Power Of Thoughts

Beautiful sayingzz:
(Power Of Thoughts - My First E-Book Content for u in txt format)
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One is not at the mercy of the fitful storms of Thoughtafter he has learned the workings of the Law.
each gets what he calls for over the wireless telegraphy of theMind. The man who rises in the morning feeling "grumpy" usuallymanages to have the whole family in the same mood before thebreakfast is over. The "nagging" woman generally finds enough togratify her "nagging" propensity during the day.
We have passed through the age of physical force on to theage of intellectual supremacy, and are now entering a new andalmost unknown field, that of psychic power. This field has itsestablished laws and we should acquaint ourselves with them or wewill be crowded to the wall as are the ignorant on the planes of effort.
LIKE a stone thrown into the water, thought produces ripplesand waves which spread out over the great ocean of thought. Thereis this difference, however: the waves on the water move only on alevel plane in all directions, whereas thought waves move in alldirections from a common center, just as do the rays from the sun.
These thought waves have other qualities differing from thewaves on the water. They have the property of reproducingthemselves; in this respect they resemble sound waves rather thanwaves upon the water. Just as a note of the violin will cause the thinglass to vibrate and "sing," so will a strong thought tend to awakensimilar vibrations in minds attuned to receive it. Many of the "straythoughts" which come to us are but reflections or answeringvibrations to some strong thought sent out by another. But unless ourminds are attuned to receive it, the thought will not likely affect us. Ifwe are thinking high and great thoughts, our minds acquire a certainkeynote corresponding to the character of the thoughts we have beenthinking. And, this keynote once established, we will be apt to catchthe vibrations of other minds keyed to the same thought. On the otherhand, let us get into the habit of thinking thoughts of an oppositecharacter, and we will soon be echoing the low order of thoughtemanating from the minds of the thousands thinking along the samelines.
We are largely what we have thought ourselves into being, thebalance being represented by the character of the suggestions andthought of others, which have reached us either directly by verbalsuggestions or telepathically by means of such thought waves. Ourgeneral mental attitude, however, determines the character of thethought waves received from others as well as the thoughtsemanating from ourselves. We receive only such thoughts as are inharmony with the general mental attitude held by ourselves; thethoughts not in harmony affecting us very little, as they awaken noresponse in us.
The man who believes thoroughly in himself and maintains apositive strong mental attitude of Confidence and Determination is notlikely to be affected by the adverse and negative thoughts ofDiscouragement and Failure emanating from the minds of otherpersons in whom these last qualities predominate. At the same timethese negative thoughts, if they reach one whose mental attitude ispitched on a low key, deepen his negative state and add fuel to thefire which is consuming his strength, or, if you prefer this figure, serveto further smother the fire of his energy and activity.
The mind has many degrees of pitch, ranging from the highestpositive note to the lowest negative note, with many notes inbetween, varying in pitch according to their respective distance fromthe positive or negative extreme.
In some persons the positive element seems to predominate,and in others the negative quality seems to be more in evidence.There are, of course, widely varying degrees of positiveness andnegativeness, and B may be negative to A, while positive to C. Whentwo people first meet there is generally a silent mental conflict inwhich their respective minds test their quality of positiveness, and fixtheir relative position toward each other. This process may beunconscious in many cases, but it occurs nevertheless. Theadjustment is often automatic, but occasionally the struggle is sosharp - the opponents being so well matched - that the matter forcesitself into the consciousness of the two people. Sometimes bothparties are so much alike in their degrees of positiveness that they failto come to terms, mentally; they never really are able to get alongwith each other, and they are either mutually repelled and separate orelse stay together amid constant broils and wrangling.
Of course, something may occur and we will suddenly becomemore positive than the man or woman to whom we have heretoforebeen negative. We frequently see cases of this kind. And as theknowledge of these mental laws becomes more general we will seemany more instances of persons asserting themselves and makinguse of their newfound power.
But remember you possess the power to raise the keynote ofyour mind to a positive pitch by an effort of the will. And, of course, itis equally true that you may allow yourself to drop into a low, negativenote by carelessness or a weak will.
There are more people on the negative plane of thought thanon the positive plane, and consequently there are more negativethought vibrations in operation in our mental atmosphere. But, happilyfor us, this is counterbalanced by the fact that a positive thought isinfinitely more powerful than a negative one, and if by force of will weraise ourselves to a higher mental key we can shut out thedepressing thoughts and may take up the vibrations correspondingwith our changed mental attitude. This is one of the secrets of theaffirmations and autosuggestions used by the several schools ofMental Science and other New Thought cults.
Whether or not we believe in them, we are constantly makingaffirmations. The man who asserts that he can and will do a thing -and asserts it earnestly - develops in himself the qualities conduciveto the well doing of that thing, and at the same time places his mind inthe proper key to receive all the thought waves likely to help him inthe doing. If, on the other hand, one says and feels that he is going tofail, he will choke and smother the thoughts coming from his ownsubconscious mentality which are intended to help him, and at thesame time will place himself in tune with the Failure-thought of the world.

CONCLUDED: Do not allow yourselves to be affected by the adverse andnegative thoughts of those around you. Rise to the upper chambersof your mental dwelling, and key yourself up to a strong pitch, awayabove the vibrations on the lower planes of thought. Then you will notonly be immune to their negative vibrations but will be in touch withthe great body of strong positive thought coming from those of yourown plane of development. My aim will be to direct and train you inthe proper use of thought and will, that you may have yourself well inhand and may be able to strike the positive key at any moment youmay feel it necessary. It is not necessary to strike the extreme noteon all occasions. The better plan is to keep yourself in a comfortablekey, without much strain, and to have the means at commandwhereby you can raise the pitch at once when occasion demands. Bythis knowledge you will not be at the mercy of the old automaticaction of the mind, but may have it well under your own control.
