Think and Grow Rich

Chapter 15 Imagination: Human Wisdom Factory (2)
what would i do if i had a million

This story proves a truth that people often say "Where there is a will, there is a way".The man who told me the story was Frank W. Gonzalez, a respected educator and pastor, who started his ministry on the South Side of Chicago.

Dr. Gonzalez saw many flaws in our educational system when he was in college, and he believed that if he could become president, he could correct these mistakes.His burning desire was to be the administrator of an educational institution where young men and women could learn to "learn by doing".

He was determined to build a university that could realize his ideals, without being restricted by traditional education methods.He needs $100 million to execute this plan!Where should I start planning this money?The question lingered in the mind of the young pastor, but he seemed helpless.

Every night, he went to sleep with this thought and woke up with it again in the morning.No matter where you go, this idea will always appear in your mind.He tossed and turned the idea over and over until finally the lingering, haunting idea formed. $100 million is no small sum.He admits that this is true, and he also recognizes another truth - that only the limits that he has set in his mind will limit himself.

Dr. Gonzalez was not only a priest, but also a philosopher.He realized that successful people in life all started with an idea with a clear purpose.At the same time, he also recognized that definite purpose has vigor, vitality, and power if it is underpinned by a strong desire to transform it into an equivalent in reality.

Although he understands these principles, he doesn't know where to start to solve this one million dollar problem.If it's the average person's idea, they might give up, they might say, "Oh, never mind, I have a good idea, but it's useless, and I'll never raise $100 million." That's what most people would probably say , do so, but Dr. Gonzalez did not say so.What he said and what he did is very important, so I solemnly introduce him to you, here is what he has to say to you:

One Saturday afternoon, I was sitting in my room trying to figure out how to finance the implementation of the plan.I've been thinking about this for almost two years now, but I've gotten nothing but ideas!

Now is the time to act!

It was then, in that place, that I made up my mind to raise that 100 million yuan within a week.How to do it?I have not decided yet.The most important thing is that I decided to get that money within a certain period of time. I want to tell you that at the moment I made up my mind to get that money within a certain time, a strange feeling of confidence hit me. , an experience I've never had before.Something deep inside seemed to say, "Why didn't this decision be made sooner? Maybe the money would have been there."

Things started to turn around immediately, and I informed the newspaper that there would be a sermon the next morning, nominated for "What would I do if I had $100 million."

I immediately started working on this sermon, which, to be honest, was not a difficult task as I had been preparing for it for nearly two years.The ethos behind it has been fully integrated into my life!
I finished writing this sermon before midnight.With full confidence, I went to bed, as if I had seen that $100 million in myself.

The next morning, I woke up early, re-read the sermon in the bathroom, and got down on my knees to pray that my sermon would attract the attention of someone generous enough to give me the money I needed.

As I knelt in prayer, I felt that strong confidence again that the money was close at hand.I walked out full of excitement, completely forgetting to bring my sermon, and didn't realize it until I was standing on the pulpit about to start my speech.

It was too late to go back for the sermons, and yet it was a blessing not to be able to go back for the notes!My subconscious mind provided what I really needed.I stood up to begin my sermon, closed my eyes, and began to speak of my dream with all my heart, not only to the audience, but to God.I told them, if the 100 million yuan was really in my hands, what would I do.I described my plans in detail and told them that I wanted to create a great educational institution where young people would learn how to do things and at the same time learn how to open their minds.

After I finished speaking and sat down, a man slowly got up from the third-to-last row of chairs and walked straight to the pulpit.When I was thinking about what he was going to do, he had already walked up to the pulpit, stretched out his hand, and said, "Dear pastor, I appreciate your sermon. I believe that if you really have 100 million yuan, you will definitely fulfill your promise. To prove I have faith in you and this sermon, and if you'll come to my office tomorrow morning, I'll give you that $100 million. I'm Philip D. Amer."

The young Gonzalez met him as promised, got the $100 million, and founded Amer Institute of Technology.Most pastors have never seen so much money in their lives. However, the thought impulse hidden behind the money was produced by this young pastor in an instant.The $100 million he needed was the product of an idea.Behind this idea is the strong desire that young Gonzalez has been breeding in his mind for two years!
Let's take a look at the fact that after he made up his mind to get that money and decided on a definite plan, he achieved his goal in just 36 hours!
The young Gonzalez's vague notion of $100 million and dim hopes was nothing new or exotic.Before him, many people had similar thoughts, and many of his descendants also had similar thoughts.However, when he put his vague thoughts behind him and said decisively, "I must get that money within a week", the decision he made on that Saturday afternoon was so different.

God always seems to favor those who know exactly what they want, as long as they set their minds to it!

Plus, the principles Mr. Gonzalez used to get the $100 million still apply today!You can too!As successfully used by young pastors, so many people still use this universal law today.This book will introduce these 13 great laws of success step by step in detail, and give specific suggestions on how to apply them.

Let's focus again on the common traits that Asa Chandler and Frank W. Gonzalez share.Both of them clearly understood that truth--with a clear purpose and a clear plan, ideas can indeed become wealth.

If you also think that wealth can be obtained only by hard work and honesty, quickly dispel this idea!It is wrong!Huge wealth has never been obtained by hard work!If wealth can be obtained, it must be the response to a definite need, based on the application of definite principles, not luck or chance at all!
In general, an idea is an impulse of thought that drives a person to a certain behavior, drawn by the imagination.All master salespeople know that ideas can sell where products don't.The average salesperson is mediocre because they don't understand this truth.

