THE MENTAL MAGIC TO CREATING WEALTH
A TARCHERPERIGEE BOOK
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
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New York, New York 10014
Think and Grow Rich was originally published 1937. As a Man Thinketh was originally
published 1903.
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind was originally published 1963. Anthologized as
Ultimate Success by TarcherPerigee in 2018.
This volume reproduces these works largely as they appeared in their original editions.
Except for adjustments that bring the text in line with contemporary typology standards, the
publisher has mostly retained the original spelling, usage, and style of the author. As these
works were written in early eras, they occasionally feature an antiquated reference or word
choice. For purposes of historical accuracy, the publisher has largely left these intact.
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Names: Hill, Napoleon, 1883-1970. Think and grow rich. | Allen, James,
1864-1912. As a man thinketh. | Murphy, Joseph, 1898-1981. Power of your subconscious
mind.
Title: Ultimate success, featuring, Think and grow rich, As a man thinketh, and The power
of your subconscious mind : the mental magic to creating wealth / Napoleon Hill, James
Allen, and Joseph Murphy.
Description: New York : TarcherPerigee, 2018. Identifiers: LCCN 2017049827 (print) |
LCCN 2017053703 (ebook) | ISBN 9780525504399 | ISBN 9780143132417 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: New Thought. | Success. | Success in business. | Mental discipline.
Classification: LCC BF639 (ebook) | LCC BF639 .U58 2018 (print) | DDC 650.1—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017049827
Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services
to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are
not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your
health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or
responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in
this book.
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet
addresses, and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher
nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after
publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any
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Version_1
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Think and Grow Rich
BY NAPOLEON HILL (1937)
As a Man Thinketh
BY JAMES ALLEN (1903)
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
BY JOSEPH MURPHY (1963)
About the Authors
THINK AND GROW RICH
BY NAPOLEON HILL
1937
CONTENTS
Publisher’s Preface
Author’s Preface
1. INTRODUCTION
2. DESIRE
The First Step Toward Riches
3. FAITH
The Second Step Toward Riches
4. AUTO-SUGGESTION
The Third Step Toward Riches
5. SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE
The Fourth Step Toward Riches
6. IMAGINATION
The Fifth Step Toward Riches
7. ORGANIZED PLANNING
The Sixth Step Toward Riches
8. DECISION
The Seventh Step Toward Riches
9. PERSISTENCE
The Eighth Step Toward Riches
10. POWER OF THE MASTER MIND
The Ninth Step Toward Riches
11. THE MYSTERY OF SEX TRANSMUTATION
The Tenth Step Toward Riches
12. THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
The Eleventh Step Toward Riches
13. THE BRAIN
The Twelfth Step Toward Riches
14. THE SIXTH SENSE
The Thirteenth Step Toward Riches
15. HOW TO OUTWIT THE SIX GHOSTS OF FEAR
Clearing the Brain for Riches
PUBLISHER’S PREFACE
T
his book conveys the experience of more than five hundred
men of great wealth, who began at scratch, with nothing to give
in return for riches except thoughts, ideas, and organized
plans.
Here you have the entire philosophy of money-making, just as it
was organized from the actual achievements of the most successful
men known to the American people during the past fifty years. It
describes what to do, also, how to do it!
It presents complete instructions on how to sell your personal
services.
It provides you with a perfect system of self-analysis that will
readily disclose what has been standing between you and “the big
money” in the past.
It describes the famous Andrew Carnegie formula of personal
achievement by which he accumulated hundreds of millions of
dollars for himself and made no fewer than a score of millionaires of
men to whom he taught his secret.
Perhaps you do not need all that is to be found in the book—no
one of the five hundred men from whose experiences it was written
did—but you may need one idea, plan, or suggestion to start you
toward your goal. Somewhere in the book you will find this needed
stimulus.
The book was inspired by Andrew Carnegie, after he had made
his millions and retired. It was written by the man to whom Carnegie
disclosed the astounding secret of his riches—the same man to whom
the five hundred wealthy men revealed the source of their riches.
In this volume will be found the thirteen principles of moneymaking essential to every person who accumulates sufficient money
to guarantee financial independence. It is estimated that the research
which went into the preparation, before the book was written, or
could be written—research covering more than twenty-five years of
continuous effort—could not be duplicated at a cost of less than
$100,000.00.
Moreover, the knowledge contained in the book never can be
duplicated, at any cost, for the reason that more than half of the five
hundred men who supplied the information it brings have passed on.
Riches cannot always be measured in money!
Money and material things are essential for freedom of body and
mind, but there are some who will feel that the greatest of all riches
can be evaluated only in terms of lasting friendships, harmonious
family relationships, sympathy and understanding between business
associates, and introspective harmony which brings one peace of
mind measurable only in spiritual values!
All who read, understand, and apply this philosophy will be
better prepared to attract and enjoy these higher estates which
always have been and always will be denied to all except those who
are ready for them.
Be prepared, therefore, when you expose yourself to the influence
of this philosophy, to experience a changed life which may help you
not only to negotiate your way through life with harmony and
understanding, but also to prepare you for the accumulation of
material riches in abundance.
THE PUBLISHER
AUTHOR’S PREFACE
I
n every chapter of this book, mention has been made of the
money-making secret which has made fortunes for more than
five hundred exceedingly wealthy men whom I have carefully
analyzed over a long period of years.
The secret was brought to my attention by Andrew Carnegie,
more than a quarter of a century ago. The canny, lovable old
Scotsman carelessly tossed it into my mind, when I was but a boy.
Then he sat back in his chair, with a merry twinkle in his eyes, and
watched carefully to see if I had brains enough to understand the full
significance of what he had said to me.
When he saw that I had grasped the idea, he asked if I would be
willing to spend twenty years or more, preparing myself to take it to
the world, to men and women who, without the secret, might go
through life as failures. I said I would, and with Mr. Carnegie’s
cooperation, I have kept my promise.
This book contains the secret, after having been put to a practical
test by thousands of people, in almost every walk of life. It was Mr.
Carnegie’s idea that the magic formula, which gave him a stupendous
fortune, ought to be placed within reach of people who do not have
time to investigate how men make money, and it was his hope that I
might test and demonstrate the soundness of the formula through
the experience of men and women in every calling. He believed the
formula should be taught in all public schools and colleges, and
expressed the opinion that if it were properly taught it would so
revolutionize the entire educational system that the time spent in
school could be reduced to less than half.
His experience with Charles M. Schwab, and other young men of
Mr. Schwab’s type, convinced Mr. Carnegie that much of that which
is taught in the schools is of no value whatsoever in connection with
the business of earning a living or accumulating riches. He had
arrived at this decision, because he had taken into his business one
young man after another, many of them with but little schooling, and
by coaching them in the use of this formula, developed in them rare
leadership. Moreover, his coaching made fortunes for every one of
them who followed his instructions.
In the chapter on Faith, you will read the astounding story of the
organization of the giant United States Steel Corporation, as it was
conceived and carried out by one of the young men through whom
Mr. Carnegie proved that his formula will work for all who are ready
for it. This single application of the secret, by that young man—
Charles M. Schwab—made him a huge fortune in both money and
opportunity. Roughly speaking, this particular application of the
formula was worth six hundred million dollars.
These facts—and they are facts well known to almost everyone
who knew Mr. Carnegie—give you a fair idea of what the reading of
this book may bring to you, provided you know what it is that you
want.
Even before it had undergone twenty years of practical testing,
the secret was passed on to more than one hundred thousand men
and women who have used it for their personal benefit, as Mr.
Carnegie planned that they should. Some have made fortunes with it.
Others have used it successfully in creating harmony in their homes.
A clergyman used it so effectively that it brought him an income of
upwards of $75,000.00 a year.
Arthur Nash, a Cincinnati tailor, used his near-bankrupt business
as a “guinea pig” on which to test the formula. The business came to
life and made a fortune for its owners. It is still thriving, although
Mr. Nash has gone. The experiment was so unique that newspapers
and magazines gave it more than a million dollars’ worth of
laudatory publicity.
The secret was passed on to Stuart Austin Wier, of Dallas, Texas.
He was ready for it—so ready that he gave up his profession and
studied law. Did he succeed? That story is told too.
I gave the secret to Jennings Randolph, the day he graduated
from college, and he has used it so successfully that he is now serving
his third term as a Member of Congress, with an excellent
opportunity to keep on using it until it carries him to the White
House.
While serving as Advertising Manager of the LaSalle Extension
University, when it was little more than a name, I had the privilege of
seeing J. G. Chapline, President of the University, use the formula so
effectively that he has since made the LaSalle one of the great
extension schools of the country.
The secret to which I refer has been mentioned no fewer than a
hundred times, throughout this book. It has not been directly named,
for it seems to work more successfully when it is merely uncovered
and left in sight, where those who are ready, and searching for it,
may pick it up. That is why Mr. Carnegie tossed it to me so quietly,
without giving me its specific name.
If you are ready to put it to use, you will recognize this secret at
least once in every chapter. I wish I might feel privileged to tell you
how you will know if you are ready, but that would deprive you of
much of the benefit you will receive when you make the discovery in
your own way.
While this book was being written, my own son, who was then
finishing the last year of his college work, picked up the manuscript
of chapter two, read it, and discovered the secret for himself. He used
the information so effectively that he went directly into a responsible
position at a beginning salary greater than the average man ever
earns. His story has been briefly described in chapter two. When you
read it, perhaps you will dismiss any feeling you may have had, at the
beginning of the book, that it promised too much. And, too, if you
have ever been discouraged, if you have had difficulties to surmount
which took the very soul out of you, if you have tried and failed, if
you were ever handicapped by illness or physical affliction, this story
of my son’s discovery and use of the Carnegie formula may prove to
be the oasis in the Desert of Lost Hope, for which you have been
searching.
This secret was extensively used by President Woodrow Wilson,
during the world war. It was passed on to every soldier who fought in
the war, carefully wrapped in the training received before going to
the front. President Wilson told me it was a strong factor in raising
the funds needed for the war.
More than twenty years ago, Hon. Manuel L. Quezon (then
Resident Commissioner of the Philippine Islands), was inspired by
the secret to gain freedom for his people. He has gained freedom for
the Philippines, and is the first President of the free state.
A peculiar thing about this secret is that those who once acquire
it and use it find themselves literally swept on to success, with but
little effort, and they never again submit to failure! If you doubt this,
study the names of those who have used it, wherever they have been
mentioned, check their records for yourself, and be convinced.
There is no such thing as something for nothing!
The secret to which I refer cannot be had without a price,
although the price is far less than its value. It cannot be had at any
price by those who are not intentionally searching for it. It cannot be
given away, it cannot be purchased for money, for the reason that it
comes in two parts. One part is already in possession of those who
are ready for it.
The secret serves equally well, all who are ready for it. Education
has nothing to do with it. Long before I was born, the secret had
found its way into the possession of Thomas A. Edison, and he used
it so intelligently that he became the world’s leading inventor,
although he had but three months of schooling.
The secret was passed on to a business associate of Mr. Edison.
He used it so effectively that, although he was then making only
$12,000 a year, he accumulated a great fortune, and retired from
active business while still a young man. You will find his story at the
beginning of the first chapter. It should convince you that riches are
not beyond your reach, that you can still be what you wish to be, that
money, fame, recognition and happiness can be had by all who are
ready and determined to have these blessings.
How do I know these things? You should have the answer before
you finish this book. You may find it in the very first chapter, or on
the last page.
While I was performing the twenty-year task of research, which I
had undertaken at Mr. Carnegie’s request, I analyzed hundreds of
well-known men, many of whom admitted that they had
accumulated their vast fortunes through the aid of the Carnegie
secret; among these men were:—
Henry Ford
Theodore Roosevelt
William Wrigley Jr.
John W. Davis
John Wanamaker
Elbert Hubbard
James J. Hill
Wilbur Wright
George S. Parker
William Jennings Bryan
E. M. Statler
Dr. David Starr Jordan
Henry L. Doherty
J. Odgen Armour
Cyrus H. K. Curtis
Charles M. Schwab
George Eastman
Harris F. Williams
Dr. Frank Gunsaulus
Daniel Willard
King Gillette
Ralph A. Weeks
Judge Daniel T. Wright
John D. Rockefeller
Thomas A. Edison
Frank A. Vanderlip
F. W. Woolworth
Col. Robert A. Dollar
Edward A. Filene
Edwin C. Barnes
Arthur Brisbane
Woodrow Wilson
Wm. Howard Taft
Luther Burbank
Edward W. Bok
Frank A. Munsey
Elbert H. Gary
Dr. Alexander Graham Bell
John H. Patterson
Julius Rosenwald
Stuart Austin Wier
Dr. Frank Crane
George M. Alexander
J. G. Chapline
Hon. Jennings Randolph
Arthur Nash
Clarence Darrow
These names represent but a small fraction of the hundreds of
well-known Americans whose achievements, financially and
otherwise, prove that those who understand and apply the Carnegie
secret reach high stations in life. I have never known anyone who
was inspired to use the secret, who did not achieve noteworthy
success in his chosen calling. I have never known any person to
distinguish himself, or to accumulate riches of any consequence,
without possession of the secret. From these two facts I draw the
conclusion that the secret is more important, as a part of the
knowledge essential for self-determination, than any which one
receives through what is popularly known as “education.”
What is education, anyway? This has been answered in full detail.
As far as schooling is concerned, many of these men had very
little. John Wanamaker once told me that what little schooling he
had, he acquired in very much the same manner as a modern
locomotive takes on water, by “scooping it up as it runs.” Henry Ford
never reached high school, let alone college. I am not attempting to
minimize the value of schooling, but I am trying to express my
earnest belief that those who master and apply the secret will reach
high stations, accumulate riches, and bargain with life on their own
terms, even if their schooling has been meager.
Somewhere, as you read, the secret to which I refer will jump
from the page and stand boldly before you, if you are ready for it!
When it appears, you will recognize it. Whether you receive the sign
in the first or the last chapter, stop for a moment when it presents
itself, and turn down a glass, for that occasion will mark the most
important turning-point of your life.
We pass now, to chapter one, and to the story of my very dear
friend, who has generously acknowledged having seen the mystic
sign, and whose business achievements are evidence enough that he
turned down a glass. As you read his story, and the others, remember
that they deal with the important problems of life, such as all men
experience. The problems arising from one’s endeavor to earn a
living, to find hope, courage, contentment and peace of mind; to
accumulate riches and to enjoy freedom of body and spirit.
Remember, too, as you go through the book, that it deals with
facts and not with fiction, its purpose being to convey a great
universal truth through which all who are ready may learn, not only
what to do, but also how to do it! and receive, as well, the needed
stimulus to make a start.
As a final word of preparation, before you begin the first chapter,
may I offer one brief suggestion which may provide a clue by which
the Carnegie secret may be recognized? It is this—all achievement,
all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea! If you are ready
for the secret, you already possess one half of it; therefore, you will
readily recognize the other half the moment it reaches your mind.
THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
THE MAN WHO “THOUGHT” HIS WAY INTO PARTNERSHIP
WITH THOMAS A. EDISON
T
ruly, “thoughts are things,” and powerful things at that, when
they are mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a
burning desire for their translation into riches, or other
material objects.
A little more than thirty years ago, Edwin C. Barnes discovered
how true it is that men really do think and grow rich. His discovery
did not come about at one sitting. It came little by little, beginning
with a burning desire to become a business associate of the great
Edison.
One of the chief characteristics of Barnes’ desire was that it was
definite. He wanted to work with Edison, not for him. Observe,
carefully, the description of how he went about translating his desire
into reality, and you will have a better understanding of the thirteen
principles which lead to riches.
When this desire, or impulse of thought, first flashed into his
mind he was in no position to act upon it. Two difficulties stood in
his way. He did not know Mr. Edison, and he did not have enough
money to pay his railroad fare to Orange, New Jersey.
These difficulties were sufficient to have discouraged the
majority of men from making any attempt to carry out the desire.
But his was no ordinary desire! He was so determined to find a way
to carry out his desire that he finally decided to travel by “blind
baggage,” rather than be defeated. (To the uninitiated, this means
that he went to East Orange on a freight train.)
He presented himself at Mr. Edison’s laboratory, and announced
he had come to go into business with the inventor. In speaking of the
first meeting between Barnes and Edison, years later, Mr. Edison
said, “He stood there before me, looking like an ordinary tramp, but
there was something in the expression of his face which conveyed
the impression that he was determined to get what he had come
after. I had learned, from years of experience with men, that when a
man really desires a thing so deeply that he is willing to stake his
entire future on a single turn of the wheel in order to get it, he is sure
to win. I gave him the opportunity he asked for, because I saw he
had made up his mind to stand by until he succeeded. Subsequent
events proved that no mistake was made.”
Just what young Barnes said to Mr. Edison on that occasion was
far less important than that which he thought. Edison, himself, said
so! It could not have been the young man’s appearance which got
him his start in the Edison office, for that was definitely against him.
It was what he thought that counted.
If the significance of this statement could be conveyed to every
person who reads it, there would be no need for the remainder of this
book.
Barnes did not get his partnership with Edison on his first
interview. He did get a chance to work in the Edison offices, at a very
nominal wage, doing work that was unimportant to Edison, but most
important to Barnes, because it gave him an opportunity to display
his “merchandise” where his intended “partner” could see it.
Months went by. Apparently nothing happened to bring the
coveted goal which Barnes had set up in his mind as his definite
major purpose. But something important was happening in Barnes’
mind. He was constantly intensifying his desire to become the
business associate of Edison.
Psychologists have correctly said that “when one is truly ready for
a thing, it puts in its appearance.” Barnes was ready for a business
association with Edison; moreover, he was determined to remain
ready until he got that which he was seeking.
He did not say to himself, “Ah well, what’s the use? I guess I’ll
change my mind and try for a salesman’s job.” But, he did say, “I
came here to go into business with Edison, and I’ll accomplish this
end if it takes the remainder of my life.” He meant it! What a
different story men would have to tell if only they would adopt a
definite purpose, and stand by that purpose until it had time to
become an all-consuming obsession!
Maybe young Barnes did not know it at the time, but his bulldog
determination, his persistence in standing back of a single desire,
was destined to mow down all opposition, and bring him the
opportunity he was seeking.
When the opportunity came, it appeared in a different form, and
from a different direction than Barnes had expected. That is one of
the tricks of opportunity. It has a sly habit of slipping in by the back
door, and often it comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or
temporary defeat. Perhaps this is why so many fail to recognize
opportunity.
Mr. Edison had just perfected a new office device, known at that
time as the Edison Dictating Machine (now the Ediphone). His
salesmen were not enthusiastic over the machine. They did not
believe it could be sold without great effort. Barnes saw his
opportunity. It had crawled in quietly, hidden in a queer-looking
machine which interested no one but Barnes and the inventor.
Barnes knew he could sell the Edison Dictating Machine. He
suggested this to Edison, and promptly got his chance. He did sell
the machine. In fact, he sold it so successfully that Edison gave him a
contract to distribute and market it all over the nation. Out of that
business association grew the slogan “Made by Edison and installed
by Barnes.”
The business alliance has been in operation for more than thirty
years. Out of it Barnes has made himself rich in money, but he has
done something infinitely greater: he has proved that one really may
“Think and Grow Rich.”
How much actual cash that original desire of Barnes’ has been
worth to him, I have no way of knowing. Perhaps it has brought him
two or three million dollars, but the amount, whatever it is, becomes
insignificant when compared with the greater asset he acquired in
the form of definite knowledge that an intangible impulse of thought
can be transmuted into its physical counterpart by the application
of known principles.
Barnes literally thought himself into a partnership with the great
Edison! He thought himself into a fortune. He had nothing to start
with, except the capacity to know what he wanted, and the
determination to stand by that desire until he realized it.
He had no money to begin with. He had but little education. He
had no influence. But he did have initiative, faith, and the will to win.
With these intangible forces he made himself number one man with
the greatest inventor who ever lived.
Now, let us look at a different situation, and study a man who
had plenty of tangible evidence of riches, but lost it, because he
stopped three feet short of the goal he was seeking.
THREE FEET FROM GOLD
One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting
when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of
this mistake at one time or another.
An uncle of R. U. Darby was caught by the “gold fever” in the
gold-rush days, and went west to dig and grow rich. He had never
heard that more gold has been mined from the brains of men than
has ever been taken from the earth. He staked a claim and went to
work with pick and shovel. The going was hard, but his lust for gold
was definite.
After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the
shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface.
Quietly, he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in
Williamsburg, Maryland, told his relatives and a few neighbors of the
“strike.” They got together money for the needed machinery, and had
it shipped. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.
The first car of ore was mined, and shipped to a smelter. The
returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado! A few
more cars of that ore would clear the debts. Then would come the big
killing in profits.
Down went the drills! Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle!
Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! They
had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold was no
longer there! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein
again—all to no avail.
Finally, they decided to quit.
They sold the machinery to a “junk” man for a few hundred
dollars, and took the train back home. Some “junk” men are dumb,
but not this one! He called in a mining engineer to look at the mine
and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had
failed, because the owners were not familiar with “fault lines.” His
calculations showed that the vein would be found just three feet from
where the Darbys had stopped drilling! That is exactly where it was
found!
The “junk” man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine,
because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up.
Most of the money which went into the machinery was procured
through the efforts of R. U. Darby, who was then a very young man.
The money came from his relatives and neighbors, because of their
faith in him. He paid back every dollar of it, although he was years in
doing so.
Long afterward, Mr. Darby recouped his loss many times over,
when he made the discovery that desire can be transmuted into gold.
The discovery came after he went into the business of selling life
insurance.
Remembering that he lost a huge fortune, because he stopped
three feet from gold, Darby profited by the experience in his chosen
work, by the simple method of saying to himself, “I stopped three
feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say ‘no’ when I ask
them to buy insurance.”
Darby is one of a small group of fewer than fifty men who sell
more than a million dollars in life insurance annually. He owes his
“stickability” to the lesson he learned from his “quitability” in the
gold mining business.
Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with
much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat
overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit.
That is exactly what the majority of men do.
More than five hundred of the most successful men this country
has ever known told the author their greatest success came just one
step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them. Failure is
a trickster with a keen sense of irony and cunning. It takes great
delight in tripping one when success is almost within reach.
A FIFTY CENT LESSON IN PERSISTENCE
Shortly after Mr. Darby received his degree from the “University of
Hard Knocks,” and had decided to profit by his experience in the
gold mining business, he had the good fortune to be present on an
occasion that proved to him that “No” does not necessarily mean no.
One afternoon he was helping his uncle grind wheat in an oldfashioned mill. The uncle operated a large farm on which a number
of colored sharecrop farmers lived. Quietly, the door was opened,
and a small colored child, the daughter of a tenant, walked in and
took her place near the door.
The uncle looked up, saw the child, and barked at her roughly,
“What do you want?”
Meekly, the child replied, “My mama says send her fifty cents.”
“I’ll not do it,” the uncle retorted. “Now you run on home.”
“Yes sir,” the child replied. But she did not move.
The uncle went ahead with his work, so busily engaged that he
did not pay enough attention to the child to observe that she did not
leave. When he looked up and saw her still standing there, he yelled
at her, “I told you to go on home! Now go, or I’ll take a switch to
you.”
The little girl said, “Yes sir,” but she did not budge an inch.
The uncle dropped a sack of grain he was about to pour into the
mill hopper, picked up a barrel stave, and started toward the child
with an expression on his face that indicated trouble.
Darby held his breath. He was certain he was about to witness a
murder. He knew his uncle had a fierce temper. He knew that
colored children were not supposed to defy white people in that part
of the country.
When the uncle reached the spot where the child was standing,
she quickly stepped forward one step, looked up into his eyes, and
screamed at the top of her shrill voice, “My mama’s gotta have that
fifty cents!”
The uncle stopped, looked at her for a minute, then slowly laid
the barrel stave on the floor, put his hand in his pocket, took out half
a dollar, and gave it to her.
The child took the money and slowly backed toward the door,
never taking her eyes off the man whom she had just conquered.
After she had gone, the uncle sat down on a box and looked out the
window into space for more than ten minutes. He was pondering,
with awe, over the whipping he had just taken.
Mr. Darby, too, was doing some thinking. That was the first time
in all his experience that he had seen a colored child deliberately
master an adult white person. How did she do it? What happened to
his uncle that caused him to lose his fierceness and become as docile
as a lamb? What strange power did this child use that made her
master over her superior? These and other similar questions flashed
into Darby’s mind, but he did not find the answer until years later,
when he told me the story.
Strangely, the story of this unusual experience was told to the
author in the old mill, on the very spot where the uncle took his
whipping. Strangely, too, I had devoted nearly a quarter of a century
to the study of the power which enabled an ignorant, illiterate
colored child to conquer an intelligent man.
As we stood there in that musty old mill, Mr. Darby repeated the
story of the unusual conquest, and finished by asking, “What can you
make of it? What strange power did that child use, that so completely
whipped my uncle?”
The answer to his question will be found in the principles
described in this book. The answer is full and complete. It contains
details and instructions sufficient to enable anyone to understand,
and apply the same force which the little child accidentally stumbled
upon.
Keep your mind alert, and you will observe exactly what strange
power came to the rescue of the child; you will catch a glimpse of this
power in the next chapter. Some-where in the book you will find an
idea that will quicken your receptive powers, and place at your
command, for your own benefit, this same irresistible power. The
awareness of this power may come to you in the first chapter, or it
may flash into your mind in some subsequent chapter. It may come
in the form of a single idea. Or, it may come in the nature of a plan,
or a purpose. Again, it may cause you to go back into your past
experiences of failure or defeat, and bring to the surface some lesson
by which you can regain all that you lost through defeat.
After I had described to Mr. Darby the power unwittingly used by
the little colored child, he quickly retraced his thirty years of
experience as a life insurance salesman, and frankly acknowledged
that his success in that field was due, in no small degree, to the
lesson he had learned from the child.
Mr. Darby pointed out: “Every time a prospect tried to bow me
out, without buying, I saw that child standing there in the old mill,
her big eyes glaring in defiance, and I said to myself, ‘I’ve gotta make
this sale.’ The better portion of all sales I have made were made after
people had said ‘no.’”
He recalled, too, his mistake in having stopped only three feet
from gold. “But,” he said, “that experience was a blessing in disguise.
It taught me to keep on keeping on, no matter how hard the going
may be, a lesson I needed to learn before I could succeed in
anything.”
This story of Mr. Darby and his uncle, the colored child and the
gold mine, doubtless will be read by hundreds of men who make
their living by selling life insurance, and to all of these, the author
wishes to offer the suggestion that Darby owes to these two
experiences his ability to sell more than a million dollars of life
insurance every year.
Life is strange, and often imponderable! Both the successes and
the failures have their roots in simple experiences. Mr. Darby’s
experiences were common-place and simple enough, yet they held
the answer to his destiny in life, therefore they were as important (to
him) as life itself. He profited by these two dramatic experiences,
because he analyzed them, and found the lesson they taught. But
what of the man who has neither the time nor the inclination to
study failure in search of knowledge that may lead to success?
Where, and how, is he to learn the art of converting defeat into
stepping stones to opportunity?
In answer to these questions, this book was written.
The answer called for a description of thirteen principles, but
remember, as you read, the answer you may be seeking, to the
questions which have caused you to ponder over the strangeness of
life, may be found in your own mind, through some idea, plan, or
purpose which may spring into your mind as you read.
One sound idea is all that one needs to achieve success. The
principles described in this book contain the best, and the most
practical of all that is known, concerning ways and means of creating
useful ideas.
Before we go any further in our approach to the description of
these principles, we believe you are entitled to receive this important
suggestion. . . . When riches begin to come, they come so quickly, in
such great abundance, that one wonders where they have been
hiding during all those lean years. This is an astounding statement,
and all the more so when we take into consideration the popular
belief that riches come only to those who work hard and long.
When you begin to think and grow rich, you will observe that
riches begin with a state of mind, with definiteness of purpose, with
little or no hard work. You, and every other person, ought to be
interested in knowing how to acquire that state of mind which will
attract riches. I spent twenty-five years in research, analyzing more
than 25,000 people, because I, too, wanted to know “how wealthy
men become that way.”
Without that research, this book could not have been written.
Here take notice of a very significant truth, viz: The business
depression started in 1929, and continued on to an all-time record of
destruction, until sometime after President Roosevelt entered office.
Then the depression began to fade into nothingness. Just as an
electrician in a theatre raises the lights so gradually that darkness is
transmuted into light before you realize it, so did the spell of fear in
the minds of the people gradually fade away and become faith.
Observe very closely: As soon as you master the principles of this
philosophy, and begin to follow the instructions for applying those
principles, your financial status will begin to improve, and
everything you touch will begin to transmute itself into an asset for
your benefit. Impossible? Not at all!
One of the main weaknesses of mankind is the average man’s
familiarity with the word “impossible.” He knows all the rules which
will not work. He knows all the things which cannot be done. This
book was written for those who seek the rules which have made
others successful, and are willing to stake everything on those rules.
A great many years ago I purchased a fine dictionary. The first
thing I did with it was to turn to the word “impossible,” and neatly
clip it out of the book. That would not be an unwise thing for you to
do.
Success comes to those who become success conscious.
Failure comes to those who indifferently allow themselves to
become failure conscious.
The object of this book is to help all who seek it, to learn the art
of changing their minds from failure consciousness to success
consciousness.
Another weakness found in altogether too many people is the
habit of measuring everything, and everyone, by their own
impressions and beliefs. Some who will read this will believe that no
one can think and grow rich. They cannot think in terms of riches,
because their thought habits have been steeped in poverty, want,
misery, failure, and defeat.
These unfortunate people remind me of a prominent Chinese
man, who came to America to be educated in American ways. He
attended the University of Chicago. One day President Harper met
this young man on the campus, stopped to chat with him for a few
minutes, and asked what had impressed him as being the most
noticeable characteristic of the American people.
“Why,” the man exclaimed, “the queer slant of your eyes. Your
eyes are off slant!”
What do we say about the Chinese?
We refuse to believe that which we do not understand. We
foolishly believe that our own limitations are the proper measure of
limitations. Sure, the other fellow’s eyes are “off slant,” because they
are not the same as our own.
Millions of people look at the achievements of Henry Ford, after
he has arrived, and envy him, because of his good fortune, or luck, or
genius, or whatever it is that they credit for Ford’s fortune. Perhaps
one person in every hundred thousand knows the secret of Ford’s
success, and those who do know are too modest, or too reluctant, to
speak of it, because of its simplicity. A single transaction will
illustrate the “secret” perfectly.
A few years back, Ford decided to produce his now famous V-8
motor. He chose to build an engine with the entire eight cylinders
cast in one block, and instructed his engineers to produce a design
for the engine. The design was placed on paper, but the engineers
agreed, to a man, that it was simply impossible to cast an eight
cylinder gas engine block in one piece.
Ford said, “Produce it anyway.”
“But,” they replied, “it’s impossible!”
“Go ahead,” Ford commanded, “and stay on the job until you
succeed no matter how much time is required.”
The engineers went ahead. There was nothing else for them to
do, if they were to remain on the Ford staff. Six months went by,
nothing happened. Another six months passed, and still nothing
happened. The engineers tried every conceivable plan to carry out
the orders, but the thing seemed out of the question: “Impossible!”
At the end of the year Ford checked with his engineers, and again
they informed him they had found no way to carry out his orders.
“Go right ahead,” said Ford, “I want it, and I’ll have it.”
They went ahead, and then, as if by a stroke of magic, the secret
was discovered.
The Ford determination had won once more!
This story may not be described with minute accuracy, but the
sum and substance of it is correct. Deduce from it, you who wish to
think and grow rich, the secret of the Ford millions, if you can. You’ll
not have to look very far.
Henry Ford is a success, because he understands, and applies the
principles of success. One of these is desire: knowing what one
wants. Remember this Ford story as you read, and pick out the lines
in which the secret of his stupendous achievement have been
described. If you can do this, if you can lay your finger on the
particular group of principles which made Henry Ford rich, you can
equal his achievements in almost any calling for which you are
suited.
YOU ARE “THE MASTER OF YOUR FATE, THE CAPTAIN OF
YOUR SOUL,” BECAUSE . . .
When Henley wrote the prophetic lines “I am the Master of my Fate,
I am the Captain of my Soul,” he should have informed us that we are
the Masters of our Fate, the Captains of our Souls, because we have
the power to control our thoughts.
He should have told us that the ether in which this little earth
floats, in which we move and have our being, is a form of energy
moving at an inconceivably high rate of vibration, and that the ether
is filled with a form of universal power which adapts itself to the
nature of the thoughts we hold in our minds; and influences us, in
natural ways, to transmute our thoughts into their physical
equivalent.
If the poet had told us of this great truth, we would know why it
is that we are the Masters of our Fate, the Captains of our Souls. He
should have told us, with great emphasis, that this power makes no
attempt to discriminate between destructive thoughts and
constructive thoughts, that it will urge us to translate into physical
reality thoughts of poverty just as quickly as it will influence us to act
upon thoughts of riches.
He should have told us, too, that our brains become magnetized
with the dominating thoughts which we hold in our minds, and, by
means with which no man is familiar, these “magnets” attract to us
the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which harmonize
with the nature of our dominating thoughts.
He should have told us that before we can accumulate riches in
great abundance, we must magnetize our minds with intense desire
for riches, that we must become “money conscious” until the desire
for money drives us to create definite plans for acquiring it.
But, being a poet, and not a philosopher, Henley contented
himself by stating a great truth in poetic form, leaving those who
followed him to interpret the philosophical meaning of his lines.
Little by little, the truth has unfolded itself, until it now appears
certain that the principles described in this book hold the secret of
mastery over our economic fate.
We are now ready to examine the first of these principles.
Maintain a spirit of open-mindedness, and remember as you read,
they are the invention of no one man. The principles were gathered
from the life experiences of more than five hundred men who
actually accumulated riches in huge amounts; men who began in
poverty, with but little education, without influence. The principles
worked for these men. You can put them to work for your own
enduring benefit.
You will find it easy, not hard, to do.
Before you read the next chapter, I want you to know that it
conveys factual information which might easily change your entire
financial destiny, as it has so definitely brought changes of
stupendous proportions to two people described.
I want you to know, also, that the relationship between these two
men and myself is such that I could have taken no liberties with the
facts, even if I had wished to do so. One of them has been my closest
personal friend for almost twenty-five years, the other is my own son.
The unusual success of these two men, success which they
generously accredit to the principle described in the next chapter,
more than justifies this personal reference as a means of
emphasizing the far-flung power of this principle.
Almost fifteen years ago, I delivered the Commencement Address
at Salem College, Salem, West Virginia. I emphasized the principle
described in the next chapter, with so much intensity that one of the
members of the graduating class definitely appropriated it, and made
it a part of his own philosophy. The young man is now a Member of
Congress, and an important factor in the present administration.
Just before this book went to the publisher, he wrote me a letter in
which he so clearly stated his opinion of the principle outlined in the
next chapter that I have chosen to publish his letter as an
introduction to that chapter.
It gives you an idea of the rewards to come.
My dear Napoleon:
My service as a Member of Congress having given me an insight
into the problems of men and women, I am writing to offer a
suggestion which may become helpful to thousands of worthy
people.
With apologies, I must state that the suggestion, if acted upon,
will mean several years of labor and responsibility for you, but I
am enheartened to make the suggestion, because I know your great
love for rendering useful service.
In 1922, you delivered the Commencement Address at Salem
College, when I was a member of the graduating class. In that
address, you planted in my mind an idea which has been
responsible for the opportunity I now have to serve the people of my
State, and will be responsible, in a very large measure, for
whatever success I may have in the future.
The suggestion I have in mind is that you put into a book the
sum and substance of the address you delivered at Salem College,
and in that way give the people of America an opportunity to profit
by your many years of experience and association with the men
who, by their greatness, have made America the richest nation on
earth.
I recall, as though it were yesterday, the marvelous description
you gave of the method by which Henry Ford, with but little
schooling, without a dollar, with no influential friends, rose to great
heights. I made up my mind then, even before you had finished your
speech, that I would make a place for myself, no matter how many
difficulties I had to surmount.
Thousands of young people will finish their schooling this year,
and within the next few years. Every one of them will be seeking
just such a message of practical encouragement as the one I
received from you. They will want to know where to turn, what to
do, to get started in life. You can tell them, because you have helped
to solve the problems of so many, many people.
If there is any possible way that you can afford to render so
great a service, may I offer the suggestion that you include with
every book one of your Personal Analysis Charts, in order that the
purchaser of the book may have the benefit of a complete selfinventory, indicating, as you indicated to me years ago, exactly
what is standing in the way of success.
Such a service as this, providing the readers of your book with a
complete, unbiased picture of their faults and their virtues, would
mean to them the difference between success and failure. The
service would be priceless.
Millions of people are now facing the problem of staging a
come-back, because of the depression, and I speak from personal
experience when I say, I know these earnest people would welcome
the opportunity to tell you their problems, and to receive your
suggestions for the solution.
You know the problems of those who face the necessity of
beginning all over again. There are thousands of people in America
today who would like to know how they can convert ideas into
money, people who must start at scratch, without finances, and
recoup their losses. If anyone can help them, you can.
If you publish the book, I would like to own the first copy that
comes from the press, personally autographed by you.
With best wishes, believe me,
Cordially yours,
Jennings Randolph
CHAPTER 2
DESIRE
THE STARTING POINT OF ALL ACHIEVEMENT
The First Step Toward Riches
W
hen Edwin C. Barnes climbed down from the freight train in
Orange, New Jersey, more than thirty years ago, he may
have resembled a tramp, but his thoughts were those of a
king!
As he made his way from the railroad tracks to Thomas A.
Edison’s office, his mind was at work. He saw himself standing in
Edison’s presence. He heard himself asking Mr. Edison for an
opportunity to carry out the one consuming obsession of his life, a
burning desire to become the business associate of the great
inventor.
Barnes’ desire was not a hope! It was not a wish! It was a keen,
pulsating desire, which transcended everything else. It was definite.
The desire was not new when he approached Edison. It had been
Barnes’ dominating desire for a long time. In the beginning, when
the desire first appeared in his mind, it may have been, probably was,
only a wish, but it was no mere wish when he appeared before Edison
with it.
A few years later, Edwin C. Barnes again stood before Edison, in
the same office where he first met the inventor. This time his desire
had been translated into reality. He was in business with Edison.
The dominating dream of his life had become a reality. Today, people
who know Barnes envy him, because of the “break” life yielded him.
They see him in the days of his triumph, without taking the trouble
to investigate the cause of his success.
Barnes succeeded because he chose a definite goal, placed all his
energy, all his will power, all his effort, everything back of that goal.
He did not become the partner of Edison the day he arrived. He was
content to start in the most menial work, as long as it provided an
opportunity to take even one step toward his cherished goal.
Five years passed before the chance he had been seeking made its
appearance. During all those years not one ray of hope, not one
promise of attainment of his desire had been held out to him. To
everyone, except himself, he appeared only another cog in the Edison
business wheel, but in his own mind, he was the partner of Edison
every minute of the time, from the very day that he first went to work
there.
It is a remarkable illustration of the power of a definite desire.
Barnes won his goal, because he wanted to be a business associate of
Mr. Edison, more than he wanted anything else. He created a plan by
which to attain that purpose. But he burned all bridges behind him.
He stood by his desire until it became the dominating obsession of
his life—and—finally, a fact.
When he went to Orange, he did not say to himself, “I will try to
induce Edison to give me a job of some sort.” He said, “I will see
Edison, and put him on notice that I have come to go into business
with him.”
He did not say, “I will work there for a few months, and if I get no
encouragement, I will quit and get a job somewhere else.” He did say,
“I will start anywhere. I will do anything Edison tells me to do, but
before I am through, I will be his associate.”
He did not say, “I will keep my eyes open for another
opportunity, in case I fail to get what I want in the Edison
organization.” He said, “There is but one thing in this world that I am
determined to have, and that is a business association with Thomas
A. Edison. I will burn all bridges behind me, and stake my entire
future on my ability to get what I want.”
He left himself no possible way of retreat. He had to win or
perish!
That is all there is to the Barnes story of success!
A long while ago, a great warrior faced a situation which made it
necessary for him to make a decision which insured his success on
the battlefield. He was about to send his armies against a powerful
foe, whose men outnumbered his own. He loaded his soldiers into
boats, sailed to the enemy’s country, unloaded soldiers and
equipment, then gave the order to burn the ships that had carried
them. Addressing his men before the first battle, he said, “You see
the boats going up in smoke. That means that we cannot leave these
shores alive unless we win! We now have no choice—we win—or we
perish!” They won.
Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to
burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat. Only by so doing can one
be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as a burning desire
to win, essential to success.
The morning after the great Chicago fire, a group of merchants
stood on State Street, looking at the smoking remains of what had
been their stores. They went into a conference to decide if they would
try to rebuild, or leave Chicago and start over in a more promising
section of the country. They reached a decision—all except one—to
leave Chicago.
The merchant who decided to stay and rebuild pointed a finger at
the remains of his store, and said, “Gentlemen, on that very spot I
will build the world’s greatest store, no matter how many times it
may burn down.”
That was more than fifty years ago. The store was built. It stands
there today, a towering monument to the power of that state of mind
known as a burning desire. The easy thing for Marshall Field to have
done, would have been exactly what his fellow merchants did. When
the going was hard, and the future looked dismal, they pulled up and
went where the going seemed easier.
Mark well this difference between Marshall Field and the other
merchants, because it is the same difference which distinguishes
Edwin C. Barnes from thousands of other young men who have
worked in the Edison organization. It is the same difference which
distinguishes practically all who succeed from those who fail.
Every human being who reaches the age of understanding of the
purpose of money wishes for it. Wishing will not bring riches. But
desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, then
planning definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing
those plans with persistence which does not recognize failure, will
bring riches.
The method by which desire for riches can be transmuted into its
financial equivalent consists of six definite, practical steps, viz:
FIRST. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire.
It is not sufficient merely to say, “I want plenty of money.” Be
definite as to the amount. (There is a psychological reason for
definiteness which will be described in a subsequent chapter.)
SECOND. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return
for the money you desire. (There is no such reality as
“something for nothing.”)
THIRD. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess
the money you desire.
FOURTH. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire,
and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this
plan into action.
FIFTH. Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of
money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its
acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the
money, and describe clearly the plan through which you
intend to accumulate it.
SIXTH. Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once
just before retiring at night, and once after arising in the
morning. As you read—see and feel and believe yourself
already in possession of the money.
It is important that you follow the instructions described in these
six steps. It is especially important that you observe and follow the
instructions in the sixth paragraph. You may complain that it is
impossible for you to “see yourself in possession of money” before
you actually have it. Here is where a burning desire will come to your
aid. If you truly desire money so keenly that your desire is an
obsession, you will have no difficulty in convincing yourself that you
will acquire it. The object is to want money, and to become so
determined to have it that you convince yourself you will have it.
Only those who become “money conscious” ever accumulate
great riches. “Money consciousness” means that the mind has
become so thoroughly saturated with the desire for money, that one
can see one’s self already in possession of it.
To the uninitiated, who has not been schooled in the working
principles of the human mind, these instructions may appear
impractical. It may be helpful, to all who fail to recognize the
soundness of the six steps, to know that the information they convey
was received from Andrew Carnegie, who began as an ordinary
laborer in the steel mills, but managed, despite his humble
beginning, to make these principles yield him a fortune of
considerably more than one hundred million dollars.
It may be of further help to know that the six steps here
recommended were carefully scrutinized by the late Thomas A.
Edison, who placed his stamp of approval upon them as being not
only the steps essential for the accumulation of money, but necessary
for the attainment of any definite goal.
The steps call for no “hard labor.” They call for no sacrifice. They
do not require one to become ridiculous, or credulous. To apply them
calls for no great amount of education. But the successful application
of these six steps does call for sufficient imagination to enable one to
see, and to understand, that accumulation of money cannot be left to
chance, good fortune, and luck. One must realize that all who have
accumulated great fortunes first did a certain amount of dreaming,
hoping, wishing, desiring, and planning before they acquired money.
You may as well know, right here, that you can never have riches
in great quantities, unless you can work yourself into a white heat of
desire for money, and actually believe you will possess it.
You may as well know, also, that every great leader, from the
dawn of civilization down to the present, was a dreamer. Christianity
is the greatest potential power in the world today, because its
founder was an intense dreamer who had the vision and the
imagination to see realities in their mental and spiritual form before
they had been transmuted into physical form.
If you do not see great riches in your imagination, you will never
see them in your bank balance.
Never in the history of America has there been so great an
opportunity for practical dreamers as now exists. The six-year
economic collapse has reduced all men, substantially, to the same
level. A new race is about to be run. The stakes represent huge
fortunes which will be accumulated within the next ten years. The
rules of the race have changed, because we now live in a changed
world that definitely favors the masses, those who had but little or no
opportunity to win under the conditions existing during the
depression, when fear paralyzed growth and development.
We who are in this race for riches should be encouraged to know
that this changed world in which we live is demanding new ideas,
new ways of doing things, new leaders, new inventions, new methods
of teaching, new methods of marketing, new books, new literature,
new features for the radio, new ideas for moving pictures. Back of all
this demand for new and better things, there is one quality which one
must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the
knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.
The business depression marked the death of one age, and the
birth of another. This changed world requires practical dreamers
who can and will put their dreams into action. The practical
dreamers have always been and always will be the pattern-makers of
civilization.
We who desire to accumulate riches should remember the real
leaders of the world always have been men who harnessed, and put
into practical use, the intangible, unseen forces of unborn
opportunity, and have converted those forces (or impulses of
thought), into skyscrapers, cities, factories, airplanes, automobiles,
and every form of convenience that makes life more pleasant.
Tolerance and an open mind are practical necessities of the
dreamer of today. Those who are afraid of new ideas are doomed
before they start. Never has there been a time more favorable to
pioneers than the present. True, there is no wild and woolly west to
be conquered, as in the days of the Covered Wagon; but there is a
vast business, financial, and industrial world to be remolded and
redirected along new and better lines.
In planning to acquire your share of the riches, let no one
influence you to scorn the dreamer. To win the big stakes in this
changed world, you must catch the spirit of the great pioneers of the
past, whose dreams have given to civilization all that it has of value,
the spirit which serves as the life-blood of our own country—your
opportunity, and mine, to develop and market our talents.
Let us not forget, Columbus dreamed of an Unknown world,
staked his life on the existence of such a world, and discovered it!
Copernicus, the great astronomer, dreamed of a multiplicity of
worlds, and revealed them! No one denounced him as “impractical”
after he had triumphed. Instead, the world worshipped at his shrine,
thus proving once more that “success requires no apologies, failure
permits no alibis.”
If the thing you wish to do is right, and you believe in it, go ahead
and do it! Put your dream across, and never mind what “they” say if
you meet with temporary defeat, for “they,” perhaps, do not know
that every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success.
Henry Ford, poor and uneducated, dreamed of a horseless
carriage, went to work with what tools he possessed, without waiting
for opportunity to favor him, and now evidence of his dream belts
the entire earth. He has put more wheels into operation than any
man who ever lived, because he was not afraid to back his dreams.
Thomas Edison dreamed of a lamp that could be operated by
electricity, began where he stood to put his dream into action, and
despite more than ten thousand failures, he stood by that dream
until he made it a physical reality. Practical dreamers do not quit!
Whelan dreamed of a chain of cigar stores, transformed his
dream into action, and now the United Cigar Stores occupy the best
corners in America.
Lincoln dreamed of freedom for the black slaves, put his dream
into action, and barely missed living to see a united North and South
translate his dream into reality.
The Wright brothers dreamed of a machine that would fly
through the air. Now one may see evidence all over the world that
they dreamed soundly.
Marconi dreamed of a system for harnessing the intangible forces
of the ether. Evidence that he did not dream in vain may be found in
every wireless and radio in the world. Moreover, Marconi’s dream
brought the humblest cabin, and the most stately manor house side
by side. It made the people of every nation on earth back-door
neighbors. It gave the President of the United States a medium by
which he may talk to all the people of America at one time, and on
short notice. It may interest you to know that Marconi’s “friends”
had him taken into custody, and examined in a psychopathic
hospital, when he announced he had discovered a principle through
which he could send messages through the air, without the aid of
wires, or other direct physical means of communication. The
dreamers of today fare better.
The world has become accustomed to new discoveries. Nay, it has
shown a willingness to reward the dreamer who gives the world a
new idea.
“The greatest achievement was, at first, and for a time, but a
dream.”
“The oak sleeps in the acorn. The bird waits in the egg, and in the
highest vision of the soul, a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the
seedlings of reality.”
Awake, arise, and assert yourself, you dreamers of the world.
Your star is now in the ascendency. The world depression brought
the opportunity you have been waiting for. It taught people humility,
tolerance, and openmindedness.
The world is filled with an abundance of opportunity which the
dreamers of the past never knew.
A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which
the dreamer must take off. Dreams are not born of indifference,
laziness, or lack of ambition.
The world no longer scoffs at the dreamer, nor calls him
impractical. If you think it does, take a trip to Tennessee, and witness
what a dreamer President has done in the way of harnessing and
using the great water power of America. A score of years ago, such a
dream would have seemed like madness.
You have been disappointed, you have undergone defeat during
the depression, you have felt the great heart within you crushed until
it bled. Take courage, for these experiences have tempered the
spiritual metal of which you are made—they are assets of
incomparable value.
Remember, too, that all who succeed in life get off to a bad start,
and pass through many heartbreaking struggles before they “arrive.”
The turning point in the lives of those who succeed usually comes at
the moment of some crisis, through which they are introduced to
their “other selves.”
John Bunyan wrote the Pilgrim’s Progress, which is among the
finest of all English literature, after he had been confined in prison
and sorely punished, because of his views on the subject of religion.
O. Henry discovered the genius which slept within his brain after
he had met with great misfortune, and was confined in a prison cell,
in Columbus, Ohio. Being forced, through misfortune, to become
acquainted with his “other self,” and to use his imagination, he
discovered himself to be a great author instead of a miserable
criminal and outcast. Strange and varied are the ways of life, and
stranger still are the ways of Infinite Intelligence, through which men
are sometimes forced to undergo all sorts of punishment before
discovering their own brains, and their own capacity to create useful
ideas through imagination.
Edison, the world’s greatest inventor and scientist, was a “tramp”
telegraph operator; he failed innumerable times before he was
driven, finally, to the discovery of the genius which slept within his
brain.
Charles Dickens began by pasting labels on blacking pots. The
tragedy of his first love penetrated the depths of his soul, and
converted him into one of the world’s truly great authors. That
tragedy produced, first, David Copperfield, then a succession of
other works that made this a richer and better world for all who read
his books. Disappointment over love affairs generally has the effect
of driving men to drink, and women to ruin; and this, because most
people never learn the art of transmuting their strongest emotions
into dreams of a constructive nature.
Helen Keller became deaf, dumb, and blind shortly after birth.
Despite her greatest misfortune, she has written her name indelibly
in the pages of the history of the great. Her entire life has served as
evidence that no one ever is defeated until defeat has been accepted
as a reality.
Robert Burns was an illiterate country lad; he was cursed by
poverty, and grew up to be a drunkard in the bargain. The world was
made better for his having lived, because he clothed beautiful
thoughts in poetry, and thereby plucked a thorn and planted a rose
in its place.
Booker T. Washington was born in slavery, handicapped by race
and color. Because he was tolerant, had an open mind at all times, on
all subjects, and was a dreamer, he left his impress for good on an
entire race.
Beethoven was deaf, Milton was blind, but their names will last
as long as time endures, because they dreamed and translated their
dreams into organized thought.
Before passing to the next chapter, kindle anew in your mind the
fire of hope, faith, courage, and tolerance. If you have these states of
mind, and a working knowledge of the principles described, all else
that you need will come to you, when you are ready for it. Let
Emerson state the thought in these words: “Every proverb, every
book, every byword that belongs to thee for aid and comfort shall
surely come home through open or winding passages. Every friend
whom not thy fantastic will, but the great and tender soul in thee
craveth, shall lock thee in his embrace.”
There is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready
to receive it. No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can
acquire it. The state of mind must be belief, not mere hope or wish.
Open-mindedness is essential for belief. Closed minds do not inspire
faith, courage, and belief.
Remember, no more effort is required to aim high in life, to
demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery
and poverty. A great poet has correctly stated this universal truth
through these lines:
I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store.
For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
I worked for a menial’s hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid.
DESIRE OUTWITS MOTHER NATURE
As a fitting climax to this chapter, I wish to introduce one of the most
unusual persons I have ever known. I first saw him twenty-four years
ago, a few minutes after he was born. He came into the world
without any physical sign of ears, and the doctor admitted, when
pressed for an opinion, that the child might be deaf, and mute for
life.
I challenged the doctor’s opinion. I had the right to do so; I was
the child’s father. I, too, reached a decision, and rendered an
opinion, but I expressed the opinion silently, in the secrecy of my
own heart. I decided that my son would hear and speak. Nature
could send me a child without ears, but Nature could not induce me
to accept the reality of the affliction.
In my own mind I knew that my son would hear and speak. How?
I was sure there must be a way, and I knew I would find it. I thought
of the words of the immortal Emerson: “The whole course of things
goes to teach us faith. We need only obey. There is guidance for each
of us, and by lowly listening, we shall hear the right word.”
The right word? Desire! More than anything else, I desired that
my son should not be a deaf mute. From that desire I never receded,
not for a second.
Many years previously, I had written, “Our only limitations are
those we set up in our own minds.” For the first time, I wondered if
that statement were true. Lying on the bed in front of me was a newly
born child, without the natural equipment of hearing. Even though
he might hear and speak, he was obviously disfigured for life. Surely,
this was a limitation which that child had not set up in his own mind.
What could I do about it? Somehow I would find a way to
transplant into that child’s mind my own burning desire for ways and
means of conveying sound to his brain without the aid of ears.
As soon as the child was old enough to cooperate, I would fill his
mind so completely with a burning desire to hear, that Nature would,
by methods of her own, translate it into physical reality.
All this thinking took place in my own mind, but I spoke of it to
no one. Every day I renewed the pledge I had made to myself, not to
accept a deaf mute for a son.
As he grew older, and began to take notice of things around him,
we observed that he had a slight degree of hearing. When he reached
the age when children usually begin talking, he made no attempt to
speak, but we could tell by his actions that he could hear certain
sounds slightly. That was all I wanted to know! I was convinced that
if he could hear, even slightly, he might develop still greater hearing
capacity. Then something happened which gave me hope. It came
from an entirely unexpected source.
We bought a victrola. When the child heard the music for the first
time, he went into ecstasies, and promptly appropriated the
machine. He soon showed a preference for certain records, among
them, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.” On one occasion, he played
that piece over and over, for almost two hours, standing in front of
the victrola, with his teeth clamped on the edge of the case. The
significance of this self-formed habit of his did not become clear to
us until years afterward, for we had never heard of the principle of
“bone conduction” of sound at that time.
Shortly after he appropriated the victrola, I discovered that he
could hear me quite clearly when I spoke with my lips touching his
mastoid bone, or at the base of the brain. These discoveries placed in
my possession the necessary media by which I began to translate into
reality my Burning Desire to help my son develop hearing and
speech. By that time he was making stabs at speaking certain words.
The outlook was far from encouraging, but desire backed by faith
knows no such word as impossible.
Having determined that he could hear the sound of my voice
plainly, I began, immediately, to transfer to his mind the desire to
hear and speak. I soon discovered that the child enjoyed bedtime
stories, so I went to work, creating stories designed to develop in him
self-reliance, imagination, and a keen desire to hear and to be
normal.
There was one story in particular which I emphasized by giving it
some new and dramatic coloring each time it was told. It was
designed to plant in his mind the thought that his affliction was not a
liability, but an asset of great value. Despite the fact that all the
philosophy I had examined clearly indicated that every adversity
brings with it the seed of an equivalent advantage, I must confess
that I had not the slightest idea how this affliction could ever become
an asset. However, I continued my practice of wrapping that
philosophy in bedtime stories, hoping the time would come when he
would find some plan by which his handicap could be made to serve
some useful purpose.
Reason told me plainly that there was no adequate compensation
for the lack of ears and natural hearing equipment. Desire backed by
faith pushed reason aside, and inspired me to carry on.
As I analyze the experience in retrospect, I can see now that my
son’s faith in me had much to do with the astounding results. He did
not question anything I told him. I sold him the idea that he had a
distinct advantage over his older brother, and that this advantage
would reflect itself in many ways. For example, the teachers in school
would observe that he had no ears, and, because of this, they would
show him special attention and treat him with extraordinary
kindness. They always did. His mother saw to that, by visiting the
teachers and arranging with them to give the child the extra
attention necessary. I sold him the idea, too, that when he became
old enough to sell newspapers (his older brother had already become
a newspaper merchant), he would have a big advantage over his
brother, for the reason that people would pay him extra money for
his wares, because they could see that he was a bright, industrious
boy, despite the fact he had no ears.
We could notice that, gradually, the child’s hearing was
improving. Moreover, he had not the slightest tendency to be selfconscious because of his affliction. When he was about seven, he
showed the first evidence that our method of servicing his mind was
bearing fruit. For several months he begged for the privilege of
selling newspapers, but his mother would not give her consent. She
was afraid that his deafness made it unsafe for him to go on the
street alone.
Finally, he took matters in his own hands. One afternoon, when
he was left at home with the servants, he climbed through the
kitchen window, shinnied to the ground, and set out on his own. He
borrowed six cents in capital from the neighborhood shoemaker,
invested it in papers, sold out, reinvested, and kept repeating until
late in the evening. After balancing his accounts, and paying back the
six cents he had borrowed from his banker, he had a net profit of
forty-two cents. When we got home that night, we found him in bed
asleep, with the money tightly clenched in his hand.
His mother opened his hand, removed the coins, and cried. Of all
things! Crying over her son’s first victory seemed so inappropriate.
My reaction was the reverse. I laughed heartily, for I knew that my
endeavor to plant in the child’s mind an attitude of faith in himself
had been successful.
His mother saw, in his first business venture, a little deaf boy
who had gone out in the streets and risked his life to earn money. I
saw a brave, ambitious, self-reliant little business man whose stock
in himself had been increased a hundred percent, because he had
gone into business on his own initiative, and had won. The
transaction pleased me, because I knew that he had given evidence of
a trait of resourcefulness that would go with him all through life.
Later events proved this to be true. When his older brother wanted
something, he would lie down on the floor, kick his feet in the air, cry
for it—and get it. When the “little deaf boy” wanted something, he
would plan a way to earn the money, then buy it for himself. He still
follows that plan!
Truly, my own son has taught me that handicaps can be
converted into stepping stones on which one may climb toward some
worthy goal, unless they are accepted as obstacles, and used as alibis.
The little deaf boy went through the grades, high school, and
college without being able to hear his teachers, excepting when they
shouted loudly, at close range. He did not go to a school for the deaf.
We would not permit him to learn the sign language. We were
determined that he should live a normal life, and associate with
normal children, and we stood by that decision, although it cost us
many heated debates with school officials.
While he was in high school, he tried an electrical hearing aid,
but it was of no value to him; due, we believed, to a condition that
was disclosed when the child was six, by Dr. J. Gordon Wilson, of
Chicago, when he operated on one side of the boy’s head, and
discovered that there was no sign of natural hearing equipment.
During his last week in college (eighteen years after the
operation), something happened which marked the most important
turning-point of his life. Through what seemed to be mere chance, he
came into possession of another electrical hearing device, which was
sent to him on trial. He was slow about testing it, due to his
disappointment with a similar device. Finally he picked the
instrument up, and more or less carelessly, placed it on his head,
hooked up the battery, and lo! as if by a stroke of magic, his lifelong
desire for normal hearing became a reality! For the first time in his
life he heard practically as well as any person with normal hearing.
“God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.”
Overjoyed because of the Changed World which had been
brought to him through his hearing device, he rushed to the
telephone, called his mother, and heard her voice perfectly. The next
day he plainly heard the voices of his professors in class, for the first
time in his life! Previously he could hear them only when they
shouted, at short range. He heard the radio. He heard the talking
pictures. For the first time in his life, he could converse freely with
other people, without the necessity of their having to speak loudly.
Truly, he had come into possession of a Changed World. We had
refused to accept Nature’s error, and, by persistent desire, we had
induced Nature to correct that error, through the only practical
means available.
Desire had commenced to pay dividends, but the victory was not
yet complete. The boy still had to find a definite and practical way to
convert his handicap into an equivalent asset.
Hardly realizing the significance of what had already been
accomplished, but intoxicated with the joy of his newly discovered
world of sound, he wrote a letter to the manufacturer of the hearing
aid, enthusiastically describing his experience. Something in his
letter; something, perhaps which was not written on the lines, but
back of them; caused the company to invite him to New York. When
he arrived, he was escorted through the factory, and while talking
with the Chief Engineer, telling him about his Changed World, a
hunch, an idea, or an inspiration—call it what you wish—flashed into
his mind. It was this impulse of thought which converted his
affliction into an asset, destined to pay dividends in both money and
happiness to thousands for all time to come.
The sum and substance of that impulse of thought was this: It
occurred to him that he might be of help to the millions of deafened
people who go through life without the benefit of hearing devices, if
he could find a way to tell them the story of his Changed World. Then
and there, he reached a decision to devote the remainder of his life to
rendering useful service to the hard of hearing.
For an entire month, he carried on an intensive research, during
which he analyzed the entire marketing system of the manufacturer
of the hearing device, and created ways and means of
communicating with the hard of hearing all over the world for the
purpose of sharing with them his newly discovered Changed World.
When this was done, he put in writing a two-year plan, based upon
his findings. When he presented the plan to the company, he was
instantly given a position, for the purpose of carrying out his
ambition.
Little did he dream, when he went to work, that he was destined
to bring hope and practical relief to thousands of deafened people
who, without his help, would have been doomed forever to deaf
mutism.
Shortly after he became associated with the manufacturer of his
hearing aid, he invited me to attend a class conducted by his
company, for the purpose of teaching deaf mutes to hear, and to
speak. I had never heard of such a form of education, therefore I
visited the class, skeptical but hopeful that my time would not be
entirely wasted. Here I saw a demonstration which gave me a greatly
enlarged vision of what I had done to arouse and keep alive in my
son’s mind the desire for normal hearing. I saw deaf mutes actually
being taught to hear and to speak, through application of the selfsame principle I had used, more than twenty years previously, in
saving my son from deaf mutism.
Thus, through some strange turn of the Wheel of Fate, my son,
Blair, and I have been destined to aid in correcting deaf mutism for
those as yet unborn, because we are the only living human beings, as
far as I know, who have established definitely the fact that deaf
mutism can be corrected to the extent of restoring to normal life
those who suffer with this affliction. It has been done for one; it will
be done for others.
There is no doubt in my mind that Blair would have been a deaf
mute all his life, if his mother and I had not managed to shape his
mind as we did. The doctor who attended at his birth told us,
confidentially, the child might never hear or speak. A few weeks ago,
Dr. Irving Voorhees, a noted specialist on such cases, examined Blair
very thoroughly. He was astounded when he learned how well my
son now hears, and speaks, and said his examination indicated that
“theoretically, the boy should not be able to hear at all.” But the lad
does hear, despite the fact that X-ray pictures show there is no
opening in the skull, whatsoever, from where his ears should be to
the brain.
When I planted in his mind the desire to hear and talk, and live
as a normal person, there went with that impulse some strange
influence which caused Nature to become bridge-builder, and span
the gulf of silence between his brain and the outer world, by some
means which the keenest medical specialists have not been able to
interpret. It would be sacrilege for me to even conjecture as to how
Nature performed this miracle. It would be unforgivable if I
neglected to tell the world as much as I know of the humble part I
assumed in the strange experience. It is my duty, and a privilege to
say I believe, and not without reason, that nothing is impossible to
the person who backs desire with enduring faith.
Verily, a burning desire has devious ways of transmuting itself
into its physical equivalent. Blair desired normal hearing; now he has
it! He was born with a handicap which might easily have sent one
with a less defined desire to the street with a bundle of pencils and a
tin cup. That handicap now promises to serve as the medium by
which he will render useful service to many millions of hard of
hearing, also, to give him useful employment at adequate financial
compensation the remainder of his life.
The little “white lies” I planted in his mind when he was a child,
by leading him to believe his affliction would become a great asset,
which he could capitalize, has justified itself. Verily, there is nothing,
right or wrong, which belief, plus burning desire, cannot make real.
These qualities are free to everyone.
In all my experience in dealing with men and women who had
personal problems, I never handled a single case which more
definitely demonstrates the power of desire. Authors sometimes
make the mistake of writing of subjects of which they have but
superficial, or very elementary, knowledge. It has been my good
fortune to have had the privilege of testing the soundness of the
power of desire, through the affliction of my own son. Perhaps it was
providential that the experience came as it did, for surely no one is
better prepared than he to serve as an example of what happens
when desire is put to the test. If Mother Nature bends to the will of
desire, is it logical that mere men can defeat a burning desire?
Strange and imponderable is the power of the human mind! We
do not understand the method by which it uses every circumstance,
every individual, every physical thing within its reach, as a means of
transmuting desire into its physical counterpart. Perhaps science will
uncover this secret.
I planted in my son’s mind the desire to hear and to speak as any
normal person hears and speaks. That desire has now become a
reality. I planted in his mind the desire to convert his greatest
handicap into his greatest asset. That desire has been realized. The
modus operandi by which this astounding result was achieved is not
hard to describe. It consisted of three very definite facts. First, I
mixed faith with the desire for normal hearing, which I passed on to
my son. Second, I communicated my desire to him in every
conceivable way available, through persistent, continuous effort, over
a period of years. Third, he believed me!
As this chapter was being completed, news came of the death of
Mme. Schuman-Heink. One short paragraph in the news dispatch
gives the clue to this unusual woman’s stupendous success as a
singer. I quote the paragraph, because the clue it contains is none
other than desire.
Early in her career, Mme. Schuman-Heink visited the director of
the Vienna Court Opera, to have him test her voice. But, he did not
test it. After taking one look at the awkward and poorly dressed girl,
he exclaimed, none too gently: “With such a face, and with no
personality at all, how can you ever expect to succeed in opera? My
good child, give up the idea. Buy a sewing machine, and go to work.
You can never be a singer.”
Never is a long time! The director of the Vienna Court Opera
knew much about the technique of singing. He knew little about the
power of desire, when it assumes the proportion of an obsession. If
he had known more of that power, he would not have made the
mistake of condemning genius without giving it an opportunity.
Several years ago, one of my business associates became ill. He
became worse as time went on, and finally was taken to the hospital
for an operation. Just before he was wheeled into the operating
room, I took a look at him, and wondered how anyone as thin and
emaciated as he could possibly go through a major operation
successfully. The doctor warned me that there was little if any chance
of my ever seeing him alive again. But that was the doctor’s opinion.
It was not the opinion of the patient. Just before he was wheeled
away, he whispered feebly, “Do not be disturbed, Chief. I will be out
of here in a few days.” The attending nurse looked at me with pity.
But the patient did come through safely. After it was all over, his
physician said, “Nothing but his own desire to live saved him. He
never would have pulled through if he had not refused to accept the
possibility of death.”
I believe in the power of desire backed by faith, because I have
seen this power lift men from lowly beginnings to places of power
and wealth; I have seen it rob the grave of its victims; I have seen it
serve as the medium by which men staged a comeback after having
been defeated in a hundred different ways; I have seen it provide my
own son with a normal, happy, successful life, despite Nature’s
having sent him into the world without ears.
How can one harness and use the power of desire? This has been
answered through this and the subsequent chapters of this book.
This message is going out to the world at the end of the longest, and
perhaps, the most devastating depression America has ever known.
It is reasonable to presume that the message may come to the
attention of many who have been wounded by the depression, those
who have lost their fortunes, others who have lost their positions,
and great numbers who must reorganize their plans and stage a
comeback. To all these I wish to convey the thought that all
achievement, no matter what may be its nature, or its purpose, must
begin with an intense, burning desire for something definite.
Through some strange and powerful principle of “mental
chemistry” which she has never divulged, Nature wraps up in the
impulse of strong desire “that something” which recognizes no such
word as impossible, and accepts no such reality as failure.
CHAPTER 3
FAITH
VISUALIZATION OF AND BELIEF IN ATTAINMENT OF DESIRE
The Second Step Toward Riches
F
aith is the head chemist of the mind. When faith is blended
with the vibration of thought, the subconscious mind instantly
picks up the vibration, translates it into its spiritual equivalent,
and transmits it to Infinite Intelligence, as in the case of prayer.
The emotions of faith, love, and sex are the most powerful of all
the major positive emotions. When the three are blended, they have
the effect of “coloring” the vibration of thought in such a way that it
instantly reaches the subconscious mind, where it is changed into its
spiritual equivalent, the only form that induces a response from
Infinite Intelligence.
Love and faith are psychic, related to the spiritual side of man.
Sex is purely biological, and related only to the physical. The mixing,
or blending, of these three emotions has the effect of opening a direct
line of communication between the finite, thinking mind of man, and
Infinite Intelligence.
HOW TO DEVELOP FAITH
There comes, now, a statement which will give a better
understanding of the importance the principle of auto-suggestion
assumes in the transmutation of desire into its physical, or monetary
equivalent; namely, faith is a state of mind which may be induced, or
created, by affirmation or repeated instructions to the subconscious
mind, through the principle of auto-suggestion.
As an illustration, consider the purpose for which you are,
presumably, reading this book. The object is, naturally, to acquire the
ability to transmute the intangible thought impulse of desire into its
physical counterpart, money. By following the instructions laid down
in the chapters on auto-suggestion, and the subconscious mind, as
summarized in the chapter on auto-suggestion, you may convince the
subconscious mind that you believe you will receive that for which
you ask, and it will act upon that belief, which your subconscious
mind passes back to you in the form of “faith,” followed by definite
plans for procuring that which you desire.
The method by which one develops faith, where it does not
already exist, is extremely difficult to describe, almost as difficult, in
fact, as it would be to describe the color of red to a blind man who
has never seen color, and has nothing with which to compare what
you describe to him. Faith is a state of mind which you may develop
at will, after you have mastered the thirteen principles, because it is a
state of mind which develops voluntarily, through application and
use of these principles.
Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is
the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of
faith.
Perhaps the meaning may be made clearer through the following
explanation as to the way men sometimes become criminals. Stated
in the words of a famous criminologist, “When men first come into
contact with crime, they abhor it. If they remain in contact with
crime for a time, they become accustomed to it, and endure it. If they
remain in contact with it long enough, they finally embrace it, and
become influenced by it.”
This is the equivalent of saying that any impulse of thought which
is repeatedly passed on to the subconscious mind is, finally, accepted
and acted upon by the subconscious mind, which proceeds to
translate that impulse into its physical equivalent, by the most
practical procedure available.
In connection with this, consider again the statement, all
thoughts which have been emotionalized (given feeling) and mixed
with faith begin immediately to translate themselves into their
physical equivalent or counterpart.
The emotions, or the “feeling” portion of thoughts, are the factors
which give thoughts vitality, life, and action. The emotions of faith,
love, and sex, when mixed with any thought impulse, give it greater
action than any of these emotions can do singly.
Not only thought impulses which have been mixed with faith, but
those which have been mixed with any of the positive emotions, or
any of the negative emotions, may reach and influence the
subconscious mind.
From this statement, you will understand that the subconscious
mind will translate into its physical equivalent a thought impulse of a
negative or destructive nature, just as readily as it will act upon
thought impulses of a positive or constructive nature. This accounts
for the strange phenomenon which so many millions of people
experience, referred to as “misfortune,” or “bad luck.”
There are millions of people who believe themselves “doomed” to
poverty and failure, because of some strange force over which they
believe they have no control. They are the creators of their own
“misfortunes,” because of this negative belief, which is picked up by
the subconscious mind, and translated into its physical equivalent.
This is an appropriate place at which to suggest again that you
may benefit by passing on to your subconscious mind any desire
which you wish translated into its physical or monetary equivalent,
in a state of expectancy or belief that the transmutation will actually
take place. Your belief, or faith, is the element which determines the
action of your subconscious mind. There is nothing to hinder you
from “deceiving” your subconscious mind when giving it instructions
through auto-suggestion, as I deceived my son’s subconscious mind.
To make this “deceit” more realistic, conduct yourself just as you
would if you were already in possession of the material thing which
you are demanding when you call upon your subconscious mind.
The subconscious mind will transmute into its physical
equivalent, by the most direct and practical media available, any
order which is given to it in a state of belief, or faith that the order
will be carried out.
Surely, enough has been stated to give a starting point from
which one may, through experiment and practice, acquire the ability
to mix faith with any order given to the subconscious mind.
Perfection will come through practice. It cannot come by merely
reading instructions.
If it be true that one may become a criminal by association with
crime (and this is a known fact), it is equally true that one may
develop faith by voluntarily suggesting to the subconscious mind that
one has faith. The mind comes, finally, to take on the nature of the
influences which dominate it. Understand this truth, and you will
know why it is essential for you to encourage the positive emotions
as dominating forces of your mind, and discourage—and eliminate—
negative emotions.
A mind dominated by positive emotions becomes afavorable
abode for the state of mind known as faith. A mind so dominated
may, at will, give the subconscious mind instructions, which it will
accept and act upon immediately.
FAITH IS A STATE OF MIND WHICH MAY BE INDUCED BY AUTOSUGGESTION
All down the ages, the religionists have admonished struggling
humanity to “have faith” in this, that, and the other dogma or creed,
but they have failed to tell people how to have faith. They have not
stated that “faith is a state of mind, and that it may be induced by
self-suggestion.”
In language which any normal human being can understand, we
will describe all that is known about the principle through which
faith may be developed, where it does not already exist.
Have faith in yourself; faith in the Infinite.
Before we begin, you should be reminded again that:
Faith is the “eternal elixir” which gives life, power, and action to
the impulse of thought!
The foregoing sentence is worth reading a second time, and a
third, and a fourth. It is worth reading aloud!
Faith is the starting point of all accumulation of riches!
Faith is the basis of all “miracles,” and all mysteries which cannot
be analyzed by the rules of science!
Faith is the only known antidote for failure!
Faith is the element, the “chemical” which, when mixed with
prayer, gives one direct communication with Infinite Intelligence.
Faith is the element which transforms the ordinary vibration of
thought, created by the finite mind of man, into the spiritual
equivalent.
Faith is the only agency through which the cosmic force of
Infinite Intelligence can be harnessed and used by man.
Every one of the foregoing statements is capable of proof!
The proof is simple and easily demonstrated. It is wrapped up in
the principle of auto-suggestion. Let us center our attention,
therefore, upon the subject of self-suggestion, and find out what it is,
and what it is capable of achieving.
It is a well known fact that one comes, finally, to believe whatever
one repeats to one’s self, whether the statement be true or false. If a
man repeats a lie over and over, he will eventually accept the lie as
truth. Moreover, he will believe it to be the truth. Every man is what
he is because of the dominating thoughts which he permits to occupy
his mind. Thoughts which a man deliberately places in his own mind,
and encourages with sympathy, and with which he mixes any one or
more of the emotions, constitute the motivating forces which direct
and control his every movement, act, and deed!
Comes, now, a very significant statement of truth:
Thoughts which are mixed with any of the feelings of emotions
constitute a “magnetic” force which attracts, from the vibrations of
the ether, other similar or related thoughts. A thought thus
“magnetized” with emotion may be compared to a seed which, when
planted in fertile soil, germinates, grows, and multiplies itself over
and over again, until that which was originally one small seed
becomes countless millions of seeds of the same brand!
The ether is a great cosmic mass of eternal forces of vibration. It
is made up of both destructive vibrations and constructive
vibrations. It carries, at all times, vibrations of fear, poverty, disease,
failure, misery; and vibrations of prosperity, health, success, and
happiness, just as surely as it carries the sound of hundreds of
orchestrations of music, and hundreds of human voices, all of which
maintain their own individuality, and means of identification,
through the medium of radio.
From the great storehouse of the ether, the human mind is
constantly attracting vibrations which harmonize with that which
dominates the human mind. Any thought, idea, plan, or purpose
which one holds in one’s mind attracts, from the vibrations of the
ether, a host of its relatives, adds these “relatives” to its own force,
and grows until it becomes the dominating, motivating master of the
individual in whose mind it has been housed.
Now, let us go back to the starting point, and become informed as
to how the original seed of an idea, plan, or purpose may be planted
in the mind. The information is easily conveyed: any idea, plan, or
purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.
This is why you are asked to write out a statement of your major
purpose, or Definite Chief Aim, commit it to memory, and repeat it,
in audible words, day after day, until these vibrations of sound have
reached your subconscious mind.
We are what we are because of the vibrations of thought which
we pick up and register, through the stimuli of our daily
environment.
Resolve to throw off the influences of any unfortunate
environment, and to build your own life to order. Taking inventory of
mental assets and liabilities, you will discover that your greatest
weakness is lack of self-confidence. This handicap can be
surmounted, and timidity translated into courage, through the aid of
the principle of auto-suggestion. The application of this principle
may be made through a simple arrangement of positive thought
impulses stated in writing, memorized, and repeated, until they
become a part of the working equipment of the subconscious faculty
of your mind.
SELF-CONFIDENCE FORMULA
FIRST. I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my
Definite Purpose in life, therefore, I demand of myself
persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I
here and now promise to render such action.
SECOND. I realize the dominating thoughts of my mind will
eventually reproduce themselves in outward, physical action,
and gradually transform themselves into physical reality,
therefore, I will concentrate my thoughts for thirty minutes
daily upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to
become, thereby creating in my mind a clear mental picture
of that person.
THIRD. I know through the principle of auto-suggestion any
desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek
expression through some practical means of attaining the
object back of it, therefore, I will devote ten minutes daily to
demanding of myself the development of self-confidence.
FOURTH. I have clearly written down a description of my
Definite Chief Aim in life, and I will never stop trying until I
shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for its
attainment.
FIFTH. I fully realize that no wealth or position can long
endure unless built upon truth and justice, therefore, I will
engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it
affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish
to use, and the cooperation of other people. I will induce
others to serve me, because of my willingness to serve others.
I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and
cynicism, by developing love for all humanity, because I know
that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me
success. I will cause others to believe in me, because I will
believe in them, and in myself.
I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory,
and repeat it aloud once a day, with full faith that it will
gradually influence my thoughts and actions so that I will
become a self-reliant and successful person.
Back of this formula is a law of Nature which no man has yet
been able to explain. It has baffled the scientists of all ages. The
psychologists have named this law “auto-suggestion,” and let it go at
that.
The name by which one calls this law is of little importance. The
important fact about it is—it works for the glory and success of
mankind, IF it is used constructively. On the other hand, if used
destructively, it will destroy just as readily. In this statement may be
found a very significant truth; namely, that those who go down in
defeat, and end their lives in poverty, misery, and distress, do so
because of negative application of the principle of auto-suggestion.
The cause may be found in the fact that all impulses of thought have
a tendency to clothe themselves in their physical equivalent.
The subconscious mind (the chemical laboratory in which all
thought impulses are combined, and made ready for translation into
physical reality) makes no distinction between constructive and
destructive thought impulses. It works with the material we feed it,
through our thought impulses. The subconscious mind will translate
into reality a thought driven by fear just as readily as it will translate
into reality a thought driven by courage, or faith.
The pages of medical history are rich with illustrations of cases of
“suggestive suicide.” A man may commit suicide through negative
suggestion, just as effectively as by any other means. In a midwestern
city, a man by the name of Joseph Grant, a bank official, “borrowed”
a large sum of the bank’s money, without the consent of the
directors. He lost the money through gambling. One afternoon, the
Bank Examiner came and began to check the accounts. Grant left the
bank, took a room in a local hotel, and when they found him, three
days later, he was lying in bed, wailing and moaning, repeating over
and over these words, “My God, this will kill me! I cannot stand the
disgrace.” In a short time he was dead. The doctors pronounced the
case one of “mental suicide.”
Just as electricity will turn the wheels of industry, and render
useful service if used constructively, or snuff out life if wrongly used,
so will the law of auto-suggestion lead you to peace and prosperity,
or down into the valley of misery, failure, and death, according to
your degree of understanding and application of it.
If you fill your mind with fear, doubt, and unbelief in your ability
to connect with and use the forces of Infinite Intelligence, the law of
auto-suggestion will take this spirit of unbelief and use it as a pattern
by which your subconscious mind will translate it into its physical
equivalent.
This statement is as true as the statement that two and two are
four!
Like the wind which carries one ship East, and another West, the
law of auto-suggestion will lift you up or pull you down, according to
the way you set your sails of thought.
The law of auto-suggestion, through which any person may rise
to altitudes of achievement which stagger the imagination, is well
described in the following verse:
If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will—
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!
Observe the words which have been emphasized, and you will
catch the deep meaning which the poet had in mind.
Somewhere in your make-up (perhaps in the cells of your brain)
there lies sleeping the seed of achievement which, if aroused and put
into action, would carry you to heights such as you may never have
hoped to attain.
Just as a master musician may cause the most beautiful strains of
music to pour forth from the strings of a violin, so may you arouse
the genius which lies asleep in your brain, and cause it to drive you
upward to whatever goal you may wish to achieve.
Abraham Lincoln was a failure at everything he tried, until he
was well past the age of forty. He was a Mr. Nobody from Nowhere,
until a great experience came into his life, aroused the sleeping
genius within his heart and brain, and gave the world one of its really
great men. That “experience” was mixed with the emotions of sorrow
and love. It came to him through Anne Rutledge, the only woman
whom he ever truly loved.
It is a known fact that the emotion of love is closely akin to the
state of mind known as faith, and this for the reason that love comes
very near to translating one’s thought impulses into their spiritual
equivalent. During his work of research, the author discovered, from
the analysis of the lifework and achievements of hundreds of men of
outstanding accomplishment, that there was the influence of a
woman’s love back of nearly every one of them. The emotion of love,
in the human heart and brain, creates a favorable field of magnetic
attraction, which causes an influx of the higher and finer vibrations
which are afloat in the ether.
If you wish evidence of the power of faith, study the
achievements of men and women who have employed it. At the head
of the list comes the Nazarene. Christianity is the greatest single
force which influences the minds of men. The basis of Christianity is
faith, no matter how many people may have perverted or
misinterpreted the meaning of this great force, and no matter how
many dogmas and creeds have been created in its name, which do
not reflect its tenets.
The sum and substance of the teachings and the achievements of
Christ, which may have been interpreted as “miracles,” were nothing
more nor less than faith. If there are any such phenomena as
“miracles” they are produced only through the state of mind known
as faith! Some teachers of religion, and many who call themselves
Christians, neither understand nor practice faith.
Let us consider the power of faith, as it is now being
demonstrated, by a man who is well known to all of civilization,
Mahatma Gandhi, of India. In this man the world has one of the
most astounding examples known to civilization of the possibilities
of faith. Gandhi wields more potential power than any man living at
this time, and this, despite the fact that he has none of the orthodox
tools of power, such as money, battle ships, soldiers, and materials of
warfare. Gandhi has no money, he has no home, he does not own a
suit of clothes, but he does have power. How does he come by that
power?
He created it out of his understanding of the principle of faith,
and through his ability to transplant that faith into the minds of two
hundred million people.
Gandhi has accomplished, through the influence of faith, that
which the strongest military power on earth could not, and never will
accomplish through soldiers and military equipment. He has
accomplished the astounding feat of influencing two hundred million
minds to coalesce and move in unison, as a single mind.
What other force on earth, except faith, could do as much?
There will come a day when employees as well as employers will
discover the possibilities of faith. That day is dawning. The whole
world has had ample opportunity, during the recent business
depression, to witness what the lack of faith will do to business.
Surely, civilization has produced a sufficient number of
intelligent human beings to make use of this great lesson which the
depression has taught the world. During this depression, the world
had evidence in abundance that widespread fear will paralyze the
wheels of industry and business. Out of this experience will arise
leaders in business and industry who will profit by the example
which Gandhi has set for the world, and they will apply to business
the same tactics which he has used in building the greatest following
known in the history of the world. These leaders will come from the
rank and file of the unknown men, who now labor in the steel plants,
the coal mines, the automobile factories, and in the small towns and
cities of America.
Business is due for a reform, make no mistake about this! The
methods of the past, based upon economic combinations of force and
fear, will be supplanted by the better principles of faith and
cooperation. Men who labor will receive more than daily wages; they
will receive dividends from the business the same as those who
supply the capital for business; but first they must give more to their
employers, and stop this bickering and bargaining by force, at the
expense of the public. They must earn the right to dividends!
Moreover, and this is the most important thing of all—they will
be led by leaders who will understand and apply the principles
employed by Mahatma Gandhi. Only in this way may leaders get
from their followers the spirit of full cooperation which constitutes
power in its highest and most enduring form.
This stupendous machine age in which we live, and from which
we are just emerging, has taken the soul out of men. Its leaders have
driven men as though they were pieces of cold machinery; they were
forced to do so by the employees who have bargained, at the expense
of all concerned, to get and not to give. The watchword of the future
will be human happiness and contentment, and when this state of
mind shall have been attained, the production will take care of itself,
more effectively than anything that has ever been accomplished
where men did not, and could not, mix faith and individual interest
with their labor.
Because of the need for faith and cooperation in operating
business and industry, it will be both interesting and profitable to
analyze an event which provides an excellent understanding of the
method by which industrialists and business men accumulate great
fortunes, by giving before they try to get.
The event chosen for this illustration dates back to 1900, when
the United States Steel Corporation was being formed. As you read
the story, keep in mind these fundamental facts and you will
understand how ideas have been converted into huge fortunes.
First, the huge United States Steel Corporation was born in the
mind of Charles M. Schwab, in the form of an idea he created
through his imagination! Second, he mixed faith with his idea. Third,
he formulated a plan for the transformation of his idea into physical
and financial reality. Fourth, he put his plan into action with his
famous speech at the University Club. Fifth, he applied, and
followed-through on his plan with persistence, and backed it with
firm decision until it had been fully carried out. Sixth, he prepared
the way for success by a burning desire for success.
If you are one of those who have often wondered how great
fortunes are accumulated, this story of the creation of the United
States Steel Corporation will be enlightening. If you have any doubt
that men can think and grow rich, this story should dispel that doubt,
because you can plainly see in the story of the United States Steel the
application of a major portion of the thirteen principles described in
this book.
This astounding description of the power of an idea was
dramatically told by John Lowell, in the New York World-Telegram,
with whose courtesy it is here reprinted.
A PRETTY AFTER-DINNER SPEECH FOR A BILLION DOLLARS
“When, on the evening of December 12, 1900, some eighty of the
nation’s financial nobility gathered in the banquet hall of the
University Club on Fifth Avenue to do honor to a young man from
out of the West, not half a dozen of the guests realized they were to
witness the most significant episode in American industrial history.
“J. Edward Simmons and Charles Stewart Smith, their hearts full
of gratitude for the lavish hospitality bestowed on them by Charles
M. Schwab during a recent visit to Pittsburgh, had arranged the
dinner to introduce the thirty-eight-year-old steel man to eastern
banking society. But they didn’t expect him to stampede the
convention. They warned him, in fact, that the bosoms within New
York’s stuffed shirts would not be responsive to oratory, and that, if
he didn’t want to bore the Stillmans and Harrimans and Vanderbilts,
he had better limit himself to fifteen or twenty minutes of polite
vaporings and let it go at that.
“Even John Pierpont Morgan, sitting on the right hand of Schwab
as became his imperial dignity, intended to grace the banquet table
with his presence only briefly. And so far as the press and public
were concerned, the whole affair was of so little moment that no
mention of it found its way into print the next day.
“So the two hosts and their distinguished guests ate their way
through the usual seven or eight courses. There was little
conversation and what there was of it was restrained. Few of the
bankers and brokers had met Schwab, whose career had flowered
along the banks of the Monongahela, and none knew him well. But
before the evening was over, they—and with them Money Master
Morgan—were to be swept off their feet, and a billion-dollar baby,
the United States Steel Corporation, was to be conceived.
“It is perhaps unfortunate, for the sake of history, that no record
of Charlie Schwab’s speech at the dinner ever was made. He repeated
some parts of it at a later date during a similar meeting of Chicago
bankers. And still later, when the Government brought suit to
dissolve the Steel Trust, he gave his own version, from the witness
stand, of the remarks that stimulated Morgan into a frenzy of
financial activity.
“It is probable, however, that it was a ‘homely’ speech, somewhat
ungrammatical (for the niceties of language never bothered Schwab),
full of epigram and threaded with wit. But aside from that it had a
galvanic force and effect upon the five billions of estimated capital
that was represented by the diners. After it was over and the
gathering was still under its spell, although Schwab had talked for
ninety minutes, Morgan led the orator to a recessed window where,
dangling their legs from the high, uncomfortable seat, they talked for
an hour more.
“The magic of the Schwab personality had been turned on, full
force, but what was more important and lasting was the full-fledged,
clear-cut program he laid down for the aggrandizement of Steel.
Many other men had tried to interest Morgan in slapping together a
Steel Trust after the pattern of the biscuit, wire and hoop, sugar,
rubber, whisky, oil or chewing gum combinations. John W. Gates,
the gambler, had urged it, but Morgan distrusted him. The Moore
boys, Bill and Jim, Chicago stock jobbers who had glued together a
match trust and a cracker corporation, had urged it and failed. Elbert
H. Gary, the sanctimonious country lawyer, wanted to foster it, but
he wasn’t big enough to be impressive. Until Schwab’s eloquence
took J. P. Morgan to the heights from which he could visualize the
solid results of the most daring financial undertaking ever conceived,
the project was regarded as a delirious dream of easy-money
crackpots.
“The financial magnetism that began, a generation ago, to attract
thousands of small and sometimes inefficiently managed companies
into large and competition-crushing combinations, had become
operative in the steel world through the devices of that jovial
business pirate, John W. Gates. Gates already had formed the
American Steel and Wire Company out of a chain of small concerns,
and together with Morgan had created the Federal Steel Company.
The National Tube and American Bridge companies were two more
Morgan concerns, and the Moore Brothers had forsaken the match
and cookie business to form the ‘American’ group—Tin Plate, Steel
Hoop, Sheet Steel—and the National Steel Company.
“But by the side of Andrew Carnegie’s gigantic vertical trust, a
trust owned and operated by fifty-three partners, those other
combinations were picayune. They might combine to their heart’s
content but the whole lot of them couldn’t make a dent in the
Carnegie organization, and Morgan knew it.
“The eccentric old Scot knew it, too. From the magnificent
heights of Skibo Castle he had viewed, first with amusement and
then with resentment, the attempts of Morgan’s smaller companies
to cut into his business. When the attempts became too bold,
Carnegie’s temper was translated into anger and retaliation. He
decided to duplicate every mill owned by his rivals. Hitherto, he
hadn’t been interested in wire, pipe, hoops, or sheet. Instead, he was
content to sell such companies the raw steel and let them work it into
whatever shape they wanted. Now, with Schwab as his chief and able
lieutenant, he planned to drive his enemies to the wall.
“So it was that in the speech of Charles M. Schwab, Morgan saw
the answer to his problem of combination. A trust without Carnegie
—giant of them all—would be no trust at all, a plum pudding, as one
writer said, without the plums.
“Schwab’s speech on the night of December 12, 1900,
undoubtedly carried the inference, though not the pledge, that the
vast Carnegie enterprise could be brought under the Morgan tent. He
talked of the world future for steel, of reorganization for efficiency, of
specialization, of the scrapping of unsuccessful mills and
concentration of effort on the flourishing properties, of economies in
the ore traffic, of economies in overhead and administrative
departments, of capturing foreign markets.
“More than that, he told the buccaneers among them wherein lay
the errors of their customary piracy. Their purposes, he inferred, had
been to create monopolies, raise prices, and pay themselves fat
dividends out of privilege. Schwab condemned the system in his
heartiest manner. The shortsightedness of such a policy, he told his
hearers, lay in the fact that it restricted the market in an era when
everything cried for expansion. By cheapening the cost of steel, he
argued, an ever-expanding market would be created; more uses for
steel would be devised, and a goodly portion of the world trade could
be captured. Actually, though he did not know it, Schwab was an
apostle of modern mass production.
“So, the dinner at the University Club came to an end. Morgan
went home, to think about Schwab’s rosy predictions. Schwab went
back to Pittsburgh to run the steel business for ‘Wee Andra
Carnegie,’ while Gary and the rest went back to their stock tickers, to
fiddle around in anticipation of the next move.
“It was not long coming. It took Morgan about one week to digest
the feast of reason Schwab had placed before him. When he had
assured himself that no financial indigestion was to result, he sent
for Schwab—and found that young man rather coy. Mr. Carnegie,
Schwab indicated, might not like it if he found his trusted company
president had been flirting with the Emperor of Wall Street, the
Street upon which Carnegie was resolved never to tread. Then it was
suggested by John W. Gates the go-between, that if Schwab
‘happened’ to be in the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia, J. P. Morgan
might also ‘happen’ to be there. When Schwab arrived, however,
Morgan was inconveniently ill at his New York home, and so, on the
elder man’s pressing invitation, Schwab went to New York and
presented himself at the door of the financier’s library.
“Now certain economic historians have professed the belief that
from the beginning to the end of the drama, the stage was set by
Andrew Carnegie—that the dinner to Schwab, the famous speech, the
Sunday night conference between Schwab and the Money King, were
events arranged by the canny Scot. The truth is exactly the opposite.
When Schwab was called in to consummate the deal, he didn’t even
know whether ‘the little boss,’ as Andrew was called, would so much
as listen to an offer to sell, particularly to a group of men whom
Andrew regarded as being endowed with something less than
holiness. But Schwab did take into the conference with him, in his
own handwriting, six sheets of copper-plate figures, representing to
his mind the physical worth and the potential earning capacity of
every steel company he regarded as an essential star in the new metal
firmament.
“Four men pondered over these figures all night. The chief, of
course, was Morgan, steadfast in his belief in the Divine Right of
Money. With him was his aristocratic partner, Robert Bacon, a
scholar and a gentleman. The third was John W. Gates, whom
Morgan scorned as a gambler and used as a tool. The fourth was
Schwab, who knew more about the processes of making and selling
steel than any whole group of men then living. Throughout that
conference, the Pittsburgher’s figures were never questioned. If he
said a company was worth so much, then it was worth that much and
no more. He was insistent, too, upon including in the combination
only those concerns he nominated. He had conceived a corporation
in which there would be no duplication, not even to satisfy the greed
of friends who wanted to unload their companies upon the broad
Morgan shoulders. Thus he left out, by design, a number of the larger
concerns upon which the Walruses and Carpenters of Wall Street
had cast hungry eyes.
“When dawn came, Morgan rose and straightened his back. Only
one question remained.
“‘Do you think you can persuade Andrew Carnegie to sell?’ he
asked.
“‘I can try,’ said Schwab.
“‘If you can get him to sell, I will undertake the matter,’ said
Morgan.
“So far so good. But would Carnegie sell? How much would he
demand? (Schwab thought about $320,000,000). What would he
take payment in? Common or preferred stocks? Bonds? Cash?
Nobody could raise a third of a billion dollars in cash.
“There was a golf game in January on the frost-cracking heath of
the St. Andrews links in Westchester, with Andrew bundled up in
sweaters against the cold, and Charlie talking volubly, as usual, to
keep his spirits up. But no word of business was mentioned until the
pair sat down in the cozy warmth of the Carnegie cottage hard by.
Then, with the same persuasiveness that had hypnotized eighty
millionaires at the University Club, Schwab poured out the glittering
promises of retirement in comfort, of untold millions to satisfy the
old man’s social caprices. Carnegie capitulated, wrote a figure on a
slip of paper, handed it to Schwab and said, ‘All right, that’s what
we’ll sell for.’
“The figure was approximately $400,000,000, and was reached
by taking the $320,000,000 mentioned by Schwab as a basic figure,
and adding to it $80,000,000 to represent the increased capital
value over the previous two years.
“Later, on the deck of a trans-Atlantic liner, the Scotsman said
ruefully to Morgan, ‘I wish I had asked you for $100,000,000 more.’
“‘If you had asked for it, you’d have gotten it,’ Morgan told him
cheerfully.
—
“There was an uproar, of course. A British correspondent cabled that
the foreign steel world was ‘appalled’ by the gigantic combination.
President Hadley, of Yale, declared that unless trusts were regulated
the country might expect ‘an emperor in Washington within the next
twenty-five years.’ But that able stock manipulator, Keene, went at
his work of shoving the new stock at the public so vigorously that all
the excess water—estimated by some at nearly $600,000,000—was
absorbed in a twinkling. So Carnegie had his millions, and the
Morgan syndicate had $62,000,000 for all its ‘trouble,’ and all the
‘boys,’ from Gates to Gary, had their millions.
—
“The thirty-eight-year-old Schwab had his reward. He was made
president of the new corporation and remained in control until
1930.”
The dramatic story of “Big Business” which you have just finished
was included in this book because it is a perfect illustration of the
method by which desire can be transmuted into its physical
equivalent!
I imagine some readers will question the statement that a mere,
intangible desire can be converted into its physical equivalent.
Doubtless some will say, “You cannot convert nothing into
something!” The answer is in the story of United States Steel.
That giant organization was created in the mind of one man. The
plan by which the organization was provided with the steel mills that
gave it financial stability was created in the mind of the same man.
His faith, his desire, his imagination, his persistence were the real
ingredients that went into United States Steel. The steel mills and
mechanical equipment acquired by the corporation, after it had been
brought into legal existence, were incidental, but careful analysis will
disclose the fact that the appraised value of the properties acquired
by the corporation increased in value by an estimated $600,000,000
by the mere transaction which consolidated them under one
management.
In other words, Charles M. Schwab’s idea, plus the faith with
which he conveyed it to the minds of J. P. Morgan and the others,
was marketed for a profit of approximately $600,000,000. Not an
insignificant sum for a single idea!
What happened to some of the men who took their share of the
millions of dollars of profit made by this transaction is a matter with
which we are not now concerned. The important feature of the
astounding achievement is that it serves as unquestionable evidence
of the soundness of the philosophy described in this book, because
this philosophy was the warp and the woof of the entire transaction.
Moreover, the practicability of the philosophy has been established
by the fact that the United States Steel Corporation prospered, and
became one of the richest and most powerful corporations in
America, employing thousands of people, developing new uses for
steel, and opening new markets; thus proving that the
$600,000,000 in profit which the Schwab idea produced was
earned.
Riches begin in the form of thought!
The amount is limited only by the person in whose mind the
thought is put into motion. Faith removes limitations! Remember
this when you are ready to bargain with Life for whatever it is that
you ask as your price for having passed this way.
Remember, also, that the man who created the United States
Steel Corporation was practically unknown at the time. He was
merely Andrew Carnegie’s “Man Friday” until he gave birth to his
famous IDEA. After that he quickly rose to a position of power, fame,
and riches.
There are no limitations to the mind except those we
acknowledge
Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought
CHAPTER 4
AUTO-SUGGESTION
THE MEDIUM FOR INFLUENCING THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
The Third Step Toward Riches
A
uto-suggestion is a term which applies to all suggestions and
all self-administered stimuli which reach one’s mind through
the five senses. Stated in another way, auto-suggestion is selfsuggestion. It is the agency of communication between that part of
the mind where conscious thought takes place, and that which serves
as the seat of action for the subconscious mind.
Through the dominating thoughts which one permits to remain
in the conscious mind (whether these thoughts be negative or
positive, is immaterial), the principle of auto-suggestion voluntarily
reaches the subconscious mind and influences it with these thoughts.
No thought, whether it be negative or positive, can enter the
subconscious mind without the aid of the principle of autosuggestion, with the exception of thoughts picked up from the ether.
Stated differently, all sense impressions which are perceived through
the five senses are stopped by the conscious thinking mind, and may
be either passed on to the subconscious mind, or rejected, at will.
The conscious faculty serves, therefore, as an outer-guard to the
approach of the subconscious.
Nature has so built man that he has absolute control over the
material which reaches his subconscious mind, through his five
senses, although this is not meant to be construed as a statement
that man always exercises this control. In the great majority of
instances, he does not exercise it, which explains why so many
people go through life in poverty.
Recall what has been said about the subconscious mind
resembling a fertile garden spot, in which weeds will grow in
abundance if the seeds of more desirable crops are not sown therein.
Auto-suggestion is the agency of control through which an individual
may voluntarily feed his subconscious mind on thoughts of a creative
nature, or, by neglect, permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find
their way into this rich garden of the mind.
You were instructed, in the last of the six steps described in the
chapter on Desire, to read aloud twice daily the written statement of
your desire for money, and to see and feel yourself already in
possession of the money! By following these instructions, you
communicate the object of your desire directly to your subconscious
mind in a spirit of absolute faith. Through repetition of this
procedure, you voluntarily create thought habits which are favorable
to your efforts to transmute desire into its monetary equivalent.
Go back to these six steps described in chapter two, and read
them again, very carefully, before you proceed further. Then (when
you come to it), read very carefully the four instructions for the
organization of your “Master Mind” group, described in the chapter
on Organized Planning. By comparing these two sets of instructions
with that which has been stated on auto-suggestion, you, of course,
will see that the instructions involve the application of the principle
of auto-suggestion.
Remember, therefore, when reading aloud the statement of your
desire (through which you are endeavoring to develop a “money
consciousness”), that the mere reading of the words is of no
consequence—unless you mix emotion, or feeling, with your words.
If you repeat a million times the famous Emil Coué formula, “Day by
day, in every way, I am getting better and better,” without mixing
emotion and faith with your words, you will experience no desirable
results. Your subconscious mind recognizes and acts upon only
thoughts which have been well-mixed with emotion or feeling.
This is a fact of such importance as to warrant repetition in
practically every chapter, because the lack of understanding of this is
the main reason the majority of people who try to apply the principle
of auto-suggestion get no desirable results.
Plain, unemotional words do not influence the subconscious
mind. You will get no appreciable results until you learn to reach
your subconscious mind with thoughts, or spoken words which have
been well emotionalized with belief.
Do not become discouraged if you cannot control and direct your
emotions the first time you try to do so. Remember, there is no such
possibility as something for nothing. Ability to reach and influence
your subconscious mind has its price, and you must pay that price.
You cannot cheat, even if you desire to do so. The price of ability to
influence your subconscious mind is everlasting persistence in
applying the principles described here. You cannot develop the
desired ability for a lower price. You, and you alone, must decide
whether or not the reward for which you are striving (the “money
consciousness”) is worth the price you must pay for it in effort.
Wisdom and “cleverness” alone will not attract and retain money
except in a few very rare instances, where the law of averages favors
the attraction of money through these sources. The method of
attracting money described here does not depend upon the law of
averages. Moreover, the method plays no favorites. It will work for
one person as effectively as it will for another. Where failure is
experienced, it is the individual, not the method, which has failed. If
you try and fail, make another effort, and still another, until you
succeed.
Your ability to use the principle of auto-suggestion will depend,
very largely, upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire
until that desire becomes a burning obsession.
When you begin to carry out the instructions in connection with
the six steps described in the second chapter, it will be necessary for
you to make use of the principle of concentration.
Let us here offer suggestions for the effective use of
concentration. When you begin to carry out the first of the six steps,
which instructs you to “fix in your own mind the exact amount of
money you desire,” hold your thoughts on that amount of money by
concentration, or fixation of attention, with your eyes closed, until
you can actually see the physical appearance of the money. Do this at
least once each day. As you go through these exercises, follow the
instructions given in the chapter on faith, and see yourself actually in
possession of the money!
Here is a most significant fact—the subconscious mind takes any
orders given it in a spirit of absolute faith, and acts upon those
orders, although the orders often have to be presented over and over
again, through repetition, before they are interpreted by the
subconscious mind. Following the preceding statement, consider the
possibility of playing a perfectly legitimate “trick” on your
subconscious mind, by making it believe, because you believe it, that
you must have the amount of money you are visualizing, that this
money is already awaiting your claim, that the subconscious mind
must hand over to you practical plans for acquiring the money which
is yours.
Hand over the thought suggested in the preceding paragraph to
your imagination, and see what your imagination can or will do to
create practical plans for the accumulation of money through
transmutation of your desire.
Do not wait for a definite plan, through which you intend to
exchange services or merchandise in return for the money you are
visualizing, but begin at once to see yourself in possession of the
money, demanding and expecting meanwhile that your subconscious
mind will hand over the plan, or plans, you need. Be on the alert for
these plans, and when they appear, put them into action
immediately. When the plans appear, they will probably “flash” into
your mind through the sixth sense, in the form of an “inspiration.”
This inspiration may be considered a direct “telegram,” or message
from Infinite Intelligence. Treat it with respect, and act upon it as
soon as you receive it. Failure to do this will be fatal to your success.
In the fourth of the six steps, you were instructed to “Create a
definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once to put
this plan into action.” You should follow this instruction in the
manner described in the preceding paragraph. Do not trust to your
“reason” when creating your plan for accumulating money through
the transmutation of desire. Your reason is faulty. Moreover, your
reasoning faculty may be lazy, and, if you depend entirely upon it to
serve you, it may disappoint you.
When visualizing the money you intend to accumulate (with
closed eyes), see yourself rendering the service, or delivering the
merchandise you intend to give in return for this money. This is
important!
SUMMARY OF INSTRUCTIONS
The fact that you are reading this book is an indication that you
earnestly seek knowledge. It is also an indication that you are a
student of this subject. If you are only a student, there is a chance
that you may learn much that you did not know, but you will learn
only by assuming an attitude of humility. If you choose to follow
some of the instructions but neglect or refuse to follow others—you
will fail! To get satisfactory results, you must follow all instructions
in a spirit of faith.
The instructions given in connection with the six steps in the
second chapter will now be summarized, and blended with the
principles covered by this chapter, as follows:
FIRST. Go into some quiet spot (preferably in bed at night)
where you will not be disturbed or interrupted, close your
eyes, and repeat aloud (so you may hear your own words) the
written statement of the amount of money you intend to
accumulate, the time limit for its accumulation, and a
description of the service or merchandise you intend to give
in return for the money. As you carry out these instructions,
see yourself already in possession of the money.
For example:—Suppose that you intend to accumulate
$50,000 by the first of January, five years hence, that you
intend to give personal services in return for the money, in
the capacity of a salesman. Your written statement of your
purpose should be similar to the following:
“By the first day of January, 19. . , I will have in my
possession $50,000, which will come to me in various
amounts from time to time during the interim.
“In return for this money I will give the most efficient
service of which I am capable, rendering the fullest possible
quantity, and the best possible quality of service in the
capacity of salesman of . . . (describe the service or
merchandise you intend to sell).
“I believe that I will have this money in my possession.
My faith is so strong that I can now see this money before my
eyes. I can touch it with my hands. It is now awaiting transfer
to me at the time and in the proportion that I deliver the
service I intend to render in return for it. I am awaiting a plan
by which to accumulate this money, and I will follow that
plan when it is received.”
SECOND. Repeat this program night and morning until you can
see (in your imagination) the money you intend to
accumulate.
THIRD. Place a written copy of your statement where you can
see it night and morning, and read it just before retiring and
upon arising until it has been memorized.
Remember, as you carry out these instructions, that you are
applying the principle of auto-suggestion, for the purpose of giving
orders to your subconscious mind. Remember, also, that your
subconscious mind will act only upon instructions which are
emotionalized, and handed over to it with “feeling.” Faith is the
strongest and most productive of the emotions. Follow the
instructions given in the chapter on faith.
These instructions may, at first, seem abstract. Do not let this
disturb you. Follow the instructions, no matter how abstract or
impractical they may, at first, appear to be. The time will soon come,
if you do as you have been instructed, in spirit as well as in act,
when a whole new universe of power will unfold to you.
Scepticism, in connection with all new ideas, is characteristic of
all human beings. But if you follow the instructions outlined, your
scepticism will soon be replaced by belief, and this, in turn, will soon
become crystallized into absolute faith. Then you will have arrived at
the point where you may truly say, “I am the master of my fate, I am
the captain of my soul!”
Many philosophers have made the statement that man is the
master of his own earthly destiny, but most of them have failed to
say why he is the master. The reason that man may be the master of
his own earthly status, and especially his financial status, is
thoroughly explained in this chapter. Man may become the master of
himself, and of his environment, because he has the power to
influence his own subconscious mind, and through it, gain the
cooperation of Infinite Intelligence.
You are now reading the chapter which represents the keystone
to the arch of this philosophy. The instructions contained in this
chapter must be understood and applied with persistence if you are
to succeed in transmuting desire into money.
The actual performance of transmuting desire into money
involves the use of auto-suggestion as an agency by which one may
reach, and influence, the subconscious mind. The other principles
are simply tools with which to apply auto-suggestion. Keep this
thought in mind, and you will, at all times, be conscious of the
important part the principle of auto-suggestion is to play in your
efforts to accumulate money through the methods described in this
book.
Carry out these instructions as though you were a small child.
Inject into your efforts something of the faith of a child. The author
has been most careful to see that no impractical instructions were
included, because of his sincere desire to be helpful.
After you have read the entire book, come back to this chapter,
and follow in spirit, and in action, this instruction:
Read the entire chapter aloud once every night, until you become
thoroughly convinced that the principle of auto-suggestion is sound,
that it will accomplish for you all that has been claimed for it. As you
read, underscore with a pencil every sentence which impresses you
favorably.
Follow the foregoing instruction to the letter and it will open the
way for a complete understanding and mastery of the principles of
success.
CHAPTER 5
SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OR OBSERVATIONS
The Fourth Step Toward Riches
T
here are two kinds of knowledge. One is general, the other is
specialized. General knowledge, no matter how great in
quantity or variety it may be, is of but little use in the
accumulation of money. The faculties of the great universities
possess, in the aggregate, practically every form of general
knowledge known to civilization. Most of the professors have but
little or no money. They specialize on teaching knowledge, but they
do not specialize on the organization or the use of knowledge.
Knowledge will not attract money, unless it is organized, and
intelligently directed, through practical plans of action, to the
definite end of accumulation of money. Lack of understanding of this
fact has been the source of confusion to millions of people who
falsely believe that “knowledge is power.” It is nothing of the sort!
Knowledge is only potential power. It becomes power only when, and
if, it is organized into definite plans of action, and directed to a
definite end.
This “missing link” in all systems of education known to
civilization today may be found in the failure of educational
institutions to teach their students how to organize and use
knowledge after they acquire it.
Many people make the mistake of assuming that, because Henry
Ford had but little “schooling,” he is not a man of “education.” Those
who make this mistake do not know Henry Ford, nor do they
understand the real meaning of the word “educate.” That word is
derived from the Latin word “educo,” meaning to educe, to draw out,
to develop from within.
An educated man is not, necessarily, one who has an abundance
of general or specialized knowledge. An educated man is one who has
so developed the faculties of his mind that he may acquire anything
he wants, or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others.
Henry Ford comes well within the meaning of this definition.
During the world war, a Chicago newspaper published certain
editorials in which, among other statements, Henry Ford was called
“an ignorant pacifist.” Mr. Ford objected to the statements, and
brought suit against the paper for libeling him. When the suit was
tried in the Courts, the attorneys for the paper pleaded justification,
and placed Mr. Ford, himself, on the witness stand, for the purpose
of proving to the jury that he was ignorant. The attorneys asked Mr.
Ford a great variety of questions, all of them intended to prove, by
his own evidence, that, while he might possess considerable
specialized knowledge pertaining to the manufacture of automobiles,
he was, in the main, ignorant.
Mr. Ford was plied with such questions as the following:
“Who was Benedict Arnold?” and “How many soldiers did the
British send over to America to put down the Rebellion of 1776?” In
answer to the last question, Mr. Ford replied, “I do not know the
exact number of soldiers the British sent over, but I have heard that
it was a considerably larger number than ever went back.”
Finally, Mr. Ford became tired of this line of questioning, and in
reply to a particularly offensive question, he leaned over, pointed his
finger at the lawyer who had asked the question, and said, “If I
should really want to answer the foolish question you have just
asked, or any of the other questions you have been asking me, let me
remind you that I have a row of electric pushbuttons on my desk, and
by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid men who can
answer any question I desire to ask concerning the business to which
I am devoting most of my efforts. Now, will you kindly tell me, why I
should clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose
of being able to answer questions, when I have men around me who
can supply any knowledge I require?”
There certainly was good logic to that reply.
That answer floored the lawyer. Every person in the courtroom
realized it was the answer not of an ignorant man but of a man of
education. Any man is educated who knows where to get knowledge
when he needs it, and how to organize that knowledge into definite
plans of action. Through the assistance of his “Master Mind” group,
Henry Ford had at his command all the specialized knowledge he
needed to enable him to become one of the wealthiest men in
America. It was not essential that he have this knowledge in his own
mind. Surely no person who has sufficient inclination and
intelligence to read a book of this nature can possibly miss the
significance of this illustration.
Before you can be sure of your ability to transmute desire into its
monetary equivalent, you will require specialized knowledge of the
service, merchandise, or profession which you intend to offer in
return for fortune. Perhaps you may need much more specialized
knowledge than you have the ability or the inclination to acquire, and
if this should be true, you may bridge your weakness through the aid
of your “Master Mind” group.
Andrew Carnegie stated that he, personally, knew nothing about
the technical end of the steel business; moreover, he did not
particularly care to know anything about it. The specialized
knowledge which he required for the manufacture and marketing of
steel he found available through the individual units of his “Master
Mind” group.
The accumulation of great fortunes calls for power, and power is
acquired through highly organized and intelligently directed
specialized knowledge, but that knowledge does not, necessarily,
have to be in the possession of the man who accumulates the fortune.
The preceding paragraph should give hope and encouragement
to the man with ambition to accumulate a fortune who has not
possessed himself of the necessary “education” to supply such
specialized knowledge as he may require. Men sometimes go through
life suffering from “inferiority complexes” because they are not men
of “education.” The man who can organize and direct a “Master
Mind” group of men who possess knowledge useful in the
accumulation of money is just as much a man of education as any
man in the group. Remember this if you suffer from a feeling of
inferiority because your schooling has been limited.
Thomas A. Edison had only three months of “schooling” during
his entire life. He did not lack education, neither did he die poor.
Henry Ford had less than a sixth grade “schooling” but he has
managed to do pretty well by himself, financially.
Specialized knowledge is among the most plentiful, and the
cheapest, forms of service which may be had! If you doubt this,
consult the payroll of any university.
IT PAYS TO KNOW HOW TO PURCHASE KNOWLEDGE
First of all, decide the sort of specialized knowledge you require, and
the purpose for which it is needed. To a large extent your major
purpose in life, the goal toward which you are working, will help
determine what knowledge you need. With this question settled, your
next move requires that you have accurate information concerning
dependable sources of knowledge. The more important of these are:
a. One’s own experience and education
b. Experience and education available through cooperation
of others (Master Mind Alliance)
c. Colleges and universities
d. Public libraries (through books and periodicals in which
may be found all the knowledge organized by civilization)
e. Special training courses (through night schools and home
study schools in particular)
As knowledge is acquired it must be organized and put into use,
for a definite purpose, through practical plans. Knowledge has no
value except that which can be gained from its application toward
some worthy end. This is one reason why college degrees are not
valued more highly. They represent nothing but miscellaneous
knowledge.
If you contemplate taking additional schooling, first determine
the purpose for which you want the knowledge you are seeking, then
learn where this particular sort of knowledge can be obtained, from
reliable sources.
Successful men, in all callings, never stop acquiring specialized
knowledge related to their major purpose, business, or profession.
Those who are not successful usually make the mistake of believing
that the knowledge acquiring period ends when one finishes school.
The truth is that schooling does but little more than to put one in the
way of learning how to acquire practical knowledge.
With this Changed World which began at the end of the economic
collapse came also astounding changes in educational requirements.
The order of the day is specialization! This truth was emphasized by
Robert P. Moore, secretary of appointments of Columbia University.
SPECIALISTS MOST SOUGHT
“Particularly sought after by employing companies are candidates
who have specialized in some field—business-school graduates with
training in accounting and statistics, engineers of all varieties,
journalists, architects, chemists, and also outstanding leaders and
activity men of the senior class.
“The man who has been active on the campus, whose personality
is such that he gets along with all kinds of people and who has done
an adequate job with his studies, has a most decided edge over the
strictly academic student. Some of these, because of their all-around
qualifications, have received several offers of positions, a few of them
as many as six.
“In departing from the conception that the ‘straight A’ student
was invariably the one to get the choice of the better jobs, Mr. Moore
said that most companies look not only to academic records but to
activity records and personalities of the students.
“One of the largest industrial companies, the leader in its field, in
writing to Mr. Moore concerning prospective seniors at the college,
said:
“‘We are interested primarily in finding men who can make
exceptional progress in management work. For this reason we
emphasize qualities of character, intelligence and personality far
more than specific educational background.’”
“APPRENTICESHIP” PROPOSED
“Proposing a system of ‘apprenticing’ students in offices, stores and
industrial occupations during the summer vacation, Mr. Moore
asserts that after the first two or three years of college, every student
should be asked ‘to choose a definite future course and to call a halt if
he has been merely pleasantly drifting without purpose through an
unspecialized academic curriculum.
“‘Colleges and universities must face the practical consideration
that all professions and occupations now demand specialists,’ he
said, urging that educational institutions accept more direct
responsibility for vocational guidance.”
One of the most reliable and practical sources of knowledge
available to those who need specialized schooling is the night schools
operated in most large cities. The correspondence schools give
specialized training anywhere the U. S. mails go, on all subjects that
can be taught by the extension method. One advantage of home
study training is the flexibility of the study programme which
permits one to study during spare time. Another stupendous
advantage of home study training (if the school is carefully chosen) is
the fact that most courses offered by home study schools carry with
them generous privileges of consultation which can be of priceless
value to those needing specialized knowledge. No matter where you
live, you can share the benefits.
Anything acquired without effort and without cost is generally
unappreciated, often discredited; perhaps this is why we get so little
from our marvelous opportunity in public schools. The self-discipline
one receives from a definite programme of specialized study makes
up, to some extent, for the wasted opportunity when knowledge was
available without cost. Correspondence schools are highly organized
business institutions. Their tuition fees are so low that they are
forced to insist upon prompt payments. Being asked to pay, whether
the student makes good grades or poor, has the effect of causing one
to follow through with the course when he would otherwise drop it.
The correspondence schools have not stressed this point sufficiently,
for the truth is that their collection departments constitute the very
finest sort of training on decision, promptness, action, and the habit
of finishing that which one begins.
I learned this from experience, more than twenty-five years ago. I
enrolled for a home study course in advertising. After completing
eight or ten lessons I stopped studying, but the school did not stop
sending me bills. Moreover, it insisted upon payment, whether I kept
up my studies or not. I decided that if I had to pay for the course
(which I had legally obligated myself to do), I should complete the
lessons and get my money’s worth. I felt, at the time, that the
collection system of the school was somewhat too well organized, but
I learned later in life that it was a valuable part of my training for
which no charge had been made. Being forced to pay, I went ahead
and completed the course. Later in life I discovered that the efficient
collection system of that school had been worth much in the form of
money earned, because of the training in advertising I had so
reluctantly taken.
We have in this country what is said to be the greatest public
school system in the world. We have invested fabulous sums for fine
buildings, we have provided convenient transportation for children
living in the rural districts so they may attend the best schools, but
there is one astounding weakness to this marvelous system—it is
free! One of the strange things about human beings is that they value
only that which has a price. The free schools of America, and the free
public libraries, do not impress people because they are free. This is
the major reason why so many people find it necessary to acquire
additional training after they quit school and go to work. It is also
one of the major reasons why employers give greater consideration
to employees who take home study courses. They have learned, from
experience, that any person who has the ambition to give up a part of
his spare time to studying at home has in him those qualities which
make for leadership. This recognition is not a charitable gesture—it is
sound business judgment upon the part of the employers.
There is one weakness in people for which there is no remedy. It
is the universal weakness of lack of ambition! Persons, especially
salaried people, who schedule their spare time to provide for home
study, seldom remain at the bottom very long. Their action opens the
way for the upward climb, removes many obstacles from their path,
and gains the friendly interest of those who have the power to put
them in the way of opportunity.
The home study method of training is especially suited to the
needs of employed people who find, after leaving school, that they
must acquire additional specialized knowledge but cannot spare the
time to go back to school.
The changed economic conditions prevailing since the depression
have made it necessary for thousands of people to find additional or
new sources of income. For the majority of these, the solution to
their problem may be found only by acquiring specialized knowledge.
Many will be forced to change their occupations entirely. When a
merchant finds that a certain line of merchandise is not selling, he
usually supplants it with another that is in demand. The person
whose business is that of marketing personal services must also be
an efficient merchant. If his services do not bring adequate returns in
one occupation, he must change to another, where broader
opportunities are available.
Stuart Austin Wier prepared himself as a Construction Engineer
and followed this line of work until the depression limited his market
to where it did not give him the income he required. He took
inventory of himself, decided to change his profession to law, went
back to school, and took special courses by which he prepared
himself as a corporation lawyer. Despite the fact the depression had
not ended, he completed his training, passed the Bar Examination,
and quickly built a lucrative law practice, in Dallas, Texas; in fact, he
is turning away clients.
Just to keep the record straight, and to anticipate the alibis of
those who will say, “I couldn’t go to school because I have a family to
support,” or “I’m too old,” I will add the information that Mr. Wier
was past forty and married when he went back to school. Moreover,
by carefully selecting highly specialized courses in colleges best
prepared to teach the subjects chosen, Mr. Wier completed in two
years the work for which the majority of law students require four
years. It pays to know how to purchase knowledge!
The person who stops studying merely because he has finished
school is forever hopelessly doomed to mediocrity, no matter what
may be his calling. The way of success is the way of continuous
pursuit of knowledge.
Let us consider a specific instance.
During the depression a salesman in a grocery store found
himself without a position. Having had some bookkeeping
experience, he took a special course in accounting, familiarized
himself with all the latest bookkeeping and office equipment, and
went into business for himself. Starting with the grocer for whom he
had formerly worked, he made contracts with more than a hundred
small merchants to keep their books, at a very nominal monthly fee.
His idea was so practical that he soon found it necessary to set up a
portable office in a light delivery truck, which he equipped with
modern bookkeeping machinery. He now has a fleet of these
bookkeeping offices “on wheels” and employs a large staff of
assistants, thus providing small merchants with accounting service
equal to the best that money can buy, at very nominal cost.
Specialized knowledge plus imagination were the ingredients that
went into this unique and successful business. Last year the owner of
that business paid an income tax of almost ten times as much as was
paid by the merchant for whom he worked when the depression
forced upon him a temporary adversity which proved to be a blessing
in disguise.
The beginning of this successful business was an idea!
Inasmuch as I had the privilege of supplying the unemployed
salesman with that idea, I now assume the further privilege of
suggesting another idea which has within it the possibility of even
greater income. Also the possibility of rendering useful service to
thousands of people who badly need that service.
The idea was suggested by the salesman who gave up selling and
went into the business of keeping books on a wholesale basis. When
the plan was suggested as a solution of his unemployment problem,
he quickly exclaimed, “I like the idea, but I would not know how to
turn it into cash.” In other words, he complained he would not know
how to market his bookkeeping knowledge after he acquired it.
So, that brought up another problem which had to be solved.
With the aid of a young woman typist, clever at hand lettering, and
who could put the story together, a very attractive book was
prepared, describing the advantages of the new system of
bookkeeping. The pages were neatly typed and pasted in an ordinary
scrapbook, which was used as a silent salesman with which the story
of this new business was so effectively told that its owner soon had
more accounts than he could handle.
There are thousands of people, all over the country, who need the
services of a merchandising specialist capable of preparing an
attractive brief for use in marketing personal services. The aggregate
annual income from such a service might easily exceed that received
by the largest employment agency, and the benefits of the service
might be made far greater to the purchaser than any to be obtained
from an employment agency.
The idea here described was born of necessity, to bridge an
emergency which had to be covered, but it did not stop by merely
serving one person. The woman who created the idea has a keen
imagination. She saw in her newly born brain-child the making of a
new profession, one that is destined to render valuable service to
thousands of people who need practical guidance in marketing
personal services.
Spurred to action by the instantaneous success of her first
“prepared plan to market personal services,” this energetic woman
turned next to the solution of a similar problem for her son, who had
just finished college but had been totally unable to find a market for
his services. The plan she originated for his use was the finest
specimen of merchandising of personal services I have ever seen.
When the plan book had been completed, it contained nearly fifty
pages of beautifully typed, properly organized information, telling
the story of her son’s native ability, schooling, personal experiences,
and a great variety of other information too extensive for description.
The plan book also contained a complete description of the position
her son desired, together with a marvelous word picture of the exact
plan he would use in filling the position.
The preparation of the plan book required several weeks’ labor,
during which time its creator sent her son to the public library
almost daily, to procure data needed in selling his services to best
advantage. She sent him, also, to all the competitors of his
prospective employer, and gathered from them vital information
concerning their business methods which was of great value in the
formation of the plan he intended to use in filling the position he
sought. When the plan had been finished, it contained more than
half a dozen very fine suggestions for the use and benefit of the
prospective employer. (The suggestions were put into use by the
company.)
One may be inclined to ask, “Why go to all this trouble to secure a
job?” The answer is straight to the point, also it is dramatic, because
it deals with a subject which assumes the proportion of a tragedy
with millions of men and women whose sole source of income is
personal services.
The answer is, “Doing a thing well never is trouble! The plan
prepared by this woman for the benefit of her son helped him get the
job for which he applied, at the first interview, at a salary fixed by
himself.”
Moreover—and this, too, is important—the position did not
require the young man to start at the bottom. He began as a junior
executive, at an executive’s salary.
“Why go to all this trouble?” do you ask.
Well, for one thing, the planned presentation of this young man’s
application for a position clipped off no less than ten years of time he
would have required to get to where he began, had he “started at the
bottom and worked his way up.”
This idea of starting at the bottom and working one’s way up may
appear to be sound, but the major objection to it is this—too many of
those who begin at the bottom never manage to lift their heads high
enough to be seen by opportunity, so they remain at the bottom. It
should be remembered, also, that the outlook from the bottom is not
so very bright or encouraging. It has a tendency to kill off ambition.
We call it “getting into a rut,” which means that we accept our fate
because we form the habit of daily routine, a habit that finally
becomes so strong we cease to try to throw it off. And that is another
reason why it pays to start one or two steps above the bottom. By so
doing one forms the habit of looking around, of observing how others
get ahead, of seeing opportunity, and of embracing it without
hesitation.
Dan Halpin is a splendid example of what I mean. During his
college days, he was manager of the famous 1930 National
Championship Notre Dame football team, when it was under the
direction of the late Knute Rockne.
Perhaps he was inspired by the great football coach to aim high,
and not mistake temporary defeat for failure, just as Andrew
Carnegie, the great industrial leader, inspired his young business
lieutenants to set high goals for themselves. At any rate, young
Halpin finished college at a mighty unfavorable time, when the
depression had made jobs scarce, so, after a fling at investment
banking and motion pictures, he took the first opening with a
potential future he could find—selling electrical hearing aids on a
commission basis. Anyone could start in that sort of job, and Halpin
knew it, but it was enough to open the door of opportunity to him.
For almost two years, he continued in a job not to his liking, and
he would never have risen above that job if he had not done
something about his dissatisfaction. He aimed, first, at the job of
Assistant Sales Manager of his company, and got the job. That one
step upward placed him high enough above the crowd to enable him
to see still greater opportunity; also, it placed him where opportunity
could see him.
He made such a fine record selling hearing aids that A. M.
Andrews, Chairman of the Board of the Dictograph Products
Company, a business competitor of the company for which Halpin
worked, wanted to know something about that man Dan Halpin who
was taking big sales away from the long established Dictograph
Company. He sent for Halpin. When the interview was over, Halpin
was the new Sales Manager, in charge of the Acousticon Division.
Then, to test young Halpin’s metal, Mr. Andrews went away to
Florida for three months, leaving him to sink or swim in his new job.
He did not sink! Knute Rockne’s spirit of “All the world loves a
winner, and has no time for a loser,” inspired him to put so much
into his job that he was recently elected Vice-President of the
company, and General Manager of the Acousticon and Silent Radio
Division, a job which most men would be proud to earn through ten
years of loyal effort. Halpin turned the trick in little more than six
months.
It is difficult to say whether Mr. Andrews or Mr. Halpin is more
deserving of eulogy, for the reason that both showed evidence of
having an abundance of that very rare quality known as imagination.
Mr. Andrews deserves credit for seeing in young Halpin a “go-getter”
of the highest order. Halpin deserves credit for refusing to
compromise with life by accepting and keeping a job he did not want,
and that is one of the major points I am trying to emphasize through
this entire philosophy—that we rise to high positions or remain at the
bottom because of conditions we can control if we desire to control
them.
I am also trying to emphasize another point, namely, that both
success and failure are largely the results of habit! I have not the
slightest doubt that Dan Halpin’s close association with the greatest
football coach America ever knew planted in his mind the same
brand of desire to excel which made the Notre Dame football team
world-famous. Truly, there is something to the idea that heroworship is helpful, provided one worships a winner. Halpin tells me
that Rockne was one of the world’s greatest leaders of men in all
history.
My belief in the theory that business associations are vital
factors, both in failure and in success, was recently demonstrated,
when my son Blair was negotiating with Dan Halpin for a position.
Mr. Halpin offered him a beginning salary of about one half what he
could have gotten from a rival company. I brought parental pressure
to bear, and induced him to accept the place with Mr. Halpin,
because I believe that close association with one who refuses to
compromise with circumstances he does not like is an asset that can
never be measured in terms of money.
The bottom is a monotonous, dreary, unprofitable place for any
person. That is why I have taken the time to describe how lowly
beginnings may be circumvented by proper planning. Also, that is
why so much space has been devoted to a description of this new
profession, created by a woman who was inspired to do a fine job of
planning because she wanted her son to have a favorable “break.”
With the changed conditions ushered in by the world economic
collapse came also the need for newer and better ways of marketing
personal services. It is hard to determine why someone had not
previously discovered this stupendous need, in view of the fact that
more money changes hands in return for personal services than for
any other purpose. The sum paid out monthly, to people who work
for wages and salaries, is so huge that it runs into hundreds of
millions, and the annual distribution amounts to billions.
Perhaps some will find, in the idea here briefly described, the
nucleus of the riches they desire! Ideas with much less merit have
been the seedlings from which great fortunes have grown.
Woolworth’s Five and Ten Cent Store idea, for example, had far less
merit, but it piled up a fortune for its creator.
Those seeing opportunity lurking in this suggestion will find
valuable aid in the chapter on Organized Planning. Incidentally, an
efficient merchandiser of personal services would find a growing
demand for his services wherever there are men and women who
seek better markets for their services. By applying the Master Mind
principle, a few people with suitable talent could form an alliance,
and have a paying business very quickly. One would need to be a fair
writer, with a flair for advertising and selling, one handy at typing
and hand lettering, and one should be a first-class business getter
who would let the world know about the service. If one person
possessed all these abilities, he might carry on the business alone,
until it outgrew him.
The woman who prepared the “Personal Service Sales Plan” for
her son now receives requests from all parts of the country for her
cooperation in preparing similar plans for others who desire to
market their personal services for more money. She has a staff of
expert typists, artists, and writers who have the ability to dramatize
the case history so effectively that one’s personal services can be
marketed for much more money than the prevailing wages for
similar services. She is so confident of her ability that she accepts, as
the major portion of her fee, a percentage of the increased pay she
helps her clients to earn.
It must not be supposed that her plan merely consists of clever
salesmanship by which she helps men and women to demand and
receive more money for the same services they formerly sold for less
pay. She looks after the interests of the purchaser as well as the seller
of personal services, and so prepares her plans that the employer
receives full value for the additional money he pays. The method by
which she accomplishes this astonishing result is a professional
secret which she discloses to no one excepting her own clients.
If you have the imagination, and seek a more profitable outlet for
your personal services, this suggestion may be the stimulus for which
you have been searching. The idea is capable of yielding an income
far greater than that of the “average” doctor, lawyer, or engineer
whose education required several years in college. The idea is
saleable to those seeking new positions, in practically all positions
calling for managerial or executive ability, and those desiring
rearrangement of incomes in their present positions.
There is no fixed price for sound ideas!
Back of all ideas is specialized knowledge. Unfortunately, for
those who do not find riches in abundance, specialized knowledge is
more abundant and more easily acquired than ideas. Because of this
very truth, there is a universal demand and an ever-increasing
opportunity for the person capable of helping men and women to sell
their personal services advantageously. Capability means
imagination, the one quality needed to combine specialized
knowledge with ideas, in the form of organized plans designed to
yield riches.
If you have imagination this chapter may present you with an
idea sufficient to serve as the beginning of the riches you desire.
Remember, the idea is the main thing. Specialized knowledge may be
found just around the corner—any corner!
CHAPTER 6
IMAGINATION
THE WORKSHOP OF THE MIND
The Fifth Step Toward Riches
T
he imagination is literally the workshop wherein are fashioned
all plans created by man. The impulse, the desire, is given
shape, form, and action through the aid of the imaginative
faculty of the mind.
It has been said that man can create anything which he can
imagine.
Of all the ages of civilization, this is the most favorable for the
development of the imagination, because it is an age of rapid change.
On every hand one may contact stimuli which develop the
imagination.
Through the aid of his imaginative faculty, man has discovered,
and harnessed, more of Nature’s forces during the past fifty years
than during the entire history of the human race, previous to that
time. He has conquered the air so completely that the birds are a
poor match for him in flying. He has harnessed the ether, and made
it serve as a means of instantaneous communication with any part of
the world. He has analyzed and weighed the sun at a distance of
millions of miles, and has determined, through the aid of
imagination, the elements of which it consists. He has discovered
that his own brain is both a broadcasting and a receiving station for
the vibration of thought, and he is beginning now to learn how to
make practical use of this discovery. He has increased the speed of
locomotion, until he may now travel at a speed of more than three
hundred miles an hour. The time will soon come when a man may
breakfast in New York, and lunch in San Francisco.
Man’s only limitation, within reason, lies in his development and
use of his imagination. He has not yet reached the apex of
development in the use of his imaginative faculty. He has merely
discovered that he has an imagination, and has commenced to use it
in a very elementary way.
TWO FORMS OF IMAGINATION
The imaginative faculty functions in two forms. One is known as
“synthetic imagination,” and the other as “creative imagination.”
Synthetic Imagination:—Through this faculty, one may arrange
old concepts, ideas, or plans into new combinations. This faculty
creates nothing. It merely works with the material of experience,
education, and observation with which it is fed. It is the faculty used
most by the inventor, with the exception of the “genius” who draws
upon the creative imagination when he cannot solve his problem
through synthetic imagination.
Creative Imagination:—Through the faculty of creative
imagination, the finite mind of man has direct communication with
Infinite Intelligence. It is the faculty through which “hunches” and
“inspirations” are received. It is by this faculty that all basic or new
ideas are handed over to man. It is through this faculty that thought
vibrations from the minds of others are received. It is through this
faculty that one individual may “tune in,” or communicate with the
subconscious minds of other men.
The creative imagination works automatically, in the manner
described in subsequent pages. This faculty functions only when the
conscious mind is vibrating at an exceedingly rapid rate, as for
example, when the conscious mind is stimulated through the
emotion of a strong desire.
The creative faculty becomes more alert, more receptive to
vibrations from the sources mentioned, in proportion to its
development through use. This statement is significant! Ponder over
it before passing on.
Keep in mind as you follow these principles that the entire story
of how one may convert desire into money cannot be told in one
statement. The story will be complete only when one has mastered,
assimilated, and begun to make use of all the principles.
The great leaders of business, industry, and finance, and the
great artists, musicians, poets, and writers, became great because
they developed the faculty of creative imagination.
Both the synthetic and creative faculties of imagination become
more alert with use, just as any muscle or organ of the body develops
through use.
Desire is only a thought, an impulse. It is nebulous and
ephemeral. It is abstract, and of no value, until it has been
transformed into its physical counterpart. While the synthetic
imagination is the one which will be used most frequently in the
process of transforming the impulse of desire into money, you must
keep in mind the fact that you may face circumstances and situations
which demand use of the creative imagination as well.
Your imaginative faculty may have become weak through
inaction. It can be revived and made alert through use. This faculty
does not die, though it may become quiescent through lack of use.
Center your attention, for the time being, on the development of
the synthetic imagination, because this is the faculty which you will
use more often in the process of converting desire into money.
Transformation of the intangible impulse, of desire, into the
tangible reality, of money, calls for the use of a plan, or plans. These
plans must be formed with the aid of the imagination, and mainly,
with the synthetic faculty.
Read the entire book through, then come back to this chapter,
and begin at once to put your imagination to work on the building of
a plan, or plans, for the transformation of your desire into money.
Detailed instructions for the building of plans have been given in
almost every chapter. Carry out the instructions best suited to your
needs; reduce your plan to writing, if you have not already done so.
The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given
concrete form to the intangible desire. Read the preceding sentence
once more. Read it aloud, very slowly, and as you do so, remember
that the moment you reduce the statement of your desire, and a plan
for its realization, to writing, you have actually taken the first of a
series of steps, which will enable you to convert the thought into its
physical counterpart.
The earth on which you live, you, yourself, and every other
material thing are the result of evolutionary change, through which
microscopic bits of matter have been organized and arranged in an
orderly fashion.
Moreover—and this statement is of stupendous importance—this
earth, every one of the billions of individual cells of your body, and
every atom of matter, began as an intangible form of energy.
Desire is thought impulse! Thought impulses are forms of energy.
When you begin with the thought impulse, desire, to accumulate
money, you are drafting into your service the same “stuff” that
Nature used in creating this earth, and every material form in the
universe, including the body and brain in which the thought
impulses function.
As far as science has been able to determine, the entire universe
consists of but two elements—matter and energy.
Through the combination of energy and matter has been created
everything perceptible to man, from the largest star which floats in
the heavens down to, and including, man himself.
You are now engaged in the task of trying to profit by Nature’s
method. You are (sincerely and earnestly, we hope) trying to adapt
yourself to Nature’s laws, by endeavoring to convert desire into its
physical or monetary equivalent. You can do it! It has been done
before!
You can build a fortune through the aid of laws which are
immutable. But, first, you must become familiar with these laws, and
learn to use them. Through repetition, and by approaching the
description of these principles from every conceivable angle, the
author hopes to reveal to you the secret through which every great
fortune has been accumulated. Strange and paradoxical as it may
seem, the “secret” is not a secret. Nature, herself, advertises it in the
earth on which we live, the stars, the planets suspended within our
view, in the elements above and around us, in every blade of grass,
and every form of life within our vision.
Nature advertises this “secret” in the terms of biology, in the
conversion of a tiny cell, so small that it may be lost on the point of a
pin, into the human being now reading this line. The conversion of
desire into its physical equivalent is, certainly, no more miraculous!
Do not become discouraged if you do not fully comprehend all
that has been stated. Unless you have long been a student of the
mind, it is not to be expected that you will assimilate all that is in this
chapter upon a first reading.
But you will, in time, make good progress.
The principles which follow will open the way for understanding
of imagination. Assimilate that which you understand, as you read
this philosophy for the first time, then, when you reread and study it,
you will discover that something has happened to clarify it, and give
you a broader understanding of the whole. Above all, do not stop, nor
hesitate in your study of these principles until you have read the
book at least three times, for then you will not want to stop.
HOW TO MAKE PRACTICAL USE OF IMAGINATION
Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes. Ideas are products of
the imagination. Let us examine a few well known ideas which have
yielded huge fortunes, with the hope that these illustrations will
convey definite information concerning the method by which
imagination may be used in accumulating riches.
The Enchanted Kettles
Fifty years ago, an old country doctor drove to town, hitched his
horse, quietly slipped into a drug store by the back door, and began
“dickering” with the young drug clerk.
His mission was destined to yield great wealth to many people. It
was destined to bring to the South the most far-flung benefit since
the Civil War.
For more than an hour, behind the prescription counter, the old
doctor and the clerk talked in low tones. Then the doctor left. He
went out to the buggy and brought back a large, old fashioned kettle,
a big wooden paddle (used for stirring the contents of the kettle), and
deposited them in the back of the store.
The clerk inspected the kettle, reached into his inside pocket,
took out a roll of bills, and handed it over to the doctor. The roll
contained exactly $500.00—the clerk’s entire savings!
The doctor handed over a small slip of paper on which was
written a secret formula. The words on that small slip of paper were
worth a King’s ransom! But not to the doctor! Those magic words
were needed to start the kettle to boiling, but neither the doctor nor
the young clerk knew what fabulous fortunes were destined to flow
from that kettle.
The old doctor was glad to sell the outfit for $500.00. The money
would pay off his debts, and give him freedom of mind. The clerk was
taking a big chance by staking his entire life’s savings on a mere
scrap of paper and an old kettle! He never dreamed his investment
would start a kettle to overflowing with gold that would surpass the
miraculous performance of Aladdin’s lamp.
What the clerk really purchased was an idea!
The old kettle and the wooden paddle and the secret message on
a slip of paper were incidental. The strange performance of that
kettle began to take place after the new owner mixed with the secret
instructions an ingredient of which the doctor knew nothing.
Read this story carefully; give your imagination a test! See if you
can discover what it was that the young man added to the secret
message which caused the kettle to overflow with gold. Remember,
as you read, that this is not a story from Arabian Nights. Here you
have a story of facts, stranger than fiction, facts which began in the
form of an idea.
Let us take a look at the vast fortunes of gold this idea has
produced. It has paid, and still pays, huge fortunes to men and
women all over the world who distribute the contents of the kettle to
millions of people.
The Old Kettle is now one of the world’s largest consumers of
sugar, thus providing jobs of a permanent nature to thousands of
men and women engaged in growing sugar cane, and in refining and
marketing sugar.
The Old Kettle consumes, annually, millions of glass bottles,
providing jobs to huge numbers of glass workers.
The Old Kettle gives employment to an army of clerks,
stenographers, copy writers, and advertising experts throughout the
nation. It has brought fame and fortune to scores of artists who have
created magnificent pictures describing the product.
The Old Kettle has converted a small Southern city into the
business capital of the South, where it now benefits, directly, or
indirectly, every business and practically every resident of the city.
The influence of this idea now benefits every civilized country in
the world, pouring out a continuous stream of gold to all who touch
it.
Gold from the kettle built and maintains one of the most
prominent colleges of the South, where thousands of young people
receive the training essential for success.
The Old Kettle has done other marvelous things.
All through the world depression, when factories, banks, and
business houses were folding up and quitting by the thousands, the
owner of this Enchanted Kettle went marching on, giving continuous
employment to an army of men and women all over the world, and
paying out extra portions of gold to those who, long ago, had faith in
the idea.
If the product of that old brass kettle could talk, it would tell
thrilling tales of romance in every language. Romances of love,
romances of business, romances of professional men and women
who are daily being stimulated by it.
The author is sure of at least one such romance, for he was a part
of it, and it all began not far from the very spot on which the drug
clerk purchased the Old Kettle. It was here that the author met his
wife, and it was she who first told him of the Enchanted Kettle. It was
the product of that kettle they were drinking when he asked her to
accept him “for better or worse.”
Now that you know the content of the Enchanted Kettle is a
world famous drink, it is fitting that the author confess that the home
city of the drink supplied him with a wife, also that the drink itself
provides him with stimulation of thought without intoxication, and
thereby it serves to give the refreshment of mind which an author
must have to do his best work.
Whoever you are, wherever you may live, whatever occupation
you may be engaged in, just remember in the future, every time you
see the words “Coca-Cola,” that its vast empire of wealth and
influence grew out of a single idea, and that the mysterious
ingredient the drug clerk—Asa Candler—mixed with the secret
formula was . . . imagination!
Stop and think of that for a moment.
Remember, also, that the thirteen steps to riches, described in
this book, were the media through which the influence of Coca-Cola
has been extended to every city, town, village, and cross-roads of the
world, and that any idea you may create, as sound and meritorious
as Coca-Cola, has the possibility of duplicating the stupendous
record of this world-wide thirst-killer.
Truly, thoughts are things, and their scope of operation is the
world, itself.
What I Would Do If I Had a Million Dollars
This story proves the truth of that old saying “Where there’s a will,
there’s a way.” It was told to me by that beloved educator and
clergyman, the late Frank W. Gunsaulus, who began his preaching
career in the stockyards region of South Chicago.
While Dr. Gunsaulus was going through college, he observed
many defects in our educational system, defects which he believed he
could correct, if he were the head of a college. His deepest desire was
to become the directing head of an educational institution in which
young men and women would be taught to “learn by doing.”
He made up his mind to organize a new college in which he could
carry out his ideas, without being handicapped by orthodox methods
of education.
He needed a million dollars to put the project across! Where was
he to lay his hands on so large a sum of money? That was the
question that absorbed most of this ambitious young preacher’s
thought.
But he couldn’t seem to make any progress.
Every night he took that thought to bed with him. He got up with
it in the morning. He took it with him everywhere he went. He
turned it over and over in his mind until it became a consuming
obsession with him. A million dollars is a lot of money. He
recognized that fact, but he also recognized the truth that the only
limitation is that which one sets up in one’s own mind.
Being a philosopher as well as a preacher, Dr. Gunsaulus
recognized, as do all who succeed in life, that definiteness of purpose
is the starting point from which one must begin. He recognized, too,
that definiteness of purpose takes on animation, life, and power
when backed by a burning desire to translate that purpose into its
material equivalent.
He knew all these great truths, yet he did not know where, or how
to lay his hands on a million dollars. The natural procedure would
have been to give up and quit, by saying, “Ah well, my idea is a good
one, but I cannot do anything with it, because I never can procure
the necessary million dollars.” That is exactly what the majority of
people would have said, but it is not what Dr. Gunsaulus said. What
he said, and what he did, are so important that I now introduce him,
and let him speak for himself.
“One Saturday afternoon I sat in my room thinking of ways and
means of raising the money to carry out my plans. For nearly two
years, I had been thinking, but I had done nothing but think!
“The time had come for action!
“I made up my mind, then and there, that I would get the
necessary million dollars within a week. How? I was not concerned
about that. The main thing of importance was the decision to get the
money within a specified time, and I want to tell you that the
moment I reached a definite decision to get the money within a
specified time, a strange feeling of assurance came over me, such as I
had never before experienced. Something inside me seemed to say,
‘Why didn’t you reach that decision a long time ago? The money was
waiting for you all the time!’
“Things began to happen in a hurry. I called the newspapers and
announced I would preach a sermon the following morning, entitled
‘What I would do if I had a Million Dollars.’
“I went to work on the sermon immediately, but I must tell you,
frankly, the task was not difficult, because I had been preparing that
sermon for almost two years. The spirit back of it was a part of me!
“Long before midnight I had finished writing the sermon. I went
to bed and slept with a feeling of confidence, for I could see myself
already in possession of the million dollars.
“Next morning I arose early, went into the bathroom, read the
sermon, then knelt on my knees and asked that my sermon might
come to the attention of someone who would supply the needed
money.
“While I was praying I again had that feeling of assurance that
the money would be forthcoming. In my excitement, I walked out
without my sermon, and did not discover the oversight until I was in
my pulpit and about ready to begin delivering it.
“It was too late to go back for my notes, and what a blessing that I
couldn’t go back! Instead, my own subconscious mind yielded the
material I needed. When I arose to begin my sermon, I closed my
eyes, and spoke with all my heart and soul of my dreams. I not only
talked to my audience, but I fancy I talked also to God. I told what I
would do with a million dollars if that amount were placed in my
hands. I described the plan I had in mind for organizing a great
educational institution, where young people would learn to do
practical things, and at the same time develop their minds.
“When I had finished and sat down, a man slowly arose from his
seat, about three rows from the rear, and made his way toward the
pulpit. I wondered what he was going to do. He came into the pulpit,
extended his hand, and said, ‘Reverend, I liked your sermon. I
believe you can do everything you said you would, if you had a
million dollars. To prove that I believe in you and your sermon, if you
will come to my office tomorrow morning, I will give you the million
dollars. My name is Phillip D. Armour.’”
Young Gunsaulus went to Mr. Armour’s office and the million
dollars was presented to him. With the money, he founded the
Armour Institute of Technology.
That is more money than the majority of preachers ever see in an
entire lifetime, yet the thought impulse back of the money was
created in the young preacher’s mind in a fraction of a minute. The
necessary million dollars came as a result of an idea. Back of the idea
was a DESIRE which young Gunsaulus had been nursing in his mind
for almost two years.
Observe this important fact . . . he got the money within thirty-six
hours after he reached a definite decision in his own mind to get it,
and decided upon a definite plan for getting it!
There was nothing new or unique about young Gunsaulus’ vague
thinking about a million dollars, and weakly hoping for it. Others
before him, and many since his time, have had similar thoughts. But
there was something very unique and different about the decision he
reached on that memorable Saturday, when he put vagueness into
the background, and definitely said, “I will get that money within a
week!”
God seems to throw Himself on the side of the man who knows
exactly what he wants, if he is determined to get just that!
Moreover, the principle through which Dr. Gunsaulus got his
million dollars is still alive! It is available to you! This universal law
is as workable today as it was when the young preacher made use of
it so successfully. This book describes, step by step, the thirteen
elements of this great law, and suggests how they may be put to use.
Observe that Asa Candler and Dr. Frank Gunsaulus had one
characteristic in common. Both knew the astounding truth that ideas
can be transmuted into cash through the power of definite purpose,
plus definite plans.
If you are one of those who believe that hard work and honesty,
alone, will bring riches, perish the thought! It is not true! Riches,
when they come in huge quantities, are never the result of hard
work! Riches come, if they come at all, in response to definite
demands, based upon the application of definite principles, and not
by chance or luck.
Generally speaking, an idea is an impulse of thought that impels
action, by an appeal to the imagination. All master salesmen know
that ideas can be sold where merchandise cannot. Ordinary salesmen
do not know this—that is why they are “ordinary.”
A publisher of books, which sell for a nickel, made a discovery
that should be worth much to publishers generally. He learned that
many people buy titles, and not contents of books. By merely
changing the name of one book that was not moving, his sales on
that book jumped upward more than a million copies. The inside of
the book was not changed in any way. He merely ripped off the cover
bearing the title that did not sell, and put on a new cover with a title
that had “box-office” value.
That, as simple as it may seem, was an idea! It was imagination.
There is no standard price on ideas. The creator of ideas makes
his own price, and, if he is smart, gets it.
The moving picture industry created a whole flock of
millionaires. Most of them were men who couldn’t create ideas—but
—they had the imagination to recognize ideas when they saw them.
The next flock of millionaires will grow out of the radio business,
which is new and not overburdened with men of keen imagination.
The money will be made by those who discover or create new and
more meritorious radio programmes and have the imagination to
recognize merit, and to give the radio listeners a chance to profit by
it.
The sponsor! That unfortunate victim who now pays the cost of
all radio “entertainment” soon will become idea conscious, and
demand something for his money. The man who beats the sponsor to
the draw, and supplies programmes that render useful service, is the
man who will become rich in this new industry.
Crooners and light chatter artists who now pollute the air with
wisecracks and silly giggles will go the way of all light timbers, and
their places will be taken by real artists who interpret carefully
planned programmes which have been designed to service the minds
of men, as well as provide entertainment.
Here is a wide-open field of opportunity screaming its protest at
the way it is being butchered, because of lack of imagination, and
begging for rescue at any price. Above all, the thing that radio needs
is new ideas!
If this new field of opportunity intrigues you, perhaps you might
profit by the suggestion that the successful radio programmes of the
future will give more attention to creating “buyer” audiences, and
less attention to “listener” audiences. Stated more plainly, the
builder of radio programmes who succeeds in the future must find
practical ways to convert “listeners” into “buyers.” Moreover, the
successful producer of radio programmes in the future must key his
features so that he can definitely show its effect upon the audience.
Sponsors are becoming a bit weary of buying glib selling talks,
based upon statements grabbed out of thin air. They want, and in the
future will demand, indisputable proof that the Whoosit programme
not only gives millions of people the silliest giggle ever, but that the
silly giggler can sell merchandise!
Another thing that might as well be understood by those who
contemplate entering this new field of opportunity, radio advertising
is going to be handled by an entirely new group of advertising
experts, separate and distinct from the old time newspaper and
magazine advertising agency men. The old timers in the advertising
game cannot read the modern radio scripts, because they have been
schooled to see ideas. The new radio technique demands men who
can interpret ideas from a written manuscript in terms of sound! It
cost the author a year of hard labor, and many thousands of dollars
to learn this.
Radio, right now, is about where the moving pictures were when
Mary Pickford and her curls first appeared on the screen. There is
plenty of room in radio for those who can produce or recognize
ideas.
If the foregoing comment on the opportunities of radio has not
started your idea factory to work, you had better forget it. Your
opportunity is in some other field. If the comment intrigued you in
the slightest degree, then go further into it, and you may find the one
idea you need to round out your career.
Never let it discourage you if you have no experience in radio.
Andrew Carnegie knew very little about making steel—I have
Carnegie’s own word for this—but he made practical use of two of the
principles described in this book, and made the steel business yield
him a fortune.
The story of practically every great fortune starts with the day
when a creator of ideas and a seller of ideas got together and worked
in harmony. Carnegie surrounded himself with men who could do all
that he could not do—men who created ideas, and men who put ideas
into operation—and made himself and the others fabulously rich.
Millions of people go through life hoping for favorable “breaks.”
Perhaps a favorable break can get one an opportunity, but the safest
plan is not to depend upon luck. It was a favorable “break” that gave
me the biggest opportunity of my life—but—twenty-five years of
determined effort had to be devoted to that opportunity before it
became an asset.
The “break” consisted of my good fortune in meeting and gaining
the cooperation of Andrew Carnegie. On that occasion Carnegie
planted in my mind the idea of organizing the principles of
achievement into a philosophy of success. Thousands of people have
profited by the discoveries made in the twenty-five years of research,
and several fortunes have been accumulated through the application
of the philosophy. The beginning was simple. It was an idea which
anyone might have developed.
The favorable break came through Carnegie, but what about the
determination, definiteness of purpose, and the desire to attain the
goal, and the persistent effort of twenty-five years? It was no
ordinary desire that survived disappointment, discouragement,
temporary defeat, criticism, and the constant reminding of “waste of
time.” It was a burning desire! An obsession!
When the idea was first planted in my mind by Mr. Carnegie, it
was coaxed, nursed, and enticed to remain alive. Gradually, the idea
became a giant under its own power, and it coaxed, nursed, and
drove me. Ideas are like that. First you give life and action and
guidance to ideas, then they take on power of their own and sweep
aside all opposition.
Ideas are intangible forces, but they have more power than the
physical brains that give birth to them. They have the power to live
on, after the brain that creates them has returned to dust. For
example, take the power of Christianity. That began with a simple
idea, born in the brain of Christ. Its chief tenet was “Do unto others
as you would have others do unto you.” Christ has gone back to the
source from whence He came, but His idea goes marching on. Some
day, it may grow up, and come into its own, then it will have fulfilled
Christ’s deepest desire. The idea has been developing for only two
thousand years. Give it time!
Success Requires No Explanations
Failure Permits No Alibis
CHAPTER 7
ORGANIZED PLANNING
THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF DESIRE INTO ACTION
The Sixth Step Toward Riches
Y
ou have learned that everything man creates or acquires begins
in the form of desire, that desire is taken on the first lap of its
journey, from the abstract to the concrete, into the workshop
of the imagination, where plans for its transition are created and
organized.
In chapter two, you were instructed to take six definite, practical
steps as your first move in translating the desire for money into its
monetary equivalent. One of these steps is the formation of a
definite, practical plan, or plans, through which this transformation
may be made.
You will now be instructed how to build plans which will be
practical, viz:
a. Ally yourself with a group of as many people as you may
need for the creation and carrying out of your plan, or
plans, for the accumulation of money—making use of the
“Master Mind” principle described in a later chapter.
(Compliance with this instruction is absolutely essential.
Do not neglect it.)
b. Before forming your “Master Mind” alliance, decide what
advantages, and benefits, you may offer the individual
members of your group, in return for their cooperation.
No one will work indefinitely without some form of
compensation. No intelligent person will either request
or expect another to work without adequate
compensation, although this may not always be in the
form of money.
c. Arrange to meet with the members of your “Master
Mind” group at least twice a week, and more often if
possible, until you have jointly perfected the necessary
plan, or plans, for the accumulation of money.
d. Maintain perfect harmony between yourself and every
member of your “Master Mind” group. If you fail to carry
out this instruction to the letter, you may expect to meet
with failure. The “Master Mind” principle cannot obtain
where perfect harmony does not prevail.
Keep in mind these facts:—
FIRST. You are engaged in an undertaking of major
importance to you. To be sure of success, you must have
plans which are faultless.
SECOND. You must have the advantage of the experience,
education, native ability, and imagination of other minds.
This is in harmony with the methods followed by every
person who has accumulated a great fortune.
No individual has sufficient experience, education, native ability,
and knowledge to insure the accumulation of a great fortune without
the cooperation of other people. Every plan you adopt, in your
endeavor to accumulate wealth, should be the joint creation of
yourself and every other member of your “Master Mind” group. You
may originate your own plans, either in whole or in part, but see that
those plans are checked and approved by the members of your
“Master Mind” alliance.
If the first plan which you adopt does not work successfully,
replace it with a new plan; if this new plan fails to work, replace it in
turn with still another, and so on, until you find a plan which does
work. Right here is the point at which the majority of men meet with
failure, because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to
take the place of those which fail.
The most intelligent man living cannot succeed in accumulating
money—nor in any other undertaking—without plans which are
practical and workable. Just keep this fact in mind, and remember
when your plans fail that temporary defeat is not permanent failure.
It may only mean that your plans have not been sound. Build other
plans. Start all over again.
Thomas A. Edison “failed” ten thousand times before he
perfected the incandescent electric light bulb. That is—he met with
temporary defeat ten thousand times, before his efforts were
crowned with success.
Temporary defeat should mean only one thing—the certain
knowledge that there is something wrong with your plan. Millions of
men go through life in misery and poverty, because they lack a sound
plan through which to accumulate a fortune.
Henry Ford accumulated a fortune, not because of his superior
mind, but because he adopted and followed a plan which proved to
be sound. A thousand men could be pointed out, each with a better
education than Ford’s, yet each of whom lives in poverty, because he
does not possess the right plan for the accumulation of money.
Your achievement can be no greater than your plans are sound.
That may seem to be an axiomatic statement, but it is true. Samuel
Insull lost his fortune of over one hundred million dollars. The Insull
fortune was built on plans which were sound. The business
depression forced Mr. Insull to change his plans; and the change
brought “temporary defeat,” because his new plans were not sound.
Mr. Insull is now an old man; he may, consequently, accept “failure”
instead of “temporary defeat,” but if his experience turns out to be
failure, it will be for the reason that he lacks the fire of persistence to
rebuild his plans.
No man is ever whipped, until he quits—in his own mind.
This fact will be repeated many times, because it is so easy to
“take the count” at the first sign of defeat.
James J. Hill met with temporary defeat when he first
endeavored to raise the necessary capital to build a railroad from the
East to the West, but he, too, turned defeat into victory through new
plans.
Henry Ford met with temporary defeat, not only at the beginning
of his automobile career, but after he had gone far toward the top. He
created new plans, and went marching on to financial victory.
We see men who have accumulated great fortunes, but we often
recognize only their triumph, overlooking the temporary defeats
which they had to surmount before “arriving.”
No follower of this philosophy can reasonably expect to
accumulate a fortune without experiencing “temporary defeat.”
When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not
sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your
coveted goal. If you give up before your goal has been reached, you
are a “quitter.” A quitter never wins—and—a winner never quits. Lift
this sentence out, write it on a piece of paper in letters an inch high,
and place it where you will see it every night before you go to sleep,
and every morning before you go to work.
When you begin to select members for your “Master Mind”
group, endeavor to select those who do not take defeat seriously.
Some people foolishly believe that only money can make money.
This is not true! Desire, transmuted into its monetary equivalent,
through the principles laid down here, is the agency through which
money is “made.” Money, of itself, is nothing but inert matter. It
cannot move, think, or talk, but it can “hear” when a man who
desires it calls it to come!
PLANNING THE SALE OF SERVICES
The remainder of this chapter has been given over to a description of
ways and means of marketing personal services. The information
here conveyed will be of practical help to any person having any form
of personal services to market, but it will be of priceless benefit to
those who aspire to leadership in their chosen occupations.
Intelligent planning is essential for success in any undertaking
designed to accumulate riches. Here will be found detailed
instructions to those who must begin the accumulation of riches by
selling personal services.
It should be encouraging to know that practically all the great
fortunes began in the form of compensation for personal services, or
from the sale of ideas. What else, except ideas and personal services,
would one not possessed of property have to give in return for
riches?
Broadly speaking, there are two types of people in the world. One
type is known as leaders, and the other as followers. Decide at the
outset whether you intend to become a leader in your chosen calling,
or remain a follower. The difference in compensation is vast. The
follower cannot reasonably expect the compensation to which a
leader is entitled, although many followers make the mistake of
expecting such pay.
It is no disgrace to be a follower. On the other hand, it is no credit
to remain a follower. Most great leaders began in the capacity of
followers. They became great leaders because they were intelligent
followers. With few exceptions, the man who cannot follow a leader
intelligently cannot become an efficient leader. The man who can
follow a leader most efficiently is usually the man who develops into
leadership most rapidly. An intelligent follower has many
advantages, among them the opportunity to acquire knowledge from
his leader.
THE MAJOR ATTRIBUTES OF LEADERSHIP
The following are important factors of leadership:—
1. Unwavering courage based upon knowledge of self, and
of one’s occupation. No follower wishes to be dominated
by a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage. No
intelligent follower will be dominated by such a leader
very long.
2. Self-control. The man who cannot control himself can
never control others. Self-control sets a mighty example
for one’s followers, which the more intelligent will
emulate.
3. A keen sense of justice. Without a sense of fairness and
justice, no leader can command and retain the respect of
his followers.
4. Definiteness of decision. The man who wavers in his
decisions shows that he is not sure of himself. He cannot
lead others successfully.
5. Definiteness of plans. The successful leader must plan his
work, and work his plan. A leader who moves by
guesswork, without practical, definite plans, is
comparable to a ship without a rudder. Sooner or later he
will land on the rocks.
6. The habit of doing more than paid for. One of the
penalties of leadership is the necessity of willingness,
upon the part of the leader, to do more than he requires
of his followers.
7. A pleasing personality. No slovenly, careless person can
become a successful leader. Leadership calls for respect.
Followers will not respect a leader who does not grade
high on all of the factors of a Pleasing Personality.
8. Sympathy and understanding. The successful leader
must be in sympathy with his followers. Moreover, he
must understand them and their problems.
9. Mastery of detail. Successful leadership calls for mastery
of details of the leader’s position.
10. Willingness to assume full responsibility. The successful
leader must be willing to assume responsibility for the
mistakes and the shortcomings of his followers. If he
tries to shift this responsibility, he will not remain the
leader. If one of his followers makes a mistake, and
shows himself incompetent, the leader must consider
that it is he who failed.
11. Cooperation. The successful leader must understand and
apply the principle of cooperative effort and be able to
induce his followers to do the same. Leadership calls for
power, and power calls for cooperation.
There are two forms of Leadership. The first, and by far the most
effective, is leadership of consent of, and with the sympathy of, the
followers. The second is leadership by force, without the consent and
sympathy of the followers.
History is filled with evidences that Leadership by Force cannot
endure. The downfall and disappearance of “Dictators” and kings is
significant. It means that people will not follow forced leadership
indefinitely.
The world has just entered a new era of relationship between
leaders and followers, which very clearly calls for new leaders, and a
new brand of leadership in business and industry. Those who belong
to the old school of Leadership by Force, must acquire an
understanding of the new brand of leadership (cooperation) or be
relegated to the rank and file of the followers. There is no other way
out for them.
The relationship of employer and employee, or of leader and
follower, in the future, will be one of mutual cooperation, based upon
an equitable division of the profits of business. In the future, the
relationship of employer and employee will be more like a
partnership than it has been in the past.
Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, the Czar of Russia, and
the King of Spain were examples of Leadership by Force. Their
leadership passed. Without much difficulty, one might point to the
prototypes of these ex-leaders among the business, financial, and
labor leaders of America who have been dethroned or slated to go.
Leadership by Consent of the followers is the only brand which can
endure!
Men may follow the forced leadership temporarily, but they will
not do so willingly.
The new brand of leadership will embrace the eleven factors of
leadership, described in this chapter, as well as some other factors.
The man who makes these the basis of his leadership will find
abundant opportunity to lead in any walk of life. The depression was
prolonged, largely, because the world lacked leadership of the new
brand. At the end of the depression, the demand for leaders who are
competent to apply the new methods of leadership has greatly
exceeded the supply. Some of the old type of leaders will reform and
adapt themselves to the new brand of leadership, but generally
speaking, the world will have to look for new timber for its
leadership.
This necessity may be your opportunity!
THE 10 MAJOR CAUSES OF FAILURE IN LEADERSHIP
We come now to the major faults of leaders who fail, because it is just
as essential to know what not to do as it is to know what to do.
1. Inability to organize details. Efficient leadership calls for
ability to organize and to master details. No genuine
leader is ever “too busy” to do anything which may be
required of him in his capacity as leader. When a man,
whether he is a leader or follower, admits that he is “too
busy” to change his plans, or to give attention to any
emergency, he admits his inefficiency. The successful
leader must be the master of all details connected with
his position. That means, of course, that he must acquire
the habit of relegating details to capable lieutenants.
2. Unwillingness to render humble service. Truly great
leaders are willing, when occasion demands, to perform
any sort of labor which they would ask another to
perform. “The greatest among ye shall be the servant of
all” is a truth which all able leaders observe and respect.
3. Expectation of pay for what they “know” instead of what
they do with that which they know. The world does not
pay men for that which they “know.” It pays them for
what they DO, or induce others to do.
4. Fear of competition from followers. The leader who fears
that one of his followers may take his position is
practically sure to realize that fear sooner or later. The
able leader trains understudies to whom he may
delegate, at will, any of the details of his position. Only in
this way may a leader multiply himself and prepare
himself to be at many places, and give attention to many
things at one time. It is an eternal truth that men receive
more pay for their ability to get others to perform than
they could possibly earn by their own efforts. An efficient
leader may, through his knowledge of his job and the
magnetism of his personality, greatly increase the
efficiency of others, and induce them to render more
service and better service than they could render without
his aid.
5. Lack of imagination. Without imagination, the leader is
incapable of meeting emergencies, and of creating plans
by which to guide his followers efficiently.
6. Selfishness. The leader who claims all the honor for the
work of his followers is sure to be met by resentment.
The really great leader claims none of the honors. He is
contented to see the honors, when there are any, go to his
followers, because he knows that most men will work
harder for commendation and recognition than they will
for money alone.
7. Intemperance. Followers do not respect an intemperate
leader. Moreover, intemperance in any of its various
forms destroys the endurance and the vitality of all who
indulge in it.
8. Disloyalty. Perhaps this should have come at the head of
the list. The leader who is not loyal to his trust, and to his
associates, those above him, and those below him, cannot
long maintain his leadership. Disloyalty marks one as
being less than the dust of the earth, and brings down on
one’s head the contempt he deserves. Lack of loyalty is
one of the major causes of failure in every walk of life.
9. Emphasis of the “authority” of leadership. The efficient
leader leads by encouraging, and not by trying to instil
fear in the hearts of his followers. The leader who tries to
impress his followers with his “authority” comes within
the category of leadership through force. If a leader is a
real leader, he will have no need to advertise that fact
except by his conduct—his sympathy, understanding,
fairness, and a demonstration that he knows his job.
10. Emphasis of title. The competent leader requires no
“title” to give him the respect of his followers. The man
who makes too much over his title generally has little else
to emphasize. The doors to the office of the real leader
are open to all who wish to enter, and his working
quarters are free from formality or ostentation.
These are among the more common of the causes of failure in
leadership. Any one of these faults is sufficient to induce failure.
Study the list carefully if you aspire to leadership, and make sure that
you are free of these faults.
SOME FERTILE FIELDS IN WHICH “NEW LEADERSHIP” WILL BE
REQUIRED
Before leaving this chapter, your attention is called to a few of the
fertile fields in which there has been a decline of leadership, and in
which the new type of leader may find an abundance of opportunity.
FIRST. In the field of politics there is a most insistent demand
for new leaders, a demand which indicates nothing less than
an emergency. The majority of politicians have, seemingly,
become high-grade, legalized racketeers. They have increased
taxes and debauched the machinery of industry and business
until the people can no longer stand the burden.
SECOND. The banking business is undergoing a reform. The
leaders in this field have almost entirely lost the confidence of
the public. Already the bankers have sensed the need of
reform, and they have begun it.
THIRD. Industry calls for new leaders. The old type of leaders
thought and moved in terms of dividends instead of thinking
and moving in terms of human equations! The future leader
in industry, to endure, must regard himself as a quasi-public
official whose duty it is to manage his trust in such a way that
it will work hardship on no individual, or group of
individuals. Exploitation of working men is a thing of the
past. Let the man who aspires to leadership in the field of
business, industry, and labor remember this.
FOURTH. The religious leader of the future will be forced to
give more attention to the temporal needs of his followers, in
the solution of their economic and personal problems of the
present, and less attention to the dead past, and the yet
unborn future.
FIFTH. In the professions of law, medicine, and education, a
new brand of leadership, and to some extent, new leaders will
become a necessity. This is especially true in the field of
education. The leader in that field must, in the future, find
ways and means of teaching people how to apply the
knowledge they receive in school. He must deal more with
practice and less with theory.
SIXTH. New leaders will be required in the field of Journalism.
Newspapers of the future, to be conducted successfully, must
be divorced from “special privilege” and relieved from the
subsidy of advertising. They must cease to be organs of
propaganda for the interests which patronize their
advertising columns. The type of newspaper which publishes
scandal and lewd pictures will eventually go the way of all
forces which debauch the human mind.
These are but a few of the fields in which opportunities for new
leaders and a new brand of leadership are now available. The world
is undergoing a rapid change. This means that the media through
which the changes in human habits are promoted must be adapted to
the changes. The media here described are the ones which, more
than any others, determine the trend of civilization.
WHEN AND HOW TO APPLY FOR A POSITION
The information described here is the net result of many years of
experience during which thousands of men and women were helped
to market their services effectively. It can, therefore, be relied upon
as sound and practical.
MEDIA THROUGH WHICH SERVICES MAY BE MARKETED
Experience has proved that the following media offer the most direct
and effective methods of bringing the buyer and seller of personal
services together.
1. Employment bureaus. Care must be taken to select only
reputable bureaus, the management of which can show
adequate records of achievement of satisfactory results.
There are comparatively few such bureaus.
2. Advertising in newspapers, trade journals, magazines,
and radio. Classified advertising may usually be relied
upon to produce satisfactory results in the case of those
who apply for clerical or ordinary salaried positions.
Display advertising is more desirable in the case of those
who seek executive connections, the copy to appear in
the section of the paper which is most apt to come to the
attention of the class of employer being sought. The copy
should be prepared by an expert, who understands how
to inject sufficient selling qualities to produce replies.
3. Personal letters of application, directed to particular
firms or individuals most apt to need such services as are
being offered. Letters should be neatly typed, always,
and signed by hand. With the letter should be sent a
complete “brief” or outline of the applicant’s
qualifications. Both the letter of application and the brief
of experience or qualifications should be prepared by an
expert. (See instructions as to information to be
supplied.)
4. Application through personal acquaintances. When
possible, the applicant should endeavor to approach
prospective employers through some mutual
acquaintance. This method of approach is particularly
advantageous in the case of those who seek executive
connections and do not wish to appear to be “peddling”
themselves.
5. Application in person. In some instances, it may be more
effective if the applicant offers personally his services to
prospective employers, in which event a complete written
statement of qualifications for the position should be
presented, for the reason that prospective employers
often wish to discuss with associates one’s record.
INFORMATION TO BE SUPPLIED IN A WRITTEN “BRIEF”
This brief should be prepared as carefully as a lawyer would prepare
the brief of a case to be tried in court. Unless the applicant is
experienced in the preparation of such briefs, an expert should be
consulted, and his services enlisted for this purpose. Successful
merchants employ men and women who understand the art and the
psychology of advertising to present the merits of their merchandise.
One who has personal services for sale should do the same. The
following information should appear in the brief:
1. Education. State briefly, but definitely, what schooling
you have had, and in what subjects you specialized in
school, giving the reasons for that specialization.
2. Experience. If you have had experience in connection
with positions similar to the one you seek, describe it
fully; state names and addresses of former employers. Be
sure to bring out clearly any special experience you may
have had which would equip you to fill the position you
seek.
3. References. Practically every business firm desires to
know all about the previous records, antecedents, etc., of
prospective employees who seek positions of
responsibility. Attach to your brief photostatic copies of
letters from:
a. Former employers
b. Teachers under whom you studied
c. Prominent people whose judgement may be
relied upon
4. Photograph of self. Attach to your brief a recent,
unmounted photograph of yourself.
5. Apply for a specific position. Avoid application for a
position without describing exactly what particular
position you seek. Never apply for “just a position.” That
indicates you lack specialized qualifications.
6. State your qualifications for the particular position for
which you apply. Give full details as to the reason you
believe you are qualified for the particular position you
seek. This is the most important detail of your
application. It will determine, more than anything else,
what consideration you receive.
7. Offer to go to work on probation. In the majority of
instances, if you are determined to have the position for
which you apply, it will be most effective if you offer to
work for a week, or a month, or for a sufficient length of
time to enable your prospective employer to judge your
value without pay. This may appear to be a radical
suggestion, but experience has proved that it seldom fails
to win at least a trial. If you are sure of your
qualifications, a trial is all you need. Incidentally, such an
offer indicates that you have confidence in your ability to
fill the position you seek. It is most convincing. If your
offer is accepted, and you make good, more than likely
you will be paid for your “probation” period. Make clear
the fact that your offer is based upon:
a. Your confidence in your ability to fill the
position
b. Your confidence in your prospective
employer’s decision to employ you after trial
c. Your determination to have the position you
seek
8. Knowledge of your prospective employer’s business.
Before applying for a position, do sufficient research in
connection with the business to familiarize yourself
thoroughly with that business, and indicate in your brief
the knowledge you have acquired in this field. This will
be impressive, as it will indicate that you have
imagination, and a real interest in the position you seek.
Remember that it is not the lawyer who knows the most law but
the one who best prepares his case who wins. If your “case” is
properly prepared and presented, your victory will have been more
than half won at the outset.
Do not be afraid of making your brief too long. Employers are
just as much interested in purchasing the services of well-qualified
applicants as you are in securing employment. In fact, the success of
most successful employers is due, in the main, to their ability to
select well-qualified lieutenants. They want all the information
available.
Remember another thing: neatness in the preparation of your
brief will indicate that you are a painstaking person. I have helped to
prepare briefs for clients which were so striking and out of the
ordinary that they resulted in the employment of the applicant
without a personal interview.
When your brief has been completed, have it neatly bound by an
experienced binder, and lettered by an artist, or printer, similar to
the following:
BRIEF OF THE QUALIFICATIONS OF
Robert K. Smith
APPLYING FOR THE POSITION OF
Private Secretary to
The President of
THE BLANK COMPANY, INC.
Change names each time brief is shown.
This personal touch is sure to command attention. Have your
brief neatly typed or mimeographed on the finest paper you can
obtain, and bound with a heavy paper of the book-cover variety; the
binder to be changed, and the proper firm name to be inserted, if it is
to be shown to more than one company. Your photograph should be
pasted on one of the pages of your brief. Follow these instructions to
the letter, improving upon them wherever your imagination
suggests.
Successful salesmen groom themselves with care. They
understand that first impressions are lasting. Your brief is your
salesman. Give it a good suit of clothes, so it will stand out in bold
contrast to anything your prospective employer ever saw, in the way
of an application for a position. If the position you seek is worth
having, it is worth going after with care. Moreover, if you sell yourself
to an employer in a manner that impresses him with your
individuality, you probably will receive more money for your services
from the very start than you would if you applied for employment in
the usual conventional way.
If you seek employment through an advertising agency or an
employment agency, have the agent use copies of your brief in
marketing your services. This will help to gain preference for you,
both with the agent and the prospective employers.
HOW TO GET THE EXACT POSITION YOU DESIRE
Everyone enjoys doing the kind of work for which he is best suited.
An artist loves to work with paints, a craftsman with his hands, a
writer loves to write. Those with less definite talents have their
preferences for certain fields of business and industry. If America
does anything well, it offers a full range of occupations: tilling the
soil, manufacturing, marketing, and the professions.
FIRST. Decide exactly what kind of a job you want. If the job
doesn’t already exist, perhaps you can create it.
SECOND. Choose the company, or individual, for whom you
wish to work.
THIRD. Study your prospective employer as to policies,
personnel, and chances of advancement.
FOURTH. By analysis of yourself, your talents, and capabilities,
figure what you can offer, and plan ways and means of giving
advantages, services, developments, ideas that you believe
you can successfully deliver.
FIFTH. Forget about “a job.” Forget whether or not there is an
opening. Forget the usual routine of “have you got a job for
me?” Concentrate on what you can give.
SIXTH. Once you have your plan in mind, arrange with an
experienced writer to put it on paper in neat form, and in full
detail.
SEVENTH. Present it to the proper person with authority and
he will do the rest. Every company is looking for men who can
give something of value, whether it be ideas, services, or
“connections.” Every company has room for the man who has
a definite plan of action which is to the advantage of that
company.
This line of procedure may take a few days or weeks of extra time,
but the difference in income, in advancement, and in gaining
recognition will save years of hard work at small pay. It has many
advantages, the main one being that it will often save from one to
five years of time in reaching a chosen goal.
Every person who starts or “gets in” half way up the ladder does
so by deliberate and careful planning (excepting, of course, the Boss’
son).
THE NEW WAY OF MARKETING SERVICES
“JOBS” ARE NOW “PARTNERSHIPS”
Men and women who market their services to best advantage in the
future must recognize the stupendous change which has taken place
in connection with the relationship between employer and employee.
In the future, the “Golden Rule,” and not the “Rule of Gold,” will
be the dominating factor in the marketing of merchandise as well as
personal services. The future relationship between employers and
their employees will be more in the nature of a partnership
consisting of:
a. The employer
b. The employee
c. The public they serve
This new way of marketing personal services is called new for
many reasons; first, both the employer and the employee of the
future will be considered as fellow-employees whose business it will
be to serve the public efficiently. In times past, employers and
employees have bartered among themselves, driving the best
bargains they could with one another, not considering that in the
final analysis they were, in reality, bargaining at the expense of the
third party, the public they served.
The depression served as a mighty protest from an injured
public, whose rights had been trampled upon in every direction by
those who were clamoring for individual advantages and profits.
When the debris of the depression shall have been cleared away, and
business shall have been once again restored to balance, both
employers and employees will recognize that they are no longer
privileged to drive bargains at the expense of those whom they serve.
The real employer of the future will be the public. This should be
kept uppermost in mind by every person seeking to market personal
services effectively.
Nearly every railroad in America is in financial difficulty. Who
does not remember the day when, if a citizen enquired at the ticket
office, the time of departure of a train, he was abruptly referred to
the bulletin board instead of being politely given the information?
The street car companies have experienced a “change of times”
also. There was a time not so very long ago when street car
conductors took pride in giving argument to passengers. Many of the
street car tracks have been removed and passengers ride on a bus,
whose driver is “the last word in politeness.”
All over the country street car tracks are rusting from
abandonment, or have been taken up. Wherever street cars are still
in operation, passengers may now ride without argument, and one
may even hail the car in the middle of the block, and the motorman
will obligingly pick him up.
How times have changed! That is just the point I am trying to
emphasize. Times have changed! Moreover, the change is reflected
not merely in railroad offices and on street cars, but in other walks of
life as well. The “public-be-damned” policy is now passé. It has been
supplanted by the “we-are-obligingly-at-your-service, sir” policy.
The bankers have learned a thing or two during this rapid change
which has taken place during the past few years. Impoliteness on the
part of a bank official or bank employee today is as rare as it was
conspicuous a dozen years ago. In the years past, some bankers (not
all of them, of course) carried an atmosphere of austerity which gave
every would-be borrower a chill when he even thought of
approaching his banker for a loan.
The thousands of bank failures during the depression had the
effect of removing the mahogany doors behind which bankers
formerly barricaded themselves. They now sit at desks in the open,
where they may be seen and approached at will by any depositor, or
by anyone who wishes to see them, and the whole atmosphere of the
bank is one of courtesy and understanding.
It used to be customary for customers to have to stand and wait
at the corner grocery until the clerks were through passing the time
of day with friends, and the proprietor had finished making up his
bank deposit, before being waited upon. Chain stores, managed by
courteous men who do everything in the way of service, short of
shining the customer’s shoes, have pushed the old-time merchants
into the background. Time marches on!
“Courtesy” and “Service” are the watch-words of merchandising
today, and apply to the person who is marketing personal services
even more directly than to the employer whom he serves, because, in
the final analysis, both the employer and his employee are employed
by the public they serve. If they fail to serve well, they pay by the loss
of their privilege of serving.
We can all remember the time when the gas-meter reader
pounded on the door hard enough to break the panels. When the
door was opened, he pushed his way in, uninvited, with a scowl on
his face which plainly said, “What the hell did you keep me waiting
for?” All that has undergone a change. The meter-man now conducts
himself as a gentleman who is “delighted-to-be-at-your-service-sir.”
Before the gas companies learned that their scowling meter-men
were accumulating liabilities never to be cleared away, the polite
salesmen of oil burners came along and did a land office business.
During the depression, I spent several months in the anthracite
coal region of Pennsylvania, studying conditions which all but
destroyed the coal industry. Among several very significant
discoveries was the fact that greed on the part of operators and their
employees was the chief cause of the loss of business for the
operators, and loss of jobs for the miners.
Through the pressure of a group of overzealous labor leaders,
representing the employees, and the greed for profits on the part of
the operators, the anthracite business suddenly dwindled. The coal
operators and their employees drove sharp bargains with one
another, adding the cost of the “bargaining” to the price of the coal,
until, finally, they discovered they had built up a wonderful business
for the manufacturers of oil burning outfits and the producers of
crude oil.
“The wages of sin is death!” Many have read this in the Bible, but
few have discovered its meaning. Now, and for several years, the
entire world has been listening by force to a sermon which might
well be called “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Nothing as widespread and effective as the depression could
possibly be “just a coincidence.” Behind the depression was a cause.
Nothing ever happens without a cause. In the main, the cause of the
depression is traceable directly to the worldwide habit of trying to
reap without sowing.
This should not be mistaken to mean that the depression
represents a crop which the world is being forced to reap without
having sown. The trouble is that the world sowed the wrong sort of
seed. Any farmer knows he cannot sow the seed of thistles, and reap
a harvest of grain. Beginning at the outbreak of the world war, the
people of the world began to sow the seed of service inadequate in
both quality and quantity. Nearly everyone was engaged in the
pastime of trying to get without giving.
These illustrations are brought to the attention of those who have
personal services to market, to show that we are where we are, and
what we are, because of our own conduct! If there is a principle of
cause and effect, which controls business, finance, and
transportation, this same principle controls individuals and
determines their economic status.
WHAT IS YOUR “QQS” RATING?
The causes of success in marketing services effectively and
permanently have been clearly described. Unless those causes are
studied, analyzed, understood, and applied, no man can market his
services effectively and permanently. Every person must be his own
salesman of personal services. The quality and the quantity of service
rendered, and the spirit in which it is rendered, determine to a large
extent the price and the duration of employment. To market personal
services effectively (which means a permanent market, at a
satisfactory price, under pleasant conditions), one must adopt and
follow the “QQS” formula, which means that quality, plus quantity,
plus the proper spirit of cooperation, equals perfect salesmanship of
service. Remember the “QQS” formula, but do more—apply it as a
habit!
Let us analyze the formula to make sure we understand exactly
what it means.
1. Quality of service shall be construed to mean the
performance of every detail, in connection with your
position, in the most efficient manner possible, with the
object of greater efficiency always in mind.
2. Quantity of service shall be understood to mean the
habit of rendering all the service of which you are
capable, at all times, with the purpose of increasing the
amount of service rendered as greater skill is developed
through practice and experience. Emphasis is again
placed on the word “habit.”
3. Spirit of service shall be construed to mean the habit of
agreeable, harmonious conduct which will induce
cooperation from associates and fellow employees.
Adequacy of quality and quantity of service is not sufficient to
maintain a permanent market for your services. The conduct, or the
spirit in which you deliver service, is a strong determining factor in
connection with both the price you receive and the duration of
employment.
Andrew Carnegie stressed this point more than others in
connection with his description of the factors which lead to success
in the marketing of personal services. He emphasized again, and
again, the necessity for harmonious conduct. He stressed the fact
that he would not retain any man, no matter how great a quantity, or
how efficient the quality of his work, unless he worked in a spirit of
harmony. Mr. Carnegie insisted upon men being agreeable. To prove
that he placed a high value upon this quality, he permitted many
men who conformed to his standards to become very wealthy. Those
who did not conform had to make room for others.
The importance of a pleasing personality has been stressed
because it is a factor which enables one to render service in the
proper spirit. If one has a personality which pleases, and renders
service in a spirit of harmony, these assets often make up for
deficiencies in both the quality and the quantity of service one
renders. Nothing, however, can be successfully substituted for
pleasing conduct.
THE CAPITAL VALUE OF YOUR SERVICES
The person whose income is derived entirely from the sale of
personal services is no less a merchant than the man who sells
commodities, and it might well be added, such a person is subject to
exactly the same rules of conduct as the merchant who sells
merchandise.
This has been emphasized because the majority of people who
live by the sale of personal services make the mistake of considering
themselves free from the rules of conduct, and the responsibilities
attached to those who are engaged in marketing commodities.
The new way of marketing services has practically forced both
employer and employee into partnership alliances, through which
both take into consideration the rights of the third party, the public
they serve.
The day of the “go-getter” has passed. He has been supplanted by
the “go-giver.” High-pressure methods in business finally blew the
lid off. There will never be the need to put the lid back on, because, in
the future, business will be conducted by methods that will require
no pressure.
The actual capital value of your brains may be determined by the
amount of income you can produce (by marketing your services). A
fair estimate of the capital value of your services may be made by
multiplying your annual income by sixteen and two-thirds, as it is
reasonable to estimate that your annual income represents 6% of
your capital value. Money rents for 6% per annum. Money is worth
no more than brains. It is often worth much less.