Development of the will is very much like the development of amuscle - a matter of practice and gradual improvement. At first it isapt to be tiresome, but at each trial one grows stronger until the newstrength becomes real and permanent. Many of us have madeourselves positive under sudden calls or emergencies. We are in thehabit of "bracing up" when occasion demands. But by intelligentpractice you will be so much strengthened that your habitual state willbe equal to your "bracing up" stage now, and then when you find itnecessary to apply the spur you will be able to reach a stage notdreamed of at present.
Positive,you give out expressions; Receptive, you take in impressions.Positive, you are a teacher; receptive, you are a pupil. It is not only a good thing to be a good teacher, but it is also very important to be a good listener at times.
A Talk about the Mind:MAN has but one mind, but he has many mental faculties, eachfaculty being capable of functioning along two different lines of mentaleffort. There are no distinct dividing lines separating the two severalfunctions of a faculty, but they shade into each other as do the colorsof the spectrum. (2 lines=concious & unconcious).
There is in Nature an instinctive tendency of living organisms toperform certain actions, the tendency of an organized body to seekthat which satisfies the wants of its organism. This tendency issometimes called Appetency. It is really a Passive mental impulse,originating with the impetus imparted by the Primal Cause, andtransmitted along the lines of evolutionary development, gainingstrength and power as it progresses. The impulse of the PrimalCause is assisted by the powerful upward attraction exerted by THEABSOLUTE.
As a child, before birth, shows in its body the stages of thephysical evolution of man, so does a child, before and after birth -until maturity - manifest the stages of the mental evolution of man.Man, the highest type of life yet produced, at least upon thisplanet, shows the highest form of Passive mentation, and also amuch higher development of Active mentation than is seen in thelower animals, and yet the degrees of that power vary widely amongthe different races of men. Even among men of our race the differentdegrees of Active mentation are plainly noticeable; these degrees notdepending by any means upon the amount of "culture," socialposition or educational advantages possessed by the individual.
The evolutionary progress iscaused by the vibratory impulse imparted by the Primal Cause, aidedby the uplifting attraction of "THE ABSOLUTE".
The amenability of the mind to the will can be increased byproperly directed practice. That which we are in the habit of referringto as the "strengthening of the Will" is in reality the training of themind to recognize and absorb the Power Within. The Will is strongenough, it does not need strengthening, but the mind needs to betrained to receive and act upon the suggestions of the Will. The Will is the outward manifestation of the I AM. The Will current is flowing infull strength along the spiritual wires; but you must learn how to raisethe trolley-pole to touch it before the mental car will move. This is asomewhat different idea from that which you have been in the habit of receiving from writers on the subject of Will Power, but it is correct, as you will demonstrate to your own satisfaction if you will follow up the subject by experiments along the proper lines.
The attraction of 'THE ABSOLUTE' is drawing man upward, andthe vibratory force of the Primal Impulse has not yet exhausted itself.The time of evolutionary development has come when man can helphimself. The man who understands the Law can accomplish wondersby means of the development of the powers of the mind; whilst theman who turns his back upon the truth will suffer from his lack ofknowledge of the Law.
He who understands the laws of his mental being, develops hislatent powers and uses them intelligently. He does not despise hisPassive mental functions, but makes good use of them also, chargesthem with the duties for which they are best fitted, and is able toobtain wonderful results from their work, having mastered them andtrained them to do the bidding of the Higher Self. When they fail to dotheir work properly he regulates them, and his knowledge preventshim from meddling with them unintelligently, and thereby doinghimself harm. He develops the faculties and powers latent within himand learns how to manifest them along the line of Active mentation aswell as Passive. He knows that the real man within him is the masterto whom both Active and Passive functions are but tools. He hasbanished Fear, and enjoys Freedom. He has found himself. HE HASLEARNED THE SECRET OF THE "I AM".
Mind Building:MAN can build up his mind and make it what he wills. In fact,we are mind-building every hour of our lives, either consciously orunconsciously. The majority of us are doing the work unconsciously,but those who have seen a little below the surface of things havetaken the matter in hand and have become conscious creators oftheir own mentality. They are no longer subject to the suggestionsand influences of others but have become masters of themselves.They assert (claim/declare) the "I" and compel (force) obedience (respect) from the subordinate (assistant)mental faculties. The "I" is the sovereign of the mind, and what wecall WILL is the instrument of the "I" Of course, there is somethingback of this, and the Universal Will is higher than the Will of theIndividual, but the latter is in much closer touch with the Universal Will than is generally supposed, and when one conquers the lower self, and asserts the "I" he becomes in close touch with the Universal Will and partakes largely of its wonderful power. The moment one asserts the "I" and "finds himself," he establishes a close connectionbetween the Individual Will and the Universal Will. But before he isable to avail himself of the mighty power at his command, he mustfirst effect the Mastery of the lower self.
Think of the absurdity of Man claiming to manifest powers,when he is the slave of the lower parts of his mental being, whichshould be subordinate. Think of a man being the slave of his moods,passions, animal appetites and lower faculties, and at the same timetrying to claim the benefits of the Will. Now, I am not preachingasceticism, which seems to me to be a confession of weakness. I amspeaking of Self-Mastery - the assertion of the "I" over thesubordinate parts of oneself. In the higher view of the subject, this "I"is the only real Self, and the rest is the non-self; but our space doesnot permit the discussion of this point, and we will use the word "self'as meaning the entire man. Before a man can assert the "I" in its fullstrength he must obtain the complete mastery of the subordinateparts of the self. All things are good when we learn to master them,but no thing is good when it masters us. Just so long as we allow thelower portions of the self to give us orders, we are slaves. It is onlywhen the "I" mounts his throne and lifts the scepter, that order isestablished and things assume their proper relation to each other.

