The Secret of 1937

These days, I'm reading the classics in motivation and leadership.  

They were written during and after the Great Depression (30s/40s) and influence a second round of great books in the 70s & early 80s.  One of the seminal works was Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  While much of the book is either dated (you have opportunities in the USA) or low level (how to market your personal services), many ideas are still very relevant.  

Hill had unique access to industry titans like Thomas Edison, JP Morgan, Andrew Carnegie and Charlie Schwab.  He studied them for 25 years and discovered the "secret" to their success.  They all possessed four key assets that shaped their thinking into a powerful sword of success: 

1. A clear purpose - They started with the Why, not the what they are doing.  The purpose was worthy and just.  It elicited powerful emotions about the value of the mission. 

2. Intense desire to fulfill the purpose - Desire is when thoughts combine with emotions to create energy. You must be willing to weather heavy criticism, multiple setbacks and a potential loss of everything.  This desire will give you persistence. 

3. A mind free of negative thoughts. You choose to spend your mind-time on solutions, previous successes or positive thoughts.  You chase out the negative thoughts like a healthy body attacks disease. 

4. A network of supporters.  You can't do it alone, and you need help.  Not just any help, positive help. You need people that will give you the honest but positive feedback you need to overcome adversity and chase your most ambitious dreams. 

Join the discussion "What Are the Motivational Classics" on my Facebook fan page.

Comments

[Torie Russell]

Thanks for this post I thought you might be interested in a very interesting speech by Werner Erhard about why we as human beings do what we do, and how knowing that is important to managing business performance Why We Do What We Do: A New Model Providing Actionable Access to the Source of Performance

[Tim Sanders]

James - Wow, what a great tip for me!

This is the value of social media for authors or researchers, the feedback loop.

tim

[James D Kirk]

Napoleon Hill is one of my classic favorites. Interesting how you mention his and other's books that spawned a new wave in the 70's & 80's Tim. Did you ever wonder where Hill and other classic authors got their inspirations? Ever heard of Wallace Wattles? His seminal 1910 (11?) classic was "The Science of Getting Rich" (I know, sounds like some Internet Marketer's e-book pitch of the week!) is a great read and launched several more titles that anyone loving the classics might be interested in finding online and reading more about. Plus, there are some great online communities that will let you download the complete text for free (opt in, of course).

[Tim Sanders]

Laura - Thanks for that tip! I'll check that book out.

Tim

[Laura Kilfoyle]

My favourite motivational book is Susan Jeffers' 'feel the fear and do it anyway'. It's a really powerful book that helped change my thinking in areas where I lacked confidence.