Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill) - Chapter 02:

What's been your most dominant desire since you can remember? Maybe that's where your fortunes lie. Napoleon Hill believes this to be true about Edwin Barnes. He believes that partnering with Edison was more than a mere wish for Barnes. It was an intense, burning desire. Napoleon Hill reckons that's what any man needs if they want to succeed in life. 

And sometimes, like Barnes, you have to be content with small beginnings so you can grow towards your goal. Proximity is a powerful thing. Stay close to your goals. Work relentlessly towards its attainment. But be patient so you don't ruin your progress by taking miscalculated actions. Sometimes hedging your bets counts against you. You lose focus and spread yourself too thin. Make up your mind. Commit to one goal. And do everything possible to make it happen. In the words of Napoleon Hill, "You have to stake your future on your ability to get what you want. Burn your boats. Cut all sources of retreat. Make up your mind that you will either win or perish."

Napoleon says wishing for riches will not bring them to you. You must be obsessed with the desire for extreme wealth, and then plan definite ways to acquire wealth, and back those plans with persistence that doesn't recognize failure. That's the only way to make it happen.

These are his six steps to transmute your desire into its financial equivalent: 

"1. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire.

2. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire. 

3. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire. 

4. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin immediately, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action. 

5. Write out a clear statement of the money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.

6. Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night, and once after arising in the morning. As you read - see and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money."

Seeing yourself already in possession of the money is critically important. If you don't believe you can have it, you will never have it. Desire + belief + persistent action is the recipe for success. It all starts in your imagination. 

Hill believes that every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success. So, when you fail or stumble, don't stop. Keep going. 

"The greatest achievement was, at first, and for a time, but a dream."

Don't just be a dreamer. Be a practical dreamer. Imagine the reality you want to create, and then work on making it a reality. Do not quit. Find alternative methods to make your dreams come true if the original method fails to work. 

Napoleon reminds us that a bad start doesn't necessarily equate to a bad ending. Hardships sometimes reveal your true genius. He believes no one is ever defeated until they accept defeat as their reality. 

And he says that no one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it. Your only limitations are those that you set up in your own mind.

Belief, not mere hope or wish. If you want it bad enough, and you believe there's a way, you will do all you can to find the way. 

Self-talk is also important (attitude of faith). Napoleon relates the story of his son who was born without ears. Napoleon wouldn't permit himself to believe that his boy would be a deaf mute, so he convinced himself that there is way for his child to live a normal life even though he had no ears. And his desire came true when he discovered the miracle of bone hearing. He even wrapped his positive self-talk in bedtime stories that he told his son to make him believe and desire a normal and happy life despite his deformity. He wraps up this story by saying, "Handicaps can be converted into stepping stones on which one may climb towards some worthy goal, unless they are accepted as obstacles and used as alibis.”

So the choice is yours. Use your handicaps as an excuse or justification for why you can’t succeed, or use them as motivation and inspiration to overcome the odds and accomplish the impossible.

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