Every Fall I start to feel a little serene. I think it has to do with my anticipation of the rain, the cold, and the dark skies here in Eugene Oregon. Over the years here I have learned to prepare for Fall and Winter time by not starting any “heavy” projects and keeping my schedule as open as possible.
I also like to catch up on my reading…In fact, I’ve got an embarrassing confession to make. You know how you go to events and someone always asks, “How many people have read ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill?” Most people raise their hands…Of course; I raise my hand, too. I have the book and I started reading it…about 17 times!
Maybe I did not believe that something that was written that long ago would make a difference or I simply wasn’t ready for it, and until last week I never actually read this classic!
It’s truly amazing! I keep turning back to the first page to check if it really was written in 1937 – it might as well have been written today!
Here are my favorite quotes so far:
“The accumulation of great fortunes calls for power, and power is acquired through highly organized and intelligently directed specialized knowledge, but that knowledge does not necessarily have to be in the possession of the person who accumulates the fortune.”
Get it? It’s about creating a team!
Another one: “Riches, when they come in huge quantities, are never the result of hard work!” YES! I guess that’s where “Work smart, not hard” came from…
On leadership: “There are two types of people in the world, leaders and followers. Decide at the outset whether you intend to become a leader in your chosen calling or remain a follower. The difference in compensation is vast.”
I connect the next one to leadership, “The world does not pay for what people ‘know’. It pays them for what they do, or induce others to do.” In other words, Lead on what you already succeed in, and “riches will follow.” Most Lead on what they wish they had themselves, and this lack of authenticity hurts their Teams.
Is Napoleon Hill one of the grandfathers of self-help? I do not know for certain… And, it does seem like a lot of books written since then, and the training/Leadership programs created in the last 20 years, are based on a lot his principles.
I am still chugging along – reading chapter 10 right now…I even skipped playing around on Facebook to read it…and in my world that says a lot 🙂
Corinne McElroy
Edge Of Change
corinne@edgeofchange.com
P.S. How will you use this Fall and Winter to grow, succeed, and get ahead? Any plans?
Post your response on my blog