This is Earl Nightingale. The purpose of this recording is to tell you about and try to condense one of the most amazing books ever written, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Without question, this single book has had a greater influence on the lives, accomplishments, and fortunes of more individuals than any other work of its kind. All over the free world, there are literally thousands of successful men in all lines of work who are where they are today because they once picked up and bought a copy of Think and Grow Rich, and they’ll be quick to tell you so. I first discovered this remarkable book in the fall of 1949. It was of enormous help to me. It helped me decide once and for all how I was to accomplish my goal. It unified my thinking and gave me a straight, clear road to the point I had decided to reach. One of my closest friends found the book several years ago and stayed home for three days reading and digesting its material, and he then went on to reach the top in his industry. I sat in richly paneled, carpeted executive offices and listen to world famous business leaders, some of them old enough to be my father, tell me that everything worked out fine after they had read Think and Grow Rich.
Now, what’s the secret of this amazing book? Why has this book, out of all the thousands of self-help books, remained the one towering giant? I think to understand this, you have to know Napoleon Hill as I do. He certainly was not the first man to be appalled at the poverty and seemingly endless struggle and lack of direction he saw about him as a as a young man, nor was he the first to write on the subject. But he possessed two unique, highly developed abilities, seldom found in one man. The first was in the manner in which he approached his subject. Napoleon Hill went after the answers to achievement in the same way a scientist seeks to open to the light of reason a secret of nature. He went after the solution to accomplishment in the same way Thomas Edison discovered the solution to the electric light, relentlessly, indefatigably, implacably, until the truth, which had been there all the time, was revealed to him. His second important ability was the knack or skill of writing about his findings in such a way that it was instantly understood intellectually, but what is perhaps even more important for this particular subject, understood emotionally as well.
When the last page of Think and Grow Rich was read, the hand which put the book down on the table was a different hand. The man who then stood and walked out into the world was a different, a changed man. The suffocating entangling webs of self-imposed frustration and indirection had fallen away, and now the way was clear. The man was now the possessor of the unique, unseen talent for turning dreams into reality, thoughts into things. So-called fate or the idol effects of exterior circumstances were no longer in command. He who had been a passenger was now suddenly the captain. To begin, we have to understand the simple truth, the principle or philosophy which lies as the supporting structure of this work. Unless whatever it is you build is based on truth, you will end with the entire structure fallen and scattered about you like the armor of Homer’s ancient warriors. It simply cannot stand. It cannot withstand the test of time. The reason Think and Grow Rich has withstood the test of time is because it rests on the broad, clean foundation upon which may also be found every accomplishment of man, the clear, unchallengeable fact that everything begins with an idea there.
A philosophy based on the fact that riches of every kind begin with the state of mind, that one may start with nothing but thoughts, ideas, and organized plans. Thoughts are things incredibly powerful powerful things when mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a burning desire for their translation into material objects or riches, riches being whatever it is you happen to want. Wise men have been saying this for centuries, and just recently, Charles A. Seramian he wrote, The truth is that the human mind is as real an organism as any muscle in the body, but far greater in potential power. And like muscle fiber, it can be strengthened to lead on to unimagined conquests. So this then is the truth on which Think and grow rich is based. If you know what you want, and if you want it strongly enough to muster the persistence that simply cannot be stopped, you will most certainly achieve it. By controlling your mind, you can control your destiny here on Earth. With this as our foundation, let’s talk about Napoleon Hill’s famous Thirteen Proven Steps to Riches, as found in his book, Think and Grow Rich, remembering, of course, that riches are whatever it is you happen to want.
Right here, let me make two important points. The first is that whenever you listen to this record, have a notebook handy and make notes as we go along. The second is that this record was produced for your own personal use to go with you on your own exciting journey. To play this record for a group will prove to be of only temporary help. Make sure you have your own personal copy to play again and again, particularly at those times when you may feel yourself getting off the track. And now Now, Napoleon Hill’s famous Thirteen Principles. You will notice that we have separated each principle by bending them on the record. In this way, you’re given quick access to any particular principle to which you may wish to return for reference. The first principle, desire. Here is the starting point for all achievement, the first step toward riches. But it’s right here that we so often run into a stumbling block. A person will say, I know what I desire, but can I get it? We’ll get into this business of doubt later, but once and for all, let’s clear up this point. This point of whether or not you can accomplish that which you desire with all your heart.
