The Religion That Started in a Hat

Bio-Chemical Individuality: towards an understanding of which nutritional supplements should be taken and, how many and for how long. Part One

To begin, we should put to rest a myth that is still very prevalent in out society.  That is the myth that dietary supplements are not necessary. Why? First off, can you get all the nutrients you need simply by eating a healthy diet? How many people can really eat the five servings of fruits and vegetables per day that are recommended?  It is a fact that most people fail to eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables daily. In reality, doing this is an almost impossible time consuming task. It is therefore this writer’s opinion that supplementation with top quality dietary supplements is beyond dispute.

Additionally, the conventional wisdom from so-called health experts is suspect and is seen to be nothing more than quackery under the veneer of respectability. In fact, the June 19^th, 2002 volume of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) contains the “Clinician’s Corner” section that features the Scientific Review and the Clinical Applications, “Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults.”

They said: “Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone…It appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements.” ¹

This is a good first step on the part of JAMA. Maybe in the future they will see the need to recommend the use of other vital supplements. When common sense begins to take over and someone is certain that nutritional supplementation is necessary for them, questions arise like which supplements, how many and for how long before having desired results. These questions may involve a lot of research on the inquirer’s part before finding satisfactory answers. It is hoped that the following article will supply the reader with a strategy for an ongoing program of nutritional supplementation.

To begin with, the most important nutrient for anyone is the one you are deficient in. As a practical starting point to answer this question in a general way, everyone should be concerned to know if they are getting the required nutrients in each class of the essential nutrients categories listed below. The first goal should be to obtain essential nutrients in our diets. If this is not feasible, then the question of which supplements, how many and how long to take a particular supplement is usually asked by those seeking to remedy a health issue and is more difficult to answer. Why is this? Those involved in the nutrition industry are well aware of the phenomena of varying results among the users of nutritional supplements. Some people have seemingly miraculous results, while others have no noticeable changes. Why is this so?  It is easy to share the excitement with those who have the immediate results, but what can we say to those who see no change after using the same regiment of nutrients?

Before we can even attempt to answer this question of varying results, there is a concept called “Biochemical Individuality” that will help us understand why different individuals utilize nutrition more efficiently, leading to dissimilar results from nutritional consumption. If the reader gains anything from this article, I hope to at least shed some light on this phenomenon of differing results among individuals who are using the same supplements and to provide a rational basis for a continuing a program of nutritional supplementation.

As previously mentioned, some people seem to have immediate results while others do not notice anything. It is important to note that “noticing or feeling” is not necessarily indicative of the effectiveness of nutrition. How many people feel or notice a change when vitamin D is absorbed into the blood stream and feeds the cells in various places in the body? If you are getting vitamin D through your diet or supplementation and your body is utilizing it efficiently, how can you question the fact that a metabolic process is happening in your body and you are most certainly benefiting whether you notice it outwardly or not?  Having said this, we all want to feel better. I don’t want to disparage those who do not feel well. Having a sense of wellbeing is very important to health.

Gaining an understanding the concept of biochemical individuality will also give us direction when trying to determine what amount of supplements is right for an individual. At least, it will provide the basis for experimenting with differing amounts of nutrients and not being discouraged.

The term “Biochemical Individuality” is the name of a book written by the brilliant biochemist, Roger J. Williams in 1956 and republished in 1998. Dr. Williams discovered the vitamins, Pantothenic acid in 1933 and Folic acid in 1941 Dr. Williams explains the “Genetotrophic Concept” a term which he coined and which is essential to understanding the concept of biochemical individuality as follows in the next three quotes:

“While the same physical mechanisms and the same metabolic processes are operating in all human bodies, the structures are sufficiently diverse and the genetically determined enzyme efficiencies vary sufficiently from individual to individual so that the sum total of all the reactions taking place in one individual’s body may be very different from those taking place in the body of another individual of the same age, sex, and body size.” ²

“Although every nutritionally important mineral, amino acid, and vitamin is needed by every individual, it follows – if biochemical individuality exists – that the needs are quantitatively distinctive for each individual.” ³

“It may be stated as follows: Every individual organism that has a distinctive genetic background has distinctive nutritional needs which must be met for optimal wellbeing.” (Emphasis mine) ⁴

In other words, each individual also has unique and distinctive nutritional needs. This means some individuals may need higher levels of nutrients than others. Determining and meeting those needs will give the body a fighting chance to combat health issues naturally.

