Classic | Burning desire | Wealth

Last week, I shared a great summer read from Brendon Burchard for your summer break: High Performance Habits (2017). This week, I will share another book you can take with you to the beach, Think and Grow Rich (1937) by Napoleon Hills.

Actually, I am rather surprised that I’ve been writing these newsletters for 18 months but still hadn’t shared this book with you. This book is simply life-changing. 

This is not a random book. This is THE book on your road to success and wealth! A masterpiece in its own right. So much so that this is the 12th most sold book of all time (!) and the 1st in the personal development/ business sphere.

You might want to take a well-deserved break on the beach, and totally forgot about the rat race and the mess, or your boss at work! I got it! But in case you want to change something or feel the burning desire to do something, how about getting it from that daddy of all personal development books?

I would actually argue that this is a book to own, period. Holiday or not. So, in case you cannot read it in full this summer, maybe you can finish it in the second half of the year and set yourself up for success in 2023.

It has to be said though that Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) – and therefore his work – has been a controversial figure in modern times. Accused of fraud, modern historians also doubt many of his claims, such as that he met Andrew Carnegie and that he was an attorney. Some might even call him “the most famous conman you’ve probably never heard of”.

Nonetheless, the teaching of this book, personal or copied, had a great impact on me as Hill’s works insisted that fervid expectations are essential to improving one’s life. Most of his books were promoted as expounding principles to achieve “success”.

Indeed, Hills argues that we can only accomplish our aims in life if we are driven by a burning desire.

A great number of us wish for wealth and financial independence – but wishing alone isn’t going to help us achieve our goals. If we want to get rich and realize our dreams, we need to recognize a burning desire within us.

For instance, even after more than 10,000 failed experiments, Thomas Edison could not be shaken from his goal of inventing an electric light source. He was – plain and simple – driven by the desire to make his dream come true. And, after years of hard work, he did just that when he invented the light bulb.

Writer Fannie Hurst had a similar experience: she had to suffer over 36 rejections before her first short story was published in a newspaper. From then on, her career as a novelist and playwright took off. Her burning desire had proven stronger than the frustration she felt about being rejected – and she ultimately met with success.

So, it’s essential for those of us who want to be successful to examine our own personal attitudes toward setting our goals and dreams.

How do we feel about our goals and dreams? Are they only castles in the sky? Or is our burning desire strong enough to make them come true one day?

Question:

How can you ignite and sustain your “burning desire” for what matters to you?