I think was best expressed by Emerson, who wrote, There is nothing capricious in nature, and the implanting of a desire indicates that its gratification is in the constitution of the creature that feels it. In other words, you would not have the desire unless you were capable of its achievement. Each of us has a built-in governor, and our desires are modified by our abilities and leanings. Whatever it is that you desire with all your heart, understand once and for all that it can and should be yours. In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill cites example after example of why your burning desire is nothing more than an accurate picture of what you will one day become. So right here, firmly establish in your mind that which you desire more than anything else. For as Halviches put it, by violating the desires, you violate the mind. Every man without passions has within him no principle of action nor motive to act. A good way to determine whether or not you really have a burning desire is to examine the way you go after it. If you go after that which you think you desire tentatively, timidly, in an attempt to play it safe, you don’t have a burning desire at all.
You can’t get to second base if you keep one foot on first. But if you’re willing to burn your bridges behind you and say once and for all, This is it. This is what I will do, and I will never retreat. I’ll never go back. Then you have the a desire that can only end in success. It takes that resolve to be able to keep picking yourself up after the falls you’re bound to take. The only people who don’t make mistakes are those who never try anything, the timid feeders in the lagoon who never venture into the broad deep sea beyond. While these principles will work for anything you may want, a more harmonious home life, a more successful career, for our example, let’s say your desire happens to be more money to better care for your family and provide for your future years to get your share of the prosperity that lies ahead. Napoleon Hill gives us six definite practical steps to follow. One, fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not Not sufficient, merely to say, I want plenty of money. Be definite as to the amount.
There’s a psychological reason for definiteness which will be described in a subsequent principle. Number two, determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire. There’s no such reality as something for nothing. Three, establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire. And four, create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you’re ready or not, to put this plan into action. Five, 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 through which you intend to accumulate it. Six, 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 or whatever your goal happens to be. It’s important that you follow these instructions to the letter. Play this part of the record over until you have it down to your satisfaction, for this is by far the most important of the 13 principles.
And this chapter of the book ends with these words. Through some strange and powerful principle of mental chemistry, which she has never devolved, nature wraps up in the impulse of strong desire, that something which recognizes no such word is impossible and accepts no such reality as failure. The second principle is faith. You never would have even thought of your main desire unless faith were tugging at mind. And if you find it difficult at times to have faith in yourself, you can be certain that you can have faith in these principles. Napoleon Hill writes, Faith is a state of mind which may be induced or created by affirmation or repeated instructions to the subconscious mind through the principle of conscious autosuggestion. Conscious autosuggestion simply means a suggestion by yourself to yourself, just as an autobiography is a biography written by the person it’s about. By getting a mental image of yourself already having accomplished your main desire over and over again, you will muster the faith you need. Faith is vital to accomplishment. The Emperor Napoleon once said, All the scolastic scaffolding falls as a ruined edifice before one single word, faith. Pascal said, Faith affirms many things respecting which the senses are silent, but nothing which they deny.
It is superior to their testimony, but never opposed to it. Goethe said, Epics of faith are epics of fruitfulness, but epics of unbelief, however glittering, are barren of all permanent good. And as Schlegel put it, In actual life, every great enterprise begins with and takes its first forward step in faith. Have faith that you can accomplish that which you seek, for you would never have decided upon it unless it was meant for you to accomplish. In his chapter on faith, Napoleon Hill gives us a self-confidence formula. First, I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose in life, therefore I demand of myself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action. Second, I realize the dominant thoughts of my mind will eventually reproduce themselves in outward physical action and gradually transform themselves into physical reality. Therefore, I will concentrate my thoughts for 30 minutes daily upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to become, thereby creating in my mind a clear mental picture of that person. Third, I know through the principle of auto-suggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means of obtaining the object back of it.
Therefore, I will devote 10 minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of self-confidence. Fourth, I have clearly written down a description of my definite chief aim in life, and I will never stop trying until I have developed sufficient sufficient self-confidence for its attainment. Fifth, I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure unless built upon truth and justice. Therefore, I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism by developing love for all humanity because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me because I will believe in them and in myself. In rereading Think and Grow Rich so that I could write this condensation for recording. I was forcibly struck all over again by this great chapter on faith, particularly the examples of how some of the world’s greatest men have accomplished what appeared to be impossible through faith.
The third principle is auto-suggestion. Now, we’ve already touched on this. This chapter of the book tells us how, through repeated suggestion, the subconscious mind can be put to work for us. It is the faculty of being able to concentrate your mind on your burning desire until your subconscious mind accepts it as fact and begins to devise ways of bringing it about. Here is where hunches come from, sudden flashes of thought or inspiration, guidance. The instructions given in connection with the six steps in the second chapter will now be summarized and blended with the principles covered by Napoleon Hill’s chapter on auto-suggestion. First, go into some quiet spot, perhaps in bed at night, close your eyes and repeat aloud so you may hear your own words, the written statement of the amount of money you intend to accumulate, or a careful reaffirmation of whatever your goal happens to be, the time limit for its accumulation, and a description of the service or merchandise you intend to give in return for the money. As you carry out these instructions, see yourself already in possession of your goal. For example, suppose that you intend to accumulate $50,000 by the first of January, five years from now, that you intend to give personal services in return for the money in the capacity of a salesman.
Your written statement of your purpose should be similar to the following. By the first day of January, 19, whatever it happens to be, I will have in my possession $50,000, which will come to me in various amounts from time to time during the interim. In return for this money, I will give the most efficient service of which I’m capable, rendering the fullest possible quantity and the best possible quality of service in the capacity of salesman of, and here describe the product or service you intend to sell or whatever it is you do for a living. It goes on. I believe that I will have this money in my possession. My faith is so strong that I can now see this money before my eyes. I can touch it with my hands. It is now awaiting transfer to me at the time and in the proportion that I deliver service I intend to render in return for it. I am awaiting a plan by which to accumulate this money, and I will follow that plan when it is received. Second, repeat this program night and morning until you can see in your imagination the money you intend to accumulate.
Third, place a written copy of your statement where you can see it night and morning and read it just before retiring and upon arising until it’s been memorized. As you carry out these instructions, you are applying the principle of auto-suggestion. The fourth principle is specialized knowledge. It is here that I think Napoleon Hill makes a very important point. Knowledge is power only to the extent that it is organized into a definite plan of action and directed to a definite end. To quote from the book, 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. Perhaps you may need much more specialized knowledge than you have the ability or the inclination to acquire. And if this should be true, you may bridge your weakness through the aid of your mastermind group. More on this later, but for now, realize that you must learn all you can about your specialty. Set aside a definite time every day for learning more about what it is you do for a living. Take the courses that are offered on your subject and associate with men who know your business well.
The fifth principle is imagination. The imagination is literally the workshop wherein are fashioned all plans created by man. The impulse, the desire is given shape, form, and action through the aid of the imaginative faculty of the mind. It has been said that man can create anything he can imagine. As Napoleon Hill says and teaches, whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Man’s only limitation within reason lies in his development and use of his imagination and subsequent motivation to action. The great leaders of business, industry, finance, and the great artists, musicians, poets, and writers became great because they developed the power of self-motivation. Incidentally, one of the best books ever put together on this subject, if not the greatest, is Success Through Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone. I suggest you get a copy from your bookstore at your earliest convenience. If your bookstore happens to be out of the book, you may obtain a copy by writing to the address on the label of this record. As you go about your daily work, think constantly of ways in which it could be done better, more efficiently.
Think of the changes that are inevitable. Can they be made now? And if you feel limited, remember the words of the late Frank Lloyd Wright. He said, The human race built most nobly when limitations were greatest, and therefore, when most was required of imagination in order to build it all. Limitations seem to have always been the best friends of architecture. As you build your future from this point onward, don’t concern yourself with limitations, but remember that they may be your best friends since they require imagination if we’re to rise above them. And as Beecher said, the soul without imagination is what an observatory would be without a telescope. Now, if you’ll turn this record over, we’ll get to the sixth principle. The sixth principle is organized Organized Planning. You have decided on your desire, your goal. Now let’s organize the plan for its accomplishment right on schedule. Let me quote again from Think and Grow Rich. You have learned that everything man creates or acquires begins in the form of desire. The desire is taken on the first lap of its journey from the abstract to the concrete in the workshop of the imagination where plans for its transition are created and organized.
