Reddit reviews Think and Grow Rich

I've read a lot of business books in the past year. These include:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Rich Dad Poor Dad

Think and Grow Rich

How to Win Friends & Influence People

Secrets of Closing the Sale

How to Master the Art of Selling

The E-Myth Revisited

The Compound Effect

The Slight Edge

The $100 Startup

The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

I have 4HWW waiting to be read, in addition to about 15 other books that are sitting there, waiting to be read.

The $100 Startup is very inspiring, especially for people who have no chance at securing a "normal" job (I dropped out of college). The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur is also very informative. But out of this list, by far, my two favorite books are The Compound Effect and The Slight Edge. #1 going to The Slight Edge. Read this book. Maybe it won't apply to everyone as much as it did to me, but it totally changed my attitude towards life.

Well, that's complicated. The way to learn how to do things is by reading. For your particular situation I'd recommend this book. It'll give you kind of a starting point for self empowerment, which is really what you need.

You might also consider reading about internal versus external locus of control. Your life has lent itself so far to your having an external locus of control. If you could change that you'd find your emotional state vastly improved.

Aw shit... I'm late to this, which sucks because I feel like my personal experience is that of many men out there today and would love for it to be heard. So this extremely disorganized and possibly incoherent message goes out to the world here...

Three years ago, I was addicted to weed (which at the time, I was in denial that it was possible but psychological addiction is real be it chocolate or exercise) and was fine with being a sub-par dude. My clothes kinda fit, I was kinda fat, I was nice but not really and I was generally a mediocre person, no real motivations or aspirations. I would spend a few hours at work doing okay work, looking up Skyrim stuff and going straight from work to getting high and playing video games. Ignorance was bliss. I thought girls didn't like me because I was real, I was just being myself and they all like douche bags who treat them bad. Yeah, that's right, all the world's women are wrong but I am perfectly right. Ignorance was bliss...

But I stumbled into a post on /r/seduction that was on /r/all :http://www.reddit.com/tb/qneee

Then, I found this dude: http://markmanson.net/

And I read this book: http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034

And then this one: http://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Napoleon-Hill/dp/1604591870

Oh yeah, and this dude told me to "GET ACTION" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt

And after all of that I decided that my own fate was being created by no one other than me. Everything wrong in my life could be changed, and I was the only person who could do it, and I was also the only one who could stop change from happening.

So I started to run everyday, not to get a six pack, I ran (and run) so that I can exercise myself and be healthy and also so that my sweet dog can get some exercise and be healthy and live long. Then, I started being nicer to my mom and respecting her, helping her without being asked and cooking her dinner (she's been handicapped from a stroke, so little things go a long way) I started working hard at my job, and focusing on long term employment. I relentlessly sought every opportunity to better myself and everyone around me.

You need help moving? I need to sweat.

You need a lift to work? I need to listen to this new Kendrick Lamar CD in my car.

You want to try working out, but don't know where to start? Teaching is the best way to learn. Let's Get It!

You want to learn how to cook? I love to cook.

It's amazing what happened to my life and over all happiness when I started to care about other people as much as I care about myself. Everyone has dreams, and goals and needs/wants. When you start to find out how you can advance those things, you'll also find that people want you around.
And that makes me super happy.

Eventually, I got over the idea that everyone at the gym is meat head douche bags with all muscle no brains, brutes who would mock me and call me Tiny. What an asshole I was... The gym is a great place to build confidence. I firmly believe that lifting and moving exorbitant amounts of weight is an essential part of knowing your true potential and realizing confidence. Sounds pretty philosophical for moving stuff around, right? It will change your life if you let it.

Eventually, I started to realize that all of this time I was spending by myself was perpetuating just that, loneliness. I was afraid of going to a bar alone, so I faced my fear for the sake of being in a room with people, because that's how you meet people. It was amazing. Nobody asked me where my friends were or questioned my motives. I'm here to drink and chat, what else would I be doing at a bar?

When you have the balls to look yourself in the mirror, into your eyes for minutes at a time and really ask yourself, what's wrong with me? How much do I love myself? What I can do to love myself more?
Because confidence is loving yourself. Girls tend to be a little more insecure than guys, that's fairly normal. When a man is secure and confident with himself, he is more attractive to women. I have strong female friends who I love and respect because their personality feels empowering to me. Funny friends who make me laugh, friends who are great at cooking and feed me tasty food.
I found things I liked that would make people happy, and I started doing those things as much as possible.

I made an online dating profile and didn't take it too seriously. I met girls for coffee, not dinner or a movie. Eventually, I met a kick ass girl who could match my ambitions, love my dog as much as I do and follow me where ever my crazy brain took me without falling far behind.

I doubt I will ever be alone, but it took 3 years of pain and effort to turn some things around. Anybody can do what I have done, and telling yourself means you won't. I never told myself I can't, that's too easy.

Hopefully that made sense and helps someone in some way.

Cheers

Luck: the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities 2. good fortune; advantage or success, considered as the result of chance 3. a combination of circumstances, events, etc., operating by chance to bring good or ill to a person: She's had nothing but bad luck all year. 4. some object on which good fortune is supposed to depend

So what I meant wasn't precisely what I said, but you should be able to tell from the context of my first sentence that it is what I meant. Dude had circumstances that brought both good an ill. In Think and Grow Rich, author Napoleon Hill explains how sometimes things that are initially unfortunate end up working in our favor, more so than if they never took place. Dan Ariely talks about how being a burn victim put him in the position to spend more time on education which got him where he is today, and Malcolm Gladwell even talks about how when David beat Goliath, it wasn't so much of a miracle as we thought because Davidwas more agile, more trained with his weapon, and Goliath was half-blind! Recall the moments before Leonidas died in 300--*His helmet was stifling, it narrowed his vision. And he must see far. His shield was heavy. It threw him off balance. And his target is far away.** Those things meant to give strength and advantage actually stifled, and things that stifle sometimes give advantage. That's all I meant with my little ramble.