In this book, Napoleon Hill emphasizes the power of our minds, and that we can grow rich,
by simply thinking.
Our mind is capable of drawing information from something called infinite intelligence.
But in order to do so, we must first have a desire, a goal we want so badly, that we
are willing to put everything on the line in order to attain it.
Once we have that goal, our subconscious works to find a way to achieve it by accessing knowledge
from a place called infinite intelligence.
The wright brothers were able to access infinite intelligence when they created a vehicle that
allowed people to soar in the sky, something that seemed impossible.
But impossible is just a word for something that has never been done before.
Running a mile in 4 minutes was impossible until a fellow named Roger Bannister decided
to do it.
Creating artificial light without gas was impossible until Thomas Edison had the idea.
In their minds, they didn’t see it as an impossible task, instead they saw it as a
goal, a desire.
A desire so strong that even after 10,000 failed attempts, Edison still looked for new
ways to make it work.
That desire came from a great warrior in history.
When him and his troops arrived in the enemy country, he gave the order to burn down the
ships that had carried them.
He told his troops, “You see those burning ships, we have no way to retreat, we either
win, or we die.”
They won.
That is the definition of the burning desire to win.
A desire so strong, that nothing can get in its way.
Once we have attained this desire, our mind works by itself to help us achieve whatever
we want.
Thoughts are so powerful, that our entire view on life is determined by them.
To show you what I mean, imagine a thought as a piece of a puzzle in your mind.
If we constantly think about what we want, our mind automatically tries to fit everything
we experience with our puzzle piece.
If we believe that today is going to be an awful day.
Everything “slightly bad” that happens will strengthen the idea that it’s an awful
day.
When we are driving down the road and the light turns red for example.
What if instead we had the belief today is great, every green light we encounter would
reinforce our idea that today is great.
Every red light would just be ignored, or even viewed as an opportunity to take a sip
of your coffee.
What we think about, in this case our beliefs, is stronger than you may think.
Because of this, we are able to achieve anything we want to with our thoughts.
If we focus on something such as making money.
Everything we come in contact with, we will fit into the concept of “making money”.
When we read a book, we look at the how the author designs the cover to attract buyers.
When we go to a grocery store, we may notice how the merchandise is placed in order to
maximize the chances that someone will buy it.
If we focused on becoming a better communicator.
We could be exposing ourselves to the same environment, but notice completely different
things.
When we read that same book.
We may think about how the author is communicating his or her thoughts to the readers.
When we go into a grocery store, we may notice the interactions between the cashier and the
customers.
The main point is: The world around us, has nothing to do with what is actually happening,
but has everything to do with what we notice, and how WE interpret the situation.
In order to use the idea of thinking and growing rich,
Start by thinking of a vague idea of what you want to accomplish.
Over time, your goal will become more clear, more specific.
At that stage, if we constantly remind ourselves of this desire.
Our subconscious, creative minds, will access the pool of infinite intelligence to come
up with ways to achieve our desire.
Edison took 10,000 tries before he was able to find the solution, which shows that it
takes persistence as well as an initial desire.
That’s why finding ways to accomplish a desire isn’t real message in the book.
It is finding what you desire, what you are passionate about.
Because the more you desire something, the less persistence you will need.
When Edison didn’t give up after failing each of the 10,000 times, it was because his
desire was so strong, that persistence came naturally.
Your mind will eventually tap into the infinite intelligence and find the way for you to achieve
whatever you want to achieve.
As long as you have a clear desire, one that you are reminded
of every day.