When the author was still a boy, Andrew Carnegie shared a secret to him. It was the same secret of 500 wealthy men to achieve their fortune. Napoleon Hill researched for twenty years. He found out that success comes to any profession or career. And that, a man without any education can still become rich.

In this book, the reader will know what to do in order to succeed. How to do it and where to begin? Anyone can acquire the secret. Success comes to those who can put the secret to reality.

Each chapter discusses the Thirteen Steps to Riches recommended by Napoleon Hill. They can be followed by anyone towards individual achievement. If you are searching for money, fame, personality, peace of mind or happiness, you will learn from the wealthy men themselves.

Desire

When you truly desire something, your desire will be transformed to reality. Constantly thinking about your desire will attract you to the actual ways to achieve it. There is a term called money-consciousness. It means having strong desire for money. It is a state of mind where you already see yourself being rich.

If you become money-conscious, you will achieve financial success. Here are the six guaranteed steps to money-consciousness. First is to determine the exact amount of money that you want to acquire. It isn’t enough to say you want lots of money. You must envision the exact amount to turn it to reality.

The second step is to know what you are willing to give in order to acquire that money. You cannot get something for nothing. Third is to set the exact date when you should acquire the exact amount. Fourth is to have a definite plan on how you can acquire the money. After planning, you should start at once and not hesitate.

The fifth step is to write down a concrete statement. Write down everything on paper starting from the exact amount, to the date and your plan. Lastly, the sixth step is to recite your statement two times daily.

If you really have the burning desire to get rich, following the steps would be easy for you. In this way, you will see, feel and believe that you have the money. By repetition, you will become money-conscious. Keep in mind that, “The greatest achievement, was at first, and for a time, a dream.”

Faith

There is a force in the universe that attracts us to the things we believe in. When positive thoughts dominate our mind, good things happen to us. When we fill our minds with the negative, we attract bad things.

Becoming money-conscious requires faith. Remember that you must see, feel and believe that you are rich. Have strong faith that you will acquire wealth. If you repeat to yourself that you are poor, then that will become the truth for you. 

You become what you are because of what you believe in. The thoughts that fill your mind become your reality. Therefore, you can choose between riches or poverty. Believe that you can become rich. Your faith will remove all limitations for you to succeed.

Auto-Suggestion

Our subconscious mind is like a fertile garden. Weeds will continue to grow if we do not plant good seeds. Auto-suggestion or self-suggestion is what we can do to control the growth of weeds. We have the ability to choose the thoughts that will bear in our subconscious.

Repeat to yourself everyday what you want to achieve. If you want to grow rich, make yourself ready. Turn your desire into habits. By doing so, you will be attracted to actual plans that will make your success real.

See yourself already possessing the money or success. The plan to reach your goal is already in your subconscious. Practice auto-suggestion so the plan will dawn on you.

Specialized Knowledge

Henry Ford did not have a formal education. But he is very knowledgeable about automobiles. In the World War, he filed a libel case against Chicago newspaper. The paper accused him of being an ignorant pacifist.

At the trials, he was bombarded with many questions. The lawyers wanted to prove that he is indeed ignorant. Ford got tired of the offensive questions.

He replied, “I can summon to my aid men who can answer any question I desire to ask…Now, will you kindly tell me, why I should clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I have men around me who can supply any knowledge I require?”

His answer stunned the court. What Ford has is specialized knowledge. As opposed to general knowledge, it is organized and directed to a goal. That is why men who didn’t have an education can still succeed.

Imagination

A long time ago, there is an old country doctor who visited a drugstore. He told the young clerk about his old kettle and wooden paddle. The young clerk bought the kettle and paddle for $500. That amount was all of his savings.

The old doctor gave the young clerk a small piece of paper. There was a magic formula written in it. The old doctor was happy to leave with his $500. He can pay his debt and enjoy his freedom. The kettle, paddle and piece of paper had no value to him.

The young clerk invested his life savings on his new possessions. He began to mix the ingredients in the magic formula. What flowed in the old kettle is actually gold.

