One of the secrets to being the best is continued education. It is important that we take it upon ourselves to keep growing and developing through reading books, current events and research studies. Attend workshops on new technologies or marketing strategies or simply hang around “like-minded” people.
Think and Grow Rich, an oldie but goodie, simplifies the necessary steps and techniques to becoming successful. Here are the 13 principles to success according to Napoleon Hill.
- DESIRE – Knowing what you want! Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, then planning definite ways to acquire those riches through goal setting and backing those plans with a persistence that does not recognize failure, will bring you what you desire.
Translation: you have to WANT it BAD! Then organize a plan to get what you want. Your passion will help you get one step closer to your success.
- FAITH – Visualization of, and Belief in Attainment of Desire. “FAITH is the head chemist of the mind. When FAITH is blended with the vibration of thought, the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration, translates it into its spiritual equivalent, and transmits it to Infinite Intelligence, as in the case of prayer.”
Translation: Everyone needs faith, regardless of religious identification. The ability to ‘BELIEVE’ in oneself in relation to a higher power can make a difference when it comes to the intensity of determination.
- AUTO-SUGGESTION – The Medium for Influencing the Subconscious Mind. “AUTO-SUGGESTION is the agency of control through which an individual may voluntarily feed his sub-conscious mind on thoughts of a creative nature, or, by neglect, permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find their way into this rich garden of the mind.”
Translation: When your desire becomes second nature, your mind will subconsciously invite opportunities for you. I’ve read a quote once that said: “When you know what you want for your future, you automatically act differently in the present”.
- SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE – Personal Experiences or Observations “Before you can be sure of your ability to transmute DESIRE into its monetary equivalent, you will require SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE of the service, merchandise, or profession which you intend to offer in return for fortune.”
Translation: General knowledge is good but specialized knowledge is better! It’s important to be an expert on something specific. This specialized knowledge will be your key to your success.
- IMAGINATION – The Workshop of the Mind. “MAN’S ONLY LIMITATION, within reason, LIES IN HIS DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF HIS IMAGINATION. Creative imagination allows the finite mind to have direct communication with infinite intelligence, through hunches, intuition and inspiration.
Translation: Do not limit yourself. Consider what’s beyond reality and challenge the limitations. Do you think Bill Gates was limited? His imagination fed his desire!
- ORGANIZED PLANNING – When creating and adopting a plan for success, it may be necessary to have several alternatives in reserve. If the first plan you adopt does not work successfully, replace it with a new plan, if this new plan doesn’t work, replace it in turn with still another, and so on… until you find a plan that works.
Translation: It’s now time to put your desire, faith, specialized knowledge and imagination into action! Consider this as your personal business plan!
- DECISION – The Mastery of Procrastination. “Analysis of several hundred people who had accumulated fortunes well beyond the million dollar mark, disclosed the fact that every one of them had the habit of REACHING DECISIONS PROMPTLY, and of changing these decisions SLOWLY, if, and when they were changed.”
Translation:Although it’s ok to change your decision, it’s more important to learn to stand by them. Fast decision making can be practiced. Train yourself. Start with the smaller decisions then gradually advance to bigger decisions to test your intuition’s ability.
- PERSISTENCE – The Sustained Effort Necessary to Induce Faith. “PERSISTENCE is an essential factor in the procedure of transmuting DESIRE into its monetary equivalent. The basis of persistence is the POWER OF WILL.”
Translation: Keep your eyes on the prize. If you want it that bad, you must persist!
- POWER OF THE MASTER MIND – The Driving Force. “Analyze the record of any man who has accumulated a great fortune, and many of those who have accumulated modest fortunes, and you will find that they have either consciously, or unconsciously employed the “Master Mind” principal.”
Translation: Ask yourself: Who are your top five friends and how are they contributing to your success or how are they motivating you to reach your goals? A healthy competition is always good.
- THE MYSTERY OF SEX TRANSMUTATION “So strong and impelling is the desire for sexual contact that men freely run the risk of life and reputation to indulge it. When harnessed, and redirected along other lines, this motivating force maintains all of its attributes of keenness of imagination, courage, etc., which may be used as powerful creative forces in literature, art, or in any other profession or calling, including, of course, the accumulation of riches.”
Translation: If you could re-channel your passion for sex to a passion for wealth, imagine what you could achieve. Be honest and really consider analyzing your “active” sex life.
- THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND – The Connecting Link. “The SUBCONSCIOUS MIND consists of a field of consciousness, in which every impulse of thought that reaches the objective mind through any of the five senses, is classified and recorded, and from which thoughts may be recalled or withdrawn as letters may be taken from a filing cabinet.”
Positive Emotions: Desire, Faith, Love, Sexual Longing, Enthusiasm, Romance, Hope
Negative Emotions: Fear, Jealousy, Hatred, Revenge, Greed, Superstition, Anger
Translation: Be careful with every thought; make it positive at all times if you can help it. Sooner or later, you will have successfully trained your mind to hone in positivity.
- THE BRAIN – A Broadcasting and Receiving Station for Thought. “Operation of your mental “broadcasting” station is a comparatively simple procedure. You have but three principles to bear in mind, and to apply, when you wish to use your broadcasting station – the SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, CREATIVE IMAGINATION, and AUTO-SUGGESTION. The stimuli through which you put these three principles into action have been described – the procedure begins with DESIRE.”
Translation: Mind over matter! It sounds that simple but we know it’s a challenge.
- THE SIXTH SENSE – The Door to the Temple of Wisdom. “The sixth sense defies description! It cannot be described to a person who has not mastered the other principles of this philosophy, because such a person has no knowledge, and no experience with which the sixth sense may be compared.”
Translation: Trust your instincts. Most of the decisions we make are initiated by our instincts. Avoid indecision, doubt and fear and allow your instinct to lead you to the right direction.
I’ve also found a “Think and Grow Rich” workbook that you can use to evaluate your probability for for success! I have personally filled this workbook out and it made me realize how much more work I need to do and how much more I could achieve with small improvements of habits and thoughts. Download the workbook now!
Master these 13 principles and you will find yourself gradually narrowing your path to success! Self-assessment is important, it’s good to know what others think of you but it’s better to be at peace with what you think of yourself.
Mae Day Marketing 
More on our site about the Principles of Success from Napoleon Hill, including remarks and application.
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