This concept of biochemical nutritional individuality can also be explained by showing how human physiological differences are known to be both outward and internal.

We are individuals who are unique and different from everyone else. Your body’s appearance, though in many ways the same, is also quite different from your neighbors. We do not all look the same. We have both outward and inward differences. The inward differences are just as striking as our outward differences. Everyone has the same vital body organs. However, all stomachs are not the same size nor are hearts and other internal organs. They come in all shapes and sizes.

For example, what if someone’s intestinal lining is different or even malformed, thus hindering the absorption of critical nutrients into the blood stream?  If this is the case, the individual may need more of certain nutrients just to get the necessary levels for cellular support. In addition, as Dr. Williams has shown in his above mentioned book, an individual’s internal composition and comprised of the different organ shapes and sizes are factors, plus an individual’s enzymic functions, excretion patterns and endocrine activities are involved and can have substantial impact on individual nutritional needs.

Biochemically speaking, you are an individual with differing nutritional needs. As a side note; when the government puts out the recommended daily nutritional allowances (RDAs), these figures for some people may have no relationship to reality. Unfortunately, as Dr. Williams has argued there may not be such a thing as normal or average nutritional requirements. Summarizing his laboratory experiments he says:

“It is worthy of note, however, that these experiments give strong corroboration of the central idea of this chapter, namely, (1) each human individual has quantitatively a distinctive pattern of nutritional needs, (2) from individual to individual, specific needs may vary several fold, and (3) important deficiencies may exist which have not been discoverable clinically by observing acute outward symptoms.” ⁵(emphasis mine)

Therefore, to summarize Dr. William’s research, each person has unique or distinctive nutritional needs. Furthermore, every person does not start at the same place when considering cellular health. Unfortunately for some individuals, many processes leading to bad health has begun to take a toll and they need to nourish the body in such a way as to provide the nutrients needed for the body’s immune system repair functions. The endocrine, digestive, and elimination systems of our bodies also need to be cared for.

In other words, we may need more than a daily maintenance amount of nutrients. Also, it should be noted that the government’s RDAs should not be confused with nutritional requirements. They are helpful and a good starting place when looking into where to start when analyzing your own nutritional picture. The RDAs criteria were developed for healthy people with no known illness or deficiency problems.

The challenge of nutritional science is to find ways to identify an individual’s unique needs. What we do know is that there are four main classes of essential nutrients. Listed below are the four main groups of nutrients with brief descriptions of their role in the body. Some common food sources are also listed. In addition, there are other important nutrients such as phytohormones or plant sterols, a unique group of antioxidants and other immune system support nutrients. These additional nutrients will be mentioned along with dietary enzymes which in effect make every work.

An individual will have to determine if he or she is deficient in any of these nutrients and then take steps to correct the problem. This is not an easy task. This task does not have to be seen as daunting. Using the title of one of Dr. William’s books when you start on this discovery process to determine your unique individual nutritional needs you will discover “The Wonderful World Within You.” And this will be wonderful indeed!

To Your Health,

Jack Kettler

Certified Wellness Consultant (DSHEA Certified) (Diplomat in Nutritional Education and Health)

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of http://www.Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information. Mr. Kettler can be contacted by e-mail at: jack@kettlerwellness.com

Introduction:

In the first part of this article I covered the biblical admonitions regarding the obtaining of wealth, a brief biological sketch of Napoleon Hill, followed by a survey of his ideas on business success. Part one focused on the positive contribution Hill made. Now in Part Two of the article I will cover the negative and out right dangers in Hill’s philosophy. In addition, I will provide two appendixes which will answer an anticipated question plus documentation of Hill’s progression into increasingly non-biblical thought.

The Negatives and Dangers found in Hill’s ideas:

Hill’s idea on auto-suggestion and visualization especially in the area of steps to stimulate your subconscious mind into obtaining a certain amount of money will strike many people as bizarre. It seems a little weird to visualize a stack of money and repeating to yourself day and night that you are going to get it. Hill, at least as of the writing of this book, did see not this visualization process as disconnected or separate from the real world of offering hard work and quality service in exchange for money. So unless you were willing to follow time tested real world business preparation, no amount of visualizing money and saying you are going to get it will work.

