Think and Grow Rich Book Review PART 1 ”How to Make 2022 Your Best Year Ever”

“In order to get to the next level of whatever you’re doing, you must think and act in a wildly different way than you previously have been. You cannot get to the next phase of a project without a grander mind-set, more acceleration, and extra horsepower.” Grant Cardone, author of the 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure [i]

Be sure to click here to access the images in the show notes.

MAKING 2022 YOUR BEST YEAR EVER: WITH CHANGE

I chose this quote to launch this episode, and our 7th Season of The Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast with Grant Cardone,[ii] who I’ve been watching for years before he starred on Undercover Billionaire[iii] when I saw him working with (at that time) 16 year-old Caleb Maddix[iv], teaching this young man, who is now in his 20s, how to truly make an impact on the world and live his life with a success mindset. Since the day I watched him coaching this teen, I realized he has a heart for helping our next generation to become successful, while inspiring the rest of the world with his 10x Rule book, countless programs that focus on financial education, and encouraging anyone who will listen to shift their mindset to make 2022 their Best Year ever. To do that, Cardone reminds us that we must all THINK differently and “change what we did last year.”

For those new, or returning guests, welcome back to Season 7 of our Podcast and Happy New Year! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you who tune in, have been fascinated with learning, understanding, and applying the most current brain research to improve productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments.

I wanted our first episode to launch our 7th Season to be different from past years. Instead of releasing an episode with goal setting or achieving tips, I challenge you to do something different this year. We all know that in order to achieve different results in 2022, we must CHANGE and I’m pretty sure we all have a list of things that we want to do differently to really make a mark on this year, but to make sure I was on track, I thought I’d better check in with what Uncover Billionaire, Grant Cardone is suggesting we change this year, since his results are proof that he knows what he’s talking about. Cardone suggests in order to make this change, we must keep 6 things in mind that will drive us towards our goals. 

We must have:

1. Discipline: By waking up early, watching the sunrise, and getting to bed early. This practice gives you 2 extra hours to launch your day, which translates into an extra month a year to work on your dreams or yourself. It will also help you to become highly motivated and will be a driver for your year, boosting our
2. Confidence: To further drive what you are doing and help you to fill up your calendar with meaningful work where you will create your
3. Action Plan with Activity: and be open to listening to
4. Feedback: From the marketplace (or your network) on how you can improve.
5. Surrounding Yourself with Your Network: Of other like-minded, successful people who will encourage you/holding you accountable. And there is only one outcome--
6. Success: This is Our Duty/Obligation. We Must WIN/SUCCEED in 2022.

To truly make an impact on this year, so it’s our best year ever, I think we should all take a look at what Cardone suggests and do whatever it takes so that we achieve our end result (or whatever it is we are working on) at the end of this year.  But how exactly do we do this?

Make 2022 Your Best Year Ever by Studying the Best-Selling book Think and Grow Rich[v]

I challenge you to practice Cardone’s TIP #1 with me, and develop discipline by waking up early, and study the #6th All-time Amazon Best-Seller, Think and Grow Rich with me this month. This is a book that has sold over 15 million copies worldwide, that has timeless principles used by some of the greatest minds of the 20th century, and I hope that together, we will uncover some new ideas that will bring us all new results in 2022.

I’ve been launching my year this way since 2019, with Paul Martinelli, who co-founded and built The John Maxwell Team[vi], by diving deep into the many secrets within Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich book from someone who has studied and taught the principles within this book for his entire career. It was this book, that my mentor Bob Proctor[vii] was inspired by, and often opened up and quoted during his career teaching and speaking about wealth principles around the world, as he carried the same weathered copy around with him, reading, studying, as his bible, that he would open up first thing in the morning, and then again before he went to bed.

During the six years I worked with Bob, I knew this book was important to him, and there were times it sat in the middle of the table we were sitting at, and we all just knew not to touch it. I remember looking at it, thinking “what else could he really be learning from this book?” as the pages looked like they were about to fall out, and disintegrate. Napoleon Hill talks about a “secret” that is hidden within the pages of this book, and I have a few ideas of what I think the secret is. Bob would never tell us what the secret was, and would say “if I tell you, then you won’t look for it yourself” which is probably true.

Bob Proctor's original copy of Think and Grow Rich.