Earlier, you were instructed to take six definite practical steps as your first move in translation committing the desire for whatever you want into its physical equivalent. One of these steps is the formation of a definite practical plan or plans through which this transformation may be made. One, rely yourself with one or more persons Find a group of as many people as you may need for the creation and carrying out of your plan or plans for the accumulation of the money you’ve established as your goal. Making use of the mastermind principle. This is important. Two, before forming your mastermind alliance, decide what advantages and benefits you may offer the individual members of your group in return for their cooperation. No one will work indefinitely without some form of compensation, although this may not always be in the form of money. Three, arrange to meet with the members of your mastermind group at least twice a week, and more often, if possible, until you have jointly perfected the necessary plan or plans for the accomplishment of your goal. Four, maintain perfect harmony between yourself and every member of your mastermind group. Keep in mind these facts. First, you’re engaged in an undertaking of major importance to you.
To be sure of success, you must have plans which are faultless. Second, you must have the advantage of the experience, education, native ability, and imagination of other minds. This is in harmony with the methods followed by every person who has risen above the average. Work at this until you have a well-executed formal plan for reaching your objective. In this way, you’re never confused or wondering what you should do next. 6: Every morning, you know exactly what you’re going to do and why. It is in this chapter of Think and Grow Rich that Napoleon Hill gives us his 11 qualities of leadership. One, unwavering courage. Two, self control. Three, a keen sense of justice. Four, definiteness of decision. Five, definiteness of plans. Six, the habit of doing more than paid for. Seven, a pleasing personality. Eight, sympathy and understanding. Nine, mastery of detail. Ten, willingness to assume full responsibility. And eleven, cooperation. The chapter on organized planning is one of the largest and most important in the book. It goes without saying that a man without a plan to follow is like a ship without a course. No place to go, with disaster, a probability. The seventh principle, decision.
The mastery of procrastination. To quote, Accurate analysis of over 25,000 men and women who had experienced failure disclosed the fact that lack of decision was near the head of the list of the 30 major causes of failure. This is no mere statement of a theory. It is a fact. Procrastination, the opposite of decision, is a common enemy which every man must conquer. 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. People who fail to accumulate money without exception have the habit of reaching decisions, if at all, very slowly and of changing these decisions quickly and often. A definite objective makes reaching prompt decisions that much easier. Napoleon Hill gives many examples, one of which is the case of Henry Ford. One of Henry Ford’s most outstanding qualities was his habit of reaching decisions quickly and definitely and changing them slowly. This quality was so pronounced in the late Mr. Ford that it earned for him the reputation of being obstinate. It was this quality which prompted Mr.
Ford to continue to manufacture his famous Model T, the world’s ugliest, but for the time, most practical car, when all of his advisors and many of the purchasers of the car were urging him to change it. Perhaps he delayed too long in making the change. But the other side of the story is that his firmness of decision yielded a huge fortune before the change in model became necessary, and the company is certainly done the worst for it today. When you make up your mind, stay with it. The majority of people who fail to make the grade are generally easily influenced by the opinions of others, easily swayed. They permit the newspapers and the gossiping neighbors to do their thinking for them. Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth. Keep your own counsel when you begin to put into practice the principles we’re describing here. By reaching your own decisions and following them, take no one into your confidence except the members of your mastermind group, and be very careful in your selection of this group that you choose only those who will be in complete sympathy and harmony with your purpose. Close friends and relatives, while not meaning to do so, often handicap one through opinions and sometimes through ridicule.
Thousands of men and women carry inferiority complexes with them all through life because some well-meaning but ignorant person destroyed their confidence through opinions or ridicule. If a decision is worth anything at all, it’s worth sticking to until it’s been completely worked. The eighth principle, persistence. Napoleon Hill defines persistence as the power of will. Willpower and desire, when properly combined, make an irresistible pair. Persistence to an individual is what carbon is to steal. In uncounted thousands of cases, persistence has stood as the difference between success and failure. It is this quality more than any other that keeps the majority from great accomplishment. They’ll try a thing, but as soon as the going gets tough, they fold. Experience with of people has proved that lack of persistence is a weakness common to the majority of men. It is a weakness which may be overcome by effort. If you’re to accomplish the desire you’ve set for yourself, you must form the habit of persistence. Things will get dark. It will seem as though there’s no longer any reason to continue. Everything in you will tell you to give up, to quit trying. And it’s right here that the men are separated from the boys.