We can say with certainty that the teaching of the Bible in this area could be stated as: you make plans to achieve a goal and then first and foremost start by placing them in God’s hand and asking for the fulfillment of these plans to happen according to His will. Hill’s auto-suggestion technique at this point in his life may simply been a device for mental discipline in the area of goal setting. If so, I would not have a problem with the concept if reformulated utilizing the teaching of Scripture on discipline and framed in Biblical prayer rather than a rote mental exercise. In the Bible we are taught to discipline our minds and to be diligent. We are to bring our petitions before God on a daily basis. This would include asking God’s blessings on our business endeavors. Nevertheless, I believe Hill’s ideas on auto-suggestion, visualization and his imaginary counsel meetings is where a number of dangerous errors started developing in his philosophy. In my opinion, these ideas were nothing short of idolatry!

Along this line of thinking, as Hill’s ideas on auto-suggestion and visualization developed into increasingly unbiblical areas, which included contact with invisible spiritual beings, I have concluded that in the end Hill was promoting outright idolatry by his technique of auto-suggestion and visualization. In Scripture we are taught to set our affection upon the Lord God and Him only. As stated in the beginning of this review as Christians we are instructed to “seek first the Kingdom of God” Matt. 6:33.  It seems as though in Hill’s work, he was promoting seek first material wealth!

Going on in my evaluation of Hill, one of the most demonstratively false and dangerous things in the book is Hill’s idea that “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” This is a serious Biblical error. In the Garden, the Serpent convinced Adam and Eve that they could become gods. No amount of conceiving and believing will ever make a finite person into a god. In fact, this lie of Satan is the chief lie that all human presuppositions starts with. Since Hill was allegedly a Christian, it is unfortunate that he did not qualify some of his ideas with Biblical limitations. Since he failed to do this, one has to question Hill’s understanding of the Christian Faith

In addition, another problematic area for a Christian is where Hill moves into some really strange and unproven ideas. He talks about a universal type of energy and powers such as telepathy, which can be supposedly used to reach into a higher consciousness, and getting in touch with the minds of the great leaders in history. Hill’s imaginary counsel of leaders during the evening is an area that is where I believe he let his imagination run completely wild. He claimed that these evening meetings were purely imaginary. Some researchers believe that this practice by Hill bordered on the occult. There is strong evidence that in his future writings he did move into what can be called spiritism or occultism. From a Christian perspective, Hill’s time could have been much better spent in prayer seeking that his desire for success would truly bring glory to God.

Hill was supposedly a Christian and said that his book was not a course on religion, nor meant to interfere with a person’s religion. In spite of his disclaimers, Hill’s use of the term infinite intelligence rather than God is evidence that he had parted from any belief he had in the Christian Faith. Even if he had used the term God it would not be possible to fit the Biblical concept of God into some of his thoughts on the subject of obtaining success. Hill seems to see this infinite intelligence as some kind of force that permeates the cosmos and in which all great minds are connected. This seems strikingly similar to the philosophy of idealism a concept or theory, in which all reality is ultimately reduced to a universal mind.

As stated earlier, Hill is considered the father of the positive thinking movement. This movement has led to all manner of wild speculations and metaphysical assertions which by their very nature are unproven. Some followers of Hill’s theories on auto-suggestion have developed this into what appears to be nothing more than magical secret incantations to obtain material wealth and developing relationships and following the guidance of your inner-self. Developing and following guidance from your inner-self is the door-way into occultic spiritism or in another sense a sign of a mental disorder.

In the closing section of his book, some of his views discussed in the Six Ghost of Fear are interesting and reflect reality for many people. However, he denigrates the Biblical concept of divine justice in this section the fear of death which is for me was another tip off that Hill’s belief system was far removed from the Christian Faith.

A section in the Elwell Evangelical Dictionary has this to say that is relevant to a Christian analysis of positive thinking and thus to portions of Hill’s work:

Theologically, positive thinking encourages a form of humanism that has often led to the development of heretical movements along the lines of New Though, Christian Science, and a variety of semi-Christian groups today. It overlooks biblical teachings about sin and the sovereignty of God to emphasize the essential goodness of humanity and the ability of people to solve their own problems through faith in their own abilities. In its Christianized form this self-faith is mediated through reference to Christian symbols, which upon closer examination are devoid of their original meaning.

