Think & Grow Rich is Utter Crap Compared To This Book

[DayIFly]

Has anyone read "Outwitting The Devil"?

I heard that it's more down-to-earth aka realistic and darker (like real life maybe?). It's seems to have religious overtones but I don't mind it as long as they're metaphors for life.

It would be interesting to know how Hill changed and evolved.

 

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[Don Purdum]

It's been a long time since I read T&GR, but I found a lot of value in it. I also found some things that weren't applicable.

I'm about half way through MJ's book and there isn't one single thing I would dispute! It's a fantastic read and what he shares is fundamental to the mind shift we have to make in modern culture.

In Napolean Hill's world, things were very, very different. It was during the heart of the industrial revolution and opportunities didn't exist like they do today. That's why I say I found some principles that were solid and others I didn't feel apply. But, that doesn't mean I didn't find value in it.

MJ gets straight to the point about how society has been conned us to believe we need this uber expensive education, to get a job that won't exist in the near future, all in hopes of getting an 8% return that won't happen for 40 years on a wish that one day we can retire.

Whew... that was a mouthful, lol...

What no one is talking about out there, or at least very few people, is how artificial intelligence combined with automation is transforming the workplace. That includes white collar jobs, not just blue collar. And, I saw on MarketWatch today that there are now 260,000 robots working in American factories.

So, let's train for jobs, that don't exist, so we can have no hope and no money... sounds like a losing recipe to me!

I've been buiding businesses for eleven years now and I wouldn't have it any other way. There is absolutely no other mechanism that exists to grow wealth and do it quickly than building a business; and selling it if the opportunity comes along.

 

[Greg R]

I would definitely have to agree with the title of this thread.

 

[GMSI7D]

Most people don't know that Napolean Hill was in poverty his whole life and that "Think and Grow Rich" was written for a MLM company.

I have briefly laid out what I think is wrong with his mindset in a previous blogpost but the short of it is that whereas MJ's book teaches you how to WORK to get money, Hill's book essentially says THINKING alone will bring money to you.

This is why his book is so appealing: It hints that you needn't put in effort yet can make big bucks. Lazy people buy his book because it matches with their already unsuccessful beliefs.

that's a good comment.

but anyway the aim of this book is to allow the reader to find the " hiden secret in think and grow rich " which Napoleon Hill talks about at the beginning of the book.


The real value is in this "hidden secret", not in the principles .

The hidden secret is the steps people must use to achieve anything worhtwhile.

here it is :

Create a strong engine of innergame ( desir + faith ) in order to take action naturally ( plans, action, persistence) until you achieve your goal

let me explain :

engine ---> action---> feedback---> new action (persistence) --> success

"loop until success "

 

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[Vance]

Think and Grow Rich is really the setup for the Law of Success volumes. IMO the latter is a true masterpiece and he was describing what Men throughout the ages had done in the past (mystery schools), unlocking many parts of the mind. Like anything else this can be taken too literally, especially in today's world (think books like "The Secret"). BTW I highly recommend the audiobook "Outwitting the Devil" by Hill which can be found on YouTube for Free. I would absolutely suggest the version without Sharon Lechter who continually interrupts the great parts. You can find it HERE.

Knowledge, as we know, isn't power. Applied knowledge is. But everything starts with the mind. Yes working your a$$ off for a long period of time is a must, but I for one cannot deny that many great ideas I've used in my businesses often came from "somewhere" unknown, as if I was downloading them randomly. That being said, I don't suggest going all new-age and just thinking the Universe will supply you with everything you need. The old saying "God helps those who help themselves" rings more true than ever here.

I would also suggest listening to Earl Nightingale's The Strangest Secret every day for a few weeks. I did that and applied it and it really started to sink in as to how powerful our brains really are. Which in turn tells us how carefully we should treat them. This means putting into your brains (via your eyes and ears) as much quality material as you possibly can, and filtering out the distractions and crap in the world. You should treat these things like a drug, because like it or not they are affecting your subconscious mind continually. People often say "Well it's just music..." or "It's only a little bit of stupid reality TV I watch...", but look at those people on the whole. Are they living the dream? Are they people you look up to as a role model? Not likely. They don't even know what they're doing to themselves. They're controlled sheep.

