Title and author: Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Positive Thinking by Michael J. Ritt Jr.

Contents synopsis:

Napoleon Hill was one of the most prolific and influential successful writers of the 20th century. At a very young age, he interviewed Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie was so impressed by the young Hill that he challenged him to undertake a successful study for 20 years and then publish a book on the subject. Carnegie offered no payment, but introduced Hill to nearly every successful businessman and politician of the first half of the 20th century.

Hill went on to publish newsletters and books and eventually gained fame and fortune through his books. Think and Grow Rich Y The Law of Success. Near retirement age, Hill met insurance mogul W. Clement Stone, and the two published a series of books and tapes on success, sales, and a positive mental attitude.

The concepts in this book are all the work of Napoleon Hill. Ritt brings it together in a somewhat more modern version and removes some of the more controversial parts of Hill’s work.

Ritt reduces Hill’s original 17 principles of success to ten essentials:

1. Take ownership of your own mind.

2. Focus on what you want and not what you don’t want.

3. Live the golden rule.

4. Eliminate all negative thoughts.

5. Be happy.

6. Form the habit of tolerance.

7. Use positive autosuggestion.

8. Use the power of prayer.

9. Set goals.

10. Study, Think and Plan Daily.

Interwoven with all of this is the essential element of doing everything with a positive mental attitude, or what W. Clement Stone called PMA.

At the end of each chapter, Ritt offers summary material and a suggestion of actions the reader can take to implement the lessons of that chapter in life.

Readability / Writing quality:

This book is very readable. Provide many stories and examples. Pages are divided into logical sections and text boxes are used to highlight key ideas.

Notes on the author:

Michael J. Ritt, Jr. became a protégé of Stone and Hill and became executive director of the Napoleon Hill Foundation. He wrote Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Positive Thinking which he described as Ten Steps to Health, Wealth, and Success. Ritt also wrote a biography of Hill titled A life of riches.

Napoleon Hill’s background is outlined above, however, it should be noted that some critics have questioned his claims. There seems to be no verification on his commission from Carnegie and we only have word from Hill that he ever met the great man. Hill had many failed businesses and schemes during his life. He may have been involved in some nasty activities and was being hunted by organized crime mobs for some time. Regardless of what may be concluded about Hill’s entire life, he engaged in a lifelong successful study and interviewed many highly accomplished men. He had the photographs and the letters to prove it. Many people have found Hill’s thinking to be largely sound and a good foundation for success.

Three great ideas you can use:

1. Nothing is as successful as success. People are attracted to positive and successful people and not negative people. Positive attitude allows you to win the friendship and cooperation of others, which is essential for success. Nobody does it all alone.

2. We really become what we think about. We direct our own destiny through our thoughts and attitudes. It is not magic. However, philosophers and others have observed this reality for centuries.

3. As many other successful teachers have preached, setting and following goals is the key to success. Hill taught you to apply a goal setting process that involves determining what you want to achieve, followed by an assessment of what it will take to achieve it. Then you set your goal, identify a date by which it will be achieved, identify a plan to make it happen, and repeat the steps in writing every day. He called this the Determine, Evaluate, Establish, Identify, Repeat process. He emphasizes that long-term and short-term goals must be set, reviewed, and implemented on a daily basis.

Publication information:

Napleon Hill’s Keys to Positive Thinking by Michael J. Ritt, Jr.

Copyright 1998 Napoleon Hill Foundation

Published by Penguin Books

Overall Rating: Very Good