Think and Plan Your Way to Success
inspired by Success Principles

Tuesday, May 20, 2025



An idea without a plan is one of two things: 1) a dream that dies or 2) a disaster waiting to happen.

Consider the ill-fated engineering marvel that was the Titanic, for example. Poor planning led to tragedy. The crew didn't alter speed or course to avoid icebergs despite warnings. Without sufficient lifeboats, emergency drills, or rescue plans, passengers and crew were ill-equipped and unprepared when it began taking on water.

​Don't let lack of—or poor—planning snuff out or sink your dreams. Use these tips from one of the best Napoleon Hill books ever, "Think and Grow Rich."

From Desire to Action

Thinking and growing rich first requires desire. However, a desire without action is a dream that will die. And desire with improper action is on a collision course.

You don't want to remain a dreamer. You don't want to set yourself up for failure. You want to turn your dreams into reality. The best way to do that is with a well-thought-out plan.

​Read more about Hill’s method for planning below.

7 Action Steps from “Organized Planning: The Crystallization of Desire into Action"

Almost as if he planned it, here are seven key takeaways from Hill’s seventh chapter of “Think and Grow Rich” on organized planning:

1. Plan: There’s No Getting Around It

There’s just no substitute for proper planning if you want to reach any level of success. Plan to succeed, but also plan for setbacks.

You’ll find success when you plan your work and work your plan consistently (over and over and over again).

​Procrastination and indecision can kill dreams and progress. Don’t let that happen to you. Use techniques that prevent you from procrastinating, such as Hill’s “Do It Now” strategy of taking definitive and immediate action.

2. Practice Good Leadership

You have the vision. However, you can never possess everything you need to see your vision to completion. You’ll need others to help you on your journey, filling in gaps in skills you don’t possess, taking over tasks, providing funding, etc.

The people you bring on board will look to you for guidance and understanding. You have to instruct and motivate. That means you're a leader now.

​Hill says a great leader must have the following qualities:

• Courage

• Self-control

• Fairness and impartiality (justice)

• Decisiveness

• A definite plan

• The habit of doing more than paid for

• A good personality

• Sympathy and understanding

• An eye for detail

• A willingness to assume full responsibility

• A cooperative attitude

Business mindset books can help you develop essential leadership qualities.

3. Know and Avoid Bad Leadership

Hill also explains some common leadership failures. It’s helpful to learn what some wrong paths look like so you can avoid them.

​Failing to organize details, for instance, is a big no-no. So is fearing competition, lacking imagination, being selfish, and emphasizing your authority over service. These attributes can send you down a rocky road instead of a smoother path to success.

4. Gather a Mastermind Group

You don't achieve great success alone. You need a group of like-minded people to meet with once or twice a month (perhaps some more seasoned in your industry than you).

​This "Mastermind Group" should consist of intelligent, capable, and ambitious individuals. You'll help each other refine and execute plans. You'll learn from other's successes and failures, gain ideas to overcome stumbling blocks, brainstorm, and hold each other accountable for action plans.

5. Persuade Potential Employers of Your Value

Perhaps you don’t own your own business. Whether entrepreneurship isn’t in your near future or isn’t something you desire at all, you can still reach success as an excellent worker for someone else.

Don't just submit a standard application to get the job or position you want. Prepare a better-structured "self-marketing" strategy that shows off your strengths.

​Stand apart from the crowd in the job application process by creating a plan to bring value to the company. Highlight that value on your job application, cover letter, resume, and interview.

6. Avoid the 30 Major Causes of Failure

Hill lists 30 reasons why people fail. A few of the reasons include:

Not Defining Your Life’s Purpose

Unclear goals lead to aimless drifting.

Lacking Desire

Weak desire leads to weak efforts and results.

Poor Planning

Success requires an organized plan backed by action.

Lacking Persistence

Giving up when something doesn’t work out as you had hoped leaves you stuck at the starting line.

Having a Negative Personality

You’ll turn others away from you if you are unfriendly, selfish, or pessimistic.

Wanting Something for Nothing

Shortcuts, gambles, and schemes don’t lead to lasting success.

Procrastinating and Being Indecisive

Inaction and indecision kill opportunities and breed doubt, procrastination, and failure.

Succumbing to Fears

Fear of poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of love, old age, or death can lead to in-action.

Guessing Instead of Thinking

Impulsive decisions without considering the facts lead to poor results.

​These are just a few of Hill’s 30. Read the rest of them in this online book library about success.

7. Overcome Obstacles by Planning

A plan is a rough draft or forecast of how you want things to go.

Will things always go as planned? Hardly.

Don’t get discouraged when situations don’t happen the way you imagined. Instead, analyze what happened and refine your plan.

​Many successful people fail many times over before coming out on top.

Plan Your Way to Success

A strong desire alone won't make you successful. Back your desires with organized and well-thought-out plans. You're most likely to succeed when you carefully plan what to do and how. For example, plan:

• To exhibit good leadership qualities.

• To avoid bad leadership qualities.

• To promote your value.

• To avoid the major causes of failure and

• To readjust your plans after setbacks.

Lastly, plan your Mastermind Group, like Secrets of Success, where you can align yourself with people who can help you gain more knowledge.

Infographic

To think and grow rich, you must first have desire. However, desire alone is not enough—it needs to be backed by action. Don't just dream; create a solid plan to turn your dreams into reality. Check out this infographic for seven ways to transform desire into action.