for whom it is: This book is a must read for anyone who wants to be successful in life. It’s a bit dated, but its principles are timeless.
Readability:TALL. It is a relatively short reading intended to be read over several sessions to allow the reader to reflect on the information presented.
What we liked about it: This book is one of the few books I have ever read. To say that it offers significant value for money is an understatement. The author covers so many topics so densely and vividly that the material requires us to focus on the ideas and concepts presented, sometimes more repeatedly. I consider the book to be effective in inducing both reflection and a particular action on the part of the reader’s mind. I can say that anyone who has read this book must have somehow felt a change in his life.
What I didn’t like: The title. This book goes far beyond the concept of money. It is about how we think and how we should use our own energy. A more apt title would have been about what you conceive and what you think you get.
Where to find it:
Amazon@$8.99
Amazon India @ Rs 75
“Think and Grow Rich” It is The Guide to establish the Thoughts and Actions that Lead to Success
I just can’t give a brief summary of the book as it would be a disservice to the author. The details are so organized that they keep the reader intact. The focus is on:
the power of our thoughts, and
the potential we have within ourselves
Hill is often seen quoting Carnegie in the book because he is the man who inspired Hill to spend much of his life exploring and communicating the life-changing concepts of managing our own thoughts and energy.
The following are three themes in the book that resonate with me the most:
The power of thought
The power of the subconscious
The power of purpose
1. The power of thought: We are what we think. Our thoughts affect how we see the world and how we see ourselves. As a result, our thoughts have a huge impact on how we feel and how much energy we have to face a required action or situation. Our thoughts make us more or less receptive and observant of things, circumstances and people around us. Hill goes on to state that this extends to the material world:
Thoughts = Things
2. The power of the subconscious: Where do you get your best ideas? I can almost guarantee you it’s not while you’re at work. We usually get our best ideas when we’re not consciously thinking about the problem we’re trying to solve or the idea we’re trying to generate.
Eureka moments almost never happen while we’re “working hard,” but rather when we’re “working hard.”
Unfortunately, our way of life seems to invite us to ignore both the power of the subconscious mind and the respite we must give it at some point. To feed our subconscious, we need to give it:
the raw materials you need to work with (including a clear picture of what problem or opportunity we are trying to address),
little or no time pressure, and
without any attention, as it does its job.
Think and Grow Rich
When we take the time to rest, play, or engage in any day-to-day conversation with others (including think tanks), learn from and about each other’s life experiences, we make room for the powerful subconscious to do its work. Magic. The magic? To make connections with ideas that offer solutions that we could never have consciously found.
The author tells it:
“You cannot completely control your subconscious mind, but you can willingly surrender to it any plan, desire, or purpose that you wish to transform into concrete form.” (p. 198)
3. The power of purpose: Deep down, we know what we want and need to achieve in the long term. It may not be very clear, but we have a good idea of the direction we want to go. Unfortunately, rationalization, self-justification, and self-doubt lead us to doubt or explain it away, to our peril.
Here’s a quote from the book:
“Unsuccessful people have one distinctive trait in common. They know all the reasons for failure and have what they believe to be airtight alibis to explain their own lack of achievement.” (p. 249)
When we focus on what we know we need to do, we can more easily establish a plan of action and move forward. We feel driven, alive, passionate. We have the energy to invest in ourselves and in others. We have the energy to grow as a person. We learn what we need to know to be successful, not what others say we should know. We ignore the detractors and objectors. We are curious and committed.
Purpose as a guide = A fulfilling life
And yes, the author talks about money and offers many concrete tools and references to allow us to be more introspective and take explicit action. But I think we can all appreciate that the broader ideas shared above also serve to help us in that aspect of our lives. For more information on the concepts of money within it, I would suggest reading Chapter 2 entitled “Desire”, “The Thirty One Major Causes of Failure” in the middle of the book and the “Fear of Poverty” section towards the end of the book. book. .