In 1908, Napoleon Hill, a 20-something reporter, was assigned the job of interviewing Andrew Carnegie, the richest man in the world.

Last week I introduced (or re-introduced) an awesome personal growth tool, Think and Grow Rich. I’ve heard from so many of you that you loved it!  Some of you had the book and decided to re-read it, some of you had heard of it and decided to get the book and read it, and others of you decided watching the movie was much more exciting. Good job all of you! Over the next 7 weeks I’ll be offering some of my personal insights on Think and Grow Rich and how I’ve used it.  I want to hear your insights, too.  I’ll have a question for you at the end.  If you’re game – email me with your insights!  I’ll share yours on the following week’s blog.  Sound good?  

Let’s start at the beginning.  In 1908, Napoleon Hill, a 20-something reporter, was assigned the job of interviewing Andrew Carnegie, the richest man in the world. Carnegie had been in search of a protege that would commit to spending 20 years preparing themselves to take information to the average person about living a successful life.  Success in business, success in relationships, and success in their health.  Success in their lives in general. 

Here’s where it gets even more interesting.  The protege would have to agree to do this with no compensation.  Carnegie wouldn’t give this person a dime.  What he would do for them is to open his Rolodex (address book) to them and introduce them to the richest people in the world.  The promise was that if the protege committed themselves to this venture they would amass their own fortune in the process.

On that fine day in 1908 Hill went to Carnegie’s office to interview him and Carnegie was impressed with Hill so he invited him to spend the weekend at their country estate so they would have more time together.  In reality Carnegie wanted to get to know Hill a bit more and potentially offer him the protege opportunity. By the end of the weekend Carnegie had decided to offer the protege opportunity to Hill.

Here’s where destiny took a hand.  Carnegie believed (and this is one of the principles of Think and Grow Rich as well as DreamBuilding) that successful people are quick decision-makers.  When Carnegie offered the opportunity to Hill to be his protege with the understanding that he wouldn’t be paid a dime but he would be introduced to some of the richest people in the world, he had a stop watch in his hand under his desk. 

Once Carnegie made the offer to Hill he clicked the stopwatch.  He had determined that if Hill said yes before the stop watch hit 60 seconds he would give him the position.  But, if Hill said yes at 61 seconds the offer was off the table. What would you have done in Hill’s position?  

The outcome is obvious, Hill said yes in less than 60 seconds and the rest is history. Napoleon Hill did become a very rich man who lived a long a happy life based on all that he learned and documented about how successful people think and from the books he wrote, Think and Grow Rich, in 1937 and The Keys to Success. Thousands of people over the last 80 years have followed the principles in this book and created rich lives.  If they can, so can you.

As I said, I think everyone should have this book in their personal library.  Mine is dog-eared and written in, I read it so often.  If you don’t have your copy yet, here’s a link, Think and Grow Rich.  And, I love the movie.  It’s inspirational and appropriate for anyone at most any age.  Here’s a link to watch, rent or buy the movie, Think and Grow Rich the Legacy Movie. **A great way to experience this classic work is to invite family and friends to come over for a movie night or study the book in a book group.  The discussion afterwards is guaranteed to be powerful.

Next week I’ll be sharing insights on one key principle that Andrew Carnegie taught Napoleon Hill as well as the Introduction and the first Chapter on Desire. I would love for you to be part of this conversation. Please email me your thoughts about the book, today’s blog, or any related topic.  I’ll share everyone’s thoughts and ideas on the next blog! So, here’s your question – what would you have done in Napoleon Hill’s shoes and were offered that opportunity – and why?  I’ll share our answers next week. Until then, have an amazing week!

“It’s one thing to have a dream, it’s another to build one”  Mary Morrissey