Office Productivity

Napoleon Hill Information

Napoleon Hill was one of the first widely known personal improvement authors. With the publication of his first book on self improvement called Laws of Success in 1927, Mr. Hill wrote numerous books. His most popular and a perennial favorite is Think & Grow Rich, originally published in 1932. It has remained popular to this day and can be found on the shelves of nearly any book seller.

Napoleon Hill continued popularity is probably due to the simplicity and pragmatism of his ideas. His "philosophy of success" is shaped by those such as Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Andrew Carnegie who all help him in his research. His writings are essentially non-religious and cross cultural barriers well enough to have been translated into hundreds of different languages.

There is a Napoleon Hill biography

A Lifetime of Riches by Michael J. Ritt, Jr. and Kirk Landers. It describes his entire life including his service under FDR, his meeting with Andrew Carnegie, etc. It also includes numerous pictures including one of Napoleon Hill with Thomas Edison. Usually found in the Biography section of book stores.

It's a great read and really makes you understand that if he didn't live by the methods he espoused, he most likely would have failed.

Common NH Topics

Many of Napoleon Hill's books contain lists of basic topics such as types of fears, steps to success, etc. For reference, below are some of the common lists that repeated throughout his numerous books.

The Six Ghosts of Fear

1. Poverty
2. Criticism
3. Ill Health
4. Lost Love
5. Old Age
6. Death

The Seven Positive Motives

1. Emotion of LOVE
2. Emotion of SEX
3. Desire for MATERIAL GAIN
4. Desire for SELF-PRESERVATION
5. Desire for FREEDOM OF BODY AND MIND
6. Desire for SELF-EXPRESSION
7. Desire for PERPETUATION OF LIFE AFTER DEATH

One emotion I always thought Napoleon Hill was missing was the desire for COMMUNITY. This emotion does not fit clearly into any of the other emotional categories. We all want to share time with other people and often times we will go to extreme lengths to have company. When considering any goal, keep in mind the people you will meet and need along the way. Sometimes even the community that you must cooperate with for the achievement of your goal will be reason enough to get started.

The 13 Steps to Success

1. Desire
2. Faith
3. Autosuggestion
4. Specialized Knowledge
5. Imagination
6. Organized Planning
7. Decision
8. Persistence
9. Power of the Master Mind
10. Mystery of Sex Transmutation
11. Subconscious Mind
12. Brain
13. Sixth Sense

How to create a Definite Major Purpose

1. Fix in your mind exactly what it is you want. Be specific!
2. Determine what you are willing to give in return to achieve this goal
3. Establish a specific date that you will possess what it is you want
4. Create a rough plan to achieve this goal and begin at once, whether you are ready or not
5. Write out a clear concise statement detailing the above 4 factors
6. Read this written statement aloud twice daily-once in the morning and again before bed. Feel yourself having already accomplished the objective.

Napoleon Hill Foundation

After Mr. Hill's death, a foundation was created to further the work that Mr. Hill had participated in during his lifetime. These programs included speaking tours and literature placement at prisons, a published newsletter, and creation of other success information. If you send the a large, self-addressed stamped envelope, they will send you a bookplate, a copy of one of Napoleon Hill's essays, and information about the foundation. The foundation may be reached at:

Note: Neither Coherent Visual nor this home page are in any way connected with the Napoleon Hill Foundation. We have provided the address here for your information.

Goal Setting

Setting effective goals that are inspiring yet not overwhelming is a difficult and subtle art. Here are a few general tips I have learned along the way:

• Break a goal down into pieces - Everyone reaches a point where they just don't want to continue along a path, even while knowing that path takes them where they want to go. At this point, set a really minor goal to accomplish along the path and DO IT. Then, set the next small goal and do it. Using this method you can usually build momentum again.
• Don't be discouraged when you fail - Everyone fails at some time or another. It seems that the most important thing to do is when you start sliding downhill is stop your slide. For example, diets and exercise programs are very often started, but then the person begins to fail. They gained an extra pound or stopped working out for a week and believe that they failed again. DON'T BELIEVE ALL IS LOST. The worst thing you can do is say, "I've already gained some extra weight, so why don't I just have this dessert because at this point it doesn't matter anyway."
  When you've fallen from your objective, don't think you have to immediately start your climb again. However, make sure that you stop your slide. It's much easier to begin again from a stopped position than to overcome momentum pushing in the opposite direction.
• Give yourself a reward not connected with the accomplishment - If you're on a diet, don't reward success with a desert. If you're working hard, don't reward yourself with a break. Doing this sets up the idea in your head that what you are doing is painful and doing the opposite is a reward.
• Make a list of the things you've accomplished - When times are hard, it is often hard to remember when you succeeded in the past. One of the best ways to work against this is to create a list of things you already accomplished. Every time you succeed again, add it to the list. During the bad times, look at the list. You'll be amazed at what you've already overcome!
• Only take on 5 projects at a time - Although this is often impossible to do, keep it in mind. When you feel overwhelmed, examine the number of balls you're trying to juggle. It's probably more than five! Try to cut down the number to help yourself.
• Realize the struggle is constant - You can never reach a certain point and say "Oh good, I'm there now." The saying "The journey is the reward" is misleading because rarely does the journey itself does not make up for the struggle to a compelling objective. It is accomplishing things and pointing to them saying "I did that," that often makes the effort worthwhile. However, if you hate the journey along the way and the path is long, make sure the objective is worth it.
• When you reach your goal, set another - This seems counter-intuitive at first because it indicates that you never reach a place of contentment. The image most people have is climbing a mountain. How fun is climbing a mountain when every time you reach a new level, you realize that there is yet another one to go?
  Instead, imagine you're constructing a building. Every time you reach another goal, you have added another floor to your building. Setting another goal means you'll be making a taller building with a better view!

Quiet Place

There are often times when life seems overwhelming. The demands on your time and concentration are incredible. It seems sometimes that all the news that comes your way is bad news. It is very easy to despair in these moments and feel so shaken up that you are paralyzed with inaction. Someone once said that at this point, "fear takes the place of desire."

To help you in moments like this, create a place in your mind such as an imaginary quite room or a palace. Would your confidence be enhanced by sitting on a throne? Perhaps riding through the country on horseback is your place of solitude and confidence or walking on a tropical beach. Choose just one place so it does not become one more choice you have to make in your moments of difficulty. In your imagination, make it a habit of going to this place when life seems to be trying to beat you down. Imagine yourself there for just two minutes and you will probably be ready to face the world again.

Emotional strength comes more from a state of mind than anything else. By visiting your place, you will return your state of mind to confidence. 

Financial Planning

Next to goal setting, financial planning may be the most important activity required to ensure a successful life. Whether you want to be rich or just comfortable, money plays a key role in the happiness or unhappiness of most people in modern society.

The most common guidelines I've studied are:

• Save 10% of your income - This nice figure makes it easy to put money aside. If you open a bank account or use a mutual fund explicitly for this purpose, you'll be amazed how fast it grows.
• Pay with cash or check - If you don't have the money right now, how much do you need it?