It’s right here that if you go that extra mile and keep going, that the skies will clear and you’ll begin to see the first It’s the best signs of the abundance that is to be yours because you had the courage to persist. With persistence will come success. Persistence is a state of mind. Therefore, it can be cultivated. Like all states of mind, persistence is based upon definite causes, among them these. One, definiteness of purpose, knowing what you want. Two, desire. Three, self-reliance. Four, definiteness of plans. Five, accurate knowledge, knowing that your plan is sound. Six, cooperation. Sympathy, understanding, and harmonious cooperation with others tend to develop persistence. Seven, willpower. Eight, habit. Persistence is the direct result of habit. The ninth principle, power of the Mastermind. It is in this section that Napoleon Hill describes the importance of forming a group of individuals sympathetic to your desire. They They may be individuals with similar plans. A mastermind group can be made up of two or more individuals. No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, a third invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind. You may have noticed many times that by discussing something with another individual, you suddenly get good ideas as a result of this association.
Ideas you would not have gotten without this association. The same thing happens to the other person. A lot of good ideas have been born in individual minds as a result of having met in committee. Associating with your mastermind group is not meant as a means of letting others do your thinking for you. Far from it. It is to stimulate your own thinking through the association with other minds. No one knows everything. The more sympathetic minds you get together and by sympathetic, I mean working for a common purpose, the more related information is going to be available, and great ideas are a combination of related information. So pick the member or members of your mastermind group with care. Make sure they’re people you respect and who are hardworking and conscientious. You’ll have a lot of fun and you’ll all reach your goals just that much sooner. The 10th principle could be called Enthusiasm. That is, the enthusiasm that comes from the channeling of all bodily drives into positive worthwhile outlets. It is in this chapter that Napoleon Hill describes the importance of the woman, the one and only woman, in the achievement of a worthwhile goal.
It seemed quite significant to Mr. Hill that practically every great leader was a man whose achievements were largely inspired by a woman. When things get tough and you can count on it, they will. You may be deserted by what you thought were friends. But if you’ve got a good woman, you’ll never be alone. She’ll be willing to start over again if necessary, and she’ll give you the new enthusiasm that comes through her faith in you. Having someone to love is having someone to share your success and accomplishments, to give you the praise that all of us from time to time. A man can become successful without a wife and family, but all the real joy is taken out of it. Take care of your wife and children as your greatest possessions. The 11th principle has to do with the subconscious mind. 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. It receives and files sense impressions or thoughts regardless of their nature.
You may voluntarily plant in your subconscious mind any plan, thought, or purpose which you desire to translate into its physical or monetary equivalent. The subconscious acts first on the dominating desires which have been mixed with emotional feeling such as faith. Your subconscious mind works night and day through a method of procedure unknown to man, the subconscious mind draws upon the forces of infinite intelligence for the power with which it voluntarily transmutes one’s desires into their physical equivalent, making use always of the most practical media by which this end may be accomplished. You cannot entirely control your subconscious mind, but you can voluntarily hand over to it any plan, desire, or purpose which you wish transformed in a concrete form. No one knows very much about what we call the subconscious or unconscious mind. We do know that it is incalculably powerful and can solve our problems if we go about using it the right way. And the best way is to hold in your conscious mind as often as possible a clear picture of yourself already having accomplished your goal. You know what you want, define it clearly, and then project it on the motion picture screen of your mind.
Hold it. See yourself doing the things and having the things you’ll have when your objective will have been reached. Do this as often as possible as you go about your daily work, and particularly at night, just before you go to sleep, and the first thing upon arising. As you do this, your subconscious will begin to lead you in the most logical ways toward your objective. Don’t fight it. Follow your sudden hunches, the ideas that come into your mind knowing that it’s your subconscious trying to get through to your conscious mind. If you’ll keep at this, you’ll be amazed and delighted by the wonderful ideas that just seem to come from nowhere. In the next principle, we’ll talk some more about this sick sixth sense that seems to control the lives of the great men and women, but it comes from a systematic triggering of the subconscious mind. The lives of the great men and women which seem miraculous to the average person are nothing more than the fulfillment of their burning desires through the power of their subconscious minds. Time means nothing to your subconscious. A man could work steadily at his job for 40 years and not accomplish as much as is possible in three or four years through the proper working of this principle.