Try it for a week. See how much you find yourself distracted by something mindless and useless (but not for the company selling you that thing), and how easily you can be hypnotized. Then you'll realize exactly what Hill was talking about with Definite of Purpose and focus. The better you get at it, the more you'll realize just easy the law of attraction can be. It's really a law of eliminating DIStraction.

 

[Torobaro]

I have it in audio form.

For Tagr fans, remember than NH almost died broke.

Clement Stone saved him by offering a sales training job for the last years of his life.

I've read Tagr several times. I'm not saying that his principles are not effective.

But just as I wouldn't take advice about dating from a guy who's been single all his life, so I'm a little skeptical about taking success lessons from a guy that almost died broke.

The principles are good, especially in TAGR. On the other hand, NH can't be considered a successful person, at least financially wise.

Razvan

Clement Stone became a millionaire and he acknowledges his success to NH

"Stone ran $100 into millions with a strong desire to succeed and by putting into practice the principles in the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill"
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/05/business/clement-stone-dies-at-100-built-empire-on-optimism.html

 

[MotiveInMotion]

Have you even read the book? That's exactly what it DOESN'T say. One of the core messages of the book is to stop making excuses, get off your butt and take ACTION. If anyone is guilty of omiting the action step from Hill's work, it's the "The Secret" crowd.

Dan Kennedy (the copy writing guru) did a good job of dissecting why Hill remained poor most of his life. Hill basically spent his life trying to sell the book and the mindset itself, which just wasn't a very good market. Then W. Clement Stone came, took the same ideas and applied them to a business that DID have a good market - insurance. And became very, very rich, more or less "saving" Hill in his elder years.

I agree with your points, because the book has you lay out a specific process of

a) what you'll do for the money
b) when it'll be achieved
c) how you will deliver it and in what way

Then it speaks on how important it is to do your best every day to fulfill the value to the client or customer.. I think the Secret leaves out action completely, but T & G Rich is pretty spot-on with consistent action and thoughts.

Obviously nothing comes without the hustle and this book is great for mindset. Whoever reads books without taking action is missing the whole point anyway!

 

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[GMSI7D]

I have it in audio form.

For Tagr fans, remember than NH almost died broke.

Clement Stone saved him by offering a sales training job for the last years of his life.

I've read Tagr several times. I'm not saying that his principles are not effective.

But just as I wouldn't take advice about dating from a guy who's been single all his life, so I'm a little skeptical about taking success lessons from a guy that almost died broke.

The principles are good, especially in TAGR. On the other hand, NH can't be considered a successful person, at least financially wise.

Razvan

In fact, the author was a researcher about success . He was like a messanger for humanity.

Look this way : When we receive a letter , we don't ask the postman if he applies the things that are written in the letter...

So my opinion is that Napoleon Hill was that postman who searched for answers in order to send them to us.

His job was not to succeed alone in the woods , far from humanity.

 

[Demigod]

Incredible

That's a way to see it.

I judge people by their results. I'm not very familiar with Hill's personal life. I know actually few facts about it.

But when you teach someone about getting rich, you should be rich yourself. Not by teaching, but by actually applying the concepts.

I like NH. I'm not just sold out on his ideas.

If someone teaches me about becoming a great boxer, I want that person to actually be a great boxer, not a researcher of great boxers.

And everyone defines success in his own way.

As far as I'm concerned, Viktor Frankl who wrote Man's Search for Meaning is a far more successful person than Hill was.

Why?

Because he spent a couple of years in a extermination camp and lived to tell about it. Because he gave birth to the idea of logotherapy. Because he actually used the lessons taught in his book to survive.

I'm not aware why NH didn't achieved financial success (or lost his money). I've heard that his pursuit for knowledge ruined almost every other part of his life. I've also heard that he was more focused on teaching people how to get out of the recession than to watch his own interests.

It doesn't really matter.

Here are the ideas with which I disagree:
1. Positive Mental Attitude - Yes, a positive mental attitude is good but it doesn't really matter if you are a positive person when your house burns down. My dearest mentor told me once "I've seen grumpy rich people and I've seen happy rich people. No matter how you are, optimistic or pessimistic, keep working until you get results"

2. Visualization. Sorry, but no matter how cool is to visualize, this doesn't work for me. Every time I visualize I waste time and I do nothing that day. I'd rather write down my thoughts or express them in any other way (drawing, painting, writing a story) than to visualize.