It is timeto re-establish order in the mental kingdom. You are able to assertthe mastery over any emotion, appetite, passion or class of thoughtsby the assertion of the Will. You can order Fear to go to the rear;Jealousy to leave your presence; Hate to depart from your sight;Anger to hide itself; Worry to cease troubling you; UncontrolledAppetite and Passion to bow in submission and to become humbleslaves instead of masters - all by the assertion of the "I." You maysurround yourself with the glorious company of Courage, Love andSelf-Control, by the same means.

AFFIRMATION
"I AM Asserting the Mastery of My Real Self..."Repeat these words earnestly and positively during the day atleast once an hour, and particularly when you are confronted withconditions which tempt you to act on the lines of the lesser selfinstead of following the course dictated by the Real Self. In themoment of doubt and hesitation say these words earnestly, and yourway will be made clear to you. Repeat them several times after youretire and settle yourself to sleep. But be sure to back up the wordswith the thought inspiring them, and do not merely repeat themparrot-like. Form the mental image of the Real Self asserting itsmastery over the lower planes of your mind - see the King on hisThrone. You will become conscious of an influx of new thought, andthings which have seemed hard for you will suddenly become mucheasier. You will feel that you have yourself well in hand, and that YOUare the master and not the slave. The thought you are holding willmanifest itself in action, and you will steadily grow to become thatwhich you have in mind.

EXERCISEFix the mind firmly on the higher Self and draw inspiration fromit when you feel led to yield to the promptings of the lower part of your nature. When you are tempted to burst into Anger - assert the "I," and your voice will drop. Anger is unworthy of the developed Self. When you feel vexed and cross, remember what you are, and rise above your feeling. When you feel Fearful, remember that the Real Self fears nothing, and assert Courage. When you feel Jealousy inciting, think of your higher nature, and laugh. And so on, asserting the Real Self and not allowing the things on the lower plane of mentality to disturb you. They are unworthy of you, and must be taught to keep their places. Do not allow these things to master you - they should be your subjects, not your masters. You must get away from this plane, and the only way to do so is to cut loose from these phases of thought which have been "running things" to suit themselves. You may have trouble at the start, but keep at it and you will have that satisfaction which comes only from conquering the lower parts of our nature. You have been a slave long enough - now is the time to free yourselves. If you will follow these exercises faithfully you will be a different being by the end of the year, and will look back with a pitying smile to your former condition. But it takes work. This is not child's play but a task for earnest men and women, Will YOU make the effort?
The Secret of the Will:WHILE psychologists may differ in their theories regarding thenature of the Will, none deny its existence, nor question its power. Allpersons recognize the power of strong Will - all see how it may beused to overcome the greatest obstacles. But few realize that the Willmay be developed and strengthened by intelligent practice. They feelthat they could accomplish wonders if they had a strong Will, butinstead of attempting to develop it, they content themselves with vainregrets. They sigh (exhale noisily), but do nothing.
Those who have investigated the subject closely know that WillPower, with all its latent possibilities and mighty powers, may bedeveloped, disciplined, controlled and directed, just as may be anyother of Nature's forces. It does not matter what theory you mayentertain about the nature of the Will, you will obtain the results if youpractice intelligently.
Personally, I have a somewhat odd theory about the Will. Ibelieve that every man has, potentially, a strong Will, and that all hehas to do is to train his mind to make use of it. I think that in thehigher regions of the mind of every man is a great store of Will Powerawaiting his use. The Will current is running along the psychic wires,and all that it is necessary to do is to raise the mental trolley-pole andbring down the power for your use. And the supply is unlimited, foryour little storage battery is connected with the great powerhouse ofthe Universal Will Power, and the power is inexhaustible. Your Willdoes not need training - but your Mind does. The mind is theinstrument and the supply of Will Power is proportionate to thefineness of the instrument through which it manifests. But you needn'taccept this theory if you don't like it. This lesson will fit your theory as well as mine.
He who has developed his mind so that it will allow the WillPower to manifest through it, has opened up wonderful possibilitiesfor himself. Not only has he found a great power at his command, buthe is able to bring into play, and use, faculties, talents and abilities ofwhose existence he has not dreamed. This secret of the Will is themagic key which opens all doors.
The late Donald G. Mitchell once wrote: "Resolve is whatmakes a man manifest (obvious); not puny resolve, but crude determination;not errant purpose - but that strong and indefatigable will whichtreads down difficulties and danger, as a boy treads down theheaving frost-lands of winter; which kindles his eye and brain with aproud pulse-beat toward the unattainable. Will makes men giants."
in simple wordz:
"resolution is whatmakes a man obvious; not undersized resolution, but unfinished purpose;not sinful purpose - but that strong and untiring will whichtreads down difficulties and danger, as a boy treads down theheaving frost-lands of winter; which stimulate his eye and brain with aproud pulse-beat toward the unattainable. Will makes men Giants."

Many of us feel that if we would but exert our Will, we mightaccomplish wonders. But somehow we do not seem to want to takethe trouble - at any rate; we do not get to the actual willing point. Weput it off from time to time, and talk vaguely of "some day," but thatsome day never comes.
We instinctively feel the power of the Will, but we haven'tenough energy to exercise it, and so drift along with the tide, unlessperhaps some friendly difficulty arises, some helpful obstacle appearsin our path, or some kindly pain stirs us into action, in either of whichcases we are compelled to assert our Will and thus begin toaccomplish something.The trouble with us is that we do not want to do the thingenough to make us exert our Will Power."We don't want to hardenough." We are mentally lazy and of weak Desire. If you do not likethe word Desire substitute for it the word "Aspiration." (Some peoplecall the lower impulses Desires, and the higher, Aspirations - it's all amatter of words, take you choice.) That is the trouble. Let a man be indanger of losing his life - let a woman be in danger of losing a greatlove - and you will witness a startling exhibition of Will Power from anunexpected source. Let a woman's child be threatened with danger,and she will manifest a degree of Courage and Will that sweeps allbefore it. And yet the same woman will quail before a domineeringhusband, and will lack the Will to perform a simple task. A boy will doall sorts of work if he but considers it play, and yet he can scarcelyforce himself to cut a little firewood. Strong Will follows strong Desire.If you really want to do a thing very much, you can usually developthe Will Power to accomplish it.
