On Becoming Rich - Book Review: Think and Grow Rich
Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill
Think and grow rich is the book that started it all. It was the first self help financial book. And it has changed countless people's lives. Just reading it will change how you view the world and the words you read.
What is the difference between the rich and the poor? How they think.
It really is as simple (meaning really complex) as that. A rich person thinks, how can i afford that. A poor person things, i can't afford that.
What is the difference between a middle class and a poor farmer in India? The middle class farmer weeds his farm. Killing all the weeds pretty much guarantees 20% increase in harvest. Everyone knows this, so why do the poor not weed their farms? It has to do with their poor mindset. That they are destined to remain poor. That they will never break out. And so, their thoughts create their reality.
And so it is with all the poor you will come across, they perpetuate the sense of lack in all of their thoughts. And to become rich requires changing all of those thoughts. Right now @getonthetrain is buying things from goodwill and turning a profit selling them on eBay. It isn't hard. It just takes finding a problem and then finding a solution to it. People pay money for solutions.
Most people are born poor, but they do not need to stay that way. One of the richest men in the world, who owns his own private 747 as his personal transport, started off poor in one of the poorest countries in Africa. Opportunity is truly everywhere.
I would say, and this is not in the book, that one of the most important things to do in becoming rich is turn off the TV. Not only does it rob you of tons of time that could be used for life affirming things, it also tells you how poor you are. All those soap operas... Think they are just bad stories with horrible relationships? No, they are really getting you to question all of your own relationships, and further, it gets you to compare just how poor your life is to the wealth shown on the screen. It makes you feel that you are in a worse position then you are. And it also programs the minds to a certain level of opulence that is "the rich". And so, you will never be happy, even with a financially stable life and good friends. The bar has been set in fantasy land. You will never get there, even if you do marry that Arabian prince. (its not an amount of money, it is that life is a lot of just normal, average, boring, in between the parties)
So, you need to learn how you think about money. And then you need to rework your thoughts so that you feel worthy of money. And then you start to see the opportunities. And then you start trying until you make it.
Making money is really easy, but most of us are never taught it. We are taught instead to get a j.o.b. (just over broke) where we get complacent in money coming in each month. And our mind sets are "easy come, easy go." And "someday when my ship comes in" (without ever having sent out a ship to wait for)
I highly recommend this book. You can find it used for next to nothing, or buy a kindle for version for not much more.
It will change your life, if changing your life is what you want to do. Changing your thoughts is where you need to start. And once you start changing your thoughts about money, then you will find the rest of the path is relatively simple. (Not easy, just simple). So, it is actually
Think! and then Grow Rich.
available at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Original-RevisedTM/dp/0990797600/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521826324&sr=1-8&keywords=think+and+grow+rich
Book Cover image: Copyright © 2004,2015 Ross Cornwell, Cover Design by Nita Ybarra
This book is one of the greats, and it is timeless! The things it teaches you will NEVER become obsolete and that is why it is still a great read today.
Thanks for the shoutout! I think the end results of the income experiment will be amazing.
I read this book about two years ago. I like a lot of the ideas in it, but also think it oversells "positive thinking". I am a positive thought kind of guy and have been for a long time... I'm still poor. My complacent work ethic may be more of the reason where I am at right now, not my lack of positive thoughts.
I did like the book, though. I think it's good to read and talk about. I just purchased "Richest Man In Babylon" again as the result of your recent article on it.
I think the Universities have replaced their economics and finance courses with “the benefits of the Basic Minimum Income Wage” — that is the system they endorse IMHO. Reading books is such old school you know :-)
I listen to that one on audio book and didn't like it as well as Millionaire Fast Lane. Sounds like a click bait title but I felt it was the best book in the money making mindset classification.
I will have to check out Millionaire Fast Lane.
I do not feel Think and Grow Rich would be a very good audio book. (but i haven't tried listening to it)
It just doesn't seem like that kind of book to me.
It wasn't and I learned that listening to books wasn't the best for me. I didn't comprehend them as well because I would be thinking about other things.