As A Man Thinketh

AS A MAN
THINKETH
Stop thinking in terms of “Limitations”

and start thinking in terms of
“Possibilities”.
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As A Man Thinketh
by James Allen
First Indian Edition: 2007

Second Edition: 2011
Published by Arunkant Jindal for QFORD, New Delhi (India)
Copyright © Reserved
ISBN: 978-93-80494-22-7
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or
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International Best-Seller
AS A MAN
THINKETH
by
James Allen
QFORD, India
How to Attract Money
“All that we achieve and

all that we fail to achieve
is the direct reult of our
own thoughts.”
4
As A Man Thinketh
Contents
INTRODUCTION
1. THOUGHT AND CHARACTER
2. EFFECT OF THOUGHT ON CIRCUMSTANCES
3. EFFECTS OF THOUGHTS ON HEALTH AND BODY
4. THOUGHT AND PURPOSE
5. THE THOUGHT-FACTOR IN ACHIEVEMENT
6. VISIONS AND IDEALS
7. SERENITY
5
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As A Man Thinketh
Introduction
Mind is the Master-power that molds and makes,

And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:–
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass
T
his little volume (the result of meditation and
experience) is not intended as an exhaustive
treatise on the much- written-upon subject of the
power of thought. It is suggestive rather than explanatory,
its object being to stimulate men and women to the
discovery and perception of the truth that—
“They themselves are makers of themselves”
by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and

encourage; that mind is the master-weaver, both of the
inner garment of character and the outer garment of
circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven
in ignorance and pain they may now weave in
enlightenment and happiness.
James Allen
7
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As A Man Thinketh
01
Thought and Character
T
he aphorism, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is
he,” not only embraces the whole of a man’s being,
but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every
condition and circumstance of his life.
A man is literally what he thinks, his character being
the complete sum of all his thoughts.
As the plant springs from, and could not be without,
the seed, so every act of man springs from the hidden
seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without
them.
This applies equally to those acts called “spontaneous”
and “unpremeditated” as to those which are deliberately
executed.
Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering
are its fruit; thus does a man garner in the sweet and
bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.
Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice,
and cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in
the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible
and material things.
A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favor
or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in
right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association
with God-like thoughts.
9
An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process,

is the result of the continued harboring of groveling
thoughts.
Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of
thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys
himself.
He also fashions the tools with which he builds for
himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.
By the right choice and true application of thought,
man ascends to the divine perfection.
By the abuse and wrong application of thought he
descends below the level of the beast. Between these
two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is
their maker and master.
Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which
have been restored and brought to light in this age, none
is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and
confidence than this—that man is the master of thought,
the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of
condition, environment, and destiny.
As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the
lord of his own thoughts, man holds key to every
situation, and contains within himself that transforming
and regenerative agency by which he may make himself
what he wills.
Man is always the master, even in his weakest and
most abandoned state. But in his weakness and
degradation he is a foolish master who misgoverns his
“household.”
When he begins to reflect upon his condition and
search diligently for the law upon which his being is
established, he then becomes the wise master, directing
his energies with intelligence and fashioning his thoughts
to fruitful issues.
Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus
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As A Man Thinketh
become by discovering within himself the laws of

thought. This discovery is totally a matter of application,
self-analysis and experience.
Only by much searching and mining are gold and
diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth
connected with his being, if he will dig deep into the
mine of his soul.
That he is the maker of his character, the molder of
his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly
prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts,
tracing their effects upon himself, upon others and upon
his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by
patient practice and investigation.
And utilizing his every experience, even the most
trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that
knowledge of himself which is understanding, wisdom,
power.
In this direction is the law of absolute that “He that
seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened.”
For only by patience, practice, and ceaseless
importunity can a man enter the door of the temple of
knowledge.
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02
Effect Of Thought
On Circumstances
A
man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which
may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run
wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must,
and will bring forth.
If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance
of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue
to produce their kind.
Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free
from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which
he requires so may a man tend the garden of his mind,
weeding out all the wrong, useless and impure thoughts,
and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits
of right, useful and pure thoughts.
By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later
discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the
director of his life.
He also reveals, within himself, the flaws of thought,
and understands, with ever-increasing accuracy, how the
thought-forces and mind elements operate in the shaping
of character, circumstances, and destiny.
Thought and character are one, and as character can
only manifest and discover itself through environment
and circumstance, the outer conditions of a person’s life
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As A Man Thinketh
will always be found to be harmoniously related to his

inner state.
This does not mean that a man’s circumstances at
any given time are an indication of his entire character,
but that those circumstances are so intimately connected
with some vital thought-element within himself that, for
the time being, they are indispensable to his
development.
Every man is where he is by the law of his being; the
thoughts which he has built into his character have
brought him there, and in the arrangement of his life
there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a
law which cannot err.
This is just as true of those who feel “out of harmony”
with their surroundings as of those who are contented
with them.
As a progressive and evolving being, man is where
he is that he may learn that he may grow; and as he
learns the spiritual lesson which any circumstance
contains for him, it passes away and gives place to other
circumstances.
Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he
believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions,
but when he realizes that he is a creative power, and
that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his
being out of which circumstances grow; he then becomes
the rightful master of himself.
That circumstances grow out of thought every man
knows who has for any length of time practiced self-
control and self-purification, for he will have noticed that
the alteration in his circumstances has been in exact ratio
with his altered mental condition.
So true is this that when a man earnestly applies
himself to remedy the defects in his character, and makes
swift and marked progress, he passes rapidly through a
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succession of vicissitudes.
The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that
which it loves, and also that which it fears; it reaches
the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level
of its unchastened desires and circumstances are the
means by which the soul receives it own.
Every thought-seed sown or allowed to fall into the
mind, and to take root there, produces its own,
blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own
fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts
bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.
The outer world of circumstances shapes itself to the
inner world of thought, and both pleasant and unpleasant
external conditions are factors which make for the
ultimate good of the individual.
As the reaper of his own harvest, man learns both of
suffering and bliss.
Following the inmost desires, aspirations, thoughts,
by which he allows himself to be dominated (pursuing
the will-o’-the wisps of impure imaginings or steadfastly
walking the highway of strong and high endeavor), a
man at last arrives at their fruition and fulfillment in the
outer conditions of his life.
The laws of growth and adjustment everywhere
obtain.
A man does not come to the alms-house or the jail by
the tyranny of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway
of grovelling thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-
minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress of any
mere external force; the criminal thought had long been
secretly fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity
revealed its gathered power.
Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him
to himself.
No such conditions can exist as descending into vice
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As A Man Thinketh
and its attendant sufferings apart from vicious

inclinations, or ascending into virtue and its pure
happiness without the continued cultivation of virtuous
aspirations; and man, therefore, as the lord and master
of thought, is the maker of himself and the shaper of
and author of environment.
Even at birth the soul comes of its own and through
every step of its earthly pilgrimage it attracts those
combinations of conditions which reveal itself, which are
the reflections of its own purity and impurity, its strength
and weakness.
Men do not attract that which they want, but that
which they are. Their whims, fancies, and ambitions are
thwarted at every step, but their inmost thoughts and
desires are fed with their own food, be it foul or clean.
Man is manacled only by himself; thought and action
are the jailors of Fate—they imprison, being base; they
are also the angels of Freedom—they liberate, being
noble.
Not what he wished and prays for does a man get,
but what he justly earns.
His wishes and prayers are only gratified and
answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and
actions.
In the light of this truth what, then, is the meaning
of “fighting against circumstances”? It means that a man
is continually revolting against an effect without, while
all the time he is nourishing and preserving its cause in
his heart.
That cause may take the form of a conscious vice or
an unconscious weakness; but whatever it is, it
stubbornly retards the efforts of it possessor, and thus
calls aloud for remedy.
Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but
are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore
15
remain bound.
The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion
can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his
heart is set.
This is as true of earthly as of heavenly things.
Even the man whose sole object is to acquire wealth
must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices before
he can accomplish his object; and how much more so he
who would realize a strong and well-poised life?
It is pleasing to human vanity to believe that one
suffers because of one’s virtue; but not until a man has
extirpated every sickly, bitter, and impure thought from
his soul, can he be in a position to know and declare
that his sufferings are the result of his good, and not of
his bad qualities; and on the way to, yet long before he
has reached that supreme perfection , he will have found,
working in his mind and life, the great law which is
absolutely just, and which cannot, therefore, give good
for evil, evil for good.
Possessed of such knowledge, he will then know,
looking back upon his past ignorance and blindness, that
his life is, and always was, justly ordered, and that all
his past experiences, good and bad, were the equitable
outworking of his evolving, yet unevolved self.
Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad
results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good
results.
This is but saying that nothing can come from corn
but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles.
Men understand this law in the natural world, and
work with it; but few understand it in the mental and
moral world (though its operation there is just as simple
and undeviating), and they, therefore, do not cooperate
with it.
Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in
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As A Man Thinketh
some direction. It is an indication that the individual is

