Entrepreneur Media Inc. - Napoleon Hills Success Masters

AUTHORIZED BY THE

NAPOLEON HILL FOUNDATION

napoleon hills

success masters

INTRODUCTION AND BONUS CONTENT BY

THE STAFF OF ENTREPRENEUR MEDIA, INC.

Entrepreneur Press, Publisher

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2019 by Entrepreneur Media, Inc.

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ebook ISBN: 978-1-61308-410-6

Contents

by Don M. Green, Executive Director of Napoleon Hill Foundation

by the Editors of Entrepreneur

by Dr. Denis Waitley

by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

by Ralph Waldo Emerson with comments by W. Clement Stone

by Paul Harvey

by Henry Van Dyke

by J. Martin Kohe

by Earl Nightingale

by Earl Nightingale

by Dr. Lacy Hall

by Alan Lakein

by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

Foreword

Don M. Green, Executive Director of Napoleon Hill Foundation

W hen 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 Hills 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 Stones 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. Stones 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 todays 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.

S uccess is a shapeshifter. It looks different on each of us. What might exemplify success for one person may be anathema to another. One persons success may be wrapped in the temporal realm of money, power, or even fame. Another persons success may be defined by how they spend their time, or the connection between their work and passion. Yet anothers may be defined in terms of what they dont 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 dont often find them. We set our goals; often, too high. We depend on others to lay a path toward success for us, but its 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. Thats 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 Hills 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, youll find a brief readers 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.