In 1908, Napoleon Hill was a reporter who was tasked with the effort to write a series of newspaper articles on wealthy people. That is how he met one of the richest men in the world, Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie challenged Hill with the mission of interviewing 500 of the most powerful men in the world and creating a book. The goal was to capture all of the information possible from many of the top wealthiest people in the world in order to show anyone how to “Think and Grow Rich.”

Napoleon agreed to take on the challenge and in 1937, he created the book, “Think and Grow Rich.”

To all of the naysayers of the Law of Attraction, to all of the people who think that it is just a bunch of hogwash, consider that this book represented the first teachings on the Law of Attraction. And that all of this information was gathered from the richest people in the world. This is why understanding the Law of Attraction is so important.

One fascinating side-point is that Napoleon Hill said that the book contained a secret – a secret that could be opened up with a master key. Many people speculate what that secret is, because it was never directly mentioned. In this article, we will let you know what it likely is…

There are only 13 principles or lessons in order for any person to accumulate a fortune and find real success. Napoleon Hill wrote one chapter for each principle or lesson. Let’s cover them…

Principle 1: Desire

Everything starts with a desire. You desire to have more money, better health, a better social life, or a better love relationship. Even the desire to NOT have a desire is a desire!

You would not have the desire that you have unless you were capable of achieving it. But it is your  burning desire that is simply an accurate picture of what you will become.

But your desire has to be a burning desire. You can’t be timid. And when you make the decision to attain your desire, you have to burn your bridges behind you and say this is it! I’ll never retreat! I’ll never go back!

So, for example, if you want more money:

1. Fix in your mind the exact amount.

2. Determine exactly what you will give once you attain the amount of money you desire.

3. Establish a definite date of when you intend to attain the money.

4. Create a definite plan and carry it out whether or not you are ready.

5. Make a statement of the first 4 steps.

6. Read your statement out loud, once in the morning and once at night.

See and feel and believe that you are already in possession of the money or whatever your goal happens to be.

Do you recognize this advice?

Yes! It comes from the new-age Law of Attraction teachers who say that you must feel as if you already have what you want. But they got that vitally important piece of information from Napoleon Hill and Andrew Carnegie…

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” And this is regardless of how many times you have failed in the past.

Principle 2: Faith

Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of the power of your thoughts and feelings. You can create the impossible through faith.

But negative thoughts of anger, hatred or jealousy will destroy any benefit of having faith.

When you believe in yourself and in your dreams, and when you establish a feeling of love for all people, you can accomplish anything.

Principle 3: Auto Suggestion

This is the ability to focus your mind on your burning desire so much so that your subconscious mind accepts it as fact. At the heart of an auto suggestion is an affirmation – a statement of desire. An auto suggestion is a suggestion/affirmation by yourself, to yourself. This is tied to the 6 steps in the “Desire” principle where you would close your eyes and repeat those first 4 steps when you first get up, and just before bed.

Principle 4: Specialized Knowledge

This principle is about how we must cultivate specialized knowledge of whatever it is that we decide to offer to the world in exchange for the money, success and abundance that we desire. In other words, you must become the expert in whatever you decide to specialize in.

Principle 5: Imagination

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” And this is regardless of how many times you have failed in the past.

You have to develop the power of self motivation and the best way to do that is through imagination. You can go to the workshop in your mind where you get to create whatever it is that you want to create. The power of imagination is key to creating the life you want.

Principle 6: Organized Planning

Now that you have decided your desire and your goal, now it is time to organize your plan. Here’s how:

1. Create a mastermind group of at least one other person and as many as you need in order to accomplish your goal.

2. Determine how each individual in your group is going to benefit by their involvement in accomplishing your plan.

3. Meet at least once every two weeks – more preferably.

4. Maintain perfect harmony with yourself and everyone in the group.

This is the longest chapter in the book and a short article cannot do it justice.

Principle 7: Decision

Procrastination is the opposite of decision and is the enemy of everyone desiring success.

All successful people make decisions very fast, but they change them very slowly. And all unsuccessful people make decisions very slow, and change them fast and often. The point is that you must get used to making big decisions quickly, but not give up too soon on an idea. We are too quick to dismiss a great idea, a dream and/or a lofty goal.

The other point is that rich people make decisions to do something even if they have no idea HOW they are going to make it happen.

Lack of decision is the biggest factor for failure.

Principle 8: Persistence

Persistence is the one attribute that you must have in order to become successful. It is the main ingredient to a person’s character that separates the non-achievers from the achievers. So many of us give up right before success. But when you learn persistence and the concepts of decision, you can press forward to the reward of success.

Persistence is the direct result of habit.

Principle 9: Power of the Mastermind

A mastermind group is a group of at least two people who support one another in the common goal of attaining their goals, plans and dreams. It is a group of people who are sympathetic to your desire. The benefit of a mastermind group is that even if there is just one person besides yourself, they can help you to stimulate your mind for new thoughts. It’s almost as if a third mind can emerge.

Pick members with care. Choose people who you respect, who are hard working, and reliable.

Principle 10: The Mystery of Sex Transmutation

This principle is about how sexual desire is the most powerful desire there is, and how to channel that desire to creative work instead.

But it’s not necessarily about abstaining from sex, especially if one has a partner. It’s more about channeling sexual energy towards your goals and dreams because sexual energy helps you to be more creative and powerful.

Sexual desire is one of the most powerful forms of energy there is. The key is to keep a balance from physical sex and creative work.

Lesson 11: The Sub-Conscious Mind

The subconscious mind draws upon “infinite intelligence.” It is incalculably powerful. It can solve our problems if we go about it the right way. And the right way is to hold as long as possible, a clear picture of yourself already having accomplished your goal.

This is exactly what the Law of Attraction gurus teach.

Lesson 12: The Brain

Your brain is the most marvelous, miraculous and inconceivably powerful force the world has ever known. And each of us have one! It is designed to help you to bring to you everything that you want. Use it for what it was designed for.

Lesson 13: The Sixth Sense

In the book, the sixth sense is thought to be a mysterious sensing ability that one doesn’t usually develop until after the age of 50. And it is this sixth sense that can give you thoughts and ideas so that you become a receiver of information, instead of just a transmitter.

But from the more recent information from the Law of Attraction teachers, the sixth sense is really your gut feeling or intuition. And your intuition is really your inner-being. And your inner-being is really your immortal self – that part of you that is eternal and wise.

That is why you can trust it.

Summary

By now, you must be wanting to know what the secret is. Here’s a clue…

The original “Think and Grow Rich” book was heavily edited. As matter of fact, about 100 pages of the original book were removed.

In the original version, Napoleon Hill hid the secret. And in the edited version, the secret was hidden even more! No wonder why so many people couldn’t find it…

What was edited out?

Much of it was the topic of vibration and frequency. The word “vibration” was edited out of the original book that the public got. If you want to know more, research it. Start with Nikola Tesla’s comments about how understanding vibration and frequency unlocks the mysteries of the universe…

Andrew Carnegie helped 20 to 50 people become millionaires. Napoleon’s book, over all these years, helped thousands if not millions to become millionaires.

Desire to read further? … Download Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill