting desire into money.

The actual performance of transmuting desire into money involves the use of auto-suggestion as an agency by which one may reach, and infl uence, the sub-conscious mind. The other principles are simply tools with which to apply auto-suggestion. Keep this thought in mind, and you will, at all times, be conscious of the important part the principle of auto-suggestion is to play in your eff orts to accumulate money through the methods described in this book.

Carry out these instructions as though you were a small child. Inject into your eff orts something of the faith of a child. The author has been most careful to see that no impractical instructions were included, because of his sincere de-sire to be helpful.

After you have read the entire book, come back to this chapter, and follow in spirit, and in action, this instruction:

Read the entire chapter aloud once every night, until you become thor-oughly convinced that the principle of auto-suggestion is sound, that it will ac-complish for you all that has been claimed for it. As you read, underscore with a pencil every sentence which impresses you favorably.

Follow the foregoing instruction to the letter and it will open the way for a complete understanding and mastery of the principles of success.



QUESTIONS FOR SUCCESS

• What is the most helpful idea from this chapter for you?

• How does Napoleon Hill defi ne “auto-suggestion”?

• How much control do you have over the material that reaches your mind?

• How diligent are you in protecting the “garden of [your] mind” from negative thoughts?

• What do you need to add to the words (auto-suggestions) to make your subcon-scious mind recognize and act upon them?

• Napoleon Hill writes, “Be on the alert for the plans [that your subconscious mind will hand over to you], and when they appear, put them into action im-mediately.” What is an example of taking action immediately on a plan or an idea that has come into your mind?

• What does Napoleon Hill say will happen if you follow some of the instructions of auto-suggestion (page 81) but not others?

• How can you become the master of yourself and your environment (page 82)?

YOUR SUCCESS STEPS


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