Book Synopsis | Napolean Hill's "Think and Grow Rich"

Napoleon Hill was the Elvis of the self-motivation movement. Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” is considered to be the seminole book on setting intentions and manifesting your dreams, and Hill has deeply influenced our modern ideas of personal growth, positive thinking, and manifesting abundance in all areas of life.  In fact, many of today’s writers and thinkers from Wayne Dyer to Gabrielle Bernstein credit Hill with inspiring their paths.   

First published during the Great Depression, “Think and Grow Rich” sold more than 20 million copies by the time of Hill's death in 1970. By 2015, more than 100 million copies had been sold worldwide, and the book is still in the top 10 best selling books self-motivation books ever published. 

When he interviewed steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie for an assignment, Carnegie told Hill that there was a formula for success, and anyone could achieve it. Carnegie encouraged Hill to write a book about this idea.  Carnegie introduced Hill to his circle of friends, and Hill spent 20 years researching and interviewing every great name of the day who had amassed a personal fortune (Ford, Woolworth, Edison, etc.) -  plus lots of people who failed (because you have to know what doesn't work too).   Hill studied the habits and personal belief structures of these early millionaires, and wrote several volumes of books outlining his study.  Hill eventually condensed his study into one book, and “Think and Grow Rich” is the result. 

“Think and Grow Rich” hammers home a single point, over and over again: Success comes from setting an intention and sticking to it - from knowing what you want to achieve and having a burning desire, and conviction to achieve it.  How achievement actually occurs, and the formula for it, which puts success in reach of the average person, were the focal points of Hill's books, and his “Philosophy of Achievement” includes these key points:

1. Desire -The starting point of all achievement is desire. Dreams are the seeds of manifestation.
2. Faith, Planning, Persistence and Intuition are the four keys to personal achievement.
3. You are the master of your destiny.
4. Your greatest success will often come just one step beyond the point at which defeat has overtaken you.
5. Set your mind on a definite goal and clear intention, and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass. 
6. (Download the free e-book to go deeper and read all thirteen!) 

The book demonstrates how desire, faith, and persistence can help you manifest your hearts desires, if you learn to focus on positive thoughts and train your brain to have a razor-sharp focus on clear intentions.  And while the book's title and much of the writing concerns increasing income, Hill was clear that his philosophy can help people succeed in any line of work, to do and be anything they can imagine.

"What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve" is one of Hill's hallmark expressions and often-referenced quote for manifesting desires.  

Hill’s intent was that his book would teach people the secrets of the wealthy.  He created a powerful formula for self-improvement, which shows you how to harness the powers of your will and mind so that you can achieve mental happiness, business success, spiritual vitality and financial abundance.  This is the best self help book any entrepreneur could ever read. Perhaps the only one they need to. Truly transformative. 

“All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination…. Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth.” - Napoleon Hill