The Six Steps to “Think and Grow Rich”

The Six Steps to “Think and Grow Rich”

In Napoleon Hill’s 1938 book Think and Grow Rich, he presents six steps leaders can take to find wealth, achieve success, and follow their greatest dreams. But when I first read his book, I was skeptical—could Hill’s tips really apply to today’s manufacturing leaders?

Yes, according to recent Mindfulness Manufacturing guest Ann McNeill! As the president MCO Construction Services and MCO Consulting and the founder of the International Mastermind Association, Ann is the expert on Think and Grow Rich, and her recent podcast helped me break down Hill’s six steps and apply them to modern manufacturing.

Three Questions for Goalsetting

The first three steps outlined by Hill revolve around goalsetting. To help modern leaders, Ann took Hill’s steps and repurposed them into three questions.

  • How much money do I want to make?
  • What am I going to do to make that money?
  • What date do I want to earn that money by?

By asking yourself questions like these, you can set specific and actionable goals for yourself. At this stage, be as detailed as possible. “By the time I’m fifty, I want to make $100,000 per year” is a stronger goal than “I want to be rich!”

Affirmations and Accountability

Once you’ve outlined a specific goal by what you want, when you want it, and how you’re going to earn it, the next step of Hill’s Think and Grow Rich plan is to come up how you’re going to achieve that goal. At this stage, his plan also includes creating an affirmation statement for yourself about your goals and how you’re going to reach them. This statement should be repeated twice a day: right when you get up in the morning and once at night before you get ready for bed. By repeating your affirmation statement, you’ll stay motivated and focused on your long-term goal, even on days when you hit struggles or roadblocks.

To make sure you hit your goals, Ann recommends practicing accountability. If you don’t hold yourself accountable for your goals, you won’t achieve them even with the best positive thinking. To increase your accountability, share your goals and affirmations with others who can help you stay on-track and motivated, or consider joining an International Mastermind Association group to work with others to meet your goals.

Learn More on the Podcast

To hear more of Ann McNeill’s great tips for how modern leaders can apply the lessons in Hill’s book, check out her episode of the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast.

At Manufacturing Greatness, Trevor Blondeel works with manufacturers to connect the top to the shop floor. If you’re ready to improve your own organization, contact Trevor to learn how Manufacturing Greatness can help you build stronger leaders and develop a dynamic, high-performing workplace.