I own Napoleon Hill’s head.
Not the actual one he carried on his shoulders, but one I had custom made based on his portraits.
Napoleon Hill of “Think and Grow Rich” fame taught that you could discover wisdom by getting advice from “invisible allies.”
Well, Hill is one of my advisors.
But he passed away in 1970.
Now, with his head on my desk, I can have a 3-d experience of chatting with him.
It makes him a lot more real.
It makes our “conversations” a lot more real.
I gave one to Don Green, President of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.
I also gave one to Cliona O’Hara, CEO of Napoleon Hill Institute.
I gave yet another to Russell Brunson.
Why is a bust of a leader so important?
I have heads of Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Emerson, Twain and other giants.
I have signed photos and books by others who have influenced me, from Jack London and Jack Dempsey to Harry Houdini, Yogananda, and P.T. Barnum.
All of this is to help me stay inspired, motivated, and curious.
All of it makes the now deceased greats seem alive to me.
What do you do to communicate with the legends?
Who do you communicate with?
Ao Akua,
Dr Joe Vitale
PS – You can have a Hill bust, too. The original sculpture of Napoleon Hill is by https://www.justusmonuments.com/product-page/napoleon-hill-bust-copies
Now that I’m President of the Napoleon Hill Institute, I’ve had the pleasure of completing the challenge Andrew Carnegie delivered to Hill in 1908.
Let me tell you the story…
Last month I flew to New York City for the first Napoleon Hill Institute event since the famous self-help author died decades ago.
Before the event began, the Institute CEO, Cliona O’Hara, and her camera crew drove over to the Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan.
That’s the place where a young nobody reporter in 1908 had the chance to meet and interview the world’s wealthiest man, Andrew Carnegie.
At that historic meeting, Carnegie challenged Hill to devote his life to compiling the science of success. Carnie would make introductions but he wouldn’t pay anything.
As generous as Carnegie was, he wasn’t going to support an unknown reporter, at least not financially.
Hill agreed.
And Hill hit the ground running.
He began an intense and persistent two decade long research project.
Along the way he created an entire course in 1925, and of course the famous Think and Grow Rich book in 1937.
And Hill kept producing books and courses until his death in 1970.
But Carnegie didn’t see any of it.
The legendary tycoon died in 1919, long before Hill had any real success.
My staff and I felt we needed to complete the mission.
We needed to go to the Carnegie Mansion, get into Carnegie’s study where he met Hill in 1908, and put a copy of Think and Grow Rich on the shelf.
We did just that.
I’ve posted video footage of the memorable event on my IG and FB pages.
But whenever you go to the Carnegie Mansion, see if you can peek into the library.
You’ll find the ghosts of Hill and Carnegie there.
And a copy of Think and Grow Rich.
Challenge completed.
Ao Akua,
Dr Joe
PS – My latest book releases tomorrow! Go get it in hardcover, Kindle, or audio formats, wherever you like to get books. Expect Miracles! 🙂
The best book I read in 2017 was probably Ray Dalio’s Principles.
I say ‘probably’ as I read a bookstore full of books a year, and many get lost in the shuffle of turning pages.
If a book stands out, I tweet about it.
If it really sits up and rolls over, I write a blog post about it.
Dalio’s Principles made the cut for 2017.
I don’t know Dalio personally and actually never heard of him at all before I read his book.
He’s a billionaire entrepreneur and investor. He’s highly respected and successful.
After a lifetime of paying attention to what works in business and life, he compiled his “Principles.”
Apparently they were first put online.
They were downloaded over three million times.
When his book came out in 2017, it went to #1 on the NY Times bestsellers list.
Why did I buy the book when I didn’t know Dalio or his work?
A strong intuitive nudge urged me to preorder it.
Something about the title just said, “Read this next.”
As I’ve learned to do, I acted on that impulse.
And I’m glad I did.
The book is huge at almost 600 pages.
And it’s packed with wisdom.
I felt I was reading a software manual for life.
While Dalio sometimes comes across as a computer programmer, he’s actually more of a keen observer of life. As he finds insights that hold true, he writes them down as Principles.
Underneath Dalio’s drive is a prime directive that basically reminds him that he doesn’t know it all.
But the combined mind power of others could help him see objective reality and make clearer decisions.
