Mind Power 3 Keys To Your Endless Potential
Al A l l r i g h t s r eser es erv v ed. ed . No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without first obtaining written permission from the publisher Note: This This publica licattion ion con contain ains tth he opin opinio ion ns an and idea ideas s of of its its au author. or. It It is int intend ended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter covered. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.
Furthermore, the information in this book is not intended to replace medical, legal, financial or tax advice. The intent is to offer information to help you in your mutual effort to obtain your desires in life. Only you and your advisors can determine if this information is appropriate for you. COPYRIGHT COPYRIGHT © 2006 2006 By Dale Odeyem i
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Table of Contents ont ents Befor Before e You You Begin Begin …… ………… ……..……… ..……….……… .…………… ………… ……...……..…..... ...……..…..... 4 Intr Introduc oducttion …………… ……… ………… ………… ……...………… ...……………… ………… ……….…....... ….…........... .... 5 The The P ower Of Tho Thought ……………………….... ………………………...... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 6 The The P ower Of Hab Habit ……………………….…………. ……………………….…………... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .. 10 The 1st K EY Power Of Belief …………………………………...... 13
The The P ower Of Enth Enthusia siasm ………………………….. ………………………….... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .. 25 ……………… …………………... …..... 28 The 2nd K EY Power Of Desire ……………………………… ……………… ……………………... ………... 34 34 The 3rd K EY Power Of WILL …………………………… The The P ower Of Ac Acttion ion ………………………………….. ………………………………….... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .. 42 The The P ower Of Conce Concen ntration ion …… ………… ………… ………… ………...... ….......... ........ ........ ........ .... 51 The The P ower Of Mast Maste ery ………………….... …………………...... .... .... .... .... ...…. .…... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 57 S umm ummary ary Of The 3 Keys Keys ……… … ………… ………… ………… ………… ……............ ..................... ......... 59 59 Recommended Reading ………………………………………….... 62 One Last Though Thoughtt …… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ……..... ....... .. 64 64
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Before You Begin We have had great joy in selecting some of the best ideas and methods known for studying the mind’s creative power and the processes of our thoughts, and also how to best apply them in the world we live in today - and we now take great pleasure in placing these ideas and methods in your hands… We do not ask you to follow these methods in any particular way; all we ask is that you simply try your best to use them. You will find them all to be practical and straightforward. You will also find that with a bit of practice every one of them will work and produce the results you desire. You will then, not only make the things and conditions you desire to become a reality in your life - but you will also go on to develop within yourself that Greater Life. Every material thing and institution we see around us, created by hand or machine, had to exist as a thought in someone’s mind first. We find that the mind is creative, and as thought is the only activity which the mind possesses - thought must be creative also. Mind is not only the creator, but the only creator of all there is! Certainly nothing can be created before we know that it can be created. It is only when we know that it can be created that we make the proper effort in order to create it. Human thought is a gift we all posses… Any things or conditions we desire to become realities in our life we must first create in our mind. Hence a study of the creative processes of thought and how to best apply them is of supreme importance to each and every one of us. Strong, clear and uninterrupted thought is a means of tapping this Greater Life and Creative Energy and also extracting from it that which matches the ambitions, desires, and goals of each reader. And with this Greater Life, you will find, comes a power which has no limit, and a joy which has no end…
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Introduction This book is written to help you use your mind power! By the time you have finished the book you will understand much more about how the powers of your mind work and how to put them to use in the best way. It’s said that “our minds are the Key to our Universe”… and with the possession of this key; you will be able to unlock the door to experiences you never dreamed of. Your mind is like a sleeping giant and researches in education, mathematics, psychology, biochemistry and physics have shown that the potential of your mind is far greater than was generally imagined – which means you have a massive amount of capability still available for development. This book is design ed to help you develop that endless untapped potential!
Instead of reading this book in just one or two sittings, it would be best if you studied the contents chapter by chapter, making sure to take notes along the way… it is essential that you practice the methods and follow the information outlined if you wish to be able to use them. In addition you should work out your own pace of practice and study schedule, and keep to it as firmly as possible. Although much of the information has been presented in connection with getting what you really want and attaining your goals, the complete application is much wider. When you have finished and reviewed the book, browse through it again to see in which other areas of your life the information can be helpfully applied... Don’t be put off by the apparent simplicity of the methods in this book as they can be extremely powerful, when put to good use. Give them a try - your life will never be the same again…
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The Power Of Thought And How To Start Using It
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he attitude which our mind adopts is based upon what we think. Therefore, the secret of all power, all achievement and all possession depends upon our power to think…
You need not acquire this power. You already have it. But you want to understand it, you want to use it, you want to control it and you want to direct it, so that you may go forward and attain your real desires in life… We cannot express powers which we do not know about. The only way by which we may take possession of power is to become conscious of power, and we can never become conscious of power until we learn that all power comes from within us. This is true because… We must " BE" b efore we can " DO," An d w e can on ly " DO" to th e ext ent wh ic h we " ARE" An d w hat we " ARE" depends u pon w hat we " THINK"
We find then that our mind is governed by what we think about… and when we discover this we shall find the solution for every problem, the cause for every effect and since the mind is under our control all laws of power and possession are also within our control. The world around us is a reflection of the world within. What appears outside is what has been thought about inside our minds. In the mind can be found infinite Wisdom, infinite Power and an infinite Supply of all the things which we consider necessary. All lie waiting for creation, development and expression… and if we recognize and start to use these gifts which we all have in the world within us, then they will soon start to take form in the world without.
Thought, therefore, is the “ Cause” An d t he exper iences you m eet in y ou r l if e… Ar e th e “ Eff ect ” of th ese Thou ghts !
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Each and every one of us is responsible for the building of our own world. We build from within and we attract from without – and it is our own power of thought which we must use for this building. Dr. Wayne Dyer writes that "all of our behavior results from the thoughts which preceded it... so the thing to work on is not our behavior but the thing which caused your behavior in the first place, your thoughts." Our thoughts are like forces - like always builds like and like always attracts like. Everything must first be worked out in the unseen before it is manifested in the seen, in the ideal before it is realized in the real, in the immaterial before it is created in the material. The world inside then is the realm of cause and the outside world is the realm of effect. The nature of effect is always determined, conditioned and controlled by the nature of its cause. Being in harmony with your mind and ALL its thoughts in the world within will be reflected in the world without in terms of ideal conditions, great surroundings, and the best which everything has to offer. This is the foundation of health and essential to all greatness, all power, all achievement, all attainment, and all success. Being in harmony with your mind and the world within means you have the ability to control your thoughts, and to determine for yourself how any experience is going to affect you. Therefore… If we want to acquire mind power we must first be in agreement with Natural Law… it is only those people who recognize this law and place themselves in harmony with it, who share in ALL its benefits. When the mind thinks and believes correctly, when it understands the truth, when the thoughts sent through it to our body are constructive, it will result in sensations which are both pleasant and in agreement with Natural Law. The result: we bring strength, vitality and constructive forces into our body… But it is also through this same belief-in-our-mind that all distress, sickness, lack, limitation and every other form of disorder and disagreement is admitted to our lives. It is therefore through the belief system in our mind, by wrong thinking, that we become open to all the destructive forces around us. For instance… we always tend to “act like” the sort of person we believe ourselves to be - not only this, but we find it hard, if not impossible, to act in any other way, even in spite of all our conscious efforts and will power. The person who believes himself or herself to be a “poverty type of person” will somehow find a way to stay poor and broke, in spite of all their winnings and good luck… money could be handed to them on a plate and they would still find a way to squander it and remain in poverty. The person who believes himself or herself to be a “failure type person” will always find some way to fail, even after all their good intentions or will power, even if opportunity is literally dumped in their lap.
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We should therefore eliminate any possible tendency to complain of conditions as they have been, or as they are, because it is in your power to change them and make them what you would like them to be. All of our actions, desires, feelings, even our behavior and abilities, are always in agreement with our own belief system… we could say that our belief system is the foundation from which our entire behavior, personality and even our circumstances are built. Therefore our future is entirely within our own control. It is not at the mercy of any strange or uncertain external power. Every Every th ought we have is a “ Cause” Cause” An d ev ery co nd it io n an “ Eff ect ”
For this reason it is absolutely essential that we control our thoughts so as to bring forth only desirable conditions for ourselves... All our power comes from within, and it is absolutely under your control. It comes through exact knowledge and also by willing and through the exercise of exact principles. When you acquire a thorough understanding of this law, and are able to control your thought processes, you can apply them to any condition in your life. In other words - you will have come into conscious operation with the Natural Law, which is the fundamental basis of all things. “We must learn to understand the relationship between the world without and the world within…The world within is the cause, the world without the effect - to change the effect you must change the cause” ~Charles Haanel
All of us live in the world without, but few have found this world within, and yet it is this world within us all which creates the world without. Our mind is therefore creative and everything which you find in your world without has been created by you in the world within. (In your mind) Yes, all all th the con conditio ition ns wit with wh which ich we we mee meett in in th the wor world wit with hout out, corr corresp espond ond to to th the conditions which we find in the world within. This is brought about by the law of attraction. How then may we determine what it means to enter into the world within? Whatever enters our mind through the senses or the conscious mind will impress the mind and result in a mental image – This mental image now becomes a pattern for the creative energies of our mind. These experiences are largely the result of environment, chance, past thinking and other forms of mostly negative thought, and must be subjected to careful analysis before being entertained by our mind. On the other hand, we can form our own mental images, through our own internal processes of thought regardless of the thoughts of others, regardless of external conditions and regardless of environment. It is also through the exercise of this power that we may go forth and control our own destiny.
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It is by the exercise of this power that we take our fate out of the hands of chance, and consciously make for ourselves the experiences which we desire to make. When we consciously realize a condition - that condition will eventually manifest itself in our lives… it is therefore evident that thinking is the one great creative cause in life. Therefore, to control our own thought is also to control circumstances, conditions, environment, and even our own destiny. Most people try to change effects by working with effects! They They fai faill to see see that that th this is simp simply ch chang anging ing one one for form of of dist distrress ess int into anot anoth her. er. To remove confusion, we must remove the cause, and this cause can be found only in the world within (in our own mind and belief system). We must direct our efforts to a full realization of the mental power and resources, always at our command, from which all real and lasting power is created. P ersist ersist in this practice until you come to to a realiza realization tion of the fact that there can be no failure in the accomplishment of any proper object in life – all you must do is simply understand understand your your power and persist in your desires desires.. (Y ou will succeed) Because the mental powers which each-and-every-one of us all possess, are ever ready to lend themselves to a purposeful will, we succeed in the effort to materialize thought and desire into actions, events and even conditions. All possession is based on concentrated conscious thought. So all our gain is the result of a collective consciousness - and all our loss is the result of a scattering consciousness. We find then, that our life may be moulded, shaped and built by us – this is not a matter of mere speculation or theory, but a matter of positive knowledge…
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Th T he Pow Power Of Hab Habit How Habits Make Or Break Us
“The great value of habit for good and bad cannot be overestimated. Habit is the deepest law of human nature. No one is stronger than their habits, because our habits either build up our strength or decrease it” ~Theron Q. Dumont
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abits have the power to make or break us to a far greater extent than we actually realise, or like to admit. Our habits can be both a powerful enemy and also a wonderful friend to us. We must always try and overcome habits which are bad for us, and learn to cultivate those those which are good for us. The The you youn nger we ar are th the qu quick icker habit abits s ar are for form med in us, and and as we gr grow most ost of us become and behave more and more like automatic machines. The habits we have formed increase in strength. We always work in our typical old style or way. Also our friends, family and associates will grow accustomed to and expect us to act, do and carry out things in a certain way. So you see developing only the right habits can really make a big difference in your life, and as it is just as easy to form good habits as it is to form bad ones, you should always work on forming good habits only. R emem emember ber no one is responsible for your own habits habits but YOU Y OU!! And you are free to form any new habits which you desire… What if we could all come to the realization of just how important it is to form only the right kind of habits? How much happier would we all be? If this ever happened then all of us - instead of just just the few migh ight go on to win happ appines iness s and and succ succes ess. s. But the truth is that a large majority of us are conditioned and controlled by our own habits, and we only do things in a certain way because of the power of habit. Most of us never really stop to ever think or focus on why we do a certain action or thing this way or that way - and we never take the time out to study and see if we could do things in a much better way. We form new habits all the time… for instance if we repeat something five times or more in the same way, we will have then formed the habit of doing it that way.
