9 Think and Grow Rich Principles

The book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill was published in 1937.

In this book, Mr. Hill details his findings after interviewing over 500 of the most successful people in their fields at that time.

They included Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, John D. Rockefeller, and more. And if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it!

His goal was to find out what made them so different from other people who had similar backgrounds or circumstances.

And the book is also a huge reminder that our mindset is the foundation of success.

Because building a successful life requires effort and hustle. But it also takes focus and intention.

Wishing is lovely.

But it doesn’t go anywhere without a deep desire, focus, and effort. This is covered in the book, along with other Think and Grow Rich Principles like…

Think and Grow Rich Principles

(1) Desire

The first step to building strong habits and routines is to put the Think and Grow Rich principle desire to work for you.

Desire is more than wanting and much more than wishing. 

And to determine what you desire, you’ll need to put some work into thinking and deciding why you want certain things like wealth.

If you know you want a lot of money so you can buy whatever you want, you’ll probably wind up chasing schemes instead of building dreams. 

But it’s very unlikely you’ll get rich overnight.

Instead, it would be best if you focused on figuring out a plan that’ll eventually make your desire’s come true over time.

• Do you want to run your own business so you can support your family?
  • Expect to put in long hours.
• Do you want a job you can do from anywhere?
  • Be ready to build some serious computer skills.

And until you know exactly what you really want, your desires won’t motivate and create the discipline needed to take action.

But once you figure out your goals, your desires will fuel you more than ever before.

And of the 9 Think and Grow Rich principles in my opinion this is the most important one. Because without desire there is no direction.

(2) Faith

Faith is a powerful force.

It can give you the ability to overcome anything in your way, no matter how challenging it may be. Faith is what will help you accomplish your goals and desires, but without it, they’ll never happen.

And once you’ve put in the thinking time to determine exactly what it is you desire, make a mental picture of your dream: 

• Home
• Job or Career
• Activities
• Physique

Review magazines and online publications for images of the home that’ll give you peace and satisfaction.

And if you want to work from a café in Bangkok, Paris, or Madrid, find a photo of just a place with an exciting background.

If you want to make a living as a Model, get a photo of yourself taken in some of your favorite outfits. And if fitness is your goal, take an image of a healthy plate of food, or get a photo taken of you working out.

Then put these images on a running slideshow and have them always showing on your laptop, tablet, or phone.

Make your photos reflect the life you know you’re going to enjoy. And then have faith your desire will happen!

(3) Auto-Suggestion

The Think and Grow Rich principle of autosuggestion is a great place to set a hard “yes or no” determination.

If your goal is to be a competitive bodybuilder, you know with certainty you don’t or won’t: 

• Eat junk food
• Smoke
• Consume a lot of sugar
• Sleep in
• Skip a workout

Because you’re a bodybuilder.

You don’t do or need donuts. Maybe in the off-season. But not when you’re competing.

Autosuggestions reduce decision fatigue because some bad actions or habits are just not who you are.

(4) Specialized Knowledge

Building up particular knowledge on something or skillset is one of the main Think and Grow Rich principles.

If you know only what everyone else around you knows, it’ll be hard to get ahead in life and get what you desire.

If you’re always around people who spend their weekends partying and their weeknights watching TV, you need to change it because your time is being wasted.

And it’s a precious resource you alone can put to use.

Instead of hanging out, spend as much time learning the knowledge you need to accomplish what you desire.

(5) Imagination

Building strong habits and making better decisions will free up your imagination.

Because there’s a reason we have “aha!” moments in the shower, while walking, or while doing something else that’s automatic.

Habits are the actions we do automatically.

And while your body is performing the steps of a habit, your brain can go anywhere.

So, if you truly want to fire up your imagination, do the work and build great habits!

• Buy groceries that’ll contribute to the health of your body
• Cook real food
• Get 7-8 hours of sleep
• Exercise 3-5 times per week
• Read a chapter of a book each day
• Drink a gallon of water

And do it all without making an excuse.

When you create great daily habits, your routines and what you are now used to will take care of the basics.

While your imagination gets to work on life and everything else you desire.

(6) Organized Planning

Routines aren’t boring.

Routines, habits, and daily actions that make your life more productive are important for reaching your goals.

If you feel yourself falling into a rut or start to question yourself: 

• Make sure you’re headed in the right direction
• Make sure the routine is healthy 
• Dig deeper, and find the positive!

Instead of digging yourself into a rut, imagine yourself creating the life you want to leave behind.

Then make a plan.

Write down and map out what it’s going to take for you to get from where you are now to where you want to be in X amount of years.

And get to work.

(7) Decision

Along the way, there will be many distractions.

And to fight putting things off, you need a trigger that gets you and your brain moving.

Mel Robbins has the 5 Second Rule where you must count down from 5-4-3-2-1.

And then take action.

So for example, if you’re laying in bed and don’t want to get up or on the couch after you count down to 1 you must blast yourself out the bed or off the couch.

Like they do when there’s a rocket launch.

The science and elements of the rule are pretty amazing.

(8) Persistence

When your goals are fully visualized, moving or shifting the path a bit along the way won’t be a problem.

Your ability to stay persistent is like a rollercoaster ride when your goals are wishy-washy.

There will be tons of ups and downs.

If you find your persistence is failing, confirm your goal. And if you still want it, focus on all aspects.

What does it sound, smell and feel like to live in your dream home? Or when you accomplish what it is you’re after?

(9) Your Mind: Conscious vs. Subconscious

Your subconscious mind can really get in the way of your goals.

Carefully monitor your deeply held beliefs if you feel that you’re getting in your own way.

For example, building wealth makes sense to your conscious mind if you grew up in a poor household. However, if you see yourself as broke, having money in the bank will make you edgy. 

And if your parents were employees who hated their boss, building a collaborative relationship with your coworkers and leaders will be extremely hard.

To the point where getting called to have a conversation with your boss might make you nervous. Watch your physical reactions.

If this happens or has ever happened to you and you feel your heart rate go up or get agitated or angry, understand it’s your subconscious mind at work.

It’s reacting with old skills and inputs you learned from your childhood. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can rely on your new skills and keep building them.

And To Wrap Things Up…

Your goals are not only possible, they are healthy and valid.

Use the 9 Think and Grow Rich principles to help you on your path and achieve all you dream of.

And create the right mindset. One that’s going to get you from point A to point B in due time.