Your subconscious mind cannot remain idle. If you fail to plant desires in your subconscious mind, it will feed upon the thoughts which reach it as a result of your neglect. Remember that you’re living daily in the midst of all manner of thought impulses which are reaching your subconscious mind without your knowledge. Some of these impulses are negative, some are positive. You are now engaged in trying to help shut off the flow of negative impulses and to aid in voluntarily influencing your subconscious mind through positive impulses of desire. When you achieve this, you will possess the key which unlocks the door to your subconscious mind. Boulware wrote, The man who succeeds above his fellows is the one who, early in life, clearly discerns his object, and toward that object habitually directs his powers. Even genius itself is but fine observation strengthened by fixity of purpose. Every man who observes vigilantly and resolves steadfastly grows unconsciously into genius. The key word there is unconsciously. Know what you want. Decide once and for all that it will be yours. Remain steadfast on course, propelled by faith, and your subconscious or unconscious mind will do the rest. The 12th principle, as outlined in Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, has to do with the brain.
If you had access to all the wealth in the world and took a penny, you would be doing exactly what you very probably have been doing in the use of your brain. Nothing in the world is more pitiful than the misunderstanding by the average person of the power of his brain and the minds to which it is connected, the conscious and the subconscious. You own in your brain the most marvelous, miraculous, inconceivably powerful force the world has ever known. Take, for example, the fact that the number of lines which connect the brain cells with one another equal the figure one, followed by 15 million ciphers. It has been determined that there are from 10 to 14 billion cells in the average human cerebral cortex. It is inconceivable that such a network of intricate machinery should be in existence for the sole purpose of carrying on the physical function operations, incidental to growth and maintenance of the physical body. This is the mechanism that has given us the supersonic airplane, our deep rocket probes into outer space, the sciences, the arts, all that we know and use today and will use tomorrow, have hatched from this small gray mass each of us carries around.
Can you doubt, even for a moment, that it can bring you and yours everything you want here on Earth? Of course it can. If you will recognize your power as an individual and stop acting like those who have never even thought about it. Give it the job you’ve decided to accomplish and watch it handle it. The 13th and final principle is called the sixth Sense. The sixth Sense can be described as the sense through which infinite intelligence may and will communicate voluntarily without any effort from or demands by the individual. This principle is the apex of the philosophy. It can be assimilated, understood, and applied only by first mastering the other twelve principles. The sixth sense is that portion of the subconscious mind which has been referred to as the creative imagination. It has also been referred to as the receiving set through which ideas, plans, and thoughts flash into the mind. The flashes are sometimes called hunches or inspirations. 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.
The sixth sense is not something that one can take off and put on at will. Ability to use this great power comes slowly through application of the other principles we’ve outlined. Many individuals come into a workable knowledge of the sixth sense even before the age of 40. But more often the knowledge is not available until one is well past 50. And this for the reason that the spiritual forces with which the sixth sense is so closely related do not mature and become usable generally, except through years of meditation, self examination and serious thought. But begin to develop it now by applying the principles we’ve talked about here. Remember this, man can create nothing which he does not first conceive in the form of an impulse of thought. Man’s thought impulses begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent, whether those thoughts are voluntary or involuntary. Keep fear out of your mind by concentrating on the mental picture of your goal, your greatest desire. Now, I want to mention that Think and Grow Rich as a book carries more endorsements by great men who knew of its truth than any other book of its kind ever written.
I’ll touch on only a few. All of these great men actually endorsed Napoleon Hills principles. Former President of the United States, William Howard Taft. F. W. Wolf wrote that he had built his great chain of stores by applying many of these principles. Robert Dollar, who built the Great Dollar Steamship Line, wrote, If I had had this philosophy 50 years ago, I suppose I could have accomplished all that I’ve done in less than half the time. I sincerely hope the world will discover and reward you. Samuel Gumpers wrote that the mastery of these principles is the equivalent of an insurance policy against failure. President Woodrow Wilson, John Wannamaker, the merchant Prince, wrote, I know that your fundamentals are sound because I’ve been applying them in my business for more than 30 years. George Eastman, the world’s largest maker of cameras. Thomas Edison, Luther Burbank, Theodore Roosevelt, E. M. Statler, John D. Rockefeller. I think you know that the endorsements of these great men could not have been bought with all the money in the world. What we have been talking about here can change your life, can bring you anything and everything worthwhile you want in life for yourself and your family.
Finally. Cut yourself away from the average, from the mediocre, and chart your course on the dream in your heart. These 13 principles will never let you down as long as you use them. And now, it is with great pleasure that I give you the author himself, Napoleon Hill.