out of harmony with himself, with the law of his being.
The sole and supreme use of suffering is to purify, to
burn out all that is useless and impure.
Suffering ceases for him who is pure.
There could be no object in burning gold after the
dross had been removed, and a perfectly pure and
enlightened being could not suffer.
The circumstances which a man encounters with
suffering are the result of his own mental inharmony.
The circumstances which a man encounters with
blessedness are the result of his own mental harmony.
Blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure
of right thought; wretchedness, not lack of material
possessions, is the measure of wrong thought.
A man may be cursed and rich; he may be blessed
and poor. Blessedness and riches are only joined together
when the riches are rightly and wisely used.
And the poor man only descends into wretchedness
when he regards his lot as a burden unjustly imposed.
Indigence and indulgence are the two extremes of
wretchedness.
They are both equally unnatural and the result of
mental disorder.
A man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy,
healthy, and prosperous being; and happiness, health,
and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment
of the inner with the outer of the man with his
surroundings.
A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to
whine and revile, and commences to search for the
hidden justice which regulates his life.
And he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he
ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition,
and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts;
17
ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use

them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means
of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities within
himself.
Law, not confusion, is the dominating principle in
the universe; justice, not injustice, is the soul and
substance of life.
Righteousness, not corruption, is the molding and
moving force in the spiritual government of the world.
This being so, man has but to right himself to find
that the universe is right.
And during the process of putting himself right, he
will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things
and other people, things and other people will alter
towards him.
The proof of this truth is in every person, and it
therefore admits of easy investigation by systematic
introspection and self-analysis.
Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be
astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in
the material conditions of his life.
Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it
cannot. It rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit
solidifies into circumstance.
Bestial thoughts crystallize into habits of drunkenness
and sensuality, which solidify into circumstances of
destitution and disease.
Impure thoughts of every kind crystallize into
enervating and confusing habits, which solidify into
distracting and adverse circumstances.
Thoughts of fear, doubt, and indecision crystallize
into weak, unmanly, and irresolute habits, which solidify
into circumstances of failure, indigence, and slavish
dependence.
Lazy thoughts crystallize into weak habits of
18
As A Man Thinketh
uncleanliness and dishonesty, which solidify into

circumstances of foulness and beggary.
Hateful and condemnatory thoughts crystallize into
habits of accusation and violence, which solidify into
circumstances of injury and persecution.
Selfish thoughts of all kinds crystallize into habits of
self-seeking, which solidify into distressful circumstances.
On the other hand, beautiful thoughts of all kinds
crystallize into habits of grace and kindliness, which
solidify into genial and sunny circumstances.
Pure thoughts crystallize into habits of temperance
and self-control, which solidify into circumstances of
repose and peace.
Thoughts of courage, self-reliance, and decision
crystallize into manly habits, which solidify into
circumstances of success, plenty, and freedom.
Energetic thoughts crystallize into habits of
cleanliness and industry, which solidify into
circumstances of pleasantness.
Gentle and forgiving thoughts crystallize into habits
of gentleness, which solidify into protective and
preservative circumstances.
Loving and unselfish thoughts which solidify into
circumstances of sure and abiding prosperity and true
riches.
A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good
or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character
and circumstances.
A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but
he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely,
shape his circumstances.
Nature helps every man to gratification of the
thoughts which he most encourages, and opportunities
are presented which will most speedily bring to the
surface both the good and the evil thoughts.
19
Let a man cease from his sinful thoughts, and all the
world will soften towards him, and be ready to help him.
Let him put away his weakly and sickly thoughts,
and the opportunities will spring up on every hand to
aid his strong resolves.
Let him encourage good thoughts, and no hard fate
shall bind him down to wretchedness and shame.
The world is your kaleidoscope, and the varying
combinations of colors which at every succeeding
moment it presents to you are the exquisitely adjusted
pictures of your ever-moving thoughts.
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As A Man Thinketh
03
Effects Of Thoughts
On Health And Body
T
he body is the servant of the mind.
It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they
be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed.
At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks
rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad
and beautiful thoughts it becomes clothed with
youthfulness and beauty.
Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in
thought.
Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a
sickly body.
Thoughts of fear have been known to kill a man as
speedily as a bullet and they are continually killing
thousands of people just as surely though less rapidly.
The people who live in fear of disease are the people
who get it.
Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body, and lays
it open to the entrance of disease; while impure thoughts,
even if not physically indulged, will sooner shatter the
nervous system.
Strong, pure, and happy thoughts build up the body
in vigor and grace.
The body is a delicate and plastic instrument, which
responds readily to the thoughts by which it is impressed,
21
and habits of thought will produce their own effects,

good or bad, upon it.
Men will continue to have impure and poisoned
blood, so long as they propagate unclean thoughts.
Out of a clean heart comes a clean life and a clean
body. Out of a defiled mind proceeds a defiled life and a
corrupt body.
Thought is the fount of action, life and manifestation;
make the fountain pure, and all will be pure.
Change of diet will not help a man who will not
change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts
pure, he no longer desires impure food.
Clean thoughts make clean habits. The so-called saint
who does not wash his body is not a saint.
He who has strengthened and purified his thoughts
does not need to consider the malevolent.
If you would perfect your body, guard your mind. If
you would renew your body, beautify your mind.
Thoughts of malice, envy, and disappointment,
despondency, rob the body of its health and grace.
A sour face does not come by chance; it is made by
sour thoughts. Wrinkles that mar are drawn by folly,
passion, pride.
I know a woman of ninety-six who has the bright,
innocent face of a girl. I know a man well under middle
age whose face is drawn into in harmonious contours.
The one is the result of a sweet and sunny disposition;
the other is the outcome of passion and discontent.
As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode
unless you admit the air and sunshine freely into your
rooms, so a strong body and a bright, happy, or serene
countenance can only result from the free admittance
into the mind of thoughts of joy and goodwill and
serenity.
On the faces of the aged there are wrinkles made by
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As A Man Thinketh
sympathy, others by strong and pure thought, and others

are carved by passion; who cannot distinguish them?
With those who have lived righteously, age is calm,
peaceful, and softly mellowed, like the setting sun.
I have recently seen a philosopher on his deathbed.
He was not old except in years. He died as sweetly and
peacefully as he had lived.
There is no physician like cheerful thought for
dissipating the ills of the body; there is no comforter to
compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of
grief and sorrow.
To live continually in thoughts of ill will, cynicism,
suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self-made
prison hole.
But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to
patiently learn to find the good in all—such unselfish
thoughts are the very portals of heaven; and to dwell
day by day in thoughts of peace toward every creature
will bring abounding peace to their possessor.
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04
Thought And Purpose
U
ntil thought is linked with purpose there is no
intelligent accomplishment. With the majority the
bark of thought is allowed to “drift” upon the
ocean of life. Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting
must not continue for him who would street clear of
catastrophe and destruction.
They who have no central purpose in their life fall an
easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-
pityings, all of which are indications of weakness, which
lead, just as surely as deliberately planned sins (though
by a different route), to failure, unhappiness, and loss,
for weakness cannot persist in a power-evolving universe.
A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his
heart, and set out to accomplish it.
He should make this purpose the centralizing point
of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal,
or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at
the time being.
Whichever it is, he should steadily focus his thought-
forces upon the object he had set before him.
He should make this purpose his supreme duty and
should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his
thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies,
longings, and imaginings.
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As A Man Thinketh
This is the royal road to self-control and true