The above quotation gets to the crux of the matter on the dangers inherent in the positive personal empowerment movement. We learn in Scripture that God is a sovereign God and any philosophy of personal empowerment or achievement that denigrates this has to be spoken against. If the vocation and calling you have is in business, you should strive for excellence and success all with the vision and goal of doing what is pleasing to God and for His Glory. We should always preface our plans in prayer asking first and foremost for God’s will to be done.

In fairness, Hill’s formula for business success in the book under review should not be understood simply as repeating some kind of mantra about obtaining wealth, although there are reasons that someone may believe this. At least in this book, Hill does a fair job of guarding against this type of simplistic understanding by qualifying and stressing the necessity of planning, focusing on goals, obtaining specialized knowledge, surrounding your self with like-minded business partners and constant persistence and hard work. In reality, much of the book is about self-discipline and how to prepare your-self for leadership which is no easy task, yet this has been seen in all successful business leaders. In my opinion, this is where the value of the book is found.

In summary, on the one hand, if you approach the book with some practical caution and especially Biblical awareness there are many good things you can learn from this book. On the other hand there are certainly dangers involved with an uncritical acceptance of Hill’s philosophy of success. In this writer’s opinion, Hill should have cut about one third of the speculative philosophy of success out of Think & Grow Rich” and just dealt with what he learned from his interviews with successful business leaders. It would be a good project if an abridged version of “Think & Grow Rich” could be edited and released which just contained the wisdom gleaned the 500 successful business leaders minus the unbiblical speculative philosophy. Because of the errors and the seeds of even more serious deviations from Biblical truth, I can give only a very limited and qualified favorable review of sections of “Think & Grow Rich.” Hill in my opinion was clearly a genius, yet in the end instead of glorifying God, he exalted his own finite mind. As in cases like Hill’s you have what can be described as genius run amok.

See the appendix # 1 for documentation on how Hill moved into the occult which seems to be case as evidenced in his later works. It is a tragedy for someone such as Hill who articulated so well what is involved in real world business success to ultimately discredit himself with his involvement in occultic spiritism. Hill, in his later books, claimed to be given information from spirit guides or ascended masters (in reality demons). As Christians, we are commanded by God to stay away from this type of communication. For example:

And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.  … A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them. Leviticus 20:6, 27

See Appendix # 2 for my response to an anticipated question about this review.

Appendix # 1:

Material from The ChristianExpositor (TCE) dialogue with one of their readers about where Hill taught things about his communication with the ascended spiritual masters.  

28th April, 2004 – TCE replies:

Thank you for your inquiry and we apologize for the delay in replying.

The answer to your questions can be found in the book in question: ”Grow Rich with Peace of Mind.”

Depending on the version read (probably between pages 158 to 162), you will find the following statements:

“Now and again I have had evidence that unseen friends hover about me, unknowable to ordinary senses. In my studies I discovered there is a group of strange beings who maintain a school of wisdom which must be ten thousand years old, but I did not connect them with myself. Now I have found there is a connection. I am not one of them! – but I have been watched by them. Here is how I found this out. I finished this book. I was alone in my study and all was very still. A voice spoke. I saw nobody. I cannot tell you whence the voice came. First it spoke a password known to few men that riveted my attention.”….. “I have come,” said the voice, “to give you one more section to include in your book…. I whispered; “Who are you?” In a softened voice, which sounded like chimes of great music, the unseen speaker replied: “I come from the Great School of the Masters. I am one of the Council of Thirty Three who serve the Great School and its initiates on the physical plane….The School has Masters who can disembody themselves and travel instantly to any place they choose …. Now I knew that one of these Masters had come across thousands of miles, through the night, into my study.”

“You have earned the right to reveal a Supreme Secret to others,” said the vibrant voice. “In the journey through life there is a Jungle of Life, a Black Forest through which every individual must pass alone. In the Black Forest he overcomes enemies and his own inner opposition and turmoil. … And now I shall name the enemies who must be met and conquered in the journey… The foremost is fear.” He went on to name intolerance, egotism, lust, anger and hatred and a total of 26 enemies. …”Know that one who seeks earnestly to conquer these twenty six lurking enemies becomes an Initiate of the Great School. We know him, and he has access to the mind of a Master.” The Master concluded after another pause in the deep silence, and said: “He will not only understand the true purpose of life, but also he will have at his command the power to fulfill that purpose without having to experience another incarnation on this earthly plane. And the Masters of the Great School, on this earthly plane and all other planes, will rejoice at his triumph and will bid him God speed toward his own mastership.” … The voice ended. I began to hear little sounds of the world around me, and I knew the Master had returned to the Great School of the Masters.

