Thoughts Are Things: Turning Your Ideas Into Realities (Prosperity Gospel Series) - Softcover

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A speaker, author, consultant, coach, and mentor, Bob Proctor was already a legendary figure in the world of personal development long before his appearance in the hit film The Secret. For more than forty years, Proctor has been one of the biggest names in prosperity and personal development, delivering talks throughout the world that help people achieve success and prosperity. Through his work with the Proctor Gallagher Institute, which he cofounded, he has transformed countless lives with his message of prosperity.

Greg S. Reid is a filmmaker, motivational speaker, and bestselling author. He is also an entrepreneur and the CEO of several successful corporations, and has dedicated his life to helping others achieve the ultimate fulfillment of finding and living a life of purpose.

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FOREWORD

“Thoughts are Things” are the first three words in the quintessential work on success, Think and Grow Rich, and represent the starting point of all achievement. Have you ever had a good idea? Of course you have! But have you ever made money from one of your good ideas?

The most successful businesses are created by solving a problem or serving a need. The initial thought triggers your entrepreneurial spirit, and instantly creates intellectual property that belongs to you. As defined by the World Intellectual Property Organization, “Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.” It is the intangible asset that results from human intellect, creativity, innovation, and know-how and from reputation and goodwill created by relationships with others.

Only a few decades ago, the value of the bulk of US corporate assets was from tangible assets, such as property, plant, and equipment. Intangibles, such as intellectual property, represented only approximately 20 percent of the value of corporate assets. However, by 2005, that ratio of intangible to tangible corporate assets had essentially reversed; the market value of the S&P 500 was approximately 80 percent intangible assets. According to the US Department of Commerce, “[t]he entire U.S. economy relies on some form of intellectual property, because virtually every industry either produces or uses it.”

In other words, the future of our economy depends on intellectual property triggered by entrepreneurial thoughts! No longer do you need vast amounts of capital to start and build a business. With this shift in the importance of intellectual property, combined with the ease of communication provided by the Internet, it has never been easier to build a business around your good ideas.

My business success has come from creating intellectual property related to educational products like books and games and then building the businesses to deliver them. I had the pleasure of working closely with my wonderful husband, Michael Lechter, who is recognized internationally for his intellectual property expertise.

Once you think of a way to solve a problem or serve a need, you may also want to put certain legal protection mechanisms in place (things like patents, trademark and copyright registrations, and contractual agreements) and you will want to create the system that will allow you to deliver the solution or provide the service. That system creates your business . . . a business born from your thoughts.

This book has been written for you at the perfect time. It shares the stories of some incredible people who not only built successful businesses using this model, but made significant positive impacts on their communities in the process. As you read their stories, keep a journal nearby so you can record the thoughts that spring into your mind!

Your next thought could ignite your entrepreneurial spirit, creating intellectual property for you . . . and the beginnings of your next business. Here’s to your million-dollar idea!

—SHARON LECHTER, CPA, CGMA

Author of Think and Grow Rich for Women and Save Wisely, Spend Happily

Coauthor of Outwitting the Devil, Three Feet from Gold, and Rich Dad Poor Dad

INTRODUCTION

You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct, and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.

—NAPOLEON HILL

Every year has its high points: achievements and advancements that leave an indelible mark upon history and upon society as a whole.

The year 1937 was no exception. In fact, I consider it one of the most significant years in all of human experience.

This was the year that saw the release of Walt Disney’s first full-length animated feature film . . . the emergence of a thrilling and controversial new artist named Pablo Picasso . . . and the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge. Nylon was patented in 1937, and Howard Hughes made his record-breaking coast-to-coast voyage. It was also the year The Hobbit had its literary debut, as well as Of Mice and Men and Out of Africa.

Remarkable as they are, however, it’s not any of these milestones that makes 1937 such a significant historical moment, in my estimation. It was the publication of another groundbreaking book, a book that would go on to profoundly influence tens of millions of lives, right up through this very day, and undoubtedly beyond it.

The story behind the creation of this miraculous work is one of the more fascinating tales of the early twentieth century—one that perfectly captures the near-mythological dynamism, excitement, and can-do spirit of the era.

It all started in the mind of the great steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie’s was the ultimate rags-to-riches tale. Born penniless in Scotland, he emigrated to America with his parents as a boy, and eventually rose to become the wealthiest businessman of his time, founding the company that would eventually form one of the cornerstones of US Steel.

Carnegie knew what he’d done to achieve his enormous wealth and success, and he had a theory. He was convinced that great achievement was a matter of doing a few certain things in a certain way. He believed that these certain things were the common denominator shared by all successful people. And he was convinced that if they could be discerned and delineated in a step-by-step formula, anyone, of any background or circumstance, could become wealthy and successful as well, simply by following it.

So he enlisted the help of a young reporter to help him prove his theory—and perhaps change the world in the process.

In 1908, this reporter, Napoleon Hill, had been assigned to interview the great industrialist as part of his publication’s series on successful men. Originally slated to take three hours, the interview went on for three full days and three full nights before it was complete.

Even more remarkable than the longevity of the interview was the offer Carnegie made to his visitor when the interview wound to a close:

Young man, if you are willing to work for me—for free—for twenty years, I will send you on a mission to meet the most powerful and influential leaders of our time. During these encounters, you will discover and create the first-ever formula for personal success.

It was a stunning proposition, one not many people would have had the guts or foresight to accept. But Napoleon Hill wasn’t just anyone. He was somehow able to comprehend, in just a few seconds, the incredible potential in the opportunity before him—for both himself and the world. He looked the great man squarely in the eye and said, “Mr. Carnegie, not only will I accept your proposal, I promise I will complete it.”

Hill didn’t know it at the time, but he wasn’t the first recipient of Carnegie’s remarkable proposition. More than 250 men had been presented with the great man’s unconventional offer.

He was, however, the first one to accept it.

He also didn’t realize until later just how crucial his decisiveness on the matter had been. A stickler for action, Carnegie had privately decided he would give his guest just sixty seconds to make up his mind once the proposition had been laid on the table. He knew what the job would entail, and he wasn’t interested in wafflers. When Hill walked out of the office, his host pulled from his pocket the stopwatch he had started. There were still thirty-one...