I used to think that the secret was that “all achievements begin with an idea” and we just have to gaffe this idea with a pencil, write it down, and act on it, (using the 6 steps that Napoleon Hill suggests in the Desire chapter) or someone else will surely launch it. But each time I studied the book, and the author’s preface, that describes this secret, I thought about it again, and each year, come up with a NEW idea or perception of what I think the “secret” is.  Bob would say that books will have new meaning each time you read them because you change each year, and you see something in yourself that wasn’t there the last time you read it.

When you finish the book, and this book study with me, I wonder what you think the secret is in the book?

HOW TO READ THINK AND GROW RICH-WITH EFFORT

You’ve got to put some effort into this book study. It took me until 2019 to read this book properly. You know what I mean. You can read a book, flip through the table of contents, skim their meaning, grab some ideas, write them down, even apply them to your life, but then you put the book away, and don’t think about the ideas ever again. This is not the way to read this book, and it wasn’t until Paul Martinelli started teaching it to me, that I saw HOW to read Think and Grow Rich properly, uncovering the secret for myself, and finally putting it use, the way I think Napoleon Hill intended. I think.  If Bob has been studying this book for more than 50 years (reading it twice a day), then I think I’m only scratching the surface of how it’s intended to be read and applied.

KEEP THE BOOK ON YOUR DESK SO THAT YOU READ AND IMPLEMENT THE IDEAS YOU LEARN

This book is always on my desk and opened often and I do highly suggest that you purchase a copy that you keep on your desk so you can refer to the pages on your own, and participate in the activities that I will suggest as we go through the important concepts of these 16 principles that really do have incredible power. I put a tab so I can quickly find the 6 steps to put any idea on auto-suggestion from the DESIRE Chapter (they are also written on my wall) and I practice them daily, and know all about the 30 Major Causes of Failure (so I can avoid them) in the Organized Planning Chapter, with my own #31 added to the end.

It was the successful founder of US Steel (the first corporation in the world with a market capitalization of over $1 billion, Andrew Carnegie,[viii] who encouraged the young reporter and author of the book, Napoleon Hill, to uncover why some of the most successful people in the world, became that way, using the principles that Hill would use to create this book. Carnegie thought it was a shame that many of the top leaders in the world, like Thomas Edison or Henry Ford, would go to their grave without sharing their knowledge and success strategies to help others. This book will change your thinking, open up the door to new ideas, help you to create new habits and results.

This is why I host this podcast, because like Hill, I think it’s important to share the most current research, and any success strategies (for free) so that we can all benefit from this information and apply it to our work and personal lives, since we just weren’t taught these concepts in school.

I’m grateful that this year, I was reminded of this book by my friend Hans Ajay[ix], who let me know he was studying certain chapters to launch his year. There are many ways to study this book, to make the principles seep into your mind subconsciously, and thanks to Ajay, I decided it was time to look at my notes over the past few years and share them on the podcast to launch 2022 with a new angle. In this podcast series, I will review all chapters of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, with my notes added, after years of study, and hope these ideas will challenge you to do things differently this year, perhaps with more intention, and that you continue to study this book for years to come.

I was so excited to see that even before I had released this episode, some of my social media posts have inspired some of the top leaders in my network, like Matt Stewart,[x] from Scotland, who runs the EntrepreneurMe programs with our next generation of entrepreneurs in the school market, to consider re-reading the book this year.  I hope that you will join us, so that we can all make the change needed to make 2022 our best year ever, together.

In this series you will learn:

 

✔︎ How to apply the 15 success principles to your life, used by the most successful leaders of the 20th century like Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller, and Henry Ford.

✔︎ How to harness the power of your non-conscious mind, when you can create new habits, that you put on autopilot, and work for you, instead of against you.

✔︎  Create a clear vision of what you want to create in your life in 2022 to make it a year that is pivotal for the next few years to come.

✔︎  Create the mindset needed to attain this vision with a 6-step plan of how to do it.

Try something new this year and see if diving deep with me into the pages of Think and Grow Rich can make a difference for you, like it has made for millions of people all over the world, who have taken the principles seriously.

THINK AND GROW RICH PART 1:

INTRODUCTION/THOUGHTS ARE THINGS/

Author’s Preface and Introduction “What Exactly is The Secret?”

The book begins with the mention of this money-making “secret” that’s contained within the book’s pages and how Carnegie believed this “secret” should be taught in all schools and colleges and if it were taught properly would “revolutionize the entire educational system and that the time spent in school could be reduced to less than half.” (vi, Think and Grow Rich, 2003 edition).

