👇WATCH EPISODE 👇
When I First Really Got “Think and Grow Rich” (And How to Use It Now)
When I first picked up Think and Grow Rich as a young financial advisor, I did what a lot of people do I powered through it, checked the “personal development” box, and moved on. I even read it three times. And honestly? I still didn’t fully get it.
It wasn’t until I lost everything, went over a million dollars in debt, and had to rebuild that Napoleon Hill finally clicked for me. Later, when I read Master Key to Riches, the lights really turned on. Suddenly these ideas weren’t just cute quotes on Instagram. They were survival-level principles.
That’s why I loved having David Meltzer on the show. As chairman of the Napoleon Hill Institute and someone who went from over $100 million to broke and back again, he’s living proof that Think and Grow Rich still works in the 21st century if you apply it the right way.
And that’s what I want to break down: how I’m using these principles right now to engineer wealth, create passive income, and actually enjoy the journey.
From “I’ll Be Happy When…” to “I’m Happy for the Sake of What”
One of the most powerful shifts David talked about was moving from “I’ll be happy when…” to “I’m happy for the sake of what?”
Most of us get stuck in that thinking:
- I’ll be happy when I’m debt free
- I’ll be happy when my business scales
- I’ll be happy when I hit $10K, $20K, $50K a month in passive income
Here’s the problem: that “when” always moves. You hit one goal and immediately raise the bar. You’re never actually allowed to feel wealthy or successful, even as you’re doing the very things you once prayed for.
What Napoleon Hill and David both reinforce is this: wealth is engineered from your behaviors and beliefs, not from some magical future moment.
For me, real financial freedom is simple:
Being able to do what I want, when I want, with whom I want, for as long as I want.
Passive income and cashflow are tools to support that life not badges of honor to impress other people.
The Trap That Cost Us Both Millions
David said something that hit me right between the eyes because I’ve lived it too:
“I was buying stuff I didn’t need to impress people I didn’t like.”
That’s the exact opposite of Think and Grow Rich. That’s “think and stay broke” behavior.
When I went from being financially independent in my late 20s to over a million dollars in debt, it wasn’t because passive income stopped working. It was because my ego took over. I thought I had the Midas touch. I stopped being humble. I stopped asking for help. I over-leveraged, overextended, and the market exposed it.
That’s where Three Feet from Gold became real for me. So many people quit in that gap between where they are and where they want to be right before things start compounding.
The 1,000 Steps to Financial Freedom
David has a great way of explaining this: imagine it takes 1,000 steps to achieve your financial goal true wealth, passive income, work-optional status.
Here’s the part most people don’t want to hear:
- 90% of the time it takes to get there is spent getting to the first 250 steps
- The next 250 steps (to 500) only take about 5% of the time
- The last 500 steps (to 1,000) take the final 5%
That’s exponential growth. That’s compounding. That’s what we talk about when we focus on cashflow, not just accumulation. Most people quit in those first 250 steps because it feels slow, messy, and painful.
But if your non-negotiables are in place your daily behaviors, your definiteness of purpose, your commitment to wealth-building activities you eventually hit that breakthrough where everything starts accelerating.
Ask for Help and Know Your “Who”
One of the most underrated Think and Grow Rich principles that David emphasized and that turned my life around is the power of your who.
Hill called it the “Master Mind.” Today, it looks like:
- Mentors who’ve already created financial freedom
- Communities that actually understand abundance
- People you can serve, and people who can help you
The fastest way to get where you want to go is to help others get where they want to go and to be humble enough to ask for guidance from those who’ve already done it. My biggest breakthroughs came when I stopped trying to be the smartest guy in the room and started being the most coachable.
Pain, Setbacks, and the Meaning You Give Them
Both David and I have had to face the gut-punch moments: bankruptcy, massive debt, losing homes, telling family the money’s gone.
Here’s the difference in how we see those moments now:
They’re not punishment.
They’re promotion, protection, and preparation.
You and I don’t get out of this life without pain God gave us bodies, so we’re going to feel it. But the meaning you give your setbacks determines whether you stay stuck… or whether you become the person capable of handling real wealth.
When I chose to see my million-dollar debt as a turning point instead of a tombstone, that’s when my life, my business, and my passive income started to change.
How to Apply This Right Now
If you want to “think and grow rich” in the 21st century not just read about it start here:
- Define your purpose clearly.What does financial freedom actually look like for you? Not just a dollar amount describe the life.
- Commit to your 1,000 steps.Accept that the first 250 will feel slow and thankless. Show up anyway.
- Build your “who.”Find mentors, communities, and investors who live the way you want to live. Ask for help. Often.
- Protect your meaning.When things go wrong (and they will), ask:What am I supposed to learn from this that will make me wealthier, wiser, and more impactful?
If you do that, you’re not just chasing money you’re engineering wealth, creating passive income, and building a life you don’t need to retire from.
And that’s exactly the ripple effect I’m committed to: helping 1,000 families become financially independent by 2030. If you’re ready to be one of them, you’re in the right place.