concentration of thought.
Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his
purpose—as he must until weakness is overcome—the
strength of character gained will be the measure of his
true success, and this will form a new starting point for
future power and triumph.
Those who are not prepared for the apprehension of
a great purpose, should fix the thoughts upon the faultless
performance of their duty, no matter how insignificant
their task may appear.
Only in this way can the thoughts be gathered and
focused, and resolution and energy be developed.
Once this is done, there is nothing which may not be
accomplished. The weakest soul knowing its own
weakness, and believing this truth—that strength can
only be developed by effort and practice—will, thus
believing, at once begin to exert itself.
And, adding effort to effort, patience to patience, and
strength to strength, will never cease to develop and will
at last grow divinely strong.
As the physically weak man can make himself strong
by careful and patient training, so the man of weak
thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in
right thinking.
To put away aimlessness and weakness and to begin
to think with purpose is to enter the ranks of those strong
ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways
to attainment.
Who make all conditions serve them, and who think
strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.
Having conceived of his purpose, a man should
mentally mark out a straight pathway to its achievement,
looking neither to the right nor left.
Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded. They
25
are disintegrating elements which break up the straight

line of effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual, useless.
Thoughts of doubt and fear can never accomplish
anything.
They always lead to failure. Purpose, energy, power
to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and
fear creep in.
The will to do springs from the knowledge that we
can do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of
knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not
slay them, thwarts himself at every step.
He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered
failure.
His every thought is allied with power, and all
difficulties are bravely met and overcome.
His purposes are seasonably planted, and they bloom
and bring forth fruit that does not fall prematurely to
the ground.
Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative
force. He who knows this is ready to become something
higher and stronger than a bundle of wavering thoughts
and fluctuating sensations.
He who does this has become the conscious and
intelligent wielder of his mental powers.
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As A Man Thinketh
05
The Thought-Factor
In Achievement
A
ll that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve
is the direct result of his own thoughts. In a justly
ordered universe, where loss of equipoise would
mean total destruction, individual responsibility must
be absolute. A man’s weakness and strength, purity and
impurity, are his own and not another man’s.
They are brought about by himself and not by
another; and they can only be altered by himself, never
by another. His condition is also his own, and not another
man’s.
His sufferings and his happiness are evolved from
within. As he thinks, so is he; as he continues to think,
so he remains.
A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that
weaker is willing to be helped. And even then the weak
man must become strong of himself.
He must, by his own efforts, develop the strength
which he admires in another. None but himself can alter
his condition.
It has been usual for men to think and to say, “Many
men are slaves because one is an oppressor; let us hate
the oppressor!”
But there is amongst an increasing few a tendency to
reverse this judgment and to say, “One man is an
27
oppressor because many are slaves; let us despise the

slaves.”
The truth is that oppressor and slaves are cooperators
in ignorance, and, while seeming to afflict each other,
are in reality, afflicting themselves.
A perfect knowledge perceives the action of law in
the weakness of the oppressed and the misapplied power
of the oppressor.
A perfect love, seeing the suffering which both states
entail, condemns neither; a perfect compassion embraces
both oppressor and oppressed.
He who has conquered weakness and has pushed
away all selfish thoughts belongs neither to oppressor
nor oppressed. He is free.
A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting
up his thoughts. He can only remain weak, abject, and
miserable by refusing to lift up his thoughts.
Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly
things, he must lift his thoughts above slavish animal
indulgence.
He may not, in order to succeed, give up all animality
and selfishness, necessarily, but a portion of it must, at
least, be sacrificed.
A man whose first thought is bestial indulgence could
neither think clearly nor plan methodically. He could not
find and develop his latent resources and would fail in
any undertaking.
Not having begun to manfully control his thoughts,
he is not in a position to control affairs and to adopt
serious responsibilities.
He is not fit to act independently and stand alone.
But he is limited only by the thoughts that he chooses.
There can be no progress nor achievement without
sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be by the
measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts,
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As A Man Thinketh
and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and

the strengthening of his resolution and self-reliance.
The higher he lifts his thoughts, the greater will be
his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his
achievements.
The universe does not favor the greedy, the dishonest,
the vicious... although on the mere surface it sometimes
may appear to do so.
It helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous.
All the great teachers of the ages have declared this in
varying ways, and to prove it and to know it a man has
but to persist in making himself increasingly virtuous by
lifting his thoughts.
Intellectual achievements are the result of thought
consecrated to the search for knowledge or for the
beautiful and true in nature.
Such achievements may sometimes be connected
with vanity and ambition, but they are not the outcome
of those characteristics.
They are the natural outgrowth of long and arduous
effort, and of pure and unselfish thoughts.
Spiritual achievements are the consummation of holy
aspirations. He who lives constantly in the conception
of noble and lofty thoughts, who dwells upon all that is
pure and selfless, will, as surely as the sun reaches its
zenith and the moon its full, become wise and noble in
character and rise into a position of influence and
blessedness.
Achievement of any kind is the crown of effort, the
diadem of thought. By the aid of self-control, resolution,
purity, righteousness, and well-directed thought a man
ascends.
By the aid of animality, indolence, impurity,
corruption, and confusion of thought a man descends.
A man may rise to high success in the world, even to
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lofty attitudes in the spiritual realm, and again descend

into weakness and wretchedness by allowing arrogant,
selfish, and corrupt thoughts to take possession of him.
Victories attained by right thought can be maintained
only by watchfulness. Many give way when success is
assured, and rapidly fall back into failure.
All achievements, whether in the business,
intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely
directed thought, are governed by the same law, and are
of the same method. The only difference is in the object
of attainment.
He who would accomplish little need sacrifice little;
he would achieve much must sacrifice much. He who
would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.
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As A Man Thinketh
06
Visions And Ideals
T
he dreamers are the saviors of the world. As the
visible world is sustained by the invisible, so men,
through all their trials and sins and sordid
vocations, are nourished by the beautiful visions of their
solitary dreamers.
Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let
their ideals fade and die; it lives in them; it knows them
as the realities which it shall one day see and know.
Composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, sage—
these are the makers of the after-world, the architects of
heaven. The world is beautiful because they have lived.
Without them, laboring humanity would perish.
He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in
his heart, will one day realize it. Columbus cherished a
vision of another world and he discovered it.
Copernicus fostered the vision of a multiplicity of
worlds and a wider universe, and he revealed it. Buddha
beheld the vision of a spiritual world of stainless beauty
and perfect peace, and he entered into it.
Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals. Cherish the
music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in
your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest
thoughts.
For out of them will grow all delightful conditions,
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all heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain

true to them, your world will at last be built.
To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. Shall
man’s basest desires receive the fullest measure of
gratification, and his purest aspirations starve for lack
of sustenance?
Such is not the Law. Such a condition can never
obtain: “Ask and receive.”
Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you
become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall
one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall
at last unveil.
The greatest achievement was at first and for a time
a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in
the egg. And in the highest vision of a soul a waking
angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.
Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they
shall not remain so if you only perceive an ideal and
strive to reach it. You can’t travel within and stand still
without.
Here is a youth hard pressed by poverty and labor.
Confined long hours in an unhealthy workshop;
unschooled and lacking all the arts of refinement. But
he dreams of better things.
He thinks of intelligence, or refinement, of grace and
beauty. He conceives of, mentally builds up, an ideal
condition of life.
The wider liberty and a larger scope takes possession
of him; unrest urges him to action, and he uses all his
spare times and means to the development of his latent
powers and resources.
Very soon so altered has his mind become that the
workshop can no longer hold him.
It has become so out of harmony with his mind-set
that it falls out of his life as a garment is cast aside. And
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As A Man Thinketh
with the growth of opportunities that fit the scope of his

expanding powers, he passes out of it altogether.
Years later we see this youth as a grown man. We
find him a master of certain forces of the mind that he
wields with worldwide influence and almost unequaled
power.
In his hands he holds the cords of gigantic
responsibilities; he speaks and lives are changed; men
and women hang upon his words and remold their
characters.
Sun-like, he becomes the fixed and luminous center
around which innumerable destinies revolve. He has
become the vision of his youth. He has become one with
his ideal.
And you too, youthful reader, will realize the vision
(not just the idle wish) of your heart, be it base or
beautiful, or a mixture of both. For you will always
gravitate toward that which you, secretly, most love.
Into your hands will be placed the exact results of
your own thoughts. You will receive that which you earn;
no more, no less. Whatever your present environment
may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts—
your vision, your ideal.
You will become as small as your controlling desire;
as great as your dominant aspiration.
The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent,
seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the
things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, and chance.
Seeing a man grow rich, they say, “How lucky he is!”
Observing another become skilled intellectually, they
exclaim, “How highly favored he is!”
And noting the saintly character and wide influence
of another, they remark, “How chance helps him at every
turn!” They do not see the trials and failures and struggles
which these men have encountered in order to gain their
33
experience.
They have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have
made, of the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of
the faith they have exercised so that they might overcome
the apparently insurmountable and realize the vision of
their heart.
They do not know the darkness and the heartaches;
they only see the light and joy, and call it “luck.” Do not
see the long, arduous journey, but only behold the
pleasant goal and call it “good fortune.” Do not
understand the process, but only perceive the result, and
call it “chance.”
In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are
results. The strength of the effort is the measure of the
result. Change is not.
Gifts, powers, material, intellectual and spiritual
possessions are the fruits of effort. They are thoughts
completed, objectives accomplished, visions realized.
The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal
that you enthrone in your heart—this you will build your
life by; this you will become.
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As A Man Thinketh
07
Serenity
almness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of
C wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort

in self-control. Its presence is an indication of
ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary
knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.
A man becomes calm in the measure that he
understands himself as a thought-evolved being.
For such knowledge necessitates the understanding
of others as the result of thought, and as he develops a
right understanding, and sees ever more clearly the
internal relations of things by the action of cause and
effect, he ceases to fuss, fume, worry, and grieve.
He remains poised, steadfast, serene.
The calm man, having learned how to govern himself,
knows how to adapt himself to others. And they, in turn
reverence his spiritual strength.
They feel that they can learn from him and rely upon
him. The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is
his success, his influence, his power for good.
Even the ordinary trader will find his business
prosperity increase as he develops a greater self-control
and equanimity, for people will always prefer to deal
with a man whose demeanor is equitable.
The strong, calm man is always loved and revered.
35
He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a

sheltering rock in a storm.
Who does not love a tranquil heart? a sweet-
tempered, balanced life? It does not matter whether it
rains or shines, or what changes come to those who
possess these blessings for they are always serene and
calm.
That exquisite poise of character that we call serenity
is the last lesson of culture. It is the flowering of life, the
fruitage of the soul.
It is precious as wisdom—more desirable than fine
gold. How insignificant mere money-seeking looks in
comparison with a serene life.
A life that dwells in the ocean of truth, beneath the
waves, beyond the reach of the tempests, in the eternal
calm!
How many people we know who sour their lives, who
ruin all that is sweet and beautiful by explosive tempers,
who destroy their poise of character and make bad blood!
It is a question whether the great majority of people
do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of
self-control.
How few people we meet in life who are well
balanced, who have that exquisite poise which is
characteristic of the finished character.
Yes, humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is
tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by
anxiety and doubt.
Only the wise man, only he whose thoughts are
controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms
of the soul obey him.
Tempest-tossed souls, wherever you may be, under
whatever conditions you may live, know this: In the
ocean of life the isles of blessedness are smiling and the
sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming.
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As A Man Thinketh
Keep your hands firmly upon the helm of thought. In

the core of your soul reclines the commanding Master;
He does but sleep; wake Him.
Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery.
Calmness is power.
Say unto your heart, “Peace. Be still.”
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As A Man Thinketh
How To Attract Money
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39
As A Man Thinketh
The Law of Attraction
Getting Everything You Want Out of Life Through the

Power of Your Own Mind. And Let Your Thoughts
Determine Your Destiny
I
magine for a moment that you have in your possession
a source of complete and total power. You alone can
command the warmth of the sun, the fall of the rain,
the turn of the tides and the direction of the winds. What
would you do with this kind of power? Would you abuse
it causing the world to fall into utter chaos? Would you
be benevolent and merciful, using your power to help
the people of your planet achieve their ultimate potential?
Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be)
there is no way for a person to have that much power.
Mother Nature controls the planetary systems according
to her own rules and her own designs. You will never be
able to have utter control over the environment you are
inhabiting.
What if you could, however, have the power to
determine the course of your own life? What if you could
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accomplish great things and acquire great riches just by

using the power of your own mind? What if I told you
that this does not have to be a “what if?” What if I told
you that you possess in your psyche the power to chart
the course of the rest of your life on whatever path you
see fit?
Chances are you would tell me that I had obviously
been watching too much Sci-Fi and needed to get out of
the house more often, not to mention my obvious need
to expand my vocabulary, considering the number of
times I have used “what if” in this conversation. You
would be wrong (about the Sci-Fi, anyway). Every person
holds in their mind the power to shape the events of
their life to achieve whatever end they see fit. This power
is what is known as the law of attraction.
What is the Law of Attraction?

The belief held by many theorists is that the universe
is governed by a set of universal laws; these laws cannot
be changed, cannot be broken and apply to every
individual, regardless of age or nationality. These laws
are the riverbanks which guide the flow of their lives on
its journey to its ultimate end.
The law of attraction is one such law. The law of
attraction is the belief that anyone can determine their
destiny through the power of their minds.
“The Law of Attraction attracts to you everything you
need, according to the nature of your thoughts. Your
environment and financial condition are the perfect
reflection of your habitual thinking.” Joseph Murphy
The History of the Law of Attraction

Before we go too deep into the modern applications
of the law of attraction it is important that you
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As A Man Thinketh
understand that this is not simply New Age nonsense

(most descriptions of the law of attraction refer to it as a
product of a New Age Mentality). The principles of the
law of attraction date back far beyond the new found
popularity of the New Age.
The immortal Buddha was actually one of the first to
introduce man to the law of attraction. He said, “What
you have become is what you have thought.” This was a
principle that the people of the east were acquainted
with for centuries before it began to sweep into the
western hemisphere.
The concept of karma also may have drawn its roots
from the law of attraction. Karma states that you will
eventually be revisited by that which you have sent out
into the universe. If you have practiced kindness and
compassion you will receive in kind. If you have been
deliberately cruel to another you will receive back into
your life that cruelty which you have sent out. Your
actions and thoughts morph into physical entities,
causing the universe to react in kind.
The law of attraction began to gain popularity in the
western hemisphere in the 19th century, as people began
to appreciate the power of positive thinking and apply it
to their life. This new concept was first introduced to
the general public by William Walker Atkinson, the editor
of New Thought magazine, who published a book called
Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought
World in 1906.
As you can see, the law of attraction is not new. The
concept that thought can have a predominate affect on
the course of a man’s destiny has been taught by wise
men throughout the ages, and has given rise to a whole
new era of beliefs.
What is the Premise of the Law of Attraction?
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The theory behind the law of attraction is the belief

that energy attracts like energy in the vast expanse of
space and time that comprises our universe. Each person’s
being is constantly radiating energy out into space; the
type of energy being radiated is determined by the
emotional state of the individual in question and may
differ from day to day-sometimes even hour to hour!
This emotional energy is what is commonly known
as a “vibe” and is referred to as a vibration by scientists
studying the law of attraction. Chances are that you are
familiar with the term. Have you ever been with someone
who is so happy they seem to be radiating a “glow which
inspires happiness in all those around them? By the same
token, have you ever spent time with someone who was
so critical and unhappy that they consistently gave off a
“negative vibe” which seemed to suck the life and
happiness out of all those around them?
You do not have to possess psychic powers to be able
to feel the vibes that people emit; this energy is very real
on a psychological plane and will affect anyone,
anywhere at any time. Our vibrations are usually an
unconscious response to some form of environmental
stimulus; something has happened which has caused us
to feel happy, or sad, or scared, or confused, or stressed,
etc., and our subconscious response to this (because vibes
are generated and projected from the subconscious rather
than the conscious) is something that is beyond our
control.
Chances are the person who is emitting a negative
vibe does not choose to be unhappy, nor do they wish to
inflict their unhappiness on all those around them by
the simple fact of their presence. (Before you say what
you are thinking, yes, there are some exceptions to this
rule. Misery does love company and there are many who
take a great deal of delight in inflicting their pain on
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As A Man Thinketh
other people. It is important to understand that this is

not usually done in a desire to cause others pain but out
a desire to not feel so alone in their unhappiness. But
we digress…)
There are a number of feelings which lead to positive
and negative vibes being emitted, and it is important
before we continue on any form of discussion about the
law of attraction that you understand what each of these
are (you’ll understand the reasons for this a little later).
Positive vibes
Positive vibes are generated from good feelings, such
as:
* Joy
* Love
* Excitement
* Abundance (of anything that causes a positive
response)
* Pride
* Comfort
* Confidence
* Affection
Negative vibes
Negative vibes are generated from negative feelings,
such as:
* Disappointment
* Loneliness
* Lack (of any of life’s necessities or luxuries)
* Sadness
* Confusion
* Stress
* Anger
* Hurt
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What do Vibes Have to With the Law of Attraction?

