Book Summary – The Skeleton Key to Wealth – Written by Napoleon Hill
Simply put, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to improve their lives. No matter what area you want to improve, Napoleon Hill showcases the works of Master-Key. Napoleon Hill died in 1970 at the age of 87. Therefore, the research that he did was way ahead of his time. He profiled Andrew Carnegie, who created US Steel and mentored Charles Schwab. Andrew Carnegie commissioned Napoleon Hill to profile successful people to see if there was a pattern. This book, along with Think and Grow Rich, is a combination of that research.
Why is this important to me?
If I were spending my precious time listening to this video, the first question I would ask would be: Why is this important to me?
This is important because Mr. Hill explains the 12 riches of life and how to achieve them. Are you where you want to be or do you need help defining true happiness? The study of the 12 riches and the Master-Key defined in this book will give you the blueprint for happiness.
The 12 riches of life are: 1. Positive mental attitude, 2. Good physical health, 3. Harmony in human relationships, 4. Freedom from fear, 5. Hope for achievements, 6. The capacity for faith, 7. Willingness to Share One’s Blessings, 8. A Labor of Loves, 9. An Open Mind on All Issues, 10, Self-Discipline, 11. The Ability to Understand People, 12. Economic Security.
The 12 riches are important, but for reasons of time we will delve into three of them in this summary.
1. Positive Mental Attitude: Mental attitude is important because it turns the brain into the equivalent of an electromagnet that attracts the counterpart of one’s dominant thoughts, goals, and purposes. It also attracts the counterpart of one’s own fears, worries and doubts. This basically means that you will manifest in your life what you focus on regardless of whether it is positive or negative.
2. Good physical health: This one goes without saying and should be number one. In my humble opinion, without health you can’t create anything. Health is the ultimate gift because with it everything else is possible. This can easily be taken for granted, but once it’s taken away, life changes instantly. This should be a priority for everyone.
3. The Ability to Understand People: The person who truly understands people knows that we all come from the same core. The nine common emotions, according to the book, are: love, sex, desire for material gain, self-preservation, liberation of body and mind, self-expression, desire for the perpetuation of life and death, anger, and fear. The ability to understand others eliminates many of the common causes of friction between men.
The Master-Key is a combination of 17 principles that when used in combination will enable you to achieve the 12 Riches of Life.
The Master-Key consists of:
1) Habit of going the extra mile
2) Definition of Purpose
3) The Mastermind
4) Faith applied
5) Pleasant personality
6) Habit of learning from defeat
7) Creative Vision
8) Personal Initiative
9) Precise thinking
10) Self-discipline
11) Concentration of Effort
12) Cooperation
13) Enthusiasm
14) The habit of health
15) Budget time and money
16) Golden rule applied 17) Force of cosmic habit.
For reasons of time, we will outline three of the seventeen.
1. Definition of Purpose – Highly successful people have a defined purpose. Mother Teresa dedicated her life to helping the poor of Calcutta and through her defined purpose she became known worldwide and helped millions of people.
2. Master Mind: It is a group of people who have experience that can be harnessed to achieve their defined purpose. Taking advantage of the combined OPE (other people’s experience) gives a compound effect to the desired result.
3. Going the Extra Mile Habit: I like this one because the 12 riches of life can NOT be achieved without hard, smart, and right work. You have to do things to have power! Note that this is the HABIT of going the extra mile. Instill this in your mind and you will not be disappointed with the results.
I hope you found this short summary useful. The key to any new idea is to work it into your daily routine until it becomes a habit.
Habits are formed in as little as 21 days. I recommend that you read this book and put the principles in place. Taking one thing off the summary and making it a habit will be the “Habit of Going the Extra Mile.” Put this front and center and it will help you in everything you do.
According to Mr. Hill, it pays to go the extra mile by doing more than one: “It’s the strange influence it has on the person doing it. The greatest benefit from this habit does not reach those for whom it is served.” It comes to the service provider in the form of a change in “mindset,” giving them more influence with other people, more self-confidence, greater initiative, more enthusiasm, more vision and definition of purpose Getting things done and you will have the power!!!!