s mind. Written at a time when Freud had not come under the increased scrutiny and criticism that he has since encountered, it is understandable that Hill would place a special emphasis on the role of the subconscious. Autosuggestion as Hill uses it can be described as self-suggestion. According to Hill, an individual has absolute control over the information and material which reaches the subconscious mind; the problem is that most individuals do not exercise this control (67).
Hill advocates a highly emotional approach to autosuggestion on the theory that unemotional words do not influence the subconscious. He suggests using visualization to picture oneself awash in money, or fame, or the desired goal, and to use words that are highly charged emotionally in order to encourage the subconscious to pursue this goal.
Hill also suggests that specialized knowledge is key to becoming successful, but he warns that knowledge without the ability to translate that knowledge into the desired goal is worthless. General knowledge, he suggests, is of little use in the accumulation of money. Specialized knowledge, on the other hand, which can be translated into action plans, can bring large sums of money to those who have it. It is the ability to translate the knowledge into action that brings the accumulation of wealth.
Hill illustrates this principle with the example of a man who was laid off by a grocery store, and who had some bookkeeping knowledge. He augmented his knowledge of accounting, and began collecting clients by performing accounting and bookkeeping tasks using a mobile service. He targeted grocery stores, and even acquired his former employer as an account. The point of this anecdote is that the man was able to turn his specialized knowledge, accounting, into an action plan, mobile accounting services for groceries, that filled a need. He was able to translate his knowledge into wealth (83).
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