As we mentioned earlier the fundamental principle
of the law of attraction is the belief that life energy
attracts like energy. This means that if a person is emitting
positive vibes they will draw good things to them and if
they are emitting negative vibes they will draw bad things
to them.
“You are a living magnet, attracting what you want.”
You have seen this principle in practice before. Have
you ever known someone who was always upbeat and
positive and seemed to be too lucky to be true? On the
flip side, you have certainly known someone who loved
to complain and look on the darker sides of life that
always seemed to have something new to complain about
because things were always going wrong in their life.
These examples show people attracting the results of
the energy they are giving off.
“Remember, you attract to your life whatever you give
your attention, energy and focus to, whether wanted or
unwanted.”
Michael J. Losier
Does this mean that all of the bad things that happen
to you in this life are because you subconsciously wanted
them to? This is one of the most common arguments
against the concept of the law of attraction and it often
the hardest to refute because people have not yet
recognized that the law of attraction is not a pipe dream
or something that someone dreamed up while sitting on
their porch one hot summer night. It is a fact of life, and
its effects are far reaching.
In answer to your question, no, not everything bad
that happens in your life is a result of you subconsciously
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As A Man Thinketh
wishing for it to happen. Sometimes it is a result of

someone else wishing for it to happen. To quote an
example from a website pertaining to the law of
attraction a child or a spouse who is abused is not abused
because they wished for this abuse to happen. This abuse
happened because the abuser allowed their negative
thoughts concerning their child or spouse to creep across
their subconscious until they eventually began to dictate
their actions.
The mind is a powerful thing, and where the mind
goes the feet will soon follow. The foundation of any
success you are going to encounter in lie is not the ability
of your physical body to overcome the obstacles but of
your mind to believe that a way lies around them. “Where
there’s a will, there’s a way.” Where your mind can believe
that there is a way for the body to achieve its heart’s
desire a way does exist.
How Can I Use the Law of Attraction?

This is an excellent (and very important) question.
After all, it doesn’t do you much good to know what the
law of attraction is if you do not know how to use it to
achieve success in your own life. Once you have mastered
the basics of the law of attraction you will be able to
apply it to any area in your life.
1) The first step in finding success through the law
of attraction is to accept responsibility for the things that
have occurred in your life, both good and bad. This is
often the most difficult part of achieving success through
manifestation because we are taught from childhood to
believe that our environment contributes in a large part
to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. It’s very
hard to take the responsibility and acknowledge the fact
that your environment was not the major contributing
97
factor in each of these events; in many cases you will

have no one to blame but yourself.
In order to help yourself move past these events take
a moment and write down on a piece of paper all of the
major events in your life (again, both good and bad).
Leave plenty of room underneath each one. Now, take a
moment to go back and review these events. Write down
what you were feeling at the time they happened, how
you felt before they happened and what events had
occurred prior to this. Chances are you are going to find
that events occurring in your favor occurred at times
when you were possessed of a positive attitude and other
things in your life were going right. On the flip side,
events which occurred probably happened concurrently
with other events in your life which caused you to have
a negative outlook on life. Coincidence?
2) Once you have accepted the fact that you are
responsible for your own fate it is time to go one step
further and determine what it is about your life that you
would like to change. Do you want to find another job?
Move to a new house? Enter into a meaningful
relationship? Receive a promotion?
Identify the things you wish to achieve and write them
down. Display them in a prominent place; constantly
being able to view the anticipated results of your
endeavors will help to keep you on the right track. In
essence, with the creation of this list you are asking the
universe for what you want. Take the time to think on
this for a while so that it is embedded firmly in your
mind, and keep your goals specific; making a goal too
big or too general is an almost certain guarantee that
you will not be able to achieve it because you will be too
busy worrying about how you are going to achieve it.
3) Raise your vibrations so that they are all positive.
Act and feel as though you are confident that the end
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As A Man Thinketh
result you are hoping for is going to occur. This is an

essential part of the law of attraction because it is very
easy to allow your mind to begin to wander to all of the
difficulties which you may encounter when trying to
achieve your goals. This will cause your vibrations to
become negative and will work against you rather than
for you.
4) Accept that it can happen. Many times your
subconscious is your own stumbling block; you will be
attempting to convince your conscious mind that
something can happen while at the same time your
subconscious is picking out the reasons that it will never
work. In order to help yourself overcome this stumbling
block and have absolute faith in the fact that you will be
able to effect this change in your life you should look
again at the sheet of paper upon which you have written
your goals and attempt to write them in terms that will
help your mind and body accept them as fact.
It is recommended that you write these statements
in the third person rather than the first; it is often difficult
for the mind to accept something as fact when it is
couched in such relative terms as I, me or my. For
example, if you are attempting to find a new job you
could say, “Millions of people every year work in jobs
which make them happy.” If you are seeking to enter a
meaningful relationship you could say, “Millions of people
around the globe have found their soul mate and are
now happily settled in comfortable, established
relationships”.
The purpose of writing these statements down is to
purge the negative vibes and doubts from your mind. If
you are unable to accept the outcome as fact your
subconscious mind is going to conjure a different
outcome, and it is going to be this outcome that your
mind and body focus on; therefore, this outcome is going
99
to be the one that will become your reality and you will
walk away absolutely certain that the law of attraction
is one hundred percent false.
What Can the Law of Attraction Do for You?

“Why is true success so relatively effortless? It might be
likened to the magnetic field created by an electrical current
through a wire. The higher the power of the current, the
greater the magnetic field that it generates. And the
magnetic field itself then influences everything in its
presence.”
David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D.
The law of attraction can help to determine the course
of your future, and the successes or failure which you
may encounter along the way.
Work
Let us for a moment consider the possibilities of the
law of attraction when applied to your working
environment. For those who are searching for a job it
may be impossible to find one which suits them. Is this
because such a job does not exist, or is it because in
their subconscious mind they believe that they will not
be able to find a job and consequently are releasing so
much negative energy out into the universe that they
are actually driving these jobs away?
Anyone who has ever tried to search for a job (or
known somebody who was) knows that you have a
drastically improved chance of finding gainful
employment when you are already employed elsewhere
than when you are unemployed. For someone who has
lost their job and is currently without employment it
may seem easier to climb Mount Everest than to get that
first all-important interview. It seems as though job after
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As A Man Thinketh
job simply isn’t interested in what they have to offer.

Why is this? It certainly cannot be because there are
no employment opportunities out there; after all, chances
are they would not have applied for the job if the job
had not already made its interest in recruiting new
employees clear. Why, then, do people suffer from
unemployment for months or even years at a time?
The answer to that is they often believe they will not
be able to find a job, and consequently they have stopped
trying. In their subconscious minds they do not truly
believe that any of their efforts will bear fruit, and so
they are projecting that negative energy all around them.
On the other hand, an individual who already has a
job is secure and confident in their ability to find a job
and do it well; after all, someone has obviously thought
them worthy enough to hire them (and keep them) in
the first place, and chances are if they are searching for
a new job it is because they are confident enough in
their abilities that they believe they deserve a job that
will treat them better/pay them more/provide more
stimulating work/etc.
It is this quiet confidence that will lead to the effects
of the law of attraction becoming obvious. Since they
are projecting this positive energy around them they will
be drawing in positive energy as well, attracting the job
that they truly want. Remember when you were listing
your goals above and you had to accept the fact that
they could happen?
Chances are that you too are looking for more from
your career than you have right now; if you are not,
then you probably don’t need to be reading this because
you have obviously already mastered the ability to chart
your own destiny. If you are still seeking for that golden
opportunity, ask the universe for it, then sit back and
wait, secure in the knowledge that the universal law of
101
attraction will bring it to your doorstep. It might not be

today, it might not be tomorrow, but it will occur.
Let us say that you are satisfied with the job you have
but you are seeking a promotion; after all, no one wants
to be at the bottom of the totem pole forever.
In order to get the promotion you are dreaming about
the first thing you must do is remove any doubt from
your mind. Walk into the interview one hundred percent
sure that the position will be yours; remember, if you
are still living with the belief that the position may be
above you and you are not certain that you have the
necessary skills to fill the position you are absolutely
right.
“We are unlimited beings…we have no ceilings”

