Think and Grow Rich

This book by Napoleon Hill is a classic. The first publication in 1937 has been updated to include contemporary examples and modified content, but I’m sure every entrepreneur, business executive, and career professional has read one of the versions. It’s a classic in that the lessons are straightforward, time-tested, and proven to work by the iconic millionaires and billionaires whom Hill interviewed before writing the book. 

This is a book not to be taken at face value. When you focus solely on building wealth (often at the expense of other things), odds are very likely you’ll succeed. The lessons and inspiration within are illustrative of how one can ignite the conscious and subconscious to reach any number of goals; however, the title implies you only need to wish it to be so. Hill even shares how mental energy, faith, will, and desire are all required for results.

I certainly don’t discount the message here.

Still, somewhere his results-required lesson on creating and acting upon a definitive plan to attain riches gets lost within the plethora of content on transmuting wealth, which will make it happen. I firmly believe in a plan for goal attainment. I also agree that focusing the mind, having faith, a positive attitude, and a strong will to achieve (especially when times get tough) is a sound recipe for success. But there is a lot of extra stuff in here that feels like it goes off the course of the objective and down a very odd rabbit hole.

To summarize my review, this book is still worth reading, especially for success-minded folks.

But imagine it’s best applied when digested, distilled, and discussed. And if the principles and steps outlined within this classic business tome worked for Schwab, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and the like, then who am I to poo-poo it? I probably didn’t think hard enough. Lesson learned. 

Source: Purchased