I’m going to be controversial from the get-go.
I don’t like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I just don’t.
In case you don’t know. Which I doubt. It’s one of those classics in the world of self-improvement and how-to-get-rich books. Some might even say THE classic.
So because of its reputation I had it on my wishlist for quite a while.
A few weeks back I finally got my hand on the book. I don’t enjoy reading ebooks or PDFs or audiobooks even. Whenever I read something. It has to be a physical book. Hardcover or paperback. Doesn’t matter.
Just let me have something physical.
I’m old-school in that way. It’s satisfying to flip the pages and highlight important sentences. I also like to see my progress by filling up my bookshelf. It helps to stay motivated.
You can’t help but look at the books on your shelf. You easily forget about digital copies. You can’t put them somewhere where you’ll notice. And out of sight is out of mind. That’s a lesson about environmental design.
But anyway back to the book.
Most people seemed to praise the book so I had to get it and check it out for myself right? I’m not one to go looking through reviews or anything.
I don’t care about the opinions of others. You can spend ages reading through reviews to find the best book, the best place to eat, and the best new phone, only to never make a decision. People simply never agree on anything.
So I don’t waste my time reading opinions. I’ll find out for myself.
The book arrives at my home and I’m happy to dig in. Only to find out real soon that it was an instant disappointment. It’s nothing more than a “feel good” book if you asked me.
Yes yes you need to believe in yourself. You need to want it real bad. You need to really WANT it. And on and on and on.
“Don’t quit. Keep going. Believe in yourself.”
Honestly I never seemed to fully understand the title until I started reading it. THINK and grow rich.
Now while I do appreciate a good book about having a proper mindset and the power of thought. This wasn’t it.
I’ve read As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. And man. Let me tell you.
That was one hell of a good book. It’s a short read. But don’t let that fool you. It’s a powerful read as well.
Remember last week’s email where I talked about the power of social proof? About how I read The Cather in the Rye because of it? (and almost every single book I ever read)
I talked about how powerful social proof is. How it makes business (and life) easy.
But there’s another side to it as well.
Sometimes it fails to deliver. That’s the thing about social proof. You have to back it up. It becomes more and more difficult to deliver.
People with all sorts of different expectations and requirements will start becoming interested in finding out more about your offer. You’ll keep growing to the point where the quality of your offer equals the social proof you have.
You’ll plateau. Which in business means you’ll start dying.
This email wasn’t to say Think and Grow Rich is a terrible book. Who am I to make such a claim? It simply wasn’t for me and I surely won’t ever recommend it to someone.
If you want to know which books (and course, articles, threads, and more) I WILL recommend. Check out my Ultimate Content Creator’s Toolkit (it’s free) here: alexvandromme.gumroad.com/l/UCCT