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The more we repeat it the stronger the habit will then become and the more deeply it will root itself in our nature. After we have forcefully developed a habit for a long time, it becomes almost a part of us, and can be hard to overcome. But nevertheless we can still break any habit we desire to, by simply focusing on its opposite.
How Habits Are Formed Good Or Bad “The great thing in all education is to make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy. For this we must make automatic and habitual, as early as possible, as many useful actions as we can, and as carefully guard against growing into ways that are likely to be disadvantageous. In the acquisition of a new habit, or the leaving off of an old one, we must take care to launch ourselves with as strong and decided an initiative as possible. Never suffer an exception to occur till the new habit is securely rooted in your life. Seize the very first possible opportunity to act on every resolution you make, and on every emotional prompting you may experience in the direction of the habits you aspire to gain."
~Professor William James
Whereas each function of life and each action is the result of conscious thought, your habitual actions become almost automatic and also the thought that controls them passes into the realm of the subconscious mind and is just as intelligent as before. It is often necessary that something we do over-and-over again, like our habits, become automatic in order to free up the conscious mind so it may attend to other things. Any new actions we carry out on a regular basis will, however, in their turn, become habitual, and then automatic - in order for the mind again to be freed from this detail so it may advance again on to yet more activities. “Curious things, habits. P eople themselves never knew they had them” ~Agatha Christi e
It is often not enough to simply stop sticking to a certain habit. We must replace it with a new healthy habit and focus on creating this healthy and good habit as our new way of thinking. Learning something new or breaking a habit can sometimes be difficult at first… this is the time to get a firm grip on yourself, to hold yourself steadily to your task, no matter how hard or disagreeable it may be. Keep up this discipline day after day and week after week, and you will soon learn the art of self-mastery. The KEY is to keep at it and it is sure to become easier.
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FreedomFromOur Habits Developing freedom from habits lies in understanding the whole mechanism of habit, both conscious and subconscious. It is not simply a question of ending all habit, but of seeing the full structure and makeup of habit… You must observe how habits are formed and how, by denying or resisting one habit, another habit is created. What matters most is to be totally conscious of habit – if you do this, you will see for yourself that there is no longer the formation of habit. But to resist habit, to fight it, to deny it, only gives strength to habit! When you fight any particular habit you give life to that habit, and then the very fighting of it becomes a further habit. But if we are simply aware of the whole structure of the habit without resisting it, then we will find there is freedom from habit, and in that freedom a new thing takes place. “Thoughts lead on to purposes… purposes go forth in action… actions form habits… habits decide character… and character fixes our destiny” ~Tyron Edwards
A mind which is ever watchful from moment to moment – observant of what it is saying, considerate of all its thoughts and feelings - will discover that the formation of bad habits has now come to an end… This is very important for us to understand, because as long as the mind is breaking down one habit, and in that very process creating another, it can obviously never be free… and it is only the free mind which may go on to attain real peace of mind. When we come to realize this… We will have found a source of power within us, which will enable us to take care of any situation which may develop in our life.
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The Power Of Belief And How This Affects You
“Who told you it couldn’t be done? What great achievement has he to his credit that entitles him to use the word impossible?” ~Napoleon Hil l
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our belief system is the KEY to your personality and also your behaviour. If you change the limiting beliefs you have about yourself, others and the world around you - then you also change the way you look at life, your personality and also your behavior.
Your belief system sets the limit of your personal goals, ambitions and desires... it also determines what you can and cannot do. You cannot express anything that has not first been in your mind as a thought. Increase then your belief system … and you also increase the area of what can, and cannot be done in your life.
Stopped By Blind Belief There is nothing quite as disruptive and hampering to a person’s progress as blind belief. People who blindly believe they are the most unlucky, unfortunate and unhappy people in the world, those who believe that they are defeated no matter what they may do or try - are discouraging themselves before they even begin. It is this blind belief about things which holds each one of us back the most! If we believe that we are no good at something, then it does not matter how hard we strive, struggle, strain or work we will find it almost impossible to exit from our misfortune. The only good remedy is to relieve ourselves from these kinds of blind belief altogether. Unless we do this we will find it hard to be happy within ourselves, for the Natural Law is that the world always moves in accordance with our thoughts. Nothing but our own blind belief in despair can create despair in our lives. The truth is nothing in this world is obstructing us. It is simply our own blind belief and thought that something is holding us back… this and this alone is the only thing which really obstructs us, and stops us from moving in the direction we want to be going in.
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Galileo And His Telescope Galileo made his first telescope in 1609... It was modelled after telescopes produced in other parts of Europe which could magnify objects up to three times. He went on to create a telescope later that same year which could magnify objects up to twenty times. With this new telescope, Galileo was able to see the moon… he was able to discover the four satellites of J upiter, observe a supernova, verify the phases of Venus, and even discover sunspots! Galileo’s discoveries proved correct the Copernican system - which states that the earth and other planets revolve around the sun. P rior to the discovery of the Copernican system, it was thought that the universe was geocentric - meaning the sun revolved around the earth. Now the only problem was belief… and nobody believed Galileo. Even his friends thought he had gone mad. Not only did this “great discovery” lose Galileo some of his best friends and associates, but Galileo's belief in the Copernican system eventually got him into trouble with the Catholic Church. The Inquisition was a permanent institution in the Catholic Church charged with the eradication of heresies. A committee of consultants declared to the Inquisition that the Copernican proposition was a heresy. Because Galileo had supported and believed in the Copernican system, he was warned by Cardinal Bellarmine, under order of Pope Paul V, that he should not discuss or defend Copernican theories. In 1624, Galileo was assured by Pope Urban VIII that he could write about the Copernican theory, just as long as he treated it as a mathematical proposition only. However… with the printing of Galileo's book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Galileo was called to Rome in 1633 to face the Inquisition again. And this time Galileo was found guilty of heresy for his writings, and was sent to his home near Florence where he was to be under house arrest for the remainder of his life! We can only imagine what Galileo must have been going though. Here he was on the verge of one of the greatest discovers to date – and no one believed a word of what he was saying. To make matters worse he was ridiculed as a madman and even placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life. Now why was this? You see nobody at that time could perceive what Galileo was saying as true – it just was not in their belief systems… Most, if not everyone, at that time believed that the sun revolved around the earth. 14
J ust as when Christopher Columbus set sail to discover the new world on the 3rd of August 1492, people did the same - they laughed at him and said he was going to sail off the edge of the word. Even his own sailors grew rather alarmed, many of them feeling that since the world was flat, at any moment they would fall off. In those times ships usually kept within a few miles of the coast, so it’s no wonder that the sailors thought their commander was a little too brave and bold… In fact, after a fortnight’s sailing the seamen were ready for mutiny, and actually said “they would go no farther”. But Columbus displayed a great desire and will to carry on, and some how convinced the mutineers to wait just three more days. The very next day tears of sadness turned to cheers of joy, when they saw birds flying in the sky, tree branches in the water and other signs that land was not far off. On the 11th of October they found that they were finally getting into shallow water then Columbus who was sitting in the stern of his vessel, saw a light, and knew that his voyage was now over… and that he had at last attained his life long desire. Again it just was not in people’s belief systems! People at that time were under the illusion that the world was flat. Which if you look out over the horizon the world does indeed look flat to the human eye… but of course we now know this is not true. And when we see the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening, it does actually look as if it is moving around the earth… So the KEY lesson to remember here – is just because something looks a certain way to us, or we perceive it in a certain way… it doesn’t mean it is always the right way, or always the true way!
Are You Being Reasonable With Your Beliefs Many of us consider ourselves to be reasonable kinds of people and still on many subjects and issues we are very careless with the formation of our beliefs and opinions. For example, if a firm belief we hold is challenged we may often defend it passionately. We may never pause and reflect, we may never stop to think – that what we may be defending is not actually the idea or even the truth at all. More often than not, we don't actually defend the idea or the truth at all, what we are doing instead is actually defending our own belief system and self-esteem! It is said: our belief system is changed, for better or worse, not just by knowledge and understanding… but also by what we have experienced as well. Whether we are aware of this or not we have built up our own belief system by what we have experienced in the past. This is not to suppose that our ideas and beliefs are not subject to change – indeed they may also be changed using the same method.
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Our ideas and beliefs may be stimulated, modified, and altered by the power of persuasion and also desire. Advertisers, businesses, the public media and television just to name a few, (all know this too well). A strong appeal to our desires, wants and needs often underlies our conscious thought and can direct our thinking into almost any channel of thought - where a more direct approach would have otherwise failed to work. Our belief system cannot dispute. Hence, if it has accepted wrong suggestions, the best method of overcoming them is by the use of a strong counter-suggestion, frequently repeated, which the mind can accept as true. This will eventually form new beliefs and healthy habits of thought and life, for the belief system is the seat of habit. Things which we do over-and-over again become automatic - it is no longer an act of judgment, but has embedded itself deep into our subconscious mind. This is ok for us if the habit is wholesome and right! But if the habit is harmful, and wrong - for instance, smoking, cheating, stealing, telling lies etc…then the remedy for this is to recognize the belief which is holding us in this bad habit, and suggest to our belief system actual freedom from it. Our thoughts being creative, and also one with our divine source, will at once start to create the freedom suggested by us. The belief system accepts as true anything which is repeated to it convincingly and often enough and once it has accepted such a statement as true, the mind will proceed to do everything in its power to make it true! Our present state of desires, beliefs, achievements and self-confidence can all be linked to what we have experienced in our lives, rather than what we have come to understand or have learned about. A lot of our beliefs have unconsciously been formed from ALL our past experiences, our achievements, failures, embarrassments, triumphs, celebrations… also the way in which other people have reacted to and treated us, especially in our early life when we where children. From all these experiences we consciously and unconsciously construct our belief system… once an idea, feeling, or belief is entered into the belief system it automatically becomes TRUE, as far as we are concerned. We never even question its truthfulness, but proceed to act on it – just as if it were true: •
Your desires
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Your actions
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Your feelings
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Your behavior
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Your self-confidence
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And even your abilities
…are always consistent with your belief system… We often never take the necessary time out - to think about actually thinking and because of this, a lot of our fear and confusion comes through the illusions and beliefs we have held in our mind for years. The first thing we notice about our thought is that it moves very fast. So quickly does one thought lead to the next one, it seems almost impossible to hold the process long enough to have a look and examine even one single thought. Most of us have never taken the time or trouble to examine the origins of our thoughts, opinions and beliefs and as a result of this - what we assume to be our reason at work is nothing more then an effort to find arguments to enable us to go on believing as we already do. If we are to challenge the opinions of other people we must at least have the ability to present our own case in a smart and truly reasonable manner. It is easy for us all to find very good reasons, basis, motive, excuses and even proof for what we think, do or believe – but how many of us can find REAL reasons? “We cannot challenge any reason without first challenging and discovering our own reason” ~Charles Bowness
Even the greatest of people can be sensitive about their reasoning and beliefs being challenged or criticized, for it is said “we are all prone to resentments”. But it is also these same great people which have learned how to channel their resentments into something more then anger, envy, jealousy or even a wondered pride. The ability to entertain and always see the best in any experience has often resulted in great works of genius being produced. So instead of looking at or going about certain things in our life with a permanent grudge or disappointment, it would be so much healthier and also far more productive if we could channel and direct all that wasted effort and energy, into some other useful form of desire, activity, positive action or creative thought!