Thank you, Earle Nightingale. The message which you who are listening have just heard has brought you within three short steps of the supreme secret of success, the same secret which has brought happiness, peace of mind, and financial success to countless thousands of people who have read Think and Grow Rich. The same secret which has made master salesmen out of ordinary order-takers, and the same secret which has brought friendship, love, and marriage to men and women who have come under the spell of the 13 principles which Earle Nightingale has just described. You desire the better things of life or you wouldn’t be listening to this record. Come with me then and I will help you chart your course so you may acquire whatever it is that you desire most in life by following these instructions. One, condition your own subconscious mind to work for you while you sleep as well as when you are awake. You can do this by playing this record to yourself every night just before you retire. Then, before you go to sleep after hearing the record, write out a clear statement of what you wish to accomplish the following day and request your subconscious mind to work during the night and provide you with the plan you will need to achieve your purpose.
Two, form a personal mastermind group of two or more people who are closely associated with you. They can be members of your family, your business, or your professional associates, or people who work where you are employed, and play this record in their presence at least once a week. After you have done this, engage in a friendly roundtable discussion of the 13 success principles, and request each person in the group to to participate and to look for inspirational ideas which may help him or her to become more successful. Three, beginning now, follow the habit of rendering more service and better service than that which is expected of you, and do it in a pleasing, positive mental attitude. This will make friends for you. It will increase the value of your services, and it will attract opportunities by which you may get from life whatever it is that you most desire. Follow these instructions to the letter, and you will surely see the day when you can express a prayer of gratitude for having had the privilege of hearing and acting on the message which Earle Nightingale has given you through this record. And now may I reach out across the space and the time which separate us and offer you a hand of friendship and a sincere prayer that you will be blessed with a richer and a fuller life because of this message.
Your big opportunity may be right where you are now. Follow these instructions faithfully and it will reveal you. This is Napoleon Hill saying, Don’t search for opportunity in the distance, but recognize it and embrace it right where you are.
Here’s a concise summary of the provided text in bullet points, capturing the essential context:
- Introduction to ‘Think and Grow Rich’: Earl Nightingale discusses the significant impact of Napoleon Hill’s book “Think and Grow Rich,” emphasizing its influence on numerous successful individuals.
- Personal Testimonies: Nightingale shares his own experience with the book, highlighting its clarity and effectiveness in goal achievement, alongside testimonies from business leaders who attribute their success to the principles in the book.
- Napoleon Hill’s Approach: Hill’s unique approach involved a relentless, scientific method in uncovering the secrets to achievement, combined with a skill for conveying these insights in an emotionally resonant manner.
- Principle of Truth: The book’s endurance over time is credited to its foundation on a fundamental truth: the power of ideas and their realization through persistence and desire.
- Thirteen Proven Steps to Riches: Hill outlines thirteen key principles for achieving personal goals, especially riches, which Nightingale emphasizes should be listened to repeatedly for full absorption.
- The Steps Detailed:
- Desire: The starting point of all achievement.
- Faith: Belief in achieving one’s desire.
- Auto-suggestion: Influencing the subconscious mind.
- Specialized Knowledge: Acquiring knowledge directed towards one’s goal.
- Imagination: The workshop of the mind for creating plans.
- Organized Planning: Formulating a precise plan for achieving one’s desire.
- Decision: Overcoming procrastination and firmly deciding on one’s goals.
- Persistence: The sustained effort necessary to achieve success.
- Power of the Mastermind: Collaborating with others for a common purpose.
- Enthusiasm: Channeling energy positively.
- Subconscious Mind: Harnessing its power to work towards one’s goals.
- The Brain: Utilizing the brain’s immense potential.
- The Sixth Sense: Developing the intuitive faculty to connect with ‘infinite intelligence.’
- Practical Application: Nightingale urges listeners to apply these principles consistently, form a mastermind group, and cultivate a positive mental attitude.
- Endorsements and Conclusion: The book received endorsements from many notable figures, and Nightingale concludes by encouraging listeners to seize opportunities and express gratitude for the knowledge shared.
- Closing Words by Napoleon Hill: Hill provides additional instructions for applying the principles, emphasizing the importance of the subconscious mind, mastermind groups, and delivering exceptional service. He concludes with a message of seizing opportunities in one’s immediate surroundings.