Competent “brains,” if effectively marketed, represent a much
more desirable form of capital than that which is required to conduct
a business dealing in commodities, because “brains” are a form of
capital which cannot be permanently depreciated through
depressions, nor can this form of capital be stolen or spent.
Moreover, the money which is essential for the conduct of business is
as worthless as a sand dune, until it has been mixed with efficient
“brains.”
THE THIRTY MAJOR CAUSES OF FAILURE
HOW MANY OF THESE ARE HOLDING YOU BACK?
Life’s greatest tragedy consists of men and women who earnestly try,
and fail! The tragedy lies in the overwhelmingly large majority of
people who fail, as compared to the few who succeed.
I have had the privilege of analyzing several thousand men and
women, 98% of whom were classed as “failures.” There is something
radically wrong with a civilization, and a system of education, which
permit 98% of the people to go through life as failures. But I did not
write this book for the purpose of moralizing on the rights and
wrongs of the world; that would require a book a hundred times the
size of this one.
My analysis work proved that there are thirty major reasons for
failure, and thirteen major principles through which people
accumulate fortunes. In this chapter, a description of the thirty
major causes of failure will be given. As you go over the list, check
yourself by it, point by point, for the purpose of discovering how
many of these causes-of-failure stand between you and success.
1. Unfavorable hereditary background. There is but little, if
anything, which can be done for people who are born
with a deficiency in brain power. This philosophy offers
but one method of bridging this weakness—through the
aid of the Master Mind. Observe with profit, however,
that this is the only one of the thirty causes of failure
which may not be easily corrected by any individual.
2. Lack of a well-defined purpose in life. There is no hope of
success for the person who does not have a central
purpose, or definite goal, at which to aim. Ninety-eight
out of every hundred of those whom I have analyzed had
no such aim. Perhaps this was the major cause of their
failure.
3. Lack of ambition to aim above mediocrity. We offer no
hope for the person who is so indifferent as not to want
to get ahead in life, and who is not willing to pay the
price.
4. Insufficient education. This is a handicap which may be
overcome with comparative ease. Experience has proven
that the best-educated people are often those who are
known as “self-made,” or self-educated. It takes more
than a college degree to make one a person of education.
Any person who is educated is one who has learned to get
whatever he wants in life without violating the rights of
others. Education consists not so much of knowledge,
but of knowledge effectively and persistently applied.
Men are paid not merely for what they know, but more
particularly for what they do with that which they know.
5. Lack of self-discipline. Discipline comes through selfcontrol. This means that one must control all negative
qualities. Before you can control conditions, you must
first control yourself. Self-mastery is the hardest job you
will ever tackle. If you do not conquer self, you will be
conquered by self. You may see at one and the same time
both your best friend and your greatest enemy by
stepping in front of a mirror.
6. Ill health. No person may enjoy outstanding success
without good health. Many of the causes of ill health are
subject to mastery and control. These, in the main are:
a. Overeating of foods not conducive to health
b. Wrong habits of thought; giving expression to
negatives
c. Wrong use of, and over indulgence in, sex
d. Lack of proper physical exercise
e. An inadequate supply of fresh air, due to
improper breathing
7. Unfavorable environmental influences during childhood.
“As the twig is bent, so shall the tree grow.” Most people
who have criminal tendencies acquire them as the result
of bad environment, and improper associates during
childhood.
8. Procrastination. This is one of the most common causes
of failure. “Old Man Procrastination” stands within the
shadow of every human being, waiting his opportunity to
spoil one’s chances of success. Most of us go through life
as failures, because we are waiting for the “time to be
right” to start doing something worthwhile. Do not wait.
The time will never be “just right.” Start where you stand,
and work with whatever tools you may have at your
command, and better tools will be found as you go along.
9. Lack of persistence. Most of us are good “starters” but
poor “finishers” of everything we begin. Moreover,
people are prone to give up at the first signs of defeat.
There is no substitute for persistence. The person who
makes persistence his watch-word discovers that “Old
Man Failure” finally becomes tired, and makes his
departure. Failure cannot cope with persistence.
10. Negative personality. There is no hope of success for the
person who repels people through a negative personality.
Success comes through the application of power, and
power is attained through the cooperative efforts of other
people. A negative personality will not induce
cooperation.
11. Lack of controlled sexual urge. Sex energy is the most
powerful of all the stimuli which move people into action.
Because it is the most powerful of the emotions, it must
be controlled, through transmutation, and converted into
other channels.
12. Uncontrolled desire for “something for nothing.” The
gambling instinct drives millions of people to failure.
Evidence of this may be found in a study of the Wall
Street crash of ’29, during which millions of people tried
to make money by gambling on stock margins.
13. Lack of a well-defined power of decision. Men who
succeed reach decisions promptly, and change them, if at
all, very slowly. Men who fail reach decisions, if at all,
very slowly, and change them frequently, and quickly.
Indecision and procrastination are twin brothers. Where
one is found, the other may usually be found also. Kill off
this pair before they completely “hog-tie” you to the
treadmill of failure.
14. One or more of the six basic fears. These fears have been
analyzed for you in a later chapter. They must be
mastered before you can market your services effectively.
15. Wrong selection of a mate in marriage. This a most
common cause of failure. The relationship of marriage
brings people intimately into contact. Unless this
relationship is harmonious, failure is likely to follow.
Moreover, it will be a form of failure that is marked by
misery and unhappiness, destroying all signs of
ambition.
16. Over-caution. The person who takes no chances generally
has to take whatever is left when others are through
choosing. Over-caution is as bad as under-caution. Both
are extremes to be guarded against. Life itself is filled
with the element of chance.
17. Wrong selection of associates in business. This is one of
the most common causes of failure in business. In
marketing personal services, one should use great care to
select an employer who will be an inspiration, and who
is, himself, intelligent and successful. We emulate those
with whom we associate most closely. Pick an employer
who is worth emulating.
18. Superstition and prejudice. Superstition is a form of fear.
It is also a sign of ignorance. Men who succeed keep open
minds and are afraid of nothing.
19. Wrong selection of a vocation. No man can succeed in a
line of endeavor which he does not like. The most
essential step in the marketing of personal services is
that of selecting an occupation into which you can throw
yourself wholeheartedly.
20. Lack of concentration of effort. The “jack-of-all-trades”
seldom is good at any. Concentrate all of your efforts on
one definite chief aim.
21. The habit of indiscriminate spending. The spend-thrift
cannot succeed, mainly because he stands eternally in
fear of poverty. Form the habit of systematic saving by
putting aside a definite percentage of your income.
Money in the bank gives one a very safe foundation of
courage when bargaining for the sale of personal
services. Without money, one must take what one is
offered, and be glad to get it.
22. Lack of enthusiasm. Without enthusiasm one cannot be
convincing. Moreover, enthusiasm is contagious, and the
person who has it, under control, is generally welcome in
any group of people.
23. Intolerance. The person with a “closed” mind on any
subject seldom gets ahead. Intolerance means that one
has stopped acquiring knowledge. The most damaging
forms of intolerance are those connected with religious,
racial, and political differences of opinion.
24. Intemperance. The most damaging forms of
intemperance are connected with eating, strong drink,
and sexual activities. Overindulgence in any of these is
fatal to success.
25. Inability to cooperate with others. More people lose their
positions and their big opportunities in life because of
this fault than for all other reasons combined. It is a fault
which no well-informed business man or leader will
tolerate.
26. Possession of power that was not acquired through self
effort. (Sons and daughters of wealthy men, and others
who inherit money which they did not earn.) Power in
the hands of one who did not acquire it gradually is often
fatal to success. Quick riches are more dangerous than
poverty.
27. Intention dishonesty. There is no substitute for honesty.
One may be temporarily dishonest by force of
circumstances over which one has no control, without
permanent damage. But, there is no hope for the person
who is dishonest by choice. Sooner or later, his deeds will
catch up with him, and he will pay by loss of reputation,
and perhaps even loss of liberty.
28. Egotism and vanity. These qualities serve as red lights
which warn others to keep away. They are fatal to
success.
29. Guessing instead of thinking. Most people are too
indifferent or lazy to acquire facts with which to think
accurately. They prefer to act on “opinions” created by
guesswork or snap-judgments.
30. Lack of capital. This is a common cause of failure among
those who start out in business for the first time, without
sufficient reserve of capital to absorb the shock of their
mistakes, and to carry them over until they have
established a reputation.
31. Under this, name any particular cause of failure from
which you have suffered that has not been included in
the foregoing list.
In these thirty major causes of failure is found a description of
the tragedy of life, which obtains for practically every person who
tries and fails. It will be helpful if you can induce someone who
knows you well to go over this list with you, and help to analyze you
by the thirty causes of failure. It may be beneficial if you try this
alone. Most people cannot see themselves as others see them. You
may be one who cannot.
The oldest of admonitions is “Man, know thyself!” If you market
merchandise successfully, you must know the merchandise. The
same is true in marketing personal services. You should know all of
your weaknesses in order that you may either bridge them or
eliminate them entirely. You should know your strength in order that
you may call attention to it when selling your services. You can know
yourself only through accurate analysis.
The folly of ignorance in connection with self was displayed by a
young man who applied to the manager of a well-known business for
a position. He made a very good impression until the manager asked
him what salary he expected. He replied that he had no fixed sum in
mind (lack of a definite aim). The manager then said, “We will pay
you all you are worth, after we try you out for a week.”
“I will not accept it,” the applicant replied, “because I am getting
more than that where I am now employed.”
Before you even start to negotiate for a readjustment of your
salary in your present position, or to seek employment elsewhere, be
sure that you are worth more than you now receive.
It is one thing to want money—everyone wants more—but it is
something entirely different to be worth more! Many people mistake
their wants for their just dues. Your financial requirements or wants
have nothing whatever to do with your worth. Your value is
established entirely by your ability to render useful service or your
capacity to induce others to render such service.
TAKE INVENTORY OF YOURSELF
28 QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ANSWER
Annual self-analysis is an essential in the effective marketing of
personal services, as is annual inventory in merchandising.
Moreover, the yearly analysis should disclose a decrease in faults,
and an increase in virtues. One goes ahead, stands still, or goes
backward in life. One’s object should be, of course, to go ahead.
Annual self-analysis will disclose whether advancement has been
made, and if so, how much. It will also disclose any backward steps
one may have made. The effective marketing of personal services
requires one to move forward even if the progress is slow.
Your annual self-analysis should be made at the end of each year,
so you can include in your New Year’s Resolutions any
improvements which the analysis indicates should be made. Take
this inventory by asking yourself the following questions, and by
checking your answers with the aid of someone who will not permit
you to deceive yourself as to their accuracy.
Self-Analysis Questionnaire for Personal Inventory
1. Have I attained the goal which I established as my
objective for this year? (You should work with a definite
yearly objective to be attained as a part of your major life
objective.)
2. Have I delivered service of the best possible quality of
which I was capable, or could I have improved any part
of this service?
3. Have I delivered service in the greatest possible quantity
of which I was capable?
4. Has the spirit of my conduct been harmonious, and
cooperative at all times?
5. Have I permitted the habit of procrastination to decrease
my efficiency and if so, to what extent?
6. Have I improved my personality, and if so, in what ways?
7. Have I been persistent in following my plans through to
completion?
8. Have I reached decisions promptly and definitely on all
occasions?
9. Have I permitted any one or more of the six basic fears to
decrease my efficiency?
10. Have I been either “over-cautious,” or “under-cautious”?
11. Has my relationship with my associates in work been
pleasant, or unpleasant? If it has been unpleasant, has
the fault been partly, or wholly mine?
12. Have I dissipated any of my energy through lack of
concentration of effort?
13. Have I been open-minded and tolerant in connection
with all subjects?
14. In what way have I improved my ability to render
service?
15. Have I been intemperate in any of my habits?
16. Have I expressed, either openly or secretly, any form of
egotism?
17. Has my conduct toward my associates been such that it
has induced them to respect me?
18. Have my opinions and decisions been based upon
guesswork, or accuracy of analysis and thought?
19. Have I followed the habit of budgeting my time, my
expenses, and my income, and have I been conservative
in these budgets?
20. How much time have I devoted to unprofitable effort
which I might have used to better advantage?
21. How may I re-budget my time, and change my habits so I
will be more efficient during the coming year?
22. Have I been guilty of any conduct which was not
approved by my conscience?
23. In what ways have I rendered more service and better
service than I was paid to render?
24. Have I been unfair to anyone, and if so, in what way?
25. If I had been the purchaser of my own services for the
year, would I be satisfied with my purchase?
26. Am I in the right vocation, and if not, why not?
27. Has the purchaser of my services been satisfied with the
service I have rendered, and if not, why not?
28. What is my present rating on the fundamental principles
of success? (Make this rating fairly, and frankly, and have
it checked by someone who is courageous enough to do it
accurately.)
Having read and assimilated the information conveyed through
this chapter, you are now ready to create a practical plan for
marketing your personal services. In this chapter will be found an
adequate description of every principle essential in planning the sale
of personal services, including the major attributes of leadership; the
most common causes of failure in leadership; a description of the
fields of opportunity for leadership; the main causes of failure in all
walks of life, and the important questions which should be used in
self-analysis.
This extensive and detailed presentation of accurate information
has been included, because it will be needed by all who must begin
the accumulation of riches by marketing personal services. Those
who have lost their fortunes, and those who are just beginning to
earn money, have nothing but personal services to offer in return for
riches, therefore it is essential that they have available the practical
information needed to market services to best advantage.
The information contained in this chapter will be of great value
to all who aspire to attain leadership in any calling. It will be
particularly helpful to those aiming to market their services as
business or industrial executives.
Complete assimilation and understanding of the information
here conveyed will be helpful in marketing one’s own services, and it
will also help one to become more analytical and capable of judging
people. The information will be priceless to personnel directors,
employment managers, and other executives charged with the
selection of employees, and the maintenance of efficient
organizations. If you doubt this statement, test its soundness by
answering in writing the twenty-eight self-analysis questions. That
might be both interesting and profitable, even though you do not
doubt the soundness of the statement.
WHERE AND HOW ONE MAY FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO
ACCUMULATE RICHES
Now that we have analyzed the principles by which riches may be
accumulated, we naturally ask, “where may one find favorable
opportunities to apply these principles?” Very well, let us take
inventory and see what the United States of America offer the person
seeking riches, great or small.
To begin with, let us remember, all of us, that we live in a country
where every law-abiding citizen enjoys freedom of thought and
freedom of deed unequaled anywhere in the world. Most of us have
never taken inventory of the advantages of this freedom. We have
never compared our unlimited freedom with the curtailed freedom in
other countries.
Here we have freedom of thought, freedom in the choice and
enjoyment of education, freedom in religion, freedom in politics,
freedom in the choice of a business, profession or occupation,
freedom to accumulate and own without molestation, all the
property we can accumulate, freedom to choose our place of
residence, freedom in marriage, freedom through equal opportunity
to all races, freedom of travel from one state to another, freedom in
our choice of foods, and freedom to aim for any station in life for
which we have prepared ourselves, even for the presidency of the
United States.
We have other forms of freedom, but this list will give a bird’s eye
view of the most important, which constitute opportunity of the
highest order. This advantage of freedom is all the more conspicuous
because the United States is the only country guaranteeing to every
citizen, whether native born or naturalized, so broad and varied a list
of freedoms.
Next, let us recount some of the blessings which our widespread
freedom has placed within our hands. Take the average American
family for example (meaning, the family of average income) and sum
up the benefits available to every member of the family, in this land
of opportunity and plenty!
a. Food. Next to freedom of thought and deed come food,
clothing, and shelter, the three basic necessities of life.
Because of our universal freedom the average American family
has available, at its very door, the choicest selection of food to be
found anywhere in the world, and at prices within its financial range.
A family of two, living in the heart of Times Square district of
New York City, far removed from the source of production of foods,
took careful inventory of the cost of a simple breakfast, with this
astonishing result:
ARTICLES OF FOOD; COST AT THE BREAKFAST TABLE:
Grape Fruit Juice (From Florida)
Rippled Wheat Breakfast food (Kansas Farm)
Tea (From China)
Bananas (From South America)
Toasted Bread (From Kansas Farm)
Fresh Country Eggs (From Utah)
Sugar (From Cuba, or Utah)
Butter and Cream (From New England)
GRAND TOTAL
02
02
02
02½
01
07
00½
03
20
It is not very difficult to obtain food in a country where two
people can have breakfast consisting of all they want or need for a
dime apiece! Observe that this simple breakfast was gathered, by
some strange form of magic (?) from China, South America, Utah,
Kansas and the New England States, and delivered on the breakfast
table, ready for consumption, in the very heart of the most crowded
city in America, at a cost well within the means of the most humble
laborer.
The cost included all federal, state and city taxes! (Here is a fact
the politicians did not mention when they were crying out to the
voters to throw their opponents out of office because the people were
being taxed to death.)
b. Shelter. This family lives in a comfortable apartment,
heated by steam, lighted with electricity, with gas for
cooking, all for $65.00 a month. In a smaller city, or a
more sparsely settled part of New York City, the same
apartment could be had for as low as $20.00 a month.
The toast they had for breakfast in the food estimate was toasted
on an electric toaster, which cost but a few dollars; the apartment is
cleaned with a vacuum sweeper that is run by electricity. Hot and
cold water is available, at all times, in the kitchen and the bathroom.
The food is kept cool in a refrigerator that is run by electricity. The
wife curls her hair, washes her clothes and irons them with easily
operated electrical equipment, on power obtained by sticking a plug
in the wall. The husband shaves with an electric shaver, and they
receive entertainment from all over the world, twenty-four hours a
day, if they want it, without cost, by merely turning the dial of their
radio.
There are other conveniences in this apartment, but the
foregoing list will give a fair idea of some of the concrete evidences of
the freedom we, of America, enjoy. (And this is neither political nor
economic propaganda.)
c. Clothing. Anywhere in the United States, the woman of
average clothing requirements can dress very
comfortably and neatly for less than $200.00 a year, and
the average man can dress for the same, or less.
Only the three basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter
have been mentioned. The average American citizen has other
privileges and advantages available in return for modest effort, not
exceeding eight hours per day of labor. Among these is the privilege
of automobile transportation, with which one can go and come at
will, at very small cost.
The average American has security of property rights not found
in any other country in the world. He can place his surplus money in
a bank with the assurance that his government will protect it, and
make good to him if the bank fails. If an American citizen wants to
travel from one state to another he needs no passport, no one’s
permission. He may go when he pleases, and return at will.
Moreover, he may travel by train, private automobile, bus, airplane,
or ship, as his pocketbook permits. In Germany, Russia, Italy, and
most of the other European and Oriental countries, the people
cannot travel with so much freedom, and at so little cost.
THE “MIRACLE” THAT HAS PROVIDED THESE BLESSINGS
We often hear politicians proclaiming the freedom of America, when
they solicit votes, but seldom do they take the time or devote
sufficient effort to the analysis of the source or nature of this
“freedom.” Having no axe to grind, no grudge to express, no ulterior
motives to be carried out, I have the privilege of going into a frank
analysis of that mysterious, abstract, greatly misunderstood
“something” which gives to every citizen of America more blessings,
more opportunities to accumulate wealth, more freedom of every
nature, than may be found in any other country.
I have the right to analyze the source and nature of this unseen
power, because I know, and have known for more than a quarter of a
century, many of the men who organized that power, and many who
are now responsible for its maintenance.
The name of this mysterious benefactor of mankind is capital!
Capital consists not alone of money, but more particularly of
highly organized, intelligent groups of men who plan ways and
means of using money efficiently for the good of the public, and
profitably to themselves.
These groups consist of scientists, educators, chemists, inventors,
business analysts, publicity men, transportation experts,
accountants, lawyers, doctors, and both men and women who have
highly specialized knowledge in all fields of industry and business.
They pioneer, experiment, and blaze trails in new fields of endeavor.
They support colleges, hospitals, public schools, build good roads,
publish newspapers, pay most of the cost of government, and take
care of the multitudinous detail essential to human progress. Stated
briefly, the capitalists are the brains of civilization, because they
supply the entire fabric of which all education, enlightenment and
human progress consists.
Money, without brains, always is dangerous. Properly used, it is
the most important essential of civilization. The simple breakfast
here described could not have been delivered to the New York family
at a dime each, or at any other price, if organized capital had not
provided the machinery, the ships, the railroads, and the huge
armies of trained men to operate them.
Some slight idea of the importance of organized capital may be
had by trying to imagine yourself burdened with the responsibility of
collecting, without the aid of capital, and delivering to the New York
City family, the simple breakfast described.
To supply the tea, you would have to make a trip to China or
India, both a very long way from America. Unless you are an
excellent swimmer, you would become rather tired before making
the round trip. Then, too, another problem would confront you.
What would you use for money, even if you had the physical
endurance to swim the ocean?
To supply the sugar, you would have to take another long swim to
Cuba, or a long walk to the sugar beet section of Utah. But even then,
you might come back without the sugar, because organized effort and
money are necessary to produce sugar, to say nothing of what is
required to refine, transport, and deliver it to the breakfast table
anywhere in the United States.
The eggs, you could deliver easily enough from the barn yards
near New York City, but you would have a very long walk to Florida
and return, before you could serve the two glasses of grapefruit juice.
You would have another long walk, to Kansas, or one of the other
wheat growing states, when you went after the four slices of wheat
bread.
The Rippled Wheat Biscuits would have to be omitted from the
menu, because they would not be available except through the labor
of a trained organization of men and suitable machinery, all of which
call for capital.
While resting, you could take off for another little swim down to
South America, where you would pick up a couple of bananas, and on
your return, you could take a short walk to the nearest farm having a
dairy and pick up some butter and cream. Then your New York City
family would be ready to sit down and enjoy breakfast, and you could
collect your two dimes for your labor!
Seems absurd, doesn’t it? Well, the procedure described would be
the only possible way these simple items of food could be delivered to
the heart of New York City, if we had no capitalistic system.
The sum of money required for the building and maintenance of
the railroads and steam ships used in the delivery of that simple
breakfast is so huge that it staggers one’s imagination. It runs into
hundreds of millions of dollars, not to mention the armies of trained
employees required to man the ships and trains. But, transportation
is only a part of the requirements of modern civilization in
capitalistic America. Before there can be anything to haul, something
must be grown from the ground, or manufactured and prepared for
market. This calls for more millions of dollars for equipment,
machinery, boxing, marketing, and for the wages of millions of men
and women.
Steam ships and railroads do not spring up from the earth and
function automatically. They come in response to the call of
civilization, through the labor and ingenuity and organizing ability of
men who have imagination, faith, enthusiasm, decision, persistence!
These men are known as capitalists. They are motivated by the desire
to build, construct, achieve, render useful service, earn profits and
accumulate riches. And, because they render service without which
there would be no civilization, they put themselves in the way of
great riches.
Just to keep the record simple and understandable, I will add
that these capitalists are the selfsame men of whom most of us have
heard soap-box orators speak. They are the same men to whom
radicals, racketeers, dishonest politicians and grafting labor leaders
refer as “the predatory interests,” or “Wall Street.”
I am not attempting to present a brief for or against any group of
men or any system of economics. I am not attempting to condemn
collective bargaining when I refer to “grafting labor leaders,” nor do I
aim to give a clean bill of health to all individuals known as
capitalists.
The purpose of this book—a purpose to which I have faithfully
devoted over a quarter of a century—is to present to all who want
the knowledge, the most dependable philosophy through which
individuals may accumulate riches in whatever amounts they desire.
I have here analyzed the economic advantages of the capitalistic
system for the two-fold purpose of showing:
1. that all who seek riches must recognize and adapt
themselves to the system that controls all approaches to
fortunes, large or small, and
2. to present the side of the picture opposite to that being
shown by politicians and demagogues who deliberately
becloud the issues they bring up, by referring to
organized capital as if it were something poisonous.
This is a capitalistic country, it was developed through the use of
capital, and we who claim the right to partake of the blessings of
freedom and opportunity, we who seek to accumulate riches here,
may as well know that neither riches nor opportunity would be
available to us if organized capital had not provided these benefits.
For more than twenty years it has been a somewhat popular and
growing pastime for radicals, self-seeking politicians, racketeers,
crooked labor leaders, and on occasion religious leaders, to take potshots at “Wall Street, the money changers, and big business.”
The practice became so general that we witnessed during the
business depression, the unbelievable sight of high government
officials lining up with the cheap politicians, and labor leaders, with
the openly avowed purpose of throttling the system which has made
Industrial America the richest country on earth. The line-up was so
general and so well organized that it prolonged the worst depression
America has ever known. It cost millions of men their jobs, because
those jobs were inseparably a part of the industrial and capitalistic
system which form the very backbone of the nation.
During this unusual alliance of government officials and selfseeking individuals who were endeavoring to profit by declaring
“open season” on the American system of industry, a certain type of
labor leader joined forces with the politicians and offered to deliver
voters in return for legislation designed to permit men to take riches
away from industry by organized force of numbers, instead of the
better method of giving a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.
Millions of men and women throughout the nation are still
engaged in this popular pastime of trying to get without giving. Some
of them are lined up with labor unions, where they demand shorter
hours and more pay! Others do not take the trouble to work at all.
They demand government relief and are getting it. Their idea of their
rights of freedom was demonstrated in New York City, where violent
complaint was registered with the Postmaster, by a group of “relief
beneficiaries,” because the Postmen awakened them at 7:30 a.m. to
deliver Government relief checks. They demanded that the time of
delivery be set up to 10:00 o’clock.
If you are one of those who believe that riches can be
accumulated by the mere act of men who organize themselves into
groups and demand more pay for less service, if you are one of those
who demand Government relief without early morning disturbance
when the money is delivered to you, if you are one of those who
believe in trading their votes to politicians in return for the passing
of laws which permit the raiding of the public treasury, you may rest
securely on your belief, with certain knowledge that no one will
disturb you, because this is a free country where every man may
think as he pleases, where nearly everybody can live with but little
effort, where many may live well without doing any work whatsoever.
However, you should know the full truth concerning this freedom
of which so many people boast, and so few understand. As great as it
is, as far as it reaches, as many privileges as it provides, it does not,
and cannot bring riches without effort.
There is but one dependable method of accumulating, and legally
holding riches, and that is by rendering useful service. No system has
ever been created by which men can legally acquire riches through
mere force of numbers, or without giving in return an equivalent
value of one form or another.
There is a principle known as the law of economics! This is more
than a theory. It is a law no man can beat.
Mark well the name of the principle, and remember it, because it
is far more powerful than all the politicians and political machines. It
is above and beyond the control of all the labor unions. It cannot be
swayed, nor influenced nor bribed by racketeers or self-appointed
leaders in any calling. Moreover, it has an all-seeing eye, and a
perfect system of bookkeeping, in which it keeps an accurate account
of the transactions of every human being engaged in the business of
trying to get without giving. Sooner or later its auditors come
around, look over the records of individuals both great and small,
and demand an accounting.
“Wall Street, Big Business, Capital Predatory Interests,” or
whatever name you choose to give the system which has given us
American Freedom, represents a group of men who understand,
respect, and adapt themselves to this powerful law of economics!
Their financial continuation depends upon their respecting the law.
Most people living in America like this country, its capitalistic
system and all. I must confess I know of no better country, where one
may find greater opportunities to accumulate riches. Judging by
their acts and deeds, there are some in this country who do not like
it. That, of course is their privilege; if they do not like this country, its
capitalistic system, its boundless opportunities, they have the
privilege of clearing out! Always there are other countries, such as
Germany, Russia, and Italy, where one may try one’s hand at
enjoying freedom, and accumulating riches providing one is not too
particular.
America provides all the freedom and all the opportunity to
accumulate riches that any honest person may require. When one
goes hunting for game, one selects hunting grounds where game is
plentiful. When seeking riches, the same rule would naturally obtain.
If it is riches you are seeking, do not overlook the possibilities of
a country whose citizens are so rich that women, alone, spend over
two hundred million dollars annually for lip-sticks, rouge and
cosmetics. Think twice, you who are seeking riches, before trying to
destroy the Capitalistic System of a country whose citizens spend
over fifty million dollars a year for greeting cards, with which to
express their appreciation of their freedom!
If it is money you are seeking, consider carefully a country that
spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually for cigarettes, the
bulk of the income from which goes to only four major companies
engaged in supplying this national builder of “nonchalance” and
“quiet nerves.”
By all means give plenty of consideration to a country whose
people spend annually more than fifteen million dollars for the
privilege of seeing moving pictures, and toss in a few additional
millions for liquor, narcotics, and other less potent soft drinks and
giggle-waters.
Do not be in too big a hurry to get away from a country whose
people willingly, even eagerly, hand over millions of dollars annually
for football, baseball, and prize fights.
And, by all means, stick by a country whose inhabitants give up
more than a million dollars a year for chewing gum, and another
million for safety razor blades.
Remember, also, that this is but the beginning of the available
sources for the accumulation of wealth. Only a few of the luxuries
and non-essentials have been mentioned. But, remember that the
business of producing, transporting, and marketing these few items
of merchandise gives regular employment to many millions of men
and women, who receive for their services many millions of dollars
monthly, and spend it freely for both the luxuries and the necessities.
Especially remember, that back of all this exchange of
merchandise and personal services may be found an abundance of
opportunity to accumulate riches. Here our American Freedom
comes to one’s aid. There is nothing to stop you, or anyone from
engaging in any portion of the effort necessary to carry on these
businesses. If one has superior talent, training, experience, one may
accumulate riches in large amounts. Those not so fortunate may
accumulate smaller amounts. Anyone may earn a living in return for
a very nominal amount of labor.
So—there you are!
Opportunity has spread its wares before you. Step up to the front,
select what you want, create your plan, put the plan into action, and
follow through with persistence. “Capitalistic” America will do the
rest. You can depend upon this much—capitalistic America insures
every person the opportunity to render useful service, and to collect
riches in proportion to the value of the service.
The “System” denies no one this right, but it does not, and
cannot, promise something for nothing, because the system, itself, is
irrevocably controlled by the law of economics which neither
recognizes nor tolerates for long, getting without giving.
The law of economics was passed by Nature! There is no
Supreme Court to which violators of this law may appeal. The law
hands out both penalties for its violation, and appropriate rewards
for its observance, without interference or the possibility of
interference by any human being. The law cannot be repealed. It is
as fixed as the stars in the heavens, and subject to, and a part of the
same system that controls the stars.
May one refuse to adapt one’s self to the law of economics?
Certainly! This is a free country, where all men are born with
equal rights, including the privilege of ignoring the law of economics.
What happens then?
Well, nothing happens until large numbers of men join forces for
the avowed purpose of ignoring the law, and taking what they want
by force. Then comes the dictator, with well-organized firing squads
and machine guns!
We have not yet reached that stage in America! But we have
heard all we want to know about how the system works. Perhaps we
shall be fortunate enough not to demand personal knowledge of so
gruesome a reality. Doubtless we shall prefer to continue with our
freedom of speech, freedom of deed and freedom to render useful
service in return for riches.
The practice, by Government officials of extending to men and
women the privilege of raiding the public treasury in return for votes,
sometimes results in election, but as night follows day, the final
payoff comes; when every penny wrongfully used must be repaid
with compound interest on compound interest. If those who make
the grab are not forced to repay, the burden falls on their children,
and their children’s children, “even unto the third and fourth
generations.” There is no way to avoid the debt.
Men can, and sometimes do, form themselves into groups for the
purpose of crowding wages up, and working hours down. There is a
point beyond which they cannot go. It is the point at which the law of
economics steps in, and the sheriff gets both the employer and the
employees.
For six years, from 1929 to 1935, the people of America, both rich
and poor, barely missed seeing the Old Man Economics hand over to
the sheriff all the businesses, and industries and banks. It was not a
pretty sight! It did not increase our respect for mob psychology
through which men cast reason to the winds and start trying to get
without giving.
We who went through those six discouraging years, when fear
was in the saddle, and faith was on the ground, cannot forget how
ruthlessly the law of economics exacted its toll from both rich and
poor, weak and strong, old and young. We shall not wish to go
through another such experience.
These observations are not founded upon short-time experience.
They are the result of twenty-five years of careful analysis of the
methods of both the most successful and the most unsuccessful men
America has known.
CHAPTER 8
DECISION
THE MASTERY OF PROCRASTINATION
The Seventh Step Toward Riches
A
ccurate analysis of over 25,000 men and women who had
experienced failure disclosed the fact that lack of decision was
near the head of the list of the thirty major causes of failure.
This is no mere statement of a theory—it is a fact.
Procrastination, the opposite of decision, is a common enemy
which practically every man must conquer.
You will have an opportunity to test your capacity to reach quick
and definite decisions when you finish reading this book, and are
ready to begin putting into action the principles which it describes.
Analysis of several hundred people who had accumulated
fortunes well beyond the million dollar mark disclosed the fact that
every one of them had the habit of reaching decisions promptly, and
of changing these decisions slowly, if, and when they were changed.
People who fail to accumulate money, without exception, have the
habit of reaching decisions, if at all, very slowly, and of changing
these decisions quickly and often.
One of Henry Ford’s most outstanding qualities is his habit of
reaching decisions quickly and definitely, and changing them slowly.
This quality is so pronounced in Mr. Ford, that it has given him the
reputation of being obstinate. It was this quality which prompted Mr.
Ford to continue to manufacture his famous Model “T” (the world’s
ugliest car), when all of his advisors, and many of the purchasers of
the car, were urging him to change it.
Perhaps, Mr. Ford delayed too long in making the change, but the
other side of the story is, that Mr. Ford’s firmness of decision yielded
a huge fortune, before the change in model became necessary. There
is but little doubt that Mr. Ford’s habit of definiteness of decision
assumes the proportion of obstinacy, but this quality is preferable to
slowness in reaching decisions and quickness in changing them.
The majority of people who fail to accumulate money sufficient
for their needs, are, generally, easily influenced by the “opinions” of
others. They permit the newspapers and the “gossiping” neighbors to
do their “thinking” for them. “Opinions” are the cheapest
commodities on earth. Everyone has a flock of opinions ready to be
wished upon anyone who will accept them. If you are influenced by
“opinions” when you reach decisions, you will not succeed in any
undertaking, much less in that of transmuting your own desire into
money.
If you are influenced by the opinions of others, you will have no
desire of your own.
Keep your own counsel, when you begin to put into practice the
principles described here, by reaching your own decisions and
following them. Take no one into your confidence, except the
members of your “Master Mind” group, and be very sure in your
selection of this group, that you choose only those who will be in
complete sympathy and harmony with your purpose.
Close friends and relatives, while not meaning to do so, often
handicap one through “opinions” and sometimes through ridicule,
which is meant to be humorous. Thousands of men and women carry
inferiority complexes with them all through life, because some wellmeaning, but ignorant person destroyed their confidence through
“opinions” or ridicule.
You have a brain and mind of your own. Use it, and reach your
own decisions. If you need facts or information from other people, to
enable you to reach decisions, as you probably will in many
instances; acquire these facts or secure the information you need
quietly, without disclosing your purpose.
It is characteristic of people who have but a smattering or a
veneer of knowledge to try to give the impression that they have
much knowledge. Such people generally do too much talking, and too
little listening. Keep your eyes and ears wide open—and your mouth
closed, if you wish to acquire the habit of prompt decision. Those
who talk too much do little else. If you talk more than you listen, you
not only deprive yourself of many opportunities to accumulate useful
knowledge, but you also disclose your plans and purposes to people
who will take great delight in defeating you, because they envy you.
Remember, also, that every time you open your mouth in the
presence of a person who has an abundance of knowledge, you
display to that person, your exact stock of knowledge, or your lack of
it! Genuine wisdom is usually conspicuous through modesty and
silence.
Keep in mind the fact that every person with whom you associate
is, like yourself, seeking the opportunity to accumulate money. If you
talk about your plans too freely, you may be surprised when you
learn that some other person has beaten you to your goal by putting
into action ahead of you, the plans of which you talked unwisely.
Let one of your first decisions be to keep a closed mouth and
open ears and eyes.
As a reminder to yourself to follow this advice, it will be helpful if
you copy the following epigram in large letters and place it where you
will see it daily.
“Tell the world what you intend to do, but first show it.”
This is the equivalent of saying that “deeds, and not words, are
what count most.”
FREEDOM OR DEATH ON A DECISION
The value of decisions depends upon the courage required to render
them. The great decisions, which served as the foundation of
civilization, were reached by assuming great risks, which often meant
the possibility of death.
Lincoln’s decision to issue his famous Proclamation of
Emancipation, which gave freedom to the colored people of America,
was rendered with full understanding that his act would turn
thousands of friends and political supporters against him. He knew,
too, that the carrying out of that proclamation would mean death to
thousands of men on the battlefield. In the end, it cost Lincoln his
life. That required courage.
Socrates’ decision to drink the cup of poison, rather than
compromise in his personal belief, was a decision of courage. It
turned Time ahead a thousand years, and gave to people then
unborn, the right to freedom of thought and of speech.
The decision of Gen. Robert E. Lee, when he came to the parting
of the way with the Union, and took up the cause of the South, was a
decision of courage, for he well knew that it might cost him his own
life, that it would surely cost the lives of others.
But, the greatest decision of all time, as far as any American
citizen is concerned, was reached in Philadelphia, July 4, 1776, when
fifty-six men signed their names to a document, which they well
knew would bring freedom to all Americans, or leave every one of
the fifty-six hanging from a gallows!
You have heard of this famous document, but you may not have
drawn from it the great lesson in personal achievement it so plainly
taught.
We all remember the date of this momentous decision, but few of
us realize what courage that decision required. We remember our
history, as it was taught; we remember dates, and the names of the
men who fought; we remember Valley Forge, and Yorktown; we
remember George Washington, and Lord Cornwallis. But we know
little of the real forces back of these names, dates, and places. We
know still less of that intangible power, which insured us freedom
long before Washington’s armies reached Yorktown.
We read the history of the Revolution, and falsely imagine that
George Washington was the Father of our Country, that it was he
who won our freedom, while the truth is—Washington was only an
accessory after the fact, because victory for his armies had been
insured long before Lord Cornwallis surrendered. This is not
intended to rob Washington of any of the glory he so richly merited.
Its purpose, rather, is to give greater attention to the astounding
power that was the real cause of his victory.
It is nothing short of tragedy that the writers of history have
missed, entirely, even the slightest reference to the irresistible power,
which gave birth and freedom to the nation destined to set up new
standards of independence for all the peoples of the earth. I say it is a
tragedy, because it is the selfsame power which must be used by
every individual who surmounts the difficulties of Life, and forces
Life to pay the price asked.
Let us briefly review the events which gave birth to this power.
The story begins with an incident in Boston, March 5, 1770. British
soldiers were patroling the streets, by their presence, openly
threatening the citizens. The colonists resented armed men marching
in their midst. They began to express their resentment openly,
hurling stones as well as epithets, at the marching soldiers, until the
commanding officer gave orders, “Fix bayonets. . . . Charge!”
The battle was on. It resulted in the death and injury of many.
The incident aroused such resentment that the Provincial Assembly
(made up of prominent colonists) called a meeting for the purpose of
taking definite action. Two of the members of that Assembly were
John Hancock, and Samuel Adams—long live their names! They
spoke up courageously, and declared that a move must be made to
eject all British soldiers from Boston.
Remember this—a decision, in the minds of two men, might
properly be called the beginning of the freedom which we of the
United States now enjoy. Remember, too, that the decision of these
two men called for faith, and courage, because it was dangerous.
Before the Assembly adjourned, Samuel Adams was appointed to
call on the Governor of the Province, Hutchinson, and demand the
withdrawal of the British troops.
The request was granted, the troops were removed from Boston,
but the incident was not closed. It had caused a situation destined to
change the entire trend of civilization. Strange, is it not, how the
great changes, such as the American Revolution, and the world war,
often have their beginnings in circumstances which seem
unimportant? It is interesting, also, to observe that these important
changes usually begin in the form of a definite decision in the minds
of a relatively small number of people. Few of us know the history of
our country well enough to realize that John Hancock, Samuel
Adams, and Richard Henry Lee (of the Province of Virginia) were the
real Fathers of our Country.
Richard Henry Lee became an important factor in this story by
reason of the fact that he and Samuel Adams communicated
frequently (by correspondence), sharing freely their fears and their
hopes concerning the welfare of the people of their Provinces. From
this practice, Adams conceived the idea that a mutual exchange of
letters between the thirteen Colonies might help to bring about the
coordination of effort so badly needed in connection with the
solution of their problems. Two years after the clash with the soldiers
in Boston (March ’72), Adams presented this idea to the Assembly, in
the form of a motion that a Correspondence Committee be
established among the Colonies, with definitely appointed
correspondents in each Colony, “for the purpose of friendly
cooperation for the betterment of the Colonies of British America.”
Mark well this incident! It was the beginning of the organization
of the far-flung power destined to give freedom to you, and to me.
The Master Mind had already been organized. It consisted of Adams,
Lee, and Hancock. “I tell you further, that if two of you agree upon
the earth concerning anything for which you ask, it will come to you
from My Father, who is in Heaven.”
The Committee of Correspondence was organized. Observe that
this move provided the way for increasing the power of the Master
Mind by adding to it men from all the Colonies. Take notice that this
procedure constituted the first organized planning of the disgruntled
Colonists.
In union there is strength! The citizens of the Colonies had been
waging disorganized warfare against the British soldiers, through
incidents similar to the Boston riot, but nothing of benefit had been
accomplished. Their individual grievances had not been consolidated
under one Master Mind. No group of individuals had put their
hearts, minds, souls, and bodies together in one definite decision to
settle their difficulty with the British once and for all, until Adams,
Hancock, and Lee got together.
Meanwhile, the British were not idle. They, too, were doing some
planning and “Master-Minding” on their own account, with the
advantage of having back of them money, and organized soldiery.
The Crown appointed Gage to supplant Hutchinson as the
Governor of Massachusetts. One of the new Governor’s first acts was
to send a messenger to call on Samuel Adams, for the purpose of
endeavoring to stop his opposition—by fear.
We can best understand the spirit of what happened by quoting
the conversation between Col. Fenton (the messenger sent by Gage)
and Adams.
Col. Fenton: “I have been authorized by Governor Gage, to assure
you, Mr. Adams, that the Governor has been empowered to confer
upon you such benefits as would be satisfactory [endeavor to win
Adams by promise of bribes] upon the condition that you engage to
cease in your opposition to the measures of the government. It is the
Governor’s advice to you, Sir, not to incur the further displeasure of
his majesty. Your conduct has been such as makes you liable to
penalties of an Act of Henry VIII, by which persons can be sent to
England for trial for treason, or misprision of treason, at the
discretion of a governor of a province. But, by changing your political
course, you will not only receive great personal advantages, but you
will make your peace with the King.”
Samuel Adams had the choice of two decisions. He could cease
his opposition, and receive personal bribes, or he could continue,
and run the risk of being hanged!
Clearly, the time had come when Adams was forced to reach
instantly, a decision which could have cost his life. The majority of
men would have found it difficult to reach such a decision. The
majority would have sent back an evasive reply, but not Adams! He
insisted upon Col. Fenton’s word of honor, that the Colonel would
deliver to the Governor the answer exactly as Adams would give it to
him.
Adams’ answer, “Then you may tell Governor Gage that I trust I
have long since made my peace with the King of Kings. No personal
consideration shall induce me to abandon the righteous cause of my
Country. And, tell Governor Gage it is the advice of Samuel Adams to
him, no longer to insult the feelings of an exasperated people.”
Comment as to the character of this man seems unnecessary. It
must be obvious to all who read this astounding message that its
sender possessed loyalty of the highest order. This is important.
(Racketeers and dishonest politicians have prostituted the honor for
which such men as Adams died.)
When Governor Gage received Adams’ caustic reply, he flew into
a rage, and issued a proclamation which read, “I do, hereby, in his
majesty’s name, offer and promise his most gracious pardon to all
persons who shall forthwith lay down their arms, and return to the
duties of peaceable subjects, excepting only from the benefit of such
pardon, Samuel Adams and John Hancock, whose offences are of too
flagitious a nature to admit of any other consideration but that of
condign punishment.”
As one might say, in modern slang, Adams and Hancock were
“on the spot!” The threat of the irate Governor forced the two men to
reach another decision, equally as dangerous. They hurriedly called a
secret meeting of their staunchest followers. (Here the Master Mind
began to take on momentum.) After the meeting had been called to
order, Adams locked the door, placed the key in his pocket, and
informed all present that it was imperative that a Congress of the
Colonists be organized, and that no man should leave the room until
the decision for such a congress had been reached.
Great excitement followed. Some weighed the possible
consequences of such radicalism (Old Man Fear). Some expressed
grave doubt as to the wisdom of so definite a decision in defiance of
the Crown. Locked in that room were two men immune to Fear,
blind to the possibility of Failure. Hancock and Adams. Through the
influence of their minds, the others were induced to agree that,
through the Correspondence Committee, arrangements should be
made for a meeting of the First Continental Congress, to be held in
Philadelphia, September 5, 1774.
Remember this date. It is more important than July 4, 1776. If
there had been no DECISION to hold a Continental Congress, there
could have been no signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Before the first meeting of the new Congress, another leader, in a
different section of the country was deep in the throes of publishing a
“Summary View of the Rights of British America.” He was Thomas
Jefferson, of the Province of Virginia, whose relationship to Lord
Dunmore (representative of the Crown in Virginia) was as strained as
that of Hancock and Adams with their Governor.
Shortly after his famous Summary of Rights was published,
Jefferson was informed that he was subject to prosecution for high
treason against his majesty’s government. Inspired by the threat, one
of Jefferson’s colleagues, Patrick Henry, boldly spoke his mind,
concluding his remarks with a sentence which shall remain forever a
classic, “If this be treason, then make the most of it.”
It was such men as these who, without power, without authority,
without military strength, without money, sat in solemn
consideration of the destiny of the colonies, beginning at the opening
of the First Continental Congress, and continuing at intervals for two
years—until on June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee arose, addressed the
Chair, and to the startled Assembly made this motion:
“Gentlemen, I make the motion that these United Colonies are,
and of right ought to be free and independent states, that they be
absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all
political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is,
and ought to be totally dissolved.”
Lee’s astounding motion was discussed fervently, and at such
length that he began to lose patience. Finally, after days of argument,
he again took the floor, and declared, in a clear, firm voice, “Mr.
President, we have discussed this issue for days. It is the only course
for us to follow. Why, then Sir, do we longer delay? Why still
deliberate? Let this happy day give birth to an American Republic.
Let her arise, not to devastate and to conquer, but to reestablish the
reign of peace, and of law. The eyes of Europe are fixed upon us. She
demands of us a living example of freedom, that may exhibit a
contrast, in the felicity of the citizen, to the ever increasing tyranny.”
Before his motion was finally voted upon, Lee was called back to
Virginia, because of serious family illness, but before leaving, he
placed his cause in the hands of his friend, Thomas Jefferson, who
promised to fight until favorable action was taken. Shortly thereafter,
the President of the Congress (Hancock) appointed Jefferson as
Chairman of a Committee to draw up a Declaration of Independence.
Long and hard the Committee labored, on a document which
would mean, when accepted by the Congress, that every man who
signed it, would be signing his own death warrant, should the
Colonies lose in the fight with Great Britain, which was sure to
follow.
The document was drawn, and on June 28, the original draft was
read before the Congress. For several days it was discussed, altered,
and made ready. On July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson stood before the
Assembly, and fearlessly read the most momentous decision ever
placed upon paper.
“When in the course of human events it is necessary for one
people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them
with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the
separate and equal station to which the laws of Nature, and of
Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of
mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel
them to the separation. . . .”
When Jefferson finished, the document was voted upon,
accepted, and signed by the fifty-six men, every one staking his own
life upon his decision to write his name. By that decision came into
existence a nation destined to bring to mankind forever, the privilege
of making decisions.
By decisions made in a similar spirit of Faith, and only by such
decisions, can men solve their personal problems, and win for
themselves high estates of material and spiritual wealth. Let us not
forget this!
Analyze the events which led to the Declaration of Independence,
and be convinced that this nation, which now holds a position of
commanding respect and power among all nations of the world, was
born of a decision created by a Master Mind, consisting of fifty-six
men. Note well, the fact that it was their decision which insured the
success of Washington’s armies, because the spirit of that decision
was in the heart of every soldier who fought with him, and served as
a spiritual power which recognizes no such thing as failure.
Note, also (with great personal benefit) that the power which
gave this nation its freedom, is the self-same power that must be
used by every individual who becomes self-determining. This power
is made up of the principles described in this book. It will not be
difficult to detect, in the story of the Declaration of Independence, at
least six of these principles: desire, decision, faith, persistence, the
Master Mind, and organized planning.
Throughout this philosophy will be found the suggestion that
thought, backed by strong desire, has a tendency to transmute itself
into its physical equivalent. Before passing on, I wish to leave with
you the suggestion that one may find in this story, and in the story of
the organization of the United States Steel Corporation, a perfect
description of the method by which thought makes this astounding
transformation.
In your search for the secret of the method, do not look for a
miracle, because you will not find it. You will find only the eternal
laws of Nature. These laws are available to every person who has the
faith and the courage to use them. They may be used to bring
freedom to a nation, or to accumulate riches. There is no charge save
the time necessary to understand and appropriate them.
Those who reach decisions promptly and definitely know what
they want, and generally get it. The leaders in every walk of life
decide quickly, and firmly. That is the major reason why they are
leaders. The world has the habit of making room for the man whose
words and actions show that he knows where he is going.
Indecision is a habit which usually begins in youth. The habit
takes on permanency as the youth goes through graded school, high
school, and even through college, without definiteness of purpose.
The major weakness of all educational systems is that they neither
teach nor encourage the habit of definite decision.
It would be beneficial if no college would permit the enrollment
of any student, unless and until the student declared his major
purpose in matriculating. It would be of still greater benefit, if every
student who enters the graded schools were compelled to accept
training in the habit of decision, and forced to pass a satisfactory
examination on this subject before being permitted to advance in the
grades.
The habit of indecision acquired because of the deficiencies of
our school systems, goes with the student into the occupation he
chooses . . . if . . . in fact, he chooses his occupation. Generally, the
youth just out of school seeks any job that can be found. He takes the
first place he finds, because he has fallen into the habit of indecision.
Ninety-eight out of every hundred people working for wages today
are in the positions they hold, because they lacked the definiteness of
decision to plan a definite position, and the knowledge of how to
choose an employer.
Definiteness of decision always requires courage, sometimes very
great courage. The fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of
Independence staked their lives on the decision to affix their
signatures to that document. The person who reaches a definite
decision to procure the particular job, and make life pay the price he
asks, does not stake his life on that decision; he stakes his economic
freedom. Financial independence, riches, desirable business and
professional positions are not within reach of the person who
neglects or refuses to expect, plan, and demand these things. The
person who desires riches in the same spirit that Samuel Adams
desired freedom for the Colonies, is sure to accumulate wealth.
In the chapter on Organized Planning, you will find complete
instructions for marketing every type of personal services. You will
find also detailed information on how to choose the employer you
prefer, and the particular job you desire. These instructions will be of
no value to you unless you definitely decide to organize them into a
plan of action.
CHAPTER 9
PERSISTENCE
THE SUSTAINED EFFORT NECESSARY TO INDUCE FAITH
The Eighth Step Toward Riches
P
ersistence is an essential factor in the procedure of
transmuting desire into its monetary equivalent. The basis of
persistence is the power of will.
Will-power and desire, when properly combined, make an
irresistible pair. Men who accumulate great fortunes are generally
known as cold-blooded, and sometimes ruthless. Often they are
misunderstood. What they have is will-power, which they mix with
persistence, and place back of their desires to insure the attainment
of their objectives.
Henry Ford has been generally misunderstood to be ruthless and
cold-blooded. This misconception grew out of Ford’s habit of
following through in all of his plans with persistence.
The majority of people are ready to throw their aims and
purposes overboard, and give up at the first sign of opposition or
misfortune. A few carry on despite all opposition, until they attain
their goal. These few are the Fords, Carnegies, Rockefellers, and
Edisons.
There may be no heroic connotation to the word “persistence,”
but the quality is to the character of man what carbon is to steel.
The building of a fortune, generally, involves the application of
the entire thirteen factors of this philosophy. These principles must
be understood; they must be applied with persistence by all who
accumulate money.
If you are following this book with the intention of applying the
knowledge it conveys, your first test as to your persistence will come
when you begin to follow the six steps described in the second
chapter. Unless you are one of the two out of every hundred who
already have a definite goal at which you are aiming, and a definite
plan for its attainment, you may read the instructions, and then pass
on with your daily routine, and never comply with those instructions.
The author is checking you up at this point, because lack of
persistence is one of the major causes of failure. Moreover,
experience with thousands of people has proved that lack of
persistence is a weakness common to the majority of men. It is a
weakness which may be overcome by effort. The ease with which lack
of persistence may be conquered will depend entirely upon the
intensity of one’s desire.
The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this
constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small
amount of fire makes a small amount of heat. If you find yourself
lacking in persistence, this weakness may be remedied by building a
stronger fire under your desires.
Continue to read through to the end, then go back to chapter two,
and start immediately to carry out the instructions given in
connection with the six steps. The eagerness with which you follow
these instructions will indicate clearly, how much, or how little you
really desire to accumulate money. If you find that you are
indifferent, you may be sure that you have not yet acquired the
“money consciousness” which you must possess, before you can be
sure of accumulating a fortune.
Fortunes gravitate to men whose minds have been prepared to
“attract” them, just as surely as water gravitates to the ocean. In this
book may be found all the stimuli necessary to “attune” any normal
mind to the vibrations which will attract the object of one’s desires.
If you find you are weak in persistence, center your attention
upon the instructions contained in the chapter on “Power”; surround
yourself with a “Master Mind” group, and through the cooperative
efforts of the members of this group, you can develop persistence.
You will find additional instructions for the development of
persistence in the chapters on auto-suggestion, and the subconscious
mind. Follow the instructions outlined in these chapters until your
habit nature hands over to your subconscious mind, a clear picture of
the object of your desire. From that point on, you will not be
handicapped by lack of persistence.
Your subconscious mind works continuously, while you are
awake, and while you are asleep.
Spasmodic, or occasional effort to apply the rules will be of no
value to you. To get results, you must apply all of the rules until their
application becomes a fixed habit with you. In no other way can you
develop the necessary “money consciousness.”
Poverty is attracted to the one whose mind is favorable to it, as
money is attracted to him whose mind has been deliberately
prepared to attract it, and through the same laws. Poverty
consciousness will voluntarily seize the mind which is not occupied
with the money consciousness. A poverty consciousness develops
without conscious application of habits favorable to it. The money
consciousness must be created to order, unless one is born with such
a consciousness.
Catch the full significance of the statements in the preceding
paragraph, and you will understand the importance of persistence in
the accumulation of a fortune. Without persistence, you will be
defeated, even before you start. With persistence you will win.
If you have ever experienced a nightmare, you will realize the
value of persistence. You are lying in bed, half awake, with a feeling
that you are about to smother. You are unable to turn over, or to
move a muscle. You realize that you must begin to regain control
over your muscles. Through persistent effort of will-power, you
finally manage to move the fingers of one hand. By continuing to
move your fingers, you extend your control to the muscles of one
arm, until you can lift it. Then you gain control of the other arm in
the same manner. You finally gain control over the muscles of one
leg, and then extend it to the other leg. Then—with one supreme
effort of will—you regain complete control over your muscular
system, and “snap” out of your nightmare. The trick has been turned
step by step.
You may find it necessary to “snap” out of your mental inertia,
through a similar procedure, moving slowly at first, then increasing
your speed, until you gain complete control over your will. Be
persistent no matter how slowly you may, at first, have to move. With
persistence will come success.
If you select your “Master Mind” group with care, you will have in
it, at least one person who will aid you in the development of
persistence. Some men who have accumulated great fortunes, did so
because of necessity. They developed the habit of persistence,
because they were so closely driven by circumstances, that they had
to become persistent.
There is no substitute for persistence! It cannot be supplanted by
any other quality! Remember this, and it will hearten you, in the
beginning, when the going may seem difficult and slow.
Those who have cultivated the habit of persistence seem to enjoy
insurance against failure. No matter how many times they are
defeated, they finally arrive up toward the top of the ladder.
Sometimes it appears that there is a hidden Guide whose duty is to
test men through all sorts of discouraging experiences. Those who
pick themselves up after defeat and keep on trying, arrive; and the
world cries, “Bravo! I knew you could do it!” The hidden Guide lets
no one enjoy great achievement without passing the persistence test.
Those who can’t take it, simply do not make the grade.
Those who can “take it” are bountifully rewarded for their
persistence. They receive, as their compensation, whatever goal they
are pursuing. That is not all! They receive something infinitely more
important than material compensation—the knowledge that “every
failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent advantage.”
There are exceptions to this rule; a few people know from
experience the soundness of persistence. They are the ones who have
not accepted defeat as being anything more than temporary. They
are the ones whose desires are so persistently applied that defeat is
finally changed into victory. We who stand on the side-lines of Life
see the overwhelmingly large number who go down in defeat, never
to rise again. We see the few who take the punishment of defeat as
an urge to greater effort. These, fortunately, never learn to accept
Life’s reverse gear. But what we do not see, what most of us never
suspect of existing, is the silent but irresistible power which comes to
the rescue of those who fight on in the face of discouragement. If we
speak of this power at all we call it persistence, and let it go at that.
One thing we all know, if one does not possess persistence, one does
not achieve noteworthy success in any calling.
As these lines are being written, I look up from my work, and see
before me, less than a block away, the great mysterious “Broadway,”
the “Graveyard of Dead Hopes,” and the “Front Porch of
Opportunity.” From all over the world people have come to
Broadway, seeking fame, fortune, power, love, or whatever it is that
human beings call success. Once in a great while someone steps out
from the long procession of seekers, and the world hears that
another person has mastered Broadway. But Broadway is not easily
nor quickly conquered. She acknowledges talent, recognizes genius,
pays off in money, only after one has refused to quit.
Then we know he has discovered the secret of how to conquer
Broadway. The secret is always inseparably attached to one word,
persistence!
The secret is told in the struggle of Fannie Hurst, whose
persistence conquered the Great White Way. She came to New York
in 1915, to convert writing into riches. The conversion did not come
quickly, but it came. For four years Miss Hurst learned about “The
Sidewalks of New York” from first hand experience. She spent her
days laboring, and her nights hoping. When hope grew dim, she did
not say, “All right Broadway, you win!” She said, “Very well,
Broadway, you may whip some, but not me. I’m going to force you to
give up.”
One publisher (The Saturday Evening Post) sent her thirty-six
rejection slips, before she “broke the ice” and got a story across. The
average writer, like the “average” in other walks of life, would have
given up the job when the first rejection slip came. She pounded the
pavements for four years to the tune of the publisher’s “no,” because
she was determined to win.
Then came the “payoff.” The spell had been broken, the unseen
Guide had tested Fannie Hurst, and she could take it. From that time
on publishers made a beaten path to her door. Money came so fast
she hardly had time to count it. Then the moving picture men
discovered her, and money came not in small change, but in floods.
The moving picture rights to her latest novel, Great Laughter,
brought $100,000.00, said to be the highest price ever paid for a
story before publication. Her royalties from the sale of the book
probably will run much more.
Briefly, you have a description of what persistence is capable of
achieving. Fannie Hurst is no exception. Wherever men and women
accumulate great riches, you may be sure they first acquired
persistence. Broadway will give any beggar a cup of coffee and a
sandwich, but it demands persistence of those who go after the big
stakes.
Kate Smith will say “amen” when she reads this. For years she
sang, without money, and without price, before any microphone she
could reach. Broadway said to her, “Come and get it, if you can take
it.” She did take it until one happy day Broadway got tired and said,
“Aw, what’s the use? You don’t know when you’re whipped, so name
your price, and go to work in earnest.” Miss Smith named her price!
It was plenty. Away up in figures so high that one week’s salary is far
more than most people make in a whole year.
Verily it pays to be persistent!
And here is an encouraging statement which carries with it a
suggestion of great significance—thousands of singers who excel Kate
Smith are walking up and down Broadway looking for a “break”—
without success. Countless others have come and gone; many of
them sang well enough, but they failed to make the grade because
they lacked the courage to keep on keeping on, until Broadway
became tired of turning them away.
Persistence is a state of mind, therefore it can be cultivated. Like
all states of mind, persistence is based upon definite causes, among
them these:—
a. Definiteness of purpose. Knowing what one wants is the
first and, perhaps, the most important step toward the
development of persistence. A strong motive forces one
to surmount many difficulties.
b. Desire. It is comparatively easy to acquire and to
maintain persistence in pursuing the object of intense
desire.
c. Self-reliance. Belief in one’s ability to carry out a plan
encourages one to follow the plan through with
persistence. (Self-reliance can be developed through the
principle described in the chapter on auto-suggestion.)
d. Definiteness of plans. Organized plans, even though they
may be weak and entirely impractical, encourage
persistence.
e. Accurate knowledge. Knowing that one’s plans are sound,
based upon experience or observation, encourages
persistence; “guessing” instead of “knowing” destroys
persistence.
f. Co-operation. Sympathy, understanding, and
harmonious cooperation with others tend to develop
persistence.
g. Will-power. The habit of concentrating one’s thoughts
upon the building of plans for the attainment of a definite
purpose, leads to persistence.
h. Habit. Persistence is the direct result of habit. The mind
absorbs and becomes a part of the daily experiences upon
which it feeds. Fear, the worst of all enemies, can be
effectively cured by forced repetition of acts of courage.
Everyone who has seen active service in war knows this.
Before leaving the subject of persistence, take inventory of
yourself, and determine in what particular, if any, you are lacking in
this essential quality. Measure yourself courageously, point by point,
and see how many of the eight factors of persistence you lack. The
analysis may lead to discoveries that will give you a new grip on
yourself.
SYMPTOMS OF LACK OF PERSISTENCE
Here you will find the real enemies which stand between you and
noteworthy achievement. Here you will find not only the “symptoms”
indicating weakness of persistence, but also the deeply seated
subconscious causes of this weakness. Study the list carefully, and
face yourself squarely if you really wish to know who you are, and
what you are capable of doing. These are the weaknesses which must
be mastered by all who accumulate riches.
1. Failure to recognize and to clearly define exactly what
one wants.
2. Procrastination, with or without cause. (Usually backed
up with a formidable array of alibis and excuses.)
3. Lack of interest in acquiring specialized knowledge.
4. Indecision, the habit of “passing the buck” on all
occasions, instead of facing issues squarely. (Also backed
by alibis.)
5. The habit of relying upon alibis instead of creating
definite plans for the solution of problems.
6. Self-satisfaction. There is but little remedy for this
affliction, and no hope for those who suffer from it.
7. Indifference, usually reflected in one’s readiness to
compromise on all occasions, rather than meet
opposition and fight it.
8. The habit of blaming others for one’s mistakes, and
accepting unfavorable circumstances as being
unavoidable.
9. Weakness of desire, due to neglect in the choice of
motives that impel action.
10. Willingness, even eagerness, to quit at the first sign of
defeat. (Based upon one or more of the six basic fears.)
11. Lack of organized plans, placed in writing where they
may be analyzed.
12. The habit of neglecting to move on ideas, or to grasp
opportunity when it presents itself.
13. Wishing instead of willing.
14. The habit of compromising with poverty instead of
aiming at riches. General absence of ambition to be, to
do, and to own.
15. Searching for all the short-cuts to riches, trying to get
without giving a fair equivalent, usually reflected in the
habit of gambling, endeavoring to drive “sharp” bargains.
16. Fear of criticism, failure to create plans and to put them
into action, because of what other people will think, do,
or say. This enemy belongs at the head of the list,
because it generally exists in one’s subconscious mind,
where its presence is not recognized. (See the Six Basic
Fears in a later chapter.)
Let us examine some of the symptoms of the Fear of Criticism.
The majority of people permit relatives, friends, and the public at
large to so influence them that they cannot live their own lives,
because they fear criticism.
Huge numbers of people make mistakes in marriage, stand by the
bargain, and go through life miserable and unhappy, because they
fear criticism which may follow if they correct the mistake. (Anyone
who has submitted to this form of fear knows the irreparable damage
it does, by destroying ambition, self-reliance, and the desire to
achieve.)
Millions of people neglect to acquire belated educations, after
having left school, because they fear criticism.
Countless numbers of men and women, both young and old,
permit relatives to wreck their lives in the name of duty, because they
fear criticism. (Duty does not require any person to submit to the
destruction of his personal ambitions and the right to live his own
life in his own way.)
People refuse to take chances in business, because they fear the
criticism which may follow if they fail. The fear of criticism in such
cases is stronger than the desire for success.
Too many people refuse to set high goals for themselves, or even
neglect selecting a career, because they fear the criticism of relatives
and “friends” who may say “Don’t aim so high, people will think you
are crazy.”
When Andrew Carnegie suggested that I devote twenty years to
the organization of a philosophy of individual achievement my first
impulse of thought was fear of what people might say. The
suggestion set up a goal for me, far out of proportion to any I had
ever conceived. As quick as a flash, my mind began to create alibis
and excuses, all of them traceable to the inherent fear of criticism.
Something inside of me said, “You can’t do it—the job is too big, and
requires too much time—what will your relatives think of you?—how
will you earn a living?—no one has ever organized a philosophy of
success, what right have you to believe you can do it?—who are you,
anyway, to aim so high?— remember your humble birth—what do
you know about philosophy—people will think you are crazy—(and
they did)—why hasn’t some other person done this before now?”
These, and many other questions flashed into my mind, and
demanded attention. It seemed as if the whole world had suddenly
turned its attention to me with the purpose of ridiculing me into
giving up all desire to carry out Mr. Carnegie’s suggestion.
I had a fine opportunity, then and there, to kill off ambition
before it gained control of me. Later in life, after having analyzed
thousands of people, I discovered that most ideas are stillborn, and
need the breath of life injected into them through definite plans of
immediate action. The time to nurse an idea is at the time of its birth.
Every minute it lives gives it a better chance of surviving. The fear of
criticism is at the bottom of the destruction of most ideas which
never reach the planning and action stage.
Many people believe that material success is the result of
favorable “breaks.” There is an element of ground for the belief, but
those depending entirely upon luck are nearly always disappointed,
because they overlook another important factor which must be
present before one can be sure of success. It is the knowledge with
which favorable “breaks” can be made to order.
During the depression, W. C. Fields, the comedian, lost all his
money, and found himself without income, without a job, and his
means of earning a living (vaudeville) no longer existed. Moreover,
he was past sixty, when many men consider themselves “old.” He
was so eager to stage a comeback that he offered to work without
pay, in a new field (movies). In addition to his other troubles, he fell
and injured his neck. To many that would have been the place to give
up and quit. But Fields was persistent. He knew that if he carried on
he would get the “breaks” sooner or later, and he did get them, but
not by chance.
Marie Dressler found herself down and out, with her money
gone, with no job, when she was about sixty. She, too, went after the
“breaks,” and got them. Her persistence brought an astounding
triumph late in life, long beyond the age when most men and women
are done with ambition to achieve.
Eddie Cantor lost his money in the 1929 stock crash, but he still
had his persistence and his courage. With these, plus two prominent
eyes, he exploited himself back into an income of $10,000 a week!
Verily, if one has persistence, one can get along very well without
many other qualities.
The only “break” anyone can afford to rely upon is a self-made
“break.” These come through the application of persistence. The
starting point is definiteness of purpose.
Examine the first hundred people you meet, ask them what they
want most in life, and ninety-eight of them will not be able to tell
you. If you press them for an answer, some will say—security, many
will say—money, a few will say—happiness, others will say—fame and
power, and still others will say—social recognition, ease in living,
ability to sing, dance, or write, but none of them will be able to define
these terms, or give the slightest indication of a plan by which they
hope to attain these vaguely expressed wishes. Riches do not respond
to wishes. They respond only to definite plans, backed by definite
desires, through constant persistence.
HOW TO DEVELOP PERSISTENCE
There are four simple steps which lead to the habit of persistence.
They call for no great amount of intelligence, no particular amount of
education, and but little time or effort. The necessary steps are:—
1. A definite purpose backed by burning desire for its
fulfillment.
2. A definite plan, expressed in continuous action.
3. A mind closed tightly against all negative and
discouraging influences, including negative suggestions
of relatives, friends and acquaintances.
4. A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will
encourage one to follow through with both plan and
purpose.
These four steps are essential for success in all walks of life. The
entire purpose of the thirteen principles of this philosophy is to
enable one to take these four steps as a matter of habit.
These are the steps by which one may control one’s economic
destiny.
They are the steps that lead to freedom and independence of
thought.
They are the steps that lead to riches, in small or great
quantities.
They lead the way to power, fame, and worldly recognition.
They are the four steps which guarantee favorable “breaks.”
They are the steps that convert dreams into physical realities.
They lead, also, to the mastery of fear, discouragement,
indifference.
There is a magnificent reward for all who learn to take these four
steps. It is the privilege of writing one’s own ticket, and of making
Life yield whatever price is asked.
I have no way of knowing the facts, but I venture to conjecture
that Mrs. Wallis Simpson’s great love for a man was not accidental,
nor the result of favorable “breaks” alone. There was a burning
desire, and careful searching at every step of the way. Her first duty
was to love. What is the greatest thing on earth? The Master called it
love—not man made rules, criticism, bitterness, slander, or political
“marriages,” but love.
She knew what she wanted, not after she met the Prince of Wales,
but long before that. Twice when she had failed to find it, she had the
courage to continue her search. “To thine own self be true, and it
must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any
man.”
Her rise from obscurity was of the slow, progressive, persistent
order, but it was sure! She triumphed over unbelievably long odds;
and, no matter who you are, or what you may think of Wallis
Simpson, or the king who gave up his Crown for her love, she is an
astounding example of applied persistence, an instructor on the rules
of self-determination, from whom the entire world might profitably
take lessons.
When you think of Wallis Simpson, think of one who knew what
she wanted, and shook the greatest empire on earth to get it. Women
who complain that this is a man’s world, that women do not have an
equal chance to win, owe it to themselves to study carefully the life of
this unusual woman, who, at an age which most women consider
“old,” captured the affections of the most desirable bachelor in the
entire world.
And what of King Edward? What lesson may we learn from his
part in the world’s greatest drama of recent times? Did he pay too
high a price for the affections of the woman of his choice?
Surely no one but he can give the correct answer.
The rest of us can only conjecture. This much we know, the king
came into the world without his own consent. He was born to great
riches, without requesting them. He was persistently sought in
marriage; politicians and statesmen throughout Europe tossed
dowagers and princesses at his feet. Because he was the first born of
his parents, he inherited a crown, which he did not seek, and perhaps
did not desire. For more than forty years he was not a free agent,
could not live his life in his own way, had but little privacy, and
finally assumed duties inflicted upon him when he ascended the
throne.
Some will say, “With all these blessings, King Edward should
have found peace of mind, contentment, and joy of living.”
The truth is that back of all the privileges of a crown, all the
money, the fame, and the power inherited by King Edward, there was
an emptiness which could be filled only by love.
His greatest desire was for love. Long before he met Wallis
Simpson, he doubtless felt this great universal emotion tugging at the
strings of his heart, beating upon the door of his soul, and crying out
for expression.
And when he met a kindred spirit, crying out for this same Holy
privilege of expression, he recognized it, and without fear or apology,
opened his heart and bade it enter. All the scandalmongers in the
world cannot destroy the beauty of this international drama, through
which two people found love, and had the courage to face open
criticism, renounce all else to give it holy expression.
King Edward’s decision to give up the Crown of the world’s most
powerful empire, for the privilege of going the remainder of the way
through life with the woman of his choice, was a decision that
required courage. The decision also had a price, but who has the
right to say the price was too great? Surely not He who said, “He
among you who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”
As a suggestion to any evil-minded person who chooses to find
fault with the Duke of Windsor, because his desire was for love, and
for openly declaring his love for Wallis Simpson, and giving up his
throne for her, let it be remembered that the open declaration was
not essential. He could have followed the custom of clandestine
liaison which has prevailed in Europe for centuries, without giving
up either his throne, or the woman of his choice, and there would
have been no complaint from either church or laity. But this unusual
man was built of sterner stuff. His love was clean. It was deep and
sincere. It represented the one thing which above all else he truly
desired, therefore, he took what he wanted, and paid the price
demanded.
If Europe had been blessed with more rulers with the human
heart and the traits of honesty of ex-king Edward, for the past
century, that unfortunate hemisphere now seething with greed, hate,
lust, political connivance, and threats of war, would have a different
and a better story to tell. A story in which Love and not Hate would
rule.
In the words of Stuart Austin Wier we raise our cup and drink
this toast to ex-king Edward and Wallis Simpson:
“Blessed is the man who has come to know that our muted
thoughts are our sweetest thoughts.
“Blessed is the man who, from the blackest depths, can see the
luminous figure of love, and seeing, sing; and singing, say:
‘Sweeter far than uttered lays are the thoughts I have of you.’”
In these words would we pay tribute to the two people who, more
than all others of modern times, have been the victims of criticism
and the recipients of abuse, because they found Life’s greatest
treasure, and claimed it.*
Most of the world will applaud the Duke of Windsor and Wallis
Simpson, because of their persistence in searching until they found
life’s greatest reward. All of us can profit by following their example
in our own search for that which we demand of life.
What mystical power gives to men of persistence the capacity to
master difficulties? Does the quality of persistence set up in one’s
mind some form of spiritual, mental or chemical activity which gives
one access to supernatural forces? Does Infinite Intelligence throw
itself on the side of the person who still fights on, after the battle has
been lost, with the whole world on the opposing side?
These and many other similar questions have arisen in my mind
as I have observed men like Henry Ford, who started at scratch, and
built an Industrial Empire of huge proportions, with little else in the
way of a beginning but persistence. Or, Thomas A. Edison, who, with
less than three months of schooling, became the world’s leading
inventor and converted persistence into the talking machine, the
moving picture machine, and the incandescent light, to say nothing
of half a hundred other useful inventions.
I had the happy privilege of analyzing both Mr. Edison and Mr.
Ford, year by year, over a long period of years, and therefore, the
opportunity to study them at close range, so I speak from actual
knowledge when I say that I found no quality save persistence, in
either of them, that even remotely suggested the major source of
their stupendous achievements.
As one makes an impartial study of the prophets, philosophers,
“miracle” men, and religious leaders of the past, one is drawn to the
inevitable conclusion that persistence, concentration of effort, and
definiteness of purpose, were the major sources of their
achievements.
Consider, for example, the strange and fascinating story of
Mohammed; analyze his life, compare him with men of achievement
in this modern age of industry and finance, and observe how they
have one outstanding trait in common, persistence!
If you are keenly interested in studying the strange power which
gives potency to persistence, read a biography of Mohammed,
especially the one by Essad Bey. This brief review of that book, by
Thomas Sugrue, in the Herald-Tribune, will provide a preview of the
rare treat in store for those who take the time to read the entire story
of one of the most astounding examples of the power of persistence
known to civilization.
THE LAST GREAT PROPHET
REVIEWED BY THOMAS SUGRUE
“Mohammed was a prophet, but he never performed a miracle. He
was not a mystic; he had no formal schooling; he did not begin his
mission until he was forty. When he announced that he was the
Messenger of God, bringing word of the true religion, he was
ridiculed and labeled a lunatic. Children tripped him and women
threw filth upon him. He was banished from his native city, Mecca,
and his followers were stripped of their worldly goods and sent into
the desert after him. When he had been preaching ten years he had
nothing to show for it but banishment, poverty and ridicule. Yet
before another ten years had passed, he was dictator of all Arabia,
ruler of Mecca, and the head of a New World religion which was to
sweep to the Danube and the Pyrenees before exhausting the
impetus he gave it. That impetus was three-fold: the power of words,
the efficacy of prayer and man’s kinship with God.
“His career never made sense. Mohammed was born to
impoverished members of a leading family of Mecca. Because Mecca,
the crossroads of the world, home of the magic stone called the
Caaba, great city of trade and the center of trade routes, was
unsanitary, its children were sent to be raised in the desert by
Bedouins. Mohammed was thus nurtured, drawing strength and
health from the milk of nomad, vicarious mothers. He tended sheep
and soon hired out to a rich widow as leader of her caravans. He
traveled to all parts of the Eastern World, talked with many men of
diverse beliefs and observed the decline of Christianity into warring
sects. When he was twenty-eight, Khadija, the widow, looked upon
him with favor, and married him. Her father would have objected to
such a marriage, so she got him drunk and held him up while he gave
the paternal blessing. For the next twelve years Mohammed lived as
a rich and respected and very shrewd trader. Then he took to
wandering in the desert, and one day he returned with the first verse
of the Koran and told Khadija that the archangel Gabriel had
appeared to him and said that he was to be the Messenger of God.
“The Koran, the revealed word of God, was the closest thing to a
miracle in Mohammed’s life. He had not been a poet; he had no gift
of words. Yet the verses of the Koran, as he received them and recited
them to the faithful, were better than any verses which the
professional poets of the tribes could produce. This, to the Arabs,
was a miracle. To them the gift of words was the greatest gift, the
poet was all-powerful. In addition the Koran said that all men were
equal before God, that the world should be a democratic state Islam.
It was this political heresy, plus Mohammed’s desire to destroy all
the 360 idols in the courtyard of the Caaba, which brought about his
banishment. The idols brought the desert tribes to Mecca, and that
meant trade. So the business men of Mecca, the capitalists, of which
he had been one, set upon Mohammed. Then he retreated to the
desert and demanded sovereignty over the world.
“The rise of Islam began. Out of the desert came a flame which
would not be extinguished—a democratic army fighting as a unit and
prepared to die without wincing. Mohammed had invited the Jews
and Christians to join him; for he was not building a new religion. He
was calling all who believed in one God to join in a single faith. If the
Jews and Christians had accepted his invitation Islam would have
conquered the world. They didn’t. They would not even accept
Mohammed’s innovation of humane warfare. When the armies of the
prophet entered Jerusalem not a single person was killed because of
his faith. When the crusaders entered the city, centuries later, not a
Moslem man, woman, or child was spared. But the Christians did
accept one Moslem idea—the place of learning, the university.”
CHAPTER 10
POWER OF THE MASTER MIND
THE DRIVING FORCE
The Ninth Step Toward Riches
P
ower is essential for success in the accumulation of money.
Plans are inert and useless, without sufficient power to
translate them into action. This chapter will describe the
method by which an individual may attain and apply power.
Power may be defined as “organized and intelligently directed
knowledge.” Power, as the term is here used, refers to organized
effort, sufficient to enable an individual to transmute desire into its
monetary equivalent. Organized effort is produced through the
coordination of effort of two or more people, who work toward a
definite end, in a spirit of harmony.
Power is required for the accumulation of money! Power is
necessary for the retention of money after it has been accumulated!
Let us ascertain how power may be acquired. If power is
“organized knowledge,” let us examine the sources of knowledge:
a. Infinite Intelligence. This source of knowledge may be
contacted through the procedure described in another
chapter, with the aid of Creative Imagination.
b. Accumulated experience. The accumulated experience of
man (or that portion of it which has been organized and
recorded) may be found in any well-equipped public
library. An important part of this accumulated experience
is taught in public schools and colleges, where it has been
classified and organized.
c. Experiment and research. In the field of science, and in
practically every other walk of life, men are gathering,
classifying, and organizing new facts daily. This is the
source to which one must turn when knowledge is not
available through “accumulated experience.” Here, too,
the Creative Imagination must often be used.
Knowledge may be acquired from any of the foregoing sources. It
may be converted into power by organizing it into definite plans and
by expressing those plans in terms of action.
Examination of the three major sources of knowledge will readily
disclose the difficulty an individual would have, if he depended upon
his efforts alone, in assembling knowledge and expressing it through
definite plans in terms of action. If his plans are comprehensive, and
if they contemplate large proportions, he must, generally, induce
others to cooperate with him, before he can inject into them the
necessary element of power.
GAINING POWER THROUGH THE “MASTER MIND”
The “Master Mind” may be defined as: “Coordination of knowledge
and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for
the attainment of a definite purpose.”
No individual may have great power without availing himself of
the “Master Mind.” In a preceding chapter, instructions were given
for the creation of plans for the purpose of translating desire into its
monetary equivalent. If you carry out these instructions with
persistence and intelligence, and use discrimination in the selection
of your “Master Mind” group, your objective will have been halfway
reached, even before you begin to recognize it.
So you may better understand the “intangible” potentialities of
power available to you, through a properly chosen “Master Mind”
group, we will here explain the two characteristics of the Master
Mind principle, one of which is economic in nature, and the other
psychic. The economic feature is obvious. Economic advantages may
be created by any person who surrounds himself with the advice,
counsel, and personal cooperation of a group of men who are willing
to lend him wholehearted aid, in a spirit of perfect harmony. This
form of cooperative alliance has been the basis of nearly every great
fortune. Your understanding of this great truth may definitely
determine your financial status.
The psychic phase of the Master Mind principle is much more
abstract, much more difficult to comprehend, because it has
reference to the spiritual forces with which the human race, as a
whole, is not well acquainted. You may catch a significant suggestion
from this statement: “No two minds ever come together without,
thereby, creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may be
likened to a third mind.”
Keep in mind the fact that there are only two known elements in
the whole universe, energy and matter. It is a well-known fact that
matter may be broken down into units of molecules, atoms, and
electrons. There are units of matter which may be isolated,
separated, and analyzed.
Likewise, there are units of energy.
The human mind is a form of energy, a part of it being spiritual in
nature. When the minds of two people are coordinated in a spirit of
harmony, the spiritual units of energy of each mind form an affinity,
which constitutes the “psychic” phase of the Master Mind.
The Master Mind principle, or rather the economic feature of it,
was first called to my attention by Andrew Carnegie, over twenty-five
years ago. Discovery of this principle was responsible for the choice
of my life’s work.
Mr. Carnegie’s Master Mind group consisted of a staff of
approximately fifty men, with whom he surrounded himself, for the
definite purpose of manufacturing and marketing steel. He
attributed his entire fortune to the power he accumulated through
this “Master Mind.”
Analyze the record of any man who has accumulated a great
fortune, and many of those who have accumulated modest fortunes,
and you will find that they have either consciously, or unconsciously
employed the “Master Mind” principle.
Great power can be accumulated through no other principle!
Energy is Nature’s universal set of building blocks, out of which
she constructs every material thing in the universe, including man,
and every form of animal and vegetable life. Through a process which
only Nature completely understands, she translates energy into
matter.
Nature’s building blocks are available to man, in the energy
involved in thinking! Man’s brain may be compared to an electric
battery. It absorbs energy from the ether, which permeates every
atom of matter, and fills the entire universe.
It is a well-known fact that a group of electric batteries will
provide more energy than a single battery. It is also a well-known
fact that an individual battery will provide energy in proportion to
the number and capacity of the cells it contains.
The brain functions in a similar fashion. This accounts for the
fact that some brains are more efficient than others, and leads to this
significant statement—a group of brains coordinated (or connected)
in a spirit of harmony will provide more thought-energy than a single
brain, just as a group of electric batteries will provide more energy
than a single battery.
Through this metaphor it becomes immediately obvious that the
Master Mind principle holds the secret of the power wielded by men
who surround themselves with other men of brains.
There follows, now, another statement which will lead still nearer
to an understanding of the psychic phase of the Master Mind
principle: When a group of individual brains are coordinated and
function in harmony, the increased energy created through that
alliance becomes available to every individual brain in the group.
It is a well-known fact that Henry Ford began his business career
under the handicap of poverty, illiteracy, and ignorance. It is an
equally well-known fact that, within the inconceivably short period of
ten years, Mr. Ford mastered these three handicaps, and that within
twenty-five years he made himself one of the richest men in America.
Connect with this fact, the additional knowledge that Mr. Ford’s
most rapid strides became noticeable, from the time he became a
personal friend of Thomas A. Edison, and you will begin to
understand what the influence of one mind upon another can
accomplish. Go a step further, and consider the fact that Mr. Ford’s
most outstanding achievements began from the time that he formed
the acquaintances of Harvey Firestone, John Burroughs, and Luther
Burbank (each a man of great brain capacity) and you will have
further evidence that power may be produced through friendly
alliance of minds.
There is little if any doubt that Henry Ford is one of the bestinformed men in the business and industrial world. The question of
his wealth needs no discussion. Analyze Mr. Ford’s intimate personal
friends, some of whom have already been mentioned, and you will be
prepared to understand the following statement:—
“Men take on the nature and the habits and the power of thought
of those with whom they associate in a spirit of sympathy and
harmony.”
Henry Ford whipped poverty, illiteracy, and ignorance by allying
himself with great minds, whose vibrations of thought he absorbed
into his own mind. Through his association with Edison, Burbank,
Burroughs, and Firestone, Mr. Ford added to his own brain power,
the sum and substance of the intelligence, experience, knowledge,
and spiritual forces of these four men. Moreover, he appropriated,
and made use of the Master Mind principle through the methods of
procedure described in this book.
This principle is available to you!
We have already mentioned Mahatma Gandhi. Perhaps the
majority of those who have heard of Gandhi look upon him as merely
an eccentric little man, who goes around without formal wearing
apparel, and makes trouble for the British Government.
In reality, Gandhi is not eccentric, but he is the most powerful
man now living. (Estimated by the number of his followers and their
faith in their leader.) Moreover, he is probably the most powerful
man who has ever lived. His power is passive, but it is real.
Let us study the method by which he attained his stupendous
power. It may be explained in a few words. He came by power
through inducing over two hundred million people to coordinate,
with mind and body, in a spirit of harmony, for a definite purpose.
In brief, Gandhi has accomplished a miracle, for it is a miracle
when two hundred million people can be induced—not forced—to
cooperate in a spirit of harmony, for a limitless time. If you doubt
that this is a miracle, try to induce any two people to cooperate in a
spirit of harmony for any length of time.
Every man who manages a business knows what a difficult
matter it is to get employees to work together in a spirit even
remotely resembling harmony.
The list of the chief sources from which power may be attained is,
as you have seen, headed by Infinite Intelligence. When two or more
people coordinate in a spirit of harmony, and work toward a definite
objective, they place themselves in position, through that alliance, to
absorb power directly from the great universal storehouse of Infinite
Intelligence. This is the greatest of all sources of power. It is the
source to which the genius turns. It is the source to which every great
leader turns (whether he may be conscious of the fact or not).
The other two major sources from which the knowledge,
necessary for the accumulation of power, may be obtained are no
more reliable than the five senses of man. The senses are not always
reliable. Infinite Intelligence does not err.
In subsequent chapters, the methods by which Infinite
Intelligence may be most readily contacted will be adequately
described.
This is not a course on religion. No fundamental principle
described in this book should be interpreted as being intended to
interfere either directly, or indirectly, with any man’s religious
habits. This book has been confined, exclusively, to instructing the
reader how to transmute the definite purpose of desire for money,
into its monetary equivalent.
Read, think, and meditate as you read. Soon, the entire subject
will unfold, and you will see it in perspective. You are now seeing the
detail of the individual chapters.
Money is as shy and elusive as the “old time” maiden. It must be
wooed and won by methods not unlike those used by a determined
lover, in pursuit of the girl of his choice. And, coincidental as it is, the
power used in the “wooing” of money is not greatly different from
that used in wooing a maiden. That power, when successfully used in
the pursuit of money must be mixed with faith. It must be mixed
with desire. It must be mixed with persistence. It must be applied
through a plan, and that plan must be set into action.
When money comes in quantities known as “the big money,” it
flows to the one who accumulates it, as easily as water flows
downhill. There exists a great unseen stream of power, which may be
compared to a river; except that one side flows in one direction,
carrying all who get into that side of the stream, onward and upward
to wealth—and the other side flows in the opposite direction,
carrying all who are unfortunate enough to get into it (and not able
to extricate themselves from it), downward to misery and poverty.
Every man who has accumulated a great fortune has recognized
the existence of this stream of life. It consists of one’s thinking
process. The positive emotions of thought form the side of the stream
which carries one to fortune. The negative emotions form the side
which carries one down to poverty.
This carries a thought of stupendous importance to the person
who is following this book with the object of accumulating a fortune.
If you are in the side of the stream of power which leads to
poverty, this may serve as an oar, by which you may propel yourself
over into the other side of the stream. It can serve you only through
application and use. Merely reading, and passing judgment on it,
either one way or another, will in no way benefit you.
Some people undergo the experience of alternating between the
positive and negative sides of the stream, being at times on the
positive side, and at times on the negative side. The Wall Street crash
of ’29 swept millions of people from the positive to the negative side
of the stream. These millions are struggling, some of them in
desperation and fear, to get back to the positive side of the stream.
This book was written especially for those millions.
Poverty and riches often change places. The Crash taught the
world this truth, although the world will not long remember the
lesson. Poverty may, and generally does, voluntarily take the place of
riches. When riches take the place of poverty, the change is usually
brought about through well-conceived and carefully executed
PLANS. Poverty needs no plan. It needs no one to aid it, because it is
bold and ruthless. Riches are shy and timid. They have to be
“attracted.”
Anybody can wish for riches, and most people do, but
only a few know that a definite plan, plus a burning
desire for wealth, are the only dependable means of
accumulating wealth.
CHAPTER 11
THE MYSTERY OF SEX TRANSMUTATION
The Tenth Step Toward Riches
T
he meaning of the word “transmute” is, in simple language,
“the changing, or transferring of one element, or form of
energy, into another.”
The emotion of sex brings into being a state of mind.
Because of ignorance on the subject, this state of mind is
generally associated with the physical, and because of improper
influences, to which most people have been subjected, in acquiring
knowledge of sex, things essentially physical have highly biased the
mind.
The emotion of sex has back of it the possibility of three
constructive potentialities, they are:—
1. The perpetuation of mankind.
2. The maintenance of health (as a therapeutic agency, it
has no equal).
3. The transformation of mediocrity into genius through
transmutation.
Sex transmutation is simple and easily explained. It means the
switching of the mind from thoughts of physical expression, to
thoughts of some other nature.
Sex desire is the most powerful of human desires. When driven
by this desire, men develop keenness of imagination, courage, willpower, persistence, and creative ability unknown to them at other
times. So strong and impelling is the desire for sexual contact that
men freely run the risk of life and reputation to indulge it. When
harnessed, and redirected along other lines, this motivating force
maintains all of its attributes of keenness of imagination, courage,
etc., which may be used as powerful creative forces in literature, art,
or in any other profession or calling, including, of course, the
accumulation of riches.
The transmutation of sex energy calls for the exercise of willpower, to be sure, but the reward is worth the effort. The desire for
sexual expression is inborn and natural. The desire cannot, and
should not be submerged or eliminated. But it should be given an
outlet through forms of expression which enrich the body, mind, and
spirit of man. If not given this form of outlet, through transmutation,
it will seek outlets through purely physical channels.
A river may be dammed, and its water controlled for a time, but
eventually, it will force an outlet. The same is true of the emotion of
sex. It may be submerged and controlled for a time, but its very
nature causes it to be ever seeking means of expression. If it is not
transmuted into some creative effort it will find a less worthy outlet.
Fortunate, indeed, is the person who has discovered how to give
sex emotion an outlet through some form of creative effort, for he
has, by that discovery, lifted himself to the status of a genius.
Scientific research has disclosed these significant facts:
1. The men of greatest achievement are men with highly
developed sex natures; men who have learned the art of
sex transmutation.
2. The men who have accumulated great fortunes and
achieved outstanding recognition in literature, art,
industry, architecture, and the professions, were
motivated by the influence of a woman.
The research from which these astounding discoveries were
made went back through the pages of biography and history for more
than two thousand years. Wherever there was evidence available in
connection with the lives of men and women of great achievement, it
indicated most convincingly that they possessed highly developed
sex natures.
The emotion of sex is an “irresistible force,” against which there
can be no such opposition as an “immovable body,” When driven by
this emotion, men become gifted with a super power for action.
Understand this truth, and you will catch the significance of the
statement that sex transmutation will lift one to the status of a
genius.
The emotion of sex contains the secret of creative ability.
Destroy the sex glands, whether in man or beast, and you have
removed the major source of action. For proof of this, observe what
happens to any animal after it has been castrated. A bull becomes as
docile as a cow after it has been altered sexually. Sex alteration takes
out of the male, whether man or beast, all the fight that was in him.
Sex alteration of the female has the same effect.
THE TEN MIND STIMULI
The human mind responds to stimuli, through which it may be
“keyed up” to high rates of vibration, known as enthusiasm, creative
imagination, intense desire, etc. The stimuli to which the mind
responds most freely are:—
1. The desire for sex expression
2. Love
3. A burning desire for fame, power, or financial gain,
money
4. Music
5. Friendship between either those of the same sex, or those
of the opposite sex
6. A Master Mind alliance based upon the harmony of two
or more people who ally themselves for spiritual or
temporal advancement
7. Mutual suffering, such as that experienced by people who
are persecuted
8. Auto-suggestion
9. Fear
10. Narcotics and alcohol
The desire for sex expression comes at the head of the list of
stimuli, which most effectively “step-up” the vibrations of the mind
and start the “wheels” of physical action. Eight of these stimuli are
natural and constructive. Two are destructive. The list is here
presented for the purpose of enabling you to make a comparative
study of the major sources of mind stimulation. From this study, it
will be readily seen that the emotion of sex is, by great odds, the most
intense and powerful of all mind stimuli.
This comparison is necessary as a foundation for proof of the
statement that transmutation of sex energy may lift one to the status
of a genius. Let us find out what constitutes a genius.
Some wiseacre has said that a genius is a man who “wears long
hair, eats queer food, lives alone, and serves as a target for the joke
makers.” A better definition of a genius is “a man who has discovered
how to increase the vibrations of thought to the point where he can
freely communicate with sources of knowledge not available through
the ordinary rate of vibration of thought.”
The person who thinks will want to ask some questions
concerning this definition of genius. The first question will be, “How
may one communicate with sources of knowledge which are not
available through the ordinary rate of vibration of thought?”
The next question will be, “Are there known sources of
knowledge which are available only to genii, and if so, what are these
sources, and exactly how may they be reached?”
We shall offer proof of the soundness of some of the more
important statements made in this book—or at least we shall offer
evidence through which you may secure your own proof through
experimentation, and in doing so, we shall answer both of these
questions.
“GENIUS” IS DEVELOPED THROUGH THE SIXTH SENSE
The reality of a “sixth sense” has been fairly well established. This
sixth sense is “Creative Imagination.” The faculty of creative
imagination is one which the majority of people never use during an
entire lifetime, and if used at all, it usually happens by mere accident.
A relatively small number of people use, with deliberation and
purpose aforethought, the faculty of creative imagination. Those who
use this faculty voluntarily, and with understanding of its functions,
are genii.
The faculty of creative imagination is the direct link between the
finite mind of man and Infinite Intelligence. All so-called revelations,
referred to in the realm of religion, and all discoveries of basic or new
principles in the field of invention take place through the faculty of
creative imagination.
When ideas or concepts flash into one’s mind, through what is
popularly called a “hunch,” they come from one or more of the
following sources:—
1. Infinite Intelligence
2. One’s subconscious mind, wherein is stored every sense
impression and thought impulse which ever reached the
brain through any of the five senses
3. From the mind of some other person who has just
released the thought, or picture of the idea or concept,
through conscious thought, or
4. From the other person’s subconscious storehouse.
There are no other known sources from which “inspired” ideas or
“hunches” may be received.
The creative imagination functions best when the mind is
vibrating (due to some form of mind stimulation) at an exceedingly
high rate. That is, when the mind is functioning at a rate of vibration
higher than that of ordinary, normal thought.
When brain action has been stimulated, through one or more of
the ten mind stimulants, it has the effect of lifting the individual far
above the horizon of ordinary thought, and permits him to envision
distance, scope, and quality of thoughts not available on the lower
plane, such as that occupied while one is engaged in the solution of
the problems of business and professional routine.
When lifted to this higher level of thought, through any form of
mind stimulation, an individual occupies, relatively, the same
position as one who has ascended in an airplane to a height from
which he may see over and beyond the horizon line which limits his
vision, while on the ground. Moreover, while on this higher level of
thought, the individual is not hampered or bound by any of the
stimuli which circumscribe and limit his vision while wrestling with
the problems of gaining the three basic necessities of food, clothing,
and shelter. He is in a world of thought in which the ordinary, worka-day thoughts have been as effectively removed as are the hills and
valleys and other limitations of physical vision, when he rises in an
airplane.
While on this exalted plane of thought, the creative faculty of the
mind is given freedom for action. The way has been cleared for the
sixth sense to function; it becomes receptive to ideas which could not
reach the individual under any other circumstances. The “sixth
sense” is the faculty which marks the difference between a genius
and an ordinary individual.
The creative faculty becomes more alert and receptive to
vibrations, originating outside the individual’s subconscious mind,
the more this faculty is used, and the more the individual relies upon
it, and makes demands upon it for thought impulses. This faculty can
be cultivated and developed only through use.
That which is known as one’s “conscience” operates entirely
through the faculty of the sixth sense.
The great artists, writers, musicians, and poets become great,
because they acquire the habit of relying upon the “still small voice”
which speaks from within, through the faculty of creative
imagination. It is a fact well known to people who have “keen”
imaginations that their best ideas come through so-called “hunches.”
There is a great orator who does not attain to greatness, until he
closes his eyes and begins to rely entirely upon the faculty of Creative
Imagination. When asked why he closed his eyes just before the
climaxes of his oratory, he replied, “I do it, because, then I speak
through ideas which come to me from within.”
One of America’s most successful and best-known financiers
followed the habit of closing his eyes for two or three minutes before
making a decision. When asked why he did this, he replied, “With my
eyes closed, I am able to draw upon a source of superior
intelligence.”
The late Dr. Elmer R. Gates, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, created
more than two hundred useful patents, many of them basic, through
the process of cultivating and using the creative faculty. His method
is both significant and interesting to one interested in attaining to
the status of genius, in which category Dr. Gates, unquestionably
belonged. Dr. Gates was one of the really great, though less
publicized scientists of the world.
In his laboratory, he had what he called his “personal
communication room.” It was practically sound proof, and so
arranged that all light could be shut out. It was equipped with a small
table, on which he kept a pad of writing paper. In front of the table,
on the wall, was an electric pushbutton, which controlled the lights.
When Dr. Gates desired to draw upon the forces available to him
through his Creative Imagination, he would go into this room, seat
himself at the table, shut off the lights, and concentrate upon the
known factors of the invention on which he was working, remaining
in that position until ideas began to “flash” into his mind in
connection with the unknown factors of the invention.
On one occasion, ideas came through so fast that he was forced to
write for almost three hours. When the thoughts stopped flowing,
and he examined his notes, he found they contained a minute
description of principles which had not a parallel among the known
data of the scientific world. Moreover, the answer to his problem was
intelligently presented in those notes. In this manner Dr. Gates
completed over two hundred patents, which had been begun, but not
completed, by “half-baked” brains. Evidence of the truth of this
statement is in the United States Patent Office.
Dr. Gates earned his living by “sitting for ideas” for individuals
and corporations. Some of the largest corporations in America paid
him substantial fees, by the hour, for “sitting for ideas.”
The reasoning faculty is often faulty, because it is largely guided
by one’s accumulated experience. Not all knowledge, which one
accumulates through “experience,” is accurate. Ideas received
through the creative faculty are much more reliable, for the reason
that they come from sources more reliable than any which are
available to the reasoning faculty of the mind.
The major difference between the genius and the ordinary
“crank” inventor may be found in the fact that the genius works
through his faculty of creative imagination, while the “crank” knows
nothing of this faculty. The scientific inventor (such as Mr. Edison,
and Dr. Gates) makes use of both the synthetic and the creative
faculties of imagination.
For example, the scientific inventor, or “genius,” begins an
invention by organizing and combining the known ideas, or
principles accumulated through experience, through the synthetic
faculty (the reasoning faculty). If he finds this accumulated
knowledge to be insufficient for the completion of his invention, he
then draws upon the sources of knowledge available to him through
his creative faculty. The method by which he does this varies with
the individual, but this is the sum and substance of his procedure:
1. He stimulates his mind so that it vibrates on a higherthan-average plane, using one or more of the ten mind
stimulants or some other stimulant of his choice.
2. He concentrates upon the known factors (the finished
part) of his invention, and creates in his mind a perfect
picture of unknown factors (the unfinished part) of his
invention. He holds this picture in mind until it has been
taken over by the subconscious mind, then relaxes by
clearing his mind of all thought, and waits for his answer
to “flash” into his mind.
Sometimes the results are both definite and immediate. At other
times, the results are negative, depending upon the state of
development of the “sixth sense,” or creative faculty.
Mr. Edison tried out more than ten thousand different
combinations of ideas through the synthetic faculty of his
imagination before he “tuned in” through the creative faculty, and
got the answer which perfected the incandescent light. His
experience was similar when he produced the talking machine.
There is plenty of reliable evidence that the faculty of creative
imagination exists. This evidence is available through accurate
analysis of men who have become leaders in their respective callings,
without having had extensive educations. Lincoln was a notable
example of a great leader who achieved greatness, through the
discovery, and use of his faculty of creative imagination. He
discovered, and began to use this faculty as the result of the
stimulation of love which he experienced after he met Anne
Rutledge, a statement of the highest significance, in connection with
the study of the source of genius.
The pages of history are filled with the records of great leaders
whose achievements may be traced directly to the influence of
women who aroused the creative faculties of their minds, through
the stimulation of sex desire. Napoleon Bonaparte was one of these.
When inspired by his first wife, Josephine, he was irresistible and
invincible. When his “better judgment” or reasoning faculty
prompted him to put Josephine aside, he began to decline. His defeat
and St. Helena were not far distant.
If good taste would permit, we might easily mention scores of
men, well known to the American people, who climbed to great
heights of achievement under the stimulating influence of their
wives, only to drop back to destruction after money and power went
to their heads, and they put aside the old wife for a new one.
Napoleon was not the only man to discover that sex influence, from
the right source, is more powerful than any substitute of expediency,
which may be created by mere reason.
The human mind responds to stimulation!
Among the greatest, and most powerful of these stimuli is the
urge of sex. When harnessed and transmuted, this driving force is
capable of lifting men into that higher sphere of thought which
enables them to master the sources of worry and petty annoyance
which beset their pathway on the lower plane.
Unfortunately, only the genii have made the discovery. Others
have accepted the experience of sex urge, without discovering one of
its major potentialities—a fact which accounts for the great number
of “others” as compared to the limited number of genii.
For the purpose of refreshing the memory, in connection with the
facts available from the biographies of certain men, we here present
the names of a few men of outstanding achievement, each of whom
was known to have been of a highly sexed nature. The genius which
was theirs, undoubtedly found its source of power in transmuted sex
energy:
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Napoleon Bonaparte
Elbert Hubbard
William Shakespeare
Elbert H. Gary
Abraham Lincoln
Oscar Wilde
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Woodrow Wilson
Robert Burns
John H. Patterson
Andrew Jackson
Enrico Caruso
Your own knowledge of biography will enable you to add to this
list. Find, if you can, a single man, in all history of civilization, who
achieved outstanding success in any calling, who was not driven by a
well-developed sex nature.
If you do not wish to rely upon biographies of men not now
living, take inventory of those whom you know to be men of great
achievement, and see if you can find one among them who is not
highly sexed.
Sex energy is the creative energy of all genii. There never has
been, and never will be a great leader, builder, or artist lacking in
this driving force of sex.
Surely no one will misunderstand these statements to mean that
all who are highly sexed are genii! Man attains to the status of a
genius only when, and if, he stimulates his mind so that it draws
upon the forces available, through the creative faculty of the
imagination. Chief among the stimuli with which this “stepping up”
of the vibrations may be produced is sex energy. The mere
possession of this energy is not sufficient to produce a genius. The
energy must be transmuted from desire for physical contact, into
some other form of desire and action, before it will lift one to the
status of a genius.
Far from becoming genii, because of great sex desires, the
majority of men lower themselves, through misunderstanding and
misuse of this great force, to the status of the lower animals.
WHY MEN SELDOM SUCCEED BEFORE FORTY
I discovered, from the analysis of over 25,000 people, that men who
succeed in an outstanding way, seldom do so before the age of forty,
and more often they do not strike their real pace until they are well
beyond the age of fifty. This fact was so astounding that it prompted
me to go into the study of its cause most carefully, carrying the
investigation over a period of more than twelve years.
This study disclosed the fact that the major reason why the
majority of men who succeed do not begin to do so before the age of
forty to fifty, is their tendency to dissipate their energies through
over indulgence in physical expression of the emotion of sex. The
majority of men never learn that the urge of sex has other
possibilities, which far transcend in importance, that of mere
physical expression. The majority of those who make this discovery,
do so after having wasted many years at a period when the sex
energy is at its height, prior to the age of forty-five to fifty. This
usually is followed by noteworthy achievement.
The lives of many men up to, and sometimes well past the age of
forty, reflect a continued dissipation of energies, which could have
been more profitably turned into better channels. Their finer and
more powerful emotions are sown wildly to the four winds. Out of
this habit of the male, grew the term, “sowing his wild oats.”
The desire for sexual expression is by far the strongest and most
impelling of all the human emotions, and for this very reason this
desire, when harnessed and transmuted into action, other than that
of physical expression, may raise one to the status of a genius.
One of America’s most able business men frankly admitted that
his attractive secretary was responsible for most of the plans he
created. He admitted that her presence lifted him to heights of
creative imagination, such as he could experience under no other
stimulus.
One of the most successful men in America owes most of his
success to the influence of a very charming young woman, who has
served as his source of inspiration for more than twelve years.
Everyone knows the man to whom this reference is made, but not
everyone knows the real source of his achievements.
History is not lacking in examples of men who attained to the
status of genii, as the result of the use of artificial mind stimulants in
the form of alcohol and narcotics. Edgar Allan Poe wrote the “Raven”
while under the influence of liquor, “dreaming dreams that mortal
never dared to dream before.” James Whitcomb Riley did his best
writing while under the influence of alcohol. Perhaps it was thus he
saw “the ordered intermingling of the real and the dream, the mill
above the river, and the mist above the stream.” Robert Burns wrote
best when intoxicated, “For Auld Lang Syne, my dear, we’ll take a
cup of kindness yet, for Auld Lang Syne.”
But let it be remembered that many such men have destroyed
themselves in the end. Nature has prepared her own potions with
which men may safely stimulate their minds so they vibrate on a
plane that enables them to tune in to fine and rare thoughts which
come from—no man knows where! No satisfactory substitute for
Nature’s stimulants has ever been found.
It is a fact well known to psychologists that there is a very close
relationship between sex desires and spiritual urges—a fact which
accounts for the peculiar behavior of people who participate in the
orgies known as religious “revivals,” common among the primitive
types.
The world is ruled, and the destiny of civilization is established,
by the human emotions. People are influenced in their actions, not
by reason so much as by “feelings.” The creative faculty of the mind
is set into action entirely by emotions, and not by cold reason. The
most powerful of all human emotions is that of sex. There are other
mind stimulants, some of which have been listed, but no one of
them, nor all of them combined, can equal the driving power of sex.
A mind stimulant is any influence which will either temporarily,
or permanently, increase the vibrations of thought. The ten major
stimulants, described, are those most commonly resorted to.
Through these sources one may commune with Infinite Intelligence,
or enter, at will, the storehouse of the subconscious mind, either
one’s own, or that of another person, a procedure which is all there is
of genius.
A teacher, who has trained and directed the efforts of more than
30,000 sales people, made the astounding discovery that highly
sexed men are the most efficient salesmen. The explanation is, that
the factor of personality known as “personal magnetism” is nothing
more nor less than sex energy. Highly sexed people always have a
plentiful supply of magnetism. Through cultivation and
understanding, this vital force may be drawn upon and used to great
advantage in the relationships between people. This energy may be
communicated to others through the following media:
1. The hand-shake. The touch of the hand indicates,
instantly, the presence of magnetism, or the lack of it.
2. The tone of voice. Magnetism, or sex energy, is the factor
with which the voice may be colored, or made musical
and charming.
3. Posture and carriage of the body. Highly sexed people
move briskly, and with grace and ease.
4. The vibrations of thought. Highly sexed people mix the
emotion of sex with their thoughts, or may do so at will,
and in that way, may influence those around them.
5. Body adornment. People who are highly sexed are
usually very careful about their personal appearance.
They usually select clothing of a style becoming to their
personality, physique, complexion, etc.
When employing salesmen, the more capable sales manager
looks for the quality of personal magnetism as the first requirement
of a salesman. People who lack sex energy will never become
enthusiastic nor inspire others with enthusiasm, and enthusiasm is
one of the most important requisites in salesmanship, no matter
what one is selling.
The public speaker, orator, preacher, lawyer, or salesman who is
lacking in sex energy is a “flop,” as far as being able to influence
others is concerned. Couple with this the fact, that most people can
be influenced only through an appeal to their emotions, and you will
understand the importance of sex energy as a part of the salesman’s
native ability. Master salesmen attain the status of mastery in selling,
because they, either consciously, or unconsciously, transmute the
energy of sex into sales enthusiasm! In this statement may be found
a very practical suggestion as to the actual meaning of sex
transmutation.
The salesman who knows how to take his mind off the subject of
sex, and direct it in sales effort with as much enthusiasm and
determination as he would apply to its original purpose, has acquired
the art of sex transmutation, whether he knows it or not. The
majority of salesmen who transmute their sex energy do so without
being in the least aware of what they are doing, or how they are doing
it.
Transmutation of sex energy calls for more will-power than the
average person cares to use for this purpose. Those who find it
difficult to summon will-power sufficient for transmutation, may
gradually acquire this ability. Though this requires will-power, the
reward for the practice is more than worth the effort.
The entire subject of sex is one with which the majority of people
appear to be unpardonably ignorant. The urge of sex has been
grossly misunderstood, slandered, and burlesqued by the ignorant
and the evil minded, for so long that the very word sex is seldom
used in polite society. Men and women who are known to be blessed
—yes, blessed—with highly sexed natures, are usually looked upon as
being people who will bear watching. Instead of being called blessed,
they are usually called cursed.
Millions of people, even in this age of enlightenment, have
inferiority complexes which they developed because of this false
belief that a highly sexed nature is a curse. These statements, of the
virtue of sex energy, should not be construed as justification for the
libertine. The emotion of sex is a virtue only when used intelligently,
and with discrimination. It may be misused, and often is, to such an
extent that it debases, instead of enriches, both body and mind. The
better use of this power is the burden of this chapter.
It seemed quite significant to the author, when he made the
discovery that practically every great leader, whom he had the
privilege of analyzing, was a man whose achievements were largely
inspired by a woman. In many instances, the “woman in the case”
was a modest, self-denying wife, of whom the public had heard but
little or nothing. In a few instances, the source of inspiration has
been traced to the “other woman.” Perhaps such cases may not be
entirely unknown to you.
Intemperance in sex habits is just as detrimental as
intemperance in habits of drinking and eating. In this age in which
we live, an age which began with the world war, intemperance in
habits of sex is common. This orgy of indulgence may account for the
shortage of great leaders. No man can avail himself of the forces of
his creative imagination, while dissipating them. Man is the only
creature on earth which violates Nature’s purpose in this connection.
Every other animal indulges its sex nature in moderation, and with
purpose which harmonizes with the laws of nature. Every other
animal responds to the call of sex only in “season.” Mans inclination
is to declare “open season.”
Every intelligent person knows that stimulation in excess,
through alcoholic drink and narcotics, is a form of intemperance
which destroys the vital organs of the body, including the brain. Not
every person knows, however, that over indulgence in sex expression
may become a habit as destructive and as detrimental to creative
effort as narcotics or liquor.
A sex-mad man is not essentially different than a dope-mad man!
Both have lost control over their faculties of reason and will-power.
Sexual over-indulgence may not only destroy reason and will-power,
but it may also lead to either temporary or permanent insanity. Many
cases of hypochondria (imaginary illness) grow out of habits
developed in ignorance of the true function of sex.
From these brief references to the subject, it may be readily seen
that ignorance on the subject of sex transmutation forces stupendous
penalties upon the ignorant on the one hand, and withholds from
them equally stupendous benefits, on the other.
Widespread ignorance on the subject of sex is due to the fact that
the subject has been surrounded with mystery and beclouded by dark
silence. The conspiracy of mystery and silence has had the same
effect upon the minds of young people that the psychology of
prohibition had. The result has been increased curiosity, and desire
to acquire more knowledge on this “verboten” subject; and to the
shame of all lawmakers, and most physicians—by training best
qualified to educate youth on that subject—information has not been
easily available.
Seldom does an individual enter upon highly creative effort in
any field of endeavor before the age of forty. The average man
reaches the period of his greatest capacity to create between forty
and sixty. These statements are based upon analysis of thousands of
men and women who have been carefully observed. They should be
encouraging to those who fail to arrive before the age of forty, and to
those who become frightened at the approach of “old age,” around
the forty-year mark. The years between forty and fifty are, as a rule,
the most fruitful. Man should approach this age, not with fear and
trembling, but with hope and eager anticipation.
If you want evidence that most men do not begin to do their best
work before the age of forty, study the records of the most successful
men known to the American people, and you will find it. Henry Ford
had not “hit his pace” of achievement until he had passed the age of
forty. Andrew Carnegie was well past forty before he began to reap
the reward of his efforts. James J. Hill was still running a telegraph
key at the age of forty. His stupendous achievements took place after
that age. Biographies of American industrialists and financiers are
filled with evidence that the period from forty to sixty is the most
productive age of man.
Between the ages of thirty and forty, man begins to learn (if he
ever learns) the art of sex transmutation. This discovery is generally
accidental, and more often than otherwise, the man who makes it is
totally unconscious of his discovery. He may observe that his powers
of achievement have increased around the age of thirty-five to forty,
but in most cases, he is not familiar with the cause of this change;
that Nature begins to harmonize the emotions of love and sex in the
individual, between the ages of thirty and forty, so that he may draw
upon these great forces, and apply them jointly as stimuli to action.
Sex, alone, is a mighty urge to action, but its forces are like a
cyclone—they are often uncontrollable. When the emotion of love
begins to mix itself with the emotion of sex, the result is calmness of
purpose, poise, accuracy of judgment, and balance. What person,
who has attained to the age of forty, is so unfortunate as to be unable
to analyze these statements, and to corroborate them by his own
experience?
When driven by his desire to please a woman, based solely upon
the emotion of sex, a man may be, and usually is, capable of great
achievement, but his actions may be disorganized, distorted, and
totally destructive. When driven by his desire to please a woman,
based upon the motive of sex alone, a man may steal, cheat, and even
commit murder. But when the emotion of love is mixed with the
emotion of sex, that same man will guide his actions with more
sanity, balance, and reason.
Criminologists have discovered that the most hardened criminals
can be reformed through the influence of a woman’s love. There is no
record of a criminal having been reformed solely through the sex
influence. These facts are well known, but their cause is not.
Reformation comes, if at all, through the heart, or the emotional side
of man, not through his head, or reasoning side. Reformation means,
“a change of heart.” It does not mean a “change of head.” A man may,
because of reason, make certain changes in his personal conduct to
avoid the consequences of undesirable effects, but genuine
reformation comes only through a change of heart—through a desire
to change.
Love, romance, and sex are all emotions capable of driving men
to heights of super achievement. Love is the emotion which serves as
a safety valve, and insures balance, poise, and constructive effort.
When combined, these three emotions may lift one to an altitude of a
genius. There are genii, however, who know but little of the emotion
of love. Most of them may be found engaged in some form of action
which is destructive, or at least, not based upon justice and fairness
toward others. If good taste would permit, a dozen genii could be
named in the field of industry and finance, who ride ruthlessly over
the rights of their fellow men. They seem totally lacking in
conscience. The reader can easily supply his own list of such men.
The emotions are states of mind. Nature has provided man with a
“chemistry of the mind” which operates in a manner similar to the
principles of chemistry of matter. It is a well-known fact that,
through the aid of chemistry of matter, a chemist may create a deadly
poison by mixing certain elements, none of which are—in themselves
—harmful in the right proportions. The emotions may, likewise, be
combined so as to create a deadly poison. The emotions of sex and
jealousy, when mixed, may turn a person into an insane beast.
The presence of any one or more of the destructive emotions in
the human mind, through the chemistry of the mind, sets up a
poison which may destroy one’s sense of justice and fairness. In
extreme cases, the presence of any combination of these emotions in
the mind may destroy one’s reason.
The road to genius consists of the development, control, and use
of sex, love, and romance. Briefly, the process may be stated as
follows:
Encourage the presence of these emotions as the dominating
thoughts in one’s mind, and discourage the presence of all the
destructive emotions. The mind is a creature of habit. It thrives upon
the dominating thoughts fed it. Through the faculty of will-power,
one may discourage the presence of any emotion, and encourage the
presence of any other. Control of the mind, through the power of
will, is not difficult. Control comes from persistence, and habit. The
secret of control lies in understanding the process of transmutation.
When any negative emotion presents itself in one’s mind, it can be
transmuted into a positive, or constructive emotion, by the simple
procedure of changing one’s thoughts.
There is no other road to genius than through voluntary self
effort! A man may attain to great heights of financial or business
achievement, solely by the driving force of sex energy, but history is
filled with evidence that he may, and usually does, carry with him
certain traits of character which rob him of the ability to either hold
or enjoy his fortune. This is worthy of analysis, thought, and
meditation, for it states a truth, the knowledge of which may be
helpful to women as well as men. Ignorance of this has cost
thousands of people their privilege of happiness, even though they
possessed riches.
The emotions of love and sex leave their unmistakable marks
upon the features. Moreover, these signs are so visible, that all who
wish may read them. The man who is driven by the storm of passion,
based upon sex desires alone, plainly advertises that fact to the entire
world, by the expression of his eyes, and the lines of his face. The
emotion of love, when mixed with the emotion of sex, softens,
modifies, and beautifies the facial expression. No character analyst is
needed to tell you this—you may observe it for yourself.
The emotion of love brings out, and develops, the artistic and the
aesthetic nature of man. It leaves its impress upon one’s very soul,
even after the fire has been subdued by time and circumstance.
Memories of love never pass. They linger, guide, and influence
long after the source of stimulation has faded. There is nothing new
in this. Every person, who has been moved by genuine love, knows
that it leaves enduring traces upon the human heart. The effect of
love endures, because love is spiritual in nature. The man who
cannot be stimulated to great heights of achievement by love, is
hopeless—he is dead, though he may seem to live.
Even the memories of love are sufficient to lift one to a higher
plane of creative effort. The major force of love may spend itself and
pass away, like a fire which has burned itself out, but it leaves behind
indelible marks as evidence that it passed that way. Its departure
often prepares the human heart for a still greater love.
Go back into your yesterdays, at times, and bathe your mind in
the beautiful memories of past love. It will soften the influence of the
present worries and annoyances. It will give you a source of escape
from the unpleasant realities of life, and maybe—who knows?—your
mind will yield to you, during this temporary retreat into the world of
fantasy, ideas, or plans which may change the entire financial or
spiritual status of your life.
If you believe yourself unfortunate, because you have “loved and
lost,” perish the thought. One who has loved truly, can never lose
entirely. Love is whimsical and temperamental. Its nature is
ephemeral, and transitory. It comes when it pleases, and goes away
without warning. Accept and enjoy it while it remains, but spend no
time worrying about its departure. Worry will never bring it back.
Dismiss, also, the thought that love never comes but once. Love
may come and go, times without number, but there are no two love
experiences which affect one in just the same way. There may be, and
there usually is, one love experience which leaves a deeper imprint
on the heart than all the others, but all love experiences are
beneficial, except to the person who becomes resentful and cynical
when love makes its departure.
There should be no disappointment over love, and there would
be none if people understood the difference between the emotions of
love and sex. The major difference is that love is spiritual, while sex
is biological. No experience, which touches the human heart with a
spiritual force, can possibly be harmful, except through ignorance, or
jealousy.
Love is, without question, life’s greatest experience. It brings one
into communion with Infinite Intelligence. When mixed with the
emotions of romance and sex, it may lead one far up the ladder of
creative effort. The emotions of love, sex, and romance are sides of
the eternal triangle of achievement-building genius. Nature creates
genii through no other force.
Love is an emotion with many sides, shades, and colors. The love
which one feels for parents, or children is quite different from that
which one feels for one’s sweetheart. The one is mixed with the
emotion of sex, while the other is not.
The love which one feels in true friendship is not the same as that
felt for one’s sweetheart, parents, or children, but it, too, is a form of
love.
Then, there is the emotion of love for things inanimate, such as
the love of Nature’s handiwork. But the most intense and burning of
all these various kinds of love is that experienced in the blending of
the emotions of love and sex. Marriages, not blessed with the eternal
affinity of love, properly balanced and proportioned, with sex, cannot
be happy ones—and seldom endure. Love, alone, will not bring
happiness in marriage, nor will sex alone. When these two beautiful
emotions are blended, marriage may bring about a state of mind,
closest to the spiritual that one may ever know on this earthly plane.
When the emotion of romance is added to those of love and sex,
the obstructions between the finite mind of man and Infinite
Intelligence are removed. Then a genius has been born!
What a different story is this, than those usually associated with
the emotion of sex. Here is an interpretation of the emotion which
lifts it out of the commonplace, and makes of it potter’s clay in the
hands of God, from which He fashions all that is beautiful and
inspiring. It is an interpretation which would, when properly
understood, bring harmony out of the chaos which exists in too many
marriages. The disharmonies often expressed in the form of nagging
may usually be traced to lack of knowledge on the subject of sex.
Where love, romance and the proper understanding of the emotion
and function of sex abide, there is no disharmony between married
people.
Fortunate is the husband whose wife understands the true
relationship between the emotions of love, sex, and romance. When
motivated by this holy triumvirate, no form of labor is burdensome,
because even the most lowly form of effort takes on the nature of a
labor of love.
It is a very old saying that “a man’s wife may either make him or
break him,” but the reason is not always understood. The “making”
and “breaking” is the result of the wife’s understanding, or lack of
understanding of the emotions of love, sex, and romance.
Despite the fact that men are polygamous, by the very nature of
their biological inheritance, it is true that no woman has as great an
influence on a man as his wife, unless he is married to a woman
totally unsuited to his nature. If a woman permits her husband to
lose interest in her, and become more interested in other women, it
is usually because of her ignorance, or indifference toward the
subjects of sex, love, and romance. This statement presupposes, of
course, that genuine love once existed between a man and his wife.
The facts are equally applicable to a man who permits his wife’s
interest in him to die.
Married people often bicker over a multitude of trivialities. If
these are analyzed accurately, the real cause of the trouble will often
be found to be indifference, or ignorance on these subjects.
Man’s greatest motivating force is his desire to please woman!
The hunter who excelled during prehistoric days, before the dawn of
civilization, did so, because of his desire to appear great in the eyes of
woman. Man’s nature has not changed in this respect. The “hunter”
of today brings home no skins of wild animals, but he indicates his
desire for her favor by supplying fine clothes, motor cars, and wealth.
Man has the same desire to please woman that he had before the
dawn of civilization. The only thing that has changed, is his method
of pleasing. Men who accumulate large fortunes, and attain to great
heights of power and fame, do so, mainly, to satisfy their desire to
please women. Take women out of their lives, and great wealth
would be useless to most men. It is this inherent desire of man to
please woman, which gives woman the power to make or break a
man.
The woman who understands man’s nature and tactfully caters to
it, need have no fear of competition from other women. Men may be
“giants” with indomitable will-power when dealing with other men,
but they are easily managed by the women of their choice.
Most men will not admit that they are easily influenced by the
women they prefer, because it is in the nature of the male to want to
be recognized as the stronger of the species. Moreover, the intelligent
woman recognizes this “manly trait” and very wisely makes no issue
of it.
Some men know that they are being influenced by the women of
their choice—their wives, sweethearts, mothers or sisters—but they
tactfully refrain from rebelling against the influence because they are
intelligent enough to know that no man is happy or complete without
the modifying influence of the right woman. The man who does not
recognize this important truth deprives himself of the power which
has done more to help men achieve success than all other forces
combined.
CHAPTER 12
THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
THE CONNECTING LINK
The Eleventh Step Toward Riches
T
he subconscious mind consists of a field of consciousness, in
which every impulse of thought that reaches the objective
mind through any of the five senses, is classified and recorded,
and from which thoughts may be recalled or withdrawn as letters
may be taken from a filing cabinet.
It receives, and files, sense impressions or thoughts, regardless of
their nature. You may voluntarily plant in your subconscious mind
any plan, thought, or purpose which you desire to, translate into its
physical or monetary equivalent. The subconscious acts first on the
dominating desires which have been mixed with emotional feeling,
such as faith.
Consider this in connection with the instructions given in the
chapter on desire, for taking the six steps there outlined, and the
instructions given in the chapter on the building and execution of
plans, and you will understand the importance of the thought
conveyed.
The subconscious mind works day and night. Through a method
of procedure, unknown to man, the subconscious mind draws upon
the forces of Infinite Intelligence for the power with which it
voluntarily transmutes one’s desires into their physical equivalent,
making use, always of the most practical media by which this end
may be accomplished.
You cannot entirely control your subconscious mind, but you can
voluntarily hand over to it any plan, desire, or purpose which you
wish transformed into concrete form. Read, again, instructions for
using the subconscious mind, in the chapter on auto-suggestion.
There is plenty of evidence to support the belief that the
subconscious mind is the connecting link between the finite mind of
man and Infinite Intelligence. It is the intermediary through which
one may draw upon the forces of Infinite Intelligence at will. It,
alone, contains the secret process by which mental impulses are
modified and changed into their spiritual equivalent. It, alone, is the
medium through which prayer may be transmitted to the source
capable of answering prayer.
The possibilities of creative effort connected with the
subconscious mind are stupendous and imponderable. They inspire
one with awe.
I never approach the discussion of the subconscious mind
without a feeling of littleness and inferiority due, perhaps, to the fact
that man’s entire stock of knowledge on this subject is so pitifully
limited. The very fact that the subconscious mind is the medium of
communication between the thinking mind of man and Infinite
Intelligence is, of itself, a thought which almost paralyzes one’s
reason.
After you have accepted, as a reality, the existence of the
subconscious mind, and understand its possibilities, as a medium for
transmuting your desires into their physical or monetary equivalent,
you will comprehend the full significance of the instructions given in
the chapter on desire. You will also understand why you have been
repeatedly admonished to make your desires clear, and to reduce
them to writing. You will also understand the necessity of persistence
in carrying out instructions.
The thirteen principles are the stimuli with which you acquire the
ability to reach, and to influence your subconscious mind. Do not
become discouraged, if you cannot do this upon the first attempt.
Remember that the subconscious mind may be voluntarily directed
only through habit, under the directions given in the chapter on
faith. You have not yet had time to master faith. Be patient. Be
persistent.
A good many statements in the chapters on faith and autosuggestion will be repeated here, for the benefit of your subconscious
mind. Remember, your subconscious mind functions voluntarily,
whether you make any effort to influence it or not. This, naturally,
suggests to you that thoughts of fear and poverty, and all negative
thoughts serve as stimuli to your subconscious mind, unless, you
master these impulses and give it more desirable food upon which it
may feed.
The subconscious mind will not remain idle! If you fail to plant
desires in your subconscious mind, it will feed upon the thoughts
which reach it as the result of your neglect. We have already
explained that thought impulses, both negative and positive are
reaching the subconscious mind continuously, from the four sources
which were mentioned in the chapter on Sex Transmutation.
For the present, it is sufficient if you remember that you are
living daily, in the midst of all manner of thought impulses which are
reaching your subconscious mind, without your knowledge. Some of
these impulses are negative, some are positive. You are now engaged
in trying to help shut off the flow of negative impulses, and to aid in
voluntarily influencing your subconscious mind, through positive
impulses of desire.
When you achieve this, you will possess the key which unlocks
the door to your subconscious mind. Moreover, you will control that
door so completely, that no undesirable thought may influence your
subconscious mind.
Everything which man creates begins in the form of a thought
impulse. Man can create nothing which he does not first conceive in
thought. Through the aid of the imagination, thought impulses may
be assembled into plans. The imagination, when under control, may
be used for the creation of plans or purposes that lead to success in
one’s chosen occupation.
All thought impulses, intended for transmutation into their
physical equivalent, voluntarily planted in the subconscious mind,
must pass through the imagination, and be mixed with faith. The
“mixing” of faith with a plan, or purpose, intended for submission to
the subconscious mind, may be done only through the imagination.
From these statements, you will readily observe that voluntary
use of the subconscious mind calls for coordination and application
of all the principles.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox gave evidence of her understanding of the
power of the subconscious mind when she wrote:
You never can tell what a thought will do
In bringing you hate or love—
For thoughts are things, and their airy wings
Are swifter than carrier doves.
They follow the law of the universe—
Each thing creates its kind,
And they speed O’er the track to bring you back
Whatever went out from your mind.
Mrs. Wilcox understood the truth, that thoughts which go out
from one’s mind, also imbed themselves deeply in one’s
subconscious mind, where they serve as a magnet, pattern, or
blueprint by which the subconscious mind is influenced while
translating them into their physical equivalent. Thoughts are truly
things, for the reason that every material thing begins in the form of
thought-energy.
The subconscious mind is more susceptible to influence by
impulses of thought mixed with “feeling” or emotion, than by those
originating solely in the reasoning portion of the mind. In fact, there
is much evidence to support the theory, that only emotionalized
thoughts have any action influence upon the subconscious mind. It is
a well-known fact that emotion or feeling rules the majority of
people. If it is true that the subconscious mind responds more
quickly to, and is influenced more readily by thought impulses which
are well mixed with emotion, it is essential to become familiar with
the more important of the emotions. There are seven major positive
emotions, and seven major negative emotions. The negatives
voluntarily inject themselves into the thought impulses, which
insure passage into the subconscious mind. The positives must be
injected, through the principle of auto-suggestion, into the thought
impulses which an individual wishes to pass on to his subconscious
mind. (Instructions have been given in the chapter on autosuggestion.)
These emotions, or feeling impulses, may be likened to yeast in a
loaf of bread, because they constitute the action element, which
transforms thought impulses from the passive to the active state.
Thus may one understand why thought impulses, which have been
well mixed with emotion, are acted upon more readily than thought
impulses originating in “cold reason.”
You are preparing yourself to influence and control the “inner
audience” of your subconscious mind, in order to hand over to it the
desire for money, which you wish transmuted into its monetary
equivalent. It is essential, therefore, that you understand the method
of approach to this “inner audience.” You must speak its language, or
it will not heed your call. It understands best the language of emotion
or feeling. Let us, therefore describe here the seven major positive
emotions, and the seven major negative emotions, so that you may
draw upon the positives, and avoid the negatives, when giving
instructions to your subconscious mind.
THE SEVEN MAJOR POSITIVE EMOTIONS
The emotion of DESIRE
The emotion of FAITH
The emotion of LOVE
The emotion of SEX
The emotion of ENTHUSIASM
The emotion of ROMANCE
The emotion of HOPE
There are other positive emotions, but these are the seven most
powerful, and the ones most commonly used in creative effort.
Master these seven emotions (they can be mastered only by use) and
the other positive emotions will be at your command when you need
them. Remember, in this connection, that you are studying a book
which is intended to help you develop a “money consciousness” by
filling your mind with positive emotions. One does not become
money conscious by filling one’s mind with negative emotions.
THE SEVEN MAJOR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
(TO BE AVOIDED)
The emotion of FEAR
The emotion of JEALOUSY
The emotion of HATRED
The emotion of REVENGE
The emotion of GREED
The emotion of SUPERSTITION
The emotion of ANGER
Positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the mind at the
same time. One or the other must dominate. It is your responsibility
to make sure that positive emotions constitute the dominating
influence of your mind. Here the law of habit will come to your aid.
Form the habit of applying and using the positive emotions!
Eventually, they will dominate your mind so completely, that the
negatives cannot enter it.
Only by following these instructions literally, and continuously,
can you gain control over your subconscious mind. The presence of a
single negative in your conscious mind is sufficient to destroy all
chances of constructive aid from your subconscious mind.
If you are an observing person, you must have noticed that most
people resort to prayer only after everything else has failed! Or else
they pray by a ritual of meaningless words. And because it is a fact
that most people who pray, do so only after everything else has
failed, they go to prayer with their minds filled with fear and doubt,
which are the emotions the subconscious mind acts upon, and
passes on to Infinite Intelligence. Likewise, that is the emotion which
Infinite Intelligence receives, and acts upon.
If you pray for a thing, but have fear as you pray, that you may
not receive it, or that your prayer will not be acted upon by Infinite
Intelligence, your prayer will have been in vain.
Prayer does, sometimes, result in the realization of that for which
one prays. If you have ever had the experience of receiving that for
which you prayed, go back in your memory, and recall your actual
state of mind, while you were praying, and you will know, for sure,
that the theory here described is more than a theory.
The time will come when the schools and educational institutions
of the country will teach the “science of prayer.” Moreover, then
prayer may be, and will be reduced to a science. When that time
comes (it will come as soon as mankind is ready for it, and demands
it), no one will approach the Universal Mind in a state of fear, for the
very good reason that there will be no such emotion as fear.
Ignorance, superstition, and false teaching will have disappeared,
and man will have attained his true status as a child of Infinite
Intelligence. A few have already attained this blessing.
If you believe this prophesy is far-fetched, take a look at the
human race in retrospect. Less than a hundred years ago, men
believed the lightning to be evidence of the wrath of God, and feared
it. Now, thanks to the power of faith, men have harnessed the
lightning and made it turn the wheels of industry. Much less than a
hundred years ago, men believed the space between the planets to be
nothing but a great void, a stretch of dead nothingness. Now, thanks
to this same power of faith, men know that far from being either
dead or a void, the space between the planets is very much alive, that
it is the highest form of vibration known, excepting, perhaps, the
vibration of thought. Moreover, men know that this living, pulsating,
vibratory energy which permeates every atom of matter, and fills
every niche of space, connects every human brain with every other
human brain.
What reason have men to believe that this same energy does not
connect every human brain with Infinite Intelligence?
There are no toll-gates between the finite mind of man and
Infinite Intelligence. The communication costs nothing except
Patience, Faith, Persistence, Understanding, and a sincere desire to
communicate. Moreover, the approach can be made only by the
individual himself. Paid prayers are worthless. Infinite Intelligence
does no business by proxy. You either go direct, or you do not
communicate.
You may buy prayer books and repeat them until the day of your
doom, without avail. Thoughts which you wish to communicate to
Infinite Intelligence, must undergo transformation, such as can be
given only through your own subconscious mind.
The method by which you may communicate with Infinite
Intelligence is very similar to that through which the vibration of
sound is communicated by radio. If you understand the working
principle of radio, you of course, know that sound cannot be
communicated through the ether until it has been “stepped up,” or
changed into a rate of vibration which the human ear cannot detect.
The radio sending station picks up the sound of the human voice,
and “scrambles,” or modifies it by stepping up the vibration millions
of times. Only in this way, can the vibration of sound be
communicated through the ether. After this transformation has
taken place, the ether “picks up” the energy (which originally was in
the form of vibrations of sound) carries that energy to radio receiving
stations, and these receiving sets “step” that energy back down to its
original rate of vibration so it is recognized as sound.
The subconscious mind is the intermediary, which translates
one’s prayers into terms which Infinite Intelligence can recognize,
presents the message, and brings back the answer in the form of a
definite plan or idea for procuring the object of the prayer.
Understand this principle, and you will know why mere words read
from a prayer book cannot, and will never serve as an agency of
communication between the mind of man and Infinite Intelligence.
Before your prayer will reach Infinite Intelligence (a statement of
the author’s theory only), it probably is transformed from its original
thought vibration into terms of spiritual vibration. Faith is the only
known agency which will give your thoughts a spiritual nature. Faith
and fear make poor bedfellows. Where one is found, the other cannot
exist.
CHAPTER 13
THE BRAIN
A BROADCASTING AND RECEIVING STATION FOR THOUGHT
The Twelfth Step Toward Riches
M
ore than twenty years ago, the author, working in
conjunction with the late Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, and
Dr. Elmer R. Gates, observed that every human brain is
both a broadcasting and receiving station for the vibration of
thought.
Through the medium of the ether, in a fashion similar to that
employed by the radio broadcasting principle, every human brain is
capable of picking up vibrations of thought which are being released
by other brains.
In connection with the statement in the preceding paragraph,
compare, and consider the description of the Creative Imagination,
as outlined in the chapter on Imagination. The Creative Imagination
is the “receiving set” of the brain, which receives thoughts, released
by the brains of others. It is the agency of communication between
one’s conscious, or reasoning mind, and the four sources from which
one may receive thought stimuli.
When stimulated, or “stepped up” to a high rate of vibration, the
mind becomes more receptive to the vibration of thought which
reaches it through the ether from outside sources. This “stepping up”
process takes place through the positive emotions, or the negative
emotions. Through the emotions, the vibrations of thought may be
increased.
Vibrations of an exceedingly high rate are the only vibrations
picked up and carried, by the ether, from one brain to another.
Thought is energy travelling at an exceedingly high rate of vibration.
Thought, which has been modified or “stepped up” by any of the
major emotions, vibrates at a much higher rate than ordinary
thought, and it is this type of thought which passes from one brain to
another, through the broadcasting machinery of the human brain.
The emotion of sex stands at the head of the list of human
emotions, as far as intensity and driving force are concerned. The
brain which has been stimulated by the emotion of sex, vibrates at a
much more rapid rate than it does when that emotion is quiescent or
absent.
The result of sex transmutation is the increase of the rate of
vibration of thoughts to such a pitch that the Creative Imagination
becomes highly receptive to ideas, which it picks up from the ether.
On the other hand, when the brain is vibrating at a rapid rate, it not
only attracts thoughts and ideas released by other brains through the
medium of the ether, but it gives to one’s own thoughts that “feeling”
which is essential before those thoughts will be picked up and acted
upon by one’s subconscious mind.
Thus, you will see that the broadcasting principle is the factor
through which you mix feeling, or emotion with your thoughts and
pass them on to your subconscious mind.
The subconscious mind is the “sending station” of the brain,
through which vibrations of thought are broadcast. The Creative
Imagination is the “receiving set,” through which the vibrations of
thought are picked up from the ether.
Along with the important factors of the subconscious mind, and
the faculty of the Creative Imagination, which constitute the sending
and receiving sets of your mental broadcasting machinery, consider
now the principle of auto-suggestion, which is the medium by which
you may put into operation your “broadcasting” station.
Through the instructions described in the chapter on autosuggestion, you were definitely informed of the method by which
desire may be transmuted into its monetary equivalent.
Operation of your mental “broadcasting” station is a
comparatively simple procedure. You have but three principles to
bear in mind, and to apply, when you wish to use your broadcasting
station—the subconscious mind, creative imagination, and autosuggestion. The stimuli through which you put these three principles
into action have been described—the procedure begins with desire.
GREATEST FORCES ARE “INTANGIBLE”
The depression brought the world to the very border-line of
understanding of the forces which are intangible and unseen.
Through the ages which have passed, man has depended too much
upon his physical senses, and has limited his knowledge to physical
things, which he could see, touch, weigh, and measure.
We are now entering the most marvelous of all ages—an age
which will teach us something of the intangible forces of the world
about us. Perhaps we shall learn, as we pass through this age, that
the “other self” is more powerful than the physical self we see when
we look into a mirror.
Sometimes men speak lightly of the intangibles—the things
which they cannot perceive through any of their five senses, and
when we hear them, it should remind us that all of us are controlled
by forces which are unseen and intangible.
The whole of mankind has not the power to cope with, nor to
control the intangible force wrapped up in the rolling waves of the
oceans. Man has not the capacity to understand the intangible force
of gravity, which keeps this little earth suspended in mid-air, and
keeps man from falling from it, much less the power to control that
force. Man is entirely subservient to the intangible force which comes
with a thunder storm, and he is just as helpless in the presence of the
intangible force of electricity—nay, he does not even know what
electricity is, where it comes from, or what is its purpose!
Nor is this by any means the end of man’s ignorance in
connection with things unseen and intangible. He does not
understand the intangible force (and intelligence) wrapped up in the
soil of the earth—the force which provides him with every morsel of
food he eats, every article of clothing he wears, every dollar he
carries in his pockets.
THE DRAMATIC STORY OF THE BRAIN
Last, but not least, man, with all of his boasted culture and
education, understands little or nothing of the intangible force (the
greatest of all the intangibles) of thought. He knows but little
concerning the physical brain, and its vast network of intricate
machinery through which the power of thought is translated into its
material equivalent, but he is now entering an age which shall yield
enlightenment on the subject. Already men of science have begun to
turn their attention to the study of this stupendous thing called a
brain, and, while they are still in the kindergarten stage of their
studies, they have uncovered enough knowledge to know that the
central switchboard of the human brain, the number of lines which
connect the brain cells one with another, equal the figure one,
followed by fifteen million ciphers.
“The figure is so stupendous,” said Dr. C. Judson Herrick, of the
University of Chicago, “that astronomical figures dealing with
hundreds of millions of light years, become insignificant by
comparison. . . . It has been determined that there are from
10,000,000,000 to 14,000,000,000 nerve cells in the human
cerebral cortex, and we know that these are arranged in definite
patterns. These arrangements are not haphazard. They are orderly.
Recently developed methods of electro-physiology draw off action
currents from very precisely located cells, or fibers with microelectrodes, amplify them with radio tubes, and record potential
differences to a millionth of a volt.”
It is inconceivable that such a network of intricate machinery
should be in existence for the sole purpose of carrying on the
physical functions incidental to growth and maintenance of the
physical body. Is it not likely that the same system, which gives
billions of brain cells the media for communication one with another,
provides, also the means of communication with other intangible
forces?
After this book had been written, just before the manuscript went
to the publisher, there appeared in the New York Times an editorial
showing that at least one great university, and one intelligent
investigator in the field of mental phenomena, are carrying on an
organized research through which conclusions have been reached
that parallel many of those described in this and the following
chapter. The editorial briefly analyzed the work carried on by Dr.
Rhine, and his associates at Duke University, viz:—
WHAT IS “TELEPATHY”?
“A month ago we cited on this page some of the remarkable results
achieved by Professor Rhine and his associates in Duke University
from more than a hundred thousand tests to determine the existence
of ‘telepathy’ and ‘clairvoyance.’ These results were summarized in
the first two articles in Harpers Magazine. In the second which has
now appeared, the author, E. H. Wright, attempts to summarize
what has been learned, or what it seems reasonable to infer,
regarding the exact nature of these ‘extrasensory’ modes of
perception.
“The actual existence of telepathy and clairvoyance now seems to
some scientists enormously probable as the result of Rhine’s
experiments. Various percipients were asked to name as many cards
in a special pack as they could without looking at them and without
other sensory access to them. About a score of men and women were
discovered who could regularly name so many of the cards correctly
that ‘there was not one chance in many a million million of their
having done their feats by luck or accident.’
“But how did they do them? These powers, assuming that they
exist, do not seem to be sensory. There is no known organ for them.
The experiments worked just as well at distances of several hundred
miles as they did in the same room. These facts also dispose, in Mr.
Wright’s opinion, of the attempt to explain telepathy or clairvoyance
through any physical theory of radiation. All known forms of radiant
energy decline inversely as the square of the distance traversed.
Telepathy and clairvoyance do not. But they do vary through physical
causes as our other mental powers do. Contrary to widespread
opinion, they do not improve when the percipient is asleep or halfasleep, but, on the contrary, when he is most wide-awake and alert.
Rhine discovered that a narcotic will invariably lower a percipient’s
score, while a stimulant will always send it higher. The most reliable
performer apparently cannot make a good score unless he tries to do
his best.
“One conclusion that Wright draws with some confidence is that
telepathy and clairvoyance are really one and the same gift. That is,
the faculty that ‘sees’ a card face down on a table seems to be exactly
the same one that ‘reads’ a thought residing only in another mind.
There are several grounds for believing this. So far, for example, the
two gifts have been found in every person who enjoys either of them.
In every one so far the two have been of equal vigor, almost exactly.
Screens, walls, distances, have no effect at all on either. Wright
advances from this conclusion to express what he puts forward as no
more than the mere ‘hunch’ that other extrasensory experiences,
prophetic dreams, premonitions of disaster, and the like, may also
prove to be part of the same faculty. The reader is not asked to accept
any of these conclusions unless he finds it necessary, but the
evidence that Rhine has piled up must remain impressive.”
In view of Dr. Rhine’s announcement in connection with the
conditions under which the mind responds to what he terms
“extrasensory” modes of perception, I now feel privileged to add to
his testimony by stating that my associates and I have discovered
what we believe to be the ideal conditions under which the mind can
be stimulated so that the sixth sense described in the next chapter
can be made to function in a practical way.
The conditions to which I refer consist of a close working alliance
between myself and two members of my staff. Through
experimentation and practice, we have discovered how to stimulate
our minds (by applying the principle used in connection with the
“Invisible Counselors” described in the next chapter) so that we can,
by a process of blending our three minds into one, find the solution
to a great variety of personal problems which are submitted by my
clients.
The procedure is very simple. We sit down at a conference table,
clearly state the nature of the problem we have under consideration,
then begin discussing it. Each contributes whatever thoughts that
may occur. The strange thing about this method of mind stimulation
is that it places each participant in communication with unknown
sources of knowledge definitely outside his own experience.
If you understand the principle described in the chapter on the
Master Mind, you of course recognize the round-table procedure
here described as being a practical application of the Master Mind.
This method of mind stimulation, through harmonious
discussion of definite subjects, between three people, illustrates the
simplest and most practical use of the Master Mind.
By adopting and following a similar plan any student of this
philosophy may come into possession of the famous Carnegie
formula briefly described in the introduction. If it means nothing to
you at this time, mark this page and read it again after you have
finished the last chapter.
The “depression” was a blessing in disguise. It
reduced the whole world to a new starting point that
gives every one a new opportunity.
CHAPTER 14
THE SIXTH SENSE
THE DOOR TO THE TEMPLE OF WISDOM
The Thirteenth Step Toward Riches
T
he “thirteenth” principle is known as the sixth sense, through
which Infinite Intelligence may, and will communicate
voluntarily, without any effort from, or demands by, the
individual.
This principle is the apex of the philosophy. It can be assimilated,
understood, and applied only by first mastering the other twelve
principles.
The sixth sense is that portion of the subconscious mind which
has been referred to as the Creative Imagination. It has also been
referred to as the “receiving set” through which ideas, plans, and
thoughts flash into the mind. The “flashes” are sometimes called
“hunches” or “inspirations.”
The sixth sense defies description! It cannot be described to a
person who has not mastered the other principles of this philosophy,
because such a person has no knowledge, and no experience with
which the sixth sense may be compared. Understanding of the sixth
sense comes only by meditation through mind development from
within. The sixth sense probably is the medium of contact between
the finite mind of man and Infinite Intelligence, and for this reason,
it is a mixture of both the mental and the spiritual. It is believed to
be the point at which the mind of man contacts the Universal Mind.
After you have mastered the principles described in this book,
you will be prepared to accept as truth a statement which may,
otherwise, be incredible to you, namely:
Through the aid of the sixth sense, you will be warned of
impending dangers in time to avoid them, and notified of
opportunities in time to embrace them.
There comes to your aid, and to do your bidding, with the
development of the sixth sense, a “guardian angel” who will open to
you at all times the door to the Temple of Wisdom.
Whether or not this is a statement of truth, you will never know,
except by following the instructions described in the pages of this
book, or some similar method of procedure.
The author is not a believer in, nor an advocate of “miracles,” for
the reason that he has enough knowledge of Nature to understand
that Nature never deviates from her established laws. Some of her
laws are so incomprehensible that they produce what appear to be
“miracles.” The sixth sense comes as near to being a miracle as
anything I have ever experienced, and it appears so, only because I
do not understand the method by which this principle is operated.
This much the author does know—that there is a power, or a First
Cause, or an Intelligence, which permeates every atom of matter, and
embraces every unit of energy perceptible to man—that this Infinite
Intelligence converts acorns into oak trees, causes water to flow
down hill in response to the law of gravity, follows night with day,
and winter with summer, each maintaining its proper place and
relationship to the other. This Intelligence may, through the
principles of this philosophy, be induced to aid in transmuting
desires into concrete, or material form. The author has this
knowledge, because he has experimented with it—and has
experienced it.
Step by step, through the preceding chapters, you have been led
to this, the last principle. If you have mastered each of the preceding
principles, you are now prepared to accept, without being skeptical,
the stupendous claims made here. If you have not mastered the other
principles, you must do so before you may determine, definitely,
whether or not the claims made in this chapter are fact or fiction.
While I was passing through the age of “hero-worship” I found
myself trying to imitate those whom I most admired. Moreover, I
discovered that the element of faith, with which I endeavored to
imitate my idols, gave me great capacity to do so quite successfully.
I have never entirely divested myself of this habit of heroworship, although I have passed the age commonly given over to
such. My experience has taught me that the next best thing to being
truly great, is to emulate the great, by feeling and action, as nearly as
possible.
Long before I had ever written a line for publication, or
endeavored to deliver a speech in public, I followed the habit of
reshaping my own character, by trying to imitate the nine men whose
lives and life-works had been most impressive to me. These nine men
were Emerson, Paine, Edison, Darwin, Lincoln, Burbank, Napoleon,
Ford, and Carnegie. Every night, over a long period of years, I held
an imaginary Council meeting with this group whom I called my
“Invisible Counselors.”
The procedure was this. Just before going to sleep at night, I
would shut my eyes, and see, in my imagination, this group of men
seated with me around my Council Table. Here I had not only an
opportunity to sit among those whom I considered to be great, but I
actually dominated the group, by serving as the Chairman.
I had a very definite purpose in indulging my imagination
through these nightly meetings. My purpose was to rebuild my own
character so it would represent a composite of the characters of my
imaginary counselors. Realizing, as I did, early in life, that I had to
overcome the handicap of birth in an environment of ignorance and
superstition, I deliberately assigned myself the task of voluntary
rebirth through the method here described.
BUILDING CHARACTER THROUGH AUTO-SUGGESTION
Being an earnest student of psychology, I knew, of course, that all
men have become what they are, because of their dominating
thoughts and desires. I knew that every deeply seated desire has the
effect of causing one to seek outward expression through which that
desire may be transmuted into reality. I knew that self-suggestion is
a powerful factor in building character, that it is, in fact, the sole
principle through which character is built.
With this knowledge of the principles of mind operation, I was
fairly well armed with the equipment needed in rebuilding my
character. In these imaginary Council meetings I called on my
Cabinet members for the knowledge I wished each to contribute,
addressing myself to each member in audible words, as follows:—
“Mr. Emerson, I desire to acquire from you the marvelous
understanding of Nature which distinguished your life. I ask that you
make an impress upon my subconscious mind, of whatever qualities
you possessed, which enabled you to understand and adapt yourself
to the laws of Nature. I ask that you assist me in reaching and
drawing upon whatever sources of knowledge are available to this
end.
“Mr. Burbank, I request that you pass on to me the knowledge
which enabled you to so harmonize the laws of Nature that you
caused the cactus to shed its thorns, and become an edible food. Give
me access to the knowledge which enabled you to make two blades of
grass grow where but one grew before, and helped you to blend the
coloring of the flowers with more splendor and harmony, for you,
alone, have successfully gilded the lily.
“Napoleon, I desire to acquire from you, by emulation, the
marvelous ability you possessed to inspire men, and to arouse them
to greater and more determined spirit of action. Also to acquire the
spirit of enduring faith, which enabled you to turn defeat into victory,
and to surmount staggering obstacles. Emperor of Fate, King of
Chance, Man of Destiny, I salute you!
“Mr. Paine, I desire to acquire from you the freedom of thought
and the courage and clarity with which to express convictions, which
so distinguished you!
“Mr. Darwin, I wish to acquire from you the marvelous patience,
and ability to study cause and effect, without bias or prejudice, so
exemplified by you in the field of natural science.
“Mr. Lincoln, I desire to build into my own character the keen
sense of justice, the untiring spirit of patience, the sense of humor,
the human understanding, and the tolerance, which were your
distinguishing characteristics.
“Mr. Carnegie, I am already indebted to you for my choice of a
life-work, which has brought me great happiness and peace of mind.
I wish to acquire a thorough understanding of the principles of
organized effort, which you used so effectively in the building of a
great industrial enterprise.
“Mr. Ford, you have been among the most helpful of the men
who have supplied much of the material essential to my work. I wish
to acquire your spirit of persistence, the determination, poise, and
self-confidence which have enabled you to master poverty, organize,
unify, and simplify human effort, so I may help others to follow in
your footsteps.
“Mr. Edison, I have seated you nearest to me, at my right,
because of the personal cooperation you have given me, during my
research into the causes of success and failure. I wish to acquire from
you the marvelous spirit of faith, with which you have uncovered so
many of Natures secrets, the spirit of unremitting toil with which you
have so often wrested victory from defeat.”
My method of addressing the members of the imaginary Cabinet
would vary, according to the traits of character in which I was, for the
moment, most interested in acquiring. I studied the records of their
lives with painstaking care. After some months of this nightly
procedure, I was astounded by the discovery that these imaginary
figures became, apparently real.
Each of these nine men developed individual characteristics,
which surprised me. For example, Lincoln developed the habit of
always being late, then walking around in solemn parade. When he
came, he walked very slowly, with his hands clasped behind him, and
once in a while, he would stop as he passed, and rest his hand,
momentarily, upon my shoulder. He always wore an expression of
seriousness upon his face. Rarely did I see him smile. The cares of a
sundered nation made him grave.
That was not true of the others. Burbank and Paine often
indulged in witty repartee which seemed, at times, to shock the other
members of the Cabinet. One night Paine suggested that I prepare a
lecture on “The Age of Reason,” and deliver it from the pulpit of a
church which I formerly attended. Many around the table laughed
heartily at the suggestion. Not Napoleon! He drew his mouth down
at the corners and groaned so loudly that all turned and looked at
him with amazement. To him the church was but a pawn of the State,
not to be reformed, but to be used, as a convenient inciter to mass
activity by the people.
On one occasion Burbank was late. When he came, he was
excited with enthusiasm, and explained that he had been late,
because of an experiment he was making, through which he hoped to
be able to grow apples on any sort of tree. Paine chided him by
reminding him that it was an apple which started all the trouble
between man and woman. Darwin chuckled heartily as he suggested
that Paine should watch out for little serpents, when he went into the
forest to gather apples, as they had the habit of growing into big
snakes. Emerson observed—“No serpents, no apples,” and Napoleon
remarked, “No apples, no state!”
Lincoln developed the habit of always being the last one to leave
the table after each meeting. On one occasion, he leaned across the
end of the table, his arms folded, and remained in that position for
many minutes. I made no attempt to disturb him. Finally, he lifted
his head slowly, got up and walked to the door, then turned around,
came back, and laid his hand on my shoulder and said, “My boy, you
will need much courage if you remain steadfast in carrying out your
purpose in life. But remember, when difficulties overtake you, the
common people have common sense. Adversity will develop it.”
One evening Edison arrived ahead of all the others. He walked
over and seated himself at my left, where Emerson was accustomed
to sit, and said, “You are destined to witness the discovery of the
secret of life. When the time comes, you will observe that life consists
of great swarms of energy, or entities, each as intelligent as human
beings think themselves to be. These units of life group together like
hives of bees, and remain together until they disintegrate, through
lack of harmony. These units have differences of opinion, the same
as human beings, and often fight among themselves. These meetings
which you are conducting will be very helpful to you. They will bring
to your rescue some of the same units of life which served the
members of your Cabinet, during their lives. These units are eternal.
They never die! Your own thoughts and desires serve as the magnet
which attracts units of life, from the great ocean of life out there.
Only the friendly units are attracted—the ones which harmonize with
the nature of your desires.”
The other members of the Cabinet began to enter the room.
Edison got up, and slowly walked around to his own seat. Edison was
still living when this happened. It impressed me so greatly that I
went to see him, and told him about the experience. He smiled
broadly, and said, “Your dream was more a reality than you may
imagine it to have been.” He added no further explanation to his
statement.
These meetings became so realistic that I became fearful of their
consequences, and discontinued them for several months. The
experiences were so uncanny, I was afraid if I continued them I
would lose sight of the fact that the meetings were purely experiences
of my imagination.
Some six months after I had discontinued the practice I was
awakened one night, or thought I was, when I saw Lincoln standing
at my bedside. He said, “The world will soon need your services. It is
about to undergo a period of chaos which will cause men and women
to lose faith, and become panic stricken. Go ahead with your work
and complete your philosophy. That is your mission in life. If you
neglect it, for any cause whatsoever, you will be reduced to a primal
state, and be compelled to retrace the cycles through which you have
passed during thousands of years.”
I was unable to tell, the following morning, whether I had
dreamed this, or had actually been awake, and I have never since
found out which it was, but I do know that the dream, if it were a
dream, was so vivid in my mind the next day that I resumed my
meetings the following night.
At our next meeting, the members of my Cabinet all filed into the
room together, and stood at their accustomed places at the Council
Table, while Lincoln raised a glass and said, “Gentlemen, let us drink
a toast to a friend who has returned to the fold.”
After that, I began to add new members to my Cabinet, until now
it consists of more than fifty, among them Christ, St. Paul, Galileo,
Copernicus, Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Homer, Voltaire, Bruno,
Spinoza, Drummond, Kant, Schopenhauer, Newton, Confucius,
Elbert Hubbard, Brann, Ingersoll, Wilson, and William James.
This is the first time that I have had the courage to mention this.
Heretofore, I have remained quiet on the subject, because I knew,
from my own attitude in connection with such matters, that I would
be misunderstood if I described my unusual experience. I have been
emboldened now to reduce my experience to the printed page,
because I am now less concerned about what “they say” than I was in
the years that have passed. One of the blessings of maturity is that it
sometimes brings one greater courage to be truthful, regardless of
what those who do not understand may think or say.
Lest I be misunderstood, I wish here to state most emphatically,
that I still regard my Cabinet meetings as being purely imaginary,
but I feel entitled to suggest that, while the members of my Cabinet
may be purely fictional, and the meetings existent only in my own
imagination, they have led me into glorious paths of adventure,
rekindled an appreciation of true greatness, encouraged creative
endeavor, and emboldened the expression of honest thought.
Somewhere in the cell-structure of the brain, is located an organ
which receives vibrations of thought ordinarily called “hunches.” So
far, science has not discovered where this organ of the sixth sense is
located, but this is not important. The fact remains that human
beings do receive accurate knowledge, through sources other than
the physical senses. Such knowledge, generally, is received when the
mind is under the influence of extraordinary stimulation. Any
emergency which arouses the emotions, and causes the heart to beat
more rapidly than normal may, and generally does, bring the sixth
sense into action. Anyone who has experienced a near accident while
driving, knows that on such occasions, the sixth sense often comes to
one’s rescue, and aids, by split seconds, in avoiding the accident.
These facts are mentioned preliminary to a statement of fact
which I shall now make, namely, that during my meetings with the
“Invisible Counselors” I find my mind most receptive to ideas,
thoughts, and knowledge which reach me through the sixth sense. I
can truthfully say that I owe entirely to my “Invisible Counselors” full
credit for such ideas, facts, or knowledge as I received through
“inspiration.”
On scores of occasions, when I have faced emergencies, some of
them so grave that my life was in jeopardy, I have been miraculously
guided past these difficulties through the influence of my “Invisible
Counselors.”
My original purpose in conducting Council meetings with
imaginary beings was solely that of impressing my own subconscious
mind, through the principle of auto-suggestion, with certain
characteristics which I desired to acquire. In more recent years, my
experimentation has taken on an entirely different trend. I now go to
my imaginary counselors with every difficult problem which
confronts me and my clients. The results are often astonishing,
although I do not depend entirely on this form of counsel.
You, of course, have recognized that this chapter covers a subject
with which a majority of people are not familiar. The sixth sense is a
subject that will be of great interest and benefit to the person whose
aim is to accumulate vast wealth, but it need not claim the attention
of those whose desires are more modest.
Henry Ford undoubtedly understands and makes practical use of
the sixth sense. His vast business and financial operations make it
necessary for him to understand and use this principle. The late
Thomas A. Edison understood and used the sixth sense in
connection with the development of inventions, especially those
involving basic patents, in connection with which he had no human
experience and no accumulated knowledge to guide him, as was the
case while he was working on the talking machine, and the moving
picture machine.
Nearly all great leaders, such as Napoleon, Bismarck, Joan of
Arc, Christ, Buddha, Confucius, and Mohammed, understood, and
probably made use of the sixth sense almost continuously. The major
portion of their greatness consisted of their knowledge of this
principle.
The sixth sense is not something that one can take off and put on
at will. Ability to use this great power comes slowly, through
application of the other principles outlined in this book. Seldom does
any individual come into workable knowledge of the sixth sense
before the age of forty. More often the knowledge is not available
until one is well past fifty, and this, for the reason that the spiritual
forces, with which the sixth sense is so closely related, do not mature
and become usable except through years of meditation, selfexamination, and serious thought.
No matter who you are, or what may have been your purpose in
reading this book, you can profit by it without understanding the
principle described in this chapter. This is especially true if your
major purpose is that of accumulation of money or other material
things.
The chapter on the sixth sense was included, because the book is
designed for the purpose of presenting a complete philosophy by
which individuals may unerringly guide themselves in attaining
whatever they ask of life. The starting point of all achievement is
desire. The finishing point is that brand of knowledge which leads to
understanding—understanding of self, understanding of others,
understanding of the laws of Nature, recognition and understanding
of happiness.
This sort of understanding comes in its fullness only through
familiarity with, and use of the principle of the sixth sense, hence
that principle had to be included as a part of this philosophy, for the
benefit of those who demand more than money.
Having read the chapter, you must have observed that while
reading it, you were lifted to a high level of mental stimulation.
Splendid! Come back to this again a month from now, read it once
more, and observe that your mind will soar to a still-higher level of
stimulation. Repeat this experience from time to time, giving no
concern as to how much or how little you learn at the time, and
eventually you will find yourself in possession of a power that will
enable you to throw off discouragement, master fear, overcome
procrastination, and draw freely upon your imagination. Then you
will have felt the touch of that unknown “something” which has been
the moving spirit of every truly great thinker, leader, artist, musician,
writer, statesman. Then you will be in position to transmute your
desires into their physical or financial counterpart as easily as you
may lie down and quit at the first sign of opposition.
FAITH VS. FEAR!
Previous chapters have described how to develop faith, through autosuggestion, desire and the subconscious. The next chapter presents
detailed instructions for the mastery of fear.
Here will be found a full description of the six fears which are the
cause of all discouragement, timidity, procrastination, indifference,
indecision, and the lack of ambition, self-reliance, initiative, selfcontrol, and enthusiasm.
Search yourself carefully as you study these six enemies, as they
may exist only in your subconscious mind, where their presence will
be hard to detect.
Remember, too, as you analyze the “Six Ghosts of Fear,” that they
are nothing but ghosts because they exist only in one’s mind.
Remember, also, that ghosts—creations of uncontrolled
imagination—have caused most of the damage people have done to
their own minds, therefore, ghosts can be as dangerous as if they
lived and walked on the earth in physical bodies.
The Ghost of the Fear of Poverty, which seized the minds of
millions of people in 1929, was so real that it caused the worst
business depression this country has ever known. Moreover, this
particular ghost still frightens some of us out of our wits.
CHAPTER 15
HOW TO OUTWIT THE SIX GHOSTS OF
FEAR
Take Inventory of Yourself, As You Read This Closing
Chapter, and Find Out How Many of the “Ghosts” Are
Standing in Your Way
B
efore you can put any portion of this philosophy into
successful use, your mind must be prepared to receive it. The
preparation is not difficult. It begins with study, analysis, and
understanding of three enemies which you shall have to clear out.
These are indecision, doubt, and fear!
The sixth sense will never function while these three negatives, or
any of them remain in your mind. The members of this unholy trio
are closely related; where one is found, the other two are close at
hand.
Indecision is the seedling of fear! Remember this, as you read.
Indecision crystallizes into doubt; the two blend and become fear!
The “blending” process often is slow. This is one reason why these
three enemies are so dangerous. They germinate and grow without
their presence being observed.
The remainder of this chapter describes an end which must be
attained before the philosophy, as a whole, can be put into practical
use. It also analyzes a condition which has, but lately, reduced huge
numbers of people to poverty, and it states a truth which must be
understood by all who accumulate riches, whether measured in
terms of money or a state of mind of far greater value than money.
The purpose of this chapter is to turn the spotlight of attention
upon the cause and the cure of the six basic fears. Before we can
master an enemy, we must know its name, its habits, and its place of
abode. As you read, analyze yourself carefully, and determine which,
if any, of the six common fears have attached themselves to you.
Do not be deceived by the habits of these subtle enemies.
Sometimes they remain hidden in the subconscious mind, where
they are difficult to locate, and still more difficult to eliminate.
THE SIX BASIC FEARS
There are six basic fears, with some combination of which every
human suffers at one time or another. Most people are fortunate if
they do not suffer from the entire six. Named in the order of their
most common appearance, they are:—
The fear of POVERTY
The fear of CRITICISM
The fear of ILL HEALTH (at the bottom of most of one’s
worries)
The fear of LOSS OF LOVE OF SOMEONE
The fear of OLD AGE
The fear of DEATH
All other fears are of minor importance; they can be grouped
under these six headings.
The prevalence of these fears, as a curse to the world, runs in
cycles. For almost six years, while the depression was on, we
floundered in the cycle of fear of poverty. During the world war, we
were in the cycle of fear of death. Just following the war, we were in
the cycle of fear of ill health, as evidenced by the epidemic of disease
which spread itself all over the world.
Fears are nothing more than states of mind. One’s state of mind
is subject to control and direction. Physicians, as everyone knows,
are less subject to attack by disease than ordinary laymen, for the
reason that physicians do not fear disease. Physicians, without fear
or hesitation, have been known to physically contact hundreds of
people, daily, who were suffering from such contagious diseases as
small-pox, without becoming infected. Their immunity against the
disease consisted, largely, if not solely, in their absolute lack of fear.
Man can create nothing which he does not first conceive in the
form of an impulse of thought. Following this statement, comes
another of still greater importance, namely man’s thought impulses
begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical
equivalent, whether those thoughts are voluntary or involuntary.
Thought impulses which are picked up through the ether, by mere
chance (thoughts which have been released by other minds) may
determine one’s financial, business, professional, or social destiny
just as surely as do the thought impulses which one creates by intent
and design.
We are here laying the foundation for the presentation of a fact of
great importance to the person who does not understand why some
people appear to be “lucky” while others of equal or greater ability,
training, experience, and brain capacity, seem destined to ride with
misfortune. This fact may be explained by the statement that every
human being has the ability to completely control his own mind,
and with this control, obviously, every person may open his mind to
the tramp thought impulses which are being released by other
brains, or close the doors tightly and admit only thought impulses of
his own choice.
Nature has endowed man with absolute control over but one
thing, and that is thought. This fact, coupled with the additional fact
that everything which man creates begins in the form of a thought,
leads one very near to the principle by which fear may be mastered.
If it is true that all thought has a tendency to clothe itself in its
physical equivalent (and this is true, beyond any reasonable room for
doubt), it is equally true that thought impulses of fear and poverty
cannot be translated into terms of courage and financial gain.
The people of America began to think of poverty, following the
Wall Street crash of 1929. Slowly, but surely that mass thought was
crystallized into its physical equivalent, which was known as a
“depression.” This had to happen; it is in conformity with the laws of
Nature.
THE FEAR OF POVERTY
There can be no compromise between poverty and riches! The two
roads that lead to poverty and riches travel in opposite directions. If
you want riches, you must refuse to accept any circumstance that
leads toward poverty. (The word “riches” is here used in its broadest
sense, meaning financial, spiritual, mental and material estates.) The
starting point of the path that leads to riches is desire. In chapter
two, you received full instructions for the proper use of desire. In this
chapter, on fear, you have complete instructions for preparing your
mind to make practical use of desire.
Here, then, is the place to give yourself a challenge which will
definitely determine how much of this philosophy you have
absorbed. Here is the point at which you can turn prophet and
foretell, accurately, what the future holds in store for you. If, after
reading this chapter, you are willing to accept poverty, you may as
well make up your mind to receive poverty. This is one decision you
cannot avoid.
If you demand riches, determine what form, and how much will
be required to satisfy you. You know the road that leads to riches.
You have been given a road map which, if followed, will keep you on
that road. If you neglect to make the start, or stop before you arrive,
no one will be to blame but you. This responsibility is yours. No alibi
will save you from accepting the responsibility if you now fail or
refuse to demand riches of Life, because the acceptance calls for but
one thing—incidentally, the only thing you can control—and that is a
state of mind. A state of mind is something that one assumes. It
cannot be purchased; it must be created.
Fear of poverty is a state of mind, nothing else! But it is sufficient
to destroy one’s chances of achievement in any undertaking, a truth
which became painfully evident during the depression.
This fear paralyzes the faculty of reason, destroys the faculty of
imagination, kills off self-reliance, undermines enthusiasm,
discourages initiative, leads to uncertainty of purpose, encourages
procrastination, wipes out enthusiasm and makes self-control an
impossibility. It takes the charm from one’s personality, destroys the
possibility of accurate thinking, diverts concentration of effort; it
masters persistence, turns the will-power into nothingness, destroys
ambition, beclouds the memory and invites failure in every
conceivable form; it kills love and assassinates the finer emotions of
the heart, discourages friendship and invites disaster in a hundred
forms, leads to sleeplessness, misery and unhappiness—and all this
despite the obvious truth that we live in a world of over-abundance
of everything the heart could desire, with nothing standing between
us and our desires, excepting lack of a definite purpose.
The Fear of Poverty is, without doubt, the most destructive of the
six basic fears. It has been placed at the head of the list, because it is
the most difficult to master. Considerable courage is required to state
the truth about the origin of this fear, and still greater courage to
accept the truth after it has been stated. The fear of poverty grew out
of man’s inherited tendency to prey upon his fellow man
economically. Nearly all animals lower than man are motivated by
instinct, but their capacity to “think” is limited, therefore, they prey
upon one another physically. Man, with his superior sense of
intuition, with the capacity to think and to reason, does not eat his
fellow man bodily, he gets more satisfaction out of “eating” him
financially. Man is so avaricious that every conceivable law has been
passed to safeguard him from his fellow man.
Of all the ages of the world, of which we know anything, the age
in which we live seems to be one that is outstanding because of man’s
money-madness. A man is considered less than the dust of the earth,
unless he can display a fat bank account; but if he has money—never
mind how he acquired it—he is a “king” or a “big shot”; he is above
the law, he rules in politics, he dominates in business, and the whole
world about him bows in respect when he passes.
Nothing brings man so much suffering and humility as poverty!
Only those who have experienced poverty understand the full
meaning of this.
It is no wonder that man fears poverty. Through a long line of
inherited experiences man has learned, for sure, that some men
cannot be trusted, where matters of money and earthly possessions
are concerned. This is a rather stinging indictment, the worst part of
it being that it is true.
The majority of marriages are motivated by the wealth possessed
by one, or both of the contracting parties. It is no wonder, therefore,
that the divorce courts are busy.
So eager is man to possess wealth that he will acquire it in
whatever manner he can—through legal methods if possible—
through other methods if necessary or expedient.
Self-analysis may disclose weaknesses which one does not like to
acknowledge. This form of examination is essential to all who
demand of Life more than mediocrity and poverty. Remember, as
you check yourself point by point, that you are both the court and the
jury, the prosecuting attorney and the attorney for the defense, and
that you are the plaintiff and the defendant, also, that you are on
trial. Face the facts squarely. Ask yourself definite questions and
demand direct replies. When the examination is over, you will know
more about yourself. If you do not feel that you can be an impartial
judge in this self-examination, call upon someone who knows you
well to serve as judge while you cross-examine yourself. You are after
the truth. Get it, no matter at what cost, even though it may
temporarily embarrass you!
The majority of people, if asked what they fear most, would reply,
“I fear nothing.” The reply would be inaccurate, because few people
realize that they are bound, handicapped, whipped spiritually and
physically through some form of fear. So subtle and deeply seated is
the emotion of fear that one may go through life burdened with it,
never recognizing its presence. Only a courageous analysis will
disclose the presence of this universal enemy. When you begin such
an analysis, search deeply into your character. Here is a list of the
symptoms for which you should look:
Symptoms of the Fear of Poverty
INDIFFERENCE. Commonly expressed through lack of ambition;
willingness to tolerate poverty; acceptance of whatever
compensation life may offer without protest; mental and
physical laziness; lack of initiative, imagination, enthusiasm
and self-control
INDECISION. The habit of permitting others to do one’s
thinking. Staying “on the fence.”
DOUBT. Generally expressed through alibis and excuses
designed to cover up, explain away, or apologize for one’s
failures, sometimes expressed in the form of envy of those
who are successful, or by criticising them.
WORRY. Usually expressed by finding fault with others, a
tendency to spend beyond one’s income, neglect of personal
appearance, scowling and frowning; intemperance in the use
of alcoholic drink, sometimes through the use of narcotics;
nervousness, lack of poise, self-consciousness and lack of
self-reliance.
OVER-CAUTION. The habit of looking for the negative side of
every circumstance, thinking and talking of possible failure
instead of concentrating upon the means of succeeding.
Knowing all the roads to disaster, but never searching for the
plans to avoid failure. Waiting for “the right time” to begin
putting ideas and plans into action, until the waiting becomes
a permanent habit. Remembering those who have failed, and
forgetting those who have succeeded. Seeing the hole in the
doughnut, but overlooking the doughnut. Pessimism, leading
to indigestion, poor elimination, auto-intoxication, bad
breath and bad disposition.
PROCRASTINATION. The habit of putting off until tomorrow that
which should have been done last year. Spending enough
time in creating alibis and excuses to have done the job. This
symptom is closely related to over-caution, doubt and worry.
Refusal to accept responsibility when it can be avoided.
Willingness to compromise rather than put up a stiff fight.
Compromising with difficulties instead of harnessing and
using them as stepping stones to advancement. Bargaining
with Life for a penny, instead of demanding prosperity,
opulence, riches, contentment and happiness. Planning what
to do if and when overtaken by failure, instead of burning all
bridges and making retreat impossible. Weakness of, and
often total lack of self-confidence, definiteness of purpose,
self-control, initiative, enthusiasm, ambition, thrift and
sound reasoning ability. Expecting poverty instead of
demanding riches. Association with those who accept poverty
instead of seeking the company of those who demand and
receive riches.
MONEY TALKS!
Some will ask, “Why did you write a book about money? Why
measure riches in dollars, alone?” Some will believe, and rightly so,
that there are other forms of riches more desirable than money. Yes,
there are riches which cannot be measured in terms of dollars, but
there are millions of people who will say, “Give me all the money I
need, and I will find everything else I want.”
The major reason why I wrote this book on how to get money is
the fact that the world has but lately passed through an experience
that left millions of men and women paralyzed with the fear of
poverty. What this sort of fear does to one was well described by
Westbrook Pegler, in the New York World-Telegram, viz:
“Money is only clam shells or metal discs or scraps of paper, and
there are treasures of the heart and soul which money cannot buy,
but most people, being broke, are unable to keep this in mind and
sustain their spirits. When a man is down and out and on the street,
unable to get any job at all, something happens to his spirit which
can be observed in the droop of his shoulders, the set of his hat, his
walk and his gaze. He cannot escape a feeling of inferiority among
people with regular employment, even though he knows they are
definitely not his equals in character, intelligence or ability.
“These people—even his friends—feel, on the other hand, a sense
of superiority and regard him, perhaps unconsciously, as a casualty.
He may borrow for a time, but not enough to carry on in his
accustomed way, and he cannot continue to borrow very long. But
borrowing in itself, when a man is borrowing merely to live, is a
depressing experience, and the money lacks the power of earned
money to revive his spirits. Of course, none of this applies to bums or
habitual ne’er-do-wells, but only to men of normal ambitions and
self-respect.
WOMEN CONCEAL DESPAIR
“Women in the same predicament must be different. We somehow
do not think of women at all in considering the down-and-outers.
They are scarce in the breadlines, they rarely are seen begging on the
streets, and they are not recognizable in crowds by the same plain
signs which identify busted men. Of course, I do not mean the
shuffling hags of the city streets who are the opposite number of the
confirmed male bums. I mean reasonably young, decent and
intelligent women. There must be many of them, but their despair is
not apparent. Maybe they kill themselves.
“When a man is down and out he has time on his hands for
brooding. He may travel miles to see a man about a job and discover
that the job is filled or that it is one of those jobs with no base pay
but only a commission on the sale of some useless knickknack which
nobody would buy except out of pity. Turning that down, he finds
himself back on the street with nowhere to go but just anywhere. So
he walks and walks. He gazes into store windows at luxuries which
are not for him, and feels inferior and gives way to people who stop
to look with an active interest. He wanders into the railroad station
or puts himself down in the library to ease his legs and soak up a
little heat, but that isn’t looking for a job, so he gets going again. He
may not know it, but his aimlessness would give him away even if the
very lines of his figure did not. He may be well dressed in the clothes
left over from the days when he had a steady job, but the clothes
cannot disguise the droop.
MONEY MAKES DIFFERENCE
“He sees thousands of other people, bookkeepers or clerks or
chemists or wagon hands, busy at their work and envies them from
the bottom of his soul. They have their independence, their selfrespect and manhood, and he simply cannot convince himself that he
is a good man, too, though he argue it out and arrive at a favorable
verdict hour after hour.
“It is just money which makes this difference in him. With a little
money he would be himself again.
“Some employers take the most shocking advantage of people
who are down and out. The agencies hang out little colored cards
offering miserable wages to busted men—$12 a week, $15 a week. A
$17 a week job is a plum, and anyone with $25 a week to offer does
not hang the job in front of an agency on a colored card. I have a
want ad clipped from a local paper demanding a clerk, a good, clean
penman, to take telephone orders for a sandwich shop from 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m. for $8 a month—not $8 a week but $8 a month. The ad says
also, ‘State religion.’ Can you imagine the brutal effrontery of anyone
who demands a good, clean penman for 11 cents an hour inquiring
into the victim’s religion? But that is what busted people are offered.”
THE FEAR OF CRITICISM
Just how man originally came by this fear, no one can state
definitely, but one thing is certain—he has it in a highly developed
form. Some believe that this fear made its appearance about the time
that politics became a “profession.” Others believe it can be traced to
the age when women first began to concern themselves with “styles”
in wearing apparel.
This author, being neither a humorist nor a prophet, is inclined
to attribute the basic fear of criticism to that part of man’s inherited
nature which prompts him not only to take away his fellow man’s
goods and wares, but to justify his action by criticism of his fellow
man’s character. It is a well-known fact that a thief will criticise the
man from whom he steals—that politicians seek office, not by
displaying their own virtues and qualifications, but by attempting to
besmirch their opponents.
The fear of criticism takes on many forms, the majority of which
are petty and trivial. Baldheaded men, for example, are bald for no
other reason than their fear of criticism. Heads become bald because
of the tight-fitting bands of hats which cut off the circulation from
the roots of the hair. Men wear hats, not because they actually need
them, but mainly because “everyone is doing it.” The individual falls
into line and does likewise, lest some other individual criticise him.
Women seldom have bald heads, or even thin hair, because they
wear hats which fit their heads loosely, the only purpose of the hats
being adornment.
But, it must not be supposed that women are free from the fear of
criticism. If any woman claims to be superior to man with reference
to this fear, ask her to walk down the street wearing a hat of the
vintage of 1890.
The astute manufacturers of clothing have not been slow to
capitalize on this basic fear of criticism, with which all mankind has
been cursed. Every season the styles in many articles of wearing
apparel change. Who establishes the styles? Certainly not the
purchaser of clothing, but the manufacturer. Why does he change the
styles so often? The answer is obvious. He changes the styles so he
can sell more clothes.
For the same reason the manufacturers of automobiles (with a
few rare and very sensible exceptions) change styles of models every
season. No man wants to drive an automobile which is not of the
latest style, although the older model may actually be the better car.
We have been describing the manner in which people behave
under the influence of fear of criticism as applied to the small and
petty things of life. Let us now examine human behavior when this
fear affects people in connection with the more important events of
human relationship. Take for example practically any person who
has reached the age of “mental maturity” (from thirty-five to forty
years of age, as a general average), and if you could read the secret
thoughts of his mind, you would find a very decided disbelief in most
of the fables taught by the majority of the dogmatists and theologians
a few decades back.
Not often, however, will you find a person who has the courage to
openly state his belief on this subject. Most people will, if pressed far
enough, tell a lie rather than admit that they do not believe the
stories associated with that form of religion which held people in
bondage prior to the age of scientific discovery and education.
Why does the average person, even in this day of enlightenment,
shy away from denying his belief in the fables which were the basis of
most of the religions a few decades ago? The answer is, “because of
the fear of criticism.” Men and women have been burned at the stake
for daring to express disbelief in ghosts. It is no wonder we have
inherited a consciousness which makes us fear criticism. The time
was, and not so far in the past, when criticism carried severe
punishments — it still does in some countries.
The fear of criticism robs man of his initiative, destroys his power
of imagination, limits his individuality, takes away his self-reliance,
and does him damage in a hundred other ways. Parents often do
their children irreparable injury by criticising them. The mother of
one of my boyhood chums used to punish him with a switch almost
daily, always completing the job with the statement, “You’ll land in
the penitentiary before you are twenty.” He was sent to a
Reformatory at the age of seventeen.
Criticism is the one form of service, of which everyone has too
much. Everyone has a stock of it which is handed out, gratis, whether
called for or not. One’s nearest relatives often are the worst
offenders. It should be recognized as a crime (in reality it is a crime
of the worst nature) for any parent to build inferiority complexes in
the mind of a child, through unnecessary criticism. Employers who
understand human nature, get the best there is in men, not by
criticism, but by constructive suggestion. Parents may accomplish
the same results with their children. Criticism will plant fear in the
human heart, or resentment, but it will not build love or affection.
Symptoms of the Fear of Criticism
This fear is almost as universal as the fear of poverty, and its effects
are just as fatal to personal achievement, mainly because this fear
destroys initiative, and discourages the use of imagination. The
major symptoms of the fear are:
SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. Generally expressed through
nervousness, timidity in conversation and in meeting
strangers, awkward movement of the hands and limbs,
shifting of the eyes.
LACK OF POISE. Expressed through lack of voice control,
nervousness in the presence of others, poor posture of body,
poor memory.
PERSONALITY. Lacking in firmness of decision, personal charm,
and ability to express opinions definitely. The habit of
sidestepping issues instead of meeting them squarely.
Agreeing with others without careful examination of their
opinions.
INFERIORITY COMPLEX. The habit of expressing self-approval by
word of mouth and by actions, as a means of covering up a
feeling of inferiority. Using “big words” to impress others
(often without knowing the real meaning of the words).
Imitating others in dress, speech and manners. Boasting of
imaginary achievements. This sometimes gives a surface
appearance of a feeling of superiority.
EXTRAVAGANCE. The habit of trying to “keep up with the
Joneses,” spending beyond one’s income.
LACK OF INITIATIVE. Failure to embrace opportunities for self-
advancement, fear to express opinions, lack of confidence in
one’s own ideas, giving evasive answers to questions asked by
superiors, hesitancy of manner and speech, deceit in both
words and deeds.
LACK OF AMBITION. Mental and physical laziness, lack of selfassertion, slowness in reaching decisions, easily influenced by
others, the habit of criticising others behind their backs and
flattering them to their faces, the habit of accepting defeat
without protest, quitting an undertaking when opposed by
others, suspicious of other people without cause, lacking in
tactfulness of manner and speech, unwillingness to accept the
blame for mistakes.
THE FEAR OF ILL HEALTH
This fear may be traced to both physical and social heredity. It is
closely associated, as to its origin, with the causes of fear of Old Age
and the fear of Death, because it leads one closely to the border of
“terrible worlds” of which man knows not, but concerning which he
has been taught some discomforting stories. The opinion is
somewhat general, also, that certain unethical people engaged in the
business of “selling health” have had not a little to do with keeping
alive the fear of ill health.
In the main, man fears ill health because of the terrible pictures
which have been planted in his mind of what may happen if death
should overtake him. He also fears it because of the economic toll
which it may claim.
A reputable physician estimated that 75% of all people who visit
physicians for professional service are suffering with hypochondria
(imaginary illness). It has been shown most convincingly that the
fear of disease, even where there is not the slightest cause for fear,
often produces the physical symptoms of the disease feared.
Powerful and mighty is the human mind! It builds or it destroys.
Playing upon this common weakness of fear of ill health,
dispensers of patent medicines have reaped fortunes. This form of
imposition upon credulous humanity became so prevalent some
twenty years ago that Colliers’ Weekly Magazine conducted a bitter
campaign against some of the worst offenders in the patent medicine
business.
During the “flu” epidemic which broke out during the world war,
the mayor of New York City took drastic steps to check the damage
which people were doing themselves through their inherent fear of ill
health. He called in the newspaper men and said to them,
“Gentlemen, I feel it necessary to ask you not to publish any scare
headlines concerning the ‘flu’ epidemic. Unless you cooperate with
me, we will have a situation which we cannot control.” The
newspapers quit publishing stories about the “flu,” and within one
month the epidemic had been successfully checked.
Through a series of experiments conducted some years ago, it
was proved that people may be made ill by suggestion. We conducted
this experiment by causing three acquaintances to visit the “victims,”
each of whom asked the question, “What ails you? You look terribly
ill.” The first questioner usually provoked a grin, and a nonchalant
“Oh, nothing, I’m all right,” from the victim. The second questioner
usually was answered with the statement, “I don’t know exactly, but I
do feel badly.” The third questioner was usually met with the frank
admission that the victim was actually feeling ill.
Try this on an acquaintance if you doubt that it will make him
uncomfortable, but do not carry the experiment too far. There is a
certain religious sect whose members take vengeance upon their
enemies by the “hexing” method. They call it “placing a spell” on the
victim.
There is overwhelming evidence that disease sometimes begins in
the form of negative thought impulse. Such an impulse may be
passed from one mind to another, by suggestion, or created by an
individual in his own mind.
A man who was blessed with more wisdom than this incident
might indicate, once said, “When anyone asks me how I feel, I always
want to answer by knocking him down.”
Doctors send patients into new climates for their health, because
a change of “mental attitude” is necessary. The seed of fear of ill
health lives in every human mind. Worry, fear, discouragement,
disappointment in love and business affairs, cause this seed to
germinate and grow. The recent business depression kept the doctors
on the run, because every form of negative thinking may cause ill
health.
Disappointments in business and in love stand at the head of the
list of causes of fear of ill health. A young man suffered a
disappointment in love which sent him to a hospital. For months he
hovered between life and death. A specialist in suggestive
therapeutics was called in. The specialist changed nurses, placing
him in charge of a very charming young woman who began (by prearrangement with the doctor) to make love to him the first day of her
arrival on the job. Within three weeks the patient was discharged
from the hospital, still suffering, but with an entirely different
malady. He was in love again. The remedy was a hoax, but the
patient and the nurse were later married. Both are in good health at
the time of this writing.
Symptoms of the Fear of Ill Health
The symptoms of this almost universal fear are:
AUTO-SUGGESTION. The habit of negative use of self-suggestion
by looking for, and expecting to find the symptoms of all
kinds of disease. “Enjoying” imaginary illness and speaking of
it as being real. The habit of trying all “fads” and “isms”
recommended by others as having therapeutic value. Talking
to others of operations, accidents and other forms of illness.
Experimenting with diets, physical exercises, reducing
systems, without professional guidance. Trying home
remedies, patent medicines and “quack” remedies.
HYPOCHONDRIA. The habit of talking of illness, concentrating
the mind upon disease, and expecting its appearance until a
nervous break occurs. Nothing that comes in bottles can cure
this condition. It is brought on by negative thinking and
nothing but positive thought can effect a cure. Hypochondria
(a medical term for imaginary disease) is said to do as much
damage on occasion, as the disease one fears might do. Most
so-called cases of “nerves” come from imaginary illness.
EXERCISE. Fear of ill health often interferes with proper
physical exercise, and results in over-weight, by causing one
to avoid outdoor life.
SUSCEPTIBILITY. Fear of ill health breaks down Nature’s body
resistance, and creates a favorable condition for any form of
disease one may contact. The fear of ill health often is related
to the fear of Poverty, especially in the case of the
hypochondriac, who constantly worries about the possibility
of having to pay doctor’s bills, hospital bills, etc. This type of
person spends much time preparing for sickness, talking
about death, saving money for cemetery lots, and burial
expenses, etc.
SELF-CODDLING. The habit of making a bid for sympathy, using
imaginary illness as the lure. (People often resort to this trick
to avoid work.) The habit of feigning illness to cover plain
laziness, or to serve as an alibi for lack of ambition.
INTEMPERANCE. The habit of using alcohol or narcotics to
destroy pains such as headaches, neuralgia, etc., instead of
eliminating the cause.
The habit of reading about illness and worrying over the
possibility of being stricken by it. The habit of reading patent
medicine advertisements.
THE FEAR OF LOSS OF LOVE
The original source of this inherent fear needs but little description,
because it obviously grew out of man’s polygamous habit of stealing
his fellow man’s mate, and his habit of taking liberties with her
whenever he could.
Jealousy, and other similar forms of dementia praecox grow out
of man’s inherited fear of the loss of love of someone. This fear is the
most painful of all the six basic fears. It probably plays more havoc
with the body and mind than any of the other basic fears, as it often
leads to permanent insanity.
The fear of the loss of love probably dates back to the stone age,
when men stole women by brute force. They continue to steal
females, but their technique has changed. Instead of force, they now
use persuasion, the promise of pretty clothes, motor cars, and other
“bait” much more effective than physical force. Man’s habits are the
same as they were at the dawn of civilization, but he expresses them
differently.
Careful analysis has shown that women are more susceptible to
this fear than men. This fact is easily explained. Women have
learned, from experience, that men are polygamous by nature, that
they are not to be trusted in the hands of rivals.
Symptoms of the Fear of Loss of Love
The distinguishing symptoms of this fear are:—
JEALOUSY. The habit of being suspicious of friends and loved
ones without any reasonable evidence of sufficient grounds.
(Jealousy is a form of dementia praecox which sometimes
becomes violent without the slightest cause.) The habit of
accusing wife or husband of infidelity without grounds.
General suspicion of everyone, absolute faith in no one.
FAULT FINDING. The habit of finding fault with friends,
relatives, business associates and loved ones upon the
slightest provocation, or without any cause whatsoever.
GAMBLING. The habit of gambling, stealing, cheating, and
otherwise taking hazardous chances to provide money for
loved ones, with the belief that love can be bought. The habit
of spending beyond one’s means, or incurring debts, to
provide gifts for loved ones, with the object of making a
favorable showing. Insomnia, nervousness, lack of
persistence, weakness of will, lack of self-control, lack of selfreliance, bad temper.
THE FEAR OF OLD AGE
In the main, this fear grows out of two sources. First, the thought
that old age may bring with it poverty. Secondly, and by far the most
common source of origin, from false and cruel teachings of the past
which have been too well mixed with “fire and brimstone,” and other
bogies cunningly designed to enslave man through fear.
In the basic fear of old age, man has two very sound reasons for
his apprehension—one growing out of his distrust of his fellow man,
who may seize whatever worldly goods he may possess, and the other
arising from the terrible pictures of the world beyond, which were
planted in his mind, through social heredity before he came into full
possession of his mind.
The possibility of ill health, which is more common as people
grow older, is also a contributing cause of this common fear of old
age. Eroticism also enters into the cause of the fear of old age, as no
man cherishes the thought of diminishing sex attraction.
The most common cause of fear of old age is associated with the
possibility of poverty. “Poorhouse” is not a pretty word. It throws a
chill into the mind of every person who faces the possibility of having
to spend his declining years on a poor farm.
Another contributing cause of the fear of old age is the possibility
of loss of freedom and independence, as old age may bring with it the
loss of both physical and economic freedom.
Symptoms of the Fear of Old Age
The commonest symptoms of this fear are:
The tendency to slow down and develop an inferiority complex at
the age of mental maturity, around the age of forty, falsely believing
oneself to be “slipping” be-cause of age. (The truth is that man’s most
useful years, mentally and spiritually, are those between forty and
sixty.)
The habit of speaking apologetically of one’s self as “being old”
merely because one has reached the age of forty, or fifty, instead of
reversing the rule and expressing gratitude for having reached the
age of wisdom and understanding.
The habit of killing off initiative, imagination, and self-reliance
by falsely believing one’s self too old to exercise these qualities. The
habit of the man or woman of forty dressing with the aim of trying to
appear much younger, and affecting mannerisms of youth; thereby
inspiring ridicule by both friends and strangers.
THE FEAR OF DEATH
To some this is the cruelest of all the basic fears. The reason is
obvious. The terrible pangs of fear associated with the thought of
death, in the majority of cases, may be charged directly to religious
fanaticism. So-called “heathen” are less afraid of death than the more
“civilized.” For hundreds of millions of years man has been asking
the still-unanswered questions, “whence” and “whither.” Where did I
come from, and where am I going?
During the darker ages of the past, the more cunning and crafty
were not slow to offer the answer to these questions, for a price.
Witness, now, the major source of origin of the fear of death.
“Come into my tent, embrace my faith, accept my dogmas, and I
will give you a ticket that will admit you straightaway into heaven
when you die,” cries a leader of sectarianism. “Remain out of my
tent,” says the same leader, “and may the devil take you and burn
you throughout eternity.”
Eternity is a long time. Fire is a terrible thing. The thought of
eternal punishment, with fire, not only causes man to fear death, it
often causes him to lose his reason. It destroys interest in life and
makes happiness impossible.
During my research, I reviewed a book entitled A Catalogue of
the Gods, in which were listed the 30,000 gods which man has
worshiped. Think of it! Thirty thousand of them, represented by
everything from a crawfish to a man. It is little wonder that men have
become frightened at the approach of death.
While the religious leader may not be able to provide safe
conduct into heaven, nor, by lack of such provision, allow the
unfortunate to descend into hell, the possibility of the latter seems so
terrible that the very thought of it lays hold of the imagination in
such a realistic way that it paralyzes reason, and sets up the fear of
death.
In truth, no man knows, and no man has ever known, what
heaven or hell is like, nor does any man know if either place actually
exists. This very lack of positive knowledge opens the door of the
human mind to the charlatan so he may enter and control that mind
with his stock of legerdemain and various brands of pious fraud and
trickery.
The fear of death is not as common now as it was during the age
when there were no great colleges and universities. Men of science
have turned the spotlight of truth upon the world, and this truth is
rapidly freeing men and women from this terrible fear of death. The
young men and young women who attend the colleges and
universities are not easily impressed by “fire” and “brimstone.”
Through the aid of biology, astronomy, geology, and other related
sciences, the fears of the dark ages which gripped the minds of men
and destroyed their reason have been dispelled.
Insane asylums are filled with men and women who have gone
mad, because of the fear of death.
This fear is useless. Death will come, no matter what anyone may
think about it. Accept it as a necessity, and pass the thought out of
your mind. It must be a necessity, or it would not come to all.
Perhaps it is not as bad as it has been pictured.
The entire world is made up of only two things, energy and
matter. In elementary physics we learn that neither matter nor
energy (the only two realities known to man) can be created or
destroyed. Both matter and energy can be transformed, but neither
can be destroyed.
Life is energy, if it is anything. If neither energy nor matter can
be destroyed, of course life cannot be destroyed. Life, like other
forms of energy, may be passed through various processes of
transition, or change, but it cannot be destroyed. Death is mere
transition.
If death is not mere change, or transition, then nothing comes
after death except a long, eternal, peaceful sleep, and sleep is nothing
to be feared. Thus you may wipe out, forever, the fear of Death.
Symptoms of the Fear of Death
The general symptoms of this fear are:—
The habit of thinking about dying instead of making the most of
life, due, generally, to lack of purpose, or lack of a suitable
occupation. This fear is more prevalent among the aged, but
sometimes the more youthful are victims of it. The greatest of
all remedies for the fear of death is a burning desire for
achievement, backed by useful service to others. A busy person
seldom has time to think about dying. He finds life too thrilling
to worry about death. Sometimes the fear of death is closely
associated with the Fear of Poverty, where one’s death would
leave loved ones poverty-stricken. In other cases, the fear of
death is caused by illness and the consequent breaking down of
physical body resistance. The commonest causes of the fear of
death are: ill-health, poverty, lack of appropriate occupation,
disappointment over love, insanity, religious fanaticism.
OLD MAN WORRY
Worry is a state of mind based upon fear. It works slowly, but
persistently. It is insidious and subtle. Step by step it “digs itself in”
until it paralyzes one’s reasoning faculty, destroys self-confidence
and initiative. Worry is a form of sustained fear caused by indecision,
therefore it is a state of mind which can be controlled.
An unsettled mind is helpless. Indecision makes an unsettled
mind. Most individuals lack the will-power to reach decisions
promptly, and to stand by them after they have been made, even
during normal business conditions. During periods of economic
unrest (such as the world recently experienced), the individual is
handicapped, not alone by his inherent nature to be slow at reaching
decisions, but he is influenced by the indecision of others around
him who have created a state of “mass indecision.”
During the depression the whole atmosphere, all over the world,
was filled with “Fearenza” and “Worryitis,” the two mental disease
germs which began to spread themselves after the Wall Street frenzy
in 1929. There is only one known antidote for these germs; it is the
habit of prompt and firm decision. Moreover, it is an antidote which
every individual must apply for himself.
We do not worry over conditions, once we have reached a
decision to follow a definite line of action. I once interviewed a man
who was to be electrocuted two hours later. The condemned man was
the calmest of some eight men who were in the death-cell with him.
His calmness prompted me to ask him how it felt to know that he
was going into eternity in a short while. With a smile of confidence
on his face, he said, “It feels fine. Just think, brother, my troubles
will soon be over. I have had nothing but trouble all my life. It has
been a hardship to get food and clothing. Soon I will not need these
things. I have felt fine ever since I learned for certain that I must die.
I made up my mind then, to accept my fate in good spirit.”
As he spoke he devoured a dinner of proportions sufficient for
three men, eating every mouthful of the food brought to him, and
apparently enjoying it as much as if no disaster awaited him.
Decision gave this man resignation to his fate! Decision can also
prevent one’s acceptance of undesired circumstances.
The six basic fears become translated into a state of worry,
through indecision. Relieve yourself, forever of the fear of death, by
reaching a decision to accept death as an inescapable event. Whip the
fear of poverty by reaching a decision to get along with whatever
wealth you can accumulate without worry. Put your foot upon the
neck of the fear of criticism by reaching a decision not to worry about
what other people think, do, or say. Eliminate the fear of old age by
reaching a decision to accept it, not as a handicap, but as a great
blessing which carries with it wisdom, self-control, and
understanding not known to youth. Acquit yourself of the fear of ill
health by the decision to forget symptoms. Master the fear of loss of
love by reaching a decision to get along without love, if that is
necessary.
Kill the habit of worry, in all its forms, by reaching a general,
blanket decision that nothing which life has to offer is worth the
price of worry. With this decision will come poise, peace of mind, and
calmness of thought which will bring happiness.
A man whose mind is filled with fear not only destroys his own
chances of intelligent action, but, he transmits these destructive
vibrations to the minds of all who come into contact with him, and
destroys, also, their chances.
Even a dog or a horse knows when its master lacks courage;
moreover, a dog or a horse will pick up the vibrations of fear thrown
off by its master, and behave accordingly. Lower down the line of
intelligence in the animal kingdom, one finds this same capacity to
pick up the vibrations of fear. A honey-bee immediately senses fear
in the mind of a person—for reasons unknown, a bee will sting the
person whose mind is releasing vibrations of fear, much more readily
than it will molest the person whose mind registers no fear.
The vibrations of fear pass from one mind to another just as
quickly and as surely as the sound of the human voice passes from
the broadcasting station to the receiving set of a radio—and by the
self-same medium.
Mental telepathy is a reality. Thoughts pass from one mind to
another, voluntarily, whether or not this fact is recognized by either
the person releasing the thoughts, or the persons who pick up those
thoughts.
The person who gives expression, by word of mouth, to negative
or destructive thoughts is practically certain to experience the results
of those words in the form of a destructive “kick-back.” The release of
destructive thought impulses, alone, without the aid of words,
produces also a “kick-back” in more ways than one. First of all, and
perhaps most important to be remembered, the person who releases
thoughts of a destructive nature must suffer damage through the
breaking down of the faculty of creative imagination. Secondly, the
presence in the mind of any destructive emotion develops a negative
personality which repels people, and often converts them into
antagonists. The third source of damage to the person who entertains
or releases negative thoughts, lies in this significant fact—these
thought-impulses are not only damaging to others, but they imbed
themselves in the subconscious mind of the person releasing them,
and there become a part of his character.
One is never through with a thought, merely by releasing it.
When a thought is released, it spreads in every direction, through the
medium of the ether, but it also plants itself permanently in the
subconscious mind of the person releasing it.
Your business in life is presumably to achieve success. To be
successful, you must find peace of mind, acquire the material needs
of life, and above all, attain happiness. All of these evidences of
success begin in the form of thought impulses.
You may control your own mind; you have the power to feed it
whatever thought impulses you choose. With this privilege goes also
the responsibility of using it constructively. You are the master of
your own earthly destiny just as surely as you have the power to
control your own thoughts. You may influence, direct, and eventually
control your own environment, making your life what you want it to
be—or, you may neglect to exercise the privilege which is yours, to
make your life to order, thus casting yourself upon the broad sea of
“Circumstance” where you will be tossed hither and yon, like a chip
on the waves of the ocean.
THE DEVIL’S WORKSHOP
THE SEVENTH BASIC EVIL
In addition to the Six Basic Fears, there is another evil by which
people suffer. It constitutes a rich soil in which the seeds of failure
grow abundantly. It is so subtle that its presence often is not
detected. This affliction cannot properly be classed as a fear. It is
more deeply seated and more often fatal than all of the six fears. For
want of a better name, let us call this evil susceptibility to negative
influences.
Men who accumulate great riches always protect themselves
against this evil! The poverty stricken never do! Those who succeed
in any calling must prepare their minds to resist the evil. If you are
reading this philosophy for the purpose of accumulating riches, you
should examine yourself very carefully, to determine whether you are
susceptible to negative influences. If you neglect this self-analysis,
you will forfeit your right to attain the object of your desires.
Make the analysis searching. After you read the questions
prepared for this self-analysis, hold yourself to a strict accounting in
your answers. Go at the task as carefully as you would search for any
other enemy you knew to be awaiting you in ambush and deal with
your own faults as you would with a more tangible enemy.
You can easily protect yourself against highway robbers, because
the law provides organized cooperation for your benefit, but the
“seventh basic evil” is more difficult to master, because it strikes
when you are not aware of its presence, when you are asleep, and
while you are awake. Moreover, its weapon is intangible, because it
consists of merely—a state of mind. This evil is also dangerous
because it strikes in as many different forms as there are human
experiences. Sometimes it enters the mind through the well-meant
words of one’s own relatives. At other times, it bores from within,
through one’s own mental attitude. Always it is as deadly as poison,
even though it may not kill as quickly.
How to Protect Yourself Against Negative Influences
To protect yourself against negative influences, whether of your own
making, or the result of the activities of negative people around you,
recognize that you have a will-power, and put it into constant use,
until it builds a wall of immunity against negative influences in your
own mind.
Recognize the fact that you, and every other human being, are, by
nature, lazy, indifferent, and susceptible to all suggestions which
harmonize with your weaknesses.
Recognize that you are, by nature, susceptible to all the six basic
fears, and set up habits for the purpose of counteracting all these
fears.
Recognize that negative influences often work on you through
your subconscious mind, therefore they are difficult to detect, and
keep your mind closed against all people who depress or discourage
you in any way.
Clean out your medicine chest, throw away all pill bottles, and
stop pandering to colds, aches, pains and imaginary illness.
Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to
think and act for yourself.
Do not expect troubles as they have a tendency not to disappoint.
Without doubt, the most common weakness of all human beings
is the habit of leaving their minds open to the negative influence of
other people. This weakness is all the more damaging, because most
people do not recognize that they are cursed by it, and many who
acknowledge it, neglect or refuse to correct the evil until it becomes
an uncontrollable part of their daily habits.
To aid those who wish to see themselves as they really are, the
following list of questions has been prepared. Read the questions and
state your answers aloud, so you can hear your own voice. This will
make it easier for you to be truthful with yourself.
Self-Analysis Test Questions
Do you complain often of “feeling bad,” and if so, what is the
cause?
Do you find fault with other people at the slightest
provocation?
Do you frequently make mistakes in your work, and if so,
why?
Are you sarcastic and offensive in your conversation?
Do you deliberately avoid the association of anyone, and if so,
why?
Do you suffer frequently with indigestion? If so, what is the
cause?
Does life seem futile and the future hopeless to you? If so,
why?
Do you like your occupation? If not, why?
Do you often feel self-pity, and if so why?
Are you envious of those who excel you?
To which do you devote most time, thinking of success, or of
failure?
Are you gaining or losing self-confidence as you grow older?
Do you learn something of value from all mistakes? Are you
permitting some relative or acquaintance to worry you? If
so, why?
Are you sometimes “in the clouds” and at other times in the
depths of despondency?
Who has the most inspiring influence upon you? What is the
cause?
Do you tolerate negative or discouraging influences which
you can avoid?
Are you careless of your personal appearance? If so, when
and why?
Have you learned how to “drown your troubles” by being too
busy to be annoyed by them?
Would you call yourself a “spineless weakling” if you
permitted others to do your thinking for you?
Do you neglect internal bathing until auto-intoxication makes
you ill-tempered and irritable?
How many preventable disturbances annoy you, and why do
you tolerate them?
Do you resort to liquor, narcotics, or cigarettes to “quiet your
nerves”? If so, why do you not try will-power instead?
Does anyone “nag” you, and if so, for what reason?
Do you have a definite major purpose, and if so, what is it,
and what plan have you for achieving it?
Do you suffer from any of the Six Basic Fears? If so, which
ones?
Have you a method by which you can shield yourself against
the negative influence of others?
Do you make deliberate use of auto-suggestion to make your
mind positive?
Which do you value most, your material possessions, or your
privilege of controlling your own thoughts?
Are you easily influenced by others, against your own
judgment?
Has today added anything of value to your stock of knowledge
or state of mind?
Do you face squarely the circumstances which make you
unhappy, or sidestep the responsibility?
Do you analyze all mistakes and failures and try to profit by
them or, do you take the attitude that this is not your duty?
Can you name three of your most damaging weaknesses?
What are you doing to correct them?
Do you encourage other people to bring their worries to you
for sympathy?
Do you choose, from your daily experiences, lessons or
influences which aid in your personal advancement?
Does your presence have a negative influence on other people
as a rule?
What habits of other people annoy you most?
Do you form your own opinions or permit yourself to be
influenced by other people?
Have you learned how to create a mental state of mind with
which you can shield yourself against all discouraging
influences?
Does your occupation inspire you with faith and hope?
Are you conscious of possessing spiritual forces of sufficient
power to enable you to keep your mind free from all forms
of fear?
Does your religion help you to keep your own mind positive?
Do you feel it your duty to share other people’s worries? If so,
why?
If you believe that “birds of a feather flock together” what
have you learned about yourself by studying the friends
whom you attract?
What connection, if any, do you see between the people with
whom you associate most closely, and any unhappiness
you may experience?
Could it be possible that some person whom you consider to
be a friend is, in reality, your worst enemy, because of his
negative influence on your mind?
By what rules do you judge who is helpful and who is
damaging to you?
Are your intimate associates mentally superior or inferior to
you?
How much time out of every twenty-four hours do you devote
to:
a. a.your occupation
b. sleep
c. play and relaxation
d. acquiring useful knowledge
e. plain waste
Who among your acquaintances,
a. encourages you most
b. cautions you most
c. discourages you most
d. helps you most in other ways
What is your greatest worry? Why do you tolerate it?
When others offer you free, unsolicited advice, do you accept
it without question, or analyze their motive?
What, above all else, do you most desire? Do you intend to
acquire it? Are you willing to subordinate all other desires
for this one? How much time daily do you devote to
acquiring it?
Do you change your mind often? If so, why?
Do you usually finish everything you begin?
Are you easily impressed by other people’s business or
professional titles, college degrees, or wealth? Are you
easily influenced by what other people think or say of you?
Do you cater to people because of their social or financial
status?
Whom do you believe to be the greatest person living? In
what respect is this person superior to yourself?
How much time have you devoted to studying and answering
these questions? (At least one day is necessary for the
analysis and the answering of the entire list.)
If you have answered all these questions truthfully, you know
more about yourself than the majority of people. Study the questions
carefully, come back to them once each week for several months, and
be astounded at the amount of additional knowledge of great value to
yourself, you will have gained by the simple method of answering the
questions truthfully. If you are not certain concerning the answers to
some of the questions, seek the counsel of those who know you well,
especially those who have no motive in flattering you, and see
yourself through their eyes. The experience will be astonishing.
You have absolute control over but one thing, and that is your
thoughts. This is the most significant and inspiring of all facts known
to man! It reflects man’s Divine nature. This Divine prerogative is the
sole means by which you may control your own destiny. If you fail to
control your own mind, you may be sure you will control nothing
else.
If you must be careless with your possessions, let it be in
connection with material things. Your mind is your spiritual estate!
Protect and use it with the care to which Divine Royalty is entitled.
You were given a will-power for this purpose.
Unfortunately, there is no legal protection against those who,
either by design or ignorance, poison the minds of others by negative
suggestion. This form of destruction should be punishable by heavy
legal penalties, because it may and often does destroy one’s chances
of acquiring material things which are protected by law.
Men with negative minds tried to convince Thomas A. Edison
that he could not build a machine that would record and reproduce
the human voice, “because” they said, “no one else had ever
produced such a machine.” Edison did not believe them. He knew
that the mind could produce anything the mind could conceive and
believe, and that knowledge was the thing that lifted the great Edison
above the common herd.
Men with negative minds told F. W. Woolworth he would go
“broke” trying to run a store on five and ten cent sales. He did not
believe them. He knew that he could do anything, within reason, if he
backed his plans with faith. Exercising his right to keep other men’s
negative suggestions out of his mind, he piled up a fortune of more
than a hundred million dollars.
Men with negative minds told George Washington he could not
hope to win against the vastly superior forces of the British, but he
exercised his Divine right to believe, therefore this book was
published under the protection of the Stars and Stripes, while the
name of Lord Cornwallis has been all but forgotten.
Doubting Thomases scoffed scornfully when Henry Ford tried
out his first crudely built automobile on the streets of Detroit. Some
said the thing never would become practical. Others said no one
would pay money for such a contraption. Ford said, “I’ll belt the
earth with dependable motor cars,” and he did! His decision to trust
his own judgment has already piled up a fortune far greater than the
next five generations of his descendants can squander. For the
benefit of those seeking vast riches, let it be remembered that
practically the sole difference between Henry Ford and a majority of
the more than one hundred thousand men who work for him, is this
—Ford has a mind and controls it, the others have minds which they
do not try to control.
Henry Ford has been repeatedly mentioned, because he is an
astounding example of what a man with a mind of his own, and a will
to control it, can accomplish. His record knocks the foundation from
under that time-worn alibi, “I never had a chance.” Ford never had a
chance, either, but he created an opportunity and backed it with
persistence until it made him richer than Croesus.
Mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit. You either
control your mind or it controls you. There is no halfway
compromise. The most practical of all methods for controlling the
mind is the habit of keeping it busy with a definite purpose, backed
by a definite plan. Study the record of any man who achieves
noteworthy success, and you will observe that he has control over his
own mind, moreover, that he exercises that control and directs it
toward the attainment of definite objectives. Without this control,
success is not possible.
“FIFTY-SEVEN” FAMOUS ALIBIS
BY OLD MAN IF
People who do not succeed have one distinguishing trait in common.
They know all the reasons for failure, and have what they believe to
be airtight alibis to explain away their own lack of achievement.
Some of these alibis are clever, and a few of them are justifiable
by the facts. But alibis cannot be used for money. The world wants to
know only one thing—have you achieved success?
A character analyst compiled a list of the most commonly used
alibis. As you read the list, examine yourself carefully, and determine
how many of these alibis, if any, are your own property. Remember,
too, the philosophy presented in this book makes every one of these
alibis obsolete.
IF I didn’t have a wife and family . . .
IF I had enough “pull” . . .
IF I had money . . .
IF I had a good education . . .
IF I could get a job . . .
IF I had good health . . .
IF I only had time . . .
IF times were better . . .
IF other people understood me . . .
IF conditions around me were only different . . .
IF I could live my life over again . . .
IF I did not fear what “they” would say . . .
IF I had been given a chance . . .
IF I now had a chance . . .
IF other people didn’t “have it in for me” . . .
IF nothing happens to stop me . . .
IF I were only younger . . .
IF I could only do what I want. . .
IF I had been born rich . . .
IF I could meet “the right people” . . .
IF I had the talent that some people have . . .
IF I dared assert myself. . .
IF I only had embraced past opportunities . . .
IF people didn’t get on my nerves . . .
IF I didn’t have to keep house and look after the children . . .
IF I could save some money . . .
IF the boss only appreciated me . . .
IF I only had somebody to help me . . .
IF my family understood me . . .
IF I lived in a big city . . .
IF I could just get started . . .
IF I were only free . . .
IF I had the personality of some people . . .
IF I were not so fat . . .
IF my talents were known . . .
IF I could just get a “break” . . .
IF I could only get out of debt . . .
IF I hadn’t failed . . .
IF I only knew how . . .
IF everybody didn’t oppose me . . .
IF I didn’t have so many worries . . .
IF I could marry the right person . . .
IF people weren’t so dumb . . .
IF my family were not so extravagant . . .
IF I were sure of myself. . .
IF luck were not against me . . .
IF I had not been born under the wrong star . . .
IF it were not true that “what is to be will be” . . .
IF I did not have to work so hard . . .
IF I hadn’t lost my money . . .
IF I lived in a different neighborhood . . .
IF I didn’t have a “past” . . .
IF I only had a business of my own . . .
IF other people would only listen to me . . .
IF * * * and this is the greatest of them all * * *
I had the courage to see myself as I really am, I would find out what
is wrong with me, and correct it, then I might have a chance to
profit by my mistakes and learn something from the experience of
others, for I know that there is something wrong with me, or I would
now be where I would have been if I had spent more time analyzing
my weaknesses, and less time building alibis to cover them.
Building alibis with which to explain away failure is a national
pastime. The habit is as old as the human race, and is fatal to
success! Why do people cling to their pet alibis? The answer is
obvious. They defend their alibis because they create them! A man’s
alibi is the child of his own imagination. It is human nature to defend
one’s own brainchild.
Building alibis is a deeply rooted habit. Habits are difficult to
break, especially when they provide justification for something we
do. Plato had this truth in mind when he said, “The first and best
victory is to conquer self. To be conquered by self is, of all things, the
most shameful and vile.”
Another philosopher had the same thought in mind when he
said, “It was a great surprise to me when I discovered that most of
the ugliness I saw in others, was but a reflection of my own nature.”
“It has always been a mystery to me,” said Elbert Hubbard, “why
people spend so much time deliberately fooling themselves by
creating alibis to cover their weaknesses. If used differently, this
same time would be sufficient to cure the weakness, then no alibis
would be needed.”
In parting, I would remind you that “Life is a checkerboard, and
the player opposite you is time. If you hesitate before moving, or
neglect to move promptly, your men will be wiped off the board by
time. You are playing against a partner who will not tolerate
indecision!”
Previously you may have had a logical excuse for not having
forced Life to come through with whatever you asked, but that alibi is
now obsolete, because you are in possession of the Master Key that
unlocks the door to Life’s bountiful riches.
The Master Key is intangible, but it is powerful! It is the privilege
of creating, in your own mind, a burning desire for a definite form of
riches. There is no penalty for the use of the Key, but there is a price
you must pay if you do not use it. The price is failure. There is a
reward of stupendous proportions if you put the Key to use. It is the
satisfaction that comes to all who conquer self and force Life to pay
whatever is asked.
The reward is worthy of your effort. Will you make the start and
be convinced?
“If we are related,” said the immortal Emerson, “we shall meet.”
In closing, may I borrow his thought, and say, “If we are related, we
have, through these pages, met.”
AS A MAN THINKETH
BY JAMES ALLEN
1903
They themselves are makers of themselves.
Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:—
He thinks in secret and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass.
FOREWORD
This little volume (the result of meditation and experience) is not
intended as an exhaustive treatise on the much-written-upon subject
of the power of thought. It is suggestive rather than explanatory, its
object being to stimulate men and women to the discovery and
perception of the truth that—
“They themselves are makers of themselves”
by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that
mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character
and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have
hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in
enlightenment and happiness.
James Allen
Broad Park Avenue
Ilfracombe, England
CONTENTS
THOUGHT AND CHARACTER
EFFECT OF THOUGHT ON CIRCUMSTANCES
EFFECT OF THOUGHT ON HEALTH AND THE
BODY
THOUGHT AND PURPOSE
THE THOUGHT-FACTOR IN ACHIEVEMENT
VISIONS AND IDEALS
SERENITY
THOUGHT AND CHARACTER
T
he aphorism, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he,” not only
embraces the whole of a man’s being, but is so comprehensive
as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life.
A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete
sum of all his thoughts.
As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so
every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and
could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those
acts called “spontaneous” and “unpremeditated” as to those which
are deliberately executed.
Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits;
thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own
husbandry.
“Thought in the mind hath made us. What we are
By thought was wrought and built. If a man’s mind
Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes
The wheel the ox behind. . . .
. . . If one endure
In purity of thought, joy follows him
As his own shadow—sure.”
Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause
and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of
thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and
Godlike character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural
result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-
cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble and bestial
character, by the same process, is the result of the continued
harboring of groveling thoughts.
Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he
forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions
the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy
and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of
thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and
wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the
beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character,
and man is their maker and master.
Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been
restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or
fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this—that man is the
master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and
shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.
As a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord of his
own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains
within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which
he may make himself what he wills.
Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most
abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the
foolish master who misgoverns his “household.” When he begins to
reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon
which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master,
directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts
to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only
thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought;
which discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis, and
experience.
Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds
obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being if
he will dig deep into the mine of his soul; and that he is the maker of
his character, the molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he
may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his
thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon
his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient
practice and investigation, and utilizing his every experience, even to
the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that
knowledge of himself which is Understanding, Wisdom, Power. In
this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that “He that
seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened”; for
only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter
the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.
EFFECT OF THOUGHT ON CIRCUMSTANCES
A
man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be
intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether
cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no
useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds
will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.
Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds,
and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man
tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and
impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and
fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, a
man sooner or later discovers that he is the master gardener of his
soul, the director of his life. He also reveals, within himself, the laws
of thought, and understands, with ever-increasing accuracy, how the
thought forces and mind elements operate in the shaping of his
character, circumstances, and destiny.
Thought and character are one, and as character can only
manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstance,
the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be
harmoniously related to his inner state. This does not mean that a
man’s circumstances at any given time are an indication of his entire
character, but that those circumstances are so intimately connected
with some vital thought element within himself that, for the time
being, they are indispensable to his development.
Every man is where he is by the law of his being; the thoughts
which he has built into his character have brought him there, and in
the arrangement of his life there is no element of chance, but all is
the result of a law which cannot err. This is just as true of those who
feel “out of harmony” with their surroundings as of those who are
contented with them.
As a progressive and evolving being, man is where he is that he
may learn that he may grow; and as he learns the spiritual lesson
which any circumstance contains for him, it passes away and gives
place to other circumstances.
Man is buffered by circumstances so long as he believes himself
to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realizes that he
is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and
seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes
the rightful master of himself.
That circumstances grow out of thought every man knows who
has for any length of time practiced self-control and self-purification,
for he will have noticed that the alteration in his circumstances has
been in exact ratio with his altered mental condition. So true is this
that when a man earnestly applies himself to remedy the defects in
his character, and makes swift and marked progress, he passes
rapidly through a succession of vicissitudes.
The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it
loves, and also that which it fears; it reaches the height of its
cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of its unchastened desires—
and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.
Every thought seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to
take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into
act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance.
Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.
The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world
of thought, and both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are
factors which make for the ultimate good of the individual. As the
reaper of his own harvest, man learns both by suffering and bliss.
Following the inmost desires, aspirations, thoughts, by which he
allows himself to be dominated (pursuing the will-o’-the-wisps of
impure imaginings or steadfastly walking the highway of strong and
high endeavor), a man at last arrives at their fruition and fulfillment
in the outer conditions of his life. The laws of growth and adjustment
everywhere obtain.
A man does not come to the almshouse or the jail by the tyranny
of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of groveling thoughts and
base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime
by stress of any mere external force; the criminal thought had long
been secretly fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity
revealed its gathered power. Circumstance does not make the man; it
reveals him to himself. No such conditions can exist as descending
into vice and its attendant sufferings apart from vicious inclinations,
or ascending into virtue and its pure happiness without the
continued cultivation of virtuous aspirations; and man, therefore, as
the lord and master of thought, is the maker of himself, the shaper
and author of environment. Even at birth the soul comes to its own,
and through every step of its earthly pilgrimage it attracts those
combinations of conditions which reveal itself, which are the
reflections of its own purity and impurity, its strength and weakness.
Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they
are. Their whims, fancies, and ambitions are thwarted at every step,
but their inmost thoughts and desires are fed with their own food, be
it foul or clean. The “divinity that shapes our ends” is in ourselves; it
is our very self. Man is manacled only by himself: thought and action
are the jailers of Fate—they imprison, being base; they are also the
angels of Freedom—they liberate, being noble. Not what he wishes
and prays for does a man get, but what he justly earns. His wishes
and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize
with his thoughts and actions.
In the light of this truth, what, then, is the meaning of “fighting
against circumstances”? It means that a man is continually revolting
against an effect without, while all the time he is nourishing and
preserving its cause in his heart. That cause may take the form of a
conscious vice or an unconscious weakness; but whatever it is, it
stubbornly retards the efforts of its possessor, and thus calls aloud
for remedy.
Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are
unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. The
man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to
accomplish the object upon which his heart is set. This is as true of
earthly as of heavenly things. Even the man whose sole object is to
acquire wealth must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices
before he can accomplish his object; and how much more so he who
would realize a strong and well-poised life?
Here is a man who is wretchedly poor. He is extremely anxious
that his surroundings and home comforts should be improved, yet all
the time he shirks his work, and considers he is justified in trying to
deceive his employer on the ground of the insufficiency of his wages.
Such a man does not understand the simplest rudiments of those
principles which are the basis of true prosperity, and is not only
totally unfitted to rise out of his wretchedness, but is actually
attracting to himself a still deeper wretchedness by dwelling in, and
acting out, indolent, deceptive, and unmanly thoughts.
Here is a rich man who is the victim of a painful and persistent
disease as the result of gluttony. He is willing to give large sums of
money to get rid of it, but he will not sacrifice his gluttonous desires.
He wants to gratify his taste for rich and unnatural viands and have
his health as well. Such a man is totally unfit to have health, because
he has not yet learned the first principles of a healthy life.
Here is an employer of labor who adopts crooked measures to
avoid paying the regulation wage, and, in the hope of making larger
profits, reduces the wages of his workpeople. Such a man is
altogether unfitted for prosperity, and when he finds himself
bankrupt, both as regards reputation and riches, he blames
circumstances, not knowing that he is the sole author of his
condition.
I have introduced these three cases merely as illustrative of the
truth that man is the causer (though nearly always unconsciously) of
his circumstances, and that, while aiming at a good end, he is
continually frustrating its accomplishment by encouraging thoughts
and desires which cannot possibly harmonize with that end. Such
cases could be multiplied and varied almost indefinitely, but this is
not necessary, as the reader can, if he so resolves, trace the action of
the laws of thought in his own mind and life, and until this is done,
mere external facts cannot serve as a ground of reasoning.
Circumstances, however, are so complicated, thought is so deeply
rooted, and the conditions of happiness vary so vastly with
individuals, that a man’s entire soul condition (although it may be
known to himself) cannot be judged by another from the external
aspect of his life alone. A man may be honest in certain directions,
yet suffer privations; a man may be dishonest in certain directions,
yet acquire wealth; but the conclusion usually formed that the one
man fails because of his particular honesty, and that the other
prospers because of his particular dishonesty, is the result of a
superficial judgment, which assumes that the dishonest man is
almost totally corrupt, and the honest man almost entirely virtuous.
In the light of a deeper knowledge and wider experience, such
judgment is found to be erroneous. The dishonest man may have
some admirable virtues which the other does not possess; and the
honest man obnoxious vices which are absent in the other. The
honest man reaps the good results of his honest thoughts and acts;
he also brings upon himself the sufferings which his vices produce.
The dishonest man likewise garners his own suffering and happiness.
It is pleasing to human vanity to believe that one suffers because
of one’s virtue; but not until a man has extirpated every sickly, bitter,
and impure thought from his mind, and washed every sinful stain
from his soul, can he be in a position to know and declare that his
sufferings are the result of his good, and not of his bad qualities; and
on the way to, yet long before he has reached, that supreme
perfection, he will have found, working in his mind and life, the
Great Law which is absolutely just, and which cannot, therefore, give
good for evil, evil for good. Possessed of such knowledge, he will then
know, looking back upon his past ignorance and blindness, that his
life is, and always was, justly ordered, and that all his past
experiences, good and bad, were the equitable outworking of his
evolving, yet unevolved self.
Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad
thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but
saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from
nettles but nettles. Men understand this law in the natural world,
and work with it; but few understand it in the mental and moral
world (though its operation there is just as simple and undeviating),
and they, therefore, do not coöperate with it.
Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in some direction.
It is an indication that the individual is out of harmony with himself,
with the Law of his being. The sole and supreme use of suffering is to
purify, to burn out all that is useless and impure. Suffering ceases for
him who is pure. There could be no object in burning gold after the
dross had been removed, and a perfectly pure and enlightened being
could not suffer.
The circumstances which a man encounters with suffering are
the result of his own mental inharmony. The circumstances which a
man encounters with blessedness are the result of his own mental
harmony. Blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure of
right thought; wretchedness, not lack of material possessions, is the
measure of wrong thought. A man may be cursed and rich; he may be
blessed and poor. Blessedness and riches are only joined together
when the riches are rightly and wisely used; and the poor man only
descends into wretchedness when he regards his lot as a burden
unjustly imposed.
Indigence and indulgence are the two extremes of wretchedness.
They are both equally unnatural and the result of mental disorder. A
man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy, healthy, and
prosperous being; and happiness, health, and prosperity are the
result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer, of the
man with his surroundings.
A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and
revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which
regulates his life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor,
he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds
himself up in strong and noble thoughts; ceases to kick against
circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid
progress, and as a means of discovering the hidden powers and
possibilities within himself.
Law, not confusion, is the dominating principle in the universe;
justice, not injustice, is the soul and substance of life; and
righteousness, not corruption, is the molding and moving force in
the spiritual government of the world. This being so, man has but to
right himself to find that the universe is right; and during the process
of putting himself right, he will find that as he alters his thoughts
toward things, and other people, things and other people will alter
toward him.
The proof of this truth is in every person, and it therefore admits
of easy investigation by systematic introspection and self-analysis.
Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at
the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of
his life. Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it
rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance.
Bestial thoughts crystallize into habits of drunkenness and
sensuality, which solidify into circumstances of destitution and
disease: impure thoughts of every kind crystallize into enervating
and confusing habits, which solidify into distracting and adverse
circumstances: thoughts of fear, doubt, and indecision crystallize
into weak, unmanly, and irresolute habits, which solidify into
circumstances of failure, indigence, and slavish dependence: lazy
thoughts crystallize into habits of uncleanliness and dishonesty,
which solidify into circumstances of foulness and beggary: hateful
and condemnatory thoughts crystallize into habits of accusation and
violence, which solidify into circumstances of injury and persecution:
selfish thoughts of all kinds crystallize into habits of self-seeking,
which solidify into circumstances more or less distressing. On the
other hand, beautiful thoughts of all kinds crystallize into habits of
grace and kindliness, which solidify into genial and sunny
circumstances: pure thoughts crystallize into habits of temperance
and self-control, which solidify into circumstances of repose and
peace: thoughts of courage, self-reliance, and decision crystallize into
manly habits, which solidify into circumstances of success, plenty,
and freedom: energetic thoughts crystallize into habits of cleanliness
and industry, which solidify into circumstances of pleasantness:
gentle and forgiving thoughts crystallize into habits of gentleness,
which solidify into protective and preservative circumstances: loving
and unselfish thoughts crystallize into habits of self-forgetfulness for
others, which solidify into circumstances of sure and abiding
prosperity and true riches.
A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad,
cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances.
A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose
his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.
Nature helps every man to the gratification of the thoughts which
he most encourages, and opportunities are presented which will
most speedily bring to the surface both the good and evil thoughts.
Let a man cease from his sinful thoughts, and all the world will
soften toward him, and be ready to help him; let him put away his
weakly and sickly thoughts, and lo! opportunities will spring up on
every hand to aid his strong resolves; let him encourage good
thoughts, and no hard fate shall bind him down to wretchedness and
shame. The world is your kaleidoscope, and the varying
combinations of colors which at every succeeding moment it
presents to you are the exquisitely adjusted pictures of your
evermoving thoughts.
“You will be what you will to be;
Let failure find its false content
In that poor word, ‘environment,’
But spirit scorns it, and is free.
“It masters time, it conquers space;
It cows that boastful trickster, Chance,
And bids the tyrant Circumstance
Uncrown, and fill a servant’s place.
“The human Will, that force unseen,
The offspring of a deathless Soul,
Can hew a way to any goal,
Though walls of granite intervene.
“Be not impatient in delay,
But wait as one who understands;
When spirit rises and commands,
The gods are ready to obey.”
EFFECT OF THOUGHT ON HEALTH AND THE
BODY
T
he body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of
the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically
expressed. At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks
rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful
thoughts it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty.
Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought.
Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a sickly body.
Thoughts of fear have been known to kill a man as speedily as a
bullet, and they are continually killing thousands of people just as
surely though less rapidly. The people who live in fear of disease are
the people who get it. Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body,
and lays it open to the entrance of disease; while impure thoughts,
even if not physically indulged, will soon shatter the nervous system.
Strong, pure, and happy thoughts build up the body in vigor and
grace. The body is a delicate and plastic instrument, which responds
readily to the thoughts by which it is impressed, and habits of
thought will produce their own effects, good or bad, upon it.
Men will continue to have impure and poisoned blood so long as
they propagate unclean thoughts. Out of a clean heart comes a clean
life and a clean body. Out of a defiled mind proceeds a defiled life
and a corrupt body. Thought is the font of action, life, and
manifestation; make the fountain pure, and all will be pure.
Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his
thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires
impure food.
Clean thoughts make clean habits. The so-called saint who does
not wash his body is not a saint. He who has strengthened and
purified his thoughts does not need to consider the malevolent
microbe.
If you would perfect your body, guard your mind. If you would
renew your body, beautify your mind. Thoughts of malice, envy,
disappointment, despondency, rob the body of its health and grace. A
sour face does not come by chance; it is made by sour thoughts.
Wrinkles that mar are drawn by folly, passion, pride.
I know a woman of ninety-six who has the bright, innocent face
of a girl. I know a man well under middle age whose face is drawn
into inharmonious contours. The one is the result of a sweet and
sunny disposition; the other is the outcome of passion and
discontent.
As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode unless you
admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body
and a bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the
free admittance into the mind of thoughts of joy and good will and
serenity.
On the faces of the aged there are wrinkles made by sympathy;
others by strong and pure thought, and others are carved by passion:
who cannot distinguish them? With those who have lived
righteously, age is calm, peaceful, and softly mellowed, like the
setting sun. I have recently seen a philosopher on his deathbed. He
was not old except in years. He died as sweetly and peacefully as he
had lived.
There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills
of the body; there is no comforter to compare with good will for
dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow. To live continually in
thoughts of ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in
a self-made prison hole. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with
all, to patiently learn to find the good in all—such unselfish thoughts
are the very portals of heaven; and to dwell day by day in thoughts of
peace toward every creature will bring abounding peace to their
possessor.
THOUGHT AND PURPOSE
U
ntil thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent
accomplishment. With the majority the bark of thought is
allowed to “drift” upon the ocean of life. Aimlessness is a vice,
and such drifting must not continue for him who would steer clear of
catastrophe and destruction.
They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to
petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pityings, all of which are
indications of weakness, which lead, just as surely as deliberately
planned sins (though by a different route), to failure, unhappiness,
and loss, for weakness cannot persist in a power-evolving universe.
A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and
set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the
centralizing point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual
ideal, or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at the
time being; but whichever it is, he should steadily focus his thought
forces upon the object which he has set before him. He should make
this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its
attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into
ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. This is the royal road to
self-control and true concentration of thought. Even if he fails again
and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until
weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the
measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting point
for future power and triumph.
Those who are not prepared for the apprehension of a great
purpose, should fix the thoughts upon the faultless performance of
their duty, no matter how insignificant their task may appear. Only
in this way can the thoughts be gathered and focused, and resolution
and energy be developed, which being done, there is nothing which
may not be accomplished.
The weakest soul, knowing its own weakness, and believing this
truth—that strength can only be developed by effort and practice,
will, thus believing, at once begin to exert itself, and, adding effort to
effort, patience to patience, and strength to strength, will never cease
to develop, and will at last grow divinely strong.
As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful
and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them
strong by exercising himself in right thinking.
To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think
with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only
recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all
conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly,
and accomplish masterfully.
Having conceived of his purpose, a man should mentally mark
out a straight pathway to its achievement, looking neither to the
right nor the left. Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded;
they are disintegrating elements which break up the straight line of
effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual, useless. Thoughts of doubt
and fear never accomplish anything, and never can. They always lead
to failure. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts
cease when doubt and fear creep in.
The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do. Doubt
and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages
them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step.
He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. His
every thought is allied with power, and all difficulties are bravely met
and wisely overcome. His purposes are seasonably planted, and they
bloom and bring forth fruit which does not fall prematurely to the
ground.
Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force: he
who knows this is ready to become something higher and stronger
than a mere bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations;
he who does this has become the conscious and intelligent wielder of
his mental powers.
THE THOUGHT-FACTOR IN ACHIEVEMENT
A
ll that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the
direct result of his own thoughts. In a justly ordered universe,
where loss of equipoise would mean total destruction,
individual responsibility must be absolute. A man’s weakness and
strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man’s;
they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can
only be altered by himself, never by another. His condition is also his
own, and not another man’s. His suffering and his happiness are
evolved from within. As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think,
so he remains.
A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing
to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of
himself; he must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he
admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition.
It has been usual for men to think and to say, “Many men are
slaves because one is an oppressor; let us hate the oppressor.” Now,
however, there is among an increasing few a tendency to reverse this
judgment, and to say, “One man is an oppressor because many are
slaves; let us despise the slaves.” The truth is that oppressor and
slave are coöperators in ignorance, and, while seeming to afflict each
other, are in reality afflicting themselves. A perfect Knowledge
perceives the action of law in the weakness of the oppressed and the
misapplied power of the oppressor; a perfect Love, seeing the
suffering which both states entail, condemns neither; a perfect
Compassion embraces both oppressor and oppressed.
He who has conquered weakness, and has put away all selfish
thoughts, belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free.
A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his
thoughts. He can only remain weak, and abject, and miserable by
refusing to lift up his thoughts.
Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things, he
must lift his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence. He may not,
in order to succeed, give up all animality and selfishness, by any
means; but a portion of it must, at least, be sacrificed. A man whose
first thought is bestial indulgence could neither think clearly nor plan
methodically; he could not find and develop his latent resources, and
would fail in any undertaking. Not having commenced manfully to
control his thoughts, he is not in a position to control affairs and to
adopt serious responsibilities. He is not fit to act independently and
stand alone. But he is limited only by the thoughts which he chooses.
There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice, and
a man’s worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices his
confused animal thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of
his plans, and the strengthening of his resolution and self-reliance.
And the higher he lifts his thoughts, the more manly, upright, and
righteous he becomes, the greater will be his success, the more
blessed and enduring will be his achievements.
The universe does not favor the greedy, the dishonest, the
vicious, although on the mere surface it may sometimes appear to do
so; it helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. All the great
Teachers of the ages have declared this in varying forms, and to
prove and know it a man has but to persist in making himself more
and more virtuous by lifting up his thoughts.
Intellectual achievements are the result of thought consecrated to
the search for knowledge, or for the beautiful and true in life and
nature. Such achievements may be sometimes connected with vanity
and ambition, but they are not the outcome of those characteristics;
they are the natural outgrowth of long and arduous effort, and of
pure and unselfish thoughts.
Spiritual achievements are the consummation of holy
aspirations. He who lives constantly in the conception of noble and
lofty thoughts, who dwells upon all that is pure and unselfish, will, as
surely as the sun reaches its zenith and the moon its full, become
wise and noble in character, and rise into a position of influence and
blessedness.
Achievement, of whatever kind, is the crown of effort, the diadem
of thought. By the aid of self-control, resolution, purity,
righteousness, and well-directed thought a man ascends; by the aid
of animality, indolence, impurity, corruption, and confusion of
thought a man descends.
A man may rise to high success in the world, and even to lofty
altitudes in the spiritual realm, and again descend into weakness and
wretchedness by allowing arrogant, selfish, and corrupt thoughts to
take possession of him.
Victories attained by right thought can only be maintained by
watchfulness. Many give way when success is assured, and rapidly
fall back into failure.
All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or
spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are
governed by the same law and are of the same method; the only
difference lies in the object of attainment.
He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who
would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain
highly must sacrifice greatly.
VISIONS AND IDEALS
T
he dreamers are the saviors of the world. As the visible world is
sustained by the invisible, so men, through all their trials and
sins and sordid vocations, are nourished by the beautiful
visions of their solitary dreamers. Humanity cannot forget its
dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade and die; it lives in them; it
knows them as the realities which it shall one day see and know.
Composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, sage, these are the
makers of the afterworld, the architects of heaven. The world is
beautiful because they have lived; without them, laboring humanity
would perish.
He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will
one day realize it. Columbus cherished a vision of another world, and
he discovered it; Copernicus fostered the vision of a multiplicity of
worlds and a wider universe, and he revealed it; Buddha beheld the
vision of a spiritual world of stainless beauty and perfect peace, and
he entered into it.
Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that
stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness
that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all
delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these, if you but
remain true to them, your world will at last be built.
To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. Shall man’s basest
desires receive the fullest measure of gratification, and his purest
aspirations starve for lack of sustenance? Such is not the Law: such a
condition of things can never obtain: “Ask and receive.”
Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become.
Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your Ideal is
the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.
The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The
oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the highest
vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of
realities.
Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not long
remain so if you but perceive an Ideal and strive to reach it. You
cannot travel within and stand still without. Here is a youth hard
pressed by poverty and labor; confined long hours in an unhealthy
workshop; unschooled, and lacking all the arts of refinement. But he
dreams of better things: he thinks of intelligence, of refinement, of
grace and beauty. He conceives of, mentally builds up, an ideal
condition of life; the vision of a wider liberty and a larger scope takes
possession of him; unrest urges him to action, and he utilizes all his
spare time and means, small though they are, to the development of
his latent powers and resources. Very soon so altered has his mind
become that the workshop can no longer hold him. It has become so
out of harmony with his mentality that it falls out of his life as a
garment is cast aside, and, with the growth of opportunities which fit
the scope of his expanding powers, he passes out of it forever. Years
later we see this youth as a full-grown man. We find him a master of
certain forces of the mind which he wields with world-wide influence
and almost unequaled power. In his hands he holds the cords of
gigantic responsibilities; he speaks, and lo! lives are changed; men
and women hang upon his words and remold their characters, and,
sunlike, he becomes the fixed and luminous center around which
innumerable destinies revolve. He has realized the Vision of his
youth. He has become one with his Ideal.
And you, too, youthful reader, will realize the Vision (not the idle
wish) of your heart, be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both, for
you will always gravitate toward that which you, secretly, most love.
Into your hands will be placed the exact results of your own
thoughts; you will receive that which you earn; no more, no less.
Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or
rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your Ideal. You will become as
small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant
aspiration: in the beautiful words of Stanton Kirkham Davis, “You
may be keeping accounts, and presently you shall walk out of the
door that for so long has seemed to you the barrier of your ideals,
and shall find yourself before an audience—the pen still behind your
ear, the ink stains on your fingers—and then and there shall pour out
the torrent of your inspiration. You may be driving sheep, and you
shall wander to the city—bucolic and open mouthed; shall wander
under the intrepid guidance of the spirit into the studio of the
master, and after a time he shall say, ‘I have nothing more to teach
you.’ And now you have become the master, who did so recently
dream of great things while driving sheep. You shall lay down the
saw and the plane to take upon yourself the regeneration of the
world.”
The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the
apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck,
of fortune, and chance. Seeing a man grow rich, they say, “How lucky
he is!” Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim, “How
highly favored he is!” And noting the saintly character and wide
influence of another, they remark, “How chance aids him at every
turn!” They do not see the trials and failures and struggles which
these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their
experience; have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of
the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have
exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable,
and realize the Vision of their heart. They do not know the darkness
and the heartaches; they only see the light and joy, and call it “luck”;
do not see the long and arduous journey, but only behold the
pleasant goal, and call it “good fortune”; do not understand the
process, but only perceive the result, and call it “chance.”
In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and
the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not.
“Gifts,” powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are
the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects
accomplished, visions realized.
The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you
enthrone in your heart—this you will build your life by, this you will
become.
SERENITY
C
almness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is
the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence
is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than
ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.
A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself
as a thought-evolved being, for such knowedge necessitates the
understanding of others as the result of thought, and as he develops
a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal
relations of things by the action of cause and effect, he ceases to fuss
and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast,
serene.
The calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how
to adapt himself to others; and they, in turn, reverence his spiritual
strength, and feel that they can learn of him and rely upon him. The
more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his
influence, his power for good. Even the ordinary trader will find his
business prosperity increase as he develops a greater self-control and
equanimity, for people will always prefer to deal with a man whose
demeanor is strongly equable.
The strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a
shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm.
“Who does not love a tranquil heart, a sweet-tempered, balanced
life? It does not matter whether it rains or shines, or what changes
come to those possessing these blessings, for they are always sweet,
serene, and calm. That exquisite poise of character which we call
serenity is the last lesson of culture; it is the flowering of life, the
fruitage of the soul. It is precious as wisdom, more to be desired than
gold—yea, than even fine gold. How insignificant mere money-
seeking looks in comparison with a serene life—a life that dwells in
the ocean of Truth, beneath the waves, beyond the reach of tempests,
in the Eternal Calm!
“How many people we know who sour their lives, who ruin all
that is sweet and beautiful by explosive tempers, who destroy their
poise of character, and make bad blood! It is a question whether the
great majority of people do not ruin their lives and mar their
happiness by lack of self-control. How few people we meet in life who
are well-balanced, who have that exquisite poise which is
characteristic of the finished character!”
Yes, humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous
with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt. Only the
wise man, only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes
the winds and the storms of the soul obey him.
Tempest-tossed souls, wherever ye may be, under whatsoever
conditions ye may live, know this—in the ocean of life the isles of
Blessedness are smiling, and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits
your coming. Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought. In
the bark of your soul reclines the commanding Master; He does but
sleep; wake Him. Self-control is strength; Right Thought is mastery;
Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, “Peace, be still!”
THE POWER OF YOUR
SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
BY JOSEPH MURPHY
1963
CONTENTS
How This Book Can Work Miracles in Your Life
1. THE TREASURE HOUSE WITHIN YOU
2. HOW YOUR OWN MIND WORKS
3. THE MIRACLE-WORKING POWER OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS
4. MENTAL HEALINGS IN ANCIENT TIMES
5. MENTAL HEALINGS IN MODERN TIMES
6. PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES IN MENTAL HEALINGS
7. THE TENDENCY OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS IS LIFEWARD6
8. HOW TO GET THE RESULTS YOU WANT
9. HOW TO USE THE POWER OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS FOR WEALTH
10. YOUR RIGHT TO BE RICH
11. YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AS A PARTNER IN SUCCESS
12. SCIENTISTS USE THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
13. YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS AND THE WONDERS OF SLEEP
14. YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND MARITAL PROBLEMS
15. YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND YOUR HAPPINESS
16. YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND HARMONIOUS HUMAN RELATIONS
17. HOW TO USE YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND FOR FORGIVENESS
18. HOW YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS REMOVES MENTAL BLOCKS
19. HOW TO USE YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND TO REMOVE FEAR
20. HOW TO STAY YOUNG IN SPIRIT FOREVER
HOW THIS BOOK CAN WORK MIRACLES IN
YOUR LIFE
I
have seen miracles happen to men and women in all walks of life
all over the world. Miracles will happen to you, too—when you
begin using the magic power of your subconscious mind. This
book is designed to teach you that your habitual thinking and
imagery mold, fashion, and create your destiny; for as a man
thinketh in his subconscious mind, so is he.
DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWERS?
Why is one man sad and another man happy? Why is one man
joyous and prosperous and another man poor and miserable? Why is
one man fearful and anxious and another full of faith and
confidence? Why does one man have a beautiful, luxurious home
while another man lives out a meager existence in a slum? Why is
one man a great success and another an abject failure? Why is one
speaker outstanding and immensely popular and another mediocre
and unpopular? Why is one man a genius in his work or profession
while the other man toils and moils all his life without doing or
accomplishing anything worthwhile? Why is one man healed of a socalled incurable disease and another isn’t? Why is it so many good,
kind religious people suffer the tortures of the damned in their mind
and body? Why is it many immoral and irreligious people succeed
and prosper and enjoy radiant health? Why is one woman happily
married and her sister very unhappy and frustrated? Is there an
answer to these questions in the workings of your conscious and
subconscious minds? There most certainly is.
REASON FOR WRITING THIS BOOK
It is for the express purpose of answering and clarifying the above
questions and many others of a similar nature that motivated me to
write this book. I have endeavored to explain the great fundamental
truths of your mind in the simplest language possible. I believe that
it is perfectly possible to explain the basic, foundational, and
fundamental laws of life and of your mind in ordinary everyday
language. You will find that the language of this book is that used in
your daily papers, current periodicals, in your business offices, in
your home, and in the daily workshop. I urge you to study this book
and apply the techniques outlined therein; and as you do, I feel
absolutely convinced that you will lay hold of a miracle-working
power that will lift you up from confusion, misery, melancholy, and
failure, and guide you to your true place, solve your difficulties, sever
you from emotional and physical bondage, and place you on the royal
road to freedom, happiness, and peace of mind. This miracleworking power of your subconscious mind can heal you of your
sickness, make you vital and strong again. In learning how to use
your inner powers, you will open the prison door of fear and enter
into a life described by Paul as the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
RELEASING THE MIRACLE-WORKING POWER
A personal healing will ever be the most convincing evidence of our
subconscious powers. Over forty-two years ago I resolved a
malignancy—in medical terminology it was called a sarcoma—by
using the healing power of my subconscious mind which created me
and still maintains and governs all my vital functions. The technique
I applied is elaborated on in this book, and I feel sure that it will help
others to trust the same Infinite Healing Presence lodged in the
subconscious depths of all men. Through the kindly offices of my
doctor friend, I suddenly realized that it was natural to assume that
the Creative Intelligence which made all my organs, fashioned my
body, and started my heart, could heal its own handiwork. The
ancient proverb says, “The doctor dresses the wound and God heals
it.”
WONDERS HAPPEN WHEN YOU PRAY EFFECTIVELY
Scientific prayer is the harmonious interaction of the conscious and
subconscious levels of mind scientifically directed for a specific
purpose. This book will teach you the scientific way to tap the realm
of infinite power within you enabling you to get what you really want
in life. You desire a happier, fuller, and richer life. Begin to use this
miracle-working power and smooth your way in daily affairs, solve
business problems, and bring harmony in family relationships. Be
sure that you read this book several times. The many chapters will
show you how this wonderful power works, and how you can draw
out the hidden inspiration and wisdom that is within you. Learn the
simple techniques of impressing the subconscious mind. Follow the
new scientific way in tapping the infinite storehouse. Read this book
carefully, earnestly, and lovingly. Prove to yourself the amazing way
it can help you. It could be and I believe it will be the turning point of
your life.
EVERYBODY PRAYS
Do you know how to pray effectively? How long is it since you prayed
as part of your everyday activities? In an emergency, in time of
danger or trouble, in illness, and when death lurks, prayers pour
forth—your own and friends’. Just read your daily newspaper. It is
reported that prayers are being offered up all over the nation for a
child stricken with a so-called incurable ailment, for peace among
nations, for a group of miners trapped in a flooded mine. Later it is
reported that when rescued, the miners said that they prayed while
waiting for rescue; an airplane pilot says that he prayed as he made a
successful emergency landing. Certainly, prayer is an ever-present
help in time of trouble; but you do not have to wait for trouble to
make prayer an integral and constructive part of your life. The
dramatic answers to prayer make headlines and are the subject of
testimonies to the effectiveness of prayer. What of the many humble
prayers of children, the simple thanksgiving of grace at the table
daily, the faithful devotions wherein the individual seeks only
communion with God? My work with people has made it necessary
for me to study the various approaches to prayer. I have experienced
the power of prayer in my own life, and I have talked and worked
with many people who also have enjoyed the help of prayer. The
problem usually is how to tell others how to pray. People who are in
trouble have difficulty in thinking and acting reasonably. They need
an easy formula to follow, an obviously workable pattern that is
simple and specific. Often they must be led to approach the
emergency.
UNIQUE FEATURE OF THIS BOOK
The unique feature of this book is its down-to-earth practicality.
Here you are presented with simple, usable techniques and formulas
which you can easily apply in your workaday world. I have taught
these simple processes to men and women all over the world, and
recently over a thousand men and women of all religious affiliations
attended a special class in Los Angeles where I presented the
highlights of what is offered in the pages of this book. Many came
from distances of two hundred miles for each class lesson. The
special features of this book will appeal to you because they show you
why oftentimes you get the opposite of what you prayed for and
reveal to you the reasons why. People have asked me in all parts of
the world and thousands of times, “Why is it I have prayed and
prayed and got no answer?” In this book you will find the reasons for
this common complaint. The many ways of impressing the
subconscious mind and getting the right answers make this an
extraordinarily valuable book and an ever-present help in time of
trouble.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?
It is not the thing believed in that brings an answer to man’s prayer;
the answer to prayer results when the individual’s subconscious
mind responds to the mental picture or thought in his mind. This law
of belief is operating in all religions of the world and is the reason
why they are psychologically true. The Buddhist, the Christian, the
Moslem, and the Hebrew all may get answers to their prayers, not
because of the particular creed, religion, affiliation, ritual, ceremony,
formula, liturgy, incantation, sacrifices, or offerings, but solely
because of belief or mental acceptance and receptivity about that for
which they pray. The law of life is the law of belief, and belief could
be summed up briefly as a thought in your mind. As a man thinks,
feels, and believes, so is the condition of his mind, body, and
circumstances. A technique, a methodology based on an
understanding of what you are doing and why you are doing it will
help you to bring about a subconscious embodiment of all the good
things of life. Essentially, answered prayer is the realization of your
heart’s desire.
DESIRE IS PRAYER
Everyone desires health, happiness, security, peace of mind, true
expression, but many fail to achieve clearly defined results. A
university professor admitted to me recently, “I know that if I
changed my mental pattern and redirected my emotional life, my
ulcers would not recur, but I do not have any technique, process, or
modus operandi. My mind wanders back and forth on my many
problems, and I feel frustrated, defeated, and unhappy.” This
professor had a desire for perfect health; he needed a knowledge of
the way his mind worked which would enable him to fulfill his desire.
By practicing the healing methods outlined in this book, he became
whole and perfect.
THERE IS ONE MIND COMMON TO ALL INDIVIDUAL MEN
(EMERSON)
The miracle-working powers of your subconscious mind existed
before you and I were born, before any church or world existed. The
great eternal truths and principles of life antedate all religions. It is
with these thoughts in mind that I urge you in the following chapters
to lay hold of this wonderful, magical, transforming power which will
bind up mental and physical wounds, proclaim liberty to the fearridden mind, and liberate you completely from the limitations of
poverty, failure, misery, lack, and frustration. All you have to do is
unite mentally and emotionally with the good you wish to embody,
and the creative powers of your subconscious will respond
accordingly. Begin now, today, let wonders happen in your life! Keep
on, keeping on until the day breaks and the shadows flee away.
CHAPTER ONE
THE TREASURE HOUSE WITHIN YOU
I
nfinite riches are all around you if you will open your mental eyes
and behold the treasure house of infinity within you. There as a
gold mine within you from which you can extract everything you
need to live life gloriously, joyously, and abundantly.
Many are sound asleep because they do not know about this gold
mine of infinite intelligence and boundless love within themselves.
Whatever you want, you can draw forth. A magnetized piece of steel
will lift about twelve times its own weight, and if you demagnetize
this same piece of steel, it will not even lift a feather. Similarly, there
are two types of men. There is the magnetized man who is full of
confidence and faith. He knows that he is born to win and to succeed.
Then, there is the type of man who is demagnetized. He is full of
fears and doubts. Opportunities come, and he says, “I might fail; I
might lose my money; people will laugh at me.” This type of man will
not get very far in life because, if he is afraid to go forward, he will
simply stay where he is. Become a magnetized man and discover the
master secret of the ages.
THE MASTER SECRET OF THE AGES
What, in your opinion, is the master secret of the ages? The secret of
atomic energy? Thermonuclear energy? The neutron bomb?
Interplanetary travel? No—not any of these. Then, what is this
master secret? Where can one find it, and how can it be contacted
and brought into action? The answer is extraordinarily simple. This
secret is the marvelous, miracle-working power found in your own
subconscious mind, the last place that most people would seek it.
THE MARVELOUS POWER OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS
You can bring into your life more power, more wealth, more health,
more happiness, and more joy by learning to contact and release the
hidden power of your subconscious mind.
You need not acquire this power; you already possess it. But, you
want to learn how to use it; you want to understand it so that you can
apply it in all departments of your life.
As you follow the simple techniques and processes set forth in
this book, you can gain the necessary knowledge and understanding.
You can be inspired by a new light, and you can generate a new force
enabling you to realize your hopes and make all your dreams come
true. Decide now to make your life grander, greater, richer, and
nobler than ever before.
Within your subconscious depths lie infinite wisdom, infinite
power, and infinite supply of all that is necessary, which is waiting
for development and expression. Begin now to recognize these
potentialities of your deeper mind, and they will take form in the
world without.
The infinite intelligence within your subconscious mind can
reveal to you everything you need to know at every moment of time
and point of space provided you are open-minded and receptive. You
can receive new thoughts and ideas enabling you to bring forth new
inventions, make new discoveries, or write books and plays.
Moreover, the infinite intelligence in your subconscious can impart
to you wonderful kinds of knowledge of an original nature. It can
reveal to you and open the way for perfect expression and true place
in your life.
Through the wisdom of your subconscious mind you can attract
the ideal companion, as well as the right business associate or
partner. It can find the right buyer for your home, and provide you
with all the money you need, and the financial freedom to be, to do,
and to go as your heart desires.
It is your right to discover this inner world of thought, feeling,
and power, of light, love, and beauty. Though invisible, its forces are
mighty. Within your subconscious mind you will find the solution for
every problem, and the cause for every effect. Because you can draw
out the hidden powers, you come into actual possession of the power
and wisdom necessary to move forward in abundance, security, joy,
and dominion.
I have seen the power of the subconscious lift people up out of
crippled states, making them whole, vital, and strong once more, and
free to go out into the world to experience happiness, health, and
joyous expression. There is a miraculous healing power in your
subconscious that can heal the troubled mind and the broken heart.
It can open the prison door of the mind and liberate you. It can free
you from all kinds of material and physical bondage.
NECESSITY OF A WORKING BASIS
Substantial progress in any field of endeavor is impossible in the
absence of a working basis which is universal in its application. You
can become skilled in the operation of your subconscious mind. You
can practice its powers with a certainty of results in exact proportion
to your knowledge of its principles and to your application of them
for definite specific purposes and goals you wish to achieve.
Being a former chemist, I would like to point out that if you
combine hydrogen and oxygen in the proportions of two atoms of the
former to one of the latter, water will be the result. You are very
familiar with the fact that one atom of oxygen and one atom of
carbon will produce carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas. But, if you
add another atom of oxygen, you will get carbon dioxide, a harmless
gas, and so on throughout the vast realm of chemical compounds.
You must not think that the principles of chemistry, physics, and
mathematics differ from the principles of your subconscious mind.
Let us consider a generally accepted principle: “Water seeks its own
level.” This is a universal principle which is applicable to water
everywhere.
Consider another principle: “Matter expands when heated.” This
is true anywhere, at any time, and under all circumstances. You can
heat a piece of steel, and it will expand regardless whether the steel is
found in China, England, or India. It is a universal truth that matter
expands when heated. It is also a universal truth that whatever you
impress on your subconscious mind is expressed on the screen of
space as condition, experience, and event.
Your prayer is answered because your subconscious mind is
principle, and by principle I mean the way a thing works. For
example, the principle of electricity is that it works from a higher to a
lower potential. You do not change the principle of electricity when
you use it, but by co-operating with nature, you can bring forth
marvelous inventions and discoveries which bless humanity in
countless ways.
Your subconscious mind is principle and works according to the
law of belief. You must know what belief is, why it works, and how it
works. Your Bible says in a simple, clear, and beautiful way:
Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be
thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall
believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall
have whatsoever he saith. MARK 11:23.
The law of your mind is the law of belief. This means to believe in
the way your mind works, to believe in belief itself. The belief of your
mind is the thought of your mind—that is simple—just that and
nothing else.
All your experiences, events, conditions, and acts are the
reactions of your subconscious mind to your thoughts. Remember, it
is not the thing believed in, but the belief in your own mind which
brings about the result. Cease believing in the false beliefs, opinions,
superstitions, and fears of mankind. Begin to believe in the eternal
verities and truths of life which never change. Then, you will move
onward, upward, and Godward.
Whoever reads this book and applies the principles of the
subconscious mind herein set forth, will be able to pray scientifically
and effectively for himself and for others. Your prayer is answered
according to the universal law of action and reaction. Thought is
incipient action. The reaction is the response from your subconscious
mind which corresponds with the nature of your thought. Busy your
mind with the concepts of harmony, health, peace, and good will,
and wonders will happen in your life.
THE DUALITY OF MIND
You have only one mind, but your mind possesses two distinctive
characteristics. The line of demarcation between the two is well
known to all thinking men and women today. The two functions of
your mind are essentially unlike. Each is endowed with separate and
distinct attributes and powers. The nomenclature generally used to
distinguish the two functions of your mind is as follows: The
objective and subjective mind, the conscious and subconscious mind,
the waking and sleeping mind, the surface self and the deep self, the
voluntary mind and the involuntary mind, the male and the female,
and many other terms. You will find the terms “conscious” and
“subconscious” used to represent the dual nature of your mind
throughout this book.
THE CONSCIOUS AND SUBCONSCIOUS MINDS
An excellent way to get acquainted with the two functions of your
mind is to look upon your own mind as a garden. You are a gardener,
and you are planting seeds (thoughts) in your subconscious mind all
day long, based on your habitual thinking. As you sow in your
subconscious mind, so shall you reap in your body and environment.
Begin now to sow thoughts of peace, happiness, right action,
good will, and prosperity. Think quietly and with interest on these
qualities and accept them fully in your conscious reasoning mind.
Continue to plant these wonderful seeds (thoughts) in the garden of
your mind, and you will reap a glorious harvest. Your subconscious
mind may be likened to the soil which will grow all kinds of seeds,
good or bad. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Every thought is, therefore, a cause, and every condition is an effect.
For this reason, it is essential that you take charge of your thoughts
so as to bring forth only desirable conditions.
When your mind thinks correctly, when you understand the
truth, when the thoughts deposited in your subconscious mind are
constructive, harmonious, and peaceful, the magic working power of
your subconscious will respond and bring about harmonious
conditions, agreeable surroundings, and the best of everything.
When you begin to control your thought processes, you can apply the
powers of your subconscious to any problem or difficulty. In other
words, you will actually be consciously co-operating with the infinite
power and omnipotent law which governs all things.
Look around you wherever you live and you will notice that the
vast majority of mankind lives in the world without; the more
enlightened men are intensely interested in the world within.
Remember, it is the world within, namely, your thoughts, feelings,
and imagery that makes your world without. It is, therefore, the only
creative power, and everything which you find in your world of
expression has been created by you in the inner world of your mind
consciously or unconsciously.
A knowledge of the interaction of your conscious and
subconscious minds will enable you to transform your whole life. In
order to change external conditions, you must change the cause.
Most men try to change conditions and circumstances by working
with conditions and circumstances. To remove discord, confusion,
lack, and limitation, you must remove the cause, and the cause is the
way you are using your conscious mind. In other words, the way you
are thinking and picturing in your mind.
You are living in a fathomless sea of infinite riches. Your
subconscious is very sensitive to your thoughts. Your thoughts form
the mold or matrix through which the infinite intelligence, wisdom,
vital forces, and energies of your subconscious flow. The practical
application of the laws of your mind as illustrated in each chapter of
this book will cause you to experience abundance for poverty,
wisdom for superstition and ignorance, peace for pain, joy for
sadness, light for darkness, harmony for discord, faith and
confidence for fear, success for failure, and freedom from the law of
averages. Certainly, there can be no more wonderful blessing than
these from a mental, emotional, and material standpoint.
Most of the great scientists, artists, poets, singers, writers, and
inventors have a deep understanding of the workings of the
conscious and subconscious minds.
One time Caruso, the great operatic tenor, was struck with stage
fright. He said his throat was paralyzed due to spasms caused by
intense fear which constricted the muscles of his throat. Perspiration
poured copiously down his face. He was ashamed because in a few
minutes he had to go out on the stage, yet he was shaking with fear
and trepidation. He said, “They will laugh at me. I can’t sing.” Then
he shouted in the presence of those behind the stage, “The Little Me
wants to strangle the Big Me within.”
He said to the Little Me, “Get out of here, the Big Me wants to
sing through me.”
By the Big Me, he meant the limitless power and wisdom of his
subconscious mind, and he began to shout, “Get out, get out, the Big
Me is going to sing!”
His subconscious mind responded, releasing the vital forces
within him. When the call came, he walked out on the stage and sang
gloriously and majestically, enthralling the audience.
It is obvious to you now that Caruso must have understood the
two levels of mind—the conscious or rational, and the subconscious
or irrational level. Your subconscious mind is reactive and responds
to the nature of your thoughts. When your conscious mind (the Little
Me) is full of fear, worry and anxiety, the negative emotions
engendered in your subconscious mind (the Big Me) are released and
flood the conscious mind with a sense of panic, foreboding, and
despair. When this happens, you can, like Caruso, speak
affirmatively and with a deep sense of authority to the irrational
emotions generated in your deeper mind as follows: “Be still, be
quiet, I am in control, you must obey me, you are subject to my
command, you cannot intrude where you do not belong.”
It is fascinating and intensely interesting to observe how you can
speak authoritatively and with conviction to the irrational movement
of your deeper self bringing silence, harmony, and peace to your
mind. The subconscious is subject to the conscious mind, and that is
why it is called subconscious or subjective.
OUTSTANDING DIFFERENCES AND MODES OF OPERATION
You will perceive the main differences by the following illustrations:
The conscious mind is like the navigator or captain at the bridge of a
ship. He directs the ship and signals orders to men in the engine
room, who in turn control all the boilers, instruments, gauges, etc.
The men in the engine room do not know where they are going; they
follow orders. They would go on the rocks if the man on the bridge
issued faulty or wrong instructions based on his findings with the
compass, sextant, or other instruments. The men in the engine room
obey him because he is in charge and issues orders which are
automatically obeyed. Members of the crew do not talk back to the
captain; they simply carry out orders.
The captain is the master of his ship, and his decrees are carried
out. Likewise, your conscious mind is the captain and the master of
your ship, which represents your body, environment, and all your
affairs. Your subconscious mind takes the orders you give it based
upon what your conscious mind believes and accepts as true.
When you repeatedly say to people, “I can’t afford it,” then your
subconscious mind takes you at your word and sees to it that you will
not be in a position to purchase what you want. As long as you
persist in saying, “I can’t afford that car, that trip to Europe, that
home, that fur coat or ermine wrap,” you can rest assured that your
subconscious mind will follow your orders, and you will go through
life experiencing the lack of all these things.
Last Christmas Eve a beautiful young university student looked
at an attractive and rather expensive traveling bag in a store window.
She was going home to Buffalo, New York, for the holidays. She was
about to say, “I can’t afford that bag,” when she recalled something
she had heard at one of my lectures which was, “Never finish a
negative statement; reverse it immediately, and wonders will happen
in your life.”
She said, “That bag is mine. It is for sale. I accept it mentally, and
my subconscious sees to it that I receive it.”
At eight o’clock Christmas Eve her fiancé presented her with a
bag exactly the same as the one she had looked at and mentally
identified herself with at ten o’clock the same morning. She had filled
her mind with the thought of expectancy and released the whole
thing to her deeper mind which has the “know-how” of
accomplishment.
This young girl, a student at the University of Southern
California, said to me, “I didn’t have the money to buy that bag, but
now I know where to find money and all the things I need, and that is
in the treasure house of eternity within me.”
Another simple illustration is this: When you say, “I do not like
mushrooms,” and the occasion subsequently comes that you are
served mushrooms in sauces or salads, you will get indigestion
because your subconscious mind says to you, “The boss (your
conscious mind) does not like mushrooms.” This is an amusing
example of the outstanding differences and modes of operation of
your conscious and subconscious minds.
A woman may say, “I wake up at three o’clock, if I drink coffee at
night.” Whenever she drinks coffee, her subconscious mind nudges
her, as if to say, “The boss wants you to stay awake tonight.”
Your subconscious mind works twenty-four hours a day and
makes provisions for your benefit, pouring all the fruit of your
habitual thinking into your lap.
HOW HER SUBCONSCIOUS RESPONDED
A woman wrote me a few months ago as follows: “I am seventy-five
years old, a widow with a grown family. I was living alone and on a
pension. I heard your lectures on the powers of the subconscious
mind wherein you said that ideas could be conveyed to the
subconscious mind by repetition, faith, and expectancy.
“I began to repeat frequently with feeling, ‘I am wanted. I am
happily married to a kind, loving, and spiritual-minded man. I am
secure!’
“I kept on doing this many times a day for about two weeks, and
one day at the corner drugstore I was introduced to a retired
pharmacist. I found him to be kind, under-standing, and very
religious. He was a perfect answer to my prayer. Within a week he
proposed to me, and now we are on our honeymoon in Europe. I
know that the intelligence within my subconscious mind brought
both of us together in divine order.”
This woman discovered that the treasure house was within her.
Her prayer was felt as true in her heart, and her affirmation sank
down by osmosis into her subconscious mind, which is the creative
medium. The moment she succeeded in bringing about a subjective
embodiment, her subconscious mind brought about the answer
through the law of attraction. Her deeper mind, full of wisdom and
intelligence, brought both of them together in divine order.
Be sure that you think on whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things. PHIL. 4:8.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
1. The treasure house is within you. Look within for the
answer to your heart’s desire.
2. The great secret possessed by the great men of all ages
was their ability to contact and release the powers of
their subconscious mind. You can do the same.
3. Your subconscious has the answer to all problems. If you
suggest to your subconscious prior to sleep, “I want to get
up at 6 A.M.,” it will awaken you at that exact time.
4. Your subconscious mind is the builder of your body and
can heal you. Lull yourself to sleep every night with the
idea of perfect health, and your subconscious, being your
faithful servant, will obey you.
5. Every thought is a cause, and every condition is an effect.
6. If you want to write a book, write a wonderful play, give a
better talk to your audience, convey the idea lovingly and
feelingly to your subconscious mind, and it will respond
accordingly.
7. You are like a captain navigating a ship. He must give the
right orders, and likewise, you must give the right orders
(thoughts and images) to your subconscious mind which
controls and governs all your experiences.
8. Never use the terms “I can’t afford it” and “I can’t do
this.” Your subconscious mind takes you at your word
and sees to it that you do not have the money or the
ability to do what you want to do. Affirm, “I can do all
things through the power of my subconscious mind.”
9. The law of life is the law of belief. A belief is a thought in
your mind. Do not believe in things to harm or hurt you.
Believe in the power of your subconscious to heal,
inspire, strengthen, and prosper you. According to your
belief is it done unto you.
10. Change your thoughts, and you change your destiny.
CHAPTER TWO
HOW YOUR OWN MIND WORKS
Y
ou have a mind, and you should learn how to use it. There are
two levels of your mind—the conscious or rational level, and
the subconscious or irrational level. You think with your
conscious mind, and whatever you habitually think sinks down into
your subconscious mind, which creates according to the nature of
your thoughts. Your subconscious mind is the seat of your emotions
and is the creative mind. If you think good, good will follow; if you
think evil, evil will follow. This is the way your mind works.
The main point to remember is once the subconscious mind
accepts an idea, it begins to execute it. It is an interesting and subtle
truth that the law of the subconscious mind works for good and bad
ideas alike. This law, when applied in a negative way, is the cause of
failure, frustration, and unhappiness. However, when your habitual
thinking is harmonious and constructive, you experience perfect
health, success, and prosperity.
Peace of mind and a healthy body are inevitable when you begin
to think and feel in the right way. Whatever you claim mentally and
feel as true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring forth into
your experience. The only thing necessary for you to do is to get your
subconscious mind to accept your idea, and the law of your own
subconscious mind will bring forth the health, peace, or the position
you desire. You give the command or decree, and your subconscious
will faithfully reproduce the idea impressed upon it. The law of your
mind is this: You will get a reaction or response from your
subconscious mind according to the nature of the thought or idea
you hold in your conscious mind.
Psychologists and psychiatrists point out that when thoughts are
conveyed to your subconscious mind, impressions are made in the
brain cells. As soon as your subconscious accepts any idea, it
proceeds to put it into effect immediately. It works by association of
ideas and uses every bit of knowledge that you have gathered in your
lifetime to bring about its purpose. It draws on the infinite power,
energy, and wisdom within you. It lines up all the laws of nature to
get its way. Sometimes it seems to bring about an immediate solution
to your difficulties, but at other times it may take days, weeks, or
longer. . . . Its ways are past finding out.
CONSCIOUS AND SUBCONSCIOUS TERMS DIFFERENTIATED
You must remember that these are not two minds. They are merely
two spheres of activity within one mind. Your conscious mind is the
reasoning mind. It is that phase of mind which chooses. For
example, you choose your books, your home, and your partner in life.
You make all your decisions with your conscious mind. On the other
hand, without any conscious choice on your part, your heart is kept
functioning automatically, and the process of digestion, circulation,
and breathing are carried on by your subconscious mind through
processes independent of your conscious control.
Your subconscious mind accepts what is impressed upon it or
what you consciously believe. It does not reason things out like your
conscious mind, and it does not argue with you controversially. Your
subconscious mind is like the soil which accepts any kind of seed,
good or bad. Your thoughts are active and might be likened unto
seeds. Negative, destructive thoughts continue to work negatively in
your subconscious mind, and in due time will come forth into outer
experience which corresponds with them.
Remember, your subconscious mind does not engage in proving
whether your thoughts are good or bad, true or false, but it responds
according to the nature of your thoughts or suggestions. For
example, if you consciously assume something as true, even though it
may be false, your subconscious mind will accept it as true and
proceed to bring about results which must necessarily follow,
because you consciously assumed it to be true.
EXPERIMENTS BY PSYCHOLOGISTS
Innumerable experiments by psychologists and others on persons in
the hypnotic state have shown that the subconscious mind is
incapable of making selections and comparisons which are necessary
for a reasoning process. They have shown repeatedly that your
subconscious mind will accept any suggestions, however false.
Having once accepted any suggestion, it responds according to the
nature of the suggestion given.
To illustrate the amenability of your subconscious mind to
suggestion, if a practiced hypnotist suggests to one of his subjects
that he is Napoleon Bonaparte, or even a cat or a dog, he will act out
the part with inimitable accuracy. His personality becomes changed
for the time being. He believes himself to be whatever the operator
tells him he is.
A skilled hypnotist may suggest to one of his students in the
hypnotic state that his back itches, to another that his nose is
bleeding, to another that he is a marble statue, to another that he is
freezing and the temperature is below zero. Each one will follow out
the line of his particular suggestion, totally oblivious to all his
surroundings which do not pertain to his idea.
These simple illustrations portray clearly the difference between
your conscious reasoning mind and your subconscious mind which is
impersonal, non-selective, and accepts as true whatever your
conscious mind believes to be true. Hence, the importance of
selecting thoughts, ideas, and premises which bless, heal, inspire,
and fill your soul with joy.
THE TERMS OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE MIND CLARIFIED
Your conscious mind is sometimes referred to as your objective mind
because it deals with outward objects. The objective mind takes
cognizance of the objective world. Its media of observation are your
five physical senses. Your objective mind is your guide and director
in your contact with your environment. You gain knowledge through
your five senses. Your objective mind learns through observation,
experience, and education. As previously pointed out, the greatest
function of the objective mind is that of reasoning.
Suppose you are one of the thousands of tourists who come to
Los Angeles annually. You would come to the conclusion that it is a
beautiful city based upon your observation of the parks, pretty
gardens, majestic buildings, and lovely homes. This is the working of
your objective mind.
Your subconscious mind is oftentimes referred to as your
subjective mind. Your subjective mind takes cognizance of its
environment by means independent of the five senses. Your
subjective mind perceives by intuition. It is the seat of your emotion
and the storehouse of memory. Your subjective mind performs its
highest functions when your objective senses are in abeyance. In a
word, it is that intelligence which makes itself manifest when the
objective mind is suspended or in a sleepy, drowsy state.
Your subjective mind sees without the use of the natural organs
of vision. It has the capacity of clairvoyance and clairaudience. Your
subjective mind can leave your body, travel to distant lands, and
bring back information oftentimes of the most exact and truthful
character. Through your subjective mind you can read the thoughts
of others, read the contents of sealed envelopes and closed safes.
Your subjective mind has the ability to apprehend the thoughts of
others without the use of the ordinary objective means of
communication. It is of the greatest importance that we understand
the interaction of the objective and subjective mind in order to learn
the true art of prayer.
THE SUBCONSCIOUS CANNOT REASON LIKE YOUR
CONSCIOUS MIND
Your subconscious mind cannot argue controversially. Hence, if you
give it wrong suggestions, it will accept them as true and will proceed
to bring them to pass as conditions, experiences, and events. All
things that have happened to you are based on thoughts impressed
on your subconscious mind through belief. If you have conveyed
erroneous concepts to your subconscious mind, the sure method of
overcoming them is by the repetition of constructive, harmonious
thoughts frequently repeated which your subconscious mind accepts,
thus forming new and healthy habits of thought and life, for your
subconscious mind is the seat of habit.
The habitual thinking of your conscious mind establishes deep
grooves in your subconscious mind. This is very favorable for you if
your habitual thoughts are harmonious, peaceful, and constructive.
If you have indulged in fear, worry, and other obstructive forms
of thinking, the remedy is to recognize the omnipotence of your
subconscious mind and decree freedom, happiness, and perfect
health. Your subconscious mind, being creative and one with your
divine source, will proceed to create the freedom and happiness
which you have earnestly decreed.
THE TREMENDOUS POWER OF SUGGESTION
You must realize by now that your conscious mind is the “watchman
at the gate,” and its chief function is to protect your subconscious
mind from false impressions. You are now aware of one of the basic
laws of mind: Your subconscious mind is amenable to suggestion. As
you know, your subconscious mind does not make comparisons, or
contrasts, neither does it reason and think things out for itself. This
latter function belongs to your conscious mind. It simply reacts to
the impressions given to it by your conscious mind. It does not show
a preference for one course of action over another.
The following is a classic example of the tremendous power of
suggestion. Suppose you approach a timid-looking passenger on
board ship and say to him something like this: “You look very ill.
How pale you are! I feel certain you are going to be seasick. Let me
help you to your cabin.” The passenger turns pale. Your suggestion of
seasickness associates itself with his own fears and forebodings. He
accepts your aid down to the berth, and there your negative
suggestion, which was accepted by him, is realized.
DIFFERENT REACTIONS TO THE SAME SUGGESTION
It is true that different people will react in different ways to the same
suggestion because of their subconscious conditioning or belief. For
example, if you go to a sailor on the ship and say to him
sympathetically, “My dear fellow, you’re looking very ill. Aren’t you
feeling sick? You look to me as if you were going to be seasick.”
According to his temperament he either laughs at your “joke,” or
expresses a mild irritation. Your suggestion fell on deaf ears in this
instance because your suggestion of seasickness was associated in his
mind with his own immunity from it. Therefore, it called up not fear
or worry, but self-confidence.
The dictionary says that a suggestion is the act or instance of
putting something into one’s mind, the mental process by which the
thought or idea suggested is entertained, accepted, or put into effect.
You must remember that a suggestion cannot impose something on
the subconscious mind against the will of the conscious mind. In
other words, your conscious mind has the power to reject the
suggestion given. In the case of the sailor, he had no fear of
seasickness. He had convinced himself of his immunity, and the
negative suggestion had absolutely no power to evoke fear.
The suggestion of seasickness to the other passenger called forth
his indwelling fear of seasickness. Each of us has his own inner fears,
beliefs, opinions, and these inner assumptions rule and govern our
lives. A suggestion has no power in and of itself except it is accepted
mentally by you. This causes your subconscious powers to flow in a
limited and restricted way according to the nature of the suggestion.
HOW HE LOST HIS ARM
Every two or three years I give a series of lectures at the London
Truth Forum in Caxton Hall. This is a Forum I founded a number of
years ago. Dr. Evelyn Fleet, the director, told me about an article
which appeared in the English newspapers dealing with the power of
suggestion. This is the suggestion a man gave to his subconscious
mind over a period of about two years: “I would give my right arm to
see my daughter cured.” It appeared that his daughter had a
crippling form of arthritis together with a so-called incurable form of
skin disease. Medical treatment had failed to alleviate the condition,
and the father had an intense longing for his daughter’s healing, and
expressed his desire in the words just quoted.
Dr. Evelyn Fleet said that the newspaper article pointed out that
one day the family was out riding when their car collided with
another. The father’s right arm was torn off at the shoulder, and
immediately the daughter’s arthritis and skin condition vanished.
You must make certain to give your subconscious only
suggestions which heal, bless, elevate, and inspire you in all your
ways. Remember that your subconscious mind cannot take a joke. It
takes you at your word.
HOW AUTOSUGGESTION BANISHES FEAR
Illustrations of autosuggestion: Autosuggestion means suggesting
something definite and specific to oneself. Herbert Parkyn, in his
excellent manual of autosuggestion,* records the following incident.
It has its amusing side, so that one remembers it. “A New York
visitor in Chicago looks at his watch, which is set an hour ahead of
Chicago time, and tells a Chicago friend that it is twelve o’clock. The
Chicago friend, not considering the difference in time between
Chicago and New York, tells the New Yorker that he is hungry and
that he must go to lunch.”
Autosuggestion may be used to banish various fears and other
negative conditions. A young singer was invited to give an audition.
She had been looking forward to the interview, but on three previous
occasions she had failed miserably due to fear of failure. This young
lady had a very good voice, but she had been saying to herself, “When
the time comes for me to sing, maybe they won’t like me. I will try,
but I’m full of fear and anxiety.”
Her subconscious mind accepted these negative autosuggestions
as a request and proceeded to manifest them and bring them into her
experience. The cause was an involuntary autosuggestion, i.e., silent
fear thoughts emotionalized and subjectified.
She overcame it by the following technique: Three times a day
she isolated herself in a room. She sat down comfortably in an
armchair, relaxed her body, and closed her eyes. She stilled her mind
and body as best she could. Physical inertia favors mental passivity
and renders the mind more receptive to suggestion. She
counteracted the fear suggestion by saying to herself, “I sing
beautifully. I am poised, serene, confident, and calm.” She repeated
this statement slowly, quietly, and with feeling from five to ten times
at each sitting. She had three such “sittings” every day and one
immediately prior to sleep. At the end of a week she was completely
poised and confident. When the invitation to audition came, she gave
a remarkable, wonderful audition.
HOW SHE RESTORED HER MEMORY
A woman, aged seventy-five, was in the habit of saying to herself, “I
am losing my memory.” She reversed the procedure and practiced
induced autosuggestion several times a day as follows: “My memory
from today on is improving in every department. I shall always
remember whatever I need to know at every moment of time and
point of space. The impressions received will be clearer and more
definite. I shall retain them automatically and with ease. Whatever I
wish to recall will immediately present itself in the correct form in
my mind. I am improving rapidly every day, and very soon my
memory will be better than it has ever been before.” At the end of
three weeks, her memory was back to normal, and she was delighted.
HOW HE OVERCAME A NASTY TEMPER
Many men who complained of irritability and bad temper proved to
be very susceptible to autosuggestion and obtained marvelous results
by using the following statements three or four times a day—
morning, noon, and at night prior to sleep for about a month.
“Henceforth, I shall grow more good-humored. Joy, happiness, and
cheerfulness are now becoming my normal states of mind. Every day
I am becoming more and more lovable and understanding. I am now
becoming the center of cheer and good will to all those about me,
infecting them with good humor. This happy, joyous, and cheerful
mood is now becoming my normal, natural state of mind. I am
grateful.”
THE CONSTRUCTIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF
SUGGESTION
Some illustrations and comments on heterosuggestion:
Heterosuggestion means suggestions from another person. In all
ages the power of suggestion has played a part in the life and thought
of man in every period of time and in each country of the earth. In
many parts of the world it is the controlling power in religion.
Suggestion may be used to discipline and control ourselves, but it
can also be used to take control and command over others who do
not know the laws of mind. In its constructive form it is wonderful
and magnificent. In its negative aspects it is one of the most
destructive of all the response patterns of the mind, resulting in
patterns of misery, failure, suffering, sickness, and disaster.
HAVE YOU ACCEPTED ANY OF THESE?
From infancy on the majority of us have been given many negative
suggestions. Not knowing how to thwart them, we unconsciously
accepted them. Here are some of the negative suggestions: “You
can’t.” “You’ll never amount to anything.” “You mustn’t.” “You’ll fail.”
“You haven’t got a chance.” “You’re all wrong.” “It’s no use.” “It’s not
what you know, but who you know.” “The world is going to the dogs.”
“What’s the use, nobody cares.” “It’s no use trying so hard.” “You’re
too old now.” “Things are getting worse and worse.” “Life is an
endless grind.” “Love is for the birds.” “You just can’t win.” “Pretty
soon you’ll be bankrupt.” “Watch out, you’ll get the virus.” “You can’t
trust a soul,” etc.
Unless, as an adult, you use constructive autosuggestion, which is
a reconditioning therapy, the impressions made on you in the past
can cause behavior patterns that cause failure in your personal and
social life. Autosuggestion is a means releasing you from the mass of
negative verbal conditioning that might otherwise distort your life
pattern, making the development of good habits difficult.
YOU CAN COUNTERACT NEGATIVE SUGGESTIONS
Pick up the paper any day, and you can read dozens of items that
could sow the seeds of futility, fear, worry, anxiety, and impending
doom. If accepted by you, these thoughts of fear could cause you to
lose the will for life. Knowing that you can reject all these negative
suggestions by giving your subconscious mind constructive
autosuggestions, you counteract all these destructive ideas.
Check regularly on the negative suggestions that people make to
you. You do not have to be influenced by destructive
heterosuggestion. All of us have suffered from it in our childhood
and in our teens. If you look back, you can easily recall how parents,
friends, relatives, teachers, and associates contributed in a campaign
of negative suggestions. Study the things said to you, and you will
discover much of it was in the form of propaganda. The purpose of
much of what was said was to control you or instill fear into you.
This heterosuggestion process goes on in every home, office,
factory, and club. You will find that many of these suggestions are for
the purpose of making you think, feel, and act as others want you to
and in ways that are to their advantage.
HOW SUGGESTION KILLED A MAN
Here is an illustration of heterosuggestion: A relative of mine went to
a crystal gazer in India who told him that he had a bad heart and
predicted that he would die at the next new moon. He began to tell
all members of his family about this prediction, and he arranged his
will.
This powerful suggestion entered into his subconscious mind
because he accepted it completely. My relative also told me that this
crystal gazer was believed to have some strange occult powers, and
he could do harm or good to a person. He died as predicted not
knowing that he was the cause of his own death. I suppose many of
us have heard similar stupid, ridiculous, superstitious stories.
Let us look at what happened in the light of our knowledge of the
way the subconscious mind works. Whatever the conscious,
reasoning mind of man believes, the subconscious mind will accept
and act upon. My relative was happy, healthy, vigorous, and robust
when he went to see the fortune-teller. She gave him a very negative
suggestion which he accepted. He became terrified, and constantly
dwelt upon the fact that he was going to die at the next new moon.
He proceeded to tell everyone about it, and he prepared for the end.
The activity took place in his own mind, and his own thought was the
cause. He brought about his own so-called death, or rather
destruction of the physical body, by his fear and expectation of the
end.
The woman who predicted his death had no more power than the
stones and sticks in the field. Her suggestion had no power to create
or bring about the end she suggested. If he had known the laws of his
mind, he would have completely rejected the negative suggestion and
refused to give her words any attention, knowing in his heart that he
was governed and controlled by his own thought and feeling. Like tin
arrows aimed at a battleship, her prophecy could have been
completely neutralized and dissipated without hurting him.
The suggestions of others in themselves have absolutely no power
whatever over you except the power that you give them through your
own thoughts. You have to give your mental consent; you have to
entertain the thought. Then, it becomes your thought, and you do the
thinking. Remember, you have the capacity to choose. Choose life!
Choose love! Choose health!
THE POWER OF AN ASSUMED MAJOR PREMISE
Your mind works like a syllogism. This means that whatever major
premise your conscious mind assumes to be true determines the
conclusion your subconscious mind comes to in regard to any
particular question or problem in your mind. If your premise is true,
the conclusion must be true as in the following example:
Every virtue is laudable;
Kindness is a virtue;
Therefore, kindness is laudable.
Another example is as follows:
All formed things change and pass away;
The Pyramids of Egypt are formed things;
Therefore, some day the Pyramids will pass away.
The first statement is referred to as the major premise, and the
right conclusion must necessarily follow the right premise.
A college professor, who attended some of my science of mind
lectures in May 1962, at Town Hall, New York, said to me,
“Everything in my life is topsy-turvy, and I have lost health, wealth,
and friends. Everything I touch turns out wrong.”
I explained to him that he should establish a major premise in his
thinking, that the infinite intelligence of his subconscious mind was
guiding, directing, and prospering him spiritually, mentally, and
materially. Then, his subconscious mind would automatically direct
him wisely in his investments, decisions, and also heal his body and
restore his mind to peace and tranquillity.
This professor formulated an overall picture of the way he
wanted his life to be, and this was his major premise:
“Infinite intelligence leads and guides me in all my ways. Perfect
health is mine, and the Law of Harmony operates in my mind and
body. Beauty, love, peace, and abundance are mine. The principle of
right action and divine order govern my entire life. I know my major
premise is based on the eternal truths of life, and I know, feel, and
believe that my subconscious mind responds according to the nature
of my conscious mind thinking.”
He wrote me as follows: “I repeated the above statements slowly,
quietly, and lovingly several times a day knowing that they were
sinking deep down into my subconscious mind, and that results must
follow. I am deeply grateful for the interview you gave me, and I
would like to add that all departments of my life are changing for the
better. It works!”
THE SUBCONSCIOUS DOES NOT ARGUE CONTROVERSIALLY
Your subconscious mind is all-wise and knows the answers to all
questions. It does not argue with you or talk back to you. It does not
say, “You must not impress me with that.” For example, when you
say, “I can’t do this,” “I am too old now,” “I can’t meet this
obligation,” “I was born on the wrong side of the tracks,” “I don’t
know the right politician,” you are impregnating your subconscious
with these negative thoughts, and it responds accordingly. You are
actually blocking your own good, thereby bringing lack, limitation,
and frustration into your life.
When you set up obstacles, impediments, and delays in your
conscious mind, you are denying the wisdom and intelligence
resident in your subconscious mind. You are actually saying in effect
that your subconscious mind cannot solve your problem. This leads
to mental and emotional congestion, followed by sickness and
neurotic tendencies.
To realize your desire and overcome your frustration, affirm
boldly several times a day: “The infinite intelligence which gave me
this desire leads, guides, and reveals to me the perfect plan for the
unfolding of my desire. I know the deeper wisdom of my
subconscious is now responding, and what I feel and claim within is
expressed in the without. There is a balance, equilibrium, and
equanimity.”
If you say, “There is no way out; I am lost; there is no way out of
this dilemma; I am stymied and blocked,” you will get no answer or
response from your subconscious mind. If you want the
subconscious to work for you, give it the right request, and attain its
co-operation. It is always working for you. It is controlling your
heartbeat this minute and also your breathing. It heals a cut on your
finger, and its tendency is lifeward, forever seeking to take care of
you and preserve you. Your subconscious has a mind of its own, but
it accepts your patterns of thought and imagery.
When you are seeking an answer to a problem, your
subconscious will respond, but it expects you to come to a decision
and to a true judgment in your conscious mind. You must
acknowledge the answer is in your subconscious mind. However, if
you say, “I don’t think there is any way out; I am all mixed up and
confused; why don’t I get an answer?” you are neutralizing your
prayer. Like the soldier marking time, you do not get anywhere.
Still the wheels of your mind, relax, let go, and quietly affirm:
“My subconscious knows the answer. It is responding to me now. I
give thanks because I know the infinite intelligence of my
subconscious knows all things and is revealing the perfect answer to
me now. My real conviction is now setting free the majesty and glory
of my subconscious mind. I rejoice that it is so.”
REVIEW OF HIGHLIGHTS
1. Think good, and good follows. Think evil, and evil
follows. You are what you think all day long.
2. Your subconscious mind does not argue with you. It
accepts what your conscious mind decrees. If you say, “I
can’t afford it,” it may be true, but do not say it. Select a
better thought, decree, “I’ll buy it. I accept it in my
mind.”
3. You have the power to choose. Choose health and
happiness. You can choose to be friendly, or you can
choose to be unfriendly. Choose to be co-operative,
joyous, friendly, lovable, and the whole world will
respond. This is the best way to develop a wonderful
personality.
4. Your conscious mind is the “watchman at the gate.” Its
chief function is to protect your subconscious mind from
false impressions. Choose to believe that something good
can happen and is happening now. Your greatest power
is your capacity to choose. Choose happiness and
abundance.
5. The suggestions and statements of others have no power
to hurt you. The only power is the movement of your own
thought. You can choose to reject the thoughts or
statements of others and affirm the good. You have the
power to choose how you will react.
6. Watch what you say. You have to account for every idle
word. Never say, “I will fail; I will lose my job; I can’t pay
the rent.” Your subconscious cannot take a joke. It
brings all these things to pass.
7. Your mind is not evil. No force of nature is evil. It
depends how you use the powers of nature. Use your
mind to bless, heal, and inspire all people everywhere.
8. Never say, “I can’t.” Overcome that fear by substituting
the following: “I can do all things through the power of
my own subconscious mind.”
9. Begin to think from the standpoint of the eternal truths
and principles of life and not from the standpoint of fear,
ignorance, and superstition. Do not let others do your
thinking for you. Choose your own thoughts and make
your own decisions.
10. You are the captain of your soul (subconscious mind) and
the master of your fate. Remember, you have the capacity
to choose. Choose life! Choose love! Choose health!
Choose happiness!
11. Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to
be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to
pass. Believe in good fortune, divine guidance, right
action, and all the blessings of life.
CHAPTER THREE
THE MIRACLE-WORKING POWER OF YOUR
SUBCONSCIOUS
T
he power of your subconscious is enormous. It inspires you, it
guides you, and it reveals to you names, facts, and scenes from
the storehouse of memory. Your subconscious started your
heartbeat, controls the circulation of your blood, regulates your
digestion, assimilation, and elimination. When you eat a piece of
bread, your subconscious mind transmutes it into tissue, muscle,
bone, and blood. This process is beyond the ken of the wisest man
who walks the earth. Your subconscious mind controls all the vital
processes and functions of your body and knows the answer to all
problems.
Your subconscious mind never sleeps, never rests. It is always on
the job. You can discover the miracle-working power of your
subconscious by plainly stating to your subconscious prior to sleep
that you wish a certain specific thing accomplished. You will be
delighted to discover that forces within you will be released, leading
to the desired result. Here, then, is a source of power and wisdom
which places you in touch with omnipotence or the power that moves
the world, guides the planets in their course, and causes the sun to
shine.
Your subconscious mind is the source of your ideals, aspirations,
and altruistic urges. It was through the subconscious mind that
Shakespeare perceived great truths hidden from the average man of
his day. Undoubtedly, it was the response of his subconscious mind
that caused the Greek sculptor, Phidias, to portray beauty, order,
symmetry, and proportion in marble and bronze. It enabled the
Italian artist, Raphael, to paint Madonnas, and Ludwig van
Beethoven to compose symphonies.
In 1955 I lectured at the Yoga Forest University, Rishikesh, India,
and there I chatted with a visiting surgeon from Bombay. He told me
about Dr. James Esdaille, a Scotch surgeon, who worked in Bengal
before ether or other modern methods of anesthesia were discovered.
Between 1843 and 1846, Dr. Esdaille performed about four hundred
major operations of all kinds, such as amputations, removal of
tumors and cancerous growths, as well as operations on the eye, ear,
and throat. All operations were conducted under mental anesthesia
only. This Indian doctor at Rishikesh informed me that the
postoperative mortality rate of patients operated on by Dr. Esdaille
was extremely low, probably two or three percent. Patients felt no
pain, and there were no deaths during the operations.
Dr. Esdaille suggested to the subconscious minds of all his
patients, who were in a hypnotic state, that no infection or septic
condition would develop. You must remember that this was before
Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister, and others who pointed out the
bacterial origin of disease and causes of infection due to unsterilized
instruments and virulent organisms.
This Indian surgeon said that the reason for the low mortality
rate and the general absence of infection, which was reduced to a
minimum, was undoubtedly due to the suggestions of Dr. Esdaille to
the subconscious minds of his patients. They responded according to
the nature of his suggestion.
It is simply wonderful, when you conceive how a surgeon, over
one hundred twenty years ago, discovered the miraculous wonderworking powers of the subconscious mind. Doesn’t it cause you to be
seized with a sort of mystic awe when you stop and think of the
transcendental powers of your subconscious mind? Consider its
extrasensory perceptions, such as its capacity for clairvoyance and
clairaudience, its independence of time and space, its capacity to
render you free from all pain and suffering, and its capacity to get the
answer to all problems, be they what they may. All these and many
more reveal to you that there is a power and an intelligence within
you that far transcends your intellect, causing you to marvel at the
wonders of it all. All these experiences cause you to rejoice and
believe in the miracle-working powers of your own subconscious
mind.
YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS IS YOUR BOOK OF LIFE
Whatever thoughts, beliefs, opinions, theories, or dogmas you write,
engrave, or impress on your subconscious mind, you shall experience
them as the objective manifestation of circumstances, conditions,
and events. What you write on the inside, you will experience on the
outside. You have two sides to your life, objective and subjective,
visible and invisible, thought and its manifestation.
Your thought is received by your brain, which is the organ of your
conscious reasoning mind. When your conscious or objective mind
accepts the thought completely, it is sent to the solar plexus, called
the brain of your abdomen, where it becomes flesh and is made
manifest in your experience.
As previously outlined, your subconscious cannot argue. It acts
only from what you write on it. It accepts your verdict or the
conclusions of your conscious mind as final. This is why you are
always writing on the book of life, because your thoughts become
your experiences. The American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
“Man is what he thinks all day long.”
WHAT IS IMPRESSED IN THE SUBCONSCIOUS IS EXPRESSED
William James, the father of American psychology, said that the
power to move the world is in your subconscious mind. Your
subconscious mind is one with infinite intelligence and boundless
wisdom. It is fed by hidden springs, and is called the law of life.
Whatever you impress upon your subconscious mind, the latter will
move heaven and earth to bring it to pass. You must, therefore,
impress it with right ideas and constructive thoughts.
The reason there is so much chaos and misery in the world is
because people do not understand the interaction of their conscious
and subconscious minds. When these two principles work in accord,
in concord, in peace, and synchronously together, you will have
health, happiness, peace and joy. There is no sickness or discord
when the conscious and subconscious work together harmoniously
and peacefully.
The tomb of Hermes was opened with great expectancy and a
sense of wonder because people believed that the greatest secret of
the ages was contained therein. The secret was as within, so without;
as above, so below.
In other words, whatever is impressed in your subconscious
mind is expressed on the screen of space. This same truth was
proclaimed by Moses, Isaiah, Jesus, Buddha, Zoro-aster, Laotze, and
the illumined seers of the ages. Whatever you feel as true subjectively
is expressed as conditions, experiences, and events. Motion and
emotion must balance. As in heaven [your own mind], so on earth
[in your body and environment]. This is the great law of life.
You will find throughout all nature the law of action and reaction,
of rest and motion. These two must balance, then there will be
harmony and equilibrium. You are here to let the life principle flow
through you rhythmically and harmoniously. The intake and the
outgo must be equal. The impression and the expression must be
equal. All your frustration is due to unfulfilled desire.
If you think negatively, destructively, and viciously, these
thoughts generate destructive emotions which must be expressed
and find an outlet. These emotions, being of a negative nature, are
frequently expressed as ulcers, heart trouble, tension, and anxieties.
What is your idea or feeling about yourself now? Every part of
your being expresses that idea. Your vitality, body, financial status,
friends, and social status represent a perfect reflection of the idea
you have of yourself. This is the real meaning of what is impressed in
your subconscious mind, and which is expressed in all phases of your
life.
We injure ourselves by the negative ideas which we entertain.
How often have you wounded yourself by getting angry, fearful,
jealous, or vengeful? These are the poisons that enter your
subconscious mind. You were not born with these negative attitudes.
Feed your subconscious mind life-giving thoughts, and you will wipe
out all the negative patterns lodged therein. As you continue to do
this, all the past will be wiped out and remembered no more.
THE SUBCONSCIOUS HEALS A MALIGNANCY OF THE SKIN
A personal healing will ever be the most convincing evidence of the
healing power of the subconscious mind. Over forty years ago I
resolved a malignancy of the skin through prayer. Medical therapy
had failed to check the growth, and it was getting progressively
worse.
A clergyman, with a deep psychological knowledge, explained to
me the inner meaning of the 139th Psalm wherein it says, In thy
book all my members were written, which in continuance were
fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. He explained that
the term book meant my subconscious mind which fashioned and
molded all my organs from an invisible cell. He also pointed out that
inasmuch as my subconscious mind made my body, it could also recreate it and heal it according to the perfect pattern within it.
This clergyman showed me his watch and said, “This had a
maker, and the watchmaker had to have the idea first in mind before
the watch became an objective reality, and if the watch was out of
order, the watchmaker could fix it.” My friend reminded me that the
subconscious intelligence which created my body was like a
watchmaker, and it also knew exactly how to heal, restore, and direct
all the vital functions and processes of my body, but that I had to give
it the perfect idea of health. This would act as cause, and the effect
would be a healing.
I prayed in a very simple way as follows: “My body and all its
organs were created by the infinite intelligence in my subconscious
mind. It knows how to heal me. Its wisdom fashioned all my organs,
tissues, muscles, and bones. This infinite healing presence within me
is now transforming every atom of my being making me whole and
perfect now. I give thanks for the healing I know is taking place now.
Wonderful are the works of the creative intelligence within me.”
I prayed aloud for about five minutes two or three times a day
repeating the above simple prayer. In about three months my skin
was whole and perfect.
As you can see, all I did was give life-giving patterns of
wholeness, beauty, and perfection to my subconscious mind, thereby
obliterating the negative images and patterns of thought lodged in
my subconscious mind which were the cause of all my trouble.
Nothing appears on your body except when the mental equivalent is
first in your mind, and as you change your mind by drenching it with
incessant affirmatives, you change your body. This is the basis of all
healing. . . . Marvellous are thy works; and that my soul
[subconscious mind] knoweth right well. PSALMS 139:14.
HOW THE SUBCONSCIOUS CONTROLS ALL FUNCTIONS OF
THE BODY
While you are awake or sound asleep upon your bed, the ceaseless,
tireless action of your subconscious mind controls all the vital
functions of your body without the help of your conscious mind. For
example, while you are asleep your heart continues to beat
rhythmically, your lungs do not rest, and the process of inhalation
and exhalation, whereby your blood absorbs fresh air, goes on just
the same as when you are awake. Your subconscious controls your
digestive processes and glandular secretions, as well as all the other
mysterious operations of your body. The hair on your face continues
to grow whether you are asleep or awake. Scientists tell us that the
skin secretes much more perspiration during sleep than during the
waking hours. Your eyes, ears, and other senses are active during
sleep. For instance, many of our great scientists have received
answers to perplexing problems while they were asleep. They saw the
answers in a dream.
Oftentimes your conscious mind interferes with the normal
rhythm of the heart, lungs, and functioning of the stomach and
intestines by worry, anxiety, fear, and depression. These patterns of
thought interfere with the harmonious functioning of your
subconscious mind. When mentally disturbed, the best procedure is
to let go, relax, and still the wheels of your thought processes. Speak
to your subconscious mind, telling it to take over in peace, harmony,
and divine order. You will find that all the functions of your body will
become normal again. Be sure to speak to your subconscious mind
with authority and conviction, and it will conform to your command.
Your subconscious seeks to preserve your life and restore you to
health at all costs. It causes you to love your children which also
illustrates an instinctive desire to preserve all life. Let us suppose you
accidentally ate some bad food. Your subconscious mind would cause
you to regurgitate it. If you inadvertently took some poison, your
subconscious powers would proceed to neutralize it. If you
completely entrusted yourself to its wonder-working power, you
would be entirely restored to health.
HOW TO GET THE SUBCONSCIOUS TO WORK FOR YOU
The first thing to realize is that your subconscious mind is always
working. It is active night and day, whether you act upon it or not.
Your subconscious is the builder of your body, but you cannot
consciously perceive or hear that inner silent process. Your business
is with your conscious mind and not your subconscious mind. Just
keep your conscious mind busy with the expectation of the best, and
make sure the thoughts you habitually think are based on whatsoever
things are lovely, true, just, and of good report. Begin now to take
care of your conscious mind, knowing in your heart and soul that
your subconscious mind is always expressing, reproducing, and
manifesting according to your habitual thinking.
Remember, just as water takes the shape of the pipe it flows
through, the life principle in you flows through you according to the
nature of your thoughts. Claim that the healing presence in your
subconscious is flowing through you as harmony, health, peace, joy,
and abundance. Think of it as a living intelligence, a lovely
companion on the way. Firmly believe it is continually flowing
through you vivifying, inspiring, and prospering you. It will respond
exactly this way. It is done unto you as you believe.
HEALING PRINCIPLE OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS RESTORES
ATROPHIED OPTIC NERVES
There is the well-known, duly authenticated case of Madame Bire of
France, recorded in the archives of the medical department of
Lourdes, France. She was blind, the optic nerves were atrophied and
useless. She visited Lourdes and had what she termed a miraculous
healing. Ruth Cranston, a Protestant young lady who investigated
and wrote about healings at Lourdes in McCall’s magazine,
November, 1955, writes about Madame Bire as follows: “At Lourdes
she regained her sight incredibly, with the optic nerves still lifeless
and useless, as several doctors could testify after repeated
examinations. A month later, upon re-examination, it was found that
the seeing mechanism had been restored to normal. But at first, so
far as medical examination could tell, she was seeing with ‘dead
eyes.’”
I have visited Lourdes several times where I, too, witnessed some
healings, and of course, as we shall explain in the next chapter, there
is no doubt that healings take place at many shrines throughout the
world, Christian and non-Christian.
Madame Bire, to whom we just referred, was not healed by the
waters of the shrine, but by her own subconscious mind which
responded to her belief. The healing principle within her
subconscious mind responded to the nature of her thought. Belief is
a thought in the subconscious mind. It means to accept something as
true. The thought accepted executes itself automatically.
Undoubtedly, Madame Bire went to the shrine with expectancy and
great faith, knowing in her heart she would receive a healing. Her
subconscious mind responded accordingly, releasing the ever present
healing forces. The subconscious mind which created the eye can
certainly bring a dead nerve back to life. What the creative principle
created, it can re-create. According to your belief is it done unto you.
HOW TO CONVEY THE IDEA OF PERFECT HEALTH TO YOUR
SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
A Protestant minister I knew in Johannesburg, South Africa, told me
the method he used to convey the idea of perfect health to his
subconscious mind. He had cancer of the lung. His technique, as
given to me in his own handwriting, is exactly as follows: “Several
times a day I would make certain that I was completely relaxed
mentally and physically. I relaxed my body by speaking to it as
follows, ‘My feet are relaxed, my ankles are relaxed, my legs are
relaxed, my abdominal muscles are relaxed, my heart and lungs are
relaxed, my head is relaxed, my whole being is completely relaxed.’
After about five minutes I would be in a sleepy drowsy state, and
then I affirmed the following truth: ‘The perfection of God is now
being expressed through me. The idea of perfect health is now filling
my subconscious mind. The image God has of me is a perfect image,
and my subconscious mind re-creates my body in perfect accordance
with the perfect image held in the mind of God.’” This minister had a
remarkable healing. This is a simple easy way of conveying the idea
of perfect health to your subconscious mind.
Another wonderful way to convey the idea of health to your
subconscious is through disciplined or scientific imagination. I told a
man who was suffering from functional paralysis to make a vivid
picture of himself walking around in his office, touching the desk,
answering the telephone, and doing all the things he ordinarily
would do if he were healed. I explained to him that this idea and
mental picture of perfect health would be accepted by his
subconscious mind.
He lived the role and actually felt himself back in the office. He
knew that he was giving his subconscious mind something definite to
work upon. His subconscious mind was the film upon which the
picture was impressed. One day, after several weeks of frequent
conditioning of the mind with this mental picture, the telephone rang
by prearrangement and kept ringing while his wife and nurse were
out. The telephone was about twelve feet away, but nevertheless he
managed to answer it. He was healed at that hour. The healing power
of his subconscious mind responded to his mental imagery, and a
healing followed.
This man had a mental block which prevented impulses from the
brain reaching his legs, therefore, he said he could not walk. When
he shifted his attention to the healing power within him, the power
flowed through his focused attention, enabling him to walk.
Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
MATTHEW 21:22.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
1. Your subconscious mind controls all the vital processes
of your body and knows the answer to all problems.
2. Prior to sleep, turn over a specific request to your
subconscious mind and prove its miracle-working power
to yourself.
3. Whatever you impress on your subconscious mind is
expressed on the screen of space as conditions,
experiences, and events. Therefore, you should carefully
watch all ideas and thoughts entertained in your
conscious mind.
4. The law of action and reaction is universal. Your thought
is action, and the reaction is the automatic response of
your subconscious mind to your thought. Watch your
thoughts!
5. All frustration is due to unfulfilled desires. If you dwell
on obstacles, delays, and difficulties, your subconscious
mind responds accordingly, and you are blocking your
own good.
6. The Life Principle will flow through you rhythmically and
harmoniously if you consciously affirm: “I believe that
the subconscious power which gave me this desire is now
fulfilling it through me.” This dissolves all conflicts.
7. You can interfere with the normal rhythm of your heart,
lungs, and other organs by worry, anxiety, and fear. Feed
your subconscious with thoughts of harmony, health, and
peace, and all the functions of your body will become
normal again.
8. Keep your conscious mind busy with the expectation of
the best, and your subconscious will faithfully reproduce
your habitual thinking.
9. Imagine the happy ending or solution to your problem,
feel the thrill of accomplishment, and what you imagine
and feel will be accepted by your subconscious mind and
bring it to pass.
CHAPTER FOUR
MENTAL HEALINGS IN ANCIENT TIMES
D
own through the ages men of all nations have somehow
instinctively believed that somewhere there resided a healing
power which could restore to normal the functions and
sensations of man’s body. They believed that this strange power
could be invoked under certain conditions, and that the alleviation of
human suffering would follow. The history of all nations presents
testimony in support of this belief.
In the early history of the world the power of secretly influencing
men for good or evil, including the healing of the sick, was said to be
possessed by the priests and holy men of all nations. Healing of the
sick was supposed to be a power derived directly by them from God,
and the procedures and processes of healing varied throughout the
world. The healing processes took the form of supplications to God
attended by various ceremonies, such as the laying on of hands,
incantations, and the application of amulets, talismans, rings, relics,
and images.
For example, in the religions of antiquity priests in the ancient
temples gave drugs to the patient and practiced hypnotic suggestions
prior to the patient’s sleep, telling him that the gods would visit him
in his sleep and heal him. Many healings followed. Obviously, all this
was the work of potent suggestions to the subconscious mind.
After the performance of certain mysterious rites, the devotees of
Hecate would see the goddess during sleep, provided that before
going to sleep they had prayed to her according to weird and
fantastic instructions. They were told to mix lizards with resin,
frankincense, and myrrh, and pound all this together in the open air
under the crescent moon. Healings were reported in many cases
following this grotesque procedure.
It is obvious that these strange procedures, as mentioned in the
illustrations given, favored suggestion and acceptance by the
subconscious mind of these people by making a powerful appeal to
their imagination. Actually, in all these healings, the subconscious
mind of the subject was the healer.
In all ages unofficial healers have obtained remarkable results in
cases where authorized medical skill has failed. This gives cause for
thought. How do these healers in all parts of the world effect their
cures? The answer to all these healings is due to the blind belief of
the sick person which released the healing power resident in his
subconscious mind. Many of the remedies and methods employed
were rather strange and fantastic which fired the imagination of the
patients, causing an aroused emotional state. This state of mind
facilitated the suggestion of health, and was accepted both by the
conscious and subconscious mind of the sick. This will be elaborated
on further in the next chapter.
BIBLICAL ACCOUNTS ON THE USE OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS
POWERS
What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them. MARK 11:24.
Note the difference in tenses. The inspired writer tells us to
believe and accept as true the fact that our desire has already been
accomplished and fulfilled, that it is already completed, and that its
realization will follow as a thing in the future.
The success of this technique depends on the confident
conviction that the thought, the idea, the picture is already a fact in
mind. In order for anything to have substance in the realm of mind,
it must be thought of as actually existing there.
Here in a few cryptic words is a concise and specific direction for
making use of the creative power of thought by impressing upon the
subconscious the particular thing which you desire. Your thought,
idea, plan, or purpose is as real on its own plane as your hand or your
heart. In following the Biblical technique, you completely eliminate
from your mind all consideration of conditions, circumstances, or
anything which might imply adverse contingencies. You are planting
a seed (concept) in the mind which, if you leave it undisturbed, will
infallibly germinate into external fruition.
The prime condition which Jesus insisted upon was faith. Over
and over again you read in the Bible, According to your faith is it
done unto you. If you plant certain types of seeds in the ground, you
have faith they will grow after their kind. This is the way of seeds,
and trusting the laws of growth and agriculture, you know that the
seeds will come forth after their kind. Faith as mentioned in the Bible
is a way of thinking, an attitude of mind, an inner certitude, knowing
that the idea you fully accept in your conscious mind will be
embodied in your subconscious mind and made manifest. Faith is, in
a sense, accepting as true what your reason and senses deny, i.e., a
shutting out of the little, rational, analytical, conscious mind and
embracing an attitude of complete reliance on the inner power of
your subconscious mind.
A classical instance of Bible technique is recorded in MATTHEW
9:28-30. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came
to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do
this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes,
saying, according to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were
opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man
know it.
In the words according to your faith be it unto you, you can see
that Jesus was actually appealing to the co-operation of the
subconscious mind of the blind men. Their faith was their great
expectancy, their inner feeling, their inner conviction that something
miraculous would happen, and that their prayer would be answered,
and it was. This is the time-honored technique of healing, utilized
alike by all healing groups throughout the world regardless of
religious affiliation.
In the words see that no man know it, Jesus enjoins the newly
healed patients not to discuss their healing because they might be
subjected to the skeptical and derogatory criticisms of the
unbelieving. This might tend to undo the benefits they had received
at the hand of Jesus by depositing thoughts of fear, doubt, and
anxiety in the subconscious mind.
. . . for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean
spirits, and they come out. LUKE 4:36.
When the sick came to Jesus to be healed, they were healed by
their faith together with his faith and understanding of the healing
power of the subconscious mind. Whatever he decreed, he felt
inwardly to be true. He and the people needing help were in the one
universal subjective mind, and his silent inner knowing and
conviction of the healing power changed the negative destructive
patterns in the patients’ subconscious. The resultant healings were
the automatic response to the internal mental change. His command
was his appeal to the subconscious mind of the patients plus his
awareness, feeling, and absolute trust in the response of the
subconscious mind to the words which he spoke with authority.
MIRACLES AT VARIOUS SHRINES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
It is an established fact that cures have taken place at various shrines
throughout the world, such as in Japan, India, Europe, and America.
I have visited several of the famous shrines in Japan. At the world
famous shrine called Diabutsu is a gigantic divinity of bronze where
Buddha is seated with folded hands, and the head is inclined in an
attitude of profound contemplative ecstasy. It is 42 feet in height and
is called the great Buddha. Here I saw young and old making
offerings at its feet. Money, fruit, rice, and oranges were offered.
Candles were lit, incense was burned, and prayers of petition recited.
The guide explained the chant of a young girl as she murmured a
prayer, bowed low, and placed two oranges as an offering. She also lit
a candle. He said she had lost her voice, and it was restored at the
shrine. She was thanking Buddha for restoring her voice. She had the
simple faith that Buddha would give her back her singing voice if she
followed a certain ritual, fasted, and made certain offerings. All this
helped to kindle faith and expectancy, resulting in a conditioning of
her mind to the point of belief. Her subconscious mind responded to
her belief.
To illustrate further the power of imagination and blind belief I
will relate the case of a relative of mine who had tuberculosis. His
lungs were badly diseased. His son decided to heal his father. He
came home to Perth, Western Australia, where his father lived, and
said to him that he had met a monk who had returned from one of
the healing shrines in Europe. This monk sold him a piece of the true
cross. He said that he gave the monk the equivalent of $500 for it.
This young man had actually picked up a splinter of wood from
the sidewalk, went to the jeweler’s, and had it set in a ring so that it
looked real. He told his father that many were healed just by
touching the ring or the cross. He inflamed and fired his father’s
imagination to the point that the old gentleman snatched the ring
from him, placed it over his chest, prayed silently, and went to sleep.
In the morning he was healed. All the clinic’s tests proved negative.
You know, of course, it was not the splinter of wood from the
sidewalk that healed him. It was his imagination aroused to an
intense degree, plus the confident expectancy of a perfect healing.
Imagination was joined to faith or subjective feeling, and the union
of the two brought about a healing. The father never learned of the
trick that had been played upon him. If he had, he probably would
have had a relapse. He remained completely cured and passed away
fifteen years later at the age of 89.
ONE UNIVERSAL HEALING PRINCIPLE
It is a well-known fact that all of the various schools of healing effect
cures of the most wonderful character. The most obvious conclusion,
which strikes your mind is that there must be some underlying
principle which is common to them all, namely, the subconscious
mind, and the one process of healing is faith.
It will now be in order to recall to your mind once more the
following fundamental truths:
First that you possess mental functions which have been
distinguished by designating one the conscious mind and the other
the subconscious mind.
Secondly, your subconscious mind is constantly amenable to the
power of suggestion. Furthermore, your subconscious mind has
complete control of the functions, conditions, and sensations of your
body.
I venture to believe that all the readers of this book are familiar
with the fact that symptoms of almost any disease can be induced in
hypnotic subjects by suggestion. For example, a subject in the
hypnotic state can develop a high temperature, flushed face, or chills
according to the nature of the suggestion given. By experiment, you
can suggest to the person that he is paralyzed and cannot walk: it will
be so. By illustration, you can hold a cup of cold water under the nose
of the hypnotic subject and tell him, “This is full of pepper; smell it!”
He will proceed to sneeze. What do you think caused him to sneeze,
the water or the suggestion?
If a man says he is allergic to Timothy grass, you can place a
synthetic flower or an empty glass in front of his nose, when he is in
a hypnotic state, and tell him it is Timothy grass. He will portray the
usual allergic symptoms. This indicates that the cause of the disease
is in the mind. The healing of the disease can also take place
mentally.
You realize that remarkable healings take place through
osteopathy, chiropractic medicine, and naturopathy, as well as
through all the various religious bodies throughout the world, but it
is obvious that all of these healings are brought about through the
subconscious mind—the only healer there is.
Notice how it heals a cut on your face caused by shaving. It
knows exactly how to do it. The doctor dresses the wound and says,
“Nature heals it!” Nature refers to natural law, the law of the
subconscious mind, or self-preservation which is the function of the
subconscious mind. The instinct of self-preservation is the first law
of nature. Your strongest instinct is the most potent of all
autosuggestions.
WIDELY DIFFERENT THEORIES
It would be tedious and unprofitable to discuss to any great extent
the numerous theories advanced by different religious sects and
prayer therapy groups. There are a great number who claim that
because their theory produces results it is, therefore, the correct one.
This, as explained in this chapter, cannot be true.
You are aware that there are all types of healing. Franz Anton
Mesmer, a German physician (1734–1815) who practiced in Paris,
discovered that by applying magnets to the diseased body, he could
cure that disease miraculously. He also performed cures with various
other pieces of glass and metals. He discontinued this form of
healing and claimed that his cures were due to “animal magnetism,”
theorizing that this substance was projected from the healer to the
patient.
His method of treating disease from then on was by hypnotism
which was called mesmerism in his day. Other physicians said that
all his healings were due to suggestion and nothing else.
All of these groups, such as psychiatrists, psychologists,
osteopaths, chiropractors, physicians, and all the churches are using
the one universal power resident in the subconscious mind. Each
may proclaim the healings are due to their theory. The process of all
healing is a definite, positive, mental attitude, an inner attitude, or a
way of thinking, called faith. Healing is due to a confident expectancy
which acts as a powerful suggestion to the subconscious mind
releasing its healing potency.
One man does not heal by a different power than another. It is
true he may have his own theory or method. There is only one
process of healing and that is faith. There is only one healing power,
namely, your subconscious mind. Select the theory and method you
prefer. You can rest assured, if you have faith, you shall get results.
VIEWS OF PARACELSUS
Philippus Paracelsus, a famous Swiss alchemist and physician, who
lived from 1493 to 1541, was a great healer in his day. He stated what
is now an obvious scientific fact when he uttered these words,
“Whether the object of your faith be real or false, you will
nevertheless obtain the same effects. Thus, if I believed in Saint
Peter’s statue as I should have believed in Saint Peter himself, I shall
obtain the same effects that I should have obtained from Saint Peter.
But that is superstition. Faith, however, produces miracles; and
whether it is true or false faith, it will always produce the same
wonders.”
The views of Paracelsus were also entertained in the sixteenth
century by Pietro Pomponazzi, an Italian philosopher and
contemporary of Paracelsus, who said, “We can easily conceive the
marvelous effects which confidence and imagination can produce,
particularly when both qualities are reciprocated between the
subjects and the person who influences them. The cures attributed to
the influence of certain relics are the effect of their imagination and
confidence. Quacks and philosophers know that if the bones of any
skeleton were put in place of the saint’s bones, the sick would
nonetheless experience beneficial effects, if they believed that they
were veritable relics.”
Then, if you believe in the bones of saints to heal, or if you believe
in the healing power of certain waters, you will get results because of
the powerful suggestion given to your subconscious mind. It is the
latter that does the healing.
BERNHEIM’S EXPERIMENTS
Hippolyte Bernheim, professor of medicine at Nancy, France, 19101919, was the expounder of the fact that the suggestion of the
physician to the patient was exerted through the subconscious mind.
Bernheim, in his Suggestive Therapeutics, page 197, tells a story
of a man with paralysis of the tongue which had yielded to no form of
treatment. His doctor told the patient that he had a new instrument
with which he promised to heal him. He introduced a pocket
thermometer into the patient’s mouth. The patient imagined it to be
the instrument which was to save him. In a few moments he cried
out joyfully that he could once more move his tongue freely.
“Among our cases,” continues Bernheim, “facts of the same sort
will be found. A young girl came into my office, having suffered from
complete loss of speech for nearly four weeks. After making sure of
the diagnosis, I told my students that loss of speech sometimes
yielded instantly to electricity, which might act simply by its
suggestive influence. I sent for the induction apparatus. I applied my
hand over the larynx and moved a little, and said, ‘Now you can
speak aloud.’ In an instant I made her say ‘a,’ then ‘b,’ then ‘Maria.’
She continued to speak distinctly; the loss of voice had disappeared.”
Here Bernheim is showing the power of faith and expectancy on
the part of the patient which acts as a powerful suggestion to the
subconscious mind.
PRODUCING A BLISTER BY SUGGESTION
Bernheim states that he produced a blister on the back of a patient’s
neck by applying a postage stamp and suggesting to the patient that
it was a fly-plaster. This has been confirmed by the experiments and
experiences of many doctors in many parts of the world, which leave
no doubt that structural changes are a possible result of oral
suggestion to patients.
THE CAUSE OF BLOODY STIGMATA
In Hudson’s Law of Psychic Phenomena, page 153, he states,
“Hemorrhages and bloody stigmata may be induced in certain
subjects by means of suggestion.
“Dr. M. Bourru put a subject into the somnambulistic condition,
and gave him the following suggestion: ‘At four o’clock this
afternoon, after the hypnosis, you will come into my office, sit down
in the armchair, cross your arms upon your breast, and your nose
will begin to bleed.’ At the hour appointed the young man did as
directed. Several drops of blood came from the left nostril.
“On another occasion the same investigator traced the patient’s
name on both his forearms with the dull point of an instrument.
Then when the patient was in the somnambulistic condition, he said,
‘At four o’clock this afternoon you will go to sleep, and your arms will
bleed along the lines which I have traced, and your name will appear
written on your arms in letters of blood.’ He was watched at four
o’clock and seen to fall asleep. On the left arm the letters stood out in
bright relief, and in several places there were drops of blood. The
letters were still visible three months afterward, although they had
gradually grown faint.”
These facts demonstrate at once the correctness of the two
fundamental propositions previously stated, namely, the constant
amenability of the subconscious mind to the power of suggestion and
the perfect control which the subconscious mind exercises over the
functions, sensations, and conditions of the body.
All the foregoing phenomena dramatize vividly abnormal
conditions induced by suggestion, and are conclusive proof that as a
man thinketh in his heart [subconscious mind] so is he.
HEALING POINTS IN REVIEW
1. Remind yourself frequently that the healing power is in
your own subconscious mind.
2. Know that faith is like a seed planted in the ground; it
grows after its kind. Plant the idea (seed) in your mind,
water and fertilize it with expectancy, and it will
manifest.
3. The idea you have for a book, new invention, or play is
real in your mind. This is why you can believe you have it
now. Believe in the reality of your idea, plan, or
invention, and as you do, it will become manifest.
4. In praying for another, know that your silent inner
knowing of wholeness, beauty, and perfection can change
the negative patterns of the other’s subconscious mind
and bring about wonderful results.
5. The miraculous healings you hear about at various
shrines are due to imagination and blind faith which act
on the subconscious mind, releasing the healing power.
6. All disease originates in the mind. Nothing appears on
the body unless there is a mental pattern corresponding
to it.
7. The symptoms of almost any disease can be induced in
you by hypnotic suggestion. This shows you the power of
your thought.
8. There is only one process of healing and that is faith.
There is only one healing power, namely, your
subconscious mind.
9. Whether the object of your faith is real or false, you will
get results. Your subconscious mind responds to the
thought in your mind. Look upon faith as a thought in
your mind, and that will suffice.
CHAPTER FIVE
MENTAL HEALINGS IN MODERN TIMES
E
veryone is definitely concerned with the healing of bodily
conditions and human affairs. What is it that heals? Where is
this healing power? These are questions asked by everyone.
The answer is that this healing power is in the subconscious mind of
each person, and a changed mental attitude on the part of the sick
person releases this healing power.
No mental or religious science practitioner, psychologist,
psychiatrist, or medical doctor ever healed a patient. There is an old
saying, “The doctor dresses the wound, but God heals it.” The
psychologist or psychiatrist proceeds to remove the mental blocks in
the patient so that the healing principle may be released, restoring
the patient to health. Likewise, the surgeon removes the physical
block enabling the healing currents to function normally. No
physician, surgeon, or mental science practitioner claims that “he
healed the patient.” The one healing power is called by many names
—Nature, Life, God, Creative Intelligence, and Subconscious Power.
As previously outlined, there are many different methods used to
remove the mental, emotional, and physical blocks which inhibit the
flow of the healing life principle animating all of us. The healing
principle resident in your subconscious mind can and will, if
properly directed by you or some other person, heal your mind and
body of all disease. This healing principle is operative in all men
regardless of creed, color, or race. You do not have to belong to some
particular church in order to use and participate in this healing
process. Your subconscious will heal the burn or cut on your hand
even though you profess to be an atheist or agnostic.
The modern mental therapeutic procedure is based on the truth
that the infinite intelligence and power of your subconscious mind
responds according to your faith. The mental science practitioner or
minister follows the injunction of the Bible, i.e., he goes into his
closet and shuts the door, which means he stills his mind, relaxes,
lets go, and thinks of the infinite healing presence within him. He
closes the door of his mind to all outside distractions as well as
appearances, and then he quietly and knowingly turns over his
request or desire to his subconscious mind, realizing that the
intelligence of his mind will answer him according to his specific
needs.
The most wonderful thing to know is this: Imagine the end
desired and feel its reality; then the infinite life principle will respond
to your conscious choice and your conscious request. This is the
meaning of believe you have received, and you shall receive. This is
what the modern mental scientist does when he practices prayer
therapy.
ONE PROCESS OF HEALING
There is only one universal healing principle operating through
everything—the cat, the dog, the tree, the grass, the wind, the earth—
for everything is alive. This life principle operates through the
animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms as instinct and the law of
growth. Man is consciously aware of this life principle, and he can
consciously direct it to bless himself in countless ways.
There are many different approaches, techniques, and methods
in using the universal power, but there is only one process of healing,
which is faith, for according to your faith is it done unto you.
THE LAW OF BELIEF
All religions of the world represent forms of belief, and these beliefs
are explained in many ways. The law of life is belief. What do you
believe about yourself, life, and the universe? It is done unto you as
you believe.
Belief is a thought in your mind which causes the power of your
subconscious to be distributed into all phases of your life according
to your thinking habits. You must realize the Bible is not talking
about your belief in some ritual, ceremony, form, institution, man, or
formula. It is talking about belief itself. The belief of your mind is
simply the thought of your mind. If thou canst believe, all things are
possible to him that believeth. MARK 9:23.
It is foolish to believe in something to hurt or harm you.
Remember, it is not the thing believed in that hurts or harms you,
but the belief or thought in your mind which creates the result. All
your experiences, all your actions, and all the events and
circumstances of your life are but the reflections and reactions to
your own thought.
PRAYER THERAPY IS THE COMBINED FUNCTION OF THE
CONSCIOUS AND SUBCONSCIOUS MIND SCIENTIFICALLY
DIRECTED
Prayer therapy is the synchronized, harmonious, and intelligent
function of the conscious and subconscious levels of mind
specifically directed for a definite purpose. In scientific prayer or
prayer therapy, you must know what you are doing and why you are
doing it. You trust the law of healing. Prayer therapy is sometimes
referred to as mental treatment, and another term is scientific
prayer.
In prayer therapy you consciously choose a certain idea, mental
picture, or plan which you desire to experience. You realize your
capacity to convey this idea or mental image to your subconscious by
feeling the reality of the state assumed. As you remain faithful in
your mental attitude, your prayer will be answered. Prayer therapy is
a definite mental action for a definite specific purpose.
Let us suppose that you decide to heal a certain difficulty by
prayer therapy. You are aware that your problem or sickness,
whatever it may be, must be caused by negative thoughts charged
with fear and lodged in your subconscious mind, and that if you can
succeed in cleansing your mind of these thoughts, you will get a
healing.
You, therefore, turn to the healing power within your own
subconscious mind and remind yourself of its infinite power and
intelligence and its capacity to heal all conditions. As you dwell on
these truths, your fear will begin to dissolve, and the recollection of
these truths also corrects the erroneous beliefs.
You give thanks for the healing that you know will come, and
then you keep your mind off the difficulty until you feel guided, after
an interval, to pray again. While you are praying, you absolutely
refuse to give any power to the negative conditions or to admit for a
second that the healing will not come. This attitude of mind brings
about the harmonious union of the conscious and subconscious
mind, which releases the healing power.
FAITH HEALING, WHAT IT MEANS, AND HOW BLIND FAITH
WORKS
What is popularly termed faith healing is not the faith mentioned in
the Bible, which means a knowledge of the interaction of the
conscious and subconscious mind. A faith healer is one who heals
without any real scientific understanding of the powers and forces
involved. He may claim that he has a special gift of healing, and the
sick person’s blind belief in him or his powers may bring results.
The voodoo doctor in South Africa and other parts of the world
may heal by incantations, or a person may be healed by touching the
so-called bones of saints, or anything else which cause the patients to
honestly believe in the method or process.
Any method which causes you to move from fear and worry to
faith and expectancy will heal. There are many persons, each of
whom claims that because his personal theory produces results, it is,
therefore, the correct one. This, as already explained in this chapter,
cannot be true.
To illustrate how blind faith works: You will recall our discussion
of the German physician Franz Anton Mesmer. In 1776 he claimed
many cures when he stroked diseased bodies with artificial magnets.
Later on he threw away his magnets and evolved the theory of animal
magnetism. This he held to be a fluid which pervades the universe,
but is most active in the human organism.
He claimed that this magnetic fluid which was going forth from
him to his patients healed them. People flocked to him, and many
wonderful cures were effected.
Mesmer moved to Paris, and while there the Government
appointed a commission composed of physicians and members of
the Academy of Science, of which Benjamin Franklin was a member,
to investigate his cures. The report admitted the leading facts
claimed by Mesmer, but held that there was no evidence to prove the
correctness of his magnetic fluid theory, and said the effects were
due to the imagination of the patients.
Soon after this, Mesmer was driven into exile, and died in 1815.
Shortly afterwards, Dr. Braid of Manchester undertook to show that
magnetic fluid had nothing to do with the production of the healings
of Dr. Mesmer. Dr. Braid discovered that patients could be thrown
into hypnotic sleep by suggestion, during which many of the wellknown phenomena ascribed to magnetism by Mesmer could be
produced.
You can readily see that all these cures were undoubtedly brought
about by the active imagination of the patients together with a
powerful suggestion of health to their subconscious minds. All this
could be termed blind faith as there was no understanding in those
days as to how the cures were brought about.
SUBJECTIVE FAITH AND WHAT IT MEANS
You will recall the proposition, which need not be repeated at length,
that the subjective or subconscious mind of an individual is as
amenable to the control of his own conscious objective mind as it is
by the suggestions of another. It follows that whatever may be your
objective belief, if you will assume to have faith actively or passively,
your subconscious mind will be controlled by the suggestion, and
your desire will be fulfilled.
The faith required in mental healings is a purely subjective faith,
and it is attainable upon the cessation of active opposition on the
part of the objective or conscious mind.
In the healing of the body it is, of course, desirable to secure the
concurrent faith of both the conscious and subconscious mind.
However, it is not always essential if you will enter into a state of
passivity and receptivity by relaxing the mind and the body and
getting into a sleepy state. In this drowsy state your passivity
becomes receptive to subjective impression.
Recently, I was asked by a man, “How is it that I got a healing
through a minister? I did not believe what he said when he told me
that there is no such thing as disease and that matter does not exist.”
This man at first thought his intelligence was being insulted, and
he protested against such a palpable absurdity. The explanation is
simple. He was quieted by soothing words and told to get into a
perfectly passive condition, to say nothing, and think of nothing for
the time being. His minister also became passive, and affirmed
quietly, peacefully, and constantly for about one half hour that this
man would have perfect health, peace, harmony, and wholeness. He
felt immense relief and was restored to health.
It is easy to see that his subjective faith had been made manifest
by his passivity under treatment, and the suggestions of perfect
healthfulness by the minister were conveyed to his subconscious
mind. The two subjective minds were men en rapport.
The minister was not handicapped by antagonistic
autosuggestions of the patient arising from objective doubt of the
power of the healer or the correctness of the theory. In this sleepy,
drowsy state the conscious mind resistance is reduced to a minimum,
and results followed. The subconscious mind of the patient being
necessarily controlled by such suggestion exercised its functions in
accordance therewith, and a healing followed.
THE MEANING OF ABSENT TREATMENT
Suppose you learned that your mother was sick in New York City and
you lived in Los Angeles. Your mother would not be physically
present where you are, but you could pray for her. It is the Father
within which doeth the work.
The creative law of mind (subconscious mind) serves you and will
do the work. Its response to you is automatic. Your treatment is for
the purpose of inducing an inner realization of health and harmony
in your mentality. This inner realization, acting through the
subconscious mind, operates through your mother’s subconscious
mind as there is but one creative mind. Your thoughts of health,
vitality, and perfection operate through the one universal subjective
mind, and set a law in motion on the subjective side of life which
manifests through her body as a healing.
In the mind principle there is no time or space. It is the same
mind that operates through your mother no matter where she may
be. In reality there is no absent treatment as opposed to present
treatment for the universal mind is omnipresent. You do not try to
send out thoughts or hold a thought. Your treatment is a conscious
movement of thought, and as you become conscious of the qualities
of health, well-being, and relaxation, these qualities will be
resurrected in the experience of your mother, and results will follow.
The following is a perfect example of what is called absent
treatment. Recently, a listener of our radio program in Los Angeles
prayed as follows for her mother in New York who had a coronary
thrombosis: “The healing presence is right where my mother is. Her
bodily condition is but a reflection of her thought-life like shadows
cast on the screen. I know that in order to change the images on the
screen I must change the projection reel. My mind is the projection
reel, and I now project in my own mind the image of wholeness,
harmony, and perfect health for my mother. The infinite healing
presence which created my mother’s body and all her organs is now
saturating every atom of her being, and a river of peace flows
through every cell of her body. The doctors are divinely guided and
directed, and whoever touches my mother is guided to do the right
thing. I know that disease has no ultimate reality; if it had, no one
could be healed. I now align myself with the infinite principle of love
and life, and I know and decree that harmony, health, and peace are
now being expressed in my mother’s body.”
She prayed in the above manner several times daily, and her
mother had a most remarkable recovery after a few days, much to the
amazement of her specialist. He complimented her on her great faith
in the power of God.
The conclusion arrived at in the daughter’s mind set the creative
law of mind in motion on the subjective side of life, which manifested
itself through her mother’s body as perfect health and harmony.
What the daughter felt as true about her mother was simultaneously
resurrected in the experience of her mother.
RELEASING THE KINETIC ACTION OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS
MIND
A psychologist friend of mine told me that one of his lungs was
infected. X rays and analysis showed the presence of tuberculosis. At
night before going to sleep he would quietly affirm, “Every cell,
nerve, tissue, and muscle of my lungs is now being made whole,
pure, and perfect. My whole body is being restored to health and
harmony.”
These are not his exact words, but they represent the essence of
what he affirmed. A complete healing followed in about a month’s
time. Subsequent X rays showed a perfect healing.
I wanted to know his method, so I asked him why he repeated the
words prior to sleep. Here is his reply: “The kinetic action of the
subconscious mind continues throughout your sleep-time period.
Hence, give the subconscious mind something good to work on as
you drop off into slumber.” This was a very wise answer. In thinking
of harmony and perfect health, he never mentioned his trouble by
name.
I strongly suggest that you cease talking about your ailments or
giving them a name. The only sap from which they draw life is your
attention and fear of them. Like the abovementioned psychologist,
become a mental surgeon. Then your troubles will be cut off like
dead branches are pruned from a tree.
If you are constantly naming your aches and symptoms, you
inhibit the kinetic action, which means the release of the healing
power and energy of your subconscious mind. Furthermore, by the
law of your own mind, these imaginings tend to take shape, As the
thing I greatly feared. Fill your mind with the great truths of life and
walk forward in the light of love.
SUMMARY OF YOUR AIDS TO HEALTH
1. Find out what it is that heals you. Realize that correct
directions given to your subconscious mind will heal your
mind and body.
2. Develop a definite plan for turning over your requests or
desires to your subconscious mind.
3. Imagine the end desired and feel its reality. Follow it
through, and you will get definite results.
4. Decide what belief is. Know that belief is a thought in
your mind, and what you think you create.
5. It is foolish to believe in sickness as something to hurt or
to harm you. Believe in perfect health, prosperity, peace,
wealth, and divine guidance.
6. Great and noble thoughts upon which you habitually
dwell become great acts.
7. Apply the power of prayer therapy in your life. Choose a
certain plan, idea, or mental picture. Mentally and
emotionally unite with that idea, and as you remain
faithful to your mental attitude, your prayer will be
answered.
8. Always remember, if you really want the power to heal,
you can have it through faith, which means a knowledge
of the working of your conscious and subconscious mind.
Faith comes with understanding.
9. Blind faith means that a person may get results in
healing without any scientific understanding of the
powers and forces involved.
10. Learn to pray for your loved ones who may be ill. Quiet
your mind, and your thoughts of health, vitality, and
perfection operating through the one universal subjective
mind will be felt and resurrected in the mind of your
loved one.
CHAPTER SIX
PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES IN MENTAL
HEALINGS
A
n engineer has a technique and a process for building a bridge
or an engine. Like the engineer, your mind also has a
technique for governing, controlling, and directing your life.
You must realize that methods and techniques are primary.
In building the Golden Gate bridge, the chief engineer
understood mathematical principles, stresses and strains. Secondly,
he had a picture of the ideal bridge across the bay. The third step was
his application of tried and proven methods by which the principles
were implemented until the bridge took form and we drive on it.
There also are techniques and methods by which your prayers are
answered. If your prayer is answered, there is a way in which it is
answered, and this is a scientific way. Nothing happens by chance.
This is a world of law and order. In this chapter you will find
practical techniques for the unfolding and nurture of your spiritual
life. Your prayers must not remain up in the air like a balloon. They
must go somewhere and accomplish something in your life.
When we come to analyze prayer we discover there are many
different approaches and methods. We will not consider in this book
the formal, ritual prayers used in religious services. These have an
important place in group worship. We are immediately concerned
with the methods of personal prayer as it is applied in your daily life
and as it is used to help others.
Prayer is the formulation of an idea concerning something we
wish to accomplish. Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire. Your desire is
your prayer. It comes out of your deepest needs and it reveals the
things you want in life. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after
righteousness: for they shall be filled. That is really prayer, life’s
hunger and thirst for peace, harmony, health, joy, and all the other
blessings of life.
THE PASSING-OVER TECHNIQUE FOR IMPREGNATING THE
SUBCONSCIOUS
This consists essentially in inducing the subconscious mind to take
over your request as handed it by the conscious mind. This passingover is best accomplished in the reverie-like state. Know that in your
deeper mind is Infinite Intelligence and Infinite Power. Just calmly
think over what you want; see it coming into fuller fruition from this
moment forward. Be like the little girl who had a very bad cough and
a sore throat. She declared firmly and repeatedly, “It is passing away
now. It is passing away now.” It passed away in about an hour. Use
this technique with complete simplicity and naïveté.
YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS WILL ACCEPT YOUR BLUEPRINT
If you were building a new home for yourself and family, you know
that you would be intensely interested in regard to the blueprint for
your home; you would see to it that the builders conformed to the
blueprint. You would watch the material and select only the best
wood, steel, in fact, the best of everything. What about your mental
home and your mental blueprint for happiness and abundance? All
your experiences and everything that enters into your life depend
upon the nature of the mental building blocks which you use in the
construction of your mental home.
If your blueprint is full of mental patterns of fear, worry, anxiety,
or lack, and if you are despondent, doubtful, and cynical, then the
texture of the mental material you are weaving into your mind will
come forth as more toil, care, tension, anxiety, and limitation of all
kinds.
The most fundamental and the most far-reaching activity in life is
that which you build into your mentality every waking hour. Your
word is silent and invisible; nevertheless, it is real.
You are building your mental home all the time, and your
thought and mental imagery represent your blueprint. Hour by hour,
moment by moment, you can build radiant health, success, and
happiness by the thoughts you think, the ideas which you harbor, the
beliefs that you accept, and the scenes that you rehearse in the
hidden studio of your mind. This stately mansion, upon the
construction of which you are perpetually engaged, is your
personality, your identity in this plane, your whole life story on this
earth.
Get a new blueprint; build silently by realizing peace, harmony,
joy, and good will in the present moment. By dwelling upon these
things and claiming them, your subconscious will accept your
blueprint and bring all these things to pass. By their fruits ye shall
know them.
THE SCIENCE AND ART OF TRUE PRAYER
The term “science” means knowledge which is co-ordinated,
arranged, and systematized. Let us think of the science and art of
true prayer as it deals with the fundamental principles of life and the
techniques and processes by which they can be demonstrated in your
life, as well as in the life of every human being when he applies them
faithfully. The art is your technique or process, and the science
behind it is the definite response of creative mind to your mental
picture or thought.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you. MATTHEW 7:7.
Here you are told you shall receive that for which you ask. It shall
be opened to you when you knock, and you shall find that for which
you are searching. This teaching implies the definiteness of mental
and spiritual laws. There is always a direct response from the Infinite
Intelligence of your subconscious mind to your conscious thinking. If
you ask for bread, you will not receive a stone. You must ask
believing, if you are to receive. Your mind moves from the thought to
the thing. Unless there is first an image in the mind, it cannot move,
for there would be nothing for it to move toward. Your prayer, which
is your mental act, must be accepted as an image in your mind before
the power from your subconscious will play upon it and make it
productive. You must reach a point of acceptance in your mind, an
unqualified and undisputed state of agreement.
This contemplation should be accompanied by a feeling of joy
and restfulness in foreseeing the certain accomplishment of your
desire. The sound basis for the art and science of true prayer is your
knowledge and complete confidence that the movement of your
conscious mind will gain a definite response from your subconscious
mind which is one with boundless wisdom and infinite power. By
following this procedure, your prayers will be answered.
THE VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUE
The easiest and most obvious way to formulate an idea is to visualize
it, to see it in your mind’s eye as vividly as if it were alive. You can see
with the naked eye only what already exists in the external world; in
a similar way, that which you can visualize in your mind’s eye already
exists in the invisible realms of your mind. Any picture which you
have in your mind is the substance of things hoped for and the
evidence of things not seen. What you form in your imagination is as
real as any part of your body. The idea and the thought are real and
will one day appear in your objective world if you are faithful to your
mental image.
This process of thinking forms impressions in your mind; these
impressions in turn become manifested as facts and experiences in
your life. The builder visualizes the type of building he wants; he sees
it as he desires it to be completed. His imagery and thought
processes become a plastic mold from which the building will emerge
—a beautiful or an ugly one, a skyscraper or a very low one. His
mental imagery is projected as it is drawn on paper. Eventually, the
contractor and his workers gather the essential materials, and the
building progresses until it stands finished, conforming perfectly to
the mental patterns of the architect.
I use the visualization technique prior to speaking from the
platform. I quiet the wheels of my mind in order that I may present
to the subconscious mind my images of thought. Then, I picture the
entire auditorium and the seats filled with men and women, and
each one of them illumined and inspired by the infinite healing
presence within each one. I see them as radiant, happy, and free.
Having first built up the idea in my imagination, I quietly sustain
it there as a mental picture while I imagine I hear men and women
saying, “I am healed,” “I feel wonderful,” “I’ve had an instantaneous
healing,” “I’m transformed.” I keep this up for about ten minutes or
more, knowing and feeling that each person’s mind and body are
saturated with love, wholeness, beauty, and perfection. My
awareness grows to the point where in my mind I can actually hear
the voices of the multitude proclaiming their health and happiness;
then I release the whole picture and go onto the platform. Almost
every Sunday some people stop and say that their prayers were
answered.
MENTAL MOVIE METHOD
The Chinese say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” William
James, the father of American psychology, stressed the fact that the
subconscious mind will bring to pass any picture held in the mind
and backed by faith. Act as though I am, and I will be.
A number of years ago I was in the Middle West lecturing in
several states, and I desired to have a permanent location in the
general area from which I could serve those who desired help. I
traveled far, but the desire did not leave my mind. One evening,
while in a hotel in Spokane, Washington, I relaxed completely on a
couch, immobilized my attention, and in a quiet, passive manner
imagined that I was talking to a large audience, saying in effect, “I
am glad to be here; I have prayed for the ideal opportunity.” I saw in
my mind’s eye the imaginary audience, and I felt the reality of it all. I
played the role of the actor, dramatized this mental movie, and felt
satisfied that this picture was being conveyed to my subconscious
mind, which would bring it to pass in its own way. The next morning,
on awakening, I felt a great sense of peace and satisfaction, and in a
few days’ time I received a telegram asking me to take over an
organization in the Midwest, which I did, and I enjoyed it immensely
for several years.
The method outlined here appeals to many who have described it
as “the mental movie method.” I have received numerous letters
from people who listen to my radio talks and weekly public lectures,
telling me of the wonderful results they get using this technique in
the sale of their property. I suggest to those who have homes or
property for sale that they satisfy themselves in their own mind that
their price is right. Then, I claim that the Infinite Intelligence is
attracting to them the buyer who really wants to have the property
and who will love it and prosper in it. After having done this I
suggest that they quiet their mind, relax, let go, and get into a
drowsy, sleepy state which reduces all mental effort to a minimum.
Then, they are to picture the check in their hands, rejoice in the
check, give thanks for the check, and go off to sleep feeling the
naturalness of the whole mental movie created in their own mind.
They must act as though it were an objective reality, and the
subconscious mind will take it as an impression, and through the
deeper currents of the mind the buyer and the seller are brought
together. A mental picture held in the mind, backed by faith, will
come to pass.
THE BAUDOIN TECHNIQUE
Charles Baudoin was a professor at the Rousseau Institute in France.
He was a brilliant psychotherapist and a research director of the New
Nancy School of Healing, who in 1910 taught that the best way to
impress the subconscious mind was to enter into a drowsy, sleepy
state, or a state akin to sleep in which all effort was reduced to a
minimum. Then in a quiet, passive, receptive way, by reflection, he
would convey the idea to the subconscious. The following is his
formula: “A very simple way of securing this (impregnation of the
subconscious mind) is to condense the idea which is to be the object
of suggestion, to sum it up in a brief phrase which can be readily
graven on the memory, and to repeat it over and over again as a
lullaby.”
Some years ago, a young lady in Los Angeles was engaged in a
prolonged bitter family lawsuit over a will. Her husband had
bequeathed his entire estate to her, and his sons and daughters by a
previous marriage were bitterly fighting to break the will. The
Baudoin technique was outlined to her, and this is what she did: She
relaxed her body in an armchair, entered into the sleepy state and, as
suggested, condensed the idea of her need into a phrase consisting of
six words easily graven on the memory. “It is finished in Divine
Order.” The significance to her of these words meant that Infinite
Intelligence operating through the laws of her subconscious mind
would bring about a harmonious adjustment through the principle of
harmony. She continued this procedure every night for about ten
nights. After she got into a sleepy state, she would affirm slowly,
quietly, and feelingly the statement: “It is finished in Divine Order,”
over and over again, feeling a sense of inner peace and an allpervading tranquility; then she went off into her deep, normal sleep.
On the morning of the eleventh day, following the use of the
above technique, she awakened with a sense of well-being, a
conviction that it was finished. Her attorney called her the same day,
saying that the opposing attorney and his clients were willing to
settle. A harmonious agreement was reached, and litigation was
discontinued.
THE SLEEPING TECHNIQUE
By entering into a sleepy, drowsy state, effort is reduced to a
minimum. The conscious mind is submerged to a great extent when
in a sleepy state. The reason for this is that the highest degree of
outcropping of the subconscious occurs prior to sleep and just after
we awaken. In this state the negative thoughts, which tend to
neutralize your desire and so prevent acceptance by your
subconscious mind, are no longer present.
Suppose you want to get rid of a destructive habit. Assume a
comfortable posture, relax your body, and be still. Get into a sleepy
state, and in that sleepy state, say quietly, over and over again as a
lullaby, “I am completely free from this habit; harmony and peace of
mind reign supreme.” Repeat the above slowly, quietly, and lovingly
for five or ten minutes night and morning. Each time you repeat the
words the emotional value becomes greater. When the urge comes to
repeat the negative habit, repeat the above formula out loud by
yourself. By this means you induce the subconscious to accept the
idea, and a healing follows.
THE “THANK YOU” TECHNIQUE
In the Bible, Paul recommends that we make known our requests
with praise and thanksgiving. Some extraordinary results follow this
simple method of prayer. The thankful heart is always close to the
creative forces of the universe, causing countless blessings to flow
toward it by the law of reciprocal relationship, based on a cosmic law
of action and reaction.
For instance, a father promises his son a car for graduation; the
boy has not yet received the car, but he is very thankful and happy,
and is as joyous as though he had actually received the car. He knows
his father will fulfill his promise, and he is full of gratitude and joy
even though he has not yet received the car, objectively speaking. He
has, however, received it with joy and thankfulness in his mind.
I shall illustrate how Mr. Broke applied this technique with
excellent results. He said, “Bills are piling up, I am out of work, I
have three children and no money. What shall I do?” Regularly every
night and morning, for a period of about three weeks, he repeated
the words, “Thank you, Father, for my wealth,” in a relaxed, peaceful
manner until the feeling or mood of thankfulness dominated his
mind. He imagined he was addressing the infinite power and
intelligence within him knowing, of course, that he could not see the
creative intelligence or infinite mind. He was seeing with the inner
eye of spiritual perception, realizing that his thought-image of wealth
was the first cause, relative to the money, position, and food he
needed. His thought-feeling was the substance of wealth
untrammeled by antecedent conditions of any kind. By repeating,
“Thank you, Father,” over and over again, his mind and heart were
lifted up to the point of acceptance, and when fear, thoughts of lack,
poverty, and distress came into his mind, he would say, “Thank you,
Father,” as often as necessary. He knew that as he kept up the
thankful attitude he would recondition his mind to the idea of
wealth, which is what happened.
The sequel to his prayer is very interesting. After praying in the
above-mentioned manner, he met a former employer of his on the
street whom he had not seen for twenty years. The man offered him a
very lucrative position and advanced him $500 on a temporary loan.
Today, Mr. Broke is vice president of the company for which he
works. His recent remark to me was, “I shall never forget the
wonders of ‘Thank you, Father.’ It has worked wonders for me.”
THE AFFIRMATIVE METHOD
The effectiveness of an affirmation is determined largely by your
understanding of the truth and the meaning back of the words, “In
praying use not vain repetition.” Therefore, the power of your
affirmation lies in the intelligent application of definite and specific
positives. For example, a boy adds three and three and puts down
seven on the blackboard. The teacher affirms with mathematical
certainty that three and three are six; therefore, the boy changes his
figures accordingly. The teacher’s statement did not make three and
three equal six because the latter was already a mathematical truth.
The mathematical truth caused the boy to rearrange the figures on
the blackboard. It is abnormal to be sick; it is normal to be healthy.
Health is the truth of your being. When you affirm health, harmony,
and peace for yourself or another, and when you realize these are
universal principles of your own being, you will rearrange the
negative patterns of your subconscious mind based on your faith and
understanding of that which you affirm.
The result of the affirmative process of prayer depends on your
conforming to the principles of life, regardless of appearances.
Consider for a moment that there is a principle of mathematics and
none of error; there is a principle of truth but none of dishonesty.
There is a principle of intelligence but none of ignorance; there is a
principle of harmony and none of discord. There is a principle of
health but none of disease, and there is a principle of abundance but
none of poverty.
The affirmative method was chosen by the author for use on his
sister who was to be operated on for the removal of gallstones in a
hospital in England. The condition described was based on the
diagnosis of hospital tests and the usual X-ray procedures. She asked
me to pray for her. We were separated geographically about 6,500
miles, but there is no time or space in the mind principle. Infinite
mind or intelligence is present in its entirety at every point
simultaneously. I withdrew all thought from the contemplation of
symptoms and from the corporeal personality altogether. I affirmed
as follows: “This prayer is for my sister Catherine. She is relaxed and
at peace, poised, balanced, serene, and calm. The healing intelligence
of her subconscious mind which created her body is now
transforming every cell, nerve, tissue, muscle, and bone of her being
according to the perfect pattern of all organs lodged in her
subconscious mind. Silently, quietly, all distorted thought patterns in
her subconscious mind are removed and dissolved, and the vitality,
wholeness, and beauty of the life principle are made manifest in
every atom of her being. She is now open and receptive to the healing
currents which are flowing through her like a river, restoring her to
perfect health, harmony, and peace. All distortions and ugly images
are now washed away by the infinite ocean of love and peace flowing
through her, and it is so.”
I affirmed the above several times a day, and at the end of two
weeks my sister had an examination which showed a remarkable
healing, and the X ray proved negative.
To affirm is to state that it is so, and as you maintain this attitude
of mind as true, regardless of all evidence to the contrary, you will
receive an answer to your prayer. Your thought can only affirm, for
even if you deny something, you are actually affirming the presence
of what you deny. Repeating an affirmation, knowing what you are
saying and why you are saying it, leads the mind to that state of
consciousness where it accepts that which you state as true. Keep on
affirming the truths of life until you get the subconscious reaction
which satisfies.
THE ARGUMENTATIVE METHOD
This method is just what the word implies. It stems from the
procedure of Dr. Phineas Parkhurst Quimby of Maine. Dr. Quimby, a
pioneer in mental and spiritual healing, lived and practiced in
Belfast, Maine, about one hundred years ago. A book called The
Quimby Manuscripts, published in 1921 by Thomas Y. Crowell
Company, New York City, and edited by Horatio Dresser, is available
in your library. This book gives newspaper accounts of this man’s
remarkable results in prayer treatment of the sick. Quimby
duplicated many of the healing miracles recorded in the Bible. In
brief, the argumentative method employed according to Quimby
consists of spiritual reasoning where you convince the patient and
yourself that his sickness is due to his false belief, groundless fears,
and negative patterns lodged in his subconscious mind. You reason it
out clearly in your mind and convince your patient that the disease
or ailment is due only to a distorted, twisted pattern of thought
which has taken form in his body. This wrong belief in some external
power and external causes has now externalized itself as sickness,
and can be changed by changing the thought patterns.
You explain to the sick person that the basis of all healing is a
change of belief. You also point out that the subconscious mind
created the body and all its organs; therefore, it knows how to heal it,
can heal it, and is doing so now as you speak. You argue in the
courtroom of your mind that the disease is a shadow of the mind
based on disease-soaked, morbid thought-imagery. You continue to
build up all the evidence you can muster on behalf of the healing
power within, which created all the organs in the first place, and
which has a perfect pattern of every cell, nerve, and tissue within it.
Then, you render a verdict in the courthouse of your mind in favor of
yourself or your patient. You liberate the sick one by faith and
spiritual understanding. Your mental and spiritual evidence is
overwhelming; there being but one mind, what you feel as true will
be resurrected in the experience of the patient. This procedure is
essentially the argumentative method used by Dr. Quimby of Maine
from 1849 to 1869.
THE ABSOLUTE METHOD IS LIKE MODERN SOUND WAVE
THERAPY
Many people throughout the world practice this form of prayer
treatment with wonderful results. The person using the absolute
method mentions the name of the patient, such as John Jones, then
quietly and silently thinks of God and His qualities and attributes,
such as, God is all bliss, boundless love, infinite intelligence, allpowerful, boundless wisdom, absolute harmony, indescribable
beauty, and perfection. As he quietly thinks along these lines he is
lifted up in consciousness into a new spiritual wavelength, at which
times he feels the infinite ocean of God’s love is now dissolving
everything unlike itself in the mind and body of John Jones for
whom he is praying. He feels all the power and love of God are now
focused on John Jones, and whatever is bothering or vexing him is
now completely neutralized in the presence of the infinite ocean of
life and love.
The absolute method of prayer might be likened to the sound
wave or sonic therapy recently shown me by a distinguished
physician in Los Angeles. He has an ultra sound wave machine which
oscillates at a tremendous speed and sends sound waves to any area
of the body to which it is directed. These sound waves can be
controlled, and he told me of achieving remarkable results in
dissolving arthritic calcareous deposits, as well as the healing and
removal of other disturbing conditions.
To the degree that we rise in consciousness by contemplating
qualities and attributes of God, do we generate spiritual electronic
waves of harmony, health, and peace. Many remarkable healings
follow this technique of prayer.
A CRIPPLE WALKS
Dr. Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, of whom we spoke previously in this
chapter, used the absolute method in the latter years of his healing
career. He was really the father of psychosomatic medicine and the
first psychoanalyst. He had the capacity to diagnose clairvoyantly the
cause of the patient’s trouble, pains, and aches.
The following is a condensed account of the healing of a cripple
as recorded in Quimby’s Manuscripts:
Quimby was called on to visit a woman who was lame, aged, and
bedridden. He states that her ailment was due to the fact that she
was imprisoned by a creed so small and contracted that she could not
stand upright and move about. She was living in the tomb of fear and
ignorance; furthermore, she was taking the Bible literally, and it
frightened her. “In this tomb,” Quimby said, “was the presence and
power of God trying to burst the bands, break through the bonds,
and rise from the dead.” When she would ask others for an
explanation of some passage of the Bible, the answer would be a
stone; then she would hunger for the bread of life. Dr. Quimby
diagnosed her case as a mind cloudy and stagnated, due to excitation
and fear, caused by the inability to see clearly the meaning of the
passage of the Bible which she had been reading. This showed itself
in the body by her heavy and sluggish feeling which would terminate
as paralysis.
At this point Quimby asked her what was meant in the Bible
verses: Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto Him that
sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am,
thither ye cannot come. JOHN 7:33–34. She replied that it meant
Jesus went to heaven. Quimby explained what it really meant by
telling her that being with her a little while meant his explanation of
her symptoms, feelings, and their causes; i.e., he had compassion
and sympathy for her momentarily, but he could not remain in that
mental state. The next step was to go to Him that sent us, which, as
Quimby pointed out, was the creative power of God in all of us.
Quimby immediately traveled in his mind and contemplated the
divine ideal; i.e., the vitality, intelligence, harmony, and power of
God functioning in the sick person. This is why he said to the woman,
“Therefore, where I go you cannot come, for you are in your narrow,
restricted belief, and I am in health.” This prayer and explanation
produced an instantaneous sensation, and a change came over her
mind. She walked without her crutches! Quimby said it was one of
the most singular of all his healings. She was, as it were, dead to
error, and to bring her to life or truth was to raise her from the dead.
Quimby quoted the resurrection of Christ and applied it to her own
Christ or health; this produced a powerful effect on her. He also
explained to her that the truth which she accepted was the angel or
idea which rolled away the stone of fear, ignorance, and superstition,
thereby, releasing the healing power of God which made her whole.
THE DECREE METHOD
Power goes into our word according to the feeling and faith behind it.
When we realize the power that moves the world is moving on our
behalf and is backing up our word, our confidence and assurance
grow. You do not try and add power to power; therefore, there must
be no mental striving, coercion, force, or mental wrestling.
A young girl used the decree method on a young man who was
constantly phoning her, pressing her for dates, and meeting her at
her place of business; she found it very difficult to get rid of him. She
decreed as follows: “I release . . . unto God. He is in his true place at
all times. I am free, and he is free. I now decree that my words go
forth into infinite mind and it brings it to pass. It is so.” She said he
vanished and she has never seen him since, adding, “It was as though
the ground swallowed him up.”
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto
thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. JOB 22:28.
SERVE YOURSELF WITH SCIENTIFIC TRUTH
1. Be a mental engineer and use tried and proven
techniques in building a grander and greater life.
2. Your desire is your prayer. Picture the fulfillment of your
desire now and feel its reality, and you will experience
the joy of the answered prayer.
3. Desire to accomplish things the easy way—with the sure
aid of mental science.
4. You can build radiant health, success, and happiness by
the thoughts you think in the hidden studio of your
mind.
5. Experiment scientifically until you personally prove that
there is always a direct response from the infinite
intelligence of your subconscious mind to your conscious
thinking.
6. Feel the joy and restfulness in foreseeing the certain
accomplishment of your desire. Any mental picture
which you have in your mind is the substance of things
hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
7. A mental picture is worth a thousand words. Your
subconscious will bring to pass any picture held in the
mind backed by faith.
8. Avoid all effort or mental coercion in prayer. Get into a
sleepy, drowsy state and lull yourself to sleep feeling and
knowing that your prayer is answered.
9. Remember that the thankful heart is always close to the
riches of the universe.
10. To affirm is to state that it is so, and as you maintain this
attitude of mind as true, regardless of all evidence to the
contrary, you will receive an answer to your prayer.
11. Generate electronic waves of harmony, health, and peace
by thinking of the love and the glory of God.
12. What you decree and feel as true will come to pass.
Decree harmony, health, peace, and abundance.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE TENDENCY OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS IS
LIFEWARD
O
ver 90 percent of your mental life is subconscious, so men
and women who fail to make use of this marvelous power live
within very narrow limits.
Your subconscious processes are always lifeward and
constructive. Your subconscious is the builder of your body and
maintains all its vital functions. It is on the job 24 hours a day and
never sleeps. It is always trying to help and preserve you from harm.
Your subconscious mind is in touch with infinite life and
boundless wisdom, and its impulses and ideas are always lifeward.
The great aspirations, inspirations, and visions for a grander and
nobler life spring from the subconscious. Your profoundest
convictions are those you cannot argue about rationally because they
do not come from your conscious mind; they come from your
subconscious mind. Your subconscious speaks to you in intuitions,
impulses, hunches, intimations, urges, and ideas, and it is always
telling you to rise, transcend, grow, advance, adventure, and move
forward to greater heights. The urge to love, to save the lives of
others comes from the depths of your subconscious. For example,
during the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of April 18, 1906,
invalids and cripples who had been confined to bed for long periods
of time, rose up and performed some of the most amazing feats of
bravery and endurance. The intense desire welled up within them to
save others at all costs, and their subconscious responded
accordingly.
Great artists, musicians, poets, speakers, and writers tune in with
their subconscious powers and become animated and inspired. For
example, Robert Louis Stevenson, before he went to sleep, used to
charge his subconscious with the task of evolving stories for him
while he slept. He was accustomed to ask his subconscious to give
him a good, marketable thriller when his bank account was low.
Stevenson said the intelligence of his deeper mind gave him the story
piece by piece, like a serial. This shows how your subconscious will
speak lofty and wise sayings through you which your conscious mind
knows nothing about.
Mark Twain confided to the world on many occasions that he
never worked in his life. All his humor and all his great writings were
due to the fact that he tapped the inexhaustible reservoir of his
subconscious mind.
HOW THE BODY PORTRAYS THE WORKINGS OF THE MIND
The interaction of your conscious and subconscious mind requires a
similar interaction between the corresponding system of nerves. The
cerebrospinal system is the organ of the conscious mind, and the
sympathetic system is the organ of the subconscious mind. The
cerebrospinal system is the channel through which you receive
conscious perception by means of your five physical senses and
exercise control over the movement of your body. This system has its
nerves in the brain, and it is the channel of your volitional and
conscious mental action.
The sympathetic system, sometimes referred to as the
involuntary nervous system, has its center in a ganglionic mass at the
back of the stomach known as the solar plexus, and is sometimes
spoken of as the abdominal brain. It is the channel of that mental
action which unconsciously supports the vital functions of the body.
The two systems may work separately or synchronously. Judge
Thomas Troward* says, “The vagus nerve passes out of the cerebral
region as a portion of the voluntary system, and through it we control
the vocal organs; then it passes onward to the thorax sending out
branches to the heart and lungs; finally, passing through the
diaphragm, it loses the outer coating which distinguishes the nerves
of the voluntary system and becomes identified with those of the
sympathetic system, so forming a connecting link between the two
and making the man physically a single entity.
“Similarly different areas of the brain indicate their connection
with the objective and subjective activities of the mind respectively,
and speaking in a general way we may assign the frontal portion of
the brain to the former and the posterior portion to the latter, while
the intermediate portion partakes of the character of both.”
A rather simple way of looking at the mental and physical
interaction is to realize that your conscious mind grasps an idea
which induces a corresponding vibration in your voluntary system of
nerves. This in turn causes a similar current to be generated in your
involuntary system of nerves, thus handling the idea over to your
subconscious mind which is the creative medium. This is how your
thoughts become things.
Every thought entertained by your conscious mind and accepted
as true is sent by your brain to your solar plexus, the brain of your
subconscious mind, to be made into your flesh, and to be brought
forth into your world as a reality.
THERE IS AN INTELLIGENCE WHICH TAKES CARE OF THE
BODY
When you study the cellular system and the structure of the organs,
such as eyes, ears, heart, liver, bladder, etc., you learn they consist of
groups of cells which form a group intelligence whereby they
function together and are able to take orders and carry them out in
deductive function at the suggestion of the master mind (conscious
mind).
A careful study of the single-celled organism shows you what
goes on in your complex body. Though the monocellular organism
has no organs, it still gives evidence of mind action and reaction
performing the basic functions of movement, alimentation,
assimilation, and elimination.
Many say there is an intelligence which will take care of your
body if you let it alone. That is true, but the difficulty is that the
conscious mind always interferes with its five-sense evidence based
on outer appearances, leading to the sway of false beliefs, fears, and
mere opinion. When fear, false beliefs, and negative patterns are
made to register in your subconscious mind through psychological,
emotional conditioning, there is no other course open to the
subconscious mind except to act on the blueprint specifications
offered it.
THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND WORKS CONTINUALLY FOR THE
COMMON GOOD
The subjective self within you works continuously for the general
good, reflecting an innate principle of harmony behind all things.
Your subconscious mind has its own will, and it is a very real
something in itself. It acts night and day whether you act upon it or
not. It is the builder of your body, but you cannot see, hear, or feel it
building, as all this is a silent process. Your subconscious has a life of
its own which is always moving toward harmony, health, and peace.
This is the divine norm within it seeking expression through you at
all times.
HOW MAN INTERFERES WITH THE INNATE PRINCIPLE OF
HARMONY
To think correctly, scientifically, we must know the “Truth.” To know
the truth is to be in harmony with the infinite intelligence and power
of your subconscious mind which is always moving lifeward.
Every thought or action which is not harmonious, whether
through ignorance or design, will result in discord and limitation of
all kinds.
Scientists inform us that you build a new body every eleven
months; so you are really only eleven months old from a physical
standpoint. If you build defects back into your body by thoughts of
fear, anger, jealousy, and ill will, you have no one to blame but
yourself.
You are the sum total of your own thoughts. You can keep from
entertaining negative thought and imagery. The way to get rid of
darkness is with light; the way to overcome cold is with heat; the way
to overcome the negative thought is to substitute the good thought.
Affirm the good, and the bad will vanish.
WHY IT’S NORMAL TO BE HEALTHY, VITAL, AND STRONG—IT’S
ABNORMAL TO BE SICK
The average child born into the world is perfectly healthy with all its
organs functioning perfectly. This is the normal state, and we should
remain healthy, vital, and strong. The instinct of self-preservation is
the strongest instinct of your nature, and it constitutes a most
potent, ever-present, and constantly operative truth, inherent in your
nature. It is, therefore, obvious that all your thoughts, ideas, and
beliefs must operate with greater potentiality when they are in
harmony with the innate life-principle in you, which is forever
seeking to preserve and protect you along all lines. It follows from
this that normal conditions can be restored with greater ease and
certainty than abnormal conditions can be induced.
It is abnormal to be sick; it simply means you are going against
the stream of life and thinking negatively. The law of life is the law of
growth; all nature testifies to the operation of this law by silently,
constantly expressing itself in the law of growth. Where there is
growth and expression, there must be life; where there is life there
must be harmony, and where there is harmony, there is perfect
health.
If your thought is in harmony with the creative principle of your
subconscious mind, you are in tune with the innate principle of
harmony. If you entertain thoughts which are not in accordance with
the principle of harmony, these thoughts cling to you, harass you,
worry you, and finally bring about disease, and if persisted in,
possibly death.
In the healing of disease, you must increase the inflow and
distribution of the vital forces of your subconscious mind throughout
your system. This can be done by eliminating thoughts of fear, worry,
anxiety, jealousy, hatred, and every other destructive thought which
tends to tear down and destroy your nerves and glands—body tissue
which controls the elimination of all waste material.
POTT’S DISEASE CURED
In the Nautilus magazine of March, 1917, there appears an article
about a boy suffering from Pott’s disease, or tuberculosis of the
spine, who had a remarkable healing. His name was Frederick Elias
Andrews of Indianapolis, now minister of Unity School of
Christianity, Kansas City, Missouri. His physician pronounced him
incurable. He began to pray, and from a crooked, twisted cripple
going about on hands and knees, he became a strong, straight, wellformed man. He created his own affirmation, mentally absorbing the
qualities he needed.
He affirmed over and over again many times a day, “I am whole,
perfect, strong, powerful, loving, harmonious, and happy.” He
persevered and said that this prayer was the last utterance on his lips
at night and the first in the morning. He prayed for others also by
sending out thoughts of love and health. This attitude of mind and
way of prayer returned to him multiplied many times. His faith and
perseverance paid off with big dividends. When thoughts of fear,
anger, jealousy, or envy drew his attention, he would immediately
start his counteracting force of affirmation going in his mind. His
subconscious mind responded according to the nature of his habitual
thinking. This is the meaning of the statement in the Bible, Go thy
way, thy faith hath made thee whole. MARK 10:52.
HOW FAITH IN YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS POWERS MAKES YOU
WHOLE
A young man, who came to my lectures on the healing power of the
subconscious mind, had severe eye trouble which his doctor said
necessitated an operation. He said to himself, “My subconscious
made my eyes, and it can heal me.”
Each night, as he went to sleep, he entered into a drowsy,
meditative state, the condition akin to sleep. His attention was
immobilized and focused on the eye doctor. He imagined the doctor
was in front of him, and he plainly heard, or imagined he heard, the
doctor saying to him, “A miracle has happened!” He heard this over
and over again every night for perhaps five minutes or so before
going to sleep. At the end of three weeks he again went to the
ophthalmologist who had previously examined his eyes, and the
physician said to this man, “This is a miracle!” What happened? This
man impressed his subconscious mind using the doctor as an
instrument or a means of convincing it or conveying the idea.
Through repetition, faith, and expectancy he impregnated his
subconscious mind. His subconscious mind made his eye; within it
was the perfect pattern, and immediately it proceeded to heal the
eye. This is another example of how faith in the healing power of
your subconscious can make you whole.
POINTERS TO REVIEW
1. Your subconscious is the builder of your body and is on
the job 24 hours a day. You interfere with its life-giving
patterns by negative thinking.
2. Charge your subconscious with the task of evolving an
answer to any problem, prior to sleep, and it will answer
you.
3. Watch your thoughts. Every thought accepted as true is
sent by your brain to your solar plexus—your abdominal
brain—and is brought into your world as a reality.
4. Know that you can remake yourself by giving a new
blueprint to your subconscious mind.
5. The tendency of your subconscious is always lifeward.
Your job is with your conscious mind. Feed your
subconscious mind with premises which are true. Your
subconscious is always reproducing according to your
habitual mental patterns.
6. You build a new body every eleven months. Change your
body by changing your thoughts and keeping them
changed.
7. It is normal to be healthy. It is abnormal to be ill. There
is within the innate principle of harmony.
8. Thoughts of jealousy, fear, worry, and anxiety tear down
and destroy your nerves and glands bringing about
mental and physical diseases of all kinds.
9. What you affirm consciously and feel as true will be
made manifest in your mind, body, and affairs. Affirm
the good and enter into the joy of living.
CHAPTER EIGHT
HOW TO GET THE RESULTS YOU WANT
T
he principle reasons for failure are: lack of confidence and too
much effort. Many people block answers to their prayers by
failing to fully comprehend the workings of their subconscious
mind. When you know how your mind functions, you gain a measure
of confidence. You must remember whenever your subconscious
mind accepts an idea, it immediately begins to execute it. It uses all
its mighty resources to that end and mobilizes all the mental and
spiritual laws of your deeper mind. This law is true for good or bad
ideas. Consequently, if you use it negatively, it brings trouble, failure,
and confusion. When you use it constructively, it brings guidance,
freedom, and peace of mind.
The right answer is inevitable when your thoughts are positive,
constructive, and loving. From this it is perfectly obvious that the
only thing you have to do in order to overcome failure is to get your
subconscious to accept your idea or request by feeling its reality now,
and the law of your mind will do the rest. Turn over your request
with faith and confidence, and your subconscious will take over and
answer for you.
You will always fail to get results by trying to use mental coercion
—your subconscious mind does not respond to coercion, it responds
to your faith or conscious mind acceptance.
Your failure to get results may also arise from such statements
as: “Things are getting worse.” “I will never get an answer.” “I see no
way out.” “It is hopeless.” “I don’t know what to do.” “I’m all mixed
up.” When you use such statements, you get no response or co-
operation from your subconscious mind. Like a soldier marking time,
you neither go forward nor backward; in other words, you don’t get
anywhere.
If you get into a taxi and give a half dozen different directions to
the driver in five minutes, he would become hopelessly confused and
probably would refuse to take you anywhere. It is the same when
working with your subconscious mind. There must be a clear-cut
idea in your mind. You must arrive at the definite decision that there
is a way out, a solution to the vexing problem in sickness. Only the
infinite intelligence within your subconscious knows the answer.
When you come to that clear-cut conclusion in your conscious mind,
your mind is then made up, and according to your belief is it done
unto you.
EASY DOES IT
A house owner once remonstrated with a furnace repairman for
charging two hundred dollars for fixing the boiler. The mechanic
said, “I charged five cents for the missing bolt and one hundred
ninety-nine dollars and ninety-five cents for knowing what was
wrong.”
Similarly, your subconscious mind is the master mechanic, the
all-wise one, who knows ways and means of healing any organ of
your body, as well as your affairs. Decree health, and your
subconscious will establish it, but relaxation is the key. “Easy does
it.” Do not be concerned with details and means, but know the end
result. Get the feel of the happy solution to your problem whether it
is health, finances, or employment. Remember how you felt after you
had recovered from a severe state of illness. Bear in mind that your
feeling is the touchstone of all subconscious demonstration. Your
new idea must be felt subjectively in a finished state, not the future,
but as coming about now.
INFER NO OPPONENT, USE IMAGINATION AND NOT
WILLPOWER
In using your subconscious mind you infer no opponent, you use no
willpower. You imagine the end and the freedom state. You will find
your intellect trying to get in the way, but persist in maintaining a
simple, childlike, miracle-making faith. Picture yourself without the
ailment or problem. Imagine the emotional accompaniment of the
freedom state you crave. Cut out all red tape from the process. The
simple way is the best.
HOW DISCIPLINED IMAGINATION WORKS WONDERS
A wonderful way to get a response from your subconscious mind is
through disciplined or scientific imagination. As previously pointed
out, your subconscious mind is the builder of the body and controls
all its vital functions.
The Bible says, Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye
shall receive. To believe is to accept something as true, or to live in
the state of being it. As you sustain this mood, you shall experience
the joy of the answered prayer!
THE THREE STEPS TO SUCCESS IN PRAYER
The usual procedure is as follows:
1. Take a look at the problem.
2. Turn to the solution or way out known only to the
subconscious mind.
3. Rest in a sense of deep conviction that it is done.
Do not weaken your prayer by saying, “I wish I might be healed.”
“I hope so.” Your feeling about the work to be done is “the boss.”
Harmony is yours. Know that health is yours. Become intelligent by
becoming a vehicle for the infinite healing power of the subconscious
mind. Pass on the idea of health to your subconscious mind to the
point of conviction; then relax. Get yourself off your hands. Say to
the condition and circumstance, “This, too, shall pass.” Through
relaxation you impress your subconscious mind enabling the kinetic
energy behind the idea to take over and bring it into concrete
realization.
THE LAW OF REVERSED EFFORT AND WHY YOU GET THE
OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU PRAY FOR
Coué, the famous psychologist from France who visited America
about forty years ago, defined the law of reversed effort as follows:
“When your desires and imagination are in conflict your imagination
invariably gains the day.”
If, for example, you were asked to walk a plank on the floor, you
would do so without question. Now suppose the same plank were
placed twenty feet up in the air between two walls, would you walk
it? Your desire to walk it would be counteracted by your imagination
or fear of falling. Your dominant idea which would be the picture of
falling would conquer. Your desire, will, or effort to walk on the
plank would be reversed, and the dominant idea of failure would be
reinforced.
Mental effort is invariably self-defeated, eventuating always in
the opposite of what is desired. The suggestions of powerlessness to
overcome the condition dominate the mind; your subconscious is
always controlled by the dominant idea. Your subconscious will
accept the strongest of two contradictory propositions. The effortless
way is the better.
If you say, “I want a healing, but I can’t get it,” “I try so hard,” “I
force myself to pray,” “I use all the willpower I have,” you must
realize that your error lies in your effort. Never try to compel the
subconscious mind to accept your idea by exercising willpower. Such
attempts are doomed to failure, and you get the opposite of what you
prayed for.
The following is a rather common experience. Students, when
taking examinations and reading through their papers, find that all
their knowledge has suddenly deserted them. Their minds become
appalling blanks, and they are unable to recall one revelant thought.
The more they grit their teeth and summon the powers of the will,
the further the answers seem to flee. But, when they have left the
examination room and the mental pressure relaxes, the answers they
were seeking flow tantalizingly back into their minds. Trying to force
themselves to remember was the cause of their failure. This is an
example of the law of reversed effort whereby you get the opposite of
what you asked or prayed for.
THE CONFLICT OF DESIRE AND IMAGINATION MUST BE
RECONCILED
To use mental force is to presuppose that there is opposition. When
your mind is concentrated on the means to overcome a problem, it is
no longer concerned with the obstacle. MATTHEW 18:19 says, If two of
you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it
shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Who are
these two? It means the harmonious union or agreement between
your conscious and subconscious on any idea, desire, or mental
image. When there is no longer any quarrel in either part of your
mind, your prayer will be answered. The two agreeing may also be
represented as you and your desire, your thought and feeling, your
idea and emotion, your desire and imagination.
You avoid all conflict between your desires and imagination by
entering into a drowsy, sleepy state which brings all effort to a
minimum. The conscious mind is submerged to a great extent when
in a sleepy state. The best time to impregnate your subconscious is
prior to sleep. The reason for this is that the highest degree of
outcropping of the subconscious occurs prior to sleep and just after
we awaken. In this state the negative thoughts and imagery which
tend to neutralize your desire and so prevent acceptance by your
subconscious mind no longer present themselves. When you imagine
the reality of the fulfilled desire and feel the thrill of
accomplishment, your subconscious brings about the realization of
your desire.
A great many people solve all their dilemmas and problems by
the play of their controlled, directed, and disciplined imagination,
knowing that whatever they imagine and feel as true will and must
come to pass.
The following will clearly illustrate how a young girl overcame
the conflict between her desire and her imagination. She desired a
harmonious solution to her legal problem, yet her mental imagery
was constantly on failure, loss, bankruptcy, and poverty. It was a
complicated lawsuit and there was one postponement after another
with no solution in sight.
At my suggestion, she got into a sleepy, drowsy state each night
prior to sleep, and she began to imagine the happy ending, feeling it
to the best of her ability. She knew that the image in her mind had to
agree with her heart’s desire. Prior to sleep she began to dramatize as
vividly as possible her lawyer having an animated discussion with
her regarding the outcome. She would ask him questions, and he
would answer her appropriately. He would say to her over and over
again, “There has been a perfect, harmonious solution. The case has
been settled out of court.” During the day when fear thoughts came
into her mind, she would run her mental movie with gestures, voice,
and sound equipment. She could easily imagine the sound of his
voice, smile, and mannerism. She ran this mental picture so often, it
became a subjective pattern, a regular train track. At the end of a few
weeks her attorney called her and confirmed objectively what she
had been imagining and feeling as true subjectively.
This is really what the Psalmist meant when he wrote, Let the
words of my mouth [your thoughts, mental images, good], and the
meditations of my heart [your feeling, nature, emotion] be
acceptable in thy sight, O Lord [the law of your subconscious mind],
my strength, and my redeemer [the power and wisdom of your
subconscious mind can redeem you from sickness, bondage, and
misery]. PSALMS 19:14.
IDEAS WORTH RECALLING
1. Mental coercion or too much effort shows anxiety and
fear which block your answer. Easy does it.
2. When your mind is relaxed and you accept an idea, your
subconscious goes to work to execute the idea.
3. Think and plan independently of traditional methods.
Know that there is always an answer and a solution to
every problem.
4. Do not be overly concerned with the beating of your
heart, with the breathing of your lungs, or the functions
of any part of your anatomy. Lean heavily upon your
subconscious and proclaim frequently that Divine right
action is taking place.
5. The feeling of health produces health, the feeling of
wealth produces wealth. How do you feel?
6. Imagination is your most powerful faculty. Imagine what
is lovely and of good report. You are what you imagine
yourself to be.
7. You avoid conflict between your conscious and
subconscious in the sleepy state. Imagine the fulfillment
of your desire over and over again prior to sleep. Sleep in
peace and wake in joy.
CHAPTER NINE
HOW TO USE THE POWER OF YOUR
SUBCONSCIOUS FOR WEALTH
I
f you are having financial difficulties, if you are trying to make
ends meet, it means you have not convinced your subconscious
mind that you will always have plenty and some to spare. You
know men and women who work a few hours a week and make
fabulous sums of money. They do not strive or slave hard. Do not
believe the story that the only way you can become wealthy is by the
sweat of your brow and hard labor. It is not so; the effortless way of
life is the best. Do the thing you love to do, and do it for the joy and
thrill of it.
I know an executive in Los Angeles who receives a salary of
$75,000 yearly. Last year he went on a nine-month cruise seeing the
world and its beauty spots. He said to me that he had succeeded in
convincing his subconscious mind that he is worth that much money.
He told me that many men in his organization getting about one
hundred dollars a week knew more about the business than he did,
and could manage it better, but they had no ambition, no creative
ideas, and were not interested in the wonders of their subconscious
mind.
WEALTH IS OF THE MIND
Wealth is simply a subconscious conviction on the part of the
individual. You will not become a millionaire by saying, “I am a
millionaire, I am a millionaire.” You will grow into a wealth
consciousness by building into your mentality the idea of wealth and
abundance.
YOUR INVISIBLE MEANS OF SUPPORT
The trouble with most people is that they have no invisible means of
support. When business falls away, the stock market drops, or they
lose their investments, they seem helpless. The reason for such
insecurity is that they do not know how to tap the subconscious
mind. They are unacquainted with the inexhaustible storehouse
within.
A man with a poverty-type mind finds himself in poverty-stricken
conditions. Another man with a mind filled with ideas of wealth is
surrounded with everything he needs. It was never intended that
man should lead a life of indigence. You can have wealth, everything
you need, and plenty to spare. Your words have power to cleanse
your mind of wrong ideas and to instill right ideas in their place.
THE IDEAL METHOD FOR BUILDING A WEALTH
CONSCIOUSNESS
Perhaps you are saying as you read this chapter, “I need wealth and
success.” This is what you do: Repeat for about five minutes to
yourself three or four times a day, “Wealth—Success.” These words
have tremendous power. They represent the inner power of the
subconscious mind. Anchor your mind on this substantial power
within you; then conditions and circumstances corresponding to
their nature and quality will be manifested in your life. You are not
saying, “I am wealthy,” you are dwelling on real powers within you.
There is no conflict in the mind when you say, “Wealth.”
Furthermore, the feeling of wealth will well up within you as you
dwell on the idea of wealth.
The feeling of wealth produces wealth; keep this in mind at all
times. Your subconscious mind is like a bank, a sort of universal
financial institution. It magnifies whatever you deposit or impress
upon it whether it is the idea of wealth or of poverty. Choose wealth.
WHY YOUR AFFIRMATIONS FOR WEALTH FAIL
I have talked to many people during the past thirty-five years whose
usual complaint is, “I have said for weeks and months, ‘I am wealthy,
I am prosperous,’ and nothing has happened.” I discovered that
when they said, “I am prosperous, I am wealthy,” they felt within that
they were lying to themselves.
One man told me, “I have affirmed that I am prosperous until I
am tired. Things are now worse. I knew when I made the statement
that it was obviously not true.” His statements were rejected by the
conscious mind, and the very opposite of what he outwardly affirmed
and claimed was made manifest.
Your affirmation succeeds best when it is specific and when it
does not produce a mental conflict or argument; hence the
statements made by this man made matters worse because they
suggested his lack. Your subconscious accepts what you really feel to
be true, not just idle words or statements. The dominant idea or
belief is always accepted by the subconscious mind.
HOW TO AVOID MENTAL CONFLICT
The following is the ideal way to overcome this conflict for those who
have this difficulty. Make this practical statement frequently,
particularly prior to sleep: “By day and by night I am being
prospered in all of my interests.” This affirmation will not arouse any
argument because it does not contradict your subconscious mind’s
impression of financial lack.
I suggested to one businessman whose sales and finances were
very low and who was greatly worried, that he sit down in his office,
become quiet, and repeat this statement over and over again: “My
sales are improving every day.” This statement engaged the cooperation of the conscious and subconscious mind; results followed.
DON’T SIGN BLANK CHECKS
You sign blank checks when you make such statements as, “There is
not enough to go around.” “There is a shortage.” “I will lose the
house because of the mortgage,” etc. If you are full of fear about the
future, you are also writing a blank check and attracting negative
conditions to you. Your subconscious mind takes your fear and
negative statement as your request and proceeds in its own way to
bring obstacles, delays, lack, and limitation into your life.
YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS GIVES YOU COMPOUND INTEREST
To him that hath the feeling of wealth, more wealth shall be added;
to him that hath the feeling of lack, more lack shall be added. Your
subconscious multiplies and magnifies whatever you deposit in it.
Every morning as you awaken deposit thoughts of prosperity,
success, wealth, and peace. Dwell upon these concepts. Busy your
mind with them as often as possible. These constructive thoughts
will find their way as deposits in your subconscious mind, and bring
forth abundance and prosperity.
WHY NOTHING HAPPENED
I can hear you saying, “Oh, I did that and nothing happened.” You
did not get results because you indulged in fear thoughts perhaps ten
minutes later and neutralized the good you had affirmed. When you
place a seed in the ground, you do not dig it up. You let it take root
and grow.
Suppose, for example, you are going to say, “I shall not be able to
make that payment.” Before you get further than, “I shall—” stop the
sentence and dwell on a constructive statement, such as, “By day and
by night I am prospered in all my ways.”
TRUE SOURCE OF WEALTH
Your subconscious mind is never short of ideas. There are within it
an infinite number of ideas ready to flow into your conscious mind
and appear as cash in your pocketbook in countless ways. This
process will continue to go on in your mind regardless of whether the
stock market goes up or down, or whether the pound sterling or
dollar drops in value. Your wealth is never truly dependent on bonds,
stocks, or money in the bank; these are really only symbols,
necessary and useful, of course, but only symbols.
The point I wish to emphasize is that if you convince your
subconscious mind that wealth is yours, and that it is always
circulating in your life, you will always and inevitably have it,
regardless of the form it takes.
TRYING TO MAKE ENDS MEET AND THE REAL CAUSE
There are people who claim that they are always trying to make ends
meet. They seem to have a great struggle to meet their obligations.
Have you listened to their conversation? In many instances their
conversation runs along this vein: They are constantly condemning
those who have succeeded in life and who have raised their heads
above the crowd. Perhaps they are saying, “Oh, that fellow has a
racket; he is ruthless; he is a crook.” This is why they lack; they are
condemning the thing they desire and want. The reason they speak
critically of their more prosperous associates is because they are
envious and covetous of the others’ prosperity. The quickest way to
cause wealth to take wings and fly away is to criticize and condemn
others who have more wealth than you.
A COMMON STUMBLING BLOCK TO WEALTH
There is one emotion which is the cause of the lack of wealth in the
lives of many. Most people learn this the hard way. It is envy. For
example, if you see a competitor depositing large sums of money in
the bank, and you have only a meager amount to deposit, does it
make you envious? The way to overcome this emotion is to say to
yourself, “Isn’t it wonderful! I rejoice in that man’s prosperity. I wish
for him greater and greater wealth.”
To entertain envious thoughts is devastating because it places
you in a very negative position; therefore, wealth flows from you
instead of to you. If you are ever annoyed or irritated by the
prosperity or great wealth of another, claim immediately that you
truly wish for him greater wealth in every possible way. This will
neutralize the negative thoughts in your mind and cause an even
greater measure of wealth to flow to you by the law of your own
subconscious mind.
RUBBING OUT A GREAT MENTAL BLOCK TO WEALTH
If you are worried and critical about someone whom you claim is
making money dishonestly, cease worrying about him. You know
such a person is using the law of mind negatively; the law of mind
takes care of him. Be careful not to criticize him for the reasons
previously indicated. Remember: The block or obstacle to wealth is
in your own mind. You can now destroy that mental block. This you
may do by getting on mental good terms with everyone.
SLEEP AND GROW RICH
As you go to sleep at night, practice the following technique: Repeat
the word “wealth” quietly, easily, and feelingly. Do this over and over
again, just like a lullaby. Lull yourself to sleep with the one word,
“wealth.” You should be amazed at the result. Wealth should flow to
you in avalanches of abundance. This is another example of the
magic power of your subconscious mind.
SERVE YOURSELF WITH THE POWERS OF YOUR MIND
1. Decide to be wealthy the easy way, with the infallible aid
of your subconscious mind.
2. Trying to accumulate wealth by the sweat of your brow
and hard labor is one way to become the richest man in
the graveyard. You do not have to strive or slave hard.
3. Wealth is a subconscious conviction. Build into your
mentality the idea of wealth.
4. The trouble with most people is that they have no
invisible means of support.
5. Repeat the word “wealth” to yourself slowly and quietly
for about five minutes prior to sleep and your
subconscious will bring wealth to pass in your
experience.
6. The feeling of wealth produces wealth. Keep this in mind
at all times.
7. Your conscious and subconscious mind must agree. Your
subconscious accents what you really feel to be true. The
dominant idea is always accepted by your subconscious
mind. The dominant idea should be wealth, not poverty.
8. You can overcome any mental conflict regarding wealth
by affirming frequently, “By day and by night I am being
prospered in all of my interests.”
9. Increase your sales by repeating this statement over and
over again, “My sales are improving every day; I am
advancing, progressing, and getting wealthier every day.”
10. Stop writing blank checks, such as, “There is not enough
to go around,” or “There is a shortage,” etc. Such
statements magnify and multiply your loss.
11. Deposit thoughts of prosperity, wealth, and success in
your subconscious mind, and the latter will give you
compound interest.
12. What you consciously affirm, you must not mentally
deny a few moments later. This will neutralize the good
you have affirmed.
13. Your true source of wealth consists of the ideas in your
mind. You can have an idea worth millions of dollars.
Your subconscious will give you the idea you seek.
14. Envy and jealousy are stumbling blocks to the flow of
wealth. Rejoice in the prosperity of others.
15. The block to wealth is in your own mind. Destroy that
block now by getting on good mental terms with
everyone.
CHAPTER TEN
YOUR RIGHT TO BE RICH
I
t is your right to be rich. You are here to lead the abundant life
and be happy, radiant, and free. You should, therefore, have all
the money you need to lead a full, happy, and prosperous life.
You are here to grow, expand, and unfold spiritually, mentally,
and materially. You have the inalienable right to fully develop and
express yourself along all lines. You should surround yourself with
beauty and luxury.
Why be satisfied with just enough to go around when you can
enjoy the riches of your subconscious mind? In this chapter you can
learn to make friends with money, and you should always have a
surplus. Your desire to be rich is a desire for a fuller, happier, more
wonderful life. It is a cosmic urge. It is not only good, but very good.
MONEY IS A SYMBOL
Money is a symbol of exchange. It means to you not only freedom
from want, but beauty, luxury, abundance, and refinement. It is
merely a symbol of the economic health of the nation. When your
blood is circulating freely in your body, you are healthy. When
money is circulating freely in your life, you are economically healthy.
When people begin to hoard money, to put it away in tin boxes, and
become charged with fear, there is economic illness. Money has
taken many forms as a medium of exchange down through the
centuries, such as salt, beads, and trinkets of various kinds. In early
times a man’s wealth was determined by the number of sheep and
oxen he had. Now we use currency, and other negotiable
instruments, as it is much more convenient to write a check than
carry some sheep around with you to pay bills.
HOW TO WALK THE ROYAL ROAD TO RICHES
Knowledge of the powers of your subconscious mind is the means to
the royal road to riches of all kinds—spiritual, mental, or financial.
The student of the laws of mind believes and knows definitely that
regardless of economic situations, stock market fluctuation,
depression, strikes, war, or other conditions or circumstances, he will
always be amply supplied, regardless of what form money takes. The
reason for this is that he has conveyed the idea of wealth to his
subconscious mind, and it keeps him supplied wherever he may be.
He has convinced himself in his mind that money is forever flowing
freely in his life and that there is always a wonderful surplus. Should
there be a financial collapse of government tomorrow and all the
man’s present holdings become valueless, as the German marks did
after the First World War, he would still attract wealth and be cared
for, regardless of the form the new currency took.
WHY YOU DO NOT HAVE MORE MONEY
As you read this chapter, you are probably saying, “I am worthy of a
higher salary than I am receiving.” I believe most people are
inadequately compensated. One of the causes many people do not
have more money is that they are silently or openly condemning it.
They refer to money as “filthy lucre” or “the love of money is the root
of all evil.” Another reason they do not prosper is that they have a
sneaky subconscious feeling there is some virtue in poverty. This
subconscious pattern may be due to early childhood training,
superstition, or it could be based on a false interpretation of
scriptures.
MONEY AND A BALANCED LIFE
One time a man said to me, “I am broke. I do not like money. It is the
root of all evil.” These statements represent a confused neurotic
mind. Love of money to the exclusion of everything else will cause
you to become lopsided and unbalanced. You are here to use your
power or authority wisely. Some men crave power, others crave
money. If you set your heart on money exclusively and say, “Money is
all I want; I am going to give all my attention to amassing money;
nothing else matters,” you can get money and attain a fortune, but
you have forgotten that you are here to lead a balanced life. You must
also satisfy the hunger for peace of mind, harmony, love, joy, and
perfect health.
By making money your sole aim, you simply made a wrong
choice. You thought that was all you wanted, but you found after all
your efforts that it was not only the money you needed. You also
desired true expression of your hidden talents, true place in life,
beauty, and the joy of contributing to the welfare and success of
others. By learning the laws of your subconscious mind, you could
have a million dollars or many millions, if you wanted them, and still
have peace of mind, harmony, perfect health, and perfect expression.
POVERTY IS A MENTAL DISEASE
There is no virtue in poverty; it is a disease like any other mental
disease. If you were physically ill, you would think there was
something wrong with you. You would seek help and do something
about the condition at once. Likewise, if you do not have money
constantly circulating in your life, there is something radically wrong
with you.
The urge of the life principle in you is toward growth, expansion,
and the life more abundant. You are not here to live in a hovel, dress
in rags, and go hungry. You should be happy, prosperous, and
successful.
WHY YOU MUST NEVER CRITICIZE MONEY
Cleanse your mind of all weird and superstitious beliefs about
money. Do not ever regard money as evil or filthy. If you do, you
cause it to take wings and fly away from you. Remember that you
lose what you condemn. You cannot attract what you criticize.
GETTING THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARD MONEY
Here is a simple technique you may use to multiply money in your
experience. Use the following statements several times a day, “I like
money, I love it, I use it wisely, constructively, and judiciously.
Money is constantly circulating in my life. I release it with joy, and it
returns to me multiplied in a wonderful way. It is good and very
good. Money flows to me in avalanches of abundance. I use it for
good only, and I am grateful for my good and for the riches of my
mind.”
HOW THE SCIENTIFIC THINKER LOOKS AT MONEY
Suppose, for example, you found gold, silver, lead, copper, or iron in
the ground. Would you pronounce these things evil? All evil comes
from man’s darkened understanding, from his ignorance, from his
false interpretation of life, and from his misuse of his subconscious
mind. Uranium, lead, or some other metal could have been used as a
medium of exchange. We use paper bills, checks, nickel, and silver,
surely, these are not evil. Physicists and chemists know today that
the only difference between one metal and another is the number
and rate of motion of electrons revolving around a central nucleus.
They can now change one metal into another through a
bombardment of the atoms in the powerful cyclotron. Gold under
certain conditions becomes mercury. I believe that our modern
scientists in the near future will be able to make gold, silver, and
other metals synthetically in the chemical laboratory. The cost may
be prohibitive now, but it can be done. I cannot imagine any
intelligent person seeing anything evil in electrons, neutrons,
protons, and isotopes.
The piece of paper in your pocket is composed of atoms and
molecules with their electrons and protons arranged differently.
Their number and rate of motion are different. That is the only way
the paper differs from the silver in your pocket.
HOW TO ATTRACT THE MONEY YOU NEED
Many years ago I met a young boy in Australia who wanted to
become a physician and surgeon, but he had no money. I explained
to him how a seed deposited in the soil attracts to itself everything
necessary for its unfolding, and that all he had to do was to take a
lesson from the seed and deposit the required idea in his
subconscious mind. For expenses this young, brilliant boy used to
clean out doctors’ offices, wash windows, and do odd repair jobs. He
told me that every night, as he went to sleep, he used to picture in his
mind’s eye a medical diploma on a wall with his name on it in big,
bold letters. He used to clean and shine the framed diplomas in the
medical building where he worked. It was not hard for him to
engrave the image of a diploma in his mind and develop it there.
Definite results followed as he persisted with his mental picture
every night for about four months.
The sequel of this story was very interesting. One of the doctors
took a great liking to this young boy and after training him in the art
of sterilizing instruments, giving hypodermic injections, and other
miscellaneous first-aid work, he employed him as a technical
assistant in his office. The doctor later sent him to medical school at
his own expense. Today, this young man is a prominent medical
doctor in Montreal, Canada. He discovered the law of attraction by
using his subconscious mind the right way. He operated an age-old
law which says, “Having seen the end, you have willed the means to
the realization of the end.” The end in this case was to become a
medical doctor.
This young man was able to imagine, see, and feel the reality of
being a doctor. He lived with that idea, sustained it, nourished it, and
loved it until through his imagination it penetrated the layers of his
subconscious mind and became a conviction, thereby attracting to
him everything necessary for the fulfillment of his dream.
WHY SOME MEN DO NOT GET A RAISE IN PAY
If you are working in a large organization and you are silently
thinking of and resenting the fact you are underpaid, that you are not
appreciated, and that you deserve more money and greater
recognition, you are subconsciously severing your ties with that
organization. You are setting a law in motion, and the
superintendent or manager will say to you, “We have to let you go.”
Actually, you dismissed yourself. The manager was simply the
instrument through which your own negative mental state was
confirmed. It was an example of the law of action and reaction. The
action was your thought, and the reaction was the response of your
subconscious mind.
OBSTACLES AND IMPEDIMENTS ON THE PATHWAY TO RICHES
I am sure you have heard men say, “That fellow has a racket.” “He is
a racketeer.” “He is getting money dishonestly.” “He is a faker.” “I
knew him when he had nothing.” “He is a crook, a thief, and a
swindler.”
If you analyze the man who talks like that, you discover he is
usually in want or suffering from some financial or physical illness.
Perhaps his former college friends went up the ladder of success and
excelled him. Now he is bitter and envious of their progress. In many
instances this is the cause of his downfall. Thinking negatively of
these classmates and condemning their wealth causes the wealth and
prosperity he is praying for to vanish and flee away. He is
condemning the thing he is praying for.
He is praying two ways. On the one hand he is saying, “Wealth is
flowing to me now,” and in the next breath, silently or audibly, he is
saying, “I resent that fellow’s wealth.” Always make it a special point
to rejoice in the wealth of the other person.
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENTS
If you are seeking wisdom regarding investments, or if you are
worried about your stocks or bonds, quietly claim, “Infinite
intelligence governs and watches over all my financial transactions,
and whatsoever I do shall prosper.” Do this frequently and you will
find that your investments will be wise; moreover, you will be
protected from loss, as you will be prompted to sell your securities or
holdings before any loss accrues to you.
YOU CANNOT GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
In large stores the management employs store detectives to prevent
people from stealing. They catch a number of people every day trying
to get something for nothing. All such people are living in the mental
atmosphere of lack and limitation and are stealing from themselves
peace, harmony, faith, honesty, integrity, good will, and confidence.
Furthermore, they are attracting to themselves all manner of loss,
such as loss of character, prestige, social status, and peace of mind.
These people lack faith in the source of supply and the
understanding of how their minds work. If they would mentally call
on the powers of their subconscious mind and claim that they are
guided to their true expression, they would find work and constant
supply. Then by honesty, integrity, and perseverance, they would
become a credit to themselves and to society at large.
YOUR CONSTANT SUPPLY OF MONEY
Recognizing the powers of your subconscious mind and the creative
power of your thought or mental image is the way to opulence,
freedom, and constant supply. Accept the abundant life in your own
mind. Your mental acceptance and expectancy of wealth has its own
mathematics and mechanics of expression. As you enter into the
mood of opulence, all things necessary for the abundant life will
come to pass.
Let this be your daily affirmation; write it in your heart: “I am
one with the infinite riches of my subconscious mind. It is my right
to be rich, happy, and successful. Money flows to me freely,
copiously, and endlessly. I am forever conscious of my true worth. I
give of my talents freely, and I am wonderfully blessed financially. It
is wonderful!”
STEP UP THIS WAY TO RICHES
1. Be bold enough to claim that it is your right to be rich
and your deeper mind will honor your claim.
2. You don’t want just enough to go around. You want all
the money you need to do all the things you want to do
and when you want to do them. Get acquainted with the
riches of your subconscious mind.
3. When money is circulating freely in your life, you are
economically healthy. Look at money like the tide and
you will always have plenty of it. The ebb and flow of the
tide is constant. When the tide is out you are absolutely
sure that it will return.
4. Knowing the laws of your subconscious mind, you will
always be supplied regardless of what form money takes.
5. One reason many people simply make ends meet and
never have enough money is that they condemn money.
What you condemn takes wings and flies away.
6. Do not make a god of money. It is only a symbol.
Remember that the real riches are in your mind. You are
here to lead a balanced life—this includes acquiring all
the money you need.
7. Don’t make money your sole aim. Claim wealth,
happiness, peace, true expression, and love, and
personally radiate love and good will to all. Then your
subconscious mind will give you compound interest in all
these fields of expression.
8. There is no virtue in poverty. It is a disease of the mind,
and you should heal yourself of this mental conflict or
malady at once.
9. You are not here to live in a hovel, to dress in rags, or to
go hungry. You are here to lead the life more abundant.
10. Never use the terms “filthy lucre” or “I despise money.”
You lose what you criticize. There is nothing good or bad,
but thinking of it in either light makes it so.
11. Repeat frequently, “I like money. I use it wisely,
constructively, and judiciously. I release it with joy, and
it returns a thousandfold.”
12. Money is not evil any more so than copper, lead, tin, or
iron which you may find in the ground. All evil is due to
ignorance and misuse of the mind’s powers.
13. To picture the end result in your mind causes your
subconscious to respond and fulfill your mental picture.
14. Stop trying to get something for nothing. There is no
such thing as a free lunch. You must give to receive. You
must give mental attention to your goals, ideals, and
enterprises, and your deeper mind will back you up. The
key to wealth is application of the laws of the
subconscious mind by impregnating it with the idea of
wealth.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AS A
PARTNER IN SUCCESS
S
uccess means successful living. A long period of peace, joy, and
happiness on this plane may be termed success. The eternal
experience of these qualities is the everlasting life spoken of by
Jesus. The real things of life, such as peace, harmony, integrity,
security, and happiness are intangible. They come from the Deep Self
of man. Meditating on these qualities builds these treasures of
heaven in our subconscious. It is where moth nor rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves do not break through nor steal. MATTHEW 6:20.
THE THREE STEPS TO SUCCESS
Let us discuss three steps to success: The first step to success is to
find out the thing you love to do, then do it. Success is in loving your
work. Although, if a man is a psychiatrist, it is not adequate for him
to get a diploma and place it on the wall; he must keep up with the
times, attend conventions, and continue studying the mind and its
workings. The successful psychiatrist visits clinics and reads the
latest scientific articles. In other words, he is informed in the most
advanced methods of alleviating human suffering. The successful
psychiatrist or doctor must have the interest of his patients at heart.
Someone may say, “How can I put the first step into operation? I
do not know what I should do.” In such a case, pray for guidance as
follows: “The infinite intelligence of my subconscious mind reveals to
me my true place in life.” Repeat this prayer quietly, positively, and
lovingly to your deeper mind. As you persist with faith and
confidence, the answer will come to you as a feeling, a hunch, or a
tendency in a certain direction. It will come to you clearly and in
peace, and as an inner silent awareness.
The second step to success is to specialize in some particular
branch of work and know more about it than anyone else. For
example, if a young man chooses chemistry as his profession, he
should concentrate on one of the many branches in this field. He
should give all of his time and attention to his chosen specialty. He
should become sufficiently enthusiastic to try to know all there is
available about his field; if possible, he should know more than
anyone else. The young man should become ardently interested in
his work and should desire to serve the world.
He that is greatest among you, let him become your servant.
There is a great contrast in this attitude of mind in comparison to
that of the man who only wants to make a living or just “get by.”
“Getting by” is not true success. Man’s motive must be greater,
nobler, and more altruistic. He must serve others, thereby casting his
bread upon the waters.
The third step is the most important one. You must be sure that
the thing you want to do does not redound to your success only. Your
desire must not be selfish; it must benefit humanity. The path of a
complete circuit must be formed. In other words, your idea must go
forth with the purpose of blessing or serving the world. It will then
come back to you pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
If it is to benefit yourself exclusively, the circle or complete circuit is
not formed, and you may experience a short circuit in your life which
may consist of limitation or sickness.
THE MEASURE OF TRUE SUCCESS
Some people may say, “But, Mr. James made a fortune in selling
fraudulent oil stock.” A man may seem to succeed for a while, but the
money he obtained by fraud usually takes wings and flies away.
When we rob from another, we rob from ourselves, because we are in
a mood of lack and limitation which may manifest itself in our body,
home life, and affairs. What we think and feel, we create. We create
what we believe. Even though a man may have accumulated a
fortune fraudulently, he is not successful. There is no success without
peace of mind. What good is man’s accumulated wealth if he cannot
sleep nights, is sick, or has a guilt complex?
I knew a man in London who told me of his exploits. He had been
a professional pickpocket and had amassed a large amount of money.
He had a summer home in France and lived in a royal fashion in
England. His story was that he was in constant dread of being
arrested by Scotland Yard. He had many inner disorders which were
undoubtedly caused by his constant fear and deep-seated guilt
complex. He knew he had done wrong. This deep sense of guilt
attracted all kinds of trouble to him. Subsequently, he voluntarily
surrendered to the police and served a prison sentence. After his
release from prison, he sought psychological and spiritual counsel
and became transformed. He went to work and became an honest,
law-abiding citizen. He found what he loved to do and was happy.
A successful person loves his work and expresses himself fully.
Success is contingent upon a higher ideal than the more
accumulation of riches. The man of success is the man who possesses
great psychological and spiritual understanding. Many of the great
industrialists today depend upon the correct use of their
subconscious minds for their success.
There was an article published some years ago about Flagler, an
oil magnate. He admitted that the secret of his success was his ability
to see a project in its completion. For instance, in his case, he closed
his eyes, imagined a big oil industry, saw trains running on tracks,
heard whistles blowing, and saw smoke. Having seen and felt the
fulfillment of his prayer, his subconscious mind brought about its
realization. If you imagine an objective clearly, you will be provided
with the necessities, in ways you know not of, through the wonderworking power of your subconscious mind.
In considering the three steps to success you must never forget
the underlying power of the creative forces of your subconscious
mind. This is the energy in back of all steps in any plan of success.
Your thought is creative. Thought fused with feeling becomes a
subjective faith or belief, and according to your belief be it done unto
you. MATTHEW 9:29.
A knowledge of a mighty force in you which is capable of bringing
to pass all your desires gives you confidence and a sense of peace.
Whatever your field of action may be, you should learn the laws of
your subconscious mind. When you know how to apply the powers of
your mind, and when you are expressing yourself fully and giving of
your talents to others, you are on the sure path to true success. If you
are about God’s business, or any part of it, God, by His very nature, is
for you, so who can be against you? With this understanding there is
no power in heaven or on earth to withhold success from you.
HOW HE MADE HIS DREAM COME TRUE
A movie actor told me that he had very little education, but he had a
dream as a boy of becoming a successful movie actor. Out in the field
mowing hay, driving the cows home, or even when milking them he
said, “I would constantly imagine I saw my name in big lights at a
large theater. I kept this up for years until finally I ran away from
home. I got extra jobs in the motion-picture field, and the day finally
came when I saw my name in great, big lights as I did when I was a
boy!” Then he added, “I know the power of sustained imagination to
bring success.”
HIS DREAM PHARMACY BECAME A REALITY
Thirty years ago I knew a young pharmacist who was receiving forty
dollars a week plus commission on sales. “After twenty-five years,”
he said to me, “I will get a pension and retire.”
I said to this young man, “Why don’t you own your own store?
Get out of this place. Raise your sights! Have a dream for your
children. Maybe your son wants to be a doctor; perhaps your
daughter desires to be a great musician.”
His answer was that he had no money! He began to awaken to
the fact that whatever he could conceive as true, he could give
conception.
The first step toward his goal was his awakening to the powers of
his subconscious mind, which I briefly elaborated on for his benefit.
His second step was his realization that if he could succeed in
conveying an idea to his subconscious mind, the latter would
somehow bring it to pass.
He began to imagine that he was in his own store. He mentally
arranged the bottles, dispensed prescriptions, and imagined several
clerks in the store waiting on customers. He also visualized a big
bank balance. Mentally he worked in that imaginary store. Like a
good actor he lived the role. Act as though I am, and I will be. This
pharmacist put himself wholeheartedly into the act, living, moving,
and acting on the assumption that he owned the store.
The sequel was interesting. He was discharged from his position.
He found new employment with a large chain store, became
manager, and later on, district manager. He saved enough money in
four years to provide a down payment on a drugstore of his own. He
called it his “Dream Pharmacy.”
“It was,” he said, “exactly the store I saw in my imagination.” He
became a recognized success in his chosen field, and was happy
doing what he loved to do.
USING THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND IN BUSINESS
Some years ago I gave a lecture to a group of businessmen on the
powers of imagination and the subconscious mind. In this lecture I
pointed out how Goethe used his imagination wisely when
confronted with difficulties and predicaments.
His biographers point out that he was accustomed to fill many
hours quietly holding imaginary conversations. It is well known that
his custom was to imagine one of his friends before him in a chair
answering him in the right way. In other words, if he were concerned
over any problems, he imagined his friend giving him the right or
appropriate answer, accompanied with the usual gestures and tonal
qualities of the voice, and he made the entire imaginary scene as real
and as vivid as possible.
One of the men present at this lecture was a young stockbroker.
He proceeded to adopt the technique of Goethe. He began to have
mental, imaginary conversations with a multimillionaire banker
friend of his who used to congratulate him on his wise and sound
judgment, and compliment him on his purchase of the right stocks.
He used to dramatize this imaginary conversation until he had
psychologically fixed it as a form of belief in his mind.
This broker’s inner talking and controlled imagination certainly
agreed with his aim which was to make sound investments for his
clients. His main purpose in life was to make money for his clients
and to see them prosper financially by his wise counsel. He is still
using his subconscious mind in his business, and he is a brilliant
success in his field of endeavor.
BOY OF SIXTEEN YEARS TURNS FAILURE INTO SUCCESS
A young boy who was attending high school said to me, “I am getting
very poor grades. My memory is failing. I do not know what is the
matter.” I discovered that the only thing wrong with this boy was his
attitude which was one of indifference and resentment toward some
of his teachers and fellow students. I taught him how to use his
subconscious mind, and how to succeed in his studies.
He began to affirm certain truths several times a day particularly
at night prior to sleep, and also in the morning after awakening.
These are the best times to impregnate the subconscious mind.
He affirmed as follows: “I realize that my subconscious mind is a
storehouse of memory. It retains everything I read and hear from my
teachers. I have a perfect memory, and the infinite intelligence in my
subconscious mind constantly reveals to me everything I need to
know at all my examinations, whether written or oral. I radiate love
and good will to all my teachers and fellow students. I sincerely wish
for them success and all good things.”
This young man is now enjoying a greater freedom than he has
ever known. He is now receiving all “A’s.” He constantly imagines the
teachers and his mother congratulating him on his success in his
studies.
HOW TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL IN BUYING AND SELLING
In buying and selling, remember that your conscious mind is the
starter and your subconscious mind is the motor. You must start the
motor to enable it to perform its work. Your conscious mind is the
dynamo that awakens the power of your subconscious mind.
The first step in conveying your clarified desire, idea, or image to
the deeper mind is to relax, immobilize the attention, get still, and be
quiet. This quiet, relaxed, and peaceful attitude of mind prevents
extraneous matter and false ideas from interfering with your mental
absorption of your ideal. Furthermore, in the quiet, passive, and
receptive attitude of mind, effort is reduced to a minimum.
The second step is to begin to imagine the reality of that which
you desire. For example, you may wish to buy a home, and in your
relaxed state of mind affirm as follows: “The infinite intelligence of
my subconscious mind is all-wise. It reveals to me now the ideal
home which is central, ideal, is in a lovely environment, meets with
all my requirements, and is commensurate with my income. I am
now turning this request over to my subconscious mind, and I know
it responds according to the nature of my request. I release this
request with absolute faith and confidence in the same way that a
farmer deposits a seed in the ground, trusting implicitly in the laws
of growth.”
The answer to your prayer may come through an advertisement
in the paper, through a friend, or you may be guided directly to a
particular home which is exactly what you are seeking. There are
many ways by which your prayer may be answered. The principal
knowledge, in which you may place your confidence, is that the
answer always comes, provided you trust the working of your deeper
mind.
You may wish to sell a home, land, or any kind of property. In
private consultation with real estate brokers I have told them of the
way I sold my own home on Orlando Avenue in Los Angeles. Many of
them have applied the technique I used with remarkable and speedy
results. I placed a sign which read, “For sale by owner” in the garden
in front of my home. The day after I said to myself as I was going to
sleep, “Supposing you sold your house, what would you do?”
I answered my own question and I said, “I would take that sign
down and throw it into the garage.” In my imagination I took hold of
the sign, pulled it up from the ground, placed it on my shoulder,
went to the garage, threw it on the floor, and said jokingly to the sign,
“I don’t need you any more!” I felt the inner satisfaction of it all,
realizing it was finished.
The next day a man gave me a deposit of $1,000 and said to me,
“Take your sign down. We will go into escrow now.”
Immediately I pulled the sign up and took it to the garage. The
outer action conformed to the inner. There is nothing new about this.
As within, so without, meaning according to the image impressed on
your subconscious mind, so it is on the objective screen of your life.
The outside mirrors the inside. External action follows internal
action.
Here is another very popular method used in selling homes, land,
or any kind of property. Affirm slowly, quietly, and feelingly as
follows: “Infinite intelligence attracts to me the buyer for this home
who wants it and who prospers in it. This buyer is being sent to me
by the creative intelligence of my subconscious mind which makes no
mistakes. This buyer may look at many other homes, but mine is the
only one he wants and will buy, because he is guided by the infinite
intelligence within him. I know the buyer is right, the time is right,
and the price is right. Everything about it is right. The deeper
currents of my subconscious mind are now in operation bringing
both of us together in divine order. I know that it is so.”
Remember always, that what you are seeking is also seeking you,
and whenever you want to sell a home or property of any kind, there
is always someone who wants what you have to offer. By using the
powers of your subconscious mind correctly, you free your mind of
all sense of competition and anxiety in buying and selling.
HOW SHE SUCCEEDED IN GETTING WHAT SHE WANTED
There is a young lady who regularly comes to my lectures and
classes. She had to change buses three times; it took her one and a
half hours each time to come to the lectures. In one lecture I
explained how a young man who needed a car in his work received
one.
She went home and experimented as outlined in my lecture. Here
is her letter in part, narrating her application of my method, and
published by her permission:
Dear Dr. Murphy:
This is how I received a Cadillac car—I wanted one to come to
the lectures regularly. In my imagination I went through the
identical process I would go through, if I were actually driving a
car. I went to the showroom, and the salesman took me for a ride in
one. I also drove it several blocks. I claimed the Cadillac car as my
own over and over again.
I kept the mental picture of getting into the car, driving it,
feeling the upholstery, etc., consistently for over two weeks. Last
week I drove to your lectures in a Cadillac. My uncle in Inglewood
passed away, and left me his Cadillac and his entire estate.
A SUCCESS TECHNIQUE EMPLOYED BY MANY OUTSTANDING
EXECUTIVES AND BUSINESSMEN
There are many prominent businessmen who quietly use the abstract
term, “success,” over and over many times a day until they reach a
conviction that success is theirs. They know that the idea of success
contains all the essential elements of success. Likewise, you can
begin now to repeat the word, “success,” to yourself with faith and
conviction. Your subconscious mind will accept it as true of you, and
you will be under a subconscious compulsion to succeed.
You are compelled to express your subjective beliefs,
impressions, and convictions. What does success imply to you? You
want, undoubtedly, to be successful in your home life and in your
relationships with others. You wish to be outstanding in your chosen
work or profession. You wish to possess a beautiful home, and all the
money you need to live comfortably and happily. You want to be
successful in your prayer life and in your contact with the powers of
your subconscious mind.
You are a businessman also because you are in the business of
living. Become a successful businessman by imagining yourself doing
what you long to do, and possessing the things you long to possess.
Become imaginative; mentally participate in the reality of the
successful state. Make a habit of it. Go to sleep feeling successful
every night, and perfectly satisfied, and you will eventually succeed
in implanting the idea of success in your subconscious mind. Believe
you were born to succeed, and wonders will happen as you pray!
PROFITABLE POINTERS
1. Success means successful living. When you are peaceful,
happy, joyous, and doing what you love to do, you are
successful.
2. Find out what you love to do, then do it. If you don’t
know your true expression, ask for guidance, and the
lead will come.
3. Specialize in your particular field and try to know more
about it than anyone else.
4. A successful man is not selfish. His main desire in life is
to serve humanity.
5. There is no true success without peace of mind.
6. A successful man possesses great psychological and
spiritual understanding.
7. If you imagine an objective clearly, you will be provided
with the necessities through the wonder-working power
of your subconscious mind.
8. Your thought fused with feeling becomes a subjective
belief, and according to your belief is it done unto you.
9. The power of sustained imagination draws forth the
miracle-working powers of your subconscious mind.
10. If you are seeking promotion in your work, imagine your
employer, supervisor, or loved one congratulating you on
your promotion. Make the picture vivid and real. Hear
the voice, see the gestures, and feel the reality of it all.
Continue to do this frequently, and through frequent
occupancy of your mind, you will experience the joy of
the answered prayer.
11. Your subconscious mind is a storehouse of memory. For
a perfect memory, affirm frequently: “The infinite
intelligence of my subconscious mind reveals to me
everything I need to know at all times, everywhere.”
12. If you wish to sell a home or property of any kind, affirm
slowly, quietly, and feelingly as follows: “Infinite
intelligence attracts to me the buyer of this house or
property, who wants it, and who prospers in it.” Sustain
this awareness, and the deeper currents of your
subconscious mind will bring it to pass.
13. The idea of success contains all the elements of success.
Repeat the word, “success,” to yourself frequently with
faith and conviction, and you will be under a
subconscious compulsion to succeed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SCIENTISTS USE THE SUBCONSCIOUS
MIND
M
any scientists realize the true importance of the
subconscious mind. Edison, Marconi, Kettering, Poincaré,
Einstein, and many others have used the subconscious
mind. It has given them the insight and the “know-how” for all their
great achievements in modern science and industry. Research has
shown that the ability to bring into action the subconscious power
has determined the success of all the great scientific and research
workers.
An instance of how a famous chemist, Friedrich von Stradonitz,
used his subconscious mind to solve his problem is as follows: He
had been working laboriously for a long time trying to rearrange the
six carbon and the six hydrogen atoms of the benzine formula, and
he was constantly perplexed and unable to solve the matter. Tired
and exhausted, he turned the request over completely to his
subconscious mind. Shortly afterward, as he was about to board a
London bus, his subconscious presented his conscious mind with a
sudden flash of a snake biting its own tail and turning around like a
pinwheel. This answer, from his subconscious mind, gave him the
long-sought answer of the circular rearrangement of the atoms that
is known as the benzine ring.
HOW A DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIST BROUGHT FORTH HIS
INVENTIONS
Nikola Tesla was a brilliant electrical scientist who brought forth the
most amazing innovations. When an idea for a new invention came
into his mind, he would build it up in his imagination, knowing that
his subconscious mind would reconstruct and reveal to his conscious
mind all the parts needed for its manufacture in concrete form.
Through quietly contemplating every possible improvement, he
spent no time in correcting defects, and was able to give the
technicians the perfect product of his mind.
He said, “Invariably, my device works as I imagined it should. In
twenty years there has not been a single exception.”
HOW A FAMOUS NATURALIST SOLVED HIS PROBLEM
Professor Agassiz, a distinguished American naturalist, discovered
the indefatigable activities of his subconscious mind while he slept.
The following has been reported by his widow in her biography of her
famous husband.
“He had been for two weeks striving to decipher the somewhat
obscure impression of a fossil fish on the stone slab in which it was
preserved. Weary and perplexed, he put his work aside at last, and
tried to dismiss it from his mind. Shortly after, he waked one night
persuaded that while asleep he had seen his fish with all the missing
features perfectly restored. But when he tried to hold and make fast
the image it escaped him. Nevertheless, he went early to the Jardin
des Plantes, thinking that on looking anew at the impression he
should see something which would put him on the track of his vision.
In vain—the blurred record was as black as ever. The next night he
saw the fish again, but with no more satisfactory result. When he
awoke it disappeared from his memory as before. Hoping that the
same experience might be repeated, on the third night he placed a
pencil and paper beside his bed before going to sleep.
“Accordingly, toward morning the fish reappeared in his dream,
confusedly at first, but at last with such distinctness that he had no
longer any doubt as to its zoological characters. Still half dreaming,
in perfect darkness, he traced these characters on the sheet of paper
at the bedside. In the morning he was surprised to see in his
nocturnal sketch features which he thought it impossible the fossil
itself should reveal. He hastened to the Jardin des Plantes, and, with
his drawing as a guide, succeeded in chiselling away the surface of
the stone under which portions of the fish proved to be hidden.
When wholly exposed it corresponded with his dream and his
drawing, and he succeeded in classifying it with ease.”
AN OUTSTANDING PHYSICIAN SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF
DIABETES
Some years ago I received a clipping from a magazine describing the
origin of the discovery of insulin. This is the essence of the article as I
recall it.
About forty years ago or more, Dr. Frederick Banting, a brilliant
Canadian physician and surgeon, was concentrating his attention on
the ravages of diabetes. At that time medical science offered no
effective method of arresting the disease. Dr. Banting spent
considerable time experimenting and studying the international
literature on the subject. One night he was exhausted and fell asleep.
While asleep, his subconscious mind instructed him to extract the
residue from the degenerated pancreatic duct of dogs. This was the
origin of insulin which has helped millions of people.
You will note that Dr. Banting had been consciously dwelling on
the problem for some time seeking a solution, a way out, and his
subconscious responded accordingly.
It does not follow that you will always get an answer overnight.
The answer may not come for some time. Do not be discouraged.
Keep on turning the problem over every night to the subconscious
mind prior to sleep, as if you had never done it before.
One of the reasons for the delay may be that you look upon it as a
major problem. You may believe it will take a long time to solve it.
Your subconscious mind is timeless and spaceless. Go to sleep
believing you have the answer now. Do not postulate the answer in
the future. Have an abiding faith in the outcome. Become convinced
now as you read this book that there is an answer and a perfect
solution for you.
HOW A FAMOUS SCIENTIST AND PHYSICIST ESCAPED FROM
A RUSSIAN CONCENTRATION CAMP
Dr. Lothar von Blenk-Schmidt, a member of the Rocket Society and
an outstanding research electronic engineer, gives the following
condensed summary of how he used his subconscious mind to free
himself from certain death at the hands of brutal guards in a Russian
prison camp coal mine. He states as follows:
“I was a prisoner of war in a coal mine in Russia, and I saw men
dying all around me in that prison compound. We were watched over
by brutal guards, arrogant officers, and sharp, fast-thinking
commissars. After a short medical checkup, a quota of coal was
assigned to each person. My quota was three hundred pounds per
day. In case any man did not fill his quota, his small food ration was
cut down, and in a short time he was resting in the cemetery.
“I started concentrating on my escape. I knew that my
subconscious mind would somehow find a way. My home in
Germany was destroyed, my family wiped out; all my friends and
former associates were either killed in the war or were in
concentration camps.
“I said to my subconscious mind, ‘I want to go to Los Angeles,
and you will find the way.’ I had seen pictures of Los Angeles and I
remembered some of the boulevards very well as well as some of the
buildings.
“Every day and night I would imagine I was walking down
Wilshire Boulevard with an American girl whom I met in Berlin prior
to the war (she is now my wife). In my imagination we would visit
the stores, ride buses, and eat in the restaurants. Every night I made
it a special point to drive my imaginary American automobile up and
down the boulevards of Los Angeles. I made all this vivid and real.
These pictures in my mind were as real and as natural to me as one
of the trees outside the prison camp.
“Every morning the chief guard would count the prisoners as
they were lined up. He would call out ‘one, two, three’ etc., and when
seventeen was called out, which was my number in sequence, I
stepped aside. In the meantime, the guard was called away for a
minute or so, and on his return he started by mistake on the next
man as number seventeen. When the crew returned in the evening,
the number of men was the same, and I was not missed, and the
discovery would take a long time.
“I walked out of the camp undetected and kept walking for
twenty-four hours, resting in a deserted town the next day. I was able
to live by fishing and killing some wildlife. I found coal trains going
to Poland and traveled on them by night, until finally I reached
Poland. With the help of friends, I made my way to Lucerne,
Switzerland.
“One evening at the Palace Hotel, Lucerne, I had a talk with a
man and his wife from the United States of America. This man asked
me if I would care to be a guest at his home in Santa Monica,
California. I accepted, and when I arrived in Los Angeles, I found
that their chauffeur drove me along Wilshire Boulevard and many
other boulevards which I had imagined so vividly in the long months
in the Russian coal mines. I recognized the buildings which I had
seen in my mind so often. It actually seemed as if I had been in Los
Angeles before. I had reached my goal.
“I will never cease to marvel at the wonders of the subconscious
mind. Truly, it has ways we know not of.”
HOW ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND PALEONTOLOGISTS
RECONSTRUCT ANCIENT SCENES
These scientists know that their subconscious mind has a memory of
everything that has ever transpired. As they study the ancient ruins
and fossils, through their imaginative perception, their subconscious
mind aids them in reconstructing the ancient scenes. The dead past
becomes alive and audible once more. Looking at these ancient
temples and studying the pottery, statuary, tools, and household
utensils of these ancient times, the scientist tells us of an age when
there was no language. Communication was done by grunts, groans,
and signs.
The keen concentration and disciplined imagination of the
scientist awakens the latent powers of his subconscious mind
enabling him to clothe the ancient temples with roofs, and surround
them with gardens, pools, and fountains. The fossil remains are
clothed with eyes, sinews, and muscles, and they again walk and talk.
The past becomes the living present, and we find that in mind there
is no time or space. Through disciplined, controlled, and directed
imagination, you can be a companion of the most scientific and
inspired thinkers of all time.
HOW TO RECEIVE GUIDANCE FROM YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS
When you have what you term “a difficult decision” to make, or when
you fail to see the solution to your problem, begin at once to think
constructively about it. If you are fearful and worried, you are not
really thinking. True thinking is free from fear.
Here is a simple technique you can use to receive guidance on
any subject: Quiet the mind and still the body. Tell the body to relax;
it has to obey you. It has no volition, initiative, or self-conscious
intelligence. Your body is an emotional disk which records your
beliefs and impressions. Mobilize your attention; focus your thought
on the solution to your problem. Try to solve it with your conscious
mind. Think how happy you would be about the perfect solution.
Sense the feeling you would have if the perfect answer were yours
now. Let your mind play with this mood in a relaxed way; then drop
off to sleep. When you awaken, and you do not have the answer, get
busy about something else. Probably, when you are preoccupied with
something else, the answer will come into your mind like toast pops
out of a toaster.
In receiving guidance from the subconscious mind, the simple
way is the best. This is an illustration: I once lost a valuable ring
which was an heirloom. I looked everywhere for it and could not
locate it. At night I talked to the subconscious in the same manner
that I would talk to anyone. I said to it prior to dropping off to sleep,
“You know all things; you know where that ring is, and you now
reveal to me where it is.”
In the morning I awoke suddenly with the words ringing in my
ear, “Ask Robert!”
I thought it very strange that I should ask Robert, a young boy
about nine years of age; however, I followed the inner voice of
intuition.
Robert said, “Oh, yes, I picked it up in the yard while I was
playing with the boys. I placed it on the desk in my room. I did not
think it worth anything, so I did not say anything about it.”
The subconscious mind will always answer you if you trust it.
HIS SUBCONSCIOUS REVEALED THE LOCATION OF HIS
FATHER’S WILL
A young man who attends my lectures had this experience. His father
died and apparently left no will. However, this man’s sister told him
that their father had confided to her that a will had been executed
which was fair to all. Every attempt to locate the will failed.
Prior to sleep he talked to his deeper mind as follows: “I now turn
this request over the the subconscious mind. It knows just where that
will is, and reveals it to me.” Then he condensed his request down to
one word, “Answer,” repeating it over and over again as a lullaby. He
lulled himself to sleep with the word, “Answer.”
The next morning this young man had an overpowering hunch to
go to a certain bank in Los Angeles where he found a safe deposit
vault registered in the name of his father, the contents of which
solved all his problems.
Your thought, as you go to sleep, arouses the powerful latency
which is within you. For example, let us suppose you are wondering
whether to sell your home, buy a certain stock, sever partnership,
move to New York or stay in Los Angeles, dissolve the present
contract or take a new one. Do this: Sit quietly in your armchair or at
the desk in your office. Remember that there is a universal law of
action and reaction. The action is your thought. The reaction is the
response from your subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is
reactive and reflexive; this is its nature. It rebounds, rewards, and
repays. It is the law of correspondence. It responds by
corresponding. As you contemplate right action, you will
automatically experience a reaction or response in yourself which
represents the guidance or answer of your subconscious mind.
In seeking guidance, you simply think quietly about right action
which means that you are using the infinite intelligence resident in
the subconscious mind to the point where it begins to use you. From
there on, your course of action is directed and controlled by the
subjective wisdom within you which is all-wise and omnipotent. Your
decision will be right. There will only be right action because you are
under a subjective compulsion to do the right thing. I use the word
compulsion because the law of the subconscious is compulsion.
THE SECRET OF GUIDANCE
The secret of guidance or right action is to mentally devote yourself
to the right answer, until you find its response in you. The response
is a feeling, an inner awareness, an overpowering hunch whereby you
know that you know. You have used the power to the point where it
begins to use you. You cannot possibly fail or make one false step
while operating under the subjective wisdom within you. You will
find that all your ways are pleasantness and all your paths are peace.
HIGHLIGHTS TO RECALL
1. Remember that the subconscious mind has determined
the success and wonderful achievements of all great
scientific workers.
2. By giving your conscious attention and devotion to the
solution of a perplexing problem, your subconscious
mind gathers all the necessary information and presents
it full-blown to the conscious mind.
3. If you are wondering about the answer to a problem, try
to solve it objectively. Get all the information you can
from research and also from others. If no answer comes,
turn it over to your subconscious mind prior to sleep, and
the answer always comes. It never fails.
4. You do not always get the answer overnight. Keep on
turning your request over to your subconscious until the
day breaks and the shadows flee away.
5. You delay the answer by thinking it will take a long time
or that it is a major problem. Your subconscious has no
problem, it knows only the answer.
6. Believe that you have the answer now. Feel the joy of the
answer and the way you would feel if you had the perfect
answer. Your subconscious will respond to your feeling.
7. Any mental picture, backed by faith and perseverance,
will come to pass through the miracle-working power of
your subconscious. Trust it, believe in its power, and
wonders will happen as you pray.
8. Your subconscious is the storehouse of memory, and
within your subconscious are recorded all your
experiences since childhood.
9. Scientists meditating on ancient scrolls, temples, fossils,
etc., are able to reconstruct scenes of the past and make
them alive today. Their subconscious mind comes to
their aid.
10. Turn over your request for a solution to your
subconscious prior to sleep. Trust it and believe in it, and
the answer will come. It knows all and sees all, but you
must not doubt or question its powers.
11. The action is your thought, and the reaction is the
response of your subconscious mind. If your thoughts are
wise, your actions and decisions will be wise.
12. Guidance comes as a feeling, an inner awareness, an
overpowering hunch whereby you know that you know.
It is an inner sense of touch. Follow it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS AND THE WONDERS
OF SLEEP
Y
ou spend about eight out of every twenty-four hours, or onethird of your entire life, in sleep. This is an inexorable law of
life. This also applies to the animal and vegetable kingdoms.
Sleep is a divine law, and many answers to our problems come to us
when we are sound asleep upon the bed.
Many people have advocated the theory that you get tired during
the day, that you go to sleep to rest the body, and that a reparative
process takes place while you sleep. Nothing rests in sleep. Your
heart, lungs, and all your vital organs function while you are asleep.
If you eat prior to sleep, the food is digested and assimilated; also,
your skin secretes perspiration, and your nails and hair continue to
grow.
Your subconscious mind never rests or sleeps. It is always active,
controlling all your vital forces. The healing process takes place more
rapidly while you are asleep as there is no interference from your
conscious mind. Remarkable answers are given to you while you are
asleep.
WHY WE SLEEP
Dr. John Bigelow, a famous research authority on sleep,*
demonstrated that at night while asleep you receive impressions
showing that the nerves of the eyes, ears, nose, and taste buds are
active during sleep, and also that the nerves of your brain are quite
active. He says that the main reason we sleep is because “the nobler
part of the soul is united by abstraction to our higher nature and
becomes a participant in the wisdom and foreknowledge of the
gods.”
Dr. Bigelow states also, “The results of my studies have not only
strengthened my convictions that the supposed exemption from
customary toils and activities was not the final purpose of sleep, but
have also made clearer to my mind the conviction that no part of a
man’s life deserves to be considered more indispensable to its
symmetrical and perfect spiritual development than the while he is
separated from the phenomenal world in sleep.”
PRAYER, A FORM OF SLEEP
Your conscious mind gets involved with vexations, strife, and
contentions of the day, and it is very necessary to withdraw
periodically from sense evidence and the objective world, and
commune silently with the inner wisdom of your subconscious mind.
By claiming guidance, strength, and greater intelligence in all phases
of your life, you will be enabled to overcome all difficulties and solve
your daily problems.
This regular withdrawal from sense evidence and the noise and
confusion of everyday living is also a form of sleep, i.e., you become
asleep to the world of the senses and alive to the wisdom and power
of your subconscious mind.
STARTLING EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION
Lack of sleep can cause you to become irritable, moody, and
depressed. Dr. George Stevenson of the National Association for
Mental Health says, “I believe it can safely be said that all human
beings need a minimum of six hours’ sleep to be healthy. Most
people need more. Those who think they can get along on less are
fooling themselves.”
Medical research scholars, investigating sleep processes and
deprivation of sleep, point out that severe insomnia has preceded
psychotic breakdown in some instances. Remember, you are
spiritually recharged during sleep, and adequate sleep is essential to
produce joy and vitality in life.
YOU NEED MORE SLEEP
Robert O’Brien, in an article, “Maybe You Need More Sleep,” in an
issue of The Reader’s Digest, reports the following experiment on
sleep:
“For the last three years experiments have been in progress at
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C.
Subjects—more than one hundred military and civilian volunteers—
have been kept awake for as long as four days. Thousands of tests
have measured the effects on their behavior and personality. Results
of these tests have given scientists astonishingly new insights into
the mysteries of sleep.
“They now know that the tired brain apparently craves sleep so
hungrily that it will sacrifice anything to get it. After only a few hours
of sleep loss, fleeting stolen naps called ‘lapses,’ or micro-sleep,
occurred at the rate of three or four an hour. As in real sleep, eyelids
drooped, heartbeat slowed. Each lapse lasted just a fraction of a
second. Sometimes the lapses were periods of blankness; sometimes
they were filled with images, wisps of dreams. As hours of sleep loss
mounted, the lapses took place more often and lasted longer,
perhaps two or three seconds. Even if the subjects had been piloting
an airliner in a thunderstorm, they still couldn’t have resisted microsleeps for those few priceless seconds. And it can happen to you, as
many who have fallen asleep at the wheel of a car can testify.
“Another startling effect of sleep deprivation was its attack on
human memory and perception. Many sleep-deprived subjects were
unable to retain information long enough to relate it to the task they
were supposed to perform. They were totally befuddled in situations
requiring them to hold several factors in mind and act on them, as a
pilot must when he skillfully integrates wind direction, air speed,
altitude, and glide path to make a safe landing.”
SLEEP BRINGS COUNSEL
A young lady in Los Angeles who listens to my morning radio talks
told me that she had been offered a lucrative position in New York
City at twice her present salary. She was wondering whether to
accept or not and prayed prior to sleep as follows: “The creative
intelligence of my subconscious mind knows what is best for me. Its
tendency is always lifeward, and it reveals to me the right decision
which blesses me and all concerned. I give thanks for the answer
which I know will come to me.”
She repeated this simple prayer over and over again as a lullaby
prior to sleep, and in the morning she had a persistent feeling that
she should not accept the offer. She rejected the offer and
subsequent events verified her inward sense of knowing, because the
company went bankrupt in a few months following their offer of
employment to her.
The conscious mind may be correct on the facts objectively
known, but the intuitive faculty of her subconscious mind saw the
failure of the concern in question, and prompted her accordingly.
SAVED FROM CERTAIN DISASTER
I will illustrate how the wisdom of your subconscious mind can
instruct you and protect you relative to your request for right action
as you go to sleep.
Many years ago, before the Second World War, I was offered a
very lucrative assignment in the Orient, and I prayed for guidance
and the right decision as follows: “Infinite intelligence within me
knows all things, and the right decision is revealed to me in divine
order. I will recognize the answer when it comes.”
I repeated this simple prayer over and over again as a lullaby
prior to sleep, and in a dream came the vivid realization of things to
come three years hence. An old friend appeared in the dream and
said, “Read these headlines—do not go!” The headlines of the
newspaper which appeared in the dream related to war and the
attack on Pearl Harbor.
Occasionally, the writer dreams literally. The aforementioned
dream was undoubtedly a dramatization of the subconscious mind
which projected a person whom I trusted and respected. To some a
warning may come in the form of a mother who appears in a dream.
She tells the person not to go here or there, and the reason for the
warning. Your subconscious mind is all-wise. It knows all things.
Oftentimes it will speak to you only in a voice that your conscious
mind will immediately accept as true. Sometimes your subconscious
will warn you in a voice which sounds like that of your mother or
some loved one which may cause you to stop on the street, and you
find, if you had gone another foot, a falling object from a window
might have struck you on the head.
My subconscious mind is one with the universal subconscious,
and it knew the Japanese were planning a war, and it also knew
when the war would start.
Dr. Rhine, director of the Department of Psychology at Duke
University, has gathered together a vast amount of evidence showing
that a great number of people all over the world see events before
they happen, and in many instances are, therefore, able to avoid the
tragic event which was foreseen vividly in a dream.
The dream which I had showed clearly the headlines in The New
York Times about three years prior to the tragedy of Pearl Harbor. In
consequence of this dream, I immediately cancelled the trip as I felt a
subconscious compulsion to do so. Three years later the Second
World War proved the truth of the inner voice of intuition.
YOUR FUTURE IS IN YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
Remember that the future, the result of your habitual thinking, is
already in your mind except when you change it through prayer. The
future of a country, likewise, is in the collective subconscious of the
people of that nation. There is nothing strange in the dream I had
wherein I saw the headlines of the New York newspapers long before
the war began. The war had already taken place in mind, and all the
plans of attack were already engraved on that great recording
instrument, the subconscious mind or collective unconscious of the
universal mind. Tomorrow’s events are in your subconscious mind,
so are next week’s and next month’s, and they may be seen by a
highly psychic or clairvoyant person.
No disaster or tragedy can happen to you if you decide to pray.
Nothing is predetermined or foreordained. Your mental attitude, i.e.,
the way you think, feel, and believe, determines your destiny. You
can, through scientific prayer, which is explained in a previous
chapter, mold, fashion, and create your own future. Whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap.
A CATNAP NETS HIM $15,000
One of my students mailed me a newspaper clipping three or four
years ago about a man called Ray Hammerstrom, a roller at the steel
works in Pittsburgh operated by Jones and Laughlin Steel
Corporation. He received $15,000 for his dream.
According to the article, the engineers could not fix a faulty
switch in a newly installed bar mill which controlled the delivery of
straight bars to the cooling beds. The engineers worked on the switch
about eleven or twelve times to no avail.
Hammerstrom thought a lot about the problem and tried to
figure out a new design which might work. Nothing worked. One
afternoon he lay down for a nap, and prior to sleep he began to think
about the answer to the switch problem. He had a dream in which a
perfect design for the switch was portrayed. When he awoke, he
sketched his new design according to the outline of his dream.
This visionary catnap won Hammerstrom a check for $15,000,
the largest award the firm ever gave an employee for a new idea.
HOW A FAMOUS PROFESSOR SOLVED HIS PROBLEM IN
SLEEP
Dr. H. V. Hilprecht, professor of Assyrian at the University of
Pennsylvania, wrote as follows: “One Saturday evening . . . I had
been wearying myself, in the vain attempt to decipher two small
fragments of agate which were supposed to belong to the finger rings
of some Babylonians.
“About midnight, weary and exhausted, I went to bed and
dreamed the following remarkable dream: A tall, thin priest of
Nippur, about forty years of age, led me to the treasure chamber of
the temple . . . a small, low-ceilinged room without windows, while
scraps of agate and lapis-lazuli lay scattered on the floor. Here he
addressed me as follows: ‘The two fragments which you have
published separately on pages 22 and 26 belong together, are not
finger rings. . . . The first two rings served as earrings for the statue
of the god; the two fragments (you have) . . . are the portions of them.
If you will put them together you will have confirmation of my
words.’ . . . I awoke at once . . . I examined the fragments . . . and to
my astonishment found the dream verified. The problem was then at
last solved.”
This demonstrates clearly the creative manifestation of his
subconscious mind which knew the answer to all his problems.
HOW THE SUBCONSCIOUS WORKED FOR A FAMOUS WRITER
WHILE HE SLEPT
Robert Louis Stevenson in one of his books, Across the Plains,
devotes a whole chapter to dreams. He was a vivid dreamer and had
the persistent habit of giving specific instructions to his subconscious
every night prior to sleep. He would request his subconscious to
evolve stories for him while he slept. For example, if Stevenson’s
funds were at a low ebb, his command to his subconscious would be
something like this: “Give me a good thrilling novel which will be
marketable and profitable.” His subconscious responded
magnificently.
Stevenson says, “These little brownies [the intelligences and
powers of his subconscious] can tell me a story piece by piece, like a
serial, and keep me, its supposed creator, all the while in total
ignorance of where they aim.” And he added: “That part of my work
which is done when I am up and about [while he is consciously aware
and awake] is by no means necessarily mine, since all goes to show
that the brownies have a hand in it even then.”
SLEEP IN PEACE AND WAKE IN JOY
To those who suffer from insomnia, you will find the following prayer
very effective. Repeat it slowly, quietly, and lovingly prior to sleep:
“My toes are relaxed, my ankles are relaxed, my abdominal muscles
are relaxed, my heart and lungs are relaxed, my hands and arms are
relaxed, my neck is relaxed, my brain is relaxed, my face is relaxed,
my eyes are relaxed, my whole mind and body are relaxed. I fully and
freely forgive everyone, and I sincerely wish for them harmony,
health, peace, and all the blessings of life. I am at peace, I am poised,
serene, and calm. I rest in security and in peace. A great stillness
steals over me, and a great calm quiets my whole being as I realize
the Divine Presence within me. I know that the realization of life and
love heals me. I wrap myself in the mantle of love and fall asleep
filled with good will for all. Throughout the night peace remains with
me, and in the morning I shall be filled with life and love. A circle of
love is drawn around me. I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. I
sleep in peace, I wake in joy, and in Him I live, move, and have my
being.”
SUMMARY OF YOUR AIDS TO THE WONDERS OF SLEEP
1. If you are worried that you will not wake up on time,
suggest to your subconscious mind prior to sleep the
exact time you wish to arise, and it will awaken you. It
needs no clock. Do the same thing with all problems.
There is nothing too hard for your subconscious.
2. Your subconscious never sleeps. It is always on the job. It
controls all your vital functions. Forgive yourself and
everyone else before you go to sleep, and healing will
take place much more rapidly.
3. Guidance is given you while you are asleep, sometimes in
a dream. The healing currents are also released, and in
the morning you feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
4. When troubled by the vexations and strife of the day, still
the wheels of your mind and think about the wisdom and
intelligence lodged in your subconscious mind which is
ready to respond to you. This will give you peace,
strength, and confidence.
5. Sleep is essential for peace of mind and health of body.
Lack of sleep can cause irritation, depression, and mental
disorders. You need eight hours’ sleep.
6. Medical research scholars point out that insomnia
precedes psychotic breakdowns.
7. You are spiritually recharged during sleep. Adequate
sleep is essential for joy and vitality in life.
8. Your tired brain craves sleep so hungrily that it will
sacrifice anything to get it. Many who have fallen asleep
at the wheel of an automobile can testify to this.
9. Many sleep-deprived people have poor memories and
lack proper co-ordination. They become befuddled,
confused, and disoriented.
10. Sleep brings counsel. Prior to sleep, claim that the
infinite intelligence of your subconscious mind is guiding
and directing you. Then, watch for the lead which comes,
perhaps on awakening.
11. Trust your subconscious completely. Know that its
tendency is always lifeward. Occasionally, your
subconscious answers you in a very vivid dream and a
vision in the night. You can be forewarned in a dream in
the same way as the author of this book was warned.
12. Your future is in your mind now, based on your habitual
thinking and beliefs. Claim infinite intelligence leads and
guides you and that all good is yours, and your future will
be wonderful. Believe it and accept it. Expect the best,
and invariably the best will come to you.
13. If you are writing a novel, play, or book, or are working
on an invention, speak to your subconscious mind at
night and claim boldly that its wisdom, intelligence, and
power are guiding, directing, and revealing to you the
ideal play, novel, book, or revealing the perfect solution
whatever it may be. Wonders will happen as you pray
this way.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND MARITAL
PROBLEMS
I
gnorance of the functions and powers of the mind is the cause of
all marital trouble. Friction between husband and wife can be
solved by each using the law of mind correctly. By praying
together they stay together. The contemplation of divine ideals, the
study of the laws of life, the mutual agreement on a common purpose
and plan, and the enjoyment of personal freedom bring about that
harmonious marriage, that wedded bliss, that sense of oneness
where the two become one.
The best time to prevent divorce is before marriage. It is not
wrong to try to get out of a very bad situation. But why get into the
bad situation in the first place? Would it not be better to give
attention to the real cause of marital problems, in other words, to
really get at the root of the matter involved?
As with all other problems of men and women, the problems of
divorce, separation, annulment, and endless litigation are directly
traceable to lack of knowledge of the working and interrelationship
of the conscious and subconscious mind.
THE MEANING OF MARRIAGE
Marriage to be real must first be on a spiritual basis. It must be of the
heart, and the heart is the chalice of love. Honesty, sincerity,
kindness, and integrity are also forms of love. Each partner should be
perfectly honest and sincere with the other. It is not a true marriage
when a man marries a woman for her money, social position, or to
lift his ego, because this indicates a lack of sincerity, honesty, and
true love. Such a marriage is a farce, a sham, and a masquerade.
When a woman says, “I am tired working; I want to get married
because I want security,” her premise is false. She is not using the
laws of mind correctly. Her security depends upon her knowledge of
the interaction of the conscious and subconscious mind and its
application.
For example, a woman will never lack for wealth or health if she
applies the techniques outlined in the respective chapters of this
book. Her wealth can come to her independent of her husband,
father, or anyone else. A woman is not dependent on her husband for
health, peace, joy, inspiration, guidance, love, wealth, security,
happiness, or anything in the world. Her security and peace of mind
come from her knowledge of the inner powers within her and from
the constant use of the laws of her own mind in a constructive
fashion.
HOW TO ATTRACT THE IDEAL HUSBAND
You are now acquainted with the way your subconscious mind
works. You know that whatever you impress upon it will be
experienced in your world. Begin now to impress your subconscious
mind with the qualities and characteristics you desire in a man.
The following is an excellent technique: Sit down at night in your
armchair, close your eyes, let go, relax the body, become very quiet,
passive, and receptive. Talk to your subconscious mind and say to it,
“I am now attracting a man into my experience who is honest,
sincere, loyal, faithful, peaceful, happy, and prosperous. These
qualities which I admire are sinking down into my subconscious
mind now. As I dwell upon these characteristics, they become a part
of me and are embodied subconsciously.
“I know there is an irresistible law of attraction and that I attract
to me a man according to my subconscious belief. I attract that which
I feel to be true in my subconscious mind.
“I know I can contribute to his peace and happiness. He loves my
ideals, and I love his ideals. He does not want to make me over;
neither do I want to make him over. There is mutual love, freedom,
and respect.”
Practice this process of impregnating your subconscious mind.
Then, you will have the joy of attracting to you a man possessing the
qualities and characteristics you mentally dwelt upon. Your
subconscious intelligence will open up a pathway, whereby both of
you will meet, according to the irresistible and changeless flow of
your own subconscious mind. Have a keen desire to give the best that
is in you of love, devotion, and cooperation. Be receptive to this gift
of love which you have given to your subconscious mind.
HOW TO ATTRACT THE IDEAL WIFE
Affirm as follows: “I now attract the right woman who is in complete
accord with me. This is a spiritual union because it is divine love
functioning through the personality of someone with whom I blend
perfectly. I know I can give to this woman love, light, peace, and joy.
I feel and believe I can make this woman’s life full, complete, and
wonderful.
“I now decree that she possesses the following qualities and
attributes: She is spiritual, loyal, faithful, and true. She is
harmonious, peaceful, and happy. We are irresistibly attracted to
each other. Only that which belongs to love, truth, and beauty can
enter my experience. I accept my ideal companion now.”
As you think quietly and with interest on the qualities and
attributes which you admire in the companion you seek, you will
build the mental equivalent into your mentality. Then, the deeper
currents of your subconscious mind will bring both of you together in
divine order.
NO NEED FOR THIRD MISTAKE
Recently a teacher said to me, “I have had three husbands and all
three have been passive, submissive, and dependent on me to make
all decisions and govern everything. Why do I attract such type
men?”
I asked her whether she had known that her second husband was
the effeminate type, and she replied, “Of course not. Had I known, I
would not have married him.” Apparently she had not learned
anything from the first mistake. The trouble was with her own
personality makeup. She was very masculine, domineering, and
unconsciously wanted someone who would be submissive and
passive so that she could play the dominant role. All this was
unconscious motivation, and her subconscious picture attracted to
her what she subjectively wanted. She had to learn to break the
pattern by adopting the right prayer process.
HOW SHE BROKE THE NEGATIVE PATTERN
The above-mentioned woman learned a simple truth. When you
believe you can have the type of man you idealize, it is done unto you
as you believe. The following is the specific prayer she used to break
the old subconscious pattern and attract to her the ideal mate: “I am
building into my mentality the type of man I deeply desire. The man
I attract for a husband is strong, powerful, loving, very masculine,
successful, honest, loyal, and faithful. He finds love and happiness
with me. I love to follow where he leads.
“I know he wants me, and I want him. I am honest, sincere,
loving, and kind. I have wonderful gifts to offer him. They are good
will, a joyous heart, and a healthy body. He offers me the same. It is
mutual. I give and I receive. Divine intelligence knows where this
man is, and the deeper wisdom of my subconscious mind is now
bringing both of us together in its own way, and we recognize each
other immediately. I release this request to my subconscious mind
which knows how to bring my request to pass. I give thanks for the
perfect answer.”
She prayed in the above manner night and morning, affirming
these truths and knowing that through frequent occupation of the
mind she would reach the mental equivalent of that which she
sought.
THE ANSWER TO HER PRAYER
Several months went by. She had a great number of dates and social
engagements, none of which was agreeable to her. When she was
about to question, waiver, doubt, and vacillate, she reminded herself
that the infinite intelligence was bringing it to pass in its own way
and that there was nothing to be concerned about. Her final decree
in her divorce proceedings was granted which brought her a great
sense of release and mental freedom.
Shortly afterward she went to work as a receptionist in a doctor’s
office. She told me that the minute she saw the physician she knew
he was the man she was praying about. Apparently he knew it, too,
because he proposed to her the first week she was in the office, and
their subsequent marriage was ideally happy. This physician was not
the passive or submissive type, but was a real man, a former football
player, an outstanding athlete, and was a deeply spiritual man
though he was completely devoid of any sectarian or denominational
affiliation.
She got what she prayed for because she claimed it mentally until
she reached the point of saturation. In other words, she mentally and
emotionally united with her idea, and it became a part of her in the
same way that an apple becomes a part of her bloodstream.
SHOULD I GET A DIVORCE?
Divorce is an individual problem. It cannot be generalized. In some
cases, of course, there never should have been a marriage. In some
cases, divorce is not the solution, no more so than marriage is the
solution for a lonely man. Divorce may be right for one person and
wrong for another. A divorced woman may be far more sincere and
noble than many of her married sisters who perhaps are living a lie.
For example, I once talked with a woman whose husband was a
dope fiend, an ex-convict, a wife-beater, and a non-provider. She had
been told it was wrong to get a divorce. I explained to her that
marriage is of the heart. If two hearts blend harmoniously, lovingly,
and sincerely, that is the ideal marriage. The pure action of the heart
is love.
Following this explanation she knew what to do. She knew in her
heart that there is no divine law which compelled her to be
browbeaten, intimidated, and beaten because someone said, “I
pronounce you man and wife.”
If you are in doubt as to what to do, ask for guidance, knowing
that there is always an answer and you will receive it. Follow the lead
that comes to you in the silence of your soul. It speaks to you in
peace.
DRIFTING INTO DIVORCE
Recently a young couple, married for only a few months, were
seeking a divorce. I discovered that the young man had a constant
fear that his wife would leave him. He expected rejection, and he
believed that she would be unfaithful. These thoughts haunted his
mind, and became an obsession with him. His mental attitude was
one of separation and suspicion. She felt unresponsive to him; it was
his own feeling or atmosphere of loss and separation operating
through them. This brought about a condition or action in
accordance with the mental pattern behind it. There is a law of action
and reaction, or cause and effect. The thought is the action, and the
response of the subconscious mind is the reaction.
His wife left home and asked for a divorce which is what he
feared and believed she would do.
DIVORCE BEGINS IN THE MIND
Divorce takes place first in the mind; the legal proceedings follow
after. These two young people were full of resentment, fear,
suspicion, and anger. These attitudes weaken, exhaust, and debilitate
the whole being. They learned that hate divides and that love unites.
They began to realize what they had been doing with their minds.
Neither one of them knew the law of mental action, and they were
misusing their minds and bringing on chaos and misery. These two
people went back together at my suggestion and experimented with
prayer therapy.
They began to radiate love, peace, and good will to each other.
Each one practiced radiating harmony, health, peace, and love to the
other, and they alternated in the reading of the Psalms every night.
Their marriage is growing more beautiful everyday.
THE NAGGING WIFE
Many times the reason the wife nags is because she gets no attention.
Oftentimes, it is a craving for love and affection. Give your wife
attention, and show your appreciation. Praise and exalt all her many
good points. There is also the nagging type of woman who wants to
make the man conform to her particular pattern. This is about the
quickest way in the world to get rid of a man.
The wife and the husband must cease being scavengers—always
looking at the petty faults or errors in each other. Let each give
attention and praise for the constructive and wonderful qualities in
the other.
THE BROODING HUSBAND
If a man begins to brood, grows morbid against his wife because of
the things she said or did, he is, psychologically speaking,
committing adultery. One of the meanings of adultery is idolatry, i.e.,
giving attention to or uniting mentally with that which is negative
and destructive. When a man is silently resenting his wife and is full
of hostility toward her, he is unfaithful. He is not faithful to his
marriage vows, which are to love, cherish, and honor her all the days
of his life.
The man who is brooding, bitter, and resentful can swallow his
sharp remarks, abate his anger, and he can go to great lengths to be
considerate, kind, and courteous. He can deftly skirt the differences.
Through praise and mental effort, he can get out of the habit of
antagonism. Then, he will be able to get along better, not only with
his wife, but with business associates also. Assume the harmonious
state, and eventually you will find peace and harmony.
THE GREAT MISTAKE
A great mistake is to discuss your marital problems or difficulties
with neighbors and relatives. Suppose, for example, a wife says to the
neighbor, “John never gives me any money. He treats my mother
abominably, drinks to excess, and is constantly abusive and
insulting.”
Now, this wife is degrading and belittling her husband in the eyes
of all the neighbors and relatives. He no longer appears as the ideal
husband to them. Never discuss your marital problems with anyone
except a trained counselor. Why cause numerous people to think
negatively of your marriage? Moreover, as you discuss and dwell
upon these shortcomings of your husband, you are actually creating
these states within yourself. Who is thinking and feeling it? You are!
As you think and feel, so are you.
Relatives will usually give you the wrong advice. It is usually
biased and prejudiced because it is not given in an impersonal way.
Any advice you receive which violates the golden rule, which is a
cosmic law, is not good or sound.
It is well to remember that no two human beings ever lived
beneath the same roof without clashes of temperament, periods of
hurts and strain. Never display the unhappy side of your marriage to
your friends. Keep your quarrels to yourself. Refrain from criticism
and condemnation of your partner.
DON’T TRY TO MAKE YOUR WIFE OVER
A husband must not try to make his wife over into a second edition of
himself. The tactless attempt to change her in many ways is foreign
to her nature. These attempts are always foolish, and many times
result in a dissolution of the marriage. These attempts to alter her
destroy her pride and self-esteem, and arouse a spirit of contrariness
and resentment that proves fatal to the marriage bond.
Adjustments are needed, of course, but if you have a good look
inside your own mind, and study your character and behavior, you
will find so many shortcomings, they will keep you busy the rest of
your life. If you say, “I will make him over into what I want,” you are
looking for trouble and the divorce court. You are asking for misery.
You will have to learn the hard way that there is no one to change but
yourself.
PRAY TOGETHER AND STAY TOGETHER THROUGH STEPS IN
PRAYER
The first step: Never carry over from one day to another accumulated
irritations arising from little disappointments. Be sure to forgive
each other for any sharpness before you retire at night. The moment
you awaken in the morning, claim infinite intelligence is guiding you
in all your ways. Send out loving thoughts of peace, harmony, and
love to your marriage partner, to all members of the family, and to
the whole world.
The second step: Say grace at breakfast. Give thanks for the
wonderful food, for your abundance, and for all your blessings. Make
sure that no problems, worries, or arguments shall enter into the
table conversation; the same applies at dinner time. Say to your wife
or husband, “I appreciate all you are doing, and I radiate love and
good will to you all day long.”
The third step: The husband and wife should alternate in praying
each night. Do not take your marriage partner for granted. Show
your appreciation and love. Think appreciation and good will, rather
than condemnation, criticism, and nagging. The way to build a
peaceful home and a happy marriage is to use a foundation of love,
beauty, harmony, mutual respect, faith in God, and all things good.
Read the 23rd, 27th, and 91st Psalms, the 11th chapter of Hebrews,
the 13th chapter of I Corinthians, and other great texts of the Bible
before going to sleep. As you practice these truths, your marriage will
grow more and more blessed through the years.
REVIEW YOUR ACTIONS
1. Ignorance of mental and spiritual laws is the cause of all
marital unhappiness. By praying scientifically together,
you stay together.
2. The best time to prevent divorce is before marriage. If
you learn how to pray in the right way, you will attract
the right mate for you.
3. Marriage is the union of a man and woman who are
bound together by love. Their hearts beat as one, and
they move onward, upward, and Godward.
4. Marriage does not bequeath happiness. People find
happiness by dwelling on the eternal truths of God and
the spiritual values of life. Then, the man and woman can
contribute to each other’s happiness and joy.
5. You attract the right mate by dwelling on the qualities
and characteristics you admire in a woman or a man, and
then your subconscious mind will bring you together in
divine order.
6. You must build into your mentality the mental equivalent
of what you want in a marriage partner. If you want to
attract an honest, sincere, and loving partner in life, you
must be honest, sincere, and loving yourself.
7. You do not have to repeat mistakes in marriage. When
you really believe you can have the type man or woman
you idealize, it is done unto you as you believe. To believe
is to accept something as true. Accept your ideal
companion now mentally.
8. Do not wonder how, why, or where you will meet the
mate you are praying for. Trust implicitly the wisdom of
your subconscious mind. It has the “know-how,” and you
don’t have to assist it.
9. You are mentally divorced when you indulge in peeves,
grudges, ill will, and hostility toward your marriage
partner. You are mentally dwelling with error in the bed
of your mind. Adhere to your marriage vows, “I promise
to cherish, love, and honor him (or her) all the days of
my life.”
10. Cease projecting fear patterns to your marriage partner.
Project love, peace, harmony, and good will, and your
marriage will grow more beautiful and more wonderful
through the years.
11. Radiate love, peace, and good will to each other. These
vibrations are picked up by the subconscious mind
resulting in mutual trust, affection, and respect.
12. A nagging wife is usually seeking attention and
appreciation. She is craving for love and affection. Praise
and exalt her many good points. Show her that you love
her and appreciate her.
13. A man who loves his wife does not do anything unloving
or unkind in word, manner, or action. Love is what love
does.
14. In marital problems, always seek expert advice. You
would not go to a carpenter to pull a tooth; neither
should you discuss your marriage problems with
relatives or friends. You should go to a trained person for
counsel.
15. Never try to make your wife or husband over. These
attempts are always foolish and tend to destroy the pride
and self-esteem of the other. Moreover, it arouses a spirit
of resentment that proves fatal to the marriage bond.
Cease trying to make the other a second edition of
yourself.
16. Pray together and you will stay together. Scientific prayer
solves all problems. Mentally picture your wife as she
ought to be, joyous, happy, healthy, and beautiful. See
your husband as he ought to be, strong, powerful, loving,
harmonious, and kind. Maintain this mental picture, and
you will experience the marriage made in heaven which
is harmony and peace.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND YOUR
HAPPINESS
W
illiam James, father of American psychology, said that the
greatest discovery of the nineteenth century was not in the
realm of physical science. The greatest discovery was the
power of the subconscious touched by faith. In every human being is
that limitless reservoir of power which can overcome any problem in
the world.
True and lasting happiness will come into your life the day you
get the clear realization that you can overcome any weakness—the
day you realize that your subconscious can solve your problems, heal
your body, and prosper you beyond your fondest dream.
You might have felt very happy when your child was born, when
you got married, when you graduated from college, or when you won
a great victory or a prize. You might have been very happy when you
became engaged to the loveliest girl or the most handsome man. You
could go on and list innumerable experiences which have made you
happy. However, no matter how marvelous these experiences are,
they do not give real lasting happiness—they are transitory.
The Book of Proverbs gives the answer: Whosoever trusteth in
the Lord, happy is he. When you trust in the Lord (the power and
wisdom of your subconscious mind) to lead, guide, govern, and
direct all your ways, you will become poised, serene, and relaxed. As
you radiate love, peace, and good will to all, you are really building a
superstructure of happiness for all the days of your life.
YOU MUST CHOOSE HAPPINESS
Happiness is a state of mind. There is a phrase in the Bible which
says, Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. You have the freedom
to choose happiness. This may seem extraordinarily simple, and it is.
Perhaps this is why people stumble over the way to happiness; they
do not see the simplicity of the key to happiness. The great things of
life are simple, dynamic, and creative. They produce well-being and
happiness.
St. Paul reveals to you how you can think your way into a life of
dynamic power and happiness in these words: Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever
things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be
any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. PHIL.
4:8.
HOW TO CHOOSE HAPPINESS
Begin now to choose happiness. This is how you do it: When you
open your eyes in the morning, say to yourself, “Divine order takes
charge of my life today and every day. All things work together for
good for me today. This is a new and wonderful day for me. There
will never be another day like this one. I am divinely guided all day
long, and whatever I do will prosper. Divine love surrounds me,
enfolds me, and enwraps me, and I go forth in peace. Whenever my
attention wanders away from that which is good and constructive, I
will immediately bring it back to the contemplation of that which is
lovely and of good report. I am a spiritual and mental magnet
attracting to myself all things which bless and prosper me. I am
going to be a wonderful success in all my undertakings today. I am
definitely going to be happy all day long.”
Start each day in this manner; then you will be choosing
happiness, and you will be a radiant joyous person.
HE MADE IT A HABIT TO BE HAPPY
A number of years ago, I stayed for about a week in a farmer’s house
in Connemarra on the west coast of Ireland. He seemed to be always
singing and whistling and was full of humor. I asked him the secret
of his happiness, and his reply was: “It is a habit of mine to be happy.
Every morning when I awaken and every night before I go to sleep, I
bless my family, the crops, the cattle, and I thank God for the
wonderful harvest.”
This farmer had made a practice of this for over forty years. As
you know, thoughts repeated regularly and systematically sink into
the subconscious mind and become habitual. He discovered that
happiness is a habit.
YOU MUST DESIRE TO BE HAPPY
There is one very important point about being happy. You must
sincerely desire to be happy. There are people who have been
depressed, dejected, and unhappy so long that were they suddenly
made happy by some wonderful, good, joyous news, they would
actually be like the woman who said to me, “It is wrong to be so
happy!” They have been so accustomed to the old mental patterns
that they do not feel at home being happy! They long for the former,
depressed, unhappy state.
I knew a woman in England who had rheumatism for many
years. She would pat herself on the knee and say, “My rheumatism is
bad today. I cannot go out. My rheumatism keeps me miserable.”
This dear elderly lady got a lot of attention from her son,
daughter, and the neighbors. She really wanted her rheumatism. She
enjoyed her “misery” as she called it. This woman did not really want
to be happy.
I suggested a curative procedure to her. I wrote down some
biblical verses and told her that if she gave attention to these truths,
her mental attitude would undoubtedly change and would result in
her faith and confidence in being restored to health. She was not
interested. There seems to be a peculiar, mental, morbid streak in
many people, whereby they seem to enjoy being miserable and sad.
WHY CHOOSE UNHAPPINESS?
Many people choose unhappiness by entertaining these ideas:
“Today is a black day; everything is going to go wrong.” “I am not
going to succeed.” “Everyone is against me.” “Business is bad, and it
is going to get worse.” “I’m always late.” “I never get the breaks.” “He
can, but I can’t.” If you have this attitude of mind the first thing in
the morning, you will attract all these experiences to you, and you
will be very unhappy.
Begin to realize that the world you live in is determined largely by
what goes on in your mind. Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman
philosopher and sage, said, “A man’s life is what his thoughts make
of it.” Emerson, America’s foremost philosopher, said, “A man is
what he thinks all day long.” The thoughts you habitually entertain in
your mind have the tendency to actualize themselves in physical
conditions.
Make certain you do not indulge in negative thoughts, defeatist
thoughts, or unkind, depressing thoughts. Recall frequently to your
mind that you can experience nothing outside your own mentality.
IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS, I WOULD BE HAPPY
I have visited many men in mental institutions who were
millionaires, but they insisted they were penniless and destitute.
They were incarcerated because of psychotic, paranoic, and manicdepressive tendencies. Wealth in and of itself will not make you
happy. On the other hand, it is not a deterrent to happiness. Today,
there are many people trying to buy happiness through the purchase
of radios, television sets, automobiles, a home in the country, a
private yacht, and a swimming pool, but happiness cannot be
purchased or procured in that way.
The kingdom of happiness is in your thought and feeling. Too
many people have the idea that it takes something artificial to
produce happiness. Some say, “If I were elected mayor, made
president of the organization, promoted to general manager of the
corporation, I would be happy.”
The truth is that happiness is a mental and spiritual state. None
of these positions mentioned will necessarily bequeath happiness.
Your strength, joy, and happiness consist in finding out the law of
divine order and right action lodged in your subconscious mind and
by applying these principles in all phases of your life.
HE FOUND HAPPINESS TO BE THE HARVEST OF A QUIET MIND
Lecturing in San Francisco some years ago, I interviewed a man who
was very unhappy and dejected over the way his business was going.
He was the general manager. His heart was filled with resentment
toward the vice president and the president of the organization. He
claimed that they opposed him. Because of this internal strife,
business was declining; he was receiving no dividends or stock
bonuses.
This is how he solved his business problem: The first thing in the
morning he affirmed quietly as follows, “All those working in our
corporation are honest, sincere, co-operative, faithful, and full of
good will to all. They are mental and spiritual links in the chain of
this corporation’s growth, welfare, and prosperity. I radiate love,
peace, and good will in my thoughts, words, and deeds to my two
associates and to all those in the company. The president and the
vice president of our company are divinely guided in all their
undertakings. The infinite intelligence of my subconscious mind
makes all decisions through me. There is only right action in all our
business transactions and in our relationship with each other. I send
the messengers of peace, love, and good will before me to the office.
Peace and harmony reign supreme in the minds and hearts of all
those in the company including myself. I now go forth into a new
day, full of faith, confidence, and trust.”
This business executive repeated the above meditation slowly
three times in the morning, feeling the truth of what he affirmed.
When fearful or angry thoughts came into his mind during the day,
he would say to himself, “Peace, harmony, and poise govern my mind
at all times.”
As he continued disciplining his mind in this manner, all the
harmful thoughts ceased to come, and peace came into his mind. He
reaped the harvest.
Subsequently, he wrote me to the effect that at the end of about
two weeks of reordering his mind, the president and the vice
president called him into the office, praised his operations and his
new constructive ideas, and remarked how fortunate they were in
having him as general manager. He was very happy in discovering
that man finds happiness within himself.
THE BLOCK OR STUMP IS NOT REALLY THERE
I read a newspaper article some years ago which told about a horse
who had shied when he came to a stump on the road. Subsequently,
every time the horse came to that same stump, he shied. The farmer
dug the stump out, burned it, and leveled the old road. Yet, for
twenty-five years, every time the horse passed the place where the
former stump was, he shied. The horse was shying at the memory of
a stump.
There is no block to your happiness save in your own thought life
and mental imagery. Are fear or worry holding you back? Fear is a
thought in your mind. You can dig it up this very moment by
supplanting it with faith in success, achievement, and victory over all
problems.
I knew a man who failed in business. He said to me, “I made
mistakes. I’ve learned a lot. I am going back into business, and I will
be a tremendous success.” He faced up to that stump in his mind. He
did not whine or complain, but he tore up the stump of failure, and
through believing in his inner powers to back him up, he banished all
fear thoughts and old depressions. Believe in yourself, and you will
succeed and be happy.
THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE
The happiest man is he who constantly brings forth and practices
what is best in him. Happiness and virtue complement each other.
The best are not only the happiest, but the happiest are usually the
best in the art of living life successfully. God is the highest and best
in you. Express more of God’s love, light, truth, and beauty, and you
will become one of the happiest persons in the world today.
Epictetus, the Greek Stoic philosopher, said, “There is but one
way to tranquillity of mind and happiness; let this, therefore, be
always ready at hand with thee, both when thou wakest early in the
morning, and all the day long, and when thou goest late to sleep, to
account no external things thine own, but commit all these to God.”
SUMMARY OF STEPS TO HAPPINESS
1. William James said that the greatest discovery of the
19th century was the power of the subconscious mind
touched by faith.
2. There is tremendous power within you. Happiness will
come to you when you acquire a sublime confidence in
this power. Then, you will make your dreams come true.
3. You can rise victorious over any defeat and realize the
cherished desires of your heart through the marvelous
power of your subconscious mind. This is the meaning of
Whosoever trusteth in the Lord [spiritual laws of the
subconscious mind], happy is he.
4. You must choose happiness. Happiness is a habit. It is a
good habit to ponder often on Whatsoever things are
true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things
are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things
are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things. PHILIPPIANS 4:8.
5. When you open your eyes in the morning, say to yourself,
I choose happiness today. I choose success today. I
choose right action today. I choose love and good will for
all today. I choose peace today. Pour life, love, and
interest into this affirmation, and you have chosen
happiness.
6. Give thanks for all your blessings several times a day.
Furthermore, pray for the peace, happiness, and
prosperity of all members of your family, your associates,
and all people everywhere.
7. You must sincerely desire to be happy. Nothing is
accomplished without desire. Desire is a wish with wings
of imagination and faith. Imagine the fulfillment of your
desire, and feel its reality, and it will come to pass.
Happiness comes in answered prayer.
8. By constantly dwelling on thoughts of fear, worry, anger,
hate, and failure, you will become very depressed and
unhappy. Remember, your life is what your thoughts
make of it.
9. You cannot buy happiness with all the money in the
world. Some millionaires are very happy, some are very
unhappy. Many people with very little worldly goods are
very happy, and some are very unhappy. Some married
people are happy, and some very unhappy. Some single
people are happy, and some are very unhappy. The
kingdom of happiness is in your thought and feeling.
10. Happiness is the harvest of a quiet mind. Anchor your
thoughts on peace, poise, security, and divine guidance,
and your mind will be productive of happiness.
11. There is no block to your happiness. External things are
not causative, these are effects, not cause. Take your cue
from the only creative principle within you. Your thought
is cause, and a new cause produces a new effect. Choose
happiness.
12. The happiest man is he who brings forth the highest and
the best in him. God is the highest and the best in him,
for the kingdom of God is within.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND
HARMONIOUS HUMAN RELATIONS
I
n studying this book, you learn that your subconscious mind is a
recording machine which faithfully reproduces whatever you
impress upon it. This is one of the reasons for the application of
the Golden Rule in human relations.
MATTHEW 7:12 says, All things whatsoever ye would that men
should do unto you, do ye even so to them. This quotation has outer
and inner meanings. You are interested in its inner meaning from
the standpoint of your subconscious mind which is: As you would
that men should think about you, think you about them in like
manner. As you would that men should feel about you, feel you also
about them in like manner. As you would want men to act toward
you, act you toward them in like manner.
For example, you may be polite and courteous to someone in
your office, but when his back is turned, you are very critical and
resentful toward him in your mind. Such negative thoughts are
highly destructive to you. It is like taking poison. You are actually
taking mental poisons which rob you of vitality, enthusiasm,
strength, guidance, and good will. These negative thoughts and
emotions sink down into your subconscious, and cause all kinds of
difficulties and maladies in your life.
THE MASTER KEY TO HAPPY RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge,
ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you again. MATTHEW 7:1-2.
A study of these verses and the application of the inner truths
therein contained represent the real key to harmonious relations. To
judge is to think, to arrive at a mental verdict or conclusion in your
mind. The thought you have about the other person is your thought,
because you are thinking it. Your thoughts are creative, therefore,
you actually create in your own experience what you think and feel
about the other person. It is also true that the suggestion you give to
another, you give to yourself because your mind is the creative
medium.
This is why it is said, For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall
be judged. When you know this law and the way your subconscious
mind works, you are careful to think, feel, and act right toward the
other. These verses teach you about the emancipation of man and
reveal to you the solution to your individual problems.
AND WITH WHAT MEASURE YE METE, IT SHALL BE MEASURED
TO YOU AGAIN
The good you do for others comes back to you in like measure; and
the evil you do returns to you by the law of your own mind. If a man
cheats and deceives another, he is actually cheating and deceiving
himself. His sense of guilt and mood of loss inevitably will attract
loss to him in some way, at some time. His subconscious records his
mental act and reacts according to the mental intention or
motivation.
Your subconscious mind is impersonal and unchanging, neither
considering persons nor respecting religious affiliations or
institutions of any kind. It is neither compassionate nor vindictive.
The way you think, feel, and act toward others returns at last upon
yourself.
THE DAILY HEADLINES MADE HIM SICK
Begin now to observe yourself. Observe your reactions to people,
conditions, and circumstances. How do you respond to the events
and news of the day? It makes no difference if all the other people
were wrong and you alone were right. If the news disturbs you, it is
your evil because your negative emotions robbed you of peace and
harmony.
A woman wrote me about her husband, saying that he goes into a
rage when he reads what certain newspaper columnists write in the
newspaper. She added that this constant reaction of anger and
suppressed rage on his part brought on bleeding ulcers, and his
physician recommended an emotional reconditioning.
I invited this man to see me and I explained to him the way his
mind functions indicating how emotionally immature it was to get
angry when others write articles with which he disapproves or
disagrees.
He began to realize that he should give the newspaperman
freedom to express himself even though the latter disagreed with
him politically, religiously, or in any other way. In the same manner,
the newspaperman would give him freedom to write a letter to the
newspaper disagreeing with his published statements. He learned
that he could disagree without being disagreeable. He awakened to
the simple truth that it is never what a person says or does that
affects him, it is his reaction to what is said or done that matters.
This explanation was the cure for this man, and he realized that
with a little practice he could master his morning tantrums. His wife
told me, subsequently, that he laughed at himself and also at what
the columnists say. They no longer have power to disturb, annoy, and
irritate him. His ulcers have disappeared due to his emotional poise
and serenity.
I HATE WOMEN, BUT I LIKE MEN
A private secretary was very bitter toward some of the girls in her
office because they were gossiping about her, and as she said,
spreading vicious lies about her. She admitted that she did not like
women. She said, “I hate women, but I like men.” I discovered also
that she spoke to the girls who were under her in the office in a very
haughty, imperious, and irritable tone of voice. She pointed out that
they took a delight in making things difficult for her. There was a
certain pomposity in her way of speaking, and I could see where her
tone of voice would affect some people unpleasantly.
If all the people in the office or factory annoy you, isn’t it a
possibility that the vibration, annoyance, and turmoil may be due to
some subconscious pattern or mental projection from you? We know
that a dog will react ferociously if you hate or fear dogs. Animals pick
up your subconscious vibrations and react accordingly. Many
undisciplined human beings are just as sensitive as dogs, cats, and
other animals.
I suggested a process of prayer to this private secretary who
hated women, explaining to her that when she began to identify
herself with spiritual values and commenced to affirm the truths of
life, her voice, mannerisms, and hatred of women would completely
disappear. She was surprised to know that the emotion of hatred
shows up in a person’s speech, actions, in his writings, and in all
phases of his life. She ceased reacting in the typical resentful and
angry way. She established a pattern of prayer which she practiced
regularly, systematically, and conscientiously in the office.
The prayer was as follows: “I think, speak, and act lovingly,
quietly, and peacefully. I now radiate love, peace, tolerance, and
kindliness to all the girls who criticized me and gossiped about me. I
anchor my thoughts on peace, harmony, and good will to all.
Whenever I am about to react negatively, I say firmly to myself, ‘I am
going to think, speak, and act from the standpoint of the principle of
harmony, health, and peace within myself.’ Creative intelligence
leads, rules, and guides me in all my ways.”
The practice of this prayer transformed her life, and she found
that all criticism and annoyance ceased. The girls became co-workers
and friends along life’s journey. She discovered that there is no one
to change but myself.
HIS INNER SPEECH HELD BACK HIS PROMOTION
One day a salesman came to see me and described his difficulties in
working with the sales manager of his organization. He had been
with the company ten years and had received no promotion or
recognition of any kind. He showed me his sales figures which were
greater proportionately than the other men in the territory. He said
that the sales manager did not like him, that he was unjustly treated,
and that at conferences the manager was rude to him, and at times
ridiculed his suggestions.
I explained that undoubtedly the cause was to a great degree
within himself, and that his concept and belief about his superior
bore witness to the reaction of this man. The measure we mete, shall
be measured to us again. His mental measure or concept of the sales
manager was that he was mean and cantankerous. He was filled with
bitterness and hostility toward the executive. On his way to work he
conducted a vigorous conversation with himself filled with criticism,
mental arguments, recriminations, and denunciations of his sales
manager.
What he gave out mentally, he was inevitably bound to get back.
This salesman realized that his inner speech was highly destructive
because the intensity and force of his silent thoughts and emotions,
and personally conducted mental condemnation and vilification of
the sales manager, entered into his own subconscious mind. This
brought about the negative response from his boss as well as creating
many other personal, physical, and emotional disorders.
He began to pray frequently as follows: “I am the only thinker in
my universe. I am responsible for what I think about my boss. My
sales manager is not responsible for the way I think about him. I
refuse to give power to any person, place, or thing to annoy me or
disturb me. I wish health, success, peace of mind, and happiness for
my boss. I sincerely wish him well, and I know he is divinely guided
in all his ways.”
He repeated this prayer out loud slowly, quietly, and feelingly,
knowing that his mind is like a garden, and that whatever he plants
in the garden will come forth like seeds after their kind.
I also taught him to practice mental imagery prior to sleep in this
way: He imagined that his sales manager was congratulating him on
his fine work, on his zeal and enthusiasm, and on his wonderful
response from customers. He felt the reality of all this, felt his
handshake, heard the tone of his voice, and saw him smile. He made
a real mental movie, dramatizing it to the best of his ability. Night
after night he conducted this mental movie, knowing that his
subconscious mind was the receptive plate on which his conscious
imagery would be impressed.
Gradually by a process of what may be termed mental and
spiritual osmosis, the impression was made on his subconscious
mind, and the expression automatically came forth. The sales
manager subsequently called him up to San Francisco, congratulated
him, and gave him a new assignment as Division Sales Manager over
one hundred men with a big increase in salary. He changed his
concept and estimate of his boss, and the latter responded
accordingly.
BECOMING EMOTIONALLY MATURE
What the other person says or does cannot really annoy or irritate
you except you permit him to disturb you. The only way he can
annoy you is through your own thought. For example, if you get
angry, you have to go through four stages in your mind: You begin to
think about what he said. You decide to get angry and generate an
emotion of rage. Then, you decide to act. Perhaps, you talk back and
react in kind. You see that the thought, emotion, reaction, and action
all take place in your mind.
When you become emotionally mature, you do not respond
negatively to the criticism and resentment of others. To do so would
mean that you had descended to that state of low mental vibration
and become one with the negative atmosphere of the other. Identify
yourself with your aim in life, and do not permit any person, place, or
thing to deflect you from your inner sense of peace, tranquillity, and
radiant health.
THE MEANING OF LOVE IN HARMONIOUS HUMAN RELATIONS
Sigmund Freud, the Austrian founder of psychoanalysis, said that
unless the personality has love, it sickens and dies. Love includes
understanding, good will, and respect for the divinity in the other
person. The more love and good will you emanate and exude, the
more comes back to you.
If you puncture the other fellow’s ego and wound his estimate of
himself, you cannot gain his good will. Recognize that every man
wants to be loved and appreciated, and made to feel important in the
world. Realize that the other man is conscious of his true worth, and
that, like yourself, he feels the dignity of being an expression of the
One Life-Principle animating all men. As you do this consciously and
knowingly, you build the other person up, and he returns your love
and good will.
HE HATED AUDIENCES
An actor told me that the audience booed and hissed him on his first
appearance on the stage. He added that the play was badly written
and that undoubtedly he did not play a good role. He admitted
openly to me that for months afterward he hated audiences. He
called them dopes, dummies, stupid, ignorant, gullible, etc. He quit
the stage in disgust and went to work in a drugstore for a year.
One day a friend invited him to hear a lecture in Town Hall, New
York City, on “How to Get Along With Ourselves.” This lecture
changed his life. He went back to the stage and began to pray
sincerely for the audience and himself. He poured out love and good
will every night before appearing on the stage. He made it a habit to
claim that the peace of God filled the hearts of all present, and that
all present were lifted up and inspired. During each performance he
sent out love vibrations to the audience. Today, he is a great actor,
and he loves and respects people. His good will and esteem are
transmitted to others and are felt by them.
HANDLING DIFFICULT PEOPLE
There are difficult people in the world who are twisted and distorted
mentally. They are malconditioned. Many are mental delinquents,
argumentative, uncooperative, cantankerous, cynical, and sour on
life. They are sick psychologically. Many people have deformed and
distorted minds, probably warped during childhood. Many have
congenital deformities. You would not condemn a person who had
tuberculosis, nor should you condemn a person who is mentally ill.
No one, for example, hates or resents a hunchback; there are many
mental hunchbacks. You should have compassion and
understanding. To understand all is to forgive all.
MISERY LOVES COMPANY
The hateful, frustrated, distorted, and twisted personality is out of
tune with the Infinite. He resents those who are peaceful, happy, and
joyous. Usually he criticizes, condemns, and vilifies those who have
been very good and kind to him. His attitude is this: Why should they
be so happy when he is so miserable? He wants to drag them down to
his own level. Misery loves company. When you understand this you
remain unmoved, calm, and dispassionate.
THE PRACTICE OF EMPATHY IN HUMAN RELATIONS
A girl visited me recently stating that she hated another girl in her
office. She gave as her reason that the other girl was prettier,
happier, and wealthier than she, and, in addition, was engaged to the
boss of the company where they worked. One day after the marriage
had taken place, the crippled daughter (by a former marriage) of the
woman whom she hated came into the office. The child put her arms
around her mother and said, “Mommy, Mommy, I love my new
daddy! Look what he gave me!” She showed her mother a wonderful
new toy.
She said to me, “My heart went out to that little girl, and I knew
how happy she must feel. I got a vision of how happy this woman
was. All of a sudden I felt love for her, and I went into the office and
wished her all the happiness in the world, and I meant it.”
In psychological circles today, this is called empathy, which
simply means the imaginative projection of your mental attitude into
that of another. She projected her mental mood or the feeling of her
heart into that of the other woman, and began to think and look out
through the other woman’s brain. She was actually thinking and
feeling as the other woman, and also as the child, because she
likewise had projected herself into the mind of the child. She was
looking out from that vantage point on the child’s mother.
If tempted to injure or think ill of another, project yourself
mentally into the mind of Moses and think from the standpoint of
the Ten Commandments. If you are prone to be envious, jealous, or
angry, project yourself into the mind of Jesus and think from that
standpoint, and you will feel the truth of the words Love ye one
another.
APPEASEMENT NEVER WINS
Do not permit people to take advantage of you and gain their point
by temper tantrums, crying jags, or so-called heart attacks. These
people are dictators who try to enslave you and make you do their
bidding. Be firm but kind, and refuse to yield. Appeasement never
wins. Refuse to contribute to their delinquency, selfishness, and
possessiveness. Remember, do that which is right. You are here to
fulfill your ideal and remain true to the eternal verities and spiritual
values of life which are eternal.
Give no one in all the world the power to deflect you from your
goal, your aim in life, which is to express your hidden talents to the
world, to serve humanity, and to reveal more and more of God’s
wisdom, truth, and beauty to all people in the world. Remain true to
your ideal. Know definitely and absolutely that whatever contributes
to your peace, happiness, and fulfillment must of necessity bless all
men who walk the earth. The harmony of the part is the harmony of
the whole, for the whole is in the part, and the part is in the whole.
All you owe the other, as Paul says, is love, and love is the fulfilling of
the law of health, happiness, and peace of mind.
PROFITABLE POINTERS IN HUMAN RELATIONS
1. Your subconscious mind is a recording machine which
reproduces your habitual thinking. Think good of the
other, and you are actually thinking good about yourself.
2. A hateful or resentful thought is a mental poison. Do not
think ill of another for to do so is to think ill of yourself.
You are the only thinker in your universe, and your
thoughts are creative.
3. Your mind is a creative medium; therefore, what you
think and feel about the other, you are bringing to pass in
your own experience. This is the psychological meaning
of the Golden Rule. As you would that man should think
about you, think you about them in the same manner.
4. To cheat, rob, or defraud another brings lack, loss, and
limitation to yourself. Your subconscious mind records
your inner motivations, thoughts, and feelings. These
being of a negative nature, loss, limitation, and trouble
come to you in countless ways. Actually, what you do to
the other, you are doing to yourself.
5. The good you do, the kindness proffered, the love and
good will you send forth, will all come back to you
multiplied in many ways.
6. You are the only thinker in your world. You are
responsible for the way you think about the other.
Remember, the other person is not responsible for the
way you think about him. Your thoughts are reproduced.
What are you thinking now about the other fellow?
7. Become emotionally mature and permit other people to
differ from you. They have a perfect right to disagree
with you, and you have the same freedom to disagree
with them. You can disagree without being disagreeable.
8. Animals pick up your fear vibrations and snap at you. If
you love animals, they will never attack you. Many
undisciplined human beings are just as sensitive as dogs,
cats, and other animals.
9. Your inner speech, representing your silent thoughts and
feelings, is experienced in the reactions of others toward
you.
10. Wish for the other what you wish for yourself. This is the
key to harmonious human relations.
11. Change your concept and estimate of your employer. Feel
and know he is practicing the Golden Rule and the Law
of Love, and he will respond accordingly.
12. The other person cannot annoy you or irritate you except
you permit him. Your thought is creative; you can bless
him. If someone calls you a skunk, you have the freedom
to say to the other, “God’s peace fills your soul.”
13. Love is the answer to getting along with others. Love is
understanding, good will, and respecting the divinity of
the other.
14. You would not hate a hunchback or cripple. You would
have compassion. Have compassion and understanding
for mental hunchbacks who have been conditioned
negatively. To understand all is to forgive all.
15. Rejoice in the success, promotion, and good fortune of
the other. In doing so, you attract good fortune to
yourself.
16. Never yield to emotional scenes and tantrums of others.
Appeasement never wins. Do not be a doormat. Adhere
to that which is right. Stick to your ideal, knowing that
the mental outlook which gives you peace, happiness,
and joy is right, good, and true. What blesses you, blesses
all.
17. All you owe any person in the world is love, and love is
wishing for everyone what you wish for yourself—health,
happiness, and all the blessings of life.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HOW TO USE YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
FOR FORGIVENESS
L
ife plays no favorites. God is Life, and this Life-Principle is
flowing through you this moment. God loves to express
Himself as harmony, peace, beauty, joy, and abundance
through you. This is called the will of God or the tendency of Life.
If you set up resistance in your mind to the flow of Life through
you, this emotional congestion will get snarled up in your
subconscious mind and cause all kinds of negative conditions. God
has nothing to do with unhappy or chaotic conditions in the world.
All these conditions are brought about by man’s negative and
destructive thinking. Therefore, it is silly to blame God for your
trouble or sickness.
Many persons habitually set up mental resistance to the flow of
Life by accusing and reproaching God for the sin, sickness, and
suffering of mankind. Others cast the blame on God for their pains,
aches, loss of loved ones, personal tragedies, and accidents. They are
angry at God, and they believe He is responsible for their misery.
As long as people entertain such negative concepts about God,
they will experience the automatic negative reactions from their
subconscious minds. Actually, such people do not know that they are
punishing themselves. They must see the truth, find release, and give
up all condemnation, resentment, and anger against anyone or any
power outside themselves. Otherwise, they cannot go forward into a
healthy, happy, or creative activity. The minute these people
entertain a God of love in their minds and hearts, and when they
believe that God is their Loving Father who watches over them, cares
for them, guides them, sustains and strengthens them, this concept
and belief about God or the Life-Principle will be accepted by their
subconscious mind, and they will find themselves blessed in
countless ways.
LIFE ALWAYS FORGIVES YOU
Life forgives you when you cut your finger. The subconscious
intelligence within you sets about immediately to repair it. New cells
build bridges over the cut. Should you take some tainted food by
error, Life forgives you and causes you to regurgitate it in order to
preserve you. If you burn your hand, the Life-Principle reduces the
edema and congestion, and gives you new skin, tissue, and cells. Life
holds no grudges against you, and it is always forgiving you. Life
brings you back to health, vitality, harmony, and peace, if you cooperate by thinking in harmony with nature. Negative, hurtful
memories, bitterness, and ill will clutter up and impede the free flow
of the Life-Principle in you.
HOW HE BANISHED THAT FEELING OF GUILT
I knew a man who worked every night until about one o’clock in the
morning. He paid no attention to his two boys or his wife. He was
always too busy working hard. He thought people should pat him on
the back because he was working so arduously and persistently past
midnight every night. He had a blood pressure of over two hundred
and was full of guilt. Unconsciously, he proceeded to punish himself
by hard work and he completely ignored his children. A normal man
does not do that. He is interested in his boys and in their
development. He does not shut his wife out of his world.
I explained to him why he was working so arduously, “There is
something eating you inside, otherwise, you would not act this way.
You are punishing yourself, and you have to learn to forgive
yourself.” He did have a deep sense of guilt. It was toward a brother.
I explained to him that God was not punishing him, but that he
was punishing himself. For example, if you misuse the laws of life,
you will suffer accordingly. If you put your hand on a naked charged
wire, you will get burned. The forces of nature are not evil; it is your
use of them that determines whether they have a good or evil effect.
Electricity is not evil; it depends on how you use it, whether to burn
down a structure or light up a home. The only sin is ignorance of the
law, and the only punishment is the automatic reaction of man’s
misuse of the law.
If you misuse the principle of chemistry, you may blow up the
office or the factory. If you strike your hand on a board, you may
cause your hand to bleed. The board is not for that purpose. Its
purpose may be to lean upon or to support your feet.
This man realized that God does not condemn or punish anyone,
and that all his suffering was due to the reaction of his subconscious
mind to his own negative and destructive thinking. He had cheated
his brother at one time, and the brother had now passed on. Still, he
was full of remorse and guilt.
I asked him, “Would you cheat your brother now?”
He said, “No.”
“Did you feel you were justified at the time?”
His reply was, “Yes.”
“But, you would not do it now?”
He added, “No, I am helping others to know how to live.”
I added the following comment, “You have a greater reason and
understanding now. Forgiveness is to forgive yourself. Forgiveness is
getting your thoughts in line with the divine law of harmony. Selfcondemnation is called hell (bondage and restriction); forgiveness is
called heaven (harmony and peace).”
The burden of guilt and self-condemnation was lifted from his
mind, and he had a complete healing. The doctor tested his blood
pressure, and it had become normal. The explanation was the cure.
A MURDERER LEARNED TO FORGIVE HIMSELF
A man who murdered his brother in Europe visited me many years
ago. He was suffering from great mental anguish and torture
believing that God must punish him. He explained that his brother
had been having an affair with his wife, and that he had shot him on
the spur of the moment. This had happened about fifteen years
previous to his interview with me. In the meantime, this man had
married an American girl and had been blessed with three lovely
children. He was in a position where he helped many people, and he
was a transformed man.
My explanation to him was that physically and psychologically he
was not the same man who shot his brother, since scientists inform
us that every cell of our bodies changes every eleven months.
Moreover, mentally and spiritually he was a new man. He was now
full of love and good will for humanity. The “old” man who
committed the crime fifteen years before was mentally and
spiritually dead. Actually, he was condemning an innocent man!
This explanation had a profound effect upon him, and he said it
was as if a great weight had been lifted from his mind. He realized
the significance of the following truth in the Bible: Come now, let us
reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they
shall be as wool. ISAIAH 1:18.
CRITICISM CANNOT HURT YOU WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT
A schoolteacher told me that one of her associates criticized a speech
she had given, saying to her that she spoke too fast, she swallowed
some of her words, she couldn’t be heard, her diction was poor, and
her speech ineffective. This teacher was furious and full of
resentment toward her critic.
She admitted to me that the criticisms were just. Her first
reaction was really childish, and she agreed that the letter was really
a blessing and a marvelous corrective. She proceeded immediately to
supplement her deficiencies in her speech by enrolling in a course in
public speaking at City College. She wrote and thanked the writer of
the note for her interest, expressing appreciation for her conclusions
and findings which enabled the teacher to correct the matter at once.
HOW TO BE COMPASSIONATE
Suppose none of the things mentioned in the letter had been true of
the teacher. The latter would have realized that her class material
had upset the prejudices, superstitions, or narrow sectarian beliefs of
the writer of the note, and that a psychologically ill person was
simply pouring forth her resentment because a psychological boil
had been hurt.
To understand this fact is to be compassionate. The next logical
step would be to pray for the other person’s peace, harmony, and
understanding. You cannot be hurt when you know that you are
master of your thoughts, reactions, and emotions. Emotions follow
thoughts, and you have the power to reject all thoughts which may
disturb or upset you.
LEFT AT THE ALTAR
Some years ago I visited a church to perform a marriage ceremony.
The young man did not appear, and at the end of two hours, the
bride-to-be shed a few tears, and then said to me, “I prayed for divine
guidance. This might be the answer for He never faileth.”
That was her reaction—faith in God and all things good. She had
no bitterness in her heart because as she said, “It must not have been
right action because my prayer was for right action for both of us.”
Someone else having a similar experience would have gone into a
tantrum, have had an emotional fit, required sedation, and perhaps
needed hospitalization.
Tune in with the infinite intelligence within your subconscious
depths, trusting the answer in the same way that you trusted your
mother when she held you in her arms. This is how you can acquire
poise and mental and emotional health.
IT IS WRONG TO MARRY. SEX IS EVIL AND I AM EVIL
Some time ago I talked to a young lady aged twenty-two. She was
taught that it was a sin to dance, to play cards, to swim, and to go out
with men. She was threatened by her mother who told her she would
burn eternally in hell-fire if she disobeyed her will and her religious
teachings. This girl wore a black dress and black stockings. She wore
no rouge, lipstick, or any form of make-up because her mother said
that these things were sinful. Her mother told her that all men were
evil, and that sex was of the devil and simply diabolic debauchery.
This girl had to learn how to forgive herself as she was full of
guilt. To forgive means to give for. She had to give up all these false
beliefs for the truths of life and a new estimate of herself. When she
went out with young men in the office where she worked, she had a
deep sense of guilt and thought that God would punish her. Several
eligible young men proposed to her, but she said to me, “It is wrong
to marry. Sex is evil and I am evil.” This was her conscience or early
conditioning speaking.
She came to me once weekly for about ten weeks, and I taught
her the workings of the conscious and subconscious mind as set forth
in this book. This young girl gradually came to see that she had been
completely brainwashed, mesmerized, and conditioned by an
ignorant, superstitious, bigoted, and frustrated mother. She broke
away completely from her family and started to live a wonderful life.
At my suggestion she dressed up and had her hair attended to.
She took lessons in dancing from a man, and she also took driving
lessons. She learned to swim, play cards, and had a number of dates.
She began to love life. She prayed for a divine companion by claiming
that Infinite Spirit would attract to her a man who harmonized with
her thoroughly. Eventually this came to pass. As she left my office
one evening, there was a man waiting to see me and I casually
introduced them. They are now married and harmonize with each
other perfectly.
FORGIVENESS IS NECESSARY FOR HEALING
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against
any . . . MARK 11:25.
Forgiveness of others is essential to mental peace and radiant
health. You must forgive everyone who has ever hurt you if you want
perfect health and happiness. Forgive yourself by getting your
thoughts in harmony with divine law and order. You cannot really
forgive yourself completely until you have forgiven others first. To
refuse to forgive yourself is nothing more or less than spiritual pride
or ignorance.
In the psychosomatic field of medicine today, it is being
constantly stressed that resentment, condemnation of others,
remorse, and hostility are behind a host of maladies ranging from
arthritis to cardiac disease. They point out that these sick people,
who were hurt, mistreated, deceived, or injured, were full of
resentment and hatred for those who hurt them. This caused
inflamed and festering wounds in their subconscious minds. There is
only one remedy. They have to cut out and discard their hurts, and
the one and only sure way is by forgiveness.
FORGIVENESS IS LOVE IN ACTION
The essential ingredient in the art of forgiveness is the willingness to
forgive. If you sincerely desire to forgive the other, you are fifty-one
percent over the hurdle. I feel sure you know that to forgive the other
does not necessarily mean that you like him or want to associate with
him. You cannot be compelled to like someone, neither can a
government legislate good will, love, peace, or tolerance. It is quite
impossible to like people because someone in Washington issues an
edict to that effect. We can, however, love people without liking
them.
The Bible says, Love ye one another. This, anyone can do who
really wants to do it. Love means that you wish for the other health,
happiness, peace, joy, and all the blessings of life. There is only one
prerequisite, and that is sincerity. You are not being magnanimous
when you forgive, you are really being selfish, because what you wish
for the other, you are actually wishing for yourself. The reason is that
you are thinking it and you are feeling it. As you think and feel, so are
you. Could anything be simpler than that?
TECHNIQUE OF FORGIVENESS
The following is a simple method which works wonders in your life
as you practice it: Quiet your mind, relax, and let go. Think of God
and His love for you, and then affirm, “I fully and freely forgive
(mention the name of the offender); I release him mentally and
spiritually. I completely forgive everything connected with the matter
in question. I am free, and he/she is free. It is a marvelous feeling. It
is my day of general amnesty. I release anybody and everybody who
has ever hurt me, and I wish for each and everyone health,
happiness, peace, and all the blessings of life. I do this freely,
joyously, and lovingly, and whenever I think of the person or persons
who hurt me, I say, ‘I have released you, and all the blessings of life
are yours.’ I am free and you are free. It is wonderful!”
The great secret of true forgiveness is that once you have forgiven
the person, it is unnecessary to repeat the prayer. Whenever the
person comes to your mind, or the particular hurt happens to enter
your mind, wish the delinquent well, and say, “Peace be to you.” Do
this as often as the thought enters your mind. You will find that after
a few days the thought of the person or experience will return less
and less often, until it fades into nothingness.
THE ACID TEST FOR FORGIVENESS
There is an acid test for gold. There is also an acid test for
forgiveness. If I should tell you something wonderful about someone
who has wronged you, cheated you, or defrauded you, and you
sizzled at hearing the good news about this person, the roots of
hatred would still be in your subconscious mind, playing havoc with
you.
Let us suppose you had a painful abscess on your jaw a year ago,
and you told me about it. I would casually ask you if you had any
pain now. You would automatically say, “Of course not, I have a
memory of it but no pain.” That is the whole story. You may have a
memory of the incident but no sting or hurt anymore. This is the acid
test, and you must meet it psychologically and spiritually, otherwise,
you are simply deceiving yourself and not practicing the true art of
forgiveness.
TO UNDERSTAND ALL IS TO FORGIVE ALL
When man understands the creative law of his own mind, he ceases
to blame other people and conditions for making or marring his life.
He knows that his own thoughts and feelings create his destiny.
Furthermore, he is aware that externals are not the causes and
conditioners of his life and his experiences. To think that others can
mar your happiness, that you are the football of a cruel fate, that you
must oppose and fight others for a living—all these and others like
them are untenable when you understand that thoughts are things.
The Bible says the same thing. For as a man thinketh in his heart, so
is he. PROVERBS 23:7.
SUMMARY OF YOUR AIDS TO FORGIVENESS
1. God, or Life, is no respecter of persons. Life plays no
favorites. Life, or God, seems to favor you when you align
yourself with the principle of harmony, health, joy, and
peace.
2. God, or Life, never sends disease, sickness, accident, or
suffering. We bring these things on ourselves by our own
negative destructive thinking based upon the law as we
sow, so shall we reap.
3. Your concept of God is the most important thing in your
life. If you really believe in a God of love, your
subconscious mind will respond in countless blessings to
you. Believe in a God of love.
4. Life, or God, holds no grudge against you. Life never
condemns you. Life heals a severe cut on your hand. Life
forgives you if you burn your finger. It reduces the edema
and restores the part to wholeness and perfection.
5. Your guilt complex is a false concept of God and Life.
God, or Life, does not punish or judge you. You do this to
yourself by your false beliefs, negative thinking, and selfcondemnation.
6. God, or Life, does not condemn or punish you. The forces
of nature are not evil. The effect of their use depends on
how you use the power within you. You can use
electricity to kill someone or to light the house. You can
use water to drown a child, or quench his thirst. Good
and evil come right back to the thought and purpose in
man’s own mind.
7. God, or life, never punishes. Man punishes himself by his
false concepts of God, Life, and the Universe. His
thoughts are creative, and he creates his own misery.
8. If another criticizes you, and these faults are within you,
rejoice, give thanks, and appreciate the comments. This
gives you the opportunity to correct the particular fault.
9. You cannot be hurt by criticism when you know that you
are master of your thoughts, reactions, and emotions.
This gives you the opportunity to pray and bless the
other, thereby blessing yourself.
10. When you pray for guidance and right action, take what
comes. Realize it is good and very good. Then there is no
cause for self-pity, criticism, or hatred.
11. There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
There is no evil in sex, the desire for food, wealth, or true
expression. It depends on how you use these urges,
desires, or aspirations. Your desire for food can be met
without killing someone for a loaf of bread.
12. Resentment, hatred, ill will, and hostility are behind a
host of maladies. Forgive yourself and everybody else by
pouring out love, life, joy, and good will to all those who
have hurt you. Continue until such time as you meet
them in your mind and you are at peace with them.
13. To forgive is to give something for. Give love, peace, joy,
wisdom, and all the blessings of life to the other, until
there is no sting left in your mind. This is really the acid
test of forgiveness.
14. Let us suppose you had an abscess in your jaw about a
year ago. It was very painful. Ask yourself if it is painful
now. The answer is in the negative. Likewise, if someone
has hurt you, lied about and vilified you, and said all
manner of evil about you, is your thought of that person
negative? Do you sizzle when he or she comes into your
mind? If so, the roots of hatred are still there, playing
havoc with you and your good. The only way is to wither
them with love by wishing for the person all the blessings
of life, until you can meet the person in your mind, and
you can sincerely react with a benediction of peace and
good will. This is the meaning of forgive until seventy
times seven.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
HOW YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS REMOVES
MENTAL BLOCKS
T
he solution lies within the problem. The answer is in every
question. If you are presented with a difficult situation and you
cannot see your way clear, the best procedure is to assume that
infinite intelligence within your subconscious mind knows all and
sees all, has the answer, and is revealing it to you now. Your new
mental attitude that the creative intelligence is bringing about a
happy solution will enable you to find the answer. Rest assured that
such an attitude of mind will bring order, peace, and meaning to all
your undertakings.
HOW TO BREAK OR BUILD A HABIT
You are a creature of habit. Habit is the function of your
subconscious mind. You learned to swim, ride a bicycle, dance, and
drive a car by consciously doing these things over and over again
until they established tracks in your subconscious mind. Then, the
automatic habit action of your subconscious mind took over. This is
sometimes called second nature, which is a reaction of your
subconscious mind to your thinking and acting.
You are free to choose a good habit or a bad habit. If you repeat a
negative thought or act over a period of time, you will be under the
compulsion of a habit. The law of your subconscious is compulsion.
HOW HE BROKE A BAD HABIT
Mr. Jones said to me, “An uncontrollable urge to drink seizes me,
and I remain drunk for two weeks at a time. I can’t give up this
terrible habit.”
Time and time again these experiences had occurred to this
unfortunate man. He had grown into the habit of drinking to excess.
Although he had started drinking of his own initiative, he also began
to realize that he could change the habit and establish a new one. He
said that while through his willpower he was able to suppress his
desires temporarily, his continued efforts to suppress the many urges
only made matters worse. His repeated failures convinced him that
he was hopeless and powerless to control his urge or obsession. This
idea of being powerless operated as a powerful suggestion to his
subconscious mind and aggravated his weakness, making his life a
succession of failures.
I taught him to harmonize the functions of the conscious and
subconscious mind. When these two co-operate, the idea or desire
implanted in the subconscious mind is realized. His reasoning mind
agreed that if the old habit path or track had carried him into
trouble, he could consciously form a new path to freedom, sobriety,
and peace of mind. He knew that his destructive habit was
automatic, but since it was acquired through his conscious choice, he
realized that if he had been conditioned negatively, he also could be
conditioned positively. As a result, he ceased thinking of the fact that
he was powerless to overcome the habit. Moreover, he understood
clearly that there was no obstacle to his healing other than his own
thought. Therefore, there was no occasion for great mental effort or
mental coercion.
THE POWER OF HIS MENTAL PICTURE
This man acquired a practice of relaxing his body and getting into a
relaxed, drowsy, meditative state. Then he filled his mind with the
picture of the desired end, knowing his subconscious mind could
bring it about the easiest way. He imagined his daughter
congratulating him on his freedom, and saying to him, “Daddy, it’s
wonderful to have you home!” He had lost his family through drink.
He was not allowed to visit them, and his wife would not speak to
him.
Regularly, systematically, he used to sit down and meditate in the
way outlined. When his attention wandered, he made it a habit to
immediately recall the mental picture of his daughter with her smile
and the scene of his home enlivened by her cheerful voice. All this
brought about a reconditioning of his mind. It was a gradual process.
He kept it up. He persevered knowing that sooner or later he would
establish a new habit pattern in his subconscious mind.
I told him that he could liken his conscious mind to a camera,
that his subconscious mind was the sensitive plate on which he
registered and impressed the picture. This made a profound
impression on him, and his whole aim was to firmly impress the
picture on his mind and develop it there. Films are developed in the
dark; likewise, mental pictures are developed in the darkroom of the
subconscious mind.
FOCUSED ATTENTION
Realizing that his conscious mind was simply a camera, he used no
effort. There was no mental struggle. He quietly adjusted his
thoughts and focused his attention on the scene before him until he
gradually became identified with the picture. He became absorbed in
the mental atmosphere, repeating the mental movie frequently.
There was no room for doubt that a healing would follow. When
there was any temptation to drink, he would switch his imagination
from any reveries of drinking bouts to the feeling of being at home
with his family. He was successful because he confidently expected to
experience the picture he was developing in his mind. Today he is
president of a multimillion-dollar concern and is radiantly happy.
HE SAID A JINX WAS FOLLOWING HIM
Mr. Block said that he had been making an annual income of
$20,000, but for the past three months all doors seemed to jam
tightly. He brought clients up to the point where they were about to
sign on the dotted line, and then at the eleventh hour the door
closed. He added that perhaps a jinx was following him.
In discussing the matter with Mr. Block, I discovered that three
months previously he had become very irritated, annoyed, and
resentful toward a dentist who, after he had promised to sign a
contract, had withdrawn at the last moment. He began to live in the
unconscious fear that other clients would do the same, thereby
setting up a history of frustration, hostility, and obstacles. He
gradually built up in his mind a belief in obstruction and last minute
cancellations until a vicious circle had been established. What I fear
most has come upon me. Mr. Block realized that the trouble was in
his own mind, and that it was essential to change his mental attitude.
His run of so-called misfortune was broken in the following way:
“I realize I am one with the infinite intelligence of my subconscious
mind which knows no obstacle, difficulty, or delay. I live in the
joyous expectancy of the best. My deeper mind responds to my
thoughts. I know that the work of the infinite power of my
subconscious cannot be hindered. Infinite intelligence always
finishes successfully whatever it begins. Creative wisdom works
through me bringing all my plans and purposes to completion.
Whatever I start, I bring to a successful conclusion. My aim in life is
to give wonderful service, and all those whom I contact are blessed
by what I have to offer. All my work comes to full fruition in divine
order.”
He repeated this prayer every morning before going to call on his
customers, and he also prayed each night prior to sleep. In a short
time he had established a new habit pattern in his subconscious
mind, and he was back in his old accustomed stride as a successful
salesman.
HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT WHAT YOU WANT?
A young man asked Socrates how he could get wisdom. Socrates
replied, “Come with me.” He took the lad to a river, pushed the boy’s
head under the water, held it there until the boy was gasping for air,
then relaxed and released his head. When the boy regained his
composure, he asked him, “What did you desire most when you were
under water?”
“I wanted air,” said the boy.
Socrates said to him, “When you want wisdom as much as you
wanted air when you were immersed in the water, you will receive
it.”
Likewise, when you really have an intense desire to overcome any
block in your life, and you come to a clear-cut decision that there is a
way out, and that is the course you wish to follow, then victory and
triumph are assured.
If you really want peace of mind and inner calm, you will get it.
Regardless of how unjustly you have been treated, or how unfair the
boss has been, or what a mean scoundrel someone has proved to be,
all this makes no difference to you when you awaken to your mental
and spiritual powers. You know what you want, and you will
definitely refuse to let the thieves (thoughts) of hatred, anger,
hostility, and ill will rob you of peace, harmony, health, and
happiness. You cease to become upset by people, conditions, news,
and events by identifying your thoughts immediately with your aim
in life. Your aim is peace, health, inspiration, harmony, and
abundance. Feel a river of peace flowing through you now. Your
thought is the immaterial and invisible power, and you choose to let
it bless, inspire, and give you peace.
WHY HE COULD NOT BE HEALED
This is a case history of a married man with four children who was
supporting and secretly living with another woman during his
business trips. He was ill, nervous, irritable, and cantankerous, and
he could not sleep without drugs. The doctor’s medicine failed to
bring down his high blood pressure of over two hundred. He had
pains in numerous organs of his body which doctors could not
diagnose or relieve. To make matters worse, he was drinking heavily.
The cause of all this was a deep unconscious sense of guilt. He
had violated the marriage vows, and this troubled him. The religious
creed he was brought up on was deeply lodged in his subconscious
mind, and he drank excessively to heal the wound of guilt. Some
invalids take morphine and codeine for severe pains; he was taking
alcohol for the pain or wound in his mind. It was the old story of
adding fuel to the fire.
THE EXPLANATION AND THE CURE
He listened to the explanation of how his mind worked. He faced his
problem, looked at it, and gave up his dual role. He knew that his
drinking was an unconscious attempt to escape. The hidden cause
lodged in his subconscious mind had to be eradicated; then the
healing would follow.
He began to impress his subconscious mind three or four times a
day by using the following prayer: “My mind is full of peace, poise,
balance, and equilibrium. The infinite lies stretched in smiling
repose within me. I am not afraid of anything in the past, the
present, or the future. The infinite intelligence of my subconscious
mind leads, guides, and directs me in all ways. I now meet every
situation with faith, poise, calmness, and confidence. I am now
completely free from the habit. My mind is full of inner peace,
freedom, and joy. I forgive myself; then I am forgiven. Peace,
sobriety, and confidence reign supreme in my mind.”
He repeated this prayer frequently as outlined, being fully aware
of what he was doing and why he was doing it. Knowing what he was
doing gave him the necessary faith and confidence. I explained to
him that as he spoke these statements out loud, slowly, lovingly, and
meaningfully, they would gradually sink down into his subconscious
mind. Like seeds, they would grow after their kind. These truths, on
which he concentrated, went in through his eyes, his ears heard the
sound, and the healing vibrations of these words reached his
subconscious mind and obliterated all the negative mental patterns
which caused all the trouble. Light dispels darkness. The
constructive thought destroys the negative thought. He became a
transformed man within a month.
REFUSING TO ADMIT IT
If you are an alcoholic or drug addict; admit it. Do not dodge the
issue. Many people remain alcoholics because they refuse to admit it.
Your disease is an instability, an inner fear. You are refusing to
face life, and so you try to escape your responsibilities through the
bottle. As an alcoholic you have no free will, although you think you
have, and you may even boast about your willpower. If you are a
habitual drunkard and say bravely, “I will not touch it anymore,” you
have no power to make this assertion come true, because you do not
know where to locate the power.
You are living in a psychological prison of your own making, and
you are bound by your beliefs, opinions, training, and environmental
influences. Like most people, you are a creature of habit. You are
conditioned to react the way you do.
BUILDING IN THE IDEA OF FREEDOM
You can build the idea of freedom and peace of mind into your
mentality so that it reaches your subconscious depths. The latter,
being all-powerful, will free you from all desire for alcohol. Then, you
will have the new understanding of how your mind works, and you
can truly back up your statement and prove the truth to yourself.
FIFTY-ONE PERCENT HEALED
If you have a keen desire to free yourself from any destructive habit,
you are fifty-one percent healed already. When you have a greater
desire to give up the bad habit than to continue it, you will not
experience too much difficulty in gaining complete freedom.
Whatever thought you anchor the mind upon, the latter
magnifies. If you engage the mind on the concept of freedom
(freedom from the habit) and peace of mind, and if you keep it
focused on this new direction of attention, you generate feelings and
emotions which gradually emotionalize the concept of freedom and
peace. Whatever idea you emotionalize is accepted by your
subconscious and brought to pass.
THE LAW OF SUBSTITUTION
Realize that something good can come out of your suffering. You
have not suffered in vain. However, it is foolish to continue to suffer.
If you continue as an alcoholic, it will bring about mental and
physical deterioration and decay. Realize that the power in your
subconscious is backing you up. Even though you may be seized with
melancholia, you should begin to imagine the joy of freedom that is
in store for you. This is the law of substitution. Your imagination
took you to the bottle; let it take you now to freedom and peace of
mind. You will suffer a little bit, but it is for a constructive purpose.
You will bear it like a mother in the pangs of childbirth, and you will,
likewise, bring forth a child of the mind. Your subconscious will give
birth to sobriety.
CAUSE OF ALCOHOLISM
The real cause of alcoholism is negative and destructive thinking; for
as a man thinketh, so is he. The alcoholic has a deep sense of
inferiority, inadequacy, defeat, and frustration, usually accompanied
by a deep inner hostility. He has countless alibis as to his reason for
drinking, but the sole reason is in his thought life.
THREE MAGIC STEPS
The first step: Get still; quiet the wheels of the mind. Enter into
a sleepy, drowsy state. In this relaxed, peaceful, receptive state,
you are preparing for the second step.
The second step: Take a brief phrase, which can readily be
graven on the memory, and repeat it over and over as a lullaby.
Use the phrase, “Sobriety and peace of mind are mine now, and
I give thanks.” To prevent the mind from wandering, repeat it
aloud or sketch its pronunciation with the lips and tongue as
you say it mentally. This helps its entry into the subconscious
mind. Do this for five minutes or more. You will find a deep
emotional response.
The third step: Just before going to sleep, practice what
Johann von Goethe, German author, used to do. Imagine a
friend, a loved one in front of you. Your eyes are closed, you are
relaxed and at peace. The loved one or friend is subjectively
present, and is saying to you, “Congratulations!” You see the
smile; you hear the voice. You mentally touch the hand; it is all
real and vivid. The word congratulations implies complete
freedom. Hear it over and over again until you get the
subconscious reaction which satisfies.
KEEP ON KEEPING ON
When fear knocks at the door of your mind, or when worry, anxiety,
and doubt cross your mind, behold your vision, your goal. Think of
the infinite power within your subconscious mind, which you can
generate by your thinking and imagining, and this will give you
confidence, power, and courage. Keep on, persevere, until the day
breaks, and the shadows flee away.
REVIEW YOUR THOUGHT POWER
1. The solution lies within the problem. The answer is in
every question. Infinite intelligence responds to you as
you call upon it with faith and confidence.
2. Habit is the function of your subconscious mind. There is
no greater evidence of the marvelous power of your
subconscious than the force and sway habit holds in your
life. You are a creature of habit.
3. You form habit patterns in your subconscious mind by
repeating a thought and act over and over again until it
establishes tracks in the subconscious mind and becomes
automatic, such as swimming, dancing, typing, walking,
driving your car, etc.
4. You have freedom to choose. You can choose a good
habit or a bad habit. Prayer is a good habit.
5. Whatever mental picture, backed by faith, you behold in
your conscious mind, your subconscious mind will bring
to pass.
6. The only obstacle to your success and achievement is
your own thought or mental image.
7. When your attention wanders, bring it back to the
contemplation of your good or goal. Make a habit of this.
This is called disciplining the mind.
8. Your conscious mind is the camera, and your
subconscious mind is the sensitive plate on which you
register or impress the picture.
9. The only jinx that follows anyone is a fear thought
repeated over and over in the mind. Break the jinx by
knowing that whatever you start you will bring to a
conclusion in divine order. Picture the happy ending and
sustain it with confidence.
10. To form a new habit, you must be convinced that it is
desirable. When your desire to give up the bad habit is
greater than your desire to continue, you are fifty-one
percent healed already.
11. The statements of others cannot hurt you except through
your own thoughts and mental participation. Identify
yourself with your aim which is peace, harmony, and joy.
You are the only thinker in your universe.
12. Excessive drinking is an unconscious desire to escape.
The cause of alcoholism is negative and destructive
thinking. The cure is to think of freedom, sobriety, and
perfection, and to feel the thrill of accomplishment.
13. Many people remain alcoholics because they refuse to
admit it.
14. The law of your subconscious mind, which held you in
bondage and inhibited your freedom of action, will give
you freedom and happiness. It depends on how you use
it.
15. Your imagination took you to the bottle; let it take you to
freedom by imagining you are free.
16. The real cause of alcoholism is negative and destructive
thinking. As a man thinketh in his heart [subconscious
mind], so is he.
17. When fear knocks at the door of your mind, let faith in
God and all things good open the door.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
HOW TO USE YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
TO REMOVE FEAR
O
ne of our students told me that he was invited to speak at a
banquet. He said he was panic-stricken at the thought of
speaking before a thousand people. He overcame his fear this
way: For several nights he sat down in an armchair for about five
minutes and said to himself slowly, quietly, and positively, “I am
going to master this fear. I am overcoming it now. I speak with poise
and confidence. I am relaxed and at ease.” He operated a definite law
of mind and overcame his fear.
The subconscious mind is amenable to suggestion and is
controlled by suggestion. When you still your mind and relax, the
thoughts of your conscious mind sink down into the subconscious
through a process similar to osmosis, whereby fluids separated by a
porous membrane intermingle. As these positive seeds, or thoughts,
sink into the subconscious area, they grow after their kind, and you
become poised, serene, and calm.
MAN’S GREATEST ENEMY
It is said that fear is man’s greatest enemy. Fear is behind failure,
sickness, and poor human relations. Millions of people are afraid of
the past, the future, old age, insanity, and death. Fear is a thought in
your mind, and you are afraid of your own thoughts.
A little boy can be paralyzed with fear when he is told there is a
boogie man under his bed who is going to take him away. When his
father turns on the light and shows him there is no boogie man, he is
freed from fear. The fear in the mind of the boy was as real as if there
really was a boogie man there. He was healed of a false thought in his
mind. The thing he feared did not exist. Likewise, most of your fears
have no reality. They are merely a conglomeration of sinister
shadows, and shadows have no reality.
DO THE THING YOU FEAR
Ralph Waldo Emerson, philosopher and poet, said, “Do the thing you
are afraid to do, and the death of fear is certain.”
There was a time when the writer of this chapter was filled with
unutterable fear when standing before an audience. The way I
overcame it was to stand before the audience, do the thing I was
afraid to do, and the death of fear was certain.
When you affirm positively that you are going to master your
fears, and you come to a definite decision in your conscious mind,
you release the power of the subconscious, which flows in response
to the nature of your thought.
BANISHING STAGE FRIGHT
A young lady was invited to an audition. She had been looking
forward to the interview. However, on three previous occasions, she
had failed miserably due to stage fright.
She possessed a very good voice, but she was certain that when
the time came for her to sing, she would be seized with stage fright.
The subconscious mind takes your fears as a request, proceeds to
manifest them, and brings them into your experience. On three
previous auditions she sang wrong notes, and she finally broke down
and cried. The cause, as previously outlined, was an involuntary
autosuggestion, i.e., a silent fear thought emotionalized and
subjectified.
She overcame it by the following technique: Three times a day
she isolated herself in a room. She sat down comfortably in an
armchair, relaxed her body, and closed her eyes. She stilled her mind
and body to the best of her ability. Physical inertia favors passivity
and renders the mind more receptive to suggestion. She
counteracted the fear suggestion by its converse, saying to herself, “I
sing beautifully. I am poised, serene, confident, and calm.”
She repeated the words slowly, quietly, and with feeling from five
to ten times at each sitting. She had three such “sittings” every day
and one immediately prior to sleep at night. At the end of a week she
was completely poised and confident, and gave a definitely
outstanding audition. Carry out the above procedure, and the death
of fear is certain.
FEAR OF FAILURE
Occasionally young men from the local university come to see me, as
well as schoolteachers, who often seem to suffer from suggestive
amnesia at examinations. The complaint is always the same: “I know
the answers after the examination is over, but I can’t remember the
answers during the examination.”
The idea, which realizes itself, is the one to which we invariably
give concentrated attention. I find that each one is obsessed with the
idea of failure. Fear is behind the temporary amnesia, and it is the
cause of the whole experience.
One young medical student was the most brilliant person in his
class, yet he found himself failing to answer simple questions at the
time of written or oral examinations. I explained to him that the
reason was he had been worrying and was fearful for several days
previous to the examination. These negative thoughts became
charged with fear.
Thoughts enveloped in the powerful emotion of fear are realized
in the subconscious mind. In other words, this young man was
requesting his subconscious mind to see to it that he failed, and that
is exactly what it did. On the day of the examination he found himself
stricken with what is called, in psychological circles, suggestive
amnesia.
HOW HE OVERCAME THE FEAR
He learned that his subconscious mind was the storehouse of
memory, and that it had a perfect record of all he had heard and read
during his medical training. Moreover, he learned that the
subconscious mind was responsive and reciprocal. The way to be en
rapport with it was to be relaxed, peaceful, and confident.
Every night and morning he began to imagine his mother
congratulating him on his wonderful record. He would hold an
imaginary letter from her in his hand. As he began to contemplate
the happy result, he called forth a corresponding or reciprocal
response or reaction in himself. The all-wise and omnipotent power
of the subconscious took over, dictated, and directed his conscious
mind accordingly. He imagined the end, thereby willing the means to
the realization of the end. Following this procedure, he had no
trouble passing subsequent examinations. In other words, the
subjective wisdom took over, compelling him to give an excellent
account of himself.
FEAR OF WATER, MOUNTAINS, CLOSED PLACES, ETC.
There are many people who are afraid to go into an elevator, climb
mountains, or even swim in the water. It may well be that the
individual had unpleasant experiences in the water in his youth, such
as having been thrown forcibly into the water without being able to
swim. He might have been forcibly detained in an elevator, which
failed to function properly, causing resultant fear of closed places.
I had an experience when I was about ten years of age. I
accidentally fell into a pool and went down three times. I can still
remember the dark water engulfing my head, and my gasping for air
until another boy pulled me out at the last moment. This experience
sank into my subconscious mind, and for years I feared the water.
An elderly psychologist said to me, “Go down to the swimming
pool, look at the water, and say out loud in strong tones, ‘I am going
to master you. I can dominate you.’ Then go into the water, take
lessons, and overcome it.” This I did, and I mastered the water. Do
not permit water to master you. Remember, you are the master of
the water.
When I assumed a new attitude of mind, the omnipotent power
of the subconscious responded, giving me strength, faith, and
confidence, and enabling me to overcome my fear.
MASTER TECHNIQUE FOR OVERCOMING ANY PARTICULAR
FEAR
The following is a process and technique for overcoming fear which I
teach from the patform. It works like a charm. Try it!
Suppose you are afraid of the water, a mountain, an interview, an
audition, or you fear closed places. If you are afraid of swimming,
begin now to sit still for five or ten minutes three or four times a day,
and imagine you are swimming. Actually, you are swimming in your
mind. It is a subjective experience. Mentally you have projected
yourself into the water. You feel the chill of the water and the
movement of your arms and legs. It is all real, vivid, and a joyous
activity of the mind. It is not idle daydreaming, for you know that
what you are experiencing in your imagination will be developed in
your subconscious mind. Then you will be compelled to express the
image and likeness of the picture you impressed on your deeper
mind. This is the law of the subconscious.
You could apply the same technique if you are afraid of
mountains or high places. Imagine you are climbing the mountain,
feel the reality of it all, enjoy the scenery, knowing that as you
continue to do this mentally, you will do it physically with ease and
comfort.
HE BLESSED THE ELEVATOR
I knew an executive of a large corporation who was terrified to ride in
an elevator. He would walk up five flights of stairs to his office every
morning. He said that he began to bless the elevator every night and
several times a day. He finally overcame his fear. This was how he
blessed the elevator: “The elevator in our building is a wonderful
idea. It came out of the universal mind. It is a boon and a blessing to
all our employees. It gives wonderful service. It operates in divine
order. I ride in it in peace and joy. I remain silent now while the
currents of life, love, and understanding flow through the patterns of
my thought. In my imagination I am now in the elevator, and I step
out into my office. The elevator is full of our employees. I talk to
them, and they are friendly, joyous, and free. It is a wonderful
experience of freedom, faith, and confidence. I give thanks.”
He continued this prayer for about ten days, and on the eleventh
day, he walked into the elevator with other members of the
organization and felt completely free.
NORMAL AND ABNORMAL FEAR
Man is born only with two fears, the fear of falling and the fear of
noise. These are a sort of alarm system given you by nature as a
means of self-preservation. Normal fear is good. You hear an
automobile coming down the road, and you step aside to survive. The
momentary fear of being run over is overcome by your action. All
other fears were given to you by parents, relatives, teachers, and all
those who influenced your early years.
ABNORMAL FEAR
Abnormal fear takes place when man lets his imagination run riot. I
knew a woman who was invited to go on a trip around the world by
plane. She began to cut out of the newspapers all reports of airplane
catastrophes. She pictured herself going down in the ocean, being
drowned, etc. This is abnormal fear. Had she persisted in this, she
would undoubtedly have attracted what she feared most.
Another example of abnormal fear is that of a businessman in
New York, who was very prosperous and successful. He had his own
private mental motion picture of which he was the director. He
would run this mental movie of failure, bankruptcy, empty shelves,
and no bank balance until he sank into a deep depression. He refused
to stop this morbid imagery and kept reminding his wife that “this
can’t last,” “there will be a recession,” “I feel sure we will go
bankrupt,” etc.
His wife told me that he finally did go into bankruptcy, and all
the things he imagined and feared came to pass. The things he feared
did not exist, but he brought them to pass by constantly fearing,
believing, and expecting financial disaster. Job said, the thing I
feared has come upon me.
There are people who are afraid that something terrible will
happen to their children, and that some dread catastrophe will befall
them. When they read about an epidemic or rare disease, they live in
fear that they will catch it, and some imagine they have the disease
already. All this is abnormal fear.
THE ANSWER TO ABNORMAL FEAR
Move mentally to the opposite. To stay at the extreme of fear is
stagnation plus mental and physical deterioration. When fear arises,
there immediately comes with it a desire for something opposite to
the thing feared. Place your attention on the thing immediately
desired. Get absorbed and engrossed in your desire, knowing that the
subjective always overturns the objective. This attitude will give you
confidence and lift your spirits. The infinite power of your
subconscious mind is moving on your behalf, and it cannot fail.
Therefore, peace and assurance are yours.
EXAMINE YOUR FEARS
The president of a large organization told me that when he was a
salesman he used to walk around the block five or six times before he
called on a customer. The sales manager came along one day and
said to him, “Don’t be afraid of the boogie man behind the door.
There is no boogie man. It is a false belief.”
The manager told him that whenever he looked at his own fears
he stared them in the face and stood up to them, looking them
straight in the eye. Then they faded and shrank into insignificance.
HE LANDED IN THE JUNGLE
A chaplain told me of his experiences in the Second World War. He
had to parachute from a damaged plane and land in the jungle. He
said he was frightened, but he knew there were two kinds of fear,
normal and abnormal, which we have previously pointed out.
He decided to do something about the fear immediately, and
began to talk to himself saying, “John, you can’t surrender to your
fear. Your fear is a desire for safety and security, and a way out.”
He began to claim, “Infinite intelligence which guides the planets
in their courses is now leading and guiding me out of this jungle.”
He kept saying this out loud to himself for ten minutes or more.
“Then,” he added, “something began to stir inside me. A mood of
confidence began to seize me, and I began to walk. After a few days, I
miraculously came out of the jungle, and was picked up by a rescue
plane.”
His changed mental attitude saved him. His confidence and trust
in the subjective wisdom and power within him was the solution to
his problem.
He said, “Had I begun to bemoan my fate and indulge my fears, I
would have succumbed to the monster fear, and probably would have
died of fear and starvation.”
HE DISMISSED HIMSELF
The general manager of an organization told me that for three years
he feared he would lose his position. He was always imagining
failure. The thing he feared did not exist, save as a morbid anxious
thought in his own mind. His vivid imagination dramatized the loss
of his job until he became nervous and neurotic. Finally he was asked
to resign.
Actually, he dismissed himself. His constant negative imagery
and fear suggestions to his subconscious mind caused the latter to
respond and react accordingly. It caused him to make mistakes and
foolish decisions, which resulted in his failure as a general manager.
His dismissal would never have happened, if he had immediately
moved to the opposite in his mind.
THEY PLOTTED AGAINST HIM
During a recent world lecture tour, I had a two-hour conversation
with a prominent government official. He had a deep sense of inner
peace and serenity. He said that all the abuse he receives politically
from newspapers and the opposition party never disturb him. His
practice is to sit still for fifteen minutes in the morning and realize
that in the center of himself is a deep still ocean of peace. Meditating
in this way, he generates tremendous power which overcomes all
manner of difficulties and fears.
Some time previously, a colleague called him at midnight and
told him a group of people were plotting against him. This is what he
said to his colleague: “I am going to sleep now in perfect peace. You
can discuss it with me at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow.”
He said to me, “I know that no negative thought can ever
manifest except I emotionalize the thought and accept it mentally. I
refuse to entertain their suggestion of fear. Therefore, no harm can
come to me.”
Notice how calm he was, how cool, how peaceful! He did not start
getting excited, tearing his hair, or wringing his hands. At his center
he found the still water, an inner peace, and there was a great calm.
DELIVER YOURSELF FROM ALL YOUR FEARS
Use this perfect formula for casting out fear. I sought the Lord, and
he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. PSALMS 34:4. The
Lord is an ancient word meaning law—the power of your
subconscious mind.
Learn the wonders of your subconscious, and how it works and
functions. Master the techniques given to you in this chapter. Put
them into practice now, today! Your subconscious will respond, and
you will be free of all fears. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and
delivered me from all my fears.
STEP THIS WAY TO FREEDOM FROM FEAR
1. Do the thing you are afraid to do, and the death of fear is
certain. Say to yourself and mean it, “I am going to
master this fear,” and you will.
2. Fear is a negative thought in your mind. Supplant it with
a constructive thought. Fear has killed millions.
Confidence is greater than fear. Nothing is more
powerful than faith in God and the good.
3. Fear is man’s greatest enemy. It is behind failure,
sickness, and bad human relations. Love casts out fear.
Love is an emotional attachment to the good things of
life. Fall in love with honesty, integrity, justice, good will,
and success. Live in the joyous expectancy of the best,
and invariably the best will come to you.
4. Counteract the fear suggestions with the opposite, such
as “I sing beautifully; I am poised, serene, and calm.” It
will pay fabulous dividends.
5. Fear is behind amnesia at oral and written examination
time. You can overcome this by affirming frequently, “I
have a perfect memory for everything I need to know,” or
you can imagine a friend congratulating you on your
brilliant success on the examination. Persevere and you
will win.
6. If you are afraid to cross water, swim. In your
imagination swim freely, joyously. Project yourself into
the water mentally. Feel the chill and thrill of swimming
across the pool. Make it vivid. As you do this subjectively,
you will be compelled to go into the water and conquer it.
This is the law of your mind.
7. If you are afraid of closed places, such as elevators,
lecture halls, etc., mentally ride in an elevator blessing all
its parts and functions. You will be amazed how quickly
the fear will be dissipated.
8. You were born with only two fears, the fear of falling and
the fear of noise. All your other fears were acquired. Get
rid of them.
9. Normal fear is good. Abnormal fear is very bad and
destructive. To constantly indulge in fear thoughts
results in abnormal fear, obsessions, and complexes. To
fear something persistently causes a sense of panic and
terror.
10. You can overcome abnormal fear when you know the
power of your subconscious mind can change conditions
and bring to pass the cherished desires of your heart.
Give your immediate attention and devotion to your
desire which is the opposite of your fear. This is the love
that casts out fear.
11. If you are afraid of failure, give attention to success. If
you are afraid of sickness, dwell on your perfect health. If
you are afraid of an accident, dwell on the guidance and
protection of God. If you are afraid of death, dwell on
Eternal Life. God is Life, and that is your life now.
12. The great law of substitution is the answer to fear.
Whatever you fear has its solution in the form of your
desire. If you are sick, you desire health. If you are in the
prison of fear, you desire freedom. Expect the good.
Mentally concentrate on the good, and know that your
subconscious mind answers you always. It never fails.
13. The things you fear do not really exist except as thoughts
in your mind. Thoughts are creative. This is why Job
said, The thing I feared has come upon me. Think good
and good follows.
14. Look at your fears; hold them up to the light of reason.
Learn to laugh at your fears. That is the best medicine.
15. Nothing can disturb you but your own thought. The
suggestions, statements, or threats of other persons have
no power. The power is within you, and when your
thoughts are focused on that which is good, then God’s
power is with your thoughts of good. There is only one
Creative Power, and It moves as harmony. There are no
divisions of quarrels in it. Its source is Love. This is why
God’s power is with your thoughts of good.
CHAPTER TWENTY
HOW TO STAY YOUNG IN SPIRIT FOREVER
Y
our subconscious mind never grows old. It is timeless, ageless,
and endless. It is a part of the universal mind of God which was
never born, and it will never die.
Fatigue or old age cannot be predicated on any spiritual quality
or power. Patience, kindness, veracity, humility, good will, peace,
harmony, and brotherly love are attributes and qualities which never
grow old. If you continue to generate these qualities here on this
plane of life, you will always remain young in spirit.
I remember reading an article in one of our magazines some
years ago which stated that a group of eminent medical men at the
De Courcy Clinic, in Cincinnati, Ohio, reported that years alone are
not responsible for bringing about degenerative disorders. These
same physicians stated that it is the fear of time, not time itself, that
has a harmful aging effect on our minds and bodies, and that the
neurotic fear of the effects of time may well be the cause of
premature aging.
During the many years of my public life, I have had occasion to
study the biographies of the famous men and women who have
continued their productive activities into the years well beyond the
normal span of life. Some of them achieve their greatness in old age.
At the same time, it has been my privilege to meet and to know
countless individuals of no prominence who, in their lesser sphere,
belonged to those hardy mortals who have proved that old age of
itself does not destroy the creative powers of the mind and body.
HE HAD GROWN OLD IN HIS THOUGHT LIFE
A few years ago I called on an old friend in London, England. He was
over 80 years of age, very ill, and obviously was yielding to his
advancing years. Our conversation revealed his physical weakness,
his sense of frustration, and a general deterioration almost
approaching lifelessness. His cry was that he was useless and that no
one wanted him. With an expression of hopelessness he betrayed his
false philosophy, “We are born, grow up, become old, good for
nothing, and that’s the end.”
This mental attitude of futility and worthlessness was the chief
reason for his sickness. He was looking forward only to senescence,
and after that—nothing. Indeed, he had grown old in his thought life,
and his subconscious mind brought about all the evidence of his
habitual thinking.
AGE IS THE DAWN OF WISDOM
Unfortunately, many people have the same attitude as this unhappy
man. They are afraid of what they term “old age,” the end, and
extinction, which really means that they are afraid of life. Yet, life is
endless. Age is not the flight of years, but the dawn of wisdom.
Wisdom is an awareness of the tremendous spiritual powers in
your subconscious mind and the knowledge of how to apply these
powers to lead a full and happy life. Get it out of your head once and
for all that 65, 75, or 85 years of age is synonymous with the end for
you or anybody else. It can be the beginning of a glorious, fruitful,
active, and most productive life pattern, better than you have ever
experienced. Believe this, expect it, and your subconscious will bring
it to pass.
WELCOME THE CHANGE
Old age is not a tragic occurrence. What we call the aging process is
really change. It is to be welcomed joyfully and gladly as each phase
of human life is a step forward on the path which has no end. Man
has powers which transcend his bodily powers. He has senses which
transcend his five physical senses.
Scientists today are finding positive indisputable evidence that
something conscious in man can leave his present body and travel
thousands of miles to see, hear, touch, and speak to people even
though his physical body never leaves the couch on which it reclines.
Man’s life is spiritual and eternal. He need never grow old for
Life, or God, cannot grow old. The Bible says that God is Life. Life is
self-renewing, eternal, indestructible, and is the reality of all men.
EVIDENCE FOR SURVIVAL
The evidence gathered by the psychical research societies both in
Great Britain and America is overwhelming. You may go into any
large metropolitan library and get volumes on The Proceedings of
the Psychical Research Society based on findings of distinguished
scientists on survival following so-called death. You will find a
startling report on scientific experiments establishing the reality of
life after death in The Case for Psychic Survival by Hereward
Carrington, Director of the American Psychical Institute.
LIFE IS
A woman asked Thomas Edison, the electrical wizard, “Mr. Edison,
what is electricity?”
He replied, “Madame, electricity is. Use it.”
Electricity is a name we give an invisible power which we do not
fully comprehend, but we learn all we can about the principle of
electricity and its uses. We use it in countless ways.
The scientist cannot see an electron with his eyes, yet he accepts
it as a scientific fact, because it is the only valid conclusion which
coincides with his other experimental evidence. We cannot see life.
However, we know we are alive. Life is, and we are here to express it
in all its beauty and glory.
MIND AND SPIRIT DO NOT GROW OLD
The Bible says, And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the
only true God. JOHN 17:3.
The man who thinks or believes that the earthly cycle of birth,
adolescence, youth, maturity, and old age is all there is to life, is
indeed to be pitied. Such a man has no anchor, no hope, no vision,
and to him life has no meaning.
This type of belief brings frustration, stagnation, cynicism, and a
sense of hopelessness resulting in neurosis and mental aberrations of
all kinds. If you cannot play a fast game of tennis, or swim as fast as
your son, or if your body has slowed down, or you walk with a slow
step, remember life is always clothing itself anew. What men call
death is but a journey to a new city in another dimension of Life.
I say to men and women in my lectures that they should accept
what we call old age gracefully. Age has its own glory, beauty, and
wisdom which belong to it. Peace, love, joy, beauty, happiness,
wisdom, good will, and understanding are qualities which never
grow old or die.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet and philosopher, said, “We do not
count a man’s years until he has nothing else to count.”
Your character, the quality of your mind, your faith, and your
convictions are not subject to decay.
YOU ARE AS YOUNG AS YOU THINK YOU ARE
I give public lectures in Caxton Hall, London, England, every few
years, and following one of these lectures, a surgeon said to me, “I
am 84 years of age. I operate every morning, visit patients in the
afternoons, and I write for medical and other scientific journals in
the evening.”
His attitude was that he was as useful as he believed himself to
be, and that he was as young as his thoughts. He said to me, “It’s true
what you said, ‘Man is as strong as he thinks he is, and as valuable as
he thinks he is.’”
This surgeon has not surrendered to advancing years. He knows
that he is immortal. His final comment to me was, “If I should pass
on tomorrow, I would be operating on people in the next dimension,
not with a surgeon’s scalpel, but with mental and spiritual surgery.”
YOUR GRAY HAIRS ARE AN ASSET
Don’t ever quit a job and say, “I am retired; I am old; I am finished.”
That would be stagnation, death, and you would be finished. Some
men are old at 30, while others are young at 80. The mind is the
master weaver, the architect, the designer, and the sculptor. George
Bernard Shaw was active at 90, and the artistic quality of his mind
had not relaxed from active duty.
I meet men and women who tell me that some employers almost
slam the door in their faces when they say they are over 40. This
attitude on the part of the employers is to be considered cold,
callous, evil, and completely void of compassion and understanding.
The total emphasis seems to be on youth, i.e., you must be under 35
years of age to receive consideration. The reasoning behind this is
certainly very shallow. If the employer would stop and think, he
would realize that the man or woman was not selling his age or gray
hair, rather, he was willing to give of his talents, his experience, and
his wisdom gathered through years of experience in the marketplace
of life.
AGE IS AN ASSET
Your age should be a distinct asset to any organization, because of
your practice and application through the years of the principles of
the Golden Rule and the law of love and good will. Your gray hair, if
you have any, should stand for greater wisdom, skill, and
understanding. Your emotional and spiritual maturity should be a
tremendous blessing to any organization.
A man should not be asked to resign when he is 65 years of age.
That is the time of life when he could be most useful in handling
personnel problems, making plans for the future, making decisions,
and guiding others in the realm of creative ideas based on his
experience and insight into the nature of the business.
BE YOUR AGE
A motion-picture writer in Hollywood told me that he had to write
scripts which would cater to the twelve-year-old mind. This is a
tragic state of affairs if the great masses of people are expected to
become emotionally and spiritually mature. It means that the
emphasis is placed on youth in spite of the fact that youth stands for
inexperience, lack of discernment, and hasty judgment.
I CAN KEEP UP WITH THE BEST OF THEM
I am now thinking of a man 65 years of age who is trying frantically
to keep young. He swims with young men every Sunday, goes on long
hikes, plays tennis, and boasts of his prowess and physical powers,
saying, “Look, I can keep up with the best of them!”
He should remember the great truth: As a man thinketh in his
heart, so is he. PROV. 23:7.
Diets, exercises, and games of all kinds will not keep this man
young. It is necessary for him to observe that he grows old or
remains young in accordance with his processes of thinking. Your
subconscious mind is conditioned by your thoughts. If your thoughts
are constantly on the beautiful, the noble, and the good, you will
remain young regardless of the chronological years.
FEAR OF OLD AGE
Job said, The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me. There
are many people who fear old age and are uncertain about the future,
because they anticipate mental and physical deterioration as the
years advance. What they think and feel comes to pass.
You grow old when you lose interest in life, when you cease to
dream, to hunger after new truths, and to search for new worlds to
conquer. When your mind is open to new ideas, new interests, and
when you raise the curtain and let in the sunshine and inspiration of
new truths of life and the universe, you will be young and vital.
YOU HAVE MUCH TO GIVE
If you are 65 or 95 years of age, realize you have much to give. You
can help stabilize, advise, and direct the younger generation. You can
give the benefit of your knowledge, your experience, and your
wisdom. You can always look ahead for at all times you are gazing
into infinite life. You will find that you can never cease to unveil the
glories and wonders of life. Try to learn something new every
moment of the day, and you will find your mind will always be
young.
ONE HUNDRED AND TEN YEARS OLD
Some years ago while lecturing in Bombay, India, I was introduced to
a man who said he was 110 years old. He had the most beautiful face
I have ever seen. He seemed transfigured by the radiance of an inner
light. There was a rare beauty in his eyes indicating he had grown old
in years with gladness and with no indication that his mind had
dimmed its lights.
RETIREMENT—A NEW VENTURE
Be sure that your mind never retires. It must be like a parachute
which is no good unless it opens up. Be open and receptive to new
ideas. I have seen men of 65 and 70 retire. They seemed to rot away,
and in a few months passed on. They obviously felt that life was at an
end.
Retirement can be a new venture, a new challenge, a new path,
the beginning of the fulfillment of a long dream. It is inexpressibly
depressing to hear a man say, “What shall I do now that I am
retired?” He is saying in effect, “I am mentally and physically dead.
My mind is bankrupt of ideas.”
All this is a false picture. The real truth is that you can
accomplish more at 90 than you did at 60, because each day you are
growing in wisdom and understanding of life and the universe
through your new studies and interest.
HE GRADUATED TO A BETTER JOB
An executive, who lives near me, was forced to retire a few months
ago because he had reached the age of 65. He said to me, “I look
upon my retirement as promotion from kindergarten to the first
grade.” He philosophized in this manner: He said that when he left
high school, he went up the ladder by going to college. He realized
this was a step forward in his education and understanding of life in
general. Likewise, he added, now he could do the things he had
always wanted to do, and therefore, his retirement was still another
step forward on the ladder of life and wisdom.
He came to the wise conclusion that he was no longer going to
concentrate on making a living. Now he was going to give all his
attention to living life. He is an amateur photographer, and he took
additional courses on the subject. He took a trip around the world
and took movies of famous places. He now lectures before various
groups, lodges, and clubs, and is in popular demand.
There are countless ways of taking an interest in something
worthwhile outside yourself. Become enthusiastic over new creative
ideas, make spiritual progress, and continue to learn and to grow. In
this manner you remain young in heart, because you are hungering
and thirsting after new truths, and your body will reflect your
thinking at all times.
YOU MUST BE A PRODUCER AND NOT A PRISONER OF
SOCIETY
The newspapers are taking cognizance of the fact that the voting
population of the elderly in California elections is increasing by leaps
and bounds. This means that their voices will be heard in the
legislature of the state and also in the halls of Congress. I believe
there will be enacted a federal law prohibiting employers from
discrimination against men and women because of age.
A man of 65 years may be younger mentally, physically, and
physiologically than many men at 30. It is stupid and ridiculous to
tell a man he cannot be hired because he is over 40. It is like saying
to him that he is ready for the scrap heap or the junk pile.
What is a man of 40 or over to do? Must he bury his talents and
hide his light under a bushel? Men who are deprived and prevented
from working because of age must be sustained by government
treasuries at county, state, and federal levels. The many
organizations who refuse to hire them and benefit from their wisdom
and experience will be taxed to support them. This is a form of
financial suicide.
Man is here to enjoy the fruit of his labor, and he is here to be a
producer and not a prisoner of society which compels him to
idleness.
Man’s body slows down gradually as he advances through the
years, but his conscious mind can be made much more active, alert,
alive, and quickened by the inspiration from his subconscious mind.
His mind, in reality, never grows old. Job said, Oh that I were as in
months past, as in the days when God preserved me; When his
candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked
through darkness; As I was in the days of my youth, when the
secret of God was upon my tabernacle. JOB 29:2-4.
SECRET OF YOUTH
To recapture the days of your youth, feel the miraculous, healing,
self-renewing power of your subconscious mind moving through
your whole being. Know and feel that you are inspired, lifted up,
rejuvenated, revitalized, and recharged spiritually. You can bubble
over with enthusiasm and joy, as in the days of your youth, for the
simple reason that you can always mentally and emotionally
recapture the joyous state.
The candle which shines upon your head is divine intelligence,
and reveals to you everything you need to know; it enables you to
affirm the presence of your good, regardless of appearances. You
walk by the guidance of your subconscious mind, because you know
that the dawn appears and the shadows flee away.
GET A VISION
Instead of saying, “I am old,” say, “I am wise in the way of the Divine
Life.” Don’t let the corporation, newspapers, or statistics hold a
picture before you of old age, declining years, decrepitude, senility,
and uselessness. Reject it, for it is a lie. Refuse to be hypnotized by
such propaganda. Affirm life—not death. Get a vision of yourself as
happy, radiant, successful, serene, and powerful.
YOUR MIND DOES NOT GROW OLD
Former President Herbert Hoover, now 88 years old, is very active
and is performing monumental work. I interviewed him a few years
ago in his suite at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York City. I found him
healthy, happy, vigorous, and full of life and enthusiasm. He was
keeping several secretaries busy handling his correspondence and
was himself writing books of a political and historical nature. Like all
great men, I found him affable, genial, amiable, loving, and most
understanding.
His mental acumen and sagacity gave me the thrill of a lifetime.
He is a deeply religious man, and is full of faith in God and in the
triumph of the eternal truth of life. He was subjected to a barrage of
criticism and condemnation in the years of the Great Depression, but
he weathered the storm and did not grow old in hatred, resentment,
ill will, and bitterness. On the contrary, he went into the silence of
his soul, and communing with the Divine Presence within him, he
found the peace which is the power at the heart of God.
HIS MIND ACTIVE AT NINETY-NINE
My father learned the French language at 65 years of age, and
became an authority on it at 70. He made a study of Gaelic when he
was over 60, and became an acknowledged and famous teacher of
the subject. He assisted my sister in a school of higher learning and
continued to do so until he passed away at 99. His mind was as clear
at 99 as it was when he was 20. Moreover, his handwriting and his
reasoning powers had improved with age. Truly, you are as old as
you think and feel.
WE NEED OUR SENIOR CITIZENS
Marcus Porcius Cato, the Roman patriot, learned Greek at 80.
Madame Ernestine Schumann-Heink, the great German-American
contralto, reached the pinnacle of her musical success after she
became a grandmother. It is wonderful to behold the
accomplishments of the oldsters. General Douglas MacArthur, Harry
S Truman, General Dwight David Eisenhower, and American
financier Bernard Baruch are interesting, active, and contributing
their talents and wisdom to the world.
The Greek philosopher Socrates learned to play musical
instruments when he was 80 years old. Michelangelo was painting
his greatest canvases at 80. At 80, Cios Simonides won the prize for
poetry, Johann von Goethe finished Faust, and Leopold von Ranke
commenced his History of the World, which he finished at 92.
Alfred Tennyson wrote a magnificent poem, “Crossing the Bar,”
at 83. Isaac Newton was hard at work close to 85. At 88 John Wesley
was directing, preaching, and guiding Methodism. We have several
men of 95 years who come to my lectures, and they tell me they are
in better health now than they were at 20.
Let us place our senior citizens in high places and give them
every opportunity to bring forth the flowers of Paradise.
If you are retired, get interested in the laws of life and the
wonders of your subconscious mind. Do something you have always
wanted to do. Study new subjects, and investigate new ideas.
Pray as follows: As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so
panteth my soul after thee, O God. PSALMS 42:1.
THE FRUITS OF OLD AGE
His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of
his youth. JOB 33:25.
Old age really means the contemplation of the truths of God from
the highest standpoint. Realize that you are on an endless journey, a
series of important steps in the ceaseless, tireless, endless ocean of
life. Then, with the Psalmist you will say, They shall still bring forth
fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing. PSALMS 92:14.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such
there is no law. GALATIANS 5:22–23.
You are a son of Infinite Life which knows no end, and you are a
child of Eternity.
PROFITABLE POINTERS
1. Patience, kindness, love, good will, joy, happiness,
wisdom, and understanding are qualities which never
grow old. Cultivate them and express them, and remain
young in mind and body.
2. Some research physicians say that the neurotic fear of
the effects of time may well be the cause of premature
aging.
3. Age is not the flight of years; it is the dawn of wisdom in
the mind of man.
4. The most productive years of your life can be from 65 to
95.
5. Welcome the advancing years. It means you are moving
higher on the path of life which has no end.
6. God is Life, and that is your life now. Life is selfrenewing, eternal, and indestructible, and is the reality of
all men. You live forever, because your life is God’s life.
7. Evidence of survival after death is overwhelming. Study
Proceedings of Psychical Research Society of Great
Britain and America in your library. The work is based
on the scientific research by outstanding scientists for
over 75 years.
8. You cannot see your mind, but you know you have a
mind. You cannot see spirit, but you know that the spirit
of the game, the spirit of the artist, the spirit of the
musician, and the spirit of the speaker is real. Likewise,
the spirit of goodness, truth, and beauty moving in your
mind and heart are real. You cannot see life, but you
know you are alive.
9. Old age may be called the contemplation of the truths of
God from the highest standpoint. The joys of old age are
greater than those of youth. Your mind is engaged in
spiritual and mental athletics. Nature slows down your
body so that you may have the opportunity to meditate
on things divine.
10. We do not count a man’s years until he has nothing else
to count. Your faith and convictions are not subject to
decay.
11. You are as young as you think you are. You are as strong
as you think you are. You are as useful as you think you
are. You are as young as your thoughts.
12. Your gray hairs are an asset. You are not selling your gray
hairs. You are selling your talent, abilities, and wisdom
which you have garnered through the years.
13. Diets and exercises won’t keep you young. As a man
thinketh, so is he.
14. Fear of old age can bring about physical and mental
deterioration. The thing I greatly feared has come upon
me.
15. You grow old when you cease to dream, and when you
lose interest in life. You grow old if you are irritable,
crotchety, petulant, and cantankerous. Fill your mind
with the truths of God and radiate the sunshine of His
love—this is youth.
16. Look ahead, for at all times you are gazing into infinite
life.
17. Your retirement is a new venture. Take up new studies
and new interests. You can now do the things you always
wanted to do when you were so busy making a living.
Give your attention to living life.
18. Become a producer and not a prisoner of society. Don’t
hide your light under a bushel.
19. The secret of youth is love, joy, inner peace, and laughter.
In Him there is fullness of joy. In Him there is no
darkness at all.
20. You are needed. Some of the great philosophers, artists,
scientists, writers, and others accomplished their
greatest work after they were 80 years old.
21. The fruits of old age are love, joy, peace, patience,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
22. You are a son of Infinite Life which knows no end. You
are a child of Eternity. You are wonderful!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
NAPOLEON HILL was born in 1883 in Wise County, Virginia. He
worked as a secretary, a “mountain reporter” for a local newspaper,
and the manager of a coal mine and a lumber yard, and attended law
school, before he began working as a journalist for Bob Taylor’s
Magazine—a job that led to his meeting steel magnate Andrew
Carnegie, which changed the course of his life. Carnegie urged Hill to
interview the greatest industrialists, inventors, and statesmen of the
era in order to discover the principles that led them to success. Hill
took on the challenge, which lasted twenty years, and formed the
building block first for The Law of Success (1928), and later for
Think and Grow Rich (1937)—the wealth-building classic and alltime bestseller of its kind. After a long and varied career as an
author, magazine publisher, lecturer, and consultant to business
leaders, the motivational pioneer died in 1970 in South Carolina.
JAMES ALLEN was born in Leicester, England, in 1864. He took his
first job at fifteen to support his family, after his father was
murdered while looking for work in America in 1879. Allen worked
as a factory knitter and later as a private secretary with various
manufacturing companies. In 1901, he published his first book, From
Poverty to Power. The following year, he left secretarial work to
devote himself full time to writing and in 1903 completed his third,
and best-known, work: As a Man Thinketh. Allen soon moved with
his wife, Lily, and daughter, Nora, to Ilfracombe, England, where he
continued to write books and articles, and, with Lily, to publish his
spiritual journal The Light of Reason, later retitled The Epoch. He
died at age 47 in 1912, most likely of consumption. Allen completed
nineteen books during his career, several of which were published
posthumously by his wife. Allen came to be seen as a pioneering
voice of contemporary inspirational literature, his work touching
many of the twentieth century’s leading writers of motivational
thought, including Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, Robert
Collier, and Dale Carnegie.
A native of Ireland who resettled in America, JOSEPH MURPHY,
Ph.D., D.D., (1898–1981), was a prolific and widely admired New
Thought minister and writer, best known for his metaphysical
classic, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind—an international
bestseller since it first appeared on the self-help scene in 1963. A
popular speaker, Murphy lectured on both American coasts and in
Europe, Asia, and South Africa. His many books and pamphlets on
the autosuggestive and metaphysical faculties of the human mind
have entered multiple editions. Murphy is considered one of the
pioneering voices of affirmative-thinking philosophy.
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* Mrs. Simpson read and approved this analysis.
** Herbert Parkyn, Autosuggestion (London: Fowler, 1916).
** The Edinburgh Lectures on Menial Science (New York: Robert McBride & Co., 1909).
** Dr. John Bigelow, The Mystery of Sleep (New York and London: Harper Brothers, 1903).