As you read through this book, you’ll be reminded of this secret in the pages that jump out at you and every chapter mentions it.

I first thought this “secret” was that we must have an idea, and write it down, something that we really want. Then I thought about the VERY first thing Bob Proctor said to me when he met me was after finding out I was a school teacher, in Toronto, and he asked me “What I Really Wanted” to do with my life, and back then, the late 1990s, I definitely didn’t have a clear picture of my goals written out to go through with him step by step (like I do now). I was taken back a bit, because no one ever asked me anything like this before.

Hill says that “the secret will stand out to you when you are ready for it” and when it appears, you will recognize it. I didn’t have a clear picture of what I wanted back then but do now. If  you’ve been following this podcast, you’ll agree that it’s clear that I want to make an impact on the field of education by bringing together simple neuroscience, with social and emotional learning skills, to help make life easier for future generations with these evidence-based strategies. I wrote down that I wanted to become an expert in the field of educational neuroscience years before I had taken a neuroscience course or understood the structure and function of the brain.  I would never have gone on a podcast back then sharing my vision with the world and if you were sitting next to me, and this was written in my notebook, I’m sure I would never let you see that I had written that and might even hide it from anyone who might be looking.

Does this resonate with you? What do you think? Where are YOU in this process of what you REALLY want? Can you paint a clear picture of it for anyone who asks?

If you look at the image in the show notes (sorry I didn’t write neater, I didn’t think I would ever share these notes) you will see that we must first THINK to create an IDEA. Hill called the book Think and Grow Rich, and if there is a secret in this book, I now think it’s that “there’s work required, to actually think” and begin this entire process.  If you aren’t sure of what your vision is, and it’s not yet clear, then sit quietly somewhere and use your imagination and intuition to think for a while.

Stuck With Your Vision? Ask Yourself These Questions:

• What do others say you are good at?
• What do you enjoy doing that you would do even if you weren’t paid for it.
• Think of an area of life where you are dissatisfied. How would you like this area to improve?

It’s normal to want to be, do, have more in your life so that you can extend your services and help more people with your services. You can’t see your own potential, but you can be made aware of it. I think it’s really important to tell people where they are excelling in life, so they know what you see, that they might not be able to see themselves.

 

Once you have a vision, write it down and follow these steps for:

Applying the Power of Thought:

1. What’s your VISION? If I was to ask you “what do you really want?” would you be able to describe your plan clearly and confidently to me? Or would you hesitate, like I did when Proctor first asked me this question.  Do you have CLARITY around this vision? It’s not an accident that Brendon Burchard, author of the New York Times Best Seller, High-Performance Habits, found that CLARITY[xi] was one of the habits that research found moved the needle more than any of the other habits for those who are high-performers vs non-performers, meaning that when you have clarity, you are more likely to make decisions that support your vision. Become crystal clear about who you are, and what you want, and you will be able to answer this question quickly and with confidence. The clearer your vision, the less doubt, fear and confusion you will have.
2. What’s your BELIEF around your vision? Your belief will drive your behavior and help get you out of bed in the morning and keep moving towards what you envision. Do you believe that you will receive your vision? Are you ready/prepared for it? When you are laser focused on your vision, it will be all that you can see. I talked about “Using the Reticular Activating System to Set Your Intent and Achieve it”[xii] earlier this year, that explains how there is a part of our brain (RAS) that will help you to achieve whatever it is that you are focused on (good or bad) so you might as well use this part of your brain to your advantage.
3. Do you EXPECT that your vision will come true? Expectation hooks you up with what you want and brings it closer to you. Have you ever heard that what you seek, is also seeking you? You will move towards it, and it will move towards you. Remember—you can be hooked up to what you want, but if you don’t expect it, you won’t bring it towards you. You also cannot force this, or it will not come. Force negates. You seek something first, then it seeks you.
4. What is your vision? What is your goal? Are you prepared? There is no such thing as something for nothing. You must do the work. Be sure to review EPISODE #67[xiii] on “Expanding Your Awareness with Lessons Learned from Bob Proctor’s Seminars” especially with BIG IDEA #5 how we bring an idea from our mind (spiritual realm) and bring it to fruition (physical realm) actually making it happen.

When I asked Bob about the quantum world that Dr. Dan Siegel[xiv] talks about in our interview, where there is this plane of possibility where we can create anything, Bob answered with “I believe the physical realm that we live in and the spiritual world, are all connected, like the colors of the rainbow.” When we take an idea, it comes in from spirit, hits our intellectual mind, and it’s up to us whether we move it into form. 

