YOU AND I have something in common. We have both selected one of the greatest books ever written, Think and Grow Rich! by Napoleon Hill. However, it is almost 50 years since my mind was first exposed to the information that you are holding in your hands. The content of this book has the potential to improve the quality of your life to a degree that is very likely, at this time, beyond the scope of your imagination. You see, I probably know this book and what it can do as well, if not better, than most people alive today. Fifty years of studying the same book does something to you. Let me explain.
In 1963 my brother Al handed me a gift that I consider a true treasure. He gave me a copy of Think and Grow Rich! that he had bound in black Moroccan leather. Although I had already been studying another copy of the book for a few years, I have carried Al’s copy with me every day, everywhere I go, since receiving it. So much in my life has changed for the better since that day.
Just a year ago Al sent me an e-mail explaining how grateful he was that I began studying Think and Grow Rich! He went on to tell me that our entire family enjoys greater prosperity and joy today because of Napoleon Hill’s wonderful book. The philosophy contained in the following pages is one of the best perspectives on success that you will find anywhere. It has worked itself into our family’s way of thinking and into our way of living.
As I am dictating these words, I am sitting in my library surrounded by a few thousand books—great books, but none of them have had the impact on my life that Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich! has.
Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, Thomas Edison, and Alexander Graham Bell were a few of the people who were close friends of Napoleon Hill. Even without any research, you have a pretty good idea of the impact that the work of these great individuals has had on the world. We’re aware of their accomplishments because, in most cases, their name is associated with it. And yet, to my way of thinking, it is nearly impossible to accurately describe the positive impact that Napoleon Hill and his work have had on the world. Through his books, Napoleon Hill has transformed the lives of millions of people. Today, Hill’s incredible research and the organized information that came from his years of dedicated effort, percolate in the mind of countless millions of people worldwide—many of whom have never heard of Napoleon Hill. Yet these same individuals enjoy the wisdom that has been shared by others who have been impacted by Napoleon Hill’s great work.
When Think and Grow Rich! was first placed in my hands, I was sitting in a fire hall in a suburb of Toronto, Canada. I was a very confused, unhappy, and broke 26-year-old. I had virtually no formal education and no business experience. My mental focus was always on what I didn’t have, what I was lacking, and why I couldn’t do the things I dreamed about. However, Hill’s work inspired me; it caused me to focus on what I could do. As I studied the powerful information shared in this book, I began to search for ways of how I could do things, rather than why I couldn’t.
Think and Grow Rich! taught me to work at developing my strengths and managing my weaknesses. With the repetition of reading each chapter over and over again, I began to develop a healthy respect for my potential and my capabilities. Today I own a number of very prosperous companies that operate worldwide. I have attracted business partners with whom anyone would be proud to work. The LifeSuccess Group of Companies is focused on providing service in the same area in which Hill dedicated his life—helping people understand their potential and how to develop it.
I have formed the habit of reading a few lines from Think and Grow Rich! every day and have arrived at the conclusion that whatever challenge I may face, my solution will be found in the pages of this wonderful book. Another habit I have formed that I would urge you to follow is to read the chapter on “Persistence” every day for 30 days at least twice a year.
Recently, I traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to speak at the international conference of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, where the Prime Minister of Malaysia was presented with the Napoleon Hill Award. Although Napoleon Hill has moved on to the next phase of his eternal journey, the Napoleon Hill Foundation continues his great work. I clearly remember the moment I walked into the Foundation’s library, which houses much of Hill’s original work. A deep feeling of gratitude came over me; I felt indebted to him and to the Foundation for the abundant life that I enjoy.
Make up your mind right now—make a firm decision that you are going to harness the philosophy in this book to do for you what it has done for millions of people all over the world! I strongly urge you to do as I did some 46 years ago, to read Think and Grow Rich!: The Original Version, Restored and Revised over and over again until it becomes a part of your way of thinking, your way of being. You will be richly rewarded for doing so.
Bob Proctor, best-selling author, You Were Born Rich