At his TED2017 talk, he says, “Rather than thinking, ‘I’m right,’ I started to ask myself, ‘How do I know I’m right?’”
I love this question.
“How do I know I’m right?”
I love it because it’s so easy to deceive ourselves with our own thinking.
We can be illogical and not even know it.
When I coach or consult people, I often hear them say things they don’t hear as limitations. Until they invite outside input, they will continue to believe their own limitations.
It’s because thought is circular until you invite objective input.
Dalio solved this quirk of human nature by creating a way to judge the merit of an idea.
You don’t judge the person or the situation.
You judge the idea.
He calls it idea meritocracy.
Finding the merit of an idea.
One of the most unforgettable passages in the hefty book is when Dalio is told he has to have his esophagus removed.
Remaining as detached as he could, he decides to measure the merit of that recommendation.
He finds four other medical experts.
They all openly share.
They agree to a retest.
The result is Dalio kept his esophagus and changed a few basic lifestyle habits.
But he may have lost it due to the first doctor had Dalio not questioned the merit of his recommendation and been open to other experts opinions.
There’s abundance in this book.
I’ve folded back pages and underlined passages.
There’s no way I can memorize all his material. I have to keep a few basic principles in mind, such as –
“Reality is optimizing for the whole – not for you.”
“Pay attention to people’s track records.”
“Make your passion and your work one and the same and do it with people you want to be with.”
“Train your ‘lower-level you’ with kindness and persistence to build the right habits.”
“Almost nothing can stop you from succeeding if you have (a) flexibility and (b) self-accountability.”
Those principles seem stark and naïve sitting alone on the page.
Of course, those are only a handful of his principles and you’ll need to read his book to understand them.
But the book is friendly, easy, deep, and unforgettable.
Out of the thousands of books I’ve read and still own, only a handful make it to my desk, sitting at arms reach, to be seen or grasped at will.
They include legends, like Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich and Maxwell Maltz’s Psycho-Cybernectics.
Today I am placing Ray Dalio’s Principles in that little lineup of success classics.
Ao Akua,
Joe
PS – See my “Best Books Ever” list of 2015 at https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/best-books-ever/ for a sense of the books I read and like.
Here’s the true story of yet another person who went from homeless to great success using The Law of Attraction, The Secret, and other self-help books and principles.
I’m in Bangkok, Thailand as I write this.
I was flown here to present at a two-day seminar on The Missing Secret to success.
The people were warm and loving, the event was sold out, the traffic was awful, the food was amazing, and the Thai massages between my presentations were deeply and unforgettably relaxing.
But that’s not the good part.
One of the organizers is a young man from Sweden. His name is Andres Pira.
He left Sweden 15 years ago out of desperation.
He was 20 years old and unhappy.
His life was going no where, he was tired of the ten months a year of darkness, and he needed a way out.
His grandfather died, left him two thousand dollars, and he used it to buy a ticket to the warmest country he could get to fast.
That turned out to be Thailand.
But Thailand was not an easy road for a young man with no contacts, no experience, and no ability to speak the Thai language.
Within a short period, he was homeless.
He slept on the beach.
He was too embarrassed to ask his family for help.
He contacted a friend and confessed that he was desperate.
The friend said, “I won’t send you any money, but I’ll send you a book that might help you.”
A book?
Andres was upset.
He’s starving and his friend is going to send a book?
The book was The Secret.
Andres read it.
And as he did, something awakened within him.
He started to realize that his thoughts were creating his reality.
Since he was homeless, he didn’t like what his thoughts had created.
He decided to learn and use the Law of Attraction to create a better life for himself.
The next book he read was Napoleon Hill’s classic, Think and Grow Rich.
After that, he read my first book on ho’oponopono, Zero Limits.
He was committed to change his life.
He succeeded, too.
Today he runs 19 companies, has 150 employees, and is a billionaire.
He is one of the largest real estate developers in all of Southeast Thailand.
One of his biggest properties in 2018 will be managed by Best Western Premiere.
But he also owns a gym, a law office, a gas station, several coffee shops and more.
He’s only 35 years old.
He told me this story after picking me up at the Bangkok airport.
I was fascinated.
Even though I had just spent 24 hours traveling – with 20 hours of that in the air – I was engaged and wanted to know more.
“You have to tell your story,” I said. “This is inspiring. People look at you and see a billionaire. They don’t see the homeless man who read self-help books and took action to recreate his life.”
