Sean Rasmussen

As further proof of the absolute importance of utilizing this secret to build wealth, Napoleon Hill offers this qualification. (Note that the names Hill refers to here are those listed in his original preface, which were discussed in the last blog entry.)

“These names represent but a small fraction of the hundreds of well known Americans whose achievements, financially and otherwise, prove that those who understand and apply the Andrew Carnegie secret, reach high stations in life. I have never known anyone who was inspired to use the secret, who did not achieve noteworthy success in his chosen calling. I have never known any person to distinguish himself, or to accumulate riches of any consequence, without possession of the secret. From these two facts I draw the conclusion that the secret is more important, as a part of the knowledge essential for self-determination, than any which one receives through what is popularly known as ‘education.’”

The Secret Path Of Success

What does this mean for you on your path to successful wealth creation? It means that if you do not have what it takes, which is in this book called ‘the secret‘, then you cannot build wealth. This does not mean you cannot create wealth if you have not yet managed to do so, it means you have to take steps to figure out what that secret missing element is. Hill has provided you with this information, and we present it for your success here.
It also means that wealth creation is dependent only on this one basic necessity, and that regardless of education or life-station, you can become rich if you educate yourself and learn that one essential factor.

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

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

Napoleon Hill does not come directly out and name the secret to wealth creation in his book, and here he tells us why…

“The secret to which I refer has been mentioned no fewer than a hundred times, throughout this book. It has not been directly named, for it seems to work more successfully when it is merely uncovered and left in sight, where those who are ready, and searching for it, may pick it up. That is why Andrew Carnegie tossed it to me so quietly, without giving me its specific name.

“If you are ready to put it to use, you will recognize this secret at least once in every chapter. I wish I might feel privileged to tell you how you will know if you are ready, but that would deprive you of much of the benefit you will receive when you make the discovery in your own way.”

Your Path To The Secret

In fact, it might be best that Napoleon Hill does not put a name to this secret, because it might be called by many names by people from different cultures and backgrounds; it’s all semantics anyway, and if you grasp Hill’s point you’ll surely understand as well that the importance is more in understanding this secret thing and learning to apply it effectively in your own way, than in copying the path of another to the letter. Everyone’s path to successful wealth creation will be different; even in investing, no two paths are ever exactly the same. The key for educators of wealth creation like myself and Jamie McIntyre is to give students, such as yourself, the tools – tools that you can use for a lifetime of wealth creation, not a ‘get-rich-quick’ flash in the pan kind of windfall that won’t support you your whole life long.

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

Andrew Carnegie was a great philanthropist, as came to be exemplified later in his life when he donated the majority of his fortune to public libraries, schools, and scientific research. Andrew Carnegie, like Napoleon Hill, was not born to money – he created his own wealth. He believed that the ability to create wealth should be taught to all people as part of a basic education.

“This book contains the secret, after having been put to a practical test by thousands of people, in almost every walk of life. It was Andrew Carnegie’s idea that the magic formula, which gave him a stupendous fortune, ought to be placed within reach of people who do not have time to investigate how men make money, and it was his hope that I might test and demonstrate the soundness of the formula through the experience of men and women in every calling. He believed the formula should be taught in all public schools and colleges, and expressed the opinion that if it were properly taught it would so revolutionize the entire educational system that the time spent in school could be reduced to less than half.”

The Right Kind Of Education

This is reflective of the fact that so many people go completely through first and secondary schools, and in fact even college and graduate school, without ever learning anything that teaches them to build wealth. The simple fact is that wealth creation techniques, such as those taught by Universal Wealth Creation work for people of all walks of life, of all ages, and all levels of education. The ’secret’ to wealth creation is not accessing the most education; it is accessing the right kind of education, and applying what you know for your own benefit with effectiveness. The path to enjoying that secret success is exceedingly varied. The means to that end, in respect to occupation, is not the function that matters.

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

Napoleon Hill lets us know right from the start where this idea of a single secret to wealth creation originated.

“In every chapter of this book, mention has been made of the money-making secret which has made fortunes for more than five hundred exceedingly wealthy men whom I have carefully analyzed over a long period of years.

“The secret was brought to my attention by Andrew Carnegie, more than a quarter of a century ago [ed. note: estimated to be early 1900's]. The canny, lovable old Scotsman carelessly tossed it into my mind, when I was but a boy. Then he sat back in his chair, with a merry twinkle in his eyes, and watched carefully to see if I had brains enough to understand the full significance of what he had said to me.

“When he saw that I had grasped the idea, he asked if I would be willing to spend twenty years or more, preparing myself to take it to the world, to men and women who, without the secret, might go through life as failures. I said I would, and with Mr. Carnegie’s cooperation, I have kept my promise.”

What Carnegie Taught Hill

What is the significance of what Carnegie ‘tossed’ into Hill’s mind? The significance is two-fold in nature;

1) there is one central reason why rich men are rich

and

2) with knowledge of this secret, any man or woman can become wealthy on their own.

As we follow along through the 13 principles Hill discovered, proof of this bi-fold fact will become more and more apparent.

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