Michael Beckwith
The same principle can be applied to the opening of

a new business as well. If you have ever gone to high
school you have probably received the lecture on what
to do and what not to do in an interview. One of the
biggest don’ts in interviewing protocol is to let the
interviewer see that you are nervous. By showing the
interviewer that you have confidence in your ability to
handle any job which they throw at you, you are
increasing your value as an employee in their eyes.
The same can be said of any attempts to open a

business. It is essential when approaching prospective
investors that you have one hundred percent confidence
in yourself and your business in order to guarantee that
they will be willing to take a chance on you.
Is this need for absolute confidence a coincidence
only, or is it the law of attraction at work? By having
confidence in your abilities you are sending positive
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As A Man Thinketh
energy out into the universe, and consequently drawing

the positive energies currently existing in the universe
back unto yourself.
It is impossible to over-emphasize the importance of
vibrating positive energy when you are talking about
the law of attraction, and you will see this theme repeated
in any and all conversations pertaining to it. The release
of positive energy into the universe is what allows you
to chart the course of your destiny on a strong route to
success rather than a wavy road of uncertainty that will
eventually lead you unhappiness, either through the
failure to achieve the goals for which you have worked
so hard or through the constant up and down flow of
your life, never being certain which is going to dominate.
Love and Family

There are two parts of their life which people
generally try to change; their work environment and the
relationships which they have with their families and
their significant others. You may be asking yourself, “Can
the law of attraction really help me to build relationships
with the people that I love, and to mend broken fences?”
The answer is, absolutely! The people you love are
governed by the same ebb and flow of energy as you
yourself are, and as such their energies will naturally be
attracted to like energies which are being emitted from
another person. If you are vibrating positive energies
and emotions they will respond in kind. They will not be
able to help themselves; it is simply the way of the world.
Let us consider your family first, as with family there
is already a subliminal bond which will help you to
improve your relationship right from the very beginning.
There are many reasons why family members may find
themselves at odds with each other; it is not necessarily
103
a pre-requisite that you like the people you love, and for
families who often find themselves in each other’s back
pockets and competing for common resources the fights
can become vicious.
Regardless of the reasons you and your family may
have had for your falling out it is never good to leave
relationships festering like that. You need to fix them in
order to achieve true serenity and harmony in your life
(have you begun yet to notice how closely the law of
attraction interacts with other laws which govern the
universe?). In order to fix a relationship that has been
broken you must first be confident in the fact that you
not only are going to be able to mend the broken ties,
but that you truly want to.
It is very easy to utter lip service to the people around
you, telling them that you want to mend your broken
fences (and often blaming the fact that they are broken
on the other party involved, of course) when in reality
you continue to carry the stain of dislike that you hold
towards the other person in question. You don’t really
want to mend your fences, or if you do you have not yet
let go of what has caused the separation in the first place.
Letting go of your resentment is an essential
ingredient in finding harmony, for in order for the law
of attraction to be able to work to smooth your way you
must first rid yourself of all of the negative energy you
have been sending towards them so far. It is important
that you accept the fact that you can forgive and forget,
allowing the two of you to move on with your life with a
much happier relationship than you have experienced
to date.
The process of attracting a significant other is much
the same; however, in order for the law of attraction to
be able to attract them to you, you must be very specific
when making your request to the universe regarding
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exactly what it is that you are looking for in a relationship.

This does not mean that you should outline the color
of their hair, their eyes, their political background
(although if this is of primary importance you it may be
worth submitting it for consideration) or their political
position in society. Remember, the law of attraction
means that your subconscious mind is going to be drawn
to their subconscious mind, and politics are not going to
be of primary importance there. Instead, focus on the
kind of values you wish for them to possess, the type of
relationship that you are looking to share with them (do
you want to get married, date casually, etc) as well as
personality traits which you feel are especially important.
Then allow yourself to believe that you are going to find
this paragon of virtue.
The last step here is the most important. As was the
case in the example we used pertaining to the ability of
an individual to obtain employment, the belief that a
relationship with the person of your dreams is beyond
your reach is going to result in you being absolutely
correct. Remind yourself that every day hundreds of men
and women are building a life with the person of their
dreams; there is no reason for you to be excluded from
this number.
It is essential that once you have placed a request for
a significant other with the universe that you be willing
to have patience for the desired results to occur. The
whys and wherefores of this will be discussed in more
depth a bit later, but for now let us look at the obvious.
The universe is not always going to give you exactly what
you want, exactly when you want it. It does things in its
own time.
Now, imagine that you have asked the universe to
give you the man or woman of your dreams, but you
become impatient because they have not yet become a
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part of your life within a few months of making the

request. You begin to date someone else, and that
someone else begins to occupy your mind and your
attentions until they are all that you see. They are not
the person which you asked the universe for, however;
they are simply someone intended to fill the time until
that person arrives.
Over the course of time that you are dating this other
individual, however, you have become acquainted with
quite a lot of new people. These new people are shadows
passing in and out of your life because they are not this
new person whom you have begun to date. What would
you do if the person you had been waiting for was among
that number? What if they had come looking for you,
but you did not recognize them because you were so
busy trying to keep yourself busy until they got there?
It is essential that you not close either your mind or
your heart to the universe because of external
distractions; this is the most fatal mistake you could
make, for it means that you have lost faith in the ability
of the energies of your mind to interact with the energies
of nature to bring you your desired results, and the
negative energies generated from these thoughts will
result in the person of your dreams walking away from
you before you even knew they were there.
When Doesn’t the Law of Attraction Work?

As you will have gathered from previous sections,
the law of attraction does not always work the way that
all parties involved would like it to. Why is that? After
all, in the law of attraction is universal, why does it only
work part of the time?
The answer to that is found in the minds of the people
who are attempting to use it to their own benefit. The
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only thing standing between you and success is yourself;

this was discussed earlier. If the mind is clogged with so
much negative energy that it cannot release the positive
vibes which will attract the positive energies of the
universe, the law of attraction will not be able to help
them. They must first rid themselves of all of these
negative vibes and start fresh.
Common Mistakes
As with any skill it takes time, effort and devotion to
truly master the use of the law of attraction in your life.
There are a number of factors which can cause the law
to behave in ways which you may not have expected,
almost all of which fall back on the user’s ability to follow
the guidelines required to find success with this fabulous
new tool.
Fortunately, the mistakes which are made with
regards to the use of the law of attraction are as universal
as it is, and therefore very easy to identify and correct.
Five Common Mistakes

1) Believing that positive thinking is enough to attract
what you want
Positive thinking occurs only on the conscious level;
this is why positive thinking is not enough to put into
effect the law of attraction. It is necessary for belief to
enter the subconscious as well.
The mind is always operating on two levels, the
subconscious and the conscious. The conscious mind is
being given hundreds of tidbits of information at any
given time from all five senses. This is an incredible
amount of information to process, even from such an
advanced tool as the human brain. The mind would
slowly go crazy if it had to deal with all of that
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information all of the time.

Instead, the mind developed the conscious mind,
which serves as a filter to review the information sent to
it by the senses and retain anything that it deems
important. Anything that it does not deem important is
passed along to the subconscious. It is the subconscious
which will retain this information, acting as the guardian
of repressed memories until such time as those memories
are needed again.
It has long been held that the subconscious has a
direct effect on the actions and beliefs of the conscious
mind, a topic which will be discussed in greater detail a
bit later on, but for now it is sufficient to say that if the
conscious mind is attempting to think positive thoughts
while the subconscious retains a negative energy the two
will cancel each other out, and the desired effect will
not be achieved.
2) Becoming impatient
The universe works at its own speed; remember, every
action carries with it an equal and opposite reaction. It
is essential that the other environmental conditions be
right in order for an event to occur just as it should.
This means that the law of attraction may take weeks,
months or even years to effect a fruitful reaction to the
desires of a single individual. People of today’s society
are spoiled; they want what they want and they want it
now. A new theory that does not produce instant results
is not going to be received with a great deal of favor.
In addition to that, disbelieving in the law of
attraction because it does not meet your established
timetables (after all, it never says precisely when all of
these wonderful rewards will be reaped, only that they
will) is a direct violation of the guidelines required to
see positive results in and of itself. You were merely
testing the law in order to see if it will produce results; if
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you were confident in its ability to effect the desired