Develop The Right Mental Attitude Every experience we have in life is a result of our mental attitude and also our thoughts… thinking determines our life. It is common for us to blame life upon the environment, but environment only modifies life - it does not govern life.
We can onl y DO… what w e think we can DO We can only B E… what we think we can BE We can only HAVE… what we think we can HAVE
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You cannot express anything which you do not first have in your mind as a thought… what we “Do, Are and Have”; all depend upon what we have thought about and also what we believe to be true. Our achievements of today are nothing more than our thoughts and beliefs of yesterday. Your chances of success in any undertaking you carry out can always be measured by the amount of belief you have in yourself. It is this belief in you which counts the most. Belief is the consciousness of dominant power within you that makes all things possible . “The thing always happens that you really believe in… and the belief in a thing makes it happen” ~Frank Lloyd Wright
All the factors that make for success or failure lie within you… No one has ever failed at anything, just as long as they have the means, and are able to begin again. To reach any desired goal in life the doing of certain things are necessary, now if those things are not done now then they will only have to be done later. When we fail at things i.e. (give up in the present) we always make the obstacles in our way much greater than they ever were before. Those things that are necessary to promote our progress, become much more difficult to do the longer we remain in what may be called the "giving up" attitude. The mind that gives up will only become smaller and smaller… Our mind will start to lose its ability, capacity and power and become less and less able to cope with the problems at hand. Whenever we give up we fall down into a smaller mental state! When we stop moving forward we begin to move backward. We hamper our own improvement only when we cease to promote improvement. On the other hand, so long as we continue to pursue our desires we climb to larger and larger mental states, and at the same time increase our power to make real the thoughts which are before us. The belief that it is impossible to make real the thoughts of our desires has no foundation whatever in truth. It is simply an illusion produced by fear and has no real place in the exact science of life. When you find a true desire you have discovered something which lies in your own onward path. You should now move forward and you simply cannot fail to reach this desire, intention or goal. But how fast you reach your desires, ambitions and goals depends upon how rapidly you are moving…
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Now knowing this, and knowing that fear, doubt, discouragement and indifference constantly slow down and stop this forward movement, we shall find it most beneficial to remove those mental and physical brakes from holding us back altogether. If all the time and energy that is wasted each day in wishing, longing and dreaming for different things were devoted to learning about one’s mind and self development the average person would in a short time become as perfect as his or her thoughts and desires. They would realize their desires, because we attract to ourselves from without, what corresponds exactly to what is active in our own mind and within. The world within is governed by the mind. When we discover this world we shall find the solution for every problem, the cause for every effect - and since the world within is subject to our control, all laws of power and possession are also within our control. When we attain the desires within our self, we shall meet the desires wherever we may go in the world, and we will find the same things in the real world which we thought about in our desires and ideals. “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe” ~Anatole France
When we see or have a desire we usually begin to long for it and hope that something remarkable may happen so as to bring its object into our possession. We think to our self: I would have to win the lottery to be able to afford this desire – or stuff like: •
I don’t have the time
•
I don’t have the chance
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I don’t have the brains
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I don’t have the money
•
Etc…
And we then continue to wish, long, yearn and wait for our faraway desires, with periods of sadness, and even depression, intervening. By doing this we simply waste our time and energy! When we see a desire in our mind’s eye, the proper course of action to follow should be at once to develop that desire in our own thoughts… We should never stop to wait and see whether it is coming true or not, and we should never stop to figure out how much time it may take us to reach our desired goal. The secret then is to begin NOW to believe and be like your desires, wants and needs, and at the proper time this desire, want or need - will be made real.
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If you don’t have a strong and confident belief that you will receive or attain whatever it is you want in your life… then your desire and will power will find it very hard to start working towards the task you have set out for them. Without a real belief in what you really want - desire will find it difficult to “want it hard enough,” and your will will also find it impossible to keep up the “determination to get it.” Your desire and will power depend heavily on your beliefs for their creative and inspirational forces. After all… How can we “want something hard enough” or be “determined to get it,” if we don’t believe it is possible, or we don’t think we will be able to make it!
Strong Belief Or Simply A Wish? If we look closely at a wish or any mild want, we will see that it is not a real belief at all. For example you may have heard people say - I wish… followed by a number of statements such as: •
I wish I was on a beach somewhere sipping cocktails
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I wish I didn’t have to work anymore
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I wish I was rich
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I wish I had won the lottery
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I wish I lived in a big house
•
Etc…
A wi sh is on ly cr eated on th e su rf ace of th e mi nd , and will fail to put into action any strong, intense or continuing desire to attain that far away wish…
Most of us have never focused our mild wants and wishes into one great dominating desire. Our wishes are so many and varied that they conflict with each other and we get nowhere in particular. We are lacking one intense desire, for the achievement of which we are willing to put everything else aside! The time most of us waste aimlessly dreaming and wishing each day would achieve wonders if it were concentrated on one definite object, purpose, goal or desire. However a belief is created in t he depths of th e mind . A real Belief becomes part of you… this is why you can only achieve what you truly believe you can achieve.
Your belief system is the driving force behind your behavior and your results. If you can change your beliefs, you will change your behavior… when you change your behavior, you will change your results - and, when you change your results, you will change your life.
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A strong belief stands behind anything great that has ever, and will ever be achieved! If you truly and deeply believe you will have great health and happiness then you will have it, and the same goes for any other thing you want in your life. Believe in a calm and peaceful mind and you will have it. Believe in great wealth and you will attain it – and all the wonders that go along with it. Since what we achieve in life depends on what we first think about and create in the mind, and this depends first of all upon our most strongest beliefs. We can see then, that our life depends upon and is also a reflection of our power to believe... So to stop yourself from simply wishing for things, you must concentrate and decide upon what you really “do want” and not what you “don’t want”… The simplest method for this is to use a pencil and some paper! And begin by asking yourself the question… “What Do I Really Want?” 1) Take your pencil and draw a circle, and in your circle write “My Desires”
Like this…
My Desires
2) Now around the outside of your circle, start to write down all your strongest desires and ambitions, your wants and your aims and ideals.
Write every one of them down, it doesn’t matter how ridiculous or unattainable they may seem. By doing this you will bring to the surface of your conscious thought all the different desires, longings, cravings, and feelings that have been sitting in the back of your subconscious mind. Your list of desires must be an honest one – and must be your own wants and desires, and not the wants and desires of others. Try not to let what other people own and have around you influence your list – they must be your own desires, wants and needs. For example if it is a new car you want, don’t put “I want the same car my friend Mike just ordered last week”. Remember it must be something that you yourself really want! And try to be as much to the point as you can be… if it is more money you want then don’t just put “more money” – put the amount of money you desire to attain. At first you may find your list to be unorganized and to have little or no logical order. Don’t let this bother you… the main purpose at this stage is getting all of your strongest desires out on paper.
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By the time you have finished you may end up with something that looks a little bit like the following…
The next step is to eliminate your weakest desires… the end purpose of this, will be to have only your strongest most dominant desires left on your list. Start out by simply looking over your list, and cross out any weaker and less intense desires that you may have on it. Things to ask yourself when crossing out your weaker desires… •
Is this desire only temporary or passing?
•
Will this desire bring me permanent satisfaction?
•
Will I be content if I achieve this desire?
•
Will this desire bring me continuous happiness?
By doing this you will have created a new list of stronger desires and the only ones left will be those that have a long lasting and satisfying value for you and your life… If you look at your new list you will find that some of your desires will stand out from the others and you may again continue the process of eliminating any weaker or less satisfying desires…
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You will soon reach a point where you feel that your list has on it only the desires with the greatest strength and lasting value for you… and that any further elimination would damage your list of desires. At this point you can stop the elimination process. Now you will have a list with only your greatest desires on it! It should look a little bit like the following…
You now have a list of only the strongest and sought after Desires – these are the ones that survived the struggle for existence with all the other desires and wants that you have had. When you reach this stage you should already have become aware of the fact that as your list has got smaller the strength and value of your remaining desires have become greater! This is because your desire power is now being concentrated on only a small group of your most dominant desires. And this is your first step towards attaining all that you desire. This is called “Knowing just what you really want” “When you know what you want, you are ready to go after it. You need a Definite Chief Aim. Vague mind-conceptions are little better than mere wishes. Decide where you are going – then, and only then do you begin to see the signposts that point the way” ~Napoleon Hill
As you have now reached the final stage of discovering “just what you really want”, it will be best for you to stop working for the time being… This will give you time for a
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mental rest, and also time to let your subconscious mind begin working its power upon your newly chosen dominant desires. Next you will learn how to bring enthusiasm into your life and more of your desires… Because after all, the more energy and enthusiasm we can create in order to accomplish our desires the more likely we are to attain them.
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The Power Of Enthusiasm And How To Put It To Work F or You
“Nothing great was ever achieved without Enthusiasm” ~Emerson
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elief is the KEY and master of that remarkable power of our mind which we call enthusiasm. It is the creator, controller and directing force behind it… without Belief there can be no display of the energies of enthusiasm. Without belief the power of enthusiasm remains dormant – Belief is needed to wake it up, to render it active and to cause it to become alive with energy. But most importantly, the belief required for the expression of enthusiasm must be positive belief. It must be a positive belief that you can achieve that which is “Desired by YOU” – and which is also regarded as true and good. You can never hope to create enthusiasm toward that which you confidently expect to be a failure at… Neither can you create enthusiasm toward that which you feel will bring about undesirable results and effects…
Negative belief has no power to create enthusiasm, only the presence of a “strong positive belief” can awaken this wonderful power of your mind called enthusiasm. Enthusiasm will not only make you more productive, but will also lighten your load and make obstacles a lot easier to overcome and conquer. If we are interested in a task and enjoy doing it, then we find it easy to motivate ourselves to start. Once started, our feelings of involvement in the activity will then keep us going. When you have developed enthusiasm in your life, it will bring energy to your day and attract people to you… Negativity, worry and stress will drain your enthusiasm. By focusing on the positive in each situation it is easier to get things done. Enthusiasm can be contagious - when you are doing things you are passionate about it is easier to convince others to join you, because they are attracted by your enthusiasm and energy.
