A Walkthrough of the Think and Grow Rich Skill: Making Hill's 13 Steps Actionable
Napoleon Hill's 13 steps are well-known and rarely operationalized. Six commands that turn the most quoted chapters into structured exercises with real outputs.
Napoleon Hill spent 20 years studying hundreds of America's most successful people — including Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison — and distilled their common patterns into Think and Grow Rich. Published in 1937, it remains one of the best-selling self-help books of all time.
The book's limitation: many of the 13 steps are philosophical principles that require structured application to become practical. The Think and Grow Rich BookSkill has six commands that operationalize the most impactful steps. Here's what each does.
The Six Commands
/definite-purpose — Write Your Definite Chief Aim
What it does: Hill's first and most foundational principle is "definiteness of purpose" — a specific, written statement of exactly what you intend to accomplish, by when, and what you intend to give in return. This command guides you through writing your Definite Major Purpose: not a vague goal but a precise, time-bound, emotionally charged commitment.
What you get: A Definite Major Purpose statement in Hill's required format — specific outcome, specific date, specific plan of action, a statement of what you're giving in return. Hill argued this statement should be read aloud twice daily.
When to use it: First. The Definite Purpose is the anchor for everything else in the framework. Many people have never written their chief aim with the specificity Hill requires — the exercise itself is often revelatory.
/burning-desire — Transform a Wish into a Commitment
What it does: Hill distinguished between a wish (which has no motivating power) and a burning desire (which overrides obstacles and persists through setbacks). This command applies his six-step process for converting a vague want into a burning desire: setting the specific amount, the deadline, the give-and-receive plan, the written statement, and the twice-daily reading practice.
What you get: A six-step desire action plan — the full Hill process for converting a goal from theoretical to visceral, including a written statement and a practice schedule.
When to use it: For your most important goals — the ones that have remained aspirational rather than becoming real plans. The burning desire process is particularly useful when you notice you're not taking consistent action toward a goal you say you want.
/autosuggestion — Build Your Daily Practice Script
What it does: Hill's autosuggestion chapter describes the deliberate repetition of emotionally charged statements to reprogram your subconscious. This command helps you write your personal autosuggestion script — specific, present-tense, emotionally engaged statements that align with your Definite Purpose.
What you get: A daily autosuggestion practice card — a short, powerful script to read with emotion each morning and evening.
When to use it: After defining your Definite Purpose. The autosuggestion practice is the daily reinforcement mechanism that keeps your purpose front-of-mind and emotionally active.
/mastermind-group — Design Your Alliance
What it does: Hill's Mastermind principle: the coordination of knowledge and effort between two or more people for the attainment of a definite purpose. A mastermind isn't a networking group — it's a small, committed alliance where members actively support each other's specific goals. This command helps you design yours: who to include, how to structure meetings, and what mutual commitments to establish.
What you get: A mastermind group plan — the ideal composition, meeting frequency and structure, and the specific purpose your mastermind serves.
When to use it: When you're pursuing a significant goal and you don't currently have people actively supporting your progress. Hill believed the mastermind was the single most important external factor in extraordinary achievement.
/organized-plan — Convert Purpose into Action
What it does: Hill's sixth step: creating an organized plan for achieving your Definite Purpose. Not a wish list, but a practical, phased plan with specific actions, milestones, and who's responsible for what. The command guides you through the planning process Hill describes — starting with the end and working backward.
What you get: An organized plan with milestones — a concrete roadmap from your current position to your Definite Purpose, with specific actions and timelines.
When to use it: After defining your Definite Purpose. The organized plan converts the purpose from a statement into a series of executable actions.
/persistence-test — Diagnose Your Quitting Patterns
What it does: Hill devoted an entire chapter to persistence — arguing that most people fail not from lack of ability or opportunity but from lack of persistence through difficulty. This command helps you identify your specific quitting patterns: where in your pursuit of goals do you tend to lose momentum, what rationalizations you use to stop, and what specific habits build persistence.
What you get: A persistence self-assessment and a plan for building the specific persistence habits your pattern requires.
When to use it: When you notice a pattern of starting strong and losing momentum, or when a specific goal has stalled despite your apparent commitment.
Recommended Sequence
/definite-purpose— write your chief aim/burning-desire— convert it to a burning desire/autosuggestion— establish your daily practice/mastermind-group— build your alliance/organized-plan— create your roadmap/persistence-test— identify and address your quitting patterns
What Hill's Framework Delivers (Honestly)
Hill's framework is over 85 years old and contains some dated elements. The most powerful parts are the psychological ones: the research on definiteness of purpose (now supported by goal-setting theory), the mastermind principle (supported by social accountability research), and the persistence chapter (consistent with modern research on grit and deliberate practice).
The Think and Grow Rich Skill focuses on the framework elements that have held up: written, specific goals; deliberate daily reinforcement; accountability structures; planned action. These are not secrets — they're documented success behaviors. The skill makes them practices.
Ready to write your Definite Chief Aim? Get the Think and Grow Rich BookSkill and start with /definite-purpose.