Introduction (Thoughts are Things)

How did a man dressed like a tramp with no money and no prospects, pitch up at the office of the greatest inventor in history, and secure himself a fortune?

We are all used to using excuses (alibis as Napoleon Hill calls them) to justify why we havent succeeded:

"If only I had more money..."
"If only I had more time..."
"If only I had superpowers..."

But one can truly see the absurdity of our excuses, when you see how little Edwin C Barnes had when he presented himself in front of Edison to ask for a job.

But it didnt matter, because had more than money or clothes or good references. He had his thoughts. He had a major definite purpose (to work with Edison), and he had a burning desire to make it happen.

Ok, it didnt happen straight away, but it did happen. Knowing what he wanted, and being committed to achieving it no matter what, gave Barnes the advantage over anyone else, and meant that nothing could stand in his way. Its as simple as that.

Subconscious Mind

The true test of a book like TAGR is how well it can be applied to your daily life. One of the keys to this book, forming the "keystone to the arch" of this philosophy of success, is the daily practice of auto-suggestion. That is, saying over and over again, a personal statement of intent for achieving your major definite purpose. Following this practice is crucial to realising your goals. And yet, most people I have spoken to who have read this book, have not done this. As Napoleon Hill himself says in the book, most people will read this, nod their heads in agreement at the concepts expressed, and then go about their lives as usual.

Make no mistake, it takes an extraordinary kind of person, to read this book, and then faithfully apply the suggestions. But, if the book is useless without doing this, then what's the point of reading it in the first place?

As hard as it is, you have to find it in yourself to make an effort and follow the instructions given in the chapter on autosuggestion. If you aren't going to do this, then put the book away right now, because its not going to help you.

In my next post, I want to share some ideas about how to maximise the chance that you will follow through on doing this every day.