Episode 258: What You Can Learn from Napoleon Hill with Jeffrey Gitomer

Jeffrey Gitomer joins me on this episode of the program. Jeffrey is the author of 15 best-selling books. He’s a creative, on-the-edge, writer and speaker whose expertise on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development is world renowned. Known for presentations, seminars, and keynote addresses that are funny, insightful, in your face, real world, off the wall, and on the money.

Given exclusive access to the archives of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, Jeffrey’s most recent book is called Truthful Living: The First Writings of Napoleon Hill. It is the very foundation of Napoleon Hill’s self-help legacy: his long-lost original notes, letters, and lectures—now compiled, edited, and annotated for the modern reader. The focus of our conversation revolves around his book and his vast knowledge and understanding of Hill’s work.

Talking Points

  • Jeffrey offers a personal example of how he gets into the right mindset through mindfulness
  • This is what Jeffrey does that most people don’t do to tap into productivity
  • These are the only things that Jeffrey gets notified on…and he reveals how he mitigates the distractions that notifications can occur
  • Jeffrey shares what Napoleon Hill was spending his time on leading up to his later success
  • Listen to a passage from the book discussing “The 5 Point Rule’
  • What Hill would look at instead of productivity as a measuring stick
  • How does Jeffrey keep himself from spreading himself too thin?
  • This is what shocked Jeffrey when he was putting Truthful Living together
  • Who to look to for timeless personal development advice instead of the latest writings on the subject
  • Jeffrey discusses the sales tactics that don’t work any longer – including qualifying customers
  • How can someone escape the grip of over complicating things?
  • We talk about the concept of work-life balance and the lessons that Hill shares regarding that concept
  • Jeffrey shares his thoughts on the importance of communication and how he’s used communication effectively

“Don’t look for the shortcut. Take the ‘longcut.’ The longcut will get you there a hell of a lot faster than the shortcut.”

– Jeffrey Gitomer

It’s clear that much – if not all – of the advice related to time management and productivity has been around for a long time. I’ve discussed it on my blog and Jeffrey drives that point home through sharing the insights of Napoleon Hill. You don’t need to look to articles online or shared posts on Facebook to discover what you can do to better yourself in these areas. The good stuff has been out there for a while now. That stuff is timeless. Spend time looking into the work of the past and you’ll find ways to better shape your future.

Enjoy the show? Want to keep up with the podcast? You can subscribe to the podcast feed by clicking the “Share” button in the player above – and you can share it further using the same button as well. You can take things even one step further by rating and reviewing the show wherever you listen to podcasts. I appreciate you giving this episode a listen as I enjoyed putting it together for you. See you later.

I just wanted to share something really quick before wrapping up this episode. Earlier this week I signed a book contract. That’s right. I’m working on a book that will be released in the summer of 2020. If you want to keep up with the progress of the book couldn’t get early access to update some special announcements then check out the page I’ve set up for the book. I’d love it if you would join me on my book writing journey. And I figure I might as will show my work as former podcast guest Austin Kleon suggested. Thanks again for listening – and I hope you’ll join me next time on The Productivityist Podcast. See you later.