A book publisher makes a major discovery that could be of value to other publishers as well.He found that many people only pay attention to the title of the book, and do not pay attention to its content.He was able to sell an extra million copies just by remaking a book that didn't sell very well, leaving the content of the book intact.He just replaced the front and back covers of those slow-moving books, and re-pasted new titles with "sensational" effects.

This method seems simple, but it is actually an idea, a kind of imagination!

There is no standard price for ideas, the creators of ideas can bid themselves.If he is smart enough, he will definitely gain something!

The movie industry has created a legion of millionaires, most of them people who can't create ideas, but who have a rich imagination and recognize them instantly when they see them.

The next industry to create legions of millionaires will be radio business, and people with a keen imagination will excel in this new and unburdened industry.Those who invent new and distinctive programs, those who have a rich imagination and recognize the value of their uniqueness, and those who can make the audience benefit from the program will make a lot of money from it.

Sponsor!Victims of today's "entertainment" broadcasting have paid a certain price, and it won't be long before they think seriously about whether their money was worth it.And those who jump in first, getting sponsorships first with programs that reward listeners, are the first to get rich in this fledgling industry.

Whistle-singers and garrulous, posturing artists who pollute the environment with witticisms and giggles will do what all the untalented have done, and their place will be taken by true artists, and those who can Programs with a definite plan to aid the spiritual world of man will be as much appreciated and welcomed by the masses as entertainment.

Now is the chance, the voice of opposition stifled for lack of imagination, to redeem the industry at any cost.To sum up, what the broadcast industry needs is new ideas!
If this new opportunity intrigues you, perhaps you can profit from the following suggestion: Successful radio programming in the future will focus more on creating "consumer" audiences and less on "listening" audiences.To be clear, creators of radio programs must find practical ways to convert "listening" audiences into "consuming" audiences if they are to be successful.Producers of future successful radio programs must establish their identity so that they can clearly demonstrate their role in front of the audience.Sponsors are starting to get a little weary of spending money on glib talk shows that are all nonsense with no basis in fact.In the future, they hope and need to prove beyond doubt that Whoosit can not only make thousands of people laugh their silliest giggles, but sell merchandise while doing it!
Those who intend to enter this field to seize the rich opportunity may understand another reason--radio advertising will be controlled by a group of completely new advertising experts, who are completely different from the print advertising agencies of the past newspapers, magazines, etc. .The old-timers of advertising may not be able to read modern ad copy, because today's advertising experts have been educated to find ideas.New advertising technology also requires people to be able to express ideas expressed in words in the form of sound!It took the author a year of hard work and thousands of dollars to learn.

At this very moment, when Mary Pickford and her curls first appeared on screen, broadcasting was just another form of cinema.For those who can generate or recognize ideas, there is huge room for growth in broadcasting.If previous comments about opportunities in the broadcasting industry haven't given you any new ideas, it's best to forget about them.Perhaps your opportunities lie in other industry sectors.If the above comments got you even a little bit intrigued, dig a little deeper and you're sure to find a great career-related idea!

Never be discouraged if you don't know anything about the broadcast industry.Andrew Carnegie didn't know anything about the steel manufacturing industry at first (this is his original words), but he actually applied the two success rules introduced in this book, so that this industry produced countless benefits for him. wealth.

Every success story in exchange for a huge fortune actually starts with the tacit cooperation between the idea creator and the salesman.Carnegie was surrounded by a group of assistants who could do anything for him that he couldn't do himself.They created new ideas, and they put those ideas into action, making Carnegie and others incredibly rich.

Many people spend their lives looking forward to the ideal "breakthrough".Perhaps a satisfactory breakthrough will bring opportunity, but the safest plan is not to rely on luck.It was that satisfying "breakthrough" that gave me the greatest opportunity of my life, but it took 25 years of hard work before that opportunity turned into fortune.

The "breakthrough" was that I was lucky enough to meet and work with Andrew Carnegie.At that time, Mr. Carnegie let me plant an idea in my mind to organize the principles of creating achievement into a philosophy of success.Thousands of people have benefited from the results of 25 years of research, and some have managed to build their own fortunes by applying these principles.The starting point is actually very simple, just an idea that anyone can have!

Satisfactory breakthroughs come from Mr. Carnegie, but where do decisive determination, clear purpose, desire to achieve goals, and 25 years of hard work and persistence come from?Ordinary desire cannot overcome disappointment, frustration, temporary setbacks, criticism and constant reminders not to "waste time".A strong desire, a lingering obsession, will overcome everything!
When this idea was first implanted in my heart by Mr. Carnegie, I carefully cared for it, worked hard to cultivate it, and allowed it to grow gradually.Slowly, this idea thrived with the help of the original force, which in turn guided me, cared for me, and inspired me.That's how the idea should be.Initially, you give life, action, and direction to your thoughts, and then they will use their power to overcome difficulties.

Ideas are an invisible force, but they are more powerful than the actual brain that animates them.Ideas can survive long after the brains that created them have fallen into the dust, such as the power of Christianity.The simple thought born in the heart of Christ has created a long-lasting Christianity.Its main creed is - "Don't give to others what you don't like."Although Christ returned to his original source, his thoughts have always existed.One day it will flourish and exert its power over human beings, and then the burning desire of Christ will be fulfilled.This idea has been born for more than 2000 years, and it will take more time!
Success needs no explanation, failure needs no excuses!

(End of this chapter)