The old kettle has employed millions of people. It prospered the sugar industry. It turned the small city in the South to a business capital. The old kettle reached people across the world.

The mixture in the old kettle is Coca-Cola. The young clerk is Asa Candler. But the secret to Coca-Cola’s success is not in the piece of paper. It is in Asa Candler’s imagination.

Desire needs imagination so that it can be turned to reality. The obstacles that keep you from succeeding are only in your mind. Use your imagination.

Organized Planning

No one person can possess all the knowledge, experience and ability to achieve success. The cooperation and perfect harmony with others is needed. Before carrying out the plan, it must be approved by all members.

If the first plan fails, devise another one. If the plan fails again, do not give up until you find the one that works. Keep in mind that it took Thomas Edison ten thousand tries before he has created the perfect light bulb. He had to fail repeatedly to become the great inventor that he is.

“A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.” Those who quit lack the persistence to try again after failing. But the winners move on to a new plan. They keep on creating a new one until the plan succeeds.

Decision

 “Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth. Everyone has a flock of opinions ready to be wished upon anyone who will accept them.” It will not help you to listen to what other people say. The opinions of others are often meant to discourage and ridicule. That is even if they are from close relatives or friends.

You have a brain of your own. If you have a burning desire to succeed, listen to your own voice. Making good decisions mean that you know what you want. “The world has the habit of making room for the man whose words and actions show that he knows where he is going.” Successful men know what they want and they generally get it.

Persistence

“Be persistent no matter how slowly you may, at first, have to move. With persistence will come success.” To have persistence, you must first establish your purpose. What do you want to achieve and what drives you to work for it? You must have a strong motivation.

Trust yourself. You have enough skills and knowledge to succeed. You can devise an exact plan on how to do it. Maintain a good relationship with people who can help you.

Practice your will power. Focus on your plan and disregard your fears. Remember that, “Without persistence, you will be defeated, even before you start. With persistence you will win.”

Many people wait for the big “break” in their lives. It may be a dream job or a good business opportunity. But they only become disappointed. “Breaks” only equal our efforts. It doesn’t occur instantly. By organizing a plan and being persistent, we pave the way for the “big breaks” in our career.

Now, some people may have strong desire and precise plan to succeed. But why don’t they achieve it? This is because they give up easily. They quit after experiencing a failure. Defeat is only temporary.

The answer to defeat is persistence. “Sometimes it appears that there is a hidden Guide whose duty is to test men through all sorts of discouraging experiences.” Defeat is only a test. If you have turned persistence into a habit, then surely you will overcome defeat and reach victory. Eventually, you will become successful in any endeavour you have.

Power of the Master Mind

There is a saying that goes, “Knowledge is power.” But knowledge as it is cannot be used to gain riches. Knowledge is power only if it is structured and aimed to a goal. The Master Mind is a group of people who can increase your knowledge and therefore your power. These are people who have the same desire and purpose as you.

Take for example a set of electric batteries. A single battery can only yield a small amount of energy. But when it is joined with a few more, their energy will last longer and stronger. When you have a Master Mind group, they can help you become more powerful. They can also help you overcome your weakness.

Before Henry Ford owned his corporation, he was poor, ignorant and illiterate. But he surrounded himself with fifty trusted men in the business. He also became friends with Thomas Edison. Ford maintained harmony and cooperation with these great minds to become as powerful as he is.

Because of the support and alliance that Henry Ford got from his Master Mind group, he won over poverty and ignorance. He mastered literacy and intelligence in just ten years. After 25 years, he became the richest man in his country.

The Mystery of Sex Transmutation

Transmutation means the change of energy from one form to another. Sex is the strongest stimuli of men. To transmute sex means to express sex energy to more productive ways than the physical. Sex energy can be a great advantage for creativity and business.

Sex is natural. It cannot be eliminated in the nature of man. If left on its own, sex can be destructive. But by using will power, sex energy can make man create and achieve a lot of things. Successful musicians, lawyers, artists and businessmen have won over their physical desire.