Have you ever had an idea that you thought was brilliant, and you never did anything with it, and then suddenly you see someone else has created it? That’s because there is only one mind, and that we can all tap into these ideas.  

This is how ALL ideas happen. They start in the mind of the person who creates it, and then after dedicated work, they hit their target, and people watching might say “Oh wow, that person is so lucky” not realizing the work that went into the attainment of the goal. There are usually years of hard work, persistence, of failures, wrong turns, course corrections, but all starting with that clear vision or idea with an end goal or target.

“Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet.”

How? Over time, we become better at what we do. Never let it rest, until we perfect our craft. Keep going and remember “if a person is not prepared when the opportunity arises, it will only make them look foolish.” (Earl Nightingale).

HOW TO CREATE YOUR VISION FOR AN IMPROVED 2022:

To review the INTRO and CHAPTER 1 of Think and Grow Rich, remember that to achieve NEW results in 2022, we must do something differently than we did in prior years. I hope that you continue to listen to this deep dive into Think and Grow Rich, and wake up early, with me, improving our discipline and confidence levels with this new habit.

EXAMPLE of ANDREA’S VISION:

Grant Cardone reminds us that “Average is a Failing Formula.” (page 70 10x Rule) and he suggests that we write our goals down in the morning/night as if we have already achieved them.

Here’s my FIRST vision of wanting to become an expert in educational neuroscience from January 2019, 6 months before I launched this podcast. I hadn’t even bought the new template for my website when I wrote this and was going to call the podcast Social and Emotional Learning Meets Neuroscience. I had no idea where this idea would lead to, but knew whatever it was, that it needed to have Neuroscience and SEL meshed together somehow.

Figure out what it is that you REALLY want, something that’s much bigger than you, (that you might not want others to see because it’s so big to you) and then believe that you can have it.

When I wrote this, I had no idea this podcast was going to become the top Top 15 Best SEL Podcasts for 2021, and Top 20 Best Neuroscience Podcasts for 2021 and would feature some of the leading experts in neuroscience, education and the brain, but I believed this vision was possible even when I didn’t know what an RSS feed was  (that I now know drives ALL podcasts out to the world).

What’s YOUR vision? Do you have it written down? Did this episode give you some ideas on making 2022 your best year ever? Please do what Matt did and take a picture of you studying with me and let me know you have learned. It will help motivate others to do the same.

Remember: “All achievements begin with an idea.” (Napoleon Hill) and then you expand and refine your ideas as you progress towards them.

I’ll see you in the next couple of days where we will move onto DESIRE, FAITH and THE 6th SENSE.

FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  

Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  

Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 

REFERENCES:

[i] Grant Cardone, The 10XRule https://www.amazon.com/10X-Rule-Difference-Between-Success/dp/0470627603

[ii] Grant Cardone Make 2022 Your Best Year Ever published on YouTube Dec. 30, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5QGEBkxuL0

[iii] Undercover Billionaire starring Grant Cardone https://www.amazon.com/Undercover-Billionaire-Season-2/dp/B091J1WPJL

[iv] Andrea Samadi interviews Caleb Maddix (Jan 4, 2016) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFKA6CPt_sI&list=PLb5Z3cA_mnKiiOxLqeDi_Jd2eG15S-ALF

[v] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_and_Grow_Rich

[vi] See Paul Martinelli’s work over the years as co-founder of the John Maxwell Team https://www.facebook.com/paul.martinelli/videos/1287039331710834/

[vii] The Secret to Think and Grow Rich Revealed by Bob Proctor Published on YouTube April 11, 2019  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU-_vjDssVA

[viii] Andrew Carnegie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie

[ix] Hans Ajay https://www.instagram.com/hansajayb/

[x] Matt Stewart https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurme/?ref=badge&hl=en

[xi] Brendon Burchard on How to Find Clarity https://brendon.com/blog/how-to-find-clarity/

[xii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE  “Using the Reticular Activating System to Set Your Intent and Achieve it” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-using-the-reticular-activating-system-to-set-your-intent-and-achieve-it/

[xiii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 on “Expanding Your Awareness with Lessons Learning from Bob Proctor’s Seminars” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/

[xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #28 with Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Learning” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/clinical-professor-of-psychiatry-at-the-ucla-school-of-medicine-dr-daniel-siegel-on-mindsight-the-basis-for-social-and-emotional-intelligence/