The trouble is that you have not really wanted to do thesethings, and yet you blame your Will. You say that you do want to do it,but if you stop to think you will see that you really want to dosomething else more than the thing in question. You are not willing topay the price of attainment. Stop a moment and analyze thisstatement and apply it in your own case,You are mentally lazy - that's the trouble. Don't talk to me aboutnot having enough Will. You have a great storehouse of Will awaitingyour use, but you are too lazy to use it. Now, if you are really inearnest about this matter, get to work and first find out what you reallywant to do - then start to work and do it. Never mind about the WillPower - you'll find a full supply of that whenever you need it. Thething to do is to get to the point where you will resolve to do. That thereal test - the resolving. Think of these things a little, and make upyour mind whether or not you really want to be a Willer sufficientlyhard to get to work.
AUTOSUGGESTION:
"I AM Using My Will Power"Say these words several times earnestly and positively,immediately after finishing this article. Then repeat them frequentlyduring the day, at least once an hour, and particularly when you meetsomething that calls for the exercise of Will Power. Also repeat themseveral times after you retire and settle yourself for sleep. Now, thereis nothing in the words unless you back them up with the thought. Infact, the thought is "the whole thing," and the words only pegs uponwhich to hang the thought. So think of what you are saying, andmean what you say. You must use Faith at the start, and use thewords with a confident expectation of the result. Hold the steadythought that you are drawing on your storehouse of Will Power, andbefore long you will find that thought is taking form in action, and thatyour Will Power is manifesting itself. You will feel an influx of strengthwith each repetition of the words. You will find yourself overcomingdifficulties and bad habits, and will be surprised at how things arebeing smoothed out for you.
EXERCISE:Perform at least one disagreeable task each day during themonth.. If there is any especially disagreeable task which you wouldlike to shirk, that is the one for you to perform. This is not given to youin order to make you self-sacrificing or meek, or anything of that sort,it is given you to exercise your Will. Anyone can do a pleasant thingcheerfully, but it takes Will to do the unpleasant thing cheerfully; andthat is how you must do the work. It will prove a most valuablediscipline to you. Try it for a month and you will see where "it comesin." If you shirk this exercise you had better stop right here andacknowledge that you do not want Will Power, and are content to staywhere you are and remain a weakling.
How to become immune to injurious Thought AttractionTHE first thing to do is to begin to "cut out" Fear and Worry.Fear-thought is the cause of much unhappiness and many failures.You have been told this thing over and over again, but it will bearrepeating. Fear is a habit of mind which has been fastened upon usby negative race-thought, but from which we may free ourselves byindividual effort and perseverance.Strong expectancy is a powerful magnet. He of the strong,confident desire attracts to him the things best calculated to aid him -persons, things circumstances, surroundings; if he desires themhopefully, trustfully, confidently, calmly. And, equally true, he whoFears a thing generally manages to start into operation forces whichwill cause the thing he feared to come upon him. Don't you see, theman who Fears really expects the feared thing, and the eyes of theLaw is the same as if he really had wished for or desired it? The Lawis operative in both cases - the principle is the same.The best way to overcome the habit of Fear is to assume themental attitude of Courage, just as the best way to get rid of darknessis to let in the light. It is a waste of time to fight a negative thoughthabitby recognizing its force and trying to deny it out of existence bymighty efforts. The best, surest, easiest and quickest method is toassume the existence of the positive thought desired in its place; andby constantly dwelling upon the positive thought, manifest it intoobjective reality.Therefore, instead of repeating, "I'm not afraid," say boldly, "Iam full of Courage," "I am Courageous." You must assert, "There'snothing to fear," which, although in the nature of a denial, simplydenies the reality of the object causing fear rather than admitting thefear itself and then denying it.To overcome fear, one should hold firmly to the mental attitudeof Courage. He should think Courage, say Courage, act Courage. Heshould keep the mental picture of Courage before him all the time,until it becomes his normal mental attitude. Hold the ideal firmlybefore you and you will gradually grow to its attainment - the ideal willbecome manifest.Let the word "Courage" sink deeply into your mind, and thenhold it firmly there until the mind fastens it in place. Think of yourselfas being Courageous - see yourself as acting with Courage in tryingsituations. Realize that there is nothing to Fear - that Worry and Fearnever helped anyone, and never will. Realize that Fear paralyzeseffort, and that Courage promotes activity.The confident, fearless, expectant, "I Can and I Will" man is amighty magnet. He attracts to himself just what is needed for hissuccess. Things seem to come his way, and people say he is "lucky."Nonsense! "Luck" has nothing to do with it. It's all in the MentalAttitude. And the Mental Attitude of the "I Can't" or the "I'm Afraid"man also determines his measure of success. There's no mysterywhatsoever about it. You have but to look about you to realize thetruth of what I have said. Did you ever know a successful man whodid not have the "I Can and I will" thought strong within him? Why, hewill walk all around the "I Can't" man, who has perhaps even moreability. The first mental attitude brought to the surface latent qualities,as well as attracted help from outside; whilst the second mentalattitude not only attracted "I Can't" people and things, but also keptthe man's own powers from manifesting themselves. I havedemonstrated the correctness of these views, and so have manyothers, and the number of people who know these things is growingevery day.Don't waste your Thought-Force, but use it to advantage. Stopattracting to yourself failure, unhappiness, inharmony, sorrow - beginnow and send out a current of bright, positive, happy thought. Letyour prevailing thought be "I Can and I Will;" think "I Can and I Will;"dream "I Can and I Will;" say "I Can and I Will;" and act "I Can and IWill". Live on the "I Can and I and Will" plane, and before you areaware of it, you will feel the new vibrations manifesting themselves inaction; will see them bring results; will be