results you would be content to sit and wait, knowing
that what you want most will come to you in time.
On the other hand, the fact that you are not indicates
that you do not have confidence in its ability to bring
about the desired results. This means that somewhere
in your being is a small kernel of negative energy,
sufficient to throw a monkey wrench into the whole
process of positive attraction. Remember, if you are
vibrating negative energy you will attract negative energy
back onto yourself.
3) Determining ahead of time how and when you will
attract what you want
Let the universe work! It is possible to become so
focused on what you think is going to happen that you
manage to totally miss the event when it occurs if it does
not occur in precisely the manner you pictured it would.
As we said before, the universe will choose its own
time and place for all thins to occur, and these events
may take place through rather unusual means. By
predetermining exactly how you will receive the rewards
which you are seeking you are taking away the choice
from the hands of nature, which direct the ebb and flow
of the energies of life, and setting yourself up for a hard
fall.
By taking the ability to choose upon yourself you are
essentially saying that you do not have faith in the ability
of the law of attraction to effect the desired results in
time; again, by setting your own timeline for events to
occur you will eventually come to disbelieve in the law
of attraction (after all, it didn’t do what it was supposed
to, did it?), which will cause your subconscious to radiate
the negative energy which will drive the positive energy
away.
4) Allowing your emotions to be led by external
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evidence
In order to reap the full benefits of the law of
attraction you need to believe that what you see now is
a result of what you have been attracting to this point;
again, it is essential that you realize that what has
occurred in your life to this date and what will happen
later on is determined by you. Whatever successes or
failures you have experienced have been the result of
the energies that your mind and body have released out
into the universe.
It is very easy to look at the events of your life and
think, “I certainly didn’t want that to happen; the law of
attraction must be untrue because I would never wish
for something so awful.” What you have to realize is
that it is not always what your conscious mind wishes
for that influences what your subconscious mind is
projecting.
Which leads us to the fifth most common mistake
5) Not removing limiting beliefs
There are many occasions in which people fall into a
self defeating cycle because they are unable to control
the thoughts and attitudes of their subconscious. A
common argument against the law of attraction is, “Why
is there so much suffering in the world if people have
the ability to determine the events of their life?” No,
these people have not chosen a life of starvation and
servitude; however, due to their history many of them
do not truly believe that they have any choice.
This disbelief in their ability to change their
circumstances because “it is the way that it’s always been”
means that they will continue to live this way. Their
subconscious continues to project that disbelief and
negative energy out into the universe, drawing back
negative energy which will cause them to continue to
live in this self destructive cycle of events.
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It is those who have dared to dream, and believe in

the possibilities presented by these dreams, who have
effected the greatest changes in the world. Do you think
that if the colonists had really believed that they would
never be free of the British they would have been able to
win the revolutionary war? If Henry Ford had not truly
believed that man could ride in a car, do you think that
the Model T could have been invented? If women really
believed that they were destined to live the rest of their
life under the thumb of their fathers and husbands, with
no say in the lives they would leave, that women’s
liberation would have occurred?
The removal of limiting beliefs such as these is
absolutely vital to the ability of the law of attraction to
work as it is intended to. If you truly feel that the law of
attraction is not working for you, take a moment to
consider the things that you are wishing for. Do you truly
believe that these events can take place, or are you merely
making idle wishes? Do you secretly believe that you
have a “one in a million” chance of any of those things
actually taking place for one thing or another?
In order to project the positive vibes which are
necessary to draw the energies of the universe to you it
is essential that you be one hundred percent confidant
in your ability to effect a change and willing to believe
that all of the events occurring up to that point have
been a necessary prerequisite to bringing these events
to be.
The key to the Law of Attraction is the ACCEPTANCE
of YOUR responsibility.
“…When the voice and the vision on the inside become
more profound, more clear and loud, than the opinions on
the outside, you’ve mastered you life”
Dr. John F. Demartini
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Arguments Against the Law of Attraction

While the law of attraction can be universally applied
this should not be misconstrued to mean that it has not
been the recipient of its fair share of criticism following
the revelation of its potential to the general public.
Numerous scientific and theological societies have gone
to great lengths to voice their disapproval of this upstart
new theory.
Science
Among the most fervent of the protestors are those
who whose to poke holes in the scientific foundation
upon which the law of attraction is built. This scientific
theory is best explained by Michael J. Losier in a segment
of his recently published novel Law of Attraction.
“There is a physiological foundation for positive
thinking and its effect in creating the law of attraction.
As you may recall from your high school science
classes, there are many forms of energy: atomic, thermal,
electromotive, kinetic and potential. Energy can never
be destroyed.
You may also recall that all matter is made up of
atoms, and each atom has a nucleus (made up of protons
and electrons) around which orbit electrons.
Electrons in atoms always orbit the nucleus in
prescribed “orbitals” or energy levels that ensure the
stability of the atom. Electrons may be compelled to
assume “higher” orbits by the addition of energy, or may
give off energy when they drop to a “lower” orbit. When
it comes to “vibrations,” if atoms are “aligned,” they
create a motive force, all pulling together in the same
direction, in much the same way as metals can be
magnetized by aligning their molecules in the same
direction. This creation of positive (+) and negative
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(–) poles is a fact of nature and science. Suffice to say,

science has shown that if there are physical laws that
can be observed and quantified in one arena, there are
most probably similar laws in other arenas, even if they
cannot at this time be quantified.
So you see, the law of attraction isn’t a fancy term or
new age magic; it is a law of nature that every atom of
your body is constantly responding to whether you know
it or not.”
The ideas contained within this explanation were
briefly touched on in previous explanations concerning
the foundations of the law of attraction; however, in order
to understand the controversy surrounding these
assumptions it is important that you first understand
what these assumptions are.
Supporters of the theory claim that the effectiveness
of the law of attractions stems from its origin in the filed
of physics and its supporting facts in the field of quantum
mechanics; after all, the primary argument against many
metaphysical occurrences is that while their origins may
be speculated on, these origins very rarely have more
than a small amount of circumstantial physical evidence
to back them up. Who is going to argue about the validity
of a theory which, although assumed to actually be
manifesting itself on a higher plane, has its roots planted
firmly in the grounds of modern science.
Unfortunately, much of the “scientific evidence” which
has been brought forward to date in support of the law
of attraction has not been conclusively proven with
sufficient reproducibility to allow it to be considered an
actual law of nature. The entire axis upon which the
scientific world revolves was best described by Richard
Feynman, one of the finest physicists of his time and a
man whose writings and teachings can still be found in
almost every bookstore and college campus in the
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country.
In his book Six Easy Pieces Feynman states:

“…nature, as we understand it today, behaves in such
a way that it is fundamentally impossible to make a precise
prediction of exactly what will happen in a given
experiment. This is a horrible thing; in fact, philosophers
have said before that one of the fundamental requisites of
science is that whenever you set up the same conditions
the same thing must happen. This is simply not true, it is
not a fundamental condition of science…We stated…the
sole test of the validity of any idea is experiment. If it turns
out that most experiments work out the same in Quito as
the do in Stockholm, the those “most experiments” will be
used to formulate some general law…We will invent some
way of summarize the results of the experiment, and we do
not have to be told ahead of time what this way will look
like. If we are told that the same experiments will always
produce the same result, that is all very well, but if when
we try it, it does not, then it does not.”
That’s right, straight from the mouth of one of the

most revered names in science to your eyes. Contrary to
what your teachers told you in grade school it is not
necessary for an experiment to reproduce itself in order
to be considered both valid and significant. This is an
important lesson to remember throughout life; however,
with respect to the process of a theory becoming
established as a law it is important that any experiment
conducted with that theory as its fundamental backbone
be reproducible under most circumstances.
The experimental trials of the law of attraction which
have been performed with the use of test subjects have
left a great deal of grey in the decision as to whether or
not the law is actually a law at all. Since researchers are
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dealing with the human psyche rather than a physical

object which can be manipulated and controlled it is all
but impossible to establish proper testing conditions
which will guarantee a high level of accuracy and
completely unbiased results.
In order for a trial of the law of attraction to be
considered conclusive it is necessary that the test subject
follow the guidelines meticulously. This means that they
must remove all of the negative energy from the
subconscious portion of their psyche. This is a condition
that is considered to be “mission critical” in an
experiment yet is impossible for researchers to control.
A test subject cannot be forced through any artificial
means to remove negative thoughts from their
subconscious; they may not even know that these
negative thoughts are there (after all, there is a reason
that it is called the subconscious). Since the key element
to finding success with the law of attraction is to allow
positive energy to dominate your thought processes any
negative energy remaining, even deeply buried away
from the conscious mind, will have an adverse reaction
on the results of the experiment.
In addition, since researchers are dealing with the
human psyche there is another factor which has never
been officially proven through scientific means but which
is accepted as fact all around the world: the power of
the human mind. You may be looking at this in confusion,
asking yourself why the power of the human mind would
be a problem when it is the power of the human mind
which you are attempting to harness in order to find
success with the law of attraction.
The reasons are simple. There are three main factors
which stand in the way of a person achieving their goals.
One of these is the body, the other is the environment.
Each of these plays a small role in a person’s ability to
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carry out a task which they have chosen for themselves;