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Be Clear About Your Goals And Desires Enthusiasm increases your confidence and increases your desire to work towards your goals. Whatever your desire is in life, make sure it is something you can do with enthusiasm. “Those who are fired with an Enthusiastic idea and who allow it to take hold and dominate their thoughts find that new worlds open for them. As long as Enthusiasm holds out, so will new opportunities” ~Norman Vincent Peale
Each day do something, no matter how small, towards meeting your goals and desires. Each step that brings you nearer to your desires will also help create a more positive attitude and greater enthusiasm. The more energy and enthusiasm you can create in order to accomplish your goals and desires, the more likely you are to attain them. Remember it is not what we “do” which counts – it is what we “get done”… and as Steve Droke once said, “Knowledge is power and Enthusiasm pulls the switch.”
How Can We Gain Enthusiasm? Simply begin by being aware of ALL your surroundings. Wake up and appreciate all that you have... appreciate your life and all the wonderful things it contains - even if you cannot see them all yet! Appreciate the world you live in, and have love for the vast universe and all the marvellous things it contains. Appreciate how incredible you are - just like the universe, you have unlimited potential just waiting to be released… Isn’t that something to be excited and enthusiastic about? Enthusiasm in its natural form can simply be an expression of happiness, joy, delight or even thanks and gratitude for your existence and for your being alive. “Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act Enthusiastic until you make it a habit” ~Gordon Parks
When you wake your enthusiasm, you will find it is also that inner spark which brings excitement and happiness into your life. It is also a power which may be called upon anytime, to change conditions and circumstance in your life. Enthusiasm is much more than excitement and happiness. It burns brighter, longer and stronger and makes the difference in everything you see, think and do. Enthusiasm is your source of boundless energy. The secret is to expand your passion and enthusiasm to include all that life has to offer.
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Practice the use of enthusiasm every moment of your daily life, invest it inyour work, your family, your associates, and your friends. But most important of all you must have enthusiasm to accomplish your desires and goals – keep assuring yourself that you can do it and that you will do it… because you believe in yourself and your own powers of accomplishment. You must saturate yourself with confidence and belief. Fear, doubt, confusion and indecision cannot possibly survive in such a positive atmosphere. When your belief and desires are firmly embedded in your mind, you'll be a true enthusiast – a Master of "you own thoughts". Once you manage to do this, you will never be tired or out of energy again. “If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be – Enthusiasm” ~Bruce Barton
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The Power Of Desire And What It Can Do For You
“Desire! That's the one secret of every person’s career. Not education. Not being born with hidden talents... But Desire” ~Bobby Unser
D
esire is the 2nd KEY of your mental power. You must not only know “What you want”, but you must also “want it hard enough” to be able to manifest it in a strong desire. Desire so strong it will cause you to use every ounce of your power and energy, toward the accomplishment of your object or goal. Desire is like a goal-striving energy, a sort of built-in magnet which has the power and means to pull whatever is needed to you… Now this can work for you as a “Success magnet” or against you as a “Failure magnet,” it all depends on how you, the controller, decide to control it and also the goals you set for it. Very few people know how to create and hold a strong desire, they satisfy themselves with simply “wishing” or even a mild “wanting”, they fail to put into action a strong, intense and continuing desire. A desire so strong and overwhelming it is equal to that of a lion’s desire to survive in the jungle… Y ou must learn the art of “want” and “want to” so you may arouse the full force of your desire-power. If we look at the success of any person, who has accomplished famous and wonderful things we will find there was and is a strong and continuing desire for success, within them all.
Edison’s Desire For Electric Lighting Take the light bulb for instance. They are everywhere around you – in every house, building and on every street. But do you know that it took Thomas Edison 30,000 attempts before he invented the first ever light bulb? Yes, Thomas Edison made over 30,000 mistakes before he invented the light bulb, but he never looked at them as failures. And that’s the big difference…
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Every time an experiment went wrong for him, he knew it had just taken him one step closer to finding the experiment which would work. “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” ~Thomas Edison
Edison had acquired a background in the principles of electricity and he recognized that this marvellous force (which is still vaguely understood even today) could be put to work in many wonderful ways. By looking at the candle and gas lights that were being used at that time, he saw how unreliable and annoying they were. The idea came to him that he could power a lamp, by using electricity – and that it would be far more effective than any other means of lighting and illumination that was known in those days… For close to 10 years Edison kept this desire in his mind! He made a glass lamp, and in it he tried one substance after another in an attempt to find one that would burn for the longest time… but none worked. Edison then sent his employees out to every part of the world in search of the proper material for his lamp. He had thousands of different substances sent to him, and he painstakingly tested each and every one of them in his laboratory – but to no success. Then finally… After he had spent well over $40,000 and used a great deal of time, energy and effort – he succeeded in his attempt and managed to produce a lamp that would burn for at least 40 hours. He had finally turned his idea into reality. And more ideas and experiments created the electric light bulb that we see everywhere today! Now what else but a strong burning desire and a determination, in other words will power kept Thomas Edison trying many, many times and never giving up until he had created the first ever electric light!. What would life be like for us today, if Edison never had the enthusiasm, desire and will to keep going until he finally invented the light bulb in 1879. You know that Edison gave us the first ever electric light… but did you also know that Edison was thrown out of school in the early grades after his teacher decided he had an “addled and confused” mind and could not take schooling? This was only the teacher’s opinion of Thomas Edison – letting him know with the voice of authority that he didn’t have what it takes to absorb even a primary school education!
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But where would Edison have been if he had allowed this opinion of another person to take charge of his thinking? We live in a world filled with outside influences we are influenced by other people’s acts and wishes, by law and custom, by our duties and also our responsibilities. Everythi ng you do has some effect upon “ Others” As do th eir act io ns up on “ You ”
We must find out how to start living our own life, use our own mind, and go on toward the dream we desire to make real and solid. Luckily for him and luckily for us, Edison decided to live his own life. In spite of his early misfortune, Edison learned something he might never have learned through schooling. He learned that he was the master of his own mind and could control and direct his thought toward any desired end. Edison also learned he could use the technical training of other men and successfully direct scientific research even though he himself never had been schooled in any of the sciences. When Edison took full control of his so called “addled and confused mind” it produced not only the electric light, but also many other great discoveries. In fact, during the eighty-four years of his life, Thomas Edison patented 1093 inventions – yes, one thousand and ninety three! Most of these inventions were not completely original but improvements of earlier patents… some were even contributed by his numerous employees. But nevertheless no other inventor, singly or jointly, has come close to the number of patents issued to Thomas Edison. Had Thomas Edison given up after attempting to build his first electric light, then we would not be where we are today. The history of other great inventions and discoveries are much the same. Let’s look at Isaac Newton and the law of gravitation as another example…
Isaac Newton And The Law Of Gravitation Now, Newton was not the first person to ever see an apple fall from a tree, but nevertheless further generalisation and study led Newton to discover the law of universal gravitation: “All matter attracts all other matter with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them”
~Isaac Newton
Newton explained a wide range of previously unrelated phenomena:
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The eccentric orbits of comets, the tides and their variations, the precession of the Earth's axis, and the motion of the Moon as perturbed by the gravity of the Sun. This work made Newton an international leader in scientific research and he also became the most highly esteemed natural philosopher in Europe. His last decades were passed in revising his major works, polishing his studies of ancient history, and defending himself against critics, as well as carrying out his official duties. And when this great English scientist was asked how he happened to have discovered the law of gravity… His answer was? “By Simply Thinking About It All The Time” You see most of the time, people who are successful - only become successful at what they do after trying many, many times and after never giving up! Al l Gr eat Peopl e Have The 3 KEYS…
1. “Know just what they want” =(Belief, Enthusiasm ) 2. “Want it hard enough” =( Desire ) 3. “Are determined to get it” =( Will ) It is these 3 things, and these 3 things only which separate the men and women who have a strong sense of purpose and determination and desire from the rest of us, who merely “wish for things” A strong desire can have a tremendous influence on all of your mental faculties, causing them to put all of their power and energies to work for you. J ust a few things a strong desire can do for you… •
Quicken your imagination
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Inspire your emotions
•
Stimulate your intellect
•
Awaken your senses
Without desire we would not do much thinking at all, because there would be very little motive to do so... without desire we would also perform no actions, as there would be no reason for such. “Burning desire to be or do something gives us staying power - a reason to get up every morning or to pick ourselves up and start in again after a disappointment” ~Marsha Sinetar
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Desire is the “mover of action” - both mental as well as physical action. The strength of your work, whether it is mental or physical, will always be determined by the amount of desire that you have for the goal, object or end result of such work. The more you desire a thing, the more you want something, the harder you will work for it - and the easier this work will seem to you. And that’s if it feels like work to you at all… You see any task performed under the influence or incentive of a strong desire will seem much easier - than the very same task performed without such influence, incentive or encouragement. For example… every successful business person who has something to sell to other people brings into play the force of desire in those they are trying to interest in their product, business or service. They appeal to the “want” or “want to” side of the mind which we all posses. They play upon our feelings, our hopes, our fears, our likes, our dislikes, our sympathies, our desires etc… Most of the time we “do things” and “act” because of the motive power of our emotional nature. Desire and affection are the main reason we are influenced or compelled to “do things”. If our desire or affection was somehow absent or missing, then there would be no action - because there would be no motive, reason or cause for such action or to do anything… So most of the time we act solely because we “want” or “like” to… without desire or affection we would be unable to make any choices or decisions - this means we would perform no actions. Now we see that desire is the motive-power behind all action. Take away this motivepower and there will be no activity or movement. Without this “want” and “want to” there would be no “will to do” and this would lead to “not doing” anything at all. Let’s take a person who is kind for instance. A person is kind because they desire to be so - it may give them satisfaction and joy to be kind. The same also goes for a person who is unkind. A person who is unkind also desires to be, it gives them satisfaction to be so. “Your own soul is nourished when you are kind… it is destroyed when you are cruel” ~King Solomon
Everything we do is prompted by desire in some shape or form. It would be impossible for us to remain without desire, and still act in one way or another - or in any way at all. Desire then is the motive-power behind all action; it is the breathing force behind all natural activities, processes and even events. “The degree of force, energy, will, determination, persistence and continuous application manifested by an individual in their aspirations, ambitions, aims, performances, actions and work is determined primarily by the degree of “want” and “want to” concerning the object.” ~Robert Collier
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We do not have to be slaves of our own desires; everyone has within them the power to control, direct, perfect and master them. We may turn lower desires… simple wishful thinking into higher desires, we may turn negatives into positives, setbacks into comebacks, hurtful into helpful and crisis into blessing. We may learn to become masters of our own desire, instead of being mastered by it. But before we do so, we must first desire to do so – we must desire to start, desire to achieve, and desire to finish what ever it is we want to accomplish in our life…
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The Power Of WI L L Where There’s a Will, There's a Way
“There has been altogether too much talk about the secret of success. Success has no secret. Her voice is forever ringing through the marketplace and crying in the wilderness, and the burden of her cry is one word, Will. Any person who hears and heeds that cry is equipped fully to climb to the very heights of life. If there is one thing I have tried to do through these years it is to indent in the minds of the people of America the living fact that when they give Will the reins and say ‘Drive!’ … they are headed toward the heights” ~ Russell H. Conwell
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our will power is the 3rd and final KEY and is probably the most important of them all… It is the inner energy which controls all conscious acts. What you will to do directs all your life forces. All habits, good or bad, are the result of what you will to do.