I hate gurus and I hate absolute truths. No one is 100% right. Not MJ, not NH, not Tony Robbins, no one. For all I'm concerned, I want to take the good parts from everyone in particular and ignore the bad ones.

For example, MJ wrote a great book. But it's still a commercial book. It makes it look to easy to get rich. It's not.

NH gave the perfect principles about having a fulfilling and successful life. But when it comes to the financial side, I'm a little skeptical about using what he told me. I've read TAGR several times and I've listened to the 30 minutes version over 100 times for 100 days in a row.

Tony Robbins is a cool guy but he forgets one thing - the dark side in all of us. It would be fun to get motivated and hyped up as he tries to induce in us ... but in the real world, following his advice to the key is difficult. This didn't stopped me to study him for a long while.

Earl Nightingale from what I can say is the best. He says it as it is. But his material is very outdated and many of his materials (with the exception of the strangest secret) apply to a certain cultural climate.

Dan Pena ... well, he was rich, I don't know how rich he is anymore. If you want to get rich, study Pena. But you'll trade your wife, kids, life for money. Not a good deal.

Jim Rohn ... I like this guy but I never realized what he actually does. He's a motivational speaker. (He was, may God rest his soul). So what? What are his results? Why is he qualified to teach me about money (actually, he doesn't teach a lot about money but rather a framework for living). Anyway, he's one on my favorite side.

Chris Howard ... I've learned NLP from this guy. I have nothing bad to say about him. If you want to learn NLP, he can help you.

T Harv Eker ... If I were 60 and with an IQ of 100, maybe I would like him. I've lost my time watching "The Seminar of the Century". 60 minutes (first DVD only) that I'll never get back.

Zig Ziglair ... I like him but I don't like his near obsession to religion. I am a faithful person but my relationship with God is personal. I don't want to hear about Him on every page, on every principle, in every product.

And many more. I've read a lot. Some for pleasure, some for necessity. Therefore I've developed a critical eye when reading.

Razvan

Great review.

 

[Aimegit de moncu]

Jim Rohn ... I like this guy but I never realized what he actually does. He's a motivational speaker. (He was, may God rest his soul). So what? What are his results? Why is he qualified to teach me about money (actually, he doesn't teach a lot about money but rather a framework for living). Anyway, he's one on my favorite side.

Come on, you don't really know what you are talking about. Jim Rohn was not a guru like everyone else in this industry. He was a succesful businessman who finaly came to give seminars. He walked the talk unlike many self proclaimed guru. His material works, this is not some BS like hundreds of books on motivation.

 

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[obrian]

Think and grow rich was pretty much the first book I read that put me on the path I am today.

That's true I don't read it again because I have moved on to other books but I still respect my roots and where I am coming from.

 

[X01]

Incredible


Great review.

This is a dumb review! Rich could mean different things to different people. You could be rich in family or rich with friendship. All I know is your mind has to be right for your feet to follow. If anyone has the balls go talk to this guy Morris E. Goodman he will help you understand how you have to have direction and control of your mind before you yield anything of value. As for Napoleon Hill a paradox of practice get the F*ck out of here. You may not have studied the original think and grow rich and the original law of success set. i'm not talking about the 49.95 dollar bullshit from Vieux Publishing.

This One!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Law-of-...077036?hash=item58c32496ac:g:OhcAAOSwpDdVMu~6

And the Original Unedited Think and grow rich if you can find it. You can't tell me that being around Andrew Carnegie for 25yrs didn't have an outstanding impact and change of mindset for hill.

Then you can comment on Napoleon Hill <<<<------ You guys are getting this mixed up with the law of attraction bullshit. Where you wish for a bike and it shows up at your front door step.

As i read on page 26 of The Millionaire Fastlane it reads as follows

"My deep depression sunk me into escapes, but instead of drugs, sex, or alcohol, I lost myself in
books and kept studying fameless millionaires. If I couldn’t be successful, I’d escape into the
lives of those who were by absorbing books of the rich, autobiographies of the successful, and
other rags-to-riches tales."

Ya you may of had depression MJ but you cant tell me that those books where not changing your mindset!You guys read these books but you don't actually study them. Thats why they suck or they didnt help you because it takes time to re-frame your mindset. Just like how MJ jumps out of the shower and meets opportunity at his front door because his mind is tuned to it. As you can see my writing sucks. The End