The Law of Success - critical summary review

Most of us prefer system over tips. Why? Because, unlike tips, a well-designed system guides you from one stage to the next, and helps you put all the pieces together.

One of Napoleon’s best works surely delivers an all-encompassing scheme to be followed. Most of you do know that The Law of Success traces from the pre-Great depression America. To be more precise, 1925.

According to modern-day readers and book critics, this book is one of the few evergreen pieces of written art. As such, we find it entirely absurd to divide the audience in one way or the other. 

It goes without saying that among intellectuals and people in general still hold this book in high regard.

The Birth of Self-help Philosophy

One can say with absolute confidence that Napoleon Hill is one of the founders of motivational and self-development rhetoric. His works are a treasure trove of ideas and continue to inspire almost a century after they first have been published. 

That said, Napoleon, in his classics, puts a person’ inner aura into perspective in an attempt to unveil the emotional pain. By putting it into words, he maintains a good vantage point to evaluate the effectiveness of one’s actions.

The number of people who weren’t evasive to share their secret recipe with the rest of the world can be counted on one’s fingers. Napoleon Hill is surely among them! 

If you prefer not to be led astray, then you have to take into account several key factors. Among them, one must embrace the inconsistencies in every environment and adjusting to those inconsistencies means that you are flexible to achieve success. 

In the business world, building, for instance, iron-clad strategies at scale is tougher due to increased competition. Even in the digital age, one must adopt an open-minded approach and ponder about the decisions made on a day-to-day basis. 

Evidently, it’s incongruous to ask for advice from someone who hasn’t tested the road. 

Therefore, we wholeheartedly endorse the previously defined formula for success, which consists of harmonious but battling attitude. It keeps you sharp between the ears, and your eyes peeled for a potential entanglement. 

Is it as straightforward as it sounds? Of course not, because the research conducted by Napoleon Hill and those after him add a layer of doubt regarding the achievability of this process. 

It stands to reason as to why such a small fraction of the population managed to climb the ladder. It also lays the fundamentals of understanding the external forces that may hamper or accelerate your ascension. It’s needless to say that you’ll need to tackle excuses and focus on day-to-day improvement. 

It’s not about succeeding in everything you attempt to accomplish, but having the audacity not to point fingers at anyone! 

Before embarking on this perilous but adventurous quest, Napoleon Hill cast doubts on the cultivated habits fueled by traditional, religious, and cultural patterns. 

Does this herald a great change? 

Probably yes, because whether we like it or not, the promises you make to yourself must be integrated into your broad outlook on life.

To prove a point, the author zooms in on historical individuals whose proclivity for success boosted their societal position. You should also get to know the potential restriction that may occur at some point during this process. 

Everything necessary is contained in the 15 Laws!

According to Napoleon Hill, the path leading to success is exclusively prescribed for people who are burning inside, who are flared up to a certain point from which they can’t go back. If you are sitting on the fence, such an attitude will take a toll on the probability to meet your goals.

Don’t let your plans fizzle out just because you are not serious enough to utilize all the means at your disposal. Dedicate time to pursue your dreams, otherwise this will be a total waste of time. First off, a person must identify their weaknesses before proceeding with exploiting their strengths. It’s just common sense, get to know yourself before you get analytical. 

As stated in this book, there are certain factors which curtail the chances of achieving success in the long run. Among them, you’ll find greed, aimlessness, egoism, and spending more than you earn. 

You must dive deep into your character and find those weak points that are in need of full eradication or alteration. If you defeat these symptoms, you’ll pass the most critical phase, which is, in fact, the idea of overcoming your shallowness. Any person with common sense and logic can understand that you must move beyond mediocrity to be successful. And that’s Napoleon’s central premise in this classic.

In addition, let’s take a closer at Napoleon’s Laws of Success that can elevate you to the top of the heap: 

1. Definite Chief Aim

As the name implies, this law revolves around the idea of finding your axis! In other words, it helps you tackle procrastination and aimlessness, saving time, energy, and resources. 

It also helps you taking the first steps in materializing your plan by following a well-defined system. 

2. Self-Confidence

This law is based on overcoming the six fears:

• The fear of Poverty.
• The fear of Old Age.
• The fear of Criticism.
• The fear of Loss of Love of Someone.
• The fear of Ill Health.
• The fear of Death. 

Only to clear up the confusion, bear in mind that Napoleon Hill didn’t state that everyone has these tendencies buried deep within. 

It’s all a matter of cultural, hereditary, societal, or self-imposed patterns that vary from person to person. 

3. Habit of Saving

Most of the laws are self-explanatory, and this one stresses out the importance of managing your finances and distributing your income. It’s a skill most people don’t have and show no passion for mastering it. 

