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Read as a Companion to The Law of Success, August
9, 2009
"Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought."
~ pg.68
After reading both Think and Grow Rich and The
Law of Success: The Master Wealth-Builder's Complete and Original
Lesson Plan forAchieving Your Dreams I'd say the latter is
more helpful. In this book the "definite chief aim" is
not described as well so I'd advise you to read The Law of Success
first. There is also a discussion of the "master mind"
which is not as good as the description in The Law of Success.
What you will find in this book is practical suggestions that are
reminiscent of the advice given in The Secret. You should at first
know exactly what you want, have a burning desire for success,
describe how much money you want and then pretend that you already
have the money. Once a day you should imagine yourself as
successful by using visualization techniques.
While the first part of the book is a compelling read the second
half of the book requires more patience. There are detailed ideas
for writing a resume and information on job hunting strategies.
If you don't have a burning desire for wealth then this book will
have little to offer. If on the other hand you believe you are
destined for success then you may find a few ideas to lead you to
your goal.
The only thing I really disagreed with in this book is Napoleon
Hill's idea that death is just an eternal peaceful sleep. I've
read too many books on near-death experiences to believe that.
This is discussed in the section on fears we all experience and
how they can make us less successful.
In the end, this book is useful for self-analysis. As you read
each chapter you will realize why you are successful in certain
areas of your life while you lack success in others. In my own
life I've realized the value of persistence and a certain level of
obsession in completing projects like a cookbook that took me
thirty years to produce.
Don't be surprised if this book has you dreaming of how you can
obtain a million dollars or more. The difference between this book
and The Secret is that this book
explains that you need a product to exchange for wealth. You can't
simply imagine that you have the money you also need a plan of
action to explain how you are going to achieve your goals. All of
the examples given indicate that individuals strove relentlessly
towards success and didn't give up until they had achieved their
goals.
While this book seems to be as close to the original as possible
this book has been revised by Dr. Arthur R. Pell. He basically
just added some modern examples of people who achieved great
wealth in our time. It makes the book slightly more enjoyable and
the information is provided in a way that you know it was not in
the original manuscript.
"People who do not succeed have one distinguishing trait in
common. They know all the reasons for failure, and have what they
believe to be airtight alibis to explain away their own lack of
achievement." ~ pg. 286
While reading both Napoleon Hill's books I did come up with an
idea that could make me money. So don't be surprised if this book
serves as inspiration for some of your new dreams.
~The Rebecca Review
The Law of Success
Still Very Relevant After All These Years, August
4, 2009
"...you will attract to you people who harmonize with your
own philosophy of life, whether you wish it or not." ~ pg. 79
Napoleon Hill's classic "The Law of Success" is still
very valid even in our modern society. While he was born in 1883
he had some very new age ideas. The section on the "master
mind" reminds me of what we may recognize as the collective
unconscious. He also talks about a day arriving where people will
speak to each other telepathically. I've had experiences where
I've heard (in my own mind) what someone is about to say. One time
it happened when I was at a cash register and I heard (in my own
mind) the amount of the transaction before the cashier said it. I
can't say why this happens to me but I've heard it happens to a
lot of people so it might be normal.
I was surprised by this book because I'm using many of the
principles when I'm reviewing but not as many in my
"real" life. I have a "definite chief aim" in
reviewing but I lack one when it comes to my real job. Napoleon
Hill talks about self-confidence, the habit of saving, initiative,
leadership, persistence, imagination, enthusiasm, self-control,
doing more than you are paid for, developing a pleasing
personality, learning to concentrate, dealing with failure,
tolerance and living by the golden rule.
This book is extremely well organized although there are so many
examples for each idea that it can become a little overwhelming.
It is 600 pages so it is not a book you can easily read in an
afternoon or evening. It takes perseverance to get through it but
your effort will be rewarded. By reading through each chapter
carefully you somehow start to cement the ideas in your mind.
While I agreed with almost everything in this book - it is all
very logical, I can say that Napoleon Hill must not have been
introduced to the idea of near-death experiences. He claims that
there is no way anyone can possibly know about a heaven or hell.
Although he also says that he looks forward to heaven as a place
where there is no discrimination.
The most convincing argument in the entire book is about saving
money. In this way you have money to spend when a new idea enters
your mind. As Napoleon Hill says: "There is always plenty of
capital for those who can create practical plans for using
it." So maybe you don't always need to earn the money to earn
the right to use it for a good cause. Still it is a good idea to
start saving so you can become financially independent.
In the end this book helped me to see where I'm going wrong and
what to do about it. While reading this book you may want to write
down all your original ideas that percolate to the surface. Now I
just have to figure out my "definite chief aim" for the
real world.
~The Rebecca Review
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