however, they are not the key factor responsible for the
success or failure of a person’s appointed mission. The
human mind is the primary obstacle standing in the way
of a person and their dreams. If they do not believe that
they will be able to overcome the other environmental
and social obstacles standing in the way of achieving
their goal then they will not be able to. On the other
hand, if they believe that they will be able to triumph
over these adversities they are almost guaranteed success.
This is not always due to some form of cosmic influence,
however.
Let us look at this dilemma through the eyes of a
young adult who is straight out of college and attempting
to start his career. If he has a great deal of doubt in his
ability to succeed in his chosen field and land a job he
will be happy for his mind will recognize that negativity
and make it fact. He will not be as aggressive as he needs
to be in hunting down jobs, and when he does find a job
he will almost inevitably crash and burn in the very first
interview because he will be so sure of his failure that
he will not be able to put his best foot forward. On the
other side of the coin, if he is confident that he will be
able to succeed he will portray that confidence in
everything that he does, allowing him to get through his
interview with flying colors and land the job of his
dreams.
There was no cosmic influence here, merely a
readjustment in attitude that led to a readjustment in
presentation. It is impossible to look at the results of an
experiment relating to the law of attraction and be able
to say with one hundred percent surety that the positive
results of these trials were a result of some form of cosmic
influence rather than sheer human determination.
Experimental results are not the only issues causing
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contention among the scientific community. A large

portion of the theory has fallen under fire as well. The
simple truth of the matter is that from a scientific
standpoint the cold, hard evidence supporting the
physical existence of the law of attraction in nature is
weak indeed. Unlike many other experiments dealing
with non-metaphysical properties of science it is virtually
impossible for scientists to actually examine the
individual components which make the law of attraction.
Vibrations being emitted from the body with respect
to moods and emotions are still largely a conceptual idea,
and while scientists may be able to pinpoint the precise
energy signatures being emitted by the body the
technology to recognize whether it is good or bad,
stemming solely from the body’s physical self or having
some foundation in the body’s emotional channels simply
does not exist.
In addition to these difficulties scientists do not yet
have a means with which to identify the specific energy
waves which comprise an event. For every change dealt
to the status quo in nature there is both a waterfall of
precursor events which must occur in order for events
to proceed as needed for a specific outcome and a “ripple
effect” of changes which will occur as a result of this
change. It is impossible to determine whether or not there
is, in fact, an energy based reason for each of these
events, and how the various forms of energy which must
collaborate to bring circumstances to these ends work
together is still a mystery.
Are you confused yet? Probably, which is precisely
the point upon which a great deal of the controversy
surrounding this law is founded. The theory simply does
not make sense in any manner that can be specifically
addressed by a scientific team and proven using scientific
methods. Where does that leave the scientific
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community? Still turning its wheels looking for answers.
Religion
As we mentioned before, scientists are not the only
ones with a bone to pick with regards to the law of
attraction. Various religious sectors have taken great
offense to the concept of a person being able to decide
their own fate based entirely on the power of their mind.
Why is that? After all, one would think that if anyone
would appreciate the potential of a person being able to
direct their own course in life it would be those who
have a deeper understanding of all things unseen.
The reason for their opposition is the fact that if
people are able to control the course of their own lives
it more or less usurps the position of a God in this lifetime.
The theory of the role of a deity in most religions is that
it is prayer and sacrifice to this deity which will determine
your lot in life, as well as in the afterlife. The ultimate
decision with regards to your ultimate fate rests entirely
on their shoulders, and if you are fortunate your deity
will be a forgiving one and grant you much prosperity in
life.
If you choose to follow a path that you believe will
allow you to take control of your life out of the all
knowing hands of your deity what does that say regarding
your faith? It is argued that belief in the law of attraction
means that the believer doubts the power of their deity,
an action which not only sacrifices the fundamental
principles of any religion (the ultimate, unquestioning
belief that is the platform upon which any deity rests;
after all, what is a god but someone who has found
someone to worship them?) but could cause doubt to
fall upon the entire religious caste, an event which most
societies are simply not ready to deal with.
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Another belief that has suffered a hard hit in the

presence of the belief in the law of attraction is that which
states that the universe exists in a delicate balance, and
all events which occur are a result of the universe
attempting to maintain that balance. The possibility that
man can decree the events that happen in his own life is
a slap in the face to the belief in that balance; after all, if
man can decide the events of the future what is there to
ensure that that balance remains? How can humans live
comfortably knowing that at any time their entire way
of life as they know it could come to an end as the power
of the law of attraction could cause the play of events in
the world to be changed entirely?
How Does the Law of Attraction Compare with

Other Subliminal Programs on the Market?
As the power of positive thinking has grown there
have been many which have attempted to make a profit
from this incredible discovery. This has spawned a new
era of “subliminal products”, which retailers then proceed
to sell on the market for a ridiculous price and reap the
profits.
The difference between other subliminal messaging
products and the law of attraction is the profit margin.
Quite simply, there isn’t one. You don’t need to have any
special equipment to maximize the power of the law of
attraction; it is all there in your own mind. Neither do
you need a teacher to teach you how to use it; once you
have mastered the fundamentals upon which the law of
attraction is built you are ready to put it into practice.
These same sentiments cannot be expressed with
regards to many of the other subliminal programs on
the market. These programs claim to be able to help
their users lose weight, stop smoking, become smarter,
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get a new job, move past their shyness, improve their

relationships, etc. Do they work? Not always. The law of
attraction is the only subconscious means by which to
ensure success in whatever endeavor you choose to
undertake.
Various Other Subliminal Programs

It is only fair that if you are studying the law of
attraction you learn a little bit about the various other
subliminal programs available on the market. This will
allow you to compare them all and understand why the
law of attraction is the only one which has been proven
time and time again (regardless of what the researchers
would have you hear).
1) Subliminal Messaging
Subliminal messaging is one of the oldest forms of
subliminal manipulation, and has been the one to face
the greatest amount of controversy. The belief held by
the believers in subliminal messaging is that since
memories can often be pulled forth from the
subconscious to the conscious mind, the subconscious
must continue to have some effect on the conscious,
whether the owner of said consciousness is aware of it
or not.
Those who use subliminal messaging attempt to use
various methods to introduce an idea to the subconscious,
which will then transmit that idea to the conscious when
the proper occasion arises. This is done through the
introduction of a brief (often a thousandth of a second)
to the audio and/or visual senses. This message will be
so short that the conscious mind will immediately
disregard it as being unimportant, while the subconscious
will take the information and store it away.
Subliminal messaging was first introduced in the late
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19th century and was introduced in the 1950s as a

possible marketing tool. Mr. James Vicary claimed that
during a film shown in his New Jersey theater he had
used a tachistoscope to broadcast the words “Drink Coca-
Cola” and “Hungry? Eat popcorn” for 1/3000 of a second
at five second intervals, and that during the time of these
broadcasts sales of both increased dramatically.
This sparked a huge debate among the people of the
United States, who were afraid that the government
would now use subliminal messaging to attempt to
control the things they thought and did; they would not
be able to do anything about it because they would never
know. This controversy led to the banning of subliminal
messaging for any type of marketing purpose.
Although Mr. Vicary later admitted that the
experiment had been a fraud the concept of subliminal
messaging had been brought out into the open, and its
possible benefits were explored at length; however, to
date no study has definitively shown subliminal
messaging to be an effective way to control behavior.
2) Affirmation
Affirmation is the firm declaration of something to
be true, and is intended to convince the mind that what
it wants to happen will. For example, stating over and
over again, “I can get any job I want” is intended to
instill in the mind the confidence to go out and get any
job that it wants. This resembles the law of attraction,
but is not sufficient to sway the subconscious until other
methods are employed as well.
Wikipedia describes affirmation as so (this was
interesting, showing very well how affirmation and the
law of attraction are joined together, and would not have
been the same if it was altered in any way).
“In spirituality and personal development, an
affirmation is a form of autosuggestion in which a
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statement of a desirable intention or condition of the

world or the mind is deliberately meditated on and/or
repeated in order to implant it in the mind. Many
believers recommend accompanying recitations with
mental visualization of a desired outcome. Affirmation
could be viewed positively as a mobilization of one’s inner
resources, or negatively as a kind of self-induced
brainwashing, depending on the psychological depth and
wisdom of the affirmation. For example, believers would
consