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Omodele Adigun
“With experience as an entrepreneur, you don’t need huge capital to succeed in the business world. The most essential thing to have in your kitty is a definite desire and mental pictures of what you want to accomplish, and steps on how to achieve them; which must surely crystallise according to your strong Will and Faith in your abilities to achieve your defined mission”.
These were the words of Dr Poly Emenike, the Chairman / CEO of NEROS Pharmaceuticals Ltd, during the public presentation of his latest book, Think & Grow Rich, African Perspective, last Thursday in Lagos.
According to him, the book, an adaptation of Napoleon Hill’s classic, Think & Grow Rich, came at the right time based on the economic challenges in the country, similar to 1937 Great Depression in the US when the first book was introduced by Hill.
He, however, advised Nigerians and other Africans that might be witnessing different challenges in their respective businesses and professional endeavours not to lose hope as Carnegie secret of success embedded in the book offers them light at the end of the tunnel.
Andrew Carnegie, according to the book reviewer, Professor Charles Soludo, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was a steel magnate and once the richest man in the world. And it was he who instructed Napoleon Hill to conduct a study from which there will be “available a philosophy of success wherein individuals, who might not have the time and mental capacity to undertake research study could understand how individuals could accumulate wealth.” That was what gave birth to Napoleon Hill’s classic, Think & Grow Rich.
Soludo added that the principles embedded in the book we
re said to have helped thousands around the world to accumulate wealth, implying that the principles have universal application.
Speaking about his own adaptation, Emenike stated: “The chief aim of the book is to encourage everybody, irrespective of age and educational background to ensure they know what they want out of life before hitting the roads for its accomplishment. Thus, if you are disciplined enough to read and carry out the instructions provided, you are sure to achieve anything you set your eyes on as your defined purpose in life.
“Most importantly, what I have said in the book are based on personal practical experiences, which was the reason, Don Green, the CEO of Napoleon Hill Foundation encouraged me to write this book so as to enable many people read a more simplified version of the most classic book of all time: Think and Grow Rich. This will help the readers know how to apply the principles to what they do. What I have done in this book is like stepping down the principles into the African environment.”
While reviewing Emenike’s work, Soludo said the word ‘Rich’ in terms of material wealth is only used in the title as an illustration; “as a catchy case study”.
He explained that the principles enunciated in the book “seem to apply to success in any field generally; be it in academics, sports, music, religious ministry, professions, etc.”
He added: “If you take a critical look at the title; Think and Grow Rich, emphasis is on think and grow. Grow rich in a systematic, organic and sustainable manner, rather than what I may call a lottery wealth. This book is about growing organically and in a sustainable manner, rather than lottery wealth or instant jumping into riches through criminal activities or what the Ibo will call ego mabute. That is what the book is all about. What an auspicious time to present such a book especially to the Nigerian public. At a time when poverty is on the rise and burgeoning youth unemployment and criminalities, kidnapping, armed banditry, ritual killings etc. And where all these are presented as all means of getting rich as well as exponential growth of religiosity with its own alternative facts of principles on how to grow rich based on good luck, sowing of seed, fasting and prayer or fighting the devil and relations for destiny snatching.
“According to a school of thought, while everyone can read or be taught the 17 Principles of Napoleon Hill, only few could still grow rich because what drives success comes from within rather than without. In other words, some believe that those intangibles that are personal such as positive thinking, intense desire, ambition, visualization, self-belief and passion cannot be taught.
One could be talented or with high Intelligent Quotient (IQ) and yet remains poor. So one has to imbibe three types of intelligence: the IQ, the Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Social Quotient (SQ).The EQ refers to character; what makes you who you are. And the SQ is about social network.
“Sometimes again, making money is not just about what you know; it is also about whom you know. If you have all the knowledge and you go and lock yourself up inside your room, you will never get to make money. You make money by interacting with people.So all those skills must come together in the process of making money. That is part of the principles enunciated in this book. And so these embody the intangibles that drive success as enunciated in the 17 principles of Napoleon Hill.
“In my crude way or summarising the principles in my mentoring sections to young people, I posit that those who have succeeded in growing rich on a sustained basis are those who have sourced to solve a problem for humanity. When they say Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook or the Bill Gates of this word, they didn’t just wake up and stumbled on wealth. Also it is not about the level of education that they had. But they set out to solve a fundamental problem for humanity. And I posit that those who have succeeded are those who sought to solve a problem for humanity and money follows them. If you solve a problem for humanity, money will inevitably follows you. No question about that because If you are solving a problem, you are creating value. So those doing value creation have always made money. Therefore, I have always asked my metees to start by identifying what problem do you want to solve or what value do you want to add? And there are examples everywhere. This seems to be the principles that have endured everywhere in the world and the same principles that also operate here. Again, all I can say is read the book!
“Destiny snatching seems now to be the dominant narrative. So what this book is actually trying to do is a counter narrative. In much of the popular preachings today, responsibility and hard work have little mention and most rich people are painted with the same brush: ‘they are rich because they belong to secret societies or engage in criminal activities or snatch somebody’s good luck etc’. And those who are poor are poor ‘because either the devil holds them down or some relations of theirs have taken their luck.’
“This book seems to be a strong timely push back and counter narrative. That is the essence of this book. It is trying to provide a push-back to what is becoming a dominant narrative in terms of how to become rich. The principles enunciated seem to apply to success in any field generally; be it in academics,sports, music, religious ministry, professions, etc.I want to believe that ‘rich’ in terms of material wealth is only used as an illustration; as a catchy case study.
