THINK AND GROW RICH by Napoleon Hill

Think and grow rich! Does it mean we have to actually grow to become rich?

Think and grow rich was written by Napoleon Hill in 1937, and it contains about 15 chapters with about 13 steps towards Riches written in 14 chapters, while the fifteenth chapter gave real insight into what fears entails.

The thirteen steps are;
1:Desires
2:Faith
3:Autosuggestion: The medium for influencing the subconscious mind
4:Specialized knowledge
5:Meditation: Workshop of the Mind
6:Organized planning: Crystallising of desires into action
7:Decision: the mastery of procrastination
8:Persistence; The sustained effort necessary to induce Faith
9:power of the master mind; Driving force
10:The mystery of Sex Transmutation
11:The subconscious Mind
12:The Brain; A broadcasting and receiving station for thoughts
13:The Sixth Sense; The door to the temple of wisdom
From the 13 steps he analysed, permit me to throw a little more light on the first three.

The First step towards riches is Desire:
Everyone who reaches the ages of desire for money wishes for it, wishing will not bring riches, but desiring riches with the state of Mind that become an obsession. Then planning definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing those plans with persistence which does not recognized failures, will bring riches.

The method by which the desire for riches can be transmuted into its financial equivalent, consist of six practical steps. Thus:
First. Fix your mind on the exact amount you want
Second. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire. (There is no such reality as "something for nothing.)
Third. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.
Fourth. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.
Fifth. Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
Sixth. Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night, and once after arising in the morning. AS YOU READ, “SEE AND FEEL AND BELIEVE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY”.

Second Step is Faith:
Have faith that you can accomplish your heartfelt desires. Napoleon Hill suggests that faith is a state of mind that can be induced by repeated instructions to the subconscious mind.
He writes ‘‘Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith’’.
Faith is the only known antidote to Failure!
Faith is the elements which transform the Ordinary Vibration of thought, created by the Finite Mind of Man, into the spiritual equivalent.
Riches begin in the form of thought, the amount is limited only in the mind of the person whose thought is put into Motions.

Faith help to remove Limitations; remember this when you are ready to bargain with Life for whatever it is that you ask as your price for having passed this way.

The third step towards riches is Auto–Suggestion:
This is the method of putting the sub-conscious mind to work for you through repeated suggestion. It is the ability of being able to focus your mind on your burning desire until your subconscious mind accepts it as fact and starts to plan ways of materializing it. To implement the principle of autosuggestion, the written statement that you have made in the’’ first step towards riches’’ take a few minutes in the evening and in the morning to repeat this statement over and over again. Leave a copy of it around until you have memorized it. While repeating the statement you must see yourself already in possession of your coveted goal.

Finally, he also talked about Six basic types of fear
1:The fear of Poverty
2:The fear of Criticism
3:The fear of ill health
4:The fear of Love of Someone
5:The fear of old age
6:The fear of death
According to him, fear is nothing more than the status of mind, so subtle and deeply seated is the emotion of fear that one may go via life burdened with it, never recognising its presence.
Mind control is the result of self discipline and habit. According to Plato the first and best victory is to conquer self.
Most of the Ugliness you see in others are but a reflection of your own self.

I hope you have grasped some few nuggets from my brief explanation, if you want more, you can as well go through the book because there are a lot of insight beyond what has been reviewed here.

Reviewed by EDOBOR Faith