You improve or even lower your condition in life by what you will to do… your will has a very strong connection with all avenues of knowledge, all activities, and all accomplishment. It is simply not enough to “know what you want” and “want it hard enough” - you must also be “determined to get it” and call into action the persistent determination of your will power. It is your power and force of will which is going to consolidate the rest of your energies and powers into a stable, faithful and constant whole. This will power you then bring to the task of starting, finishing, attaining or accomplishing whatever it is you want or desire. The physical seat of the will is said to be located at the point between the eyebrows. That is why, when a person wills something strongly, he or she often raises or knits their eyebrows. An example of this provided by the techniques of meditation where one is taught to concentrate at this point between the eyebrows, since this is also the seat of concentration in your body. The more frequently and deeply one focuses the mind at that point, the more powerful their will power actually becomes. A great definition of the will, as Frank Haddock so wonderfully put it, is "THE POWER OF SELF DIRECTION”.
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The will is your power of self direction - but first you must decide how and for what purposes this power shall be trained. “People do not lack strength; they lack Will” ~Victor Hugo
When a person develops their mind, training it to obey his or her will power, then such a person is noted for… •
Reliability
•
Strength of character
•
Persistent determination
And other great qualities such as retentive memory, an ability to absorb knowledge, also the ability to recall and use such knowledge when needed. A powerful will means that the mind has the ability to throw great energy into a command for action, given by itself, or by the body, or by other people… The mind may, in this respect, be compared to an electric battery. Its discharges of force and energy depend upon the size and makeup of the instrument; large amounts of force may be accumulated within it; and by proper manipulation an electric current of great strength may be obtained. So the power of will may, as it were, be regarded as capable of accumulation. It may be looked upon as an energy which is capable of increase in quantity and of development in quality. Your will is actually a living force. But we know it only through its causes and effects… It is as much an active force of Nature as is Electricity, Solar Energy, Magnetism, Gravitation or any other form of natural force. “In all difficulties, advance and Will - for within you is a power, a living Force which, the more you trust and learn to use, will annihilate the opposition of matter”
Desire and will are manifested together – first comes the desire to do something, and then comes the will to do it… This is an unchangeable Natural Law. Nothing is impossible to the person who can use his or her will power, providing they can will strong enough. It is a power we may all develop, control and direct… and we determine our future to the extent to which we can direct our will power. Your power to will (just like the rest of your Mind Power) depends so very much upon your belief system in such a way that it may be said “all action depends upon your power to believe and also the belief you have in your own ability ”. You cannot possibly Will unless you believe you have a Will! “He who has a firm Will molds the world to himself” ~Goethe
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Will power should in no way be confused with stubbornness – the person with a strong will knows when to withdraw from their position as well as when to go forward… they never let their desires, wants and goals stand still. Try never to hide behind excuses such as… •
You have no chance
•
You have nobody to help
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You have nobody to give you
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You have nobody to show you
If you “Know just what you want” “Want it hard enough” and “Are determined to get it” then you will make a way if you cannot find one - remember where there’s a strong will, there's always a way.
How To Use Your Will Power In what school today are classes established for training the power of observation? Where is scientific attention given to the cultivation of the imagination? What college schedules any definite number of hours to the strengthening and training of the memory? Probably nowhere in the world are there any specific efforts made to increase and train the power of the will. You can no more acquire powers of mind, will and success by merely passively reading about them, than you could become a bodybuilder by simply reading all the books in existence about muscles. We all know what can be accomplished by training and exercising the brain. Our whole schooling and educational system is founded upon the theory that the brain can be developed proportionately to the amount of intelligent exercise and use to which it is put. The same is also true of the will. Our will can be brought to life by actual exercise, practice and use. ACTUAL PRACTICE - actual exercise of your brain powers is the only method that will yield INCREASED POWERS! You must first “will to will” - and must make your will - will itself into the act of willing…
Your power of Will may be developed, but only through controlled and directed action… The control may be acquired, but only through willed and directed action… The direction may be determined, but only through willed and controlled action…
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When our will is self developed, self mastered, self directed, it only needs proper application to become practically all powerful. “You are the architect of your own career… But the real wonder worker that builds your life structure in this world is: POWER OF WILL” ~Frank Haddoc k
Mastery of the body is frequently seen in remarkable instances of physical control. All voluntarily acquired habits or practices are good examples of this. Although a given habit becomes automatic, it still represents a long and persistent application of will… •
•
•
The singer’s use of voice demonstrates trained impulse The musician’s manipulation of their fingers demonstrates habituated movements The skilled dancer’s mastery of her limbs in the most difficult acts and situations
In all such cases the will must act, matching particular movements with the ultimate purpose, goal or desire in view. You may not be conscious of the will’s supreme acts, but it is the power upon the throne. For Instance…the hearing may be made more efficient by willing that all other sensations be ruled out of consciousness. The human eye may be made to gaze by the application of will power to the act of gazing. By focusing one’s attention upon the nerves the sense of touch is vastly quickened, as, for example, happens in the case of the blind. Any effort made in order to achieve a certain amount of work with a will that is but lightly applied increases manifold when the person wills their self into the act. Certain mental sensations, such as fear, love, hate, hope of reward, even musical influence etc… can all arouse the will to assume vast proportions. “It is astonishing how many people lack the power of “holding on” until they reach the goal. They can make a sudden dash, but they lack grit. They are easily discouraged. They get on as long as everything moves smoothly, but when there is friction they lose heart. They depend upon stronger personalities for their spirit and strength. They lack independence or originality. They only dare to do what others do. They do not step boldly from the crowd and act fearlessly” ~Theodore Cuyler
“We can work ourselves up, “as one has said,” into a loving mood, by forcing the attention and the train of ideas upon all the kindness and affection which we have experienced in our past.” Hence it would seem that the mind may train and develop its own power of willing. When training and improvement of the will are sought, we may say,
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•
I will to will with energy and decision!
•
I will to persist in willing!
•
I will to will intelligently and for a goal or desire
And I will to exercise my will according to the precepts of reason and of honest behaviour… “The saddest failures in life are those that come from not putting forth the Power and Will to succeed” ~E. P. Whipple
The problem is no one ever really devotes their time and attention to the development of the will. And since there are no schools and colleges teaching the Power of Will, most of us have never been taught how to use this wonderful gift. We merely drift along in life – a lot of the time carrying out other people’s will, simply because our own Wills have been given a back seat and thus have become dormant and inactive from lack of use. Much of life's suffering is due to the fact that the force of will is neither developed nor trained by conscious intelligent effort, and is more often empty rather than filled with a natural desire of any significance. It is said that “The education and training of the Will is of far greater importance for shaping the destiny of the individual, than that of the intellect ”. Always the action of the will depends largely upon the individual's way of thinking and feeling. Theory and opinion, and the instilling of laws and propositions, will never on themselves lead to the uniform habit of Right Action.
It is onl y by Doing, that we learn to Do By Overcoming, that we learn to Overcome By Obeying r eason and intellect, that we learn to Obey
And every right action which we cause to spring out of pure principles, whether by authority, command or example, will have a greater weight in the formation of character than all the theory in the world. Will power is an essential KEY in creation! With regard to the power of will, it is said “nothing stands before (the force of one's) Will,” and “there is nothing as forceful as will.” “The Will To Do” is the greatest power in the world which is concerned with human accomplishment and no one can in advance determine its limits…
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“Continuous, calm, powerful use of the Will shakes the forces of creation and Brings a response from the Infinite” ~Paramahansaji
When you use persistent determination… refusing to accept failure, the object of will must materialize. When you continuously work that will through your thoughts and activities - what you are wishing for has to come about. Even though there is nothing in the world to accommodate your desire. When your will persists, the desired result will somehow manifest… In that kind of will lies natural force; because real will power is a force of nature and in agreement with Natural Law -your continuous will power becomes divine will. Every time you accomplish any definite act, consciously or subconsciously, you use the principle of the will. You can will to do anything whether it is right or wrong, and therefore the way you use your will makes a big difference in your life and the life of others around you. When you learn how to use your power of will it becomes a mighty force of nature. Almost everything can be accomplished through the proper use of Will. It is greater than physical force because it can be used to control not only physical but also mental and moral forces as well. Nothing in the world, either in the sphere of the mind or on the physical plane, can move without the power of will. But while with one thing the power of will is in absolute control, with the other it is working automatically. We want you to realize that no one has greater control over will power then anyone else… there is plenty for us all. What we speak of as will power is simply the gathering together of mental energy and also the concentration of that energy and power at one desired point.
How Can We Maintain Our Will Each person is supplied with the amount of will power that he or she demands. You don't have to develop will power if you constantly make use of all you have, and remember the way in which you use it determines your fate. This is because your life is moulded to a great extent by the use you make of your Will. Unfortunately the nature of the life we live often robs us of our will. Not only the struggle we have to undergo in life, but also our own self beliefs, our thoughts, our desires, our wishes, our motives, often weaken our will power. The person, who realizes how our inner self is connected with the will, will find that what makes the will smaller, narrower, and more limited, is our experience. Our joys rob us of our will, as do our sorrows. Our pleasures rob us of our will, as do our pains. And the only way of maintaining the power of will is by studying the existence of will and by analyzing among all the things in ourselves what will actually is.
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We are always faced with a power greater than our self, which does not always support our desires, needs or even goals. And naturally a person with will, faced with a greater power, must sooner or later give in and be affected by the loss of their own will. This is only one example, but a hundred more examples could be given to show how we rob ourselves of a strong and developed will without even realizing it. There is a constant battle going on between will power and belief… and the first and best thing to do is to try and bring about actual harmony between your belief system and will power. For example - a person may say, 'I wish to do this; I will do this.' But at the very same time their sense says, 'No, you cannot do it, you must not do it.' If this be the case then, even with a strong will power they either cannot do it, or will do something which is against their better judgment. This also shows us life in another light - that those who believe but without will are as helpless as a person with will power but without belief. There is no use keeping belief in the front and will power at the back, nor is there any use in keeping will power at the front and belief at the back - what is necessary is to make the two as one, and this can be done by becoming conscious of the action of both in all that we do… The Will of a person is strange subtle, intangible and yet a very real thing that is closely connected with the inmost essence of our “I”. When the “I” acts, it acts through the Will. The Will is the immediate expression of the Ego, or “I” in us, which rests at the very seat of our being. This Ego, or “I” within each of us – that inmost self of each one of us – expresses itself in two ways. It first asserts “I AM” by which it expresses its existence and reality; then it asserts “I WILL” by which it expresses its desire to act, and its determination to do so. The “I WILL” comes right from the center of your being, and is the strongest expression of the Great Life Force within you. And in the degree that you cultivate and express it, is the degree of positivity that you manifest. ~Robert Collier
The proper attitude for the Natural Law of Success is the mental attitude that can be best expressed as the “I CAN AND I WILL” state of mind. When you are in this mental attitude you are combining the two primary elements for the attainment and accomplishment of things. FIRST comes the “I CAN” which is the belief in your ability, powers and force which creates confidence and also causes you to make a clear mental picture over which your will power will flow… SECOND comes the support of the will itself – the “I WILL” part of it… When a person says “I WILL” with all the force, energy and determination of their character being released into it, that person’s will then becomes a very dynamic force which has the power to brush aside any obstacles which may stand before it, in its quest for accomplishment.
