Think and Grow Rich: Don’t read it, imagine what it would say.
After reading half of the book, I feel as though I have a good idea about where it’s headed, if anywhere at all. It feels scammy. Why? So many scammy self-help authors out there asserts Napoleon Hill’s advice as their own. It feels dirty, tainted, simpleton, and yet, there’s truth in there.
I have no desire to see this book through to its end. Having skimmed the table of contents, and having read the first few chapters, I feel fairly confident that I can imagine the advice to come in the remaining chapters.
Sometimes, it’s not the advice, but the story, that makes a book worth reading. I do fear that not seeing this book through, I’ll miss out on a little nugget that might actually be more valuable than the hour or so that I’ve spared myself by not reading this book to the very end.
It is for that reason that I’ve decided to not issue chapter-by-chapter updates from here on out. The time spent writing is wasteful, not to mention painful. It’s bad enough that I have yet to endure another hour of this trivial little book.
I may write a final summary, but don’t hold your breath. I’ve written enough.
Synopsis: Think and Grow Rich, Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Auto-Suggestion
The Medium for Influencing the Subconscious Mind
This chapter instructs the reader in following the 6 steps outlined in chapter 2. It recommends upon completion of this book, that the student re-read this chapter aloud every night.
In essence, visualize with as much detail the work you’ll be doing that is needed to generate the desired result.
Synopsis: Think and Grow Rich, Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Faith
Visualization of, and Belief in Attainment of Desire
The word faith as the author uses it can be interchanged with belief and believing.
Repeat a lie enough times and you’re bound to believe it. In order for your actions to be of impulse, your mind must belief (have faith) in the idea. Therefore, all effort made to convince yourself that you already possess that which you want to possess will lead your mind to work in ways that will cause you to possessing it.
Faith is a state of mind which may be induced by auto-suggestion.
We can amplify our ability to believe if we attach emotional weight behind that which we desire. These emotions help the brain up-take our desires and lead us in the direction of its attainment.
Synopsis: Think and Grow Rich, Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Desire
The Starting Point of All Achievement
There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is DEFINITENESS OF PURPOSE, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning DESIRE to possess it.
pg. 38
There are 6 steps to transforming desire into outcome.
- You must be explicit in your wants.
- You must determine what you’re willing to give in order to get what you want.
- Specify a precise timeline required to reach your goals.
- Determine a plan of action and begin immediately.
- Put the whole scheme into plain English.
- Read the statement twice daily until you feel and believe it to already be.
You achieve what you set out to achieve, so set your goals high.
In order to have a burning desire to accomplish something, you must be willing to burn bridges. By burning bridges, you leave yourself no room for error. You force yourself to succeed because you cannot go back. Failure is not an option.
You must believe in yourself and your ability to achieve your goals so that you can take the necessary actions to reach your goals.
Synopsis: Think and Grow Rich, Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
The Man Who “Thought” His Way Into Partnership With Thomas A. Edison
This is a first in a series of chapter synopses of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. I won’t bother to cite details, as I’ve already read them. The point of these synopses is to jog the memory and record the salient points.
The first chapter is a “dimming of the lights” in preparation for the contents to come. We meet a man who gave up digging for gold, not knowing that he was just 3 feet away from striking it rich (he should have asked an expert). This same man witnessed an event where a young colored girl didn’t back down to a white uncle and got what she wanted. Remember that this book was written in the 1930’s and is recording a common, racially sensitive issue. We discover that this man goes on to become a successful insurance salesman who makes most of his sales after the pitchee has said “no.”
The common thread here is determination or desire. The miner lacked it, the colored girl didn’t know that she had it, and the salesman had learned from his previous mistakes.
