Book Review - Think and Grow Rich

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great many years ago I purchased a fine dictionary. The first thing I did with it was to turn to the word “impossible,” and neatly clip it out of the book. That would not be an unwise thing for you to do. Success comes to those who become success conscious. - Napolean Hill

Wise words from an exceptionally wise man. "Think and Grow Rich" has been circulating around my TBR list for a while now, so for the month of June I decided to pick it up and force myself to become more money conscious. The problem with today's society is that it does not teach you about managing finances. There was no point in high school where I was given a practical lesson about it in math or economics class, rather the lessons were theoretical and more importantly did NOT help me to make money.

Hill's book teaches you how to make money by simply altering your mindset. Those people that are poor have a fixed mindset. It is true that rich people think differently about money. They have a positive outlook on it, and therefore naturally attract it. Napolean Hill explains this concept by stating the following:

The subconscious mind is the "sending station” of the brain, through which vibrations of thought are broadcast. The Creative Imagination is the “receiving set,” through which the vibrations of thought are picked up from the ether.

If we train our mind to think positively about money and fixate on it morning and night, it will naturally penetrate into our subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is like a radio, which receives information, sends it out into the ether and consequently brings about new ideas for the individual to make money.

I have heard of this theory before, more often described as "The Law of Attraction." As a matter of fact, I have watched several videos on YouTube about this theory and can confidently state that this is true. The Law of Attraction is similar to telepathy, except instead of a joined unison where two people can effortlessly read each other's minds, the Law of Attraction allows a person to transmit their subconscious thoughts into the universe and it responds in kind.

It is still early days, but already I am seeing some progress. My viewpoint on money has drastically changed. As a child I was taught that money was "evil" and that a person should not worship it. I was content with the middle class life, but after reading Hill's book I desire more. If a person wants a $100, 000 then they will get that amount. If they want a million they will get a million. If you want ten million, I can assure you that the human mind is more than capable of generating a way to accumulate that amount.

One important thing I learned from this book is the power of imagination. As a writer, I am already a highly creative imaginative being but I never thought I can use this special talent to increase my financial wealth. Hill explains that we must close our eyes at night, meditate and imagine the accumulation of wealth that we desire. He expressed the uttermost importance that we should write these goals down and repeat them nightly. It penetrates into the subconscious mind, and allows our thoughts to travel to the other realm of that unseen ether. Thoughts have power! If I think negatively then I will generate negative outcomes in my life. In the same way, if I wake up in the morning with a positive outlook on life and proclaim my goals aloud, it will motivate me to procure them. There is this one quote by Napolean Hill, which I particularly fancy:

Do not wait for a definite plan, through which you intend to exchange services or merchandise in return for the money you are visualizing, but begin at once to see yourself in possession of the money, demanding and expecting meanwhile, that your subconscious mind will hand over the plan, or plans you need.

I recommend this book to anyone that wants to get rich. If you are looking to evaluate your finances, it would be an excellent read too. I only wish this was a required read in high school, it would have benefited me so much if I had obtained this knowledge ten years ago. My own fault with this book is the repetition, but I suppose that Hill wanted to stress his ideas onto the reader until they really began to believe his ideas in full. I am glad I picked up this book.

Happy reading everyone!

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