This article started as a discussion about mediocrity and how
we elevate our heroes to super human status. The underlying message is they are
special and we are not. Therefore, we are better off playing it safe and avoiding
risks. As I thought of examples to help make my case, I recalled a book I
recently finished--the biography of Napoleon Hill, "A Lifetime of Riches" by Michael J. Ritt. Soon the direction of the piece took a detour.
So many people quote Napoleon Hill or "rework" his material, but few
know much about him beyond the legend. What I learned both surprised and
frightened me. So, I decided to use this opportunity to pull back the curtain
of legend and folklore and introduce you to the real Napoleon Hill. You are in
for a surprise if you have not read the biography.
Few biographies filled me with anticipation as this one, for I consider myself a student of Napoleon Hill's work. "The Laws of Success" and "Think and Grow Rich" are references I often refer back to.
Hill is considered by many to be the godfather of the modern
day self help genre. Some of the world's best known speakers and authors credit
their success to his writing including, Anthony Robbins, Jack Canfield, Earl Nightingale
and Stephen Covey.
Just about any book you read, video you watch or seminar you
attend on the subject has roots in Hill's work. Consider the following
oft-repeated concepts if you are not familiar with Napoleon Hill or think he
has no relevance to your life:
- Mastermind Alliance
- Definite Chief Aim (or definiteness of purpose)
- The need for "burning desire" in pursuit of a goal
- "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."
If you can attribute, even in part, your success to
understanding and practicing any of these concepts, you owe a great deal of
gratitude to Napoleon Hill. The secondary source you learned from may not have
credited Hill, either intentionally or unintentionally, but he deserves credit
nonetheless.
A Flawed Character
To say Hill was flawed would be a gross understatement. Many
will be surprised to learn he did not publish "The Laws of Success"
until he hit rock bottom in his mid-forties. Before this, he experienced very
little success and seldom had a steady source of income.
Much of his hardship was self-inflicted due to a habit of jumping
from one ill-advised venture to the next with little forethought or planning. Those
ventures with the potential of producing results were often abandoned to pursue
others. He spent years going from city to city in search of his break, while sending
letters to his wife assuring her his latest opportunity would bring the riches
he always promised. While Napoleon chased his dreams, his wife borrowed money
from her family to take care of her and her sons.
I found myself feeling sorry for him at times and angry at
others while thinking, how could someone
so brilliant have been so reckless?
The very success principles so many benefit from today, were
of little use to Hill throughout most of his life. By his mid-forties, years of
unforced errors and poor judgment had caught up to him. In addition to being
desolate and broke, he was forced into hiding by prohibition gangsters he
attempted to expose in Canton, Ohio. He would spend over a year in isolation
fearing for his life.
By now, his marriage of more than twenty years was strained
and his relationship with his sons was non-existent.
For those who think I am being too harsh or unfair, I will let
Napoleon speak for himself. Here he describes what he felt during this time of
his life:
"Out of my
difficulties, which were burdensome enough up to this point, grew another which
seemed more painful than all of the others combined. It was the realization
that I had spent the better portion of my life in chasing a rainbow, searching
hither and yon for the causes of success, but finding myself now more helpless
than any of the thousands I had judged as being failures.

Every time I looked at
myself in a mirror I noticed an expression of self-contempt on my face...I had
begun to place myself in the category of charlatans who offer others a remedy
for failure which they, themselves cannot successfully apply..."
Imagine the man who would later publish one of the best
selling success books of all time feeling this way after he had already written "The Laws of Success."
Later in the same chapter, Ritt describes Hill's continued
downward spiral:
"Then, gradually,
Hill's depression bottomed out. A new fear began crowding out his feelings of
hopelessness and despair: the fear that this was all there was, that unless he
made something happen, he would live out the rest of his years this way. He had
not found a safe haven from life's hazards, he had simply quit living
altogether. Deep within himself he could not accept life on these terms, and he
began struggling to find his way back."
After spending hours one evening searching his mind for a solution,
he remembered "The Laws of Success," which he had spent over two
decades compiling. He decided in an instant to go to Philadelphia the next day
to get his work published. He realized his golden ticket out of misery had been
in his possession the entire time. In classic Napoleon Hill style, he leaped
head first without a clear plan in mind. Not only did he not know a single
publisher in Philadelphia, he did not have enough money for the trip. Like so
many times before, he borrowed money from relatives.
After several weeks of effort and a slew of rejections from
publishers afraid to take a financial risk on Hill, he convinced a Connecticut
publisher to finance the project. They worked out an agreement in their first
meeting, and Hill received an immediate advance on royalties.
Hill was not done yet. He secured endorsements for "The
Laws of Success" from the likes of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and former
presidents Woodrow Wilson and William H. Taft. Not only did this boost Hill's
confidence, but also gave him legitimacy.
The eight volume set of "The Laws of Success" was
published in early 1928 and became an instant hit producing royalty checks in
excess of $2500 per month, more than $31,000 in today's value. Hill was finally
able to give his wife the lavish life style he always promised. He purchased a
spacious estate, an expensive Rolls Royce and had cash to pursue other business
ideas. The success also resulted in multiple offers for jobs with steady
income. He turned away from all of them.
His Own Worst Enemy
Unfortunately, Hill's success would be short lived. A combination
of the stock market crash of 1929, which he ignored as a minor blip, and
overextending himself financially, put him and his family in dire straits once
again. By the fall of 1930, royalty checks stopped coming and unforgiving debt
collectors lined up to take a bite out Napoleon's backside. Soon he would be
worse off than before, for being broke is one thing. Being broke and owing
creditors is quite another.
Napoleon would live out the rest of the days of the great depression
attempting one business venture after another, usually related to inspirational
publishing and writing projects. However, the American public was not in the
mood for inspirational literature.
A break came when the Roosevelt administration called on Hill
to be a speechwriter and advisor based on a recommendation from Congressman
Jennings Randolph, an admirer of Napoleon's work. He accepted the offer but
refused payment for his services, despite having a wife and three sons to
support.
This decision was the final straw for his wife. For their
entire married life, she was the ever-supportive spouse, backing all of his ideas,
defending him against criticism and often borrowing money from her family to
support her and her boys. Not this time. She decided divorce was the best
course of action. Making matters worse, Hill's own father helped her with the
divorce because he too had grown tired of his son's poor decisions and failure
to care for his family. Now not only was Hill broke, he was completely alone
and a total failure by his own standards.
Think and Grow Rich
Yet, lightening would strike again. As America pulled itself
out of the great depression, Hill returned to the lecture circuit where he met
his second wife. With her support and persistence, he wrote and published the
crown jewel of success literature "Think and Grow Rich." The rest, as
they say, is history. Well, not quite.
Large royalty checks began flowing in again as "Think
and Grow Rich" became an even bigger hit than "The Laws of Success."
Hill and his young wife wasted no time spending more than they earned (a clear
violation of Hill's own principles). Not long after, she duped him out of the
royalties of all of his works, sold everything they owned and left him
penniless. Hill was 56 years old and once again broke and without a source of
income.
Hill later told friends about this difficult period: "I
walked out of that marriage with nothing but the shirt on my back and my
battered old typewriter. I lost everything. Millions. But it was worth it just
to be rid of her."
With nowhere left to turn, he asked his first wife to take
him back, but she rejected him outright. She was no longer the starry eyed girl
who once worshipped the ground he walked on. Hill left hat in hand with nowhere
to go. Not even his own sons wanted anything to do with him.
The (almost) Comeback Kid
Despite bottoming out once again, he went to work on plans for
his next act. He headed to South Carolina for a fresh start. A businessman by
the name of William Jacobs recruited Hill to develop a new self help course and
a series of lectures that would be delivered to schools, towns and factories as
well as to attract investment from successful companies in the north. Jacobs
provided Hill with plush living quarters to begin his work. The place of his
typewriter overlooked a vast landscape, where he went right to work on doing
what he did best.
With a combination of Hill's dedication to his work and Jacobs’s
resources and influence, it did not take long before Hill grew in popularity
and developed quite a following in the region.
Unfortunately, Hill would find himself out of work again because of America's
entry into World War II. Suddenly, there were no students for his courses as
they shipped off to war. To make matters worse, paper rations made it
impossible for his latest work to be distributed.
However, "Think and Grow Rich" saved the day once more
as another influential business tycoon called on Hill for help. One of the
managers for R. G. LeTourneau credited his success at one of LeTourneau's
manufacturing plants with what he learned from "Think and Grow Rich."
While other plants experienced unrest with union organizers, this one continued
to thrive with an enthusiastic and committed workforce. Based on these results
alone, LeTourneau recruited Hill as a consultant.
Although his correspondence course became a sudden casualty
of the war, Hill used the material to train LeTourneau's plant managers. The training
program expanded to all layers of employees from supervisors and foreman to
line workers. The result was a complete turnaround of the company, which led to
widespread recognition and overwhelming success. For Hill, he now had a large
scale living example of the validity of his success principles.
Hill Finds His Rock
During this period, he married his third wife, Annie Lou,
who supplied the much needed balance and forethought Napoleon often lacked.
Whenever he wanted to jump head first into a situation, she stopped him and
asked for details. Where the plan lacked, she helped fill in the gaps. She also
protected him from the unscrupulous individuals who often found Hill to be an
easy mark. Unlike his first wife, more than just providing support, Annie Lou
held him to a higher standard and insisted on accountability.
As things wound down with LeTourneau, he came up with
another plan. Through research, Napoleon learned "Think and Grow
Rich" was wildly popular in Los Angeles, with one library keeping seventy
copies in stock to keep up with demand. What better location to hit the lecture
circuit? Although he no longer held royalty rights, he was still the author of
this groundbreaking work and intended to use this to his advantage. It was 1943
and Hill was fifty-nine years old. He and Annie set out for Los Angeles, which
would prove to be one of the best decisions of his life.
His success was near instant as eager students crowded
lecture halls. It seemed he finally hit his stride, experiencing one success
after another. He was even given an honorary doctorate from Pacific
International University, who also asked him to head their Department of
Industrial Philosophy. This move added to his credibility and made him more
popular than ever.
Not one to wallow in the complacency of success, Hill
started a weekly radio program. This helped spread his message beyond his local
surroundings. This led to more speaking requests, book deals and consulting
services. For the first time in his life, Hill was on a clear winning streak
and able to live off of his name and the popularity of his books. How to earn a
living would never be a problem again.
By 1949 and at the age of sixty-five, Hill decided to scale
back his activities in order to spend more time with his wife. He decided he
would give up the radio program, continue writing primarily as a hobby, and
take fewer speaking engagements.
But Wait. There's More...
Unbeknownst to Hill, his biggest act was yet to come. Hill
met W. Clement Stone, a long time admirer who credited Hill's "Think
and Grow Rich" with propelling his insurance business to a thirty million
dollar empire. Stone went so far as to make "Think and Grow Rich"
required reading for all of his salespeople.
Stone talked Hill out of retirement to spread the gospel of his
success principles to even larger audiences. Hill was unable to resist. With
Stone's vast financial empire and resources, Hill was offered a once in a
lifetime opportunity to spread his philosophy in a way he never imagined. Stone
agreed to manage the entire operation, leaving Hill to write and lecture. Together
they produced books, correspondence programs and documentary films extolling Hill's
success philosophy. The relationship between the two proved to be the
quintessential example of Hill's mastermind alliance principle.
Over the next 10 years, Hill and Stone grew the Napoleon
Hill brand and his success philosophy into a movement that spread beyond the
shores of America. Perhaps many of us would not know as much about Napoleon
Hill's work had it not been for this relationship.
In 1962, nearing the age of eighty, Hill created The
Napoleon Hill Foundation, which still exists today. He continued lecturing at a
vigorous pace all across the country. Even in old age, Hill showed no signs of
slowing down. Those close to him said he always looked ten to fifteen years
younger than his actual age, due in large part to the one principle he
consistently followed throughout his life. He kept to a strict diet and
exercise regimen.
The Curse of Brilliance

I was also surprised at how Hill's life frightened me. He
had many opportunities to accept comfortable, well paying jobs. Yet, he never
remained in those positions for long or rejected them altogether. He always
longed for something more, to the point he could not help but rush head first
into risky propositions without much concern for himself or his family. Why is
this so frightening? Because this instinct bares a striking resemblance to many
entrepreneurs I know, myself included.
Hill achieved his definite chief aim, but not before going
through a lifetime of tragedy. Must we endure our own lifetime of tragedy to
achieve our highest ideals? Are we somehow predisposed to being our own worst
enemies, unable to benefit from our own advice? Are there lessons we can learn
from Napoleon's story to prevent similar unforced errors? Or will there always
be another rainbow just around the corner waiting to seduce us?
If you are looking for practical lessons to extract from Hill's
life, they include:
- Saving earnings to prepare for eventual rainy days
- Consideration for those closest to you
- Vetting associates and partners
- The necessity for adequate planning
- The importance of testing ideas before launch
Playing it safe is not an option on the list. Along with
relentless effort, the journey also requires repeated failures, constant
ridicule, public humiliation and sometimes personal loss. In some cases, even
after going through so much pain, the aim is not achieved until long after
death. How far are you willing to go and how much are you willing to sacrifice?
There is the likelihood of being so blinded by our pursuits that we are unable to prevent significant loss, even in relationships. Though I confidently say to myself, Nah I don't think so, I suspect Napoleon Hill thought the same thing.
Godspeed and I look forward to seeing you in The Players Lounge.
Related Posts...
His life and his work are all worth of careful study
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks for this article, I am starting off younger than Hill and wish NOT to pay the price he paid to get to the rainbow... Heck, I am LIVING in my RAINBOW NOW;)$
ReplyDelete