AUTHORIZED BY THE
NAPOLEON HILL FOUNDATION
napoleon hill’s
success masters
INTRODUCTION AND BONUS CONTENT BY
THE STAFF OF ENTREPRENEUR MEDIA, INC.
Entrepreneur Press, Publisher
Cover Design: Andrew Welyczko
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© 2019 by Entrepreneur Media, Inc.
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ebook ISBN: 978-1-61308-410-6
Contents
Foreword
by Don M. Green, Executive Director of Napoleon Hill Foundation
Introduction
by the Editors of Entrepreneur
How to Use This Book
Harness the Power of Your Imagination
CHAPTER ONE
Developing the Habits of a Winner
by Dr. Denis Waitley
Self-Awareness
Winning
Self-Esteem
Entrepreneur Action Item: Know the Eight Habits of Highly Effective Entrepreneurs
CHAPTER TWO
Every Problem Has a Solution
by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
The Solution Is Right in Front of You
Think Your Way to a Solution
Believe You Can Overcome Obstacles
Relax to Win
Entrepreneur Action Item: Rewire Your Brain to Be More Positive
CHAPTER THREE
Theory of Compensation
by Ralph Waldo Emerson with comments by W. Clement Stone
A Note from W. Clement Stone
Compensation
Entrepreneur Action Item: Make Time for Mentorship
CHAPTER FOUR
Selling
by Paul Harvey
We Are All in Sales
Selling the Idea of America
Selling Optimism
Selling Self-Discipline
Entrepreneur Action Item: Using Sales Secrets to Position Yourself as an Expert
CHAPTER FIVE
The Other Wise Man
by Henry Van Dyke
A Classic Tale with a Twist
Entrepreneur Action Item: What Smart Entrepreneurs Know About Problem-Solving
CHAPTER SIX
How to Overcome Discouragement
by J. Martin Kohe
Avoid Perfection Syndrome
Lighten Up
Agree to Disagree
Don’t Give Up So Quickly
Always Have an Exit Strategy
Perseverance Is Key
Entrepreneur Action Item: 15 Ways to Drown Out Discouragement
CHAPTER SEVEN
Facing Life Successfully
by Earl Nightingale
The Answer Is in The Problem
Risk Equals Reward
Don’t Sit on Your Goals
Avoid Groupthink
Avoid the Effects of Affluence
Make Up Your Mind
Define Happiness
Set Goals and Be a Lifelong Learner
Entrepreneur Action Item: How to Live with Purpose and Stay Focused on Long-Term Goals
CHAPTER EIGHT
Self Development
by Earl Nightingale
Collect Your Rocks Wisely
The Role of Money in Society and Business
Your Self-Development
Finding Personal Freedom
Let Go of Fear
Be Service-Minded
Bring Your Ideas to Life
Choose Your Path
Entrepreneur Action Item: Create Your Self-Development Mindset
CHAPTER NINE
Action Plan for Success: Your Psychological Needs
by Dr. Lacy Hall
Identify Your Needs
Create a Needs Inventory
Take Actions That Honor Your Needs
Insights from W. Clement Stone on Goals, Success, and How to Think
Entrepreneur Action Item: This Is What It Takes to Spark Change in Your Life
CHAPTER TEN
How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life
by Alan Lakein
An Introduction by Og Mandino
Learn How to Do Less
Change Your Situation by Maximizing Your Time
When Perfectionism Helps and When It Doesn’t
Procrastinate Positively
Entrepreneur Action Item
Making Time Is Your Most Important Business Resource
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Power Over Problems
by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
Start by Connecting with Others
Growing Positively Through Problems
Problems Are Part of Life
It’s All about Attitude
Think Positively
Harness the Power of Enthusiasm
Entrepreneur Action Item: Use Six Principles for Overcoming Entrepreneurial Adversity
APPENDIX
A Reader’s Guide to Napoleon Hill’s Success Masters
Discussion Questions
Resources
About Napoleon Hill
Index
Foreword
Don M. Green, Executive Director of Napoleon Hill Foundation
When W. Clement Stone, former chair of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, was given a copy of Think and Grow Rich, he was surprised that the principles listed in that book aligned with what he was already doing.
Mr. Stone was raised by his mother and learned two of Napoleon Hill’s principles at an early age. His mother was a seamstress and W. Clement worked on the streets of Chicago to earn money as a newspaper boy. At the age of six, he was much smaller than most of the other newspaper boys and was often bullied for selling newspapers on what the other boys referred to as “their corner.”
One day, W. Clement went into a restaurant and after selling a few newspapers was escorted to the door by the restaurant owner. Shortly thereafter, he returned to the same restaurant and began selling newspapers again. However, the owner forced him to leave for the second time. He returned to the restaurant for the third time, and the customers thought the ordeal was unacceptable, so they asked the restaurant owner to leave him alone.
His persistence, though, stood out. It is easy to see that Mr. Stone began practicing persistence at an early age. Apple founder Steve Jobs said that persistence was the most valuable trait he possessed.
W. Clement Stone’s mother also taught him the importance of faith. No matter how tough the day had been, W. Clement and his mother always knelt at the foot of their beds and gave thanks. Practicing his faith helped him immensely as founder of Combined Insurance, a large and successful insurance broker, today known as Aon.
Even though Mr. Stone read Think and Grow Rich at a later age, he had already applied all the success principles to his insurance business. Starting with only $100, he built a fortune so large that he gave away hundreds of millions of dollars prior to his death at age
100.
In 1952, W. Clement Stone met the 69-year-old Napoleon Hill at a dental convention. At Mr. Stone’s insistence, they formed an alliance and worked together for ten years, spreading the success principles that Napoleon Hill is known for the world over.
W. Clement Stone invested $500,000 to publish books with Napoleon Hill. Together, they wrote Success through a Positive Mental Attitude in 1960, which continues to sell well today.
Hill and Stone completed numerous speaking engagements and seminars all across the country. Many times, Mr. Stone would hold private conventions for his employees and hire well-known motivational speakers. He would record their lectures and furnish them to his employees for encouragement. This book is a composition of advice from some of these well-known speakers, enhanced by content and context for today’s entrepreneur from the editors at Entrepreneur Media. Together, these two powerhouse brands showcase some of the best-known tenets of what it means to truly master success.
Introduction
By the Editors of Entrepreneur Media Inc.
Success is a shapeshifter. It looks different on each of us. What might exemplify success for one person may be anathema to another. One person’s success may be wrapped in the temporal realm of money, power, or even fame. Another person’s success may be defined by how they spend their time, or the connection between their work and passion. Yet another’s may be defined in terms of what they don’t have, as much as what they do.
No matter how you define it, we all seek success in one form or another. And the journey to find it can be long and often daunting. We hope for quick solutions; we don’t often find them. We set our goals; often, too high. We depend on others to lay a path toward success for us, but it’s not on them to do so. Ultimately, we find that the true key to success lies within.
Napoleon Hill knew this. He knew that success was entirely dependent on one element: you. And what YOU bring to the table is all you need to master the art of success, however you choose to define it.
Many well-known and trusted writers and speakers in the personal growth universe also knew that success is entirely dependent on the person who seeks it. That’s why they have been chosen by The Napoleon Hill Foundation as “Masters of Success.” In this book, personal development visionaries like W. Clement Stone, Earl Nightingale, and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale share their time-honored insights into success: how you can define it, how you can achieve it, and how you can hold onto it. Though each author approaches success differently, they all agree that the key to mastering success is inside each of us.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
The selections in this book from some of Napoleon Hill’s timeless visionaries run the gamut from inspirational to practical. As you read, keep in mind that each essay is a product of its time and place. As such, some language usage and sentence construction may seem unfamiliar to you. We have opted to retain as much of the original tone and voice of the authors as possible, providing some updates for modern sensibilities, including headings to help you navigate the content. Our editors have also included some brief editorial comments as needed, which are noted in brackets.
Each selection includes a brief introduction, tips for the reader from our editors, and an “Entrepreneur Action Item” section to help you apply the lesson from each visionary to your own life and experience in a practical, actionable way. At the end of the book, you’ll find a brief reader’s guide packed with thought-provoking questions you can use in your reading group, class, or even for yourself to keep the conversation on success going.
HARNESS THE POWER OF YOUR IMAGINATION
Hill famously said, “All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination … Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishments and wealth.” So what are you waiting for? Use your imagination to broaden your own idea of success. Think about what YOU want your life to look like. Do you want to grow in your position at work as an intrapreneur? Perhaps you want to forge a path outside the confines of your office and break out on your own as an entrepreneur. Maybe you want to create passive income that will allow you to focus more on goals. Or perhaps you want to focus on nonwork-related success: quality time with your family, honoring your interests and passions, or even having more time to volunteer and change your corner of the world. Success can look any way you want it to—all it takes is your imagination and the drive to make it happen. Let’s get started!
CHAPTER ONE
Developing the Habits of a Winner
Dr. Denis Waitley
Dr. Denis Waitley entered the Napoleon Hill universe when he was hired by W. Clement Stone, founder of Combined Insurance, to speak to 7,000 salespeople at the company. Dr. Waitley went on to produce recorded lectures that have been listened to by millions, and he became one of the world’s premiere motivational speakers and writers. Some of his most well-known works include the essay “Developing Winner’s Habits” and his bestselling audio, “The Psychology of Winning.”
Waitley graduated from Annapolis and was a pilot with the Blue Angels, the Navy’s precision flying team. He was a psychologist for the Apollo moon program and was a rehabilitating coordinator for America’s returning Vietnam prisoners of war. He is also a member of the International Speakers Hall of Fame and developed the following ten attitudes and actions to help people become total winners:
Positive Self-Awareness
Positive Self-Esteem
Positive Self-Control
Positive Self-Motivation
Positive Self-Expectancy
Positive Self-Image
Positive Self-Direction
Positive Self-Dimension
Positive Self-Discipline
Positive Self-Projection
In this landmark essay, Waitley uses anecdotes from his own life to drive home some of the classic habits of winning that can elevate your level of success, including self-awareness and self-esteem.
SELF-AWARENESS
I teach a program called POW, which everyone thinks means Prisoner of War. But I did it in Cambridge, England, and the little boys applauded when I put it up on the wall. They thought I meant the Prince of Wales. Later, I was in New York and Gloria Steinem saw me put POW up on the board, and she thought it meant Power of Woman! But in reality, the meaning of POW is Psychology of Winning. It always has been.
My father was right. He spent two years with me, age 7 to 9, and then he left home, but it didn’t make any difference because my personality had already been formed. My dad came in and gave me the precious gift that too few parents today give. A new Harvard study shows we spend less than 60 seconds a day alone, one-on-one, with each child when they’re most receptive to input, just before they go to bed. Less than 60 seconds a day alone with each child. Well, I spend time at the dinner table, and I spend time around the television set, and I tuck them in. My dad gave me more: 15 minutes a night, for two years. That was enough. He sat on my bed and told me the greatest thing I’ve ever heard. He said, “You know, I love you.” And he also said, “By the way, you’re born of special stuff, that’s all. Your mother and I played Russian Roulette, and your chamber came up with the best of both of us. I don’t know how you did it.” He said, “Maybe it’s our ancestry.” He said, “I missed my ship. You’ll catch yours.” He said, “By the way, when I turn out the light for you, my son, it goes out all over the world. You see, light is to the eyes of the beholder, to the eyes of the receiver. It doesn’t make any difference what’s going on. It’s how you take it. Keep your eyes open. Keep them shiny. Go for it. Don’t worry about what I did. You don’t have to be like me. You can choose to be different.” Well, he’s the greatest winner I’ve ever known. He gave me the encouragement to understand that it’s my world, too, and that it’s OK to feel good no matter where we came from.
Just when I get to thinking I’m great—and I do about once every two months—I remember I was honored by both houses of Congress as the new speaker on the circuit. I came in from t
he back of the room late. I was wearing my bank-loan suit (my sincere suit), which I always wear. It has a vest to hold my stomach in (I’m 46 and need all the help I can get.). I walked in from the back of the room, nervous. When I get nervous, I get a good grip on myself and I rock back and forth, toes to heels. When I really got nervous I broke into my Bob Newhart shtick, a nervous laugh, and I went, “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,” because no one cared that I was there, and I finally got their attention.
As I looked out in the audience, the Senator from Massachusetts recognized me on sight for who I really am. He looked up from his seat, and he said, “Come on down.” Just like Bob Barker on The Price is Right, he said, “Come on down.”
Well, I walked down like Vince Lombardi. I was the Marlboro man in the NFL, leather-on-leather. I thought, What do you know. I finally made it. I walked down and I said, “Senator Kennedy and Senator Mansfield, how you gentlemen doing today?”
Senator Kennedy said, “We need some more rolls and butter here.”
You don’t think it happened, but it really did. They thought I was the maître d’ and so did someone outside, who asked me to show them to their seats.
ENTREPRENEUR TIP
Waitley’s anecdote is a good reminder that self-awareness is often dependent on reading the room and remembering that, sometimes, people’s perceptions of you may not match your own sense of self-awareness.
WINNING
What is winning? Winning is never whining. Winning is picking up a beer can you didn’t throw on the beach. Winning is coming in fourth when you came in fifth last time. Winning is treating animals like people and people like brothers and sisters. Winning is all in the attitude, no question. Talent is cheap. The world is full of talented winos on every corner. Education, you can get. Educated derelicts are wandering around. Instead, I’d give every child in the world a box of attitude for Christmas and keep it going.
The program I teach is called Psychology of Winning: The Ten Traits of the Total Person. I’ve never seen one [a total person], but if there could be one, he or she would be like this. They’d have self-awareness that the world is abundant. They’d look at the environment as a candy store that you couldn’t live in a thousand years and tap out any of it. They’d look at the flowers instead of stepping on the weeds. They’d see that the abundance is there for all of us in the environment.
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