Without belief and a strong will to succeed, no amount of education or training, no power on earth outside of one’s self can push, lead, send or boost a person into success.
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“If the Will knows not what to Will, it Will not be able to Will” ~Lao-Tze
To most people the road ahead of them is so full of obstacles, so full of difficulties and impossible situations that they never seem to get anywhere in a hurry… Yet it’s the person, who feels so much bigger than the things which try to set them back and hinder them, so much stronger than the passing obstacles which try to hold them down - they seem to not even notice the stumbling-blocks before them which try and trip them up. Our ambition and desire must be backed by the willingness and the determination to do anything that is within human power to accomplish or attain the end goal we have in sight. It is this kind of mental attitude that wins the day! As Emerson said, “People talk of victory as of something fortunate. Work is victory. Wherever work is done victory is obtained” Whatever you want in life, you must give up something in order to get it. The greater the value, the greater the sacrifice required of you. Everything has a price - there's a price to pay if you want to make things better, and a price to pay for just leaving things as they are. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily. Work is the only way to accomplish results that last. Be sure to use your creative imagination just as much as your memory to achieve success. Work then with all your might as there is no such thing as failure for the determined, ambitious and willing worker. Your brain is your sole workshop for success in this world… What you do with this mysterious substance, the lines of action which you open up in it, the freedom with which thought processes are allowed to operate in it, the skill and swiftness with which you transform the mind's energy into visible reality, all rests with your power of will. You have in your mind an inexhaustible wealth. You can so develop your power of will that it will command the desires, the goals and the marked successes, which potentially lie dormant in every human being. You Are as Good as Anyone. You have the power of will, and if you use it, you will get your share of all the luxuries life has to offer - so use it to claim your own. Don't depend on anyone else to help you. We must fight our own battles.
The entire world loves a hero, while the coward is often despised by all. "Reshape yourself through the power of your Will... Those who have conquered themselves... live in peace, alike in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, praise and blame...To such people a piece of dirt, a stone and gold are the same... Because they are impartial, they rise to great heights" ~Krishna
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The Power Of Action It’s Not What we DO - Its What We Get DONE…
“To Will is to select a Desire, determine a course of Action that will bring one to that Desire, and then hold to that Action till the Desire is reached… The KEY is Action” ~ Michael Hanson
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mong those who have the ability to succeed, the one greatest cause of failure is not taking action… whatever is being done in this wonderful world of ours is being done Right Now – Today... Nothing has ever happened or will ever happen tomorrow! What you are going to bring into your life – what success you will reach, is all being decided by the action you are taking Right Now. “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives” ~Annie Dillard
Most of the time, the smallest of actions… even the ones which seem unimportant and insignificant; can lead us toward great success. It has been said, "Actions, like pictures, are worth a thousand words" Action is far better than even the highest intention – as all the best intentions in the world can’t stack up against even the smallest of actions taken. It is a Natural Law that if we do nothing, nothing will happen - if we take minimum action, then our results are also going to be minimal… but if we take massive action, then we will be rewarded with massive results . All successful people, the kind who go from rags to riches almost overnight, know that the major KEY to their success was in taking massive dedicated action. Often it is actually getting started in the first place which can often seem the hardest part… We simply have to start moving! Once we have taken the first step, the next steps always seem easier to take. As Sir Isaac Newton stated "a body at rest tends to remain at rest and a body in motion tends to remain in motion ." You didn't get to where you are today without taking some sort of action. So, it only stands to reason that if you have a desire in your mind’s eye about where you would like to be or what you would like to have in the future - it will require some sort of action to attain it.
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Even though we may have the knowledge and know how to do a particular thing, sometimes we still do not take the necessary action to bring our knowledge to fruition. You may have heard the saying that "knowledge is power" But is knowledge really power?
Knowledge will create nothing unless it is consciously, constructively, and regularly directed toward something - and this is the main difference between idle thinking, which is simply a waste of effort, and constructive thinking, which means practically unlimited achievement. You see, knowledge is only power lying dormant and in reserve. It remains useless if it is not tapped into by applying action to it. Knowledge that is not put to action remains just knowledge in your mind and will provide no real benefit to you at all. We may look on knowledge then, as the right information, put into action in the right way, at the right time… The first thing we need to do is put our knowledge into practice. Nothing can be accomplished in any other way. An athlete may read books on physical training all their life, but unless they actually begin to train, practice and take action by actual work - they will never receive any added benefits or strength… The athlete will eventually get exactly what they have given - but they will have to give it first. It is exactly the same with us… we will get exactly what we give, but we shall have to give it first. It will then return to us manifold, and the giving is simply a mental process, because thoughts are causes and conditions are effects - therefore in giving thoughts of courage, inspiration, health or help of any kind we are setting causes in motion which will bring about their effect. “All know the way, but few actually walk it.” ~6th century Zen Master
Nothing happens until we take some sort of action and I don’t think any one gets the point across better than J ack Canfield does. We have taken the following information from J ack Canfield’s wonderful book called "The Success Principles" where he demonstrates authoritatively the power of taking action…
NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU TAK E ACTION from " The Success Principl es" by Jack Canfield
To demonstrate the power of taking action in his seminars, J ack holds up a $100 bill and asks, "Who wants this $100 bill?"
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Now as you can guess 9 times out of 10, most if not all the people in the audience will raise their hands. Some will wave their hands vigorously back and forth; some will even shout out "I want it" or "I'll take it" or "Give it to me." But J ack just calmly stands there - holding out the $100 bill until someone gets it… Eventually, someone jumps out of her seat, rushes to the front of the room, and takes the bill from J ack’s hand. After the person sits down - now $100 richer for his or her efforts - J ack asks the audience, "What did this person do that no one else in the room did?” He or she simply got up and took action! She did what was necessary to get the money. And that is exactly what you must do if you want to succeed in life. You must take action, and, in most cases, the sooner the better." J ack goes on to ask, "How many of you thought about getting up and just coming and taking the money but stopped yourselves?" And he then asks them to remember, what they told themselves that stopped them from getting up… the usual answers are: •
"I didn't want to look like I wanted or needed it that badly."
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"I wasn't sure if you would really give it to me"
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"I was too far back in the room"
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"Other people need it more than I do"
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"I didn't want to look greedy"
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"I was waiting for further instructions"
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"I was afraid I might be doing something wrong and then the people would judge me or laugh at me"
He then points out that whatever things they said to stop themselves are the same things which they say to stop themselves in their lives. One of the universal truths in life is "How you do anything is how you do everything" If you are cautious here, you are probably cautious everywhere. If you hold yourself back for fear of looking foolish here, you probably hold yourself back for fear of looking foolish elsewhere. You have to identify those patterns and break through them. It is time to stop holding yourself back and just go for the gold…
NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU TAKE ACTION!! !
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“We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results” ~Herman Melvill e
A lot of the time we simply accept things the way they appear to be, instead of taking the action to make them the way we want them to be. You should never be afraid of change… so many people "accidentally" smother their true desires and potential by clinging onto what "seems" comfortable to them. The only way any real success can be created is by action! People who get results keep moving, even if they are a little fearful – and they never quit. It’s true; there may always be some form of inconvenience and stress in your life, which seems like it might be an obstacle that would keep you from taking action. Your challenge is to succeed in spite of all this - don't sit and wait until you feel ready to take on a new challenge or desire… and never trick yourself into believing now is just "too soon". If you wait until everything is "perfect" in your life before you take any action, you will be waiting forever. The only time to ever do anything or to start anything is always and will always be “Right Now Today”. The longer you wait before you take action, the more you delay the rewards that are rightfully yours. Simply sitting and "waiting" for change is not enough. You need to do something – you need to take the action in order to secure whatever it is you want in your life.
What Is Procrastination? One simple reason why we don’t take any action is - inaction. It is so much easier to do nothing instead of something. Even if we're highly motivated, it can still be difficult to get started. It really is that simple… most of us fail at something because we never do anything! Some times we may even study, think, research, dream, desire, plan, and analyze, but we still never do anything or take any action towards what we want. We may even have the best of intentions and also the desire to improve our situation in some way, but still we remain inactive. Why then don't we follow through? Procrastination is one of the biggest reasons why we don’t take any action and most of the time stay inactive…you may have heard of the word procrastination before, but what does it really mean to procrastinate? It simply means “putting off doing something important”
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Procrastination is the avoidance of a task which needs to be accomplished and procrastination can often lead us to feelings of guilt, inadequacy, depression and even self-doubt… According to research done by McCown & Roberts “procrastination is a serious problem which affects up to 25% to 70% of us”. So are there any other signs of procrastination besides waiting until the last minute to try and do something? You can bet there are and here are just a few of them… 9
Being reluctant to take risks or try something new
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Avoiding confrontations or decisions
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Staying at home or in the same old job
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Blaming others or even the situation
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Getting sick when faced with an unpleasant job
And what happens with the wasting of time and procrastination is often… •
Important decisions are never made
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J obs to do go unperformed
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Opportunities fly by unnoticed
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Important meetings go unmet
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Trains and planes are missed
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Life itself passes by unlived
This list of symptoms suggests that procrastination, which at first sounds like a simple behavior - is, in fact, quite more than that. It is a complex psychological behavior which can affect us all to some extent or the other - with some it can be a minor problem… with others it can be a source of considerable stress and anxiety. Furthermore, the causes and effects of putting off an important but unpleasant task can vary from person to person and from task to task. For instance, you may delay doing an important assignment, but you promptly water the plants and cut the grass in your garden… or vice versa.
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Getting Rid Of Procrastination Hopefully, understanding why we procrastinate and also how we procrastinate will help us to change it for the best… “Procrastination is the fear of success... Because success is heavy, it carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the "someday I'll" philosophy” ~Denis Waitl ey
But what are the benefits of overcoming procrastination? Peace of mind, a feeling of strength and purpose, and a healthy feeling of being in charge of your own life. While procrastination makes us feel weak, useless, and sometimes helpless - taking charge of our life will make us feel strong, competent, and capable. We will also experience increased personal freedom…
Procrastination is Reinforc ing Every time we delay or put something off it reinforces our negative attitude toward that task. Every time we put off something we dislike: •
We strengthen the habit of not doing
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We practice avoiding instead of participating
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We practice making up excuses instead of taking action
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And we dodge acquiring new skills, and instead fill ourselves with doubts and fears
Taking action towards anything tends to give us a positive attitude toward that activity… but inactivity helps acquire an unfavorable attitude. In other words, the reason we dislike a certain thing is because it's hanging over our head, and worrying us. The truth is, the sooner we get involved and take real action towards our desires - the better we will feel within ourselves. The procrastinator may trick himself or herself into thinking he or she has more time than they really have. Most of the time they will put off making a decision until it is time for them to act – due to fear they may leave the important jobs and tasks until tomorrow or even next week. They forget to keep an accurate check on time… they try to solve big problems without enough facts, research and info or without proper analysis and end up not solving anything at all.