Hill made similar statements in chapter two of the book “The Master Key to Riches” when he unconditionally represents ‘Eight Princes’ as distinct entities and (page 28) “my friends who have done most for me in preparing my mind for the acceptance of riches. I call them the Eight Princes. They serve me when I am awake and they serve me while I sleep.”

He further states on page 29, “My greatest asset consists in my good fortune in having recognized the existence of the Eight Princes….” Hill opens the chapter by saying that you can call them other names beside “princes” but he specifically gives them attributes of distinct beings that can impute knowledge and have powers to affect physical events. Hill states that Andrew Carnegie “was blessed with the services of the Eight Princes. The Prince of Overall Wisdom served him so well that he was inspired not only to give away all his material riches, but to provide the people with a complete philosophy of life through which they too might acquire riches.” He communicated with these beings every day expressing gratitude to each one for the named function. The exact words he used in addressing these beings are given on pages 27 through 29.

Hill refers to his communication as a “ceremony” on page 30 where he states: “Observe that I ask for nothing from the Princes, but I devote the entire ceremony to an expression of gratitude for the riches they have already bestowed upon me.” He gives further credit to theses beings: “The Princes know my needs and supply them!… Yes, they supply all of my needs in overabundance.” While discussing the philosophy of life that the princes gave, he states: “It supports all religions yet it is a part of none!”

Hill has stated in other books that he rejected the religion of his youth and believes that he is not associated with any religion but has knowledge that “supports all religion”. He states, in his early writings, that he never met these beings face to face. In other books, however, he describes how beings actually materialized in front of him and talked with him. He is clearly communicating with spiritual beings and pays some kind of homage to them, thus practicing a very old religion currently called by many “New Age” religion.

In about 1937 he wrote “Think and Grow Rich” and was communicating with an “imaginary cabinet” made up by himself of nine individuals who were long dead. He imagined them talking to himself. He claimed that knowledge came from them that he was not able to get from just thinking. He wrote (page 216) in ‘Think and Grow Rich’: “In these imaginary council meeting I call on my cabinet members for the knowledge I wished to contribute, addressing myself to each member in audible words. . . .”

“The Master Key to Riches”, was copyrighted in 1967 by Hill and he had now, apparently, stopped talking to an “imaginary cabinet” and was talking with actual unseen beings. So Hill’s journey into communication with these spirits apparently began at least as early as his 1937 book and was continued into the creation of “Grow Rich With Peace of Mind”.

Yours sincerely

TCE

Appendix # 2 an anticipated question:

I fully anticipate a question to rise along the lines of: how can I even partially endorse something that contains serious errors and the seeds of even more error?

This is a good and fair question. As Christians we are to be conversant and to be able to speak accurately about the issues of our day. In doing this, we must be able to accurately state positions that we disagree with. This requires reading and studying material we may have substantial disagreements with. As a Christian, I do not like to have my position misrepresented or misunderstood. We should be careful to extend the same courtesy to others. If there are truths stated in an author’s work, we should be able to thank and show appreciation for the things we see as true.

For example, in the area of philosophy, Christian apologists should read and be conversant in the Greek philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. Plato and his student Aristotle were clearly two of the most brilliant minds who have ever lived. Their philosophy was so persuasive that modern philosophers have never been able to fully escape the ideas of these original Greek thinkers.

Platonic and Aristotelian philosophies are false, they nevertheless, were formally correct at various points. Plato in particular was formally correct in beginning his reasoning process starting from the world of eternal ideas and moving to and interpreting the temporal earthly forms in terms of the eternal. The Christian presuppositionalist argues in a similar process.

Returning to my anticipated question, can a Christian encourage people to read Plato and Aristotle? Of course they can, as long as qualified much like my review of Hill’s book. I trust this digression helps answer any questions that may be raised about my review of Hill’s book.

Reviewer’s Bio

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information. Mr. Kettler can be contacted by e-mail at: jack@kettlerwellness.com

Introduction:

In this article I will cover the biblical admonitions regarding the obtaining of wealth, a brief biological sketch of Napoleon Hill, followed by a survey of his ideas on business success. The reader will be amazed at some of Hill’s brilliant and at the same time common sense ideas of obtaining wealth. This section will focus on the positive contribution Hill made. Part two (separate article) I will cover the negative and out right dangers in Hill’s philosophy of success.