There are different mind stimuli. Examples of which are alcohol, drugs and fear. But of all these stimuli, sex is the strongest. Men who have not transmuted sexual energy end up in crime, poverty and misery. But those who won over sexual desire become geniuses.

A genius is like a pilot of a plane. He has flown over trees and mountains. He has moved on to far heights. The obstructions such as mountains and trees are needs such as food and sex. The genius has made himself free of these ordinary thoughts. He can use the full potential of his creative imagination.

The creative imagination is the sixth sense. The more it is used, the better it gets. Through practice of creative imagination, successful men become wiser and more productive. Studies have shown that successful men have strong sex energy. They applied their sexual drive to creative outlets.

Songs, poems and novels are driven by love and sex. Charisma and self-confidence can be derived from sexual appeal. Like artists and businessmen, you can tap the potential of your creative imagination.

Find an outlet for your sexual energy than the physical means. You can use that mind power to achieve greater things. Learn to use you sexual energy to gain advantage on your career and become wealthy.

The Subconscious Mind

We do not have control over our subconscious mind. But it governs over all our desires, emotions and decisions. What we can do is to fill our conscious mind with positive thoughts. Over time, our positive thoughts will be implanted in our subconscious. That is how we can achieve success.

To improve your subconscious, fill your mind with thoughts of desire, faith, love, sex, enthusiasm, romance and hope. Avoid polluting your mind with fear, jealousy, hatred, revenge, greed, superstition and anger. These negative thoughts would not direct you to success and wealth. They would only pull you down to poverty.

You possess right now your very personal plan to succeed. You know your way to riches. However, the plan is locked in your subconscious. You cannot access it by having negative thoughts. Put the positive thoughts into practice so that you will remember them better.

Try to do small things every day. Make a habit out of desire, faith, love, sex, enthusiasm, romance and hope. Let go of fear, jealousy, hatred, revenge, greed, superstition and anger.

The Brain

The human brain is a very powerful machine. It is both a sending and receiving device. The power of thought plays a big part in achieving success. All the thirteen steps can be started by thinking. Everything from desire, to imagination, to persistence can be worked out in the brain.

Did you know that there are ten to fourteen billion of nerve cells in the brain’s cerebral cortex? What is more amazing is that they are all arranged in an orderly manner. This pattern of nerve cells makes us humans function not only physically. The brain is also responsible for our mental and emotional state.

If you practice stimulating your mind, you can even increase your knowledge and potential to succeed. You can pick up and learn more from other brains. Mental telepathy can be possible if you work closely with your Master Mind group. By having discussions, you can share and create ideas like having a single brain.

Use your brain. Always stimulate it with new ideas. Apply what you have learned in this book and make it a habit. You can go back to the chapters as often as you can. Repeat the statement that would make you money-conscious. You would not be far from financial success.

The Sixth Sense

The last of the thirteen steps to riches is the sixth sense. You cannot master the sixth sense without mastering the other twelve steps. The sixth sense is part of our subconscious mind. It deals with our creative imagination. It connects us with the Infinite Intelligence of the world.

Sometimes, we experience flashes of thoughts or “hunches”. This is our sixth sense working. We can only access it through extreme concentration. Great minds like Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and Mohammed have mastered the use of their sixth sense. They have done great things with their hunches.

The sixth sense connects both our mental and spiritual state. It serves as the medium between our own brain and the Infinite Intelligence. The sixth sense is not only useful for creating ideas. It also warns us against danger by means of hunches.

Infinite Intelligence is the power “which permeates every atom of matter, and embraces every unit of energy perceptible to man.” It also “causes water to flow downhill…follows night with day, and winter with summer, each maintaining its proper place and relationship to the other.”

By practicing our sixth sense,we can connect easily with Infinite Intelligence. Just like the geniuses, we can transform our desires to material form. As humans, we are defined by the desires and thoughts that dominate our mind. We can choose between failure and success just by thinking.