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“There are basically two types of people. P eople who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded” ~Mark Twain
On the other hand it is the smart person who has a definite aim or schedule and makes sure he or she sticks to it. They keep a fresh list of jobs and things to do, and then they do today all the things that need doing today. The smart person makes a decision within themselves to keep all engagements on time... they make sure that they start preparing in advance and early enough so that when the time comes to take action they will be more than ready. It is this same smart person who also divides and breaks down any problems he or she may have - into little bite sized problems and tasks and then solves them one at a time, and in order. They have already planned out beforehand what they are going to, “Start, Do and Finish” so when the time comes to begin the task, they can take action and start unfazed and unafraid.
The ABC of Procrasti nation A = Ac ti on … The action is whatever you are putting off doing, such as starting something new or finishing off any unpleasant tasks you may have already started. B = Belief System… These are your "hidden" beliefs and feelings about the task in hand - your feelings direct your motivation and also control your response. If you have any negative or doubtful feelings about a certain action, you will most definitely tend to put off or even delay doing it. C = Cons equence… This is the action we are going to take and what we actually do. You can take two approaches – “rational and irrational”. A rational response would be something along the lines of "I don't like doing this task, but I had better take action and get started on it anyway." An irrational approach would be something like "I am not too keen on doing this task, and even though it has to be finished by next week, I'll take action and start it later." “Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait - The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don't count” ~Robert Anthon y
The fact is, most tasks are possible and the only thing really stopping us from taking the necessary action - is ourselves… try examining your belief system, understand why you dislike doing a certain task, and then use your power of will to change your way of thinking. Realize you are delaying something unnecessarily and then see if you can discover the real reasons for your delay… after that simply dispute those real reasons and try to overcome them - then finally take action and begin the task, no matter how big or small that task may seem to be…
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5 Simple Reasons Why We Proc rastin ate An ger and res ent ment - Sometimes we may experience frustration with performing a task and end up taking no Action at all, because we feel that we shouldn’t have to be doing it or are being forced to do it… we sometimes use procrastination as a way to rebel against what we feel are unreasonable demands. Lack of skills or knowledge - No one likes to make mistakes… so we often wait until we have learned how before we make a start or take any real action. Too Time-consuming - The task will take a lot of our time up, and we feel we won’t have a lot of time available until the weekend, or we may be more focused on having fun and not even think about our responsibilities until later. Too Difficult - The task may seem too hard for us to do… we naturally tend to avoid difficult things and concentrate on those which seem easy to us. We may also avoid a task because we have created the mindset that a task is unpleasant or boring. Fears and doubt - We don’t believe we can complete the task, or we think everyone will find out just how badly we made a mess of things. For example, a person trying to find a job over an extended period of time may have developed a fear of being rejected... yet again. A high school student drags her feet in completing her class project because of a fear of obtaining another failing grade.
So how can we combat this? By doing everything opposite… tell yourself – this isn't so hard, it won't take long, and I am sure that I know how to do it, or that I can learn while I'm doing it. And no one else really cares if I make a mess of things because they are also busy with their own problems. If we do not bring it under our control, procrastination has a way of ruling our lives. Laziness is simply procrastination out of control and all that is needed to break the clutches of procrastination is action, will and a little bit of effort… master procrastination and your results are sure to be well worth your while! Now that you have a better understand of how procrastination affects you, and how you can greatly reduce its influence in your life - you will now experience a lot more freedom and a greater satisfaction from all the desired actions you take. “Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without Action” ~Benjamin Disraeli
Make sure you keep on taking the necessary action towards your desires… You may still procrastinate from time to time, but at least now you will be able to resolve the situation much more quickly which in turn will enhance your self-confidence and belief. When you do succeed, make sure you take the time out to appreciate and enjoy the moment. Also make sure you congratulate yourself so you will remember how good success really feels.
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This will help you a great deal the next time you need a push of encouragement… and always try to keep in mind that: “Time waits for no one”. “Procrastination usually results in sorrowful regret. Today's duties put off until tomorrow give us a double burden to bear; the best way is to do them in their proper time.” ~Ida Scott Taylor
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The Power Of Concentration And How To Focus Your Concentration…
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oncentration of all your attention is one of the master KEYS of power… nothing great or significant can be accomplished without concentration.
To concentrate is first, to use one's ability to release your mental and emotional energies from all other interests and involvements - and second, an ability to focus and direct that mental power or effort towards a single activity, action, subject or problem. Concentration may be defined as being that state of mind in which the entire energies of the individual, physical as well as mental, are focused upon the thing they are doing or thinking. All actions and all thoughts not connected with what they are doing or thinking are kept out of the mind… All the forces are focused on a single object or state of awareness. The person who can do this has concentration, has the power of attention… and the person who hasn’t yet developed this concentration power must acquire it before they can hope to focus their mind towards anything they want or desire. “The first law of success is concentration, to bend all the energies to one point, and to go directly to that point, looking neither to the right nor to the left” ~William Mathews
Sometimes even the slightest wandering of the mind from the work in hand is absolutely destructive of success. The problem with concentration is, the more we think or worry about concentration, the less we actually concentrate on the task at hand - that's why a lot of strategies to improve concentration usually approach it indirectly, by focusing on the elimination of distractions etc… A thoughtful analysis of what distracts your concentration will often indicate the most effective course of action for improving it. Physical distractions such as irregular sleep, exercise, and eating patterns can all be an unsuspected cause of concentration difficulties. Many people don't realize the strong connection between physical health and intellectual functioning… Finding a regimen which works best for you and sticking to it can help to maintain your brain at its peak performance. When we are in good physical condition - i.e., feeling rested, relaxed and comfortable - and our emotions are calm and peaceful,
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then we tend to be positive about things. This in turn raises self-esteem, which makes us more able to concentrate. Personal issues can often affect our concentration… even something as commonplace as a break-up with a friend, relative or loved one can cause a major disruption in your ability to concentrate. For the most part, these disruptions are short term, and the ability to concentrate normally returns quickly. Your location can sometimes make concentration difficult because of noise, distractions, or even an uncomfortable environment. Knowing where and when to find a quiet, comfortable, and distraction-free place is one of the simplest and most effective means of focusing your concentration. “I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time” ~Charles Dic kens
So by what means may we gain the power of bringing every faculty of the mind to focus upon the task of the moment, without allowing any of our thoughts or attention to wander off in other directions. We must refuse to let the mind wander and be the masters of our own mind and of ourselves…
How To Develop Concentration It is easy for any one to say, "Concentrate"… but we need to know exactly how to concentrate. Remember that to concentrate is merely the act of applying your entire body and mind, to the task or action in hand. Every effort of the mind, whether it is to… •
Perceive something
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Recollect something
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Associate something
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Imagine something
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Even to judge something
Must all involve some concentration of the faculties of the mind upon that particular action or act, whatever it may be. Do not allow yourself to overlook the fact that whatever action you are engaged in… it doesn’t matter how big or small this Action may be - the act of concentration and attention is also involved.
“Attention is, in fact, a highly directed process. Shift the focus of attention,
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the area of interest, and totally new sensory data flow in. This shift depends on such things as alertness, degree of concentration, and areas of interest” ~Richard Restak
Concentration can be developed through all kinds of activities. And the ease and perfection of any activity can be gained by repetition. For instance, a doctor can develop the power of concentration while operating. The doctor may carry out his or her actions in such a fashion that he or she has to perform finer and finer mends and operations. This way they can gradually develop their power of concentration by increasing the span of attention and reducing any distraction or fluctuation. Similarly a dancer can enhance his or her power of concentration by engaging in any dance activity or routine they like - in which they can develop finer more arranged and coordinated body movements. More examples could also be given from all walks of life! Another important point in developing concentration, and also your will power, is inner clarity – this means having crystal clarity in your reasons and feelings. Clouded or foggy thoughts and feelings can produce chaos, both inward and outward... inner confusion in this case, may be referred to as the exact opposite of concentration. Inner clarity, on the other hand is almost the definition of concentration. When the mind is peaceful and clear, you naturally address issues one at a time. It is also equally true to say that, if you limit yourself to doing or only thinking about one thing at a time you will find that the mind, in turn, gradually develops clarity and with this increased concentration and will power. To develop the power of concentration we must practice the shutting out of all distracting thoughts and impressions from our minds… the most important part is to focus positively on one thing at a time and to avoid thinking of other things that may cause distractions or diversions. “What a great discrepancy there is between people and the results they achieve! It is due to the difference in their power of calling together all the rays of their ability, and concentrating them upon one point” ~Orison Swett Marden
The KEY is to become absorbed in one thought at a time… no one can do two or three things at once and do them effectively. For the time being - leave every other issue except the one which you have decided to focus all your attention on. Lack of concentration is often caused by boredom. On the other hand, we are totally focused when we are enthusiastic and confident about something. A strong enthusiasm for life is the trigger for stimulating a weak concentration… we should train our mind, so that it can hold onto a fixed and lasting attention span.
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Simply put, what this means is to be interested, enthusiastic and involved in everything we desire to do. Make sure you only do one thing at a time, and when you do it, give it your full attention. The concentrated mind succeeds not only because of its power to solve problems with a greater ease and acceleration, but also because problems have a way of somehow vanishing before the mind’s focused energies - often without even needing to be solved. A concentrated mind can attract desired opportunities for success, which the less focused mind may never even see. Yes it is concentration which can awaken your powers and channel them, dissolving obstacles in your path and literally attracting opportunities, people, insights, and inspirations in many ways, some obvious and others not so obvious. Continuous concentration means an even, unbroken flow of thought and is the result of the three Ps… •
Patience
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Persistence
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Perseverance
Try never to strain, just be relaxed. Be interested and enthusiastic in all which you do. Concentrate all your attention, all your belief, all your desire and all your will power towards it. Become absorbed and immersed in all which you set out to do… All great discoveries are the result of a lengthy and continuous investigation. J ust as the science of mathematics requires lots of concentrated effort to master it… so too does your mind power, and is revealed only through concentrated effort. Concentration is sometimes misunderstood - there seems to be an idea of effort or activity associated with it, when just the opposite is true. For an example of this, let’s take a look at an actor… The greatness of an actor lies in the fact that they can forget themselves in the portrayal of their character, becoming so identified with it, that the audience is swayed by the realism of the performance. This should give you a good idea of what true concentration is... you should be so interested in your thought, so engrossed in your subject, as to be conscious of nothing else. Only then will such concentration lead you to a natural, clear and distinct perception and an immediate insight into the nature of the object which is being concentrated upon. P roper concentration does not mean merely thinking thoughts - but also the transforming or changing of these thoughts into practical values…
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“Herein lies the secret of true power. Learn by constant practice, how to husband your resources and concentrate them, at any moment, upon a given point” ~James Lane Allen
The average person has no real conception of the meaning of concentration… there is always the cry "To Have" but never the cry "To Be"… Some people fail to understand that they cannot have one without the other, that they must first find the "Key To The Door" and use it, before they can have the "Things Behind It". Temporary enthusiasm and concentration is of no value to us – it is only with a limitless supply of self-confidence and belief that our Real Desires can be focused on, concentrated on, and reached! We must mentally concentrate on the object of our desire - when we are concentrating, enthusiastic and focused… we are impressing our subconscious mind. This is by no means the only way, but it’s a simple and effective way, and also the most direct way. It is the method by which every great inventor, every great leader, every great discoverer, every great sports person. etc, has been enabled to convert the refined and invisible force of belief, desire and will power into actual, material, concrete facts and evidence - in the world we see around us.