To begin this review, I would be negligent as a Christian not to mention the Biblical admonitions against the “deceitfulness of riches” Matt. 13:22 and our Lord’s warning that “you cannot serve God and Mammon” Luke 16:13. As Christians we are instructed to “seek first the Kingdom of God” Matt. 6:33. In case there is any confusion at this point I do not equate money as being evil. The distinction I see is stated by the apostle Paul when he tells us that “For the Love of Money is the root of all evil” 1^st Tim 6:10.

If the reader is to take anything away from this review, it should be how to approach the topic of gaining wealth and success and excellence in business by being fully aware of the personal motives behind this desire. Have you been influenced by the ways of this world? Consider this: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul?” Mark 8:36.

As Christians we should desire success and excellence in our endeavors not only to be a witness for Christ but also to bring glory to God. The Bible gives us instructions on life if followed will not lead to poverty. Negatively, we are neither to be a “sluggard” Prov. 20:4 nor “to love sleep” Prov. 20:13. Positively: “…diligent hands bring wealth” Prov. 10:4 “The plans of the diligent lead to profit…” Prov. 21:5. And finally, from Prov. 31:10-31; is the praise given to the noble or virtuous woman.

To begin this review, let me state up front that I see some positive guidelines for achieving success and excellence in business in Napoleon Hill’s book. Conversely, there are sections and material in Hill’s book that are antithetical to Christian beliefs and practice that the reader should be aware of. First I will offer the briefest biographical sketch and then a survey of some of the positive material in the book. In the concluding section I will point out some of the Biblically speaking problematic areas of Hill’s theories. This review is limited to Hill’s book “Think & Grow Rich” and not to his work in future years, although I will comment on it.

Napoleon Hill was born on Oct. 26^th, 1883 and died Nov. 8^th 1970.  Hill is best known as the author of one of the best selling books of all time called “Think & Grow Rich.” Napoleon Hill is the father of what can be described as personal success or motivational literature. Hill’s biographer, Michael J. Ritt, Jr., tells us that he was born in poverty in a one-room cabin in the town of Pound, Virginia, a rural area. At the age of 13, he began writing for small town newspapers. He used his earnings as a reporter to enter law school, but had to drop out for monetary reasons.

The turning point in his career happened with his assignment, to write a series of articles about famous men and to interview the wealthy industrialist Andrew Carnegie. Hill learned that Carnegie believed the process of success could be explained in a simple formula that could be learned and put into practice by the average person. Carnegie was impressed with Hill and subsequently commissioned him and provided him with letters of reference so that he could interview over 500 successful men and women to discover and publish this formula for success. This project went on for 20 years and culminated in Hill becoming an advisor to Carnegie and the publication of “Think & Grow Rich.” The knowledge obtained from the interviews with the leaders of industry is where you find the value of Hill’s book.

It is amazing on how many of Hill’s ideas are used as quotes for practical encouragement. Some of the more common quotations of Napoleon Hill are:

• Think and grow rich
• Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything
• Your big opportunity may be right where you are now
• If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way
• A goal is a dream with a deadline
• Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in every walk in life
• Perseverance: The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those that fail
• Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit
• Thoughts mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and burning desires are powerful things
• The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail
• First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination
• If you’re not learning while you’re earning, you’re cheating yourself out of the better portion of your compensation
• It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed

We find that much of Hill’s book is an analysis of the capitalist system in America and how it works. Hill believed that he had discovered a principle that allows the regular every day people to achieve success. Hill called his success teachings “The Philosophy of Achievement” and he considered freedom, democracy and capitalism, to be important causative factors in his discovery. Hill’s ideas would not work in a Marxist or a centralized planned economy because the tyrannical regulation and taxation would destroy anyone’s ability to strive for success since the fruits of success would be given to others who would squander it, since it had no intrinsic value to them. Hill believed in personal honesty and in not cheating your fellow man or employees. The cheat or dishonest person would eventually be seen for what he is. A leader has to be one of moral and ethical integrity.

Hill believed that you achieve success by doing superior quality work, treating your customers as number one at all times and how anyone can become successful if they overcome their personal shortcomings. Hill also incorporates a lot of good, practical business advice like finding new opportunities created by what we would call today as disruptive technologies. Also key according to Hill, is having a written business plan and not deviating from it, along with not being afraid to make mistakes as long as you grow and learn from the mistakes. If you find your strategy to be in error you must be able to reformulate your plans. Hill believed that most people never succeed simply because a lack of ambition or self discipline. Relating to discipline, Hill said: “If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” Today there is a course on business success called Personal Mastery which is influenced by Hill’s research.