“I have never publicly told my story,” Andres confessed. “It would seem like bragging.”
“It’s not bragging to admit you were homeless,” I explained. “How is being homeless a bragging point?”
He laughed.
I told him of my own struggle from homeless through poverty on to global success.
I tell my story not to brag, but to inspire.
I wanted Andres to do the same.
“You are hosting your first event this weekend,” I said. “Why not stand up at it and tell your story?”
He had never considered that idea.
Andres was nervous, but I coached him on how to present his case.
To his credit, he agreed to make his speaking debut at his own event.
He did, too.
And he was great.
People loved this young man and his honest rages to riches story.
Andres explained how he read The Secret, and then moved on to other books by the teachers of The Secret, including me.
In fact, Andres is so grateful for my books and audios impact on his life that he is taking me to Phuket, Thailand for a week of rest, all at his own expense.
As we continued our ride, he told me of various turning points in his life.
One was about giving.
Both he and his fiancé decided to start giving on their birthdays.
The traditional custom in most countries is to receive gifts on your birthday.
But Andres and his soon to be wife liked the Thai custom of not getting but giving.
So on his birthday, he went to orphanages with bags of gifts.
His fiancée did the same on her birthday.
They felt fantastic in making a difference in these children’s lives.
But Andres discovered another benefit to this giving.
“Right then I noticed my businesses began to grow and multiply. Somehow my giving triggered a receiving that I didn’t expect.”
Of course, I’ve written about giving in numerous books, including Attract Money Now.
But it’s always fortifying to hear of others proving the power of giving.
The more I spoke to Andres, the more I realized he deeply integrated what he learned from me and other authors, and yet made it his own and went beyond it.
I told Andres that he needed to write his life story, including his life and business lessons, and his meditations and visualizations.
Whether he wrote it, I wrote it, or someone else wrote it, I could see it transforming millions of readers.
Andres and I will be spending more time together in Phuket, so I may be able to get a fire started under him to share his life with you.
I hope you find this story as inspiring as I do. Again and again, we keep seeing evidence that the Law of Attraction works. But you have to not just read about it, but also apply it.
Andres did, and look at him now.
You can be next.
Ao Akua,
PS – Great news! I convinced Andres to let me help him with his book. You can expect it in 2019. It’ll reveal his story, secrets, principles, meditations, extreme sports insights, multiple business practices, and more. Meanwhile, learn from him and his wife, as I have. My birthday is this month. I plan to turn the tables on custom and my past and make this 64th birthday one of giving on the day I usually receive. You don’t need to wait to your birthday to give. Look around. Someone needs your kindness. Why not give right now?
In case you want to work with me in person, letting me help you personally with my three decades of marketing and metaphysical experience, here are three ways to do it —
1. On May 28th I am holding a private mastermind event in Austin, Texas. It will be a half-day of brainstorming with me and nine other people. It is a powerful way to profit from the group energy and the group’s experience, combined with my own. The fee is $5,000. Write [email protected] for details, availability, etc.
2. If you would prefer a one-on-one mastermind, with just you and me, working together on your life and business, then you might want to consider the Phantom Mastermind. While I sold my Rolls-Royce, I have a brand new 2016 Bentley that we can drive to dinner in, and then spend three or four hours focused on you and your desires. The fee is $7,500. To register, write [email protected] The site explaining it is – https://www.mrfire.com/phantom/
3. If you want year-long personal mentoring by me, with monthly meetings by phone or Skype, then you might consider my Gullwing Mastermind. This is a major commitment of time and money, but clearly it could obviously transform your life and business forever. Write [email protected] Details are at — http://blog.mrfire.com/whats-your-gullwing/
Finally —
And if you want a far less investment to get some insights and inspiration from me, consider my new Awakened Millionaire Academy. You can have lifetime access for only a one-time investment. Details at — http://awakenedmillionaireacademy.com/join-12/
Choose your path to success.
Write [email protected] with any questions.
Expect Miracles.
Ao Akua,
Joe
PS – If you feel all of the above are beyond your reach at this time, then be sure to go read The Miracles Manual: The Secret Coaching Sessions. All three volumes are yours, free, over at – http://www.miraclesmanual.com
Note: All prices are good at the time of this posting and may change at any time.