“Knowledge has no value except for what can be gained from it’s application toward some worthy end.”

It’s a still and hazy morning here in the Virgin Islands, creating a surprisingly nice filter to this morning’s sunrise.   I might have guessed this sunrise would be pretty, as friends posted some pretty spectacular sunset photos last night, one catching the elusive “green flash”.   Thanks Mother Nature for keeping me on my toes … There’s something to be said for just showing up with an open-minded attitude ! read more

“You, and you alone, must decide whether or not the reward is worth the price you must pay for it in effort.”
  ~ Napoleon Hill

The Third Principle of Success:  Autosuggestion.

“Nature has built human beings, so that, through our five senses, we can have control over the material that reaches our subconscious mind. ”

We have already been introduced to the concept of Auto-Suggestion earlier in the book, but it appears so important, Hill gives the concept it’s own chapter.  And we are instructed to come back to this chapter – which repeats the Six Steps of Turning Desire into Gold – and re-read it after we finish the book.  It is of such great importance, it will warrant repeating in practically every chapter !! read more

“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”
~ Steve Jobs

Good morning friends! Since I began blogging this year, I’ve changed my method for writing. In the past, I’d write immediately after catching the sunrise.  This lent itself to a certain level of stress, as some days I just didn’t feel like writing.

Now, all I have to do is catch the sunrise.  And even that can hold a challenge, as this morning, I was exhausted from a very challenging villa turnover … That, coupled with the full moon, did not lend itself to a good night’s sleep. read more

“Riches begin in the form of thought and faith removes limitations.”
  ~ Napoleon Hill

It’s a beautiful still morning here on St. Thomas today.  The Christmas winds have “slowed down”, allowing me to slow down too, and spend some time contemplating on my morning bench.

As we continue on with Think and Grow Rich, to end the chapter on our second principle of success –  faith in our abilities – Hill tells the story of the United States Steel Corporation. read more

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”
  ~ Buddha.

Following the first Principle of Success, Desire, we are introduced to the 2nd Principle of Success: Faith in Our Ability.

I personally found this chapter fascinating.  I re-read it a number of times, getting a little something different each time, including noticing that Buddha and Napoleon Hill seem to be preaching from the same scripture 😉

Napoleon Hill expresses Buddha’s most widely quoted tenant this way:  “You are what you are because of the dominating thoughts that you permit to occupy your mind.  There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge.” read more

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
  ~ Napoleon Hill

I just about missed this gorgeous sunrise … I could hear the rain, but then that little voice in my head said just get up and look anyway!  What a perfect picture to accompany today’s topic:  Nature as Bridge-Builder.   Believe, friends !!

As a fitting climax to his chapter on the power of desire, Napoleon Hill tells a very personal story:  One of his own son, who was born without any sign of ears. read more

“No more effort is required to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty.”
  ~ Napoleon Hill

The 1st Principle of Success:  Desire

In order for us to succeed, we must be willing to dream big, have full belief in our ability to achieve, and allow ourselves no possible way of retreat.

If we always pull up and go where the going seems easier, we will not succeed.  We must be willing to back our plans with persistence – a persistence which does not recognize failure. Thomas Edison is a shining example, failing more than 10,000 times before inventing the lightbulb.  He stood by his dream until finally he was driven to the discovery of the genius that slept within his brain. read more

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”
    ~  William Henley, English poet

It’s a misty cool morning here on St. Thomas.  Perfect for settling in with my blanket to read more o

As a preface to spelling out the Thirteen Principles of Success, Napoleon Hill claims:

Riches begin with a state of mind, with a definiteness of purpose, with little or no hard work.

This may seem like an astounding statement, considering the fact that most believe riches come only to those who work long and hard. read more