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The Power Of Mastery Can Practice Make Perfect?
"Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time." ~Voltaire
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astery can be instantly recognized and it often comes in many different forms, yet it still has to follow certain unchanging laws. It can bring you rich rewards, yet it is not really a desire, goal or a destination - but rather a practiced and refined process or journey. And we call this journey Mastery… Now most of the time we tend to assume that it requires some sort of special mind power or ticket available only to those lucky enough to be born with it… But mastery isn't reserved only for the super talented. It is also available to you and me and also anyone else who is willing to get on the mastery path, and stay on it and this is regardless of age, knowledge or any previous experience. Yes… mastery is not just for the fortunate few. Anyone who pursues a personally challenging goal or desire, no matter how modest or small their starting point, can also obtain its rewards. The first lesson of mastery is the value of long-term dedication to the journey itself. If there is any sure route to personal fulfillment, it is in valuing the patient and persistent journey toward mastery over the desire for quick and easy results. Be sure to cultivate modest expectations along the way and every time you reach a desired goal or breakthrough, enjoy it, and keep practicing, always knowing and believing you will have some further goal to aim for.
“Mastery.- We have reached mastery when we neither mistake nor hesitate in the achievement” ~Friedrich Nietzsche
There's really no other way around it… Learning any new skill involves relatively brief spurts of progress and to take the mastery journey, you have to practice persistently, striving to fine tune your skills and to attain new levels of ability. But while doing so (and this is the part of the journey most people fail on) you also have to be willing to spend most of your time and dedication to keep practicing, even when you seem to be getting nowhere fast.
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For a person who is on the mastery journey it is best conceived as something you have or something you are, rather then something you do… and practice is the path upon which you travel – now practice can be anything you practice on a regular basis as an integral part of your life - not in order to gain something else, but for its own sake. It might be a sport or a hobby. It might be work or gardening, it could even be meditation or community service, etc. 9
Now ask yourself, " What have I done to get where I want t o go?"
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And then, " What do I plan to do in the immediate future to fulfi ll my desires?
It is important for you to be honest with yourself as you can achieve personal goals only if you face them head-on. Congratulations… most people never stop to ask themselves what their underlying motivations are - But You Did! George Leonard has written a beautiful little book called “Mastery.” In it he says: “Ultimately, practice is the path to mastery. If you stay on it long enough, you will find it to be a vivid place, with ups and downs, its challenges and comforts, surprises, disappointments, and unconditional joys. You’ll take your share of bumps and bruises while traveling - bruises of the ego as well as of the body, mind and spirit - but it might well turn out to be the most reliable thing in your life. Then, too it might eventually make you a winner in your chosen field, if that’s what you are looking for, and then people will refer to you as a master. But that’s not really the point. What is mastery? At the heart of it, mastery is practice. Mastery is staying on the path”
Practice Is The KEY Everything you do repeatedly becomes your "practice." Whether this practice is good or bad, when you do something again and again and again, it becomes a routine practice (a habit). For example… overeating is a practice. Worrying is a practice. How we handle disappointments is a practice - even the way we approach money is a practice. One of the most important things you can ever learn is how to practice. If you learn how to practice effectively, you can certainly go on to learn anything you like. Many people don't like to practice, don't do it enough, and don't use their practice time productively… some people also find it difficult or don't know what to do when they are supposed to be practicing. On the other hand take professional athletes for example… they typically spend about 90 percent of their time practicing and training - in order for them to attain mastery and be able to perform just 10 percent of the time. Wouldn't it be great if we had as much time to dedicate to practice and mastery as the pros do? Most of us don’t have as much practice time as the pros - however,
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when learning any new skill, practice is still very important as it overwrites old habits and patterns. “If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all” ~Michelangelo
It is therefore essential you keep a positive outlook when undertaking any new practice as boredom is one of the greatest enemies of practice. But how can we do this? Isn't practice by definition a repetition filled routine? And isn't repetition by nature uninteresting? This is exactly the problem… effective practice requires a certain amount of repetition and routine. Sometimes the isolation during any practice session can cause the mind to wander, then our concentration begins to stray, and finally a voice in the back of our head reminds us of a dozen things we would rather be doing than practicing.
Changing "Practice" into "Play" An easy approach you can take is to adjust your attitude towards practice. Do not consider practice as simply "practice, hard work, and effort" Think of it as "playing." Playing is something we can look forward to and cannot get enough of. One way to put more "play" into your practice time is to focus on the end results. For instance… •
What do you hope to attain from this practicing?
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What do you hope to accomplish with your new practiced skills?
Whatever our age, our upbringing, or our education, what we are made of is mostly unused potential. It should be our desire and destiny to use what is unused, to learn and keep on learning and to begin our life-long journey towards mastery. If you do choose this destiny for yourself - to walk the path of mastery – then it isn't always easy, but it is the ultimate human adventure. Desires and goals will appear, be achieved and left behind, and still the path will continue. It will never end… How then do you begin the journey towards mastery? You need only to take the first step…But when? - There's never a better time then RIGHT NOW! “Gather in your resources, rally all your faculties, marshal all your energies, focus all your capacities upon mastery of at least one field of endeavor" ~John Haggai
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Summary Of The 3 K eys Putting All Your Powers In Place…
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ow we know - that the attitude of our mind rests upon what we think. And that the real secret of all power, all achievement and all possession depends upon our power to think… How then may we start to use our power of thought for the best?
With A Little Effort Effort is the only effective way to draw forth the unlimited potential given to each and everyone of us… it is only through putting forth positive effort, we can claim this endless potential which is already out there waiting for us. “Effort” is so important, it could have been one of the 3 KEYS – you see it is only with a strong effort towards everything we do, that things really start to fall into place for us. We must begin at once to make the “Effort” to believe that we can really attain, achieve and acquire whatever it is we want in our life… When you believe something is impossible and cannot be done, your mind goes to work for you to prove why. If on the other hand, you really believe something can be done your mind goes to work for you and helps you to find the ways to do it. As soon as you start to think positively and really believe in yourself, you will begin to wake your enthusiasm… With a strong belief and enthusiasm in place, it is now time to think about your true desires… remember your list? The one you made at the end of the 1st KEY, now is a great time to start using it. You may have a few desires on your list - but what we want you to do, is to pick out your biggest desire from the list. For instance, the desire you want to achieve the most. Now look at that desire for a moment, make an “effort” to see it in your mind’s eye… you must imagine your desire in all its true glory. •
What will it feel like?
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What will it look like?
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•
What will it be like…
“Creative imagination” is not a function reserved only for artists, poets, or inventors; you also have a very powerful imagination within you, and can use this great gift any time you like. It is this creative imagination which brings your desires to life, allowing you to picture them as already real in your mind’s eye. We always act, feel and perform in accordance with what we believe and imagine to be true about ourselves, others and also our environment. We must make the “effort” to create a clear mental picture of the general idea representing our Definite Chief Aim, i.e., what particular end do you wish to accomplish; what result do you wish to obtain… what desire do you long to satisfy, what particular obstacle do you want to overcome – what ideal do you want to make real. Like Napoleon said, “You need a Definite Chief Aim. Decide where you are going – then, and only then do you begin to see the signposts that point the way” With your desire brought to life by using a strong imagination and a Definite Chief Aim it is now time to make an “effort” towards your will power… It is simply not enough to “know what you want” and “want it hard enough” - you must also be “determined to get it” and call into action the persistent determination of your will power. Now with your will power set firmly in place, all that’s left is to take action… remember the Natural Law that if we do nothing, nothing will happen - if we take minimum action, then our results are also going to be minimal… but if we take massive action, then we will be rewarded with massive results. With all action taken we must make sure we use concentration. To concentrate is first, to use one's ability to release your mental and emotional energies from all other interests and involvements - and second, the ability to focus and direct that mental power or effort towards a single activity, action, desire or subject. When you make an “effort” towards concentration… all your energies, physical as well as mental, are focused upon whatever you are doing or thinking! And that brings us to the end, of the summary for the 3 Keys… With that said, the final step you must make an “effort” towards is, simply practice. You must practice until you gain mastery and perfection in whatever it is you desire… try adjusting your attitude towards practice. Do not consider it as simply "practice, hard work, and effort" Think of it as "playing” instead. As playing is something we can all look forward to… Remember for a person who is on the mastery journey, it is best described as something you have or something you are, rather then something you do… and practice is the path upon which you travel…
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For instance, if we spend the whole day without making any “effort” towards attaining our real desires in life, our endless potential may sleep forever – and we may never get our chance to fully shine. It is crucial then you wake this endless potential as quickly as possible. With its awakening, the environment in which you have lived will quickly be changed and transformed – and you will start to see a wonderful world being built around you…
“ Your Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With But A Single Step”
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Recommended Reading We believe in giving credit where credit is due… and most of the info and teachings that have been laid out for you in “Mind Power 3 Keys To Your Endless Potential”, are in no way new, and have been around for centuries. But how can these old teachings of the past centuries remain so relevant today? Because they go far beyond the walls of circumstance and time, and they reach deep into the heart allowing us to create and decide our own quality of life. All we are doing is simply shedding new light on methods that have existed since the creation of our world - and are as old as time itself… When you discover the universal truths that govern our wonderful world, it’s hard to try and alter or re-write them in any way. They remain constant throughout the ages and throughout time. Great thinkers and writers alike have already paved the way and laid down the path for us… all we need to do - is simply see the light, take some action, and follow. By doing this you will learn how to develop and use the creative instrument of your mind - creating true abundance in your life and opening up to you the limitless possibilities of a truly creative life. We have placed some recommended reading for you below, so that you may continue to read on, discover, and prosper…
The Secret Of The Ages by Robert Collier There is no doubt that this gifted author developed and communicated ideas which provide the key to unlocking the potential for success in anyone who is willing to follow his principles.
As A Man Th in keth by James Allen This book is a timeless piece, and is meant 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. http://www.YourMindPowers.com/james-allen/JA.htm
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Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill 25 years in the making, this book summarizes the key success factors of the world’s top achievers. It teaches us that thoughts held in the mind tend to translate themselves into their physical equivalent.
The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel The Ancient Secrets that were banned and almost lost forever - so powerful, it will transform your life. You really can have all the wealth, health and love you truly desire... in any abundance.
The Magic of Think ing B ig by Dr. David J. Schwartz He proves that you don't need to be an intellectual or have innate talent to attain great success and satisfaction - but you do need to learn and understand the habit of thinking and behaving in ways that will get you there. This book gives you those secrets!
How To Win Friends A nd Infl uence People by Dale Carnegie This grandfather of all people-skills books is truly a classic. It was first published in 1937 and was an overnight hit, eventually selling over 15 million copies. It teaches us the only way on earth to influence people, is to show them how to get what they want.
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