You’re absolutely right, though, that it’s better to work smart rather than work hard (although you always need some degree of working hard–you just want more in the beginning and less later, ideally) if you want to amass wealth.

@guinness416: I think “getting rich” and “getting wealthy” – at least to me – are two different things. I’m approaching his list of causes of failures more from a goal/life perspective, and that’s the way I chose to interpret the book – but I don’t discount the “rich” part. Hill puts a substantial emphasis on getting rich but almost the very first point he makes in the book is that if you get rich without an intention to give something in return then you are just a heartless machine. He even asserts that without a specific purpose built around giving back you won’t manage to become rich in the first place.

Hill and Wallace Wattles (who wrote The Science of Getting Rich, a predecessor of TAGR) both were emphatic that the purpose of wealth was to free up your life to achieve your purpose, and your purpose was to give back to the world in terms of charity or your talents or your knowledge. The failure to emphasize “giving back” is one of the reasons I am not as fond of new Law of Attraction works like The Secret. My idea of getting rich is so that I can become a better person, contribute more to the world and help others with my wealth – all while being happier with myself and a better provider for my family.

I like the idea of thinking as every action I do as something I can win. I can fight the battle to be more intelligent, or smarter about saving money, or become more successful at business, etc. I don’t think it makes me unpleasant – it’s not like I’m challenging people to arm wrestle me all the time! Sorry you don’t like the posts, though…

@Dana: Great point on the “career man” – but I’ll take that further and say that the problem there isn’t working hard and not seeing your kids. I think it’s failing to understand that there are multiple battles to win, and none are exclusive. You can’t work 18 hours a day and neglect your family to be rich. You can’t be the best stay-at-home parent in history if your spouse stays home, too – somebody has to earn money. This goes back again to the idea of being rich. I have several very specific reasons I want to be rich, but one of the first and foremost is that I want to be a full-time dad. I don’t see any way to do that without getting rich enough to not need to work (a lot). But someone who works a lot is not winning, in my opinion, they are losing. The trick is to work smart, not hard. Bill Gates is a good example – until recently the richest man in the world, he’s given $29 billion to charity, has three kids under 10 years old and is retiring early at the age of 53 later this year. That’s much more effective than someone who works hard, buys a Lexus and retires at 65 once his kids are gone from home.