Chapter 2
I read “Think and Grow Rich” so why wasn’t I rich?
(What the greatest self-help book of all time didn’t teach me)
Before I explain what I didn’t learn from “Think and Grow Rich: by Napoleon Hill; I would like to make some comments about this book, which was first published in 1937. A book does not make the best seller list, sell over 10,000,000 copies, and stay in bookstores continuously for over 70 years without having a powerful message and being an incredible value to people. I am quite confident that this book has helped countless people over the years. Napoleon Hill’s work is extraordinary. It is a true classic and deserves every accolade it has received. So what is the problem? How come myself, and many others who have read and studied this book did not get rich? Maybe you have read this book also. Are you rich? I am sure you know people who have read it also. Are they successful? There is a very important missing ingredient that is assumed through-out this book. Those people who had “that missing ingredient” already, probably benefitted immensely from the advice given. But without this very important foundation it becomes very difficult to follow the advice in this book and create success. And so it was with just about every other “success” book I read. I just wasn’t able to put all the pieces together.
I had a voracious appetite for “success” books and read everything I could get my hands on. I was determined to make a success of my life and since I didn’t know how to do that I figured these books had the answer. With every book I read I felt like I was getting closer and closer to figuring it all out. As I read I put into practice everything I had learned. I was writing out my goals in detail; I was doing affirmations on a regular basis; I was doing my best to keep a positive mental attitude; I was trying to think big and believe that anything was possible if I put my mind to it. Even though success continued to elude me I felt it was just a matter of persistence and perhaps uncovering a few more secrets.
In every book I read the successful people were all self-employed. So I figured that the only way I was going to be successful was to start my own business. So after months of searching and planning I started a carpet cleaning business. I bought a van, the latest steam cleaning equipment, expensive brochures, the works. And of course I borrowed heavily to pay for everything. But it didn’t matter; you have to spend money to make money; right? Besides, the bigger the risk the bigger the reward. That’s the way it works; right? You have to take that leap of faith. After all, that’s what the books were telling me. In “Think and Grow Rich” Napoleon Hill gives the example of an ancient Roman General. This General sailed his army to the enemies” shores and when they landed he ordered all the boats burned. Talk about motivation. His men now either had to defeat the enemy or die. They could no longer retreat. What an inspiring story. That was now me. There was no turning back, no retreat. I had to use all my resources, will power and energy to succeed. I dreamed of having a whole fleet of vans and growing my business nation-wide. And, of course, getting rich in the process. Soon, they would be writing books about me and my incredible success story. At least that was my plan.
After a few months my enthusiasm was replaced by frustration and eventually despair. I struggled with it for almost 2 years. I didn’t want to give up. After all, wasn’t it normal to struggle and be persistent in order to reach the top? After 2 agonizing years I was forced to close up shop. I was broke; had no job; my wife was furious with me and I was seriously confused and depressed. Where did I go wrong? What about all the advice I was studying: “Boldness has magic in it”, “What the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve”, “You can’t get the fruit if you don’t go out on a limb.” What happened?
You could argue that I simply did not have any business experience; was not properly prepared or did not put together an adequate plan. And that was certainly true. In fact, I told myself that was the only reason I failed and vowed to not let that happen again. But there was more to it then that. And the reason I know that is because many years later I started another business. But this time I did prepare properly. I spent a year of research and putting together a professional business plan. The idea was good enough and the plan was sound enough to attract an investor.
So off I went again. I quit my job and jumped in with both feet. This time I knew I could not fail. After all; not only did I read and study all the right books but this time I planned properly. What could go wrong? (Can you feel it coming?) This one only lasted a year. My investor pulled out because he was losing too much money and I certainly didn’t have the resources or the resolve to continue on. Once again I felt defeated and depressed. And once again, I had no job and no ncome. I was seriously confused. What was I missing? Maybe I just wasn’t supposed to be a rich business owner or even self-employed. Answers eluded me.
After a few months of licking my wounds and fighting off depression I decided to re-read “Think and Grow Rich.” I was trying to figure out where I went wrong. The book made so much sense and was very inspirational so why wasn’t it working for me?
I must have been reading it with a “different set of eyes” this time because there it was, right in the very first paragraph of the book. I read it over and over several times and as I did so, an uneasiness came over me. It stated emphatically, “You need a definiteness of purpose combined with a burning desire.” That was it! I thought my purpose was to get rich. After all that is why I was reading a book called, “Think and Grow Rich.” But I honestly did not have a burning desire to do so. And I certainly did not have a burning desire to clean carpets. Sure, like everyone I would love to be rich but there was no burning desire behind it. That was the key! That was the missing ingredient! I didn’t have a burning desire. Without that, the rest of the advice in the book wouldn’t work. I thought about this for a long time. But no matter what I thought about I realized I just didn’t have a burning desire for anything. Now, I was even more confused and depressed then ever.