It seems that business makes the world go round. All sorts of business. Some seem to naturally succeed, while others fail repeatedly. One man wondered if he could unlock the secrets of personal success. That man was Napoleon Hill.
His book, Think and Grow Rich, has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, and has never been out of print since it was initially published in 1937. It is one of the best selling personal development books of all time. In 1908, young Napoleon Hill was commissioned by wealthy industrialist Andrew Carnegie to interview scores of wealthy, successful people. Carnegie asked Napoleon to develop, in writing, a clear-cut formula for personal achievement. The task ended up taking over 25 years to complete!
If you are not familiar with the book, or have not read it for some time, we will review the 13 Steps to Riches, as enumerated in 'Think and Grow Rich'.
1. Desire
Is not enough to have a business idea to guarantee the success. The burning desire to put theory in practice is most important and can be considered the reference point for the birth of a business.
2. Faith
Believing in the success of the ideas makes things go further. Faith in fulfilling the desire is essential.
3. Auto-suggestion
Successful people are visionaries. Nearly every business sounded crazy at the beginning, so using auto-suggestion to induce the idea of success is an important ingredient. Auto-suggestion strengthens faith and gives energy.
4. Specialized knowledge
Information in a domain can prove to be vital in a business. The wealthiest people had faith in their ideas and followed their desire, but focused on one thing they knew best and applied it.
5. Imagination
Putting knowledge to work is not everything, it requires originality and innovation.
6. Organized planning
A working business is structured in well-determined steps to follow. Actions are planned and predicted in time. If one plan fails, build another one. Mainly, a cause of failure is the fact that many people give up after one plan did not work.
7. Decisive in nature
A chance must be taken when it appears. Most people only think of it. Successful ones see opportunities and take action.
8. Persistence
Faith fuels the desire in achieving a goal, such as wealth. And a continuous effort, persistence fuels the faith. These are connected.
9. Power of the Mastermind
The most successful business people always surround themselves with other brilliant minds. The cooperation results in the engine of the business.
10. The mystery of sex transmutation
Napoleon Hill believed that the sexual attraction can be a key in achieving personal success, if the forces are correctly directed. Late 20th century neurological studies actually proved Hill's point of view by showing the dependencies between substances produced by the brain and their neurological effects.
11. The subconscious mind
By auto-suggestion, the subconscious can be implanted with any information. Put in it the right things (plans, purposes) and it will power up the plans to high achievements without doubt.
12. The brain
An active brain acts like a central station across ideas. It's main activities are receiving, gathering, editing, rephrasing, building and broadcasting new theories and thoughts. A brain's broadcast is received in subconscious mind.
13. The sixth sense
The last ability of the formula of success, but an important one, just like the others. Not like the rest of the abilities, this one comes only with experience, only with achievements and often failures. The sixth sense represents a feeling of power, of indestructibility, which erases fears and gives imagination an almost total freedom.
Although Think and Grow Rich was written in 1937, the principles remain: everyone is a potentially successful man or woman. The biggest obstacle to personal achievement is a lack of belief in ourselves.
" What you think, so you will become." (Napoleon Hill)
Cathy Yeatts is a network marketer, home business entrepreneur and internet network marketing trainer. She is webmaster of a network marketing review blog, a women's health site and various business opportunity sites. She is the Official Guide to Network Marketing and MLM at Selfgrowth.com.
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