Are you skeptical? Is the thought of one all-powerful secret to wealth creation leaving you in doubt? Let Hill’s long list of well-known, wealthy and successful men speak to the effectiveness of creating wealth through his identified principles and, ultimately, the all-encompassing ‘secret‘.
“While I was performing the twenty year task of research, which I had undertaken at Andrew Carnegie’s request, I analyzed hundreds of well known men, many of whom admitted that they had accumulated their vast fortunes through the aid of the Andrew Carnegie secret; among these men were:
The Mentors
“HENRY FORD, WILLIAM WRIGLEY JR., JOHN WANAMAKER, JAMES J. HILL, GEORGE S. PARKER…GEORGE EASTMAN, THEODORE ROOSEVELT, JOHN W. DAVIS, ELBERT HUBBARD, WILBUR WRIGHT, WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN, DR. DMTID STARR JORDAN, J. ODGEN ARMOUR, CHARLES M. SCHWAB, HARRIS F. WILLIAMS, DR. FRANK GUNSAULUS, DANIEL WILLARD, KING GILLETTE, RALPH A. WEEKS, JUDGE DANIEL T. WRIGHT, JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, THOMAS A. EDISON…F. W. WOOLWORTH, COL. ROBERT A. DOLLAR, EDWARD A. FILENE, EDWIN C. BARNES, ARTHUR BRISBANE, WOODROW WILSON…DR. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL…CLARENCE DARROW”
The list goes on and on, but this sampling of notable men should give you at least some small proof that this secret is an effective cornerstone, and essential element in building wealth.
One Secret To Their Success
Note, however, that Napoleon Hill does not suggest that Andrew Carnegie personally taught this secret to each of these men (although among them there are some who learned the secret from him). These are men who were identified as great successes and wealthy individuals. That is why they were chosen as subjects to study in order to uncover the secret and the thirteen principles elemental to using it. These men all had certain aspects in common that boiled down to the one secret to their success.
I will see you back here Monday and Thursday every week for the continuation of the Mindset Mastery series.
Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 – 2008
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Sean,
I have recently started reading your emails to keep myself motivated and I appreciate your dedication and support.
I have read The Secret and seen the DVD and one thing I do find difficult is being in the mindset and being aware of your thoughts constantly so that you can achieve your goals. Do you have any hints as to how you can stay focused with 3 children under 5 and a business to run?
Thanks, Eileen.
Hi Eileen
One word: Gratitude
Feel grateful for everything you have, every day and every moment you become ‘aware’ of the concept of Gratitude.
Feel Grateful for having 3 children. Some people can’t have them and would trade everything they have to get one precious child.
Feel grateful you have a business – Some people don’t even have a job.
Feel grateful you have a home – Some peoples home is a newspaper – hopefully todays paper!
Feel grateful you can think of issues that could be better in your life – some people can’t even control their mind.
Gratitude is the feeling of Success! You are the only person responsible for your current and future success. Feel grateful that YOU are in control and not someone else.
This is a VERY powerful tool. Use it to your benefit.
Remember: Your worst day, is someone else’s best day.
Hi Sean,
This is the best answer I’ve read today. If we could just remember to be grateful for the things we take for granted each day, a whole new world would open up before us. If you need a gentle reminder of what you could be grateful for, just take a look around you and you will be sure to find someone who is in a worse position than you are.
I agree. We take too much for granted and think we are entitled to it or have a right to have/expect it. That is not the case. We are very lucky to have freedom, rights and health. And I am grateful for it every day.
Renee´s last blog ..Definition Of Motivation
Hi again Sean,
Just tried being consciously grateful for everything on a walk with two of my children and it is amazing how you can feel so elated from the experience. Every time I have consciously made an effort to feel grateful I always feel more content and have a feeling like good things are about to happen (without any expectation that they will). If nothing more is achieved, I am grateful that feeling grateful can have such a positive impact on one’s life.
Cheers, Eileen.
Fantastic! I’m pleased that it works. (’cause I knew it would
)
G’day Eileen and Sean,
You are right !!! Thanks to Bob Proctor and The Secret. Each morning I go for a 4 Km walk around our very hilly area and spend the 1st 10 -15 minutes saying ALOUD how grateful I am for all the nice things in my life such as
1. Excellent health and fitness,
2 The love I have from family and friends,
3 My music career which I absolutely love.
I’m sure you get the picture. For the remaining time I recite my 4 affirmations beginning with ” Every Day In Perfect Ways………………………………” etc.
After 30 -35 minutes I return home walking at least a metre above the ground, and the days are all beautiful.
Regards
Harry
Hello Harry
Sounds like you have it down pat! Well done.
Those are great points Sean! Gratitude is the secret to success I believe. Without it, we wouldn’t stand a chance of keeping up with any of our commitments. Thanks again for your encouraging words.
An Attitude of Gratitude. That’s the trick Ange
It is tough to say if the secret has made me richer. But it indeed has made me happier. Because being in the right mindset makes me grateful. When I feel gratitude I am successful with life because I am happy where I am at this present moment in time…not striving for something else…not trying to keep up with the Jones’. Every housing development will have a new set of Jones’ to keep up with. I just want to keep up with me, and be a success regardless of what I am trying to implement in my current success journal.