The beginning of Hill’s philosophy began first with a thought, hence the title “Think & Grow Rich.” First you formulate a plan mentally. It involves desire, belief and passion, (absolutely essential for success) auto-suggestion (a controversial area of his research) obtaining specialized knowledge, (very helpful) using the imagination, (portions of this are very controversial) organized planning, (very helpful) decision making, persistence, the master mind group, (portions of this section is very helpful) the last three areas transmutation, the subconscious mind and finally the brain are also quite controversial and unproven. One thing is certain; ideas most certainly do have consequences. In this respect, business success beginning first with an idea cannot be questioned.

As said, there are many positive ideas in “Think & Grow Rich” such as organized planning, and finding a group of people who think like you, and then turning those plans into reality. Hill was a believer in the fact that all successful people were successful because they are able to find like minded people who think as they do and who could be recruited into a business venture with them. Then their abilities, talents and passion could be utilized for benefit of the business venture. Hill is basically saying: “don’t hang around with people who don’t think like you do.” Stay away from negative people since their negativity will affect you. Our parents were correct in warning us against hanging around with the wrong crowd.

Hill’s business success ideas focused on goal setting and making sure that decisions are carried through with consistency. In the area of responsibility, it means that you are responsible for your own outcomes, and it is important that failures are not something to fixate on. Everyone has failures, and we should learn from them, including figuring out what caused them to happen. Most failures involve a breakdown of vision, or a failure to plan to take advantage of a new situation that may have arisen. An individual that is focused on success should not fixate on failure. We can learn from mistakes and grow. Mistakes can be turned into successes.

Hill’s ideas on leadership are well thought out. His eleven points on the attributes of leadership are excellent and exactly the traits you would hope any business leader would have. Likewise, the ten major causes in failure of leadership are also very perceptive. His 31 major causes of failure are points that are surprisingly accurate reasons for every person who tries and fails in business. His 28 questions for self analysis are helpful to avoid self-deception. However his teaching on transmutation of sexual energy has probably offended or shocked many as sounding sexist. It is accurate according to Hill that sexual energy can be turned into creative energy and not simply wasted in vain physical affairs. It is also accurate to acknowledge that behind every great man one usually finds a great woman.

Some of the many positive things that can be learned from “Think & Grow Rich” can be summarized by citing several of his ideas relevant to business, such as “Failing to plan is planning to fail,” “Perseverance: The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those that fail,” “A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits,” “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed” and “The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does.” Hill’s philosophy of success was grounded in the real world to a large extent as can be seen by his statement that: “Riches do not respond to wishes. They respond only to definite plans, backed by definite desires, through constant persistence,” and “Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness.”

As the reader works their way through the book, they will see that much of Hill’s work boils down to setting goals, and making sure that important decisions are acted upon thus insuring your success. Hill is saying that you must put your plans into action. Hill was a believer that a group of people on the same wave-length and positively focused is substantially greater than a group of disorganized individuals. Of all the successful leaders Hill interviewed, all of them attributed their success to being able to see opportunities, and most importantly, in finding people who can be delegated to help achieve success. It is not enough to work hard, one must also find like minded people, and inspire them to work hard as a team on getting things done.

This idea of recruiting and inspiring individuals so that they be delegated various responsibilities reminds me of what J. Paul Getty once wrote, “I would much rather receive 1% of the efforts of 100 men than 100% of my own.” Much of the material in Hill’s book has been tremendously helpful for those individuals involved with network marketing. To illustrate this Hill said: “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” Those involved in the Network Marketing industry will understand appreciate this concept.

Hill tried to systematize steps to become successful in this book and to a large degree he was successful if one confines his work to the real world or common sense ideas. In my next article I will look at some of the dangers in Hill’s work. Stay tuned!

Reviewer’s Bio

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information. Mr. Kettler can be contacted by e-mail at: jack@kettlerwellness.com

Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the owner of Undergroundnotes.com where his theological, philosophical and political articles can be read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30 years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this article as long as my web site is retained in the biographical information. Mr. Kettler can be contacted by e-mail at: jack@kettlerwellness.com