“A genius is simply one who has taken full possession of his own mind and directed it toward objectives of his own choosing, without permitting outside influences to discourage or mislead him.” –Napoleon Hill
When you ask anyone closely linked to the success and personal development industry what book influenced them most you’ll often hear one book’s title come up over and over again. That book is Napoleon Hill’s 1937 ground-breaking release titled, Think and Grow Rich. The book’s genesis was planted 20-years before its release when a young Hill was offered an opportunity by US Steel magnate, Andrew Carnegie, to interview and chronicle many of the top business leaders at the time.
Released at the height of the Great Depression, the book took off and has to date sold over 80- million copies and still counting 75-years after its original release date. The book is broken down into what Hill describes as the Thirteen Steps to Riches, which include:
1. Thoughts are Things
2. Desire
3. Faith
4. Autosuggestion
5. Specialized Knowledge
6. Imagination
7. Organized Planning
8. Decision
9. Persistence
10. Power of the Mastermind
11. The Mystery of Sex Transmutation
12. The Subconscious Mind
13. The Sixth Sense
Having read Think & Grow Rich many times, as well as many of his other books, I’d like to share with you in this month’s lead article three key reasons why this book is still so important and relevant 75-years after its original release.
#1. This type of knowledge is still not taught in K-12 grades or at the University level. It’s an atrocity to me that our school systems continue to make memorization and logic the primary source of their teaching focus. We are churning out a very ‘play-it-safe’ set of students and future leaders who’ll need much more than memorization and case study exercises and theory to either win well paying jobs, a rewarding career, or take the road of starting a new business venture.
The economy does not take place in a classroom with defined procedures and logic. The ability to master people skills and deal with the many outside forces competing for time and attention, is of high importance in today’s web-driven economy. To skip over and often ignore many of the key success components contained within a book like Think & Grow Rich is mind-boggling.
In addition, with many right brained, creativity based programs such as the arts and music either being eliminated or offered up as electives, we are jeopardizing the power of innovation by teaching many outdated theories and text book driven approaches to commerce and life that most major employers can tell you are outdated and a complete waste of time to be teaching the next wave of thought leaders.
In the web based, K-12th grade school structures and our university systems rarely discuss, teach or offer up any classes on creativity, persistence, and goal-setting. It’s no mystery to me why the Hill’s book has stood up well through the passage of time. Its detailed steps, stories and wisdom dispensed are timeless regardless of what the latest management fads, global market conditions, politicians, the media, and other innovations come along to make us believe otherwise.
Tony Note: Join me and 30+ other Top speakers from around the world when we celebrate Hill’s work and the book Think and Grow Rich this October! Here are more details:http://thinkandgrowrichsummit.com
Share this:
