The Wisdom of Andrew Carnegie as Told to Napoleon Hill

How can we define success? Over time, different people have given this commonly used word many definitions. Of course, it is always linked to achieving some kind of goal, and the word does have a universally positive meaning, but we all have our own individual ideas about what success really is.

According to Andrew Carnegie, success is the power with which to acquire whatever one demands of life without violating the rights of others.

To do this, you must first turn your attention within, and focus on your mindset, then connect your inner being to your practical life, and finally, enlist others to help you on your journey. All this is achievable through a series of steps that Napoleon Hill illustrates brilliantly in this book, having learned them personally from the great entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

Let's start from the beginning.

There are two key pillars that uphold the basis of any successful existence: knowing one's purpose and being aware that what we believe to be true shapes our reality. Most people, rather than live proactively, exist out of mere inertia. For these people, life drags on devoid of goals, and they never go beyond dreaming and wanting more, and all they ask or expect for themselves is to work for a minimum wage, and make a living.

But if we are able to discover an interest that makes us feel good, one we like and which excites us, creating a strong desire to pursue it, then our life will be full of colour, and this interest will provide us with a priceless compass. Not so long ago, pain was attributed to feelings of guilt, whereas nowadays it is increasingly linked to a sense of inadequacy. In a world so full of opportunities, it is essential to find one's purpose and place, whether it be cooking for others, or helping businesses find customers through Google ads.

Furthermore, we must always remember that we are masters of our own destiny. The way our lives unfold is determined almost entirely by our mind, our personality and our thoughts. Unless we genuinely believe that we will be able to do something, we will never succeed. However, if we are firmly convinced that we are capable of something, our brain will automatically push us to take a series of practical actions to help us achieve it, because these actions are aligned with our beliefs. Conviction and persistence together can help us achieve anything.

A very simple example can demonstrate this concept, one which can then be applied to any other situation or sector.

Imagine a student who is feeling discouraged after getting a bad grade in their first test for a new subject at school. If he or she is convinced that they "have no talent" for that subject, what is likely to be the outcome? Simple: they will stop trying. Anyway, it is useless, "they have no talent". If, on the other hand, the person is sure of his or her capabilities, they will automatically become motivated by their initial setback, seeing it as a simple bump in the road, which will indeed push them even harder to prove themselves.

The human mind only knows the limits we or others impose on it and every road to success begins with a clear vision of one’s purpose and goals, until they become almost an obsession. At that point, our subconscious will work tirelessly until the goal is achieved.