Hi Dr Nicole
Gratitude is a great tool, if for nothing else, then just to stay healthy and happy. It’s all about how happy you are with “you”. If you’re happy with yourself, you’ll be happy with everyone around you. In my opinion anyway
Hi Sean,
Wow! That list of mentors is like a who’s who of the most successful people in the world. There is no-one better to learn the secret from than these people.
I really agree with Eileen, Harry, Ange and Dr Nicole that gratitude is the real secret to success. You’re right, Sean. My worst day is someone else’ best day. I think it’s so important to be grateful for what you have.
I think we should be grateful for even the most basic things that we take for granted. For instance, we should be grateful for our food. If you think it’s not a big deal, try not eating today. I guarantee tomorrow you will be grateful for the food you have. It’s not until you don’t have something that you can really appreciate even the simplest things.
Hi Sean,
That is an impressive list of successful men. How could I be skeptical……I’m sure it works for woman too?!
Thanks for the tip also on, Gratitude, it is an excellent way to stay motivated. I try to practice gratitude as much as possible.
I will have to look this up but where does Wallace Wattle fit into all this. I believe the recently popular version of “The secret” is a revision from his teachings.
Jill.
After reading this page I relise that I had been showing gratitude, in my life when I was on my own with 3 young children. Each day I used to tell myself I was lucky I was, I had a home 3 healthy kids food on my table, when there were many people out there who had nothing.
I did feel I was rich.
Somewhere I had lost that feeling for a time but Now it is back I am grateful once again for all I have
Hi Rita
I can relate to what you are saying Rita. I escaped from a very oppressive life as a young person and I have been grateful for everything I have since then especially the freedom of speech and to know what is right & what is wrong which was a very grey area once.
I became a single parent when my daughter (now 25) was only very small. I was grateful that I was able to choose to get out of a bad marriage.
I am grateful that I could go to University, many women in the world can’t.
I am grateful for hundreds of things but most of all I am grateful for my fantastic health, for without it I can’t do anything.
Elly´s last blog ..
Is the answer yes or yes?
Lina Nguyen´s last blog ..Richard Branson Business School: A day visit
Attitude of Gratitude – got it.. And the times we need it most, is the times we least use it. I make a daily practice of gratitude, to get into the habit and entrench it firmly in my life
Jo Carey-Bradshaw´s last blog ..Empowering Mindset – Mindfulness
Some people just naturally use these principles (maybe they unconsciously picked them up from a successful parent or maybe their brains are naturally wired that way, I don’t know). Others use trial and error to find out what works best and eventually find that these principles work best. Others learn from the Carnegies of this world. Hill doesn’t mention which of the principles each of these men use. They are all men. Didn’t any women use them? I am glad to see that Luther Burbank made the list in the book (but unfortunately not this post).
Wal Heinrich´s last blog ..Think And Grow Rich Mindset Mastery
Being grateful for what you have and still having bigger goals so you can for example help others to get what they need – what a great way to live. It’s fascinating that some people get it and others don’t, I wonder why that is. But I am grateful that I am able to spend time to learn the secrets and put them into action in my life.
Renee´s last blog ..Definition Of Motivation
Hi Sean,
Is the cornerstone gratitude? Is that the aspects boiled down that the men chosen had in common?
Oh! this is a teaser. I have read the T&GR book and think I have it. I know it! … then I change my mind. I thought it was persistance …now it could be gratitude. What power posessed the little girl in the 50c lesson?
Ok, I’ll just read on, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Jill Brown´s last blog ..Common Law Marriage – What is Common Law Marriage?
Whenever I have days when I can hardly make it out of bed I focus even more on everything I have to be grateful for. Even having gratitude for the pain, because it means I’m alive and I have feeling in my body. Gratitude that I am a survivor and for all the wonderful people in my life. It gives me strength.
Hi Elizabeth,
It’s the days that you need to be grateful the most that it’s hardest to find the feeling. It must be really difficult living with pain like that. I think you’re amazing that even when you can hardly get out of bed; you’re still remembering to be grateful.
Hang in there. You are a survivor and you’ll make it through this.
Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Sean Rasmussen – Aussie Internet Marketer Making a Difference
Hi Sean
I know when I am going in the right direction when I am full of passion to achieve or do something. Nothing will stop me from obtaining my goal.
That unstoppable passion comes from a burning desire, the same burning desire we all feel when we have had the negative experience of loss, poverty, starvation, homelessness, illness, job loss, stress, a mountain of debt, working 2 jobs, never having enough money to pay the bills, lack of education, no choice, etc and are determined to rise out of it and never live that life again.
The burning desire for having wealth and riches so we have choices, happiness and great health and the ability to help others, so we can be giving to others rather than getting from them.
A real deep seated desire will be infused with a passion to make the vision a reality. I think that is what all these men Hill talks of in his book have in common.
Blessings
Elly
It’s one of the remarkable things about the States – that it can produce such men, and also win most of the Nobel prizes each year, and put a man on the moon – yet cannot solve the porblem of poverty within its own borders, or reduce the high level of violence, or stop being the country that has more in prison, or condones capital punishment.
A paradox, wrapped in a secret, wrapped in a mystery