Think and Grow Rich – Book Review (Featuring “The Ant and the Elephant”)

I recently finished a book called Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

In my opinion, the way the book is written is kind of hard to read, but the ideas are super solid principles!

Here are a few of them:

VISUALIZE YOUR SUCCESS

First, Hill talks about money and how to acquire more of it.  He believes the best way to get more money is to convince your sub-conscience mind into thinking that you already have it.  Why is this important?  Because your sub-conscience mind is a very powerful thing.

The idea is clearly laid out in another book called The Ant and the Elephant by Vince Poscente.

Have you ever stopped to think about why most commercials are so ridiculous?  I mean, come on.  EVERYBODY knows that when you buy a soft drink, nothing particularly special happens when you open it.  So, why do the commercials portray parties materializing and people having a good time as soon as someone cracks open a can?

Here’s why:

Your sub-conscience mind uses 4,000,000 neurons per second while your conscience mind only uses 2,000 neurons per second.

Wow.

The sub-conscience mind sees pictures.  It’s the part of your brain that visualizes your dreams and every thing you see.  Your conscience mind is all logic.  Logically, if the conscience mind sees a commercial that shows parties materializing at the opening of a soft drink, it dismisses it as foolish.  HOWEVER – the sub-conscience mind doesn’t know the difference.  It thinks the commercial is real.  Suddenly, you find yourself wishing you had a nice, cold soft drink, and the conscience mind easily figures out how to get it for you.

The ant (the conscience mind) rides the elephant (the sub-conscience mind).

Because the sub-conscience mind is 2,000 times BIGGER than your conscience mind.  Because the pictures are there for the sub-conscience to visualize and experience.  And honestly, if the elephant wants to go somewhere, the ant isn’t going to be able to stop it unless it programs the elephant to do something else.

SO…back on track here 🙂

Napoleon Hill is using this logic when he talks about picturing in your mind’s eye that you already possess the amount of money you were told to visualize.  He continually uses the phrase “BURNING DESIRE” because that’s what you need!  You need to want something so badly that it burns inside of you!  Once your sub-conscience mind believes it, the conscience mind figures out a way to get it.  Period.

In the book, we are told to visualize a certain amount of money every day.  Visualize it in our bank account, and voice out loud the date on which we want to have that sum.  Soon, the book argues, your conscience mind will figure out a way to get that sum by that date!

After picturing your dream, then you have to create a plan on how to get it.  Make sure you program your elephant (The Ant and the Elephant) and your ant will figure out how to get there.

I agree with this concept, and I also think it applies to other things as well – Anything you can dream of!  (Obviously, I’m not talking about doing anything illegal.  Please don’t be THAT person).

SPEAK POSITIVELY 

You have to speak positively to yourself.  Hill talks about being enthusiastic and confident of yourself, and he insists that it is essential to success!

I totally agree.  If you think about it, someone who goes into a sale’s call CONVINCED that he will succeed has a much better chance of doing so than someone who doesn’t care, or worse – is convinced he will fail.

Positive self-talk can change your life and your results FOREVER.

I’ve seen it in my life, especially with sports.  While pitching (fastpitch softball), it is ESSENTIAL that you picture the perfect pitch and convince your mind that it’s going to be a great pitch.  Because the SECOND you think “this is going to be horrible,” it WILL be.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

All in all, it was a great book.  Hill has articulated a powerful idea in the pages of his book, and while he discussed many topics, the one that stuck with me the most is picture what you want.

Picture what you want, and your mind will figure out a plan to get there.  Imagine the destination, and your mind will draw the map.

Does that mean you can just think about what you want and it’ll just fall into your lap from the sky?

No way!

You have to do the work!

But here’s the catch: You WON’T do the work unless you first have the BURNING DESIRE to get it!  You just won’t.  See “The Secret to Success” for more of my thoughts on this issue.

Do I recommend you read Think and Grow Rich?  I don’t know.  In my opinion, The Ant and the Elephant is easier to read and explains the concepts better.  However, Think and Grow Rich tilts its message specifically towards money, so if you’re up to the challenge (it can get uninteresting at times), it’s worth a read!

I do recommend reading constantly though!  Check out my reading list to find out more.

Until next time,

Hope Frances