As a rule of thumb, you should take heed of how fast/ or slow the income is accumulated and then enact the right measures.

4. Initiative and Leadership

You have to build authority in your field of interest in order to rise to prominence. You should be a solid representative of your agenda and initially promote your views. 

Understand your role in delivering something that your industry is deprived of and take the necessary steps. 

5. Imagination

The fifth law hinges on creativity and the very instigator of it. It helps you learn the ropes of your mind, and the cultivated habits ingrained in it. 

It also provides a plan for how to rebuild the thinking mechanism and place strong foundations for future endeavors. 

Imagination conquers everything. 

6. Enthusiasm

This life lesson is in line with the idea of getting into the right frame of mind. Such behavior will help you when establishing contacts with strangers and laying out your plans. 

Enthusiasm is vital when forming that bond, which could be the start of something lucrative and mutually prosperous. 

Influence others by being energetic and persistent. 

7. Self-Control

Without the right control, all of the previous laws will bear no meaning. 

So, it’s of utmost importance that you have some self-discipline and rationality. Overwhelming enthusiasm is not good either, so you better have that handbrake close by your side.

Self-control = Master of your own destiny.

8. A habit of Doing More Than Paid For

The highest Return of Investment, ROI, is when you do more than assigned to. People love when you are engrossed in the thing you plan to achieve and are more than willing to reward you for the passion you bring to the job. 

If you can rise to the occasion fueled by that intense desire to get the job done, you’ll surely stand out from the crowd. 

No leader can be a good leader by focusing on equality of output. Figuratively speaking, you should expect $0.5 in return for every given $1.

This is not a reference to financial distribution, but a more metaphorical proposition.

9. Pleasing Personality

A welcoming personality is the epitome of success. 

An attractive personality knows the essence of drawing people to itself – it has that magnetism that can make all the difference. 

If you bring that personality into line with your intelligence, no obstacle will be insurmountable. 

10. Accurate Thought

In a world filled with misinformation and fake news, it’s not easy to separate facts from opinions. In any way, it’s the basis for becoming a sharp thinker who acts upon data, not emotions. 

It also instructs you to subdivide the facts into: 

Important and relevant.

Unimportant and irrelevant. 

11. Concentration

Fixating your attention at one thing is one of the critical elements paving the way to prosperity. 

If you transform your scatterbrained attempt to get multiple things done at the same time into a single powerful thrust, you’ll sense the proficiency in a particular field. 

Leave the multitasking bullsh*t aside for now. 

12. Cooperation

And yes, you can’t do it alone. Your team will do most of the work, and you should support each other by opting for environmental freedom. 

Coordinate your actions with the ones of others and build that synergy. 

13. Profiting by Failure

If you think that you are ready to map out a plan of action, you must leave positive from past encounters. 

The try-fail mechanism is a proven method for excelling at something. 

Making mistakes is, in fact, a blessing in disguise – something that most people don’t see. Remember: A lost battle is not a lost war! 

14. Tolerance

This law affects people whose minds are poisoned with prejudices and hatred. They occasionally stir up ethical, cultural, racial, and nationalistic tensions, and are unable to get out of this mindset. 

Think again and ask yourself – What is the good in remaining narrow-minded?

You’ll find nothing to cling to! 

15. The Golden Rule

This lesson is a real intellectual lodestar in terms of its constructive narrative. It is, in fact, the test that you need to take after running through the previous lessons.

The effects of knowingness 

Yeah yeah….

We’ve heard it a million times (from parents and teachers alike) that knowledge conquers the world.

Anyway, whenever talking about real knowledge, we mostly refer to life-experience and daily encounters. 

Lean on the try-fail cycle, not on what other people have said. If you abide by this law, you’ll definitely speed up the entire process and tip the balance in your favor. 

Discipline and Adaptation are key

I am starting next Monday! 

Sounds familiar? – I bet it does. 

As much as we are all aware of what needs to be done and why you need to put up your best-work, the human mind is prone to “freeze-mode.” 

It’s basically the thing that is keeping you stuck in the same boring job or life and acting as a stranglehold around your neck. 

Break those chains of laziness and grab the world at first light! 

In entrepreneurial waters, there is one term growing in popularity – Pivot. 

It figuratively means “when things go “South” you need to pivot and head over North.” 

In layman’s terms, you have to be flexible and willing to experiment until you find the life-altering formula. 

Learn on the go, remain open-minded.

Final Notes

Can someone put a blemish on Napoleon Hill? 

Well, it’s really tough to find unexplored and weak assertions, because he liked to get to the bottom of any problem. By the same token, we feel like delving into this classic could help you get closer to achieving your goals no matter how big they seem.

Take notes, and learn as you progress!

12min Tip

If you are ready to face the music and pave the way to success, then reading Think and Grow Rich is a definitive must!