conscious of the new pointof view; will realize that your own is coming to you. You will feelbetter, act better, see better, BE better in every way, after you join the"I Can and I Will" brigade.Fear is the parent of Worry, Hate, Jealousy, Malice, Anger,Discontent, Failure and all the rest. The man who rids himself of Fearwill find that the rest of the brood has disappeared. The only way tobe Free is to get rid of Fear. Tear it out by the roots. I regard theconquest of Fear as the first important step to be taken by those whowish to master the application of Thought Force. So long as Fearmasters you, you are in no condition to make progress in the realm ofThought, and I must insist that you start to work at once to get rid ofthis obstruction. You CAN do it - if you only go about it in earnest.And when you have ridded yourself of the vile thing, life will seementirely different to you - you will feel happier, freer, stronger, morepositive, and will be more successful in every undertaking of Life.Start it today, make up your mind that this intruder must GO -do not compromise matters with him, but insist upon an absolutesurrender on his part. You will find the task difficult at first, but eachtime you oppose him he will grow weaker, and you will be stronger.Shut off his nourishment - starve him to death - he cannot live in athought atmosphere of Fearlessness. So, start to fill your mind withgood, strong, Fearless thoughts - keep yourself busy thinkingFearlessness, and Fear will die of his own accord. Fearlessness ispositive - Fear is negative, and you may be sure that the positive willprevail.So long as Fear is around with his "but," "if," "suppose," "I'mafraid," "I can't," "what if," and all the rest of his cowardly suggestions,you will not be able to use your Thought Force to the best advantage.Once get him out of the way, you will have clear sailing, and everyinch of thought- sail will catch the wind. He is a Jonah. Overboardwith him! (The whale that swallows him will have my sympathy.)I advise that you start in to do some of the things which you feelyou could do if you were not afraid to try. Start to work to do thesethings, affirming Courage all the way through, and you will besurprised to see how the changed mental attitude will clear awayobstacles from your path, and will make things very much easier thanyou had anticipated. Exercises of this kind will develop youwonderfully, and you will be much gratified at the result of a littlepractice along these lines.There are many things before you awaiting accomplishment,which you can master if you will only throw aside the yoke of Fear - ifyou will only refuse to accept the race suggestion, and will boldlyassert the "I" and its power. And the best way to vanquish Fear is toassert "Courage" and stop thinking of Fear. By this plan you will trainthe mind into new habits of thought, thus eradicating the old negativethoughts which have been pulling you down, and holding you back.Take the word "Courage" with you as your watchword and manifest itin action.Remember, the only thing to fear is Fear, and - well, don't evenfear Fear, for he's a cowardly chap at the best, who will run if youshow a brave front.The Transmutation of Negative ThoughtWORRY is the child of Fear - if you kill out Fear, Worry will diefor want of nourishment. This advice is very old, and yet it is alwaysworthy of repetition, for it is a lesson of which we are greatly in need.Some people think that if we kill out Fear and Worry we will never beable to accomplish anything. I have read editorials in the greatjournals in which the writers held that without Worry one can neveraccomplish any of the great tasks of life, because Worry is necessaryto stimulate interest and work. This is nonsense, no matter who uttersit. Worry never helped one to accomplish anything; on the contrary, itstands in the way of accomplishment and attainment.The motive underlying action and "doing things" is Desire andInterest. If one earnestly desires a thing, he naturally becomes verymuch interested in its accomplishment, and is quick to seize uponanything likely to help him to gain the thing he wants. More than that,his mind starts up a work on the subconscious plane that brings intothe field of consciousness many ideas of value and importance.Desire and Interest are the causes that result in success. Worry is notDesire. It is true that if one's surroundings and environments becomeintolerable, he is driven in desperation to some efforts that will resultin throwing off the undesirable conditions and in the acquiring ofthose more in harmony with his desire. But this is only another formof Desire - the man desires something different from what he has;and when his desire becomes strong enough his entire interest isgiven to the task, he makes a mighty effort, and the change isaccomplished. But it wasn't Worry that caused the effort. Worry couldcontent itself with wringing its hands and moaning, "Woe is me," andwearing its nerves to a frazzle, and accomplishing nothing. Desireacts differently. It grows stronger as the man's conditions becomeintolerable, and finally when he feels the hurt so strongly that he can'tstand it any longer, he says, "I won't stand this any longer - l willmake a change," and lo! Then Desire springs into action. The mankeeps on "wanting" a change the worst way (which is the best way)and his Interest and Attention being given to the task of deliverance,he begins to make things move. Worry never accomplished anything.Worry is negative and death producing. Desire and Ambition arepositive and life producing. A man may worry himself to death and yetnothing will be accomplished, but let that man transmute his worryand discontent into Desire and Interest, coupled with a belief that heis able to make the change - the "I Can and I Will" idea - thensomething happens.Yes, Fear and Worry must go before we can do much. Onemust proceed to cast out these negative intruders, and replace themwith Confidence and Hope. Transmute Worry into keen Desire. Thenyou will find that Interest is awakened, and you will begin to thinkthings of interest to you. Thoughts will come to you from the greatreserve stock in your mind and you will start to manifest them inaction. Moreover you will be placing yourself in harmony with similarthoughts of others, and will draw to you aid and assistance from thegreat volume of thought waves with which the world is filled. Onedraws to himself thought waves corresponding in character with thenature of the prevailing thoughts in his won mind - his mental attitude.Then again he begins to set into motion the great Law of Attraction,whereby he draws to him others likely to help him, and is, in turn,attracted to others who can aid him. This Law of Attraction is no joke,no metaphysical absurdity, but is a great live working principle ofNature, as anyone may learn by experimenting and observing.
To succeed in anything you must want it very much - Desiremust be in evidence in order to attract. The man of weak desiresattracts very little to himself. The stronger the Desire the greater theforce set into motion. You must want a thing hard enough before youcan get it. You must want it more than you do the things around you,and you must be prepared to pay the price for it. The price is thethrowing overboard of certain lesser desires that stand in the way ofthe accomplishment of the greater one. Comfort, ease, leisure,amusements, and many other things may have to go (not always,though). It all depends on what you want. As a rule, the greater thething desired, the greater the price to be paid for it. Nature believes inadequate compensation. But if you really Desire a thing in earnest,you will pay the price without question; for the Desire will dwarf theimportance of the other things.
You say that you want a thing very much, and are doingeverything possible toward its attainment? Pshaw! You are onlyplaying Desire. Do you want the thing as much as a prisoner wantsfreedom - as much as a dying man wants life? Look at the almostmiraculous things accomplished by prisoners desiring freedom. Lookhow they work through steel plates and stonewalls with a bit of stone.Is your desire as strong as that? Do you work for the desired thing asif your life depended upon it? Nonsense! You don't know what Desireis. I tell you if a man wants a thing as much as the prisoner wantsfreedom, or as much as a strongly vital man wants life, then that manwill be able to sweep away obstacles and impediments apparentlyimmovable. The key to attainment is Desire, Confidence, and Will.This key will open many doors.Fear paralyzes Desire - it scares the life out of it. You must getrid of Fear. There have been times in my life when Fear would gethold of me and take a good, firm grip on my vitals, and I would loseall hope; all interest; all ambition; all desire. But, thank the Lord, Ihave always managed to throw off the grip of the monster and facemy difficulty like a man; and lo! Things would seem to be straightenedout for me somehow. Either the difficulty would melt away or I wouldbe given means to overcome, or get around, or under or over it. It isstrange how this works. No matter how great is the difficulty, when wefinally face it with courage and confidence in ourselves, we seem topull through somehow, and then we begin to wonder what we werescared about. This is not a mere fancy, it is the working of a mightylaw, which we do not as yet fully understand, but which we may proveat any time.
It has been well said that nine-tenths of the worries are overthings which never comes to pass, and that the other tenth is overthings of little or no account. So what's the use in using up all yourreserve force in fretting over future troubles, if this be so? Better waituntil your troubles really come before you worry. You will find that bythis storing up of energy you will be able to meet about any sort oftrouble that comes your way.What is it that uses up all the energy in the average man orwoman, anyway? Is it the real overcoming of difficulties, or theworrying about impending troubles? It's always "Tomorrow,tomorrow," and yet tomorrow never comes just as we feared it would.Tomorrow is all right; it carries in its grip good things as well astroubles. Bless my soul, when I sit down and think over the thingswhich I once feared might possibly descend upon me, I laugh! Whereare those feared things now? I don't know - have almost forgottenthat I ever feared them.You do not need fight Worry - that isn't the way to overcomethe habit. Just practice concentration, and then learn to concentrateupon something right before you, and you will find that the worrythought has vanished. The mind can think of but one thing at a time,and if you concentrate upon a bright thing, the other thing will fadeaway. There are better ways of overcoming objectionable thoughtsthan by fighting them. Learn to concentrate upon thoughts of anopposite character, and you will have solved the problem.When the mind is full of worry thoughts, it cannot find time towork out plans to benefit you. But when you have concentrated uponbright, helpful thoughts, you will discover that it will start to worksubconsciously; and when the time comes you will find all sorts ofplans and methods by which you will be able to meet the demandsupon you. Keep your mental attitude right, and all things will be addedunto you. There's no sense in worrying; nothing has ever beengained by it, and nothing ever will be. Bright, cheerful and happythoughts attract bright, cheerful and happy things to us - worry drivesthem away. Cultivate the right mental attitude.The Law of Mental ControlYOUR thoughts are either faithful servants or tyrannicalmasters - just as you allow them to be. You have the say about it;take your choice. They will either go about your work under directionof the firm will, doing it the best they know how, not only in yourwaking hours, but when you are asleep - some of our best mentalwork being performed for us when our conscious mentality is at rest,as is evidenced by the fact that when the morning comes we findtroublesome problems have been worked out for us during the night,after we had dismissed them from our minds - apparently; or they willride all over us and make us their slaves if we are foolish enough toallow them to do so. More than half the people of the world are slavesof every vagrant thought which may see fit to torment them.Your mind is given you for your good and for your own use - notto use you. There are very few people who seem to realize this andwho understand the art of managing the mind. The key to the mysteryis Concentration. A little practice will develop within every man thepower to use the mental machine properly. When you have somemental work to do concentrate upon it to the exclusion of everythingelse, and you will find that the mind will get right down to business - tothe work at hand - and matters will be cleared up in no time. There isan absence of friction, and all waste motion or lost power is obviated.Every pound of energy is put to use, and every revolution of themental driving wheel counts for something. It pays to be able to be acompetent mental engineer.And the man who understands how to run his mental engineknows that one of the important things is to be able to stop it whenthe work has been done. He does not keep putting coal in thefurnace, and maintaining a high pressure after the work is finished, orwhen the day's portion of the work has been done, and the firesshould be banked until the next day. Some people act as if the engineshould be kept running whether there was any work to be done ornot, and then they complain if it gets worn out and wobbles andneeds repairing. These mental engines are fine machines, and needintelligent care.
To those who are acquainted with the laws of mental control itseems absurd for one to lie awake at night fretting about theproblems of the day, or more often, of the morrow. It is just as easy toslow down the mind as it is to slow down an engine, and thousands ofpeople are learning to do this in these days of New Thought. The bestway to do it is to think of something else - as far different from theobtruding thought as possible. There is no use fighting anobjectionable thought with the purpose of "downing" it - that is a greatwaste of energy, and the more you keep on saying, "I won't think ofthis thing!" the more it keeps on coming into your mind, for you areholding it there for the purpose of hitting it. Let it go; don't give itanother thought; fix the mind on something entirely different, andkeep the attention there by an effort of the will. A little practice will domuch for you in this direction. There is only room for one thing at atime in the focus of attention; so put all your attention upon onethought, and the others will sneak off. Try it for yourself.
Asserting the Life-ForceI have spoken to you of the advantage of getting rid of Fear.Now I wish to put LIFE into you. Many of you have been going alongas if you were dead - no ambition - no energy - no vitality - no interest- no life. This will never do. You are stagnating. Wake up and displaya few signs of life! This is not the place in which you can stalk aroundlike a living corpse - this is the place for wide-awake, active, livepeople, and a good general awakening is what is needed; although itwould take nothing less than a blast from Gabriel's trumpet to awakensome of the people who are stalking around thinking that they arealive, but who are really dead to all that makes life worthwhile.We must let Life flow through us, and allow it to express itselfnaturally. Do not let the little worries of life, or the big ones either,depress you and cause you to lose your vitality. Assert the Life Forcewithin you, and manifest it in every thought, act and deed, and beforelong you will be exhilarated and fairly bubbling over with vitality andenergy.Put a little life into your work - into your pleasures - intoyourself. Stop doing things in a half-headed way, and begin to takean interest in what you are doing, saying and thinking. It isastonishing how much interest we may find in the ordinary things oflife if we will only wake up. There are interesting things all around us -interesting events occurring every moment - but we will not be awareof them unless we assert our life force and begin to actually liveinstead of merely existing.No man or woman ever amounted to anything unless he or sheput life into the tasks of everyday life - the acts - the thoughts. Whatthe world needs is live men and women. Just look into the eyes of thepeople whom you meet, and see how few of them are really alive.The most of them lack that expression of conscious life whichdistinguishes the man who lives from the one who simply exists.I want you to acquire this sense of conscious life so that youmay manifest it in your life and show what Mental Science has donefor you. I want you to get to work today and begin to make yourselvesover according to the latest pattern. You can do this if you will onlytake the proper interest in the task.
AFFIRMATION AND EXERCISEFix in your mind the thought that the "I" within you is very muchalive and that you are manifesting life fully, mentally and physically.And keep this though there, aiding yourself with constant repetitionsof the watchword. Don't let the thought escape you, but keep pushingit back into the mind. Keep it before the mental vision as much aspossible. Repeat the watchword when you awaken in the morning -say it when you retire at night. And say it at meal times, andwhenever else you can during the day - at least once an hour. Formthe mental picture of yourself as filled with Life and Energy. Live up toit as far as possible. When you start in to perform a task say "I AMAlive" and mix up as much life as possible in the task. If you findyourself feeling depressed, say "I AM Alive," and then take a fewdeep breaths, and with each inhalation let the mind hold the thoughtthat you are breathing in Strength and Life, and as you exhale, holdthe thought that you are breathing out all the old, dead, negativeconditions and are glad to get rid of them. Then finish up with anearnest, vigorous affirmation: "I AM Alive," and mean it when you sayit too.And let your thoughts take form in action. Don't rest contentwith merely saying that you are alive, but prove it with your acts. Takean interest in doing things, and don't go around "mooning" ordaydreaming. Get down to business, and LIVE.
Training the Habit-MindPROFESSOR William James, the well-known teacher of, andwriter upon Psychology very truly says: "The great thing in alleducation is to make our nervous system our ally instead of ourenemy. For this we must make automatic and habitual, as early aspossible, as many useful actions as we can and as carefully guardagainst growing into ways that are likely to be disadvantageous. Inthe acquisition of a new habit, or the leaving off of an old one wemust take care to launch ourselves with as strong and decidedinitiative as possible. Never suffer an exception to occur until the newhabit is securely rooted in your life. Seize the very first possibleopportunity to act on every resolution you make and on everyemotional prompting you may experience, in the direction of thehabits you aspire to gain."This advice is along the lines familiar to all students of MentalScience, but it states the matter more plainly than the majority of ushave done. It impresses upon us the importance of passing on to thesubconscious mind the proper impulses, so that they will becomeautomatic and "second nature." Our subconscious mentality is a greatstorehouse for all sorts of suggestions from ourselves and othersand, as it is the "habit-mind," we must be careful to send it the propermaterial from which it may make habits. If we get into the habit ofdoing certain things, we may be sure that the subconscious mentalitywill make it easier for us to do just the same thing over and overagain, easier each time, until finally we are firmly bound with theropes and chains of the habit, and find it more or less difficult,sometimes almost impossible, to free ourselves from the hatefulthing.We should cultivate good habits against the hour of need. Thetime will come when we will be required to put forth our best efforts,and it rests with us today whether that hour of need shall find usdoing the proper thing automatically and almost without thought, orstruggling to do it bound down and hindered with the chains of thingsopposed to that which we desire at that moment.We must be on guard at all times to prevent the forming ofundesirable habits. There may be no special harm in doing a certainthing today, or perhaps again tomorrow, but there may be much harmin setting up the habit of of doing that particular thing. If you areconfronted with the question: "Which of these two things should Ido?" the best answer is: "I will do that which I would like to become ahabit with me."In forming a new habit, or in breaking an old one, we shouldthrow ourselves into the task with as much enthusiasm as possible, inorder to gain the most ground before the energy expends itself whenit meets with friction from the opposing habits already formed. Weshould start in by making as strong an impression as possible uponthe subconscious mentality. Then we should be constantly on guardagainst temptations to break the new resolution "just this once." This"just once" idea kills off more good resolutions than any other onecause. The moment you yield "just this once, you introduce the thinedge of the wedge that will, in the end, split your resolution intopieces.Equally important is the fact that each time you resisttemptation the stronger does your resolution become. Act upon yourresolution as early and as often as possible, as with everymanifestation of thought in action, the stronger does it become. Youare adding to the strength of your original resolution every time youback it up with action.The mind has been likened to a piece of paper that has beenfolded. Ever afterwards it has a tendency to fold in the same crease -unless we make a new crease or fold, when it will follow the last lines.And the creases are habits - every time we make one it is so mucheasier for the mind to fold along the same crease afterward. Let usmake our mental creases in the right direction.The Psychology of EmotionONE is apt to think of the emotions as independent from habit.We easily may think of one acquiring habits of action, and even ofthinking, but we are apt to regard the emotions as somethingconnected with "feeling" and quite divorced from intellectual effort.Yet, not withstanding the distinction between the two, both aredependent largely upon habit, and one may repress, increase,develop, and change one's emotions, just as one may regulate habitsof action and lines of thought.It is an axiom of psychology that "Emotions deepen byrepetition." If a person allows a state of feeling to thoroughly takepossession of him, he will find it easier to yield to the same emotionthe second time, and so on, until the particular emotion or feelingbecomes second nature to him. If an undesirable emotion showsitself inclined to take up a permanent abode with you, you had betterstart to work to get rid of it, or at least to master it. And the best timeto do this is at the start; for each repetition renders the habit morefirmly entrenched, and the task of dislodging it more difficult.Were you ever jealous? If so, you will remember how insidiouswas its first approach; how subtly it whispered hateful suggestionsinto your willing ear, and how gradually it followed up suchsuggestions, until, finally you began to see green. (Jealousy has aneffect upon the bile, and causes it to poison the blood. This is why theidea of green is always associated with it.) Then you will rememberhow the thing seemed to grow, taking possession of you until youscarcely could shake it off. You found it much easier to becomejealous the next time. It seemed to bring before you all sorts ofobjects apparently justifying your suspicions and feeling. Everythingbegan to look green - the green-eyed monster waxed fat.And so it is with every feeling or emotion. If you give way to a fitof rage, you will find it easier to become angry the next time, on lessprovocation. The habit of feeling and acting "mean" does not takelong to firmly settle itself in its new home if encouraged. Worry is agreat habit for growing and waxing fat. People start by worrying aboutbig things, and then begin to worry and fret about some smaller thing.And then the merest trifle worries and distresses them. They imaginethat all sorts of evil things are about to befall them. If they start on ajourney they are certain there is going to be a wreck. If a telegramcomes, it is sure to contain some dreadful tidings. If a child seems alittle quiet, the worrying mother is positive it is going to fall ill and die.If the husband seems thoughtful, as he revolves some business planin his mind, then the good wife is convinced that he is beginning tocease to love her, and indulges in a crying spell. And so it goes -worry, worry, worry - each indulgence making the habit more athome. After a while the continued thought shows itself in action.Not only is the mind poisoned by the blue thoughts, but theforehead shows deep lines between the eyebrows, and the voicetakes on that whining, rasping tone so common among worryburdenedpeople.The condition of mind known as "fault-finding" is anotheremotion that grows fat with exercise. First, fault is found with thisthing, then with that, and finally with everything. The person becomesa chronic "nagger" - a burden to friends and relatives, and a thing tobe avoided by outsiders. Women make the greatest naggers. Notbecause men are any better, but simply because a man nagger apt tohave the habit knocked out of him by other men who will not stand hisnonsense - he find that he is making things too hot for himself and hereforms; while a woman has more of a chance to indulge in the habit.But this nagging is all a matter of habit. It grows from smallbeginnings, and each time it is indulged in it throws out another root,branch, or tendril, and fastens itself the closer to the one who hasgiven it soil in which to grow.Envy, uncharitableness, gossip scandal-mongering, are allhabits of this kind. The seeds are in every human breast, and onlyneed good soil and a little watering to become lusty and strong.Each time you give way to one of these negative emotions, theeasier do you make it for a recurrence of the same thing, or similarones. Sometimes by encouraging one unworthy emotion, you findthat you have given room for the growth of a whole family of thesemental weeds.Now, this is not a good old orthodox preachment against the sinof bad thoughts. It is merely a calling of your attention to the lawunderlying the psychology of emotion. Nothing new about it - old asthe hills - so old that many of us have forgotten all about it.If you wish to manifest these constantly disagreeable andunpleasant traits, and to suffer the unhappiness that comes fromthem, by all means do so - that is your own business, and privilege.It's none of mine, and I am not preaching at you - it keeps me busyminding my own business and keeping an eye on my ownundesirable habits and actions. I am merely telling you the lawregarding the matter, and you may do the rest. If you wish to chokeout these habits, there are two ways open to you. First, whenever youfind yourself indulging in a negative thought or feeling, take right holdof it and say to it firmly, and vigorously, "Get out!" It won't like this atfirst, and will bridle up, curve its back and snarl like an offended cat.But never mind - just say, "Scat" to it. The next time it will not be soconfident and aggressive - it will have manifested a little of the fearhabit.Each time you repress and choke out a tendency of this kind,the weaker it will become, and the stronger will your will be.Professor James says: "Refuse to express a passion, and itdies. Count ten before venting your anger, and its occasion seemsridiculous. Whistling to keep up courage is no mere figure of speech.On the other hand, sit all day in a moping posture, sigh, and reply toeverything with a dismal voice, and your melancholy lingers. There isno more valuable precept in moral education than this, as all whohave experience know: if we wish to conquer emotional tendencies inourselves, we must assiduously, and in the first instance, coldbloodedly,go through the outward movements of those contrarydispositions we prefer to cultivate.Smooth the brow, brighten the eye, contract the dorsal ratherthan the ventral aspect of the frame, and speak in a major key, passthe genial compliment, and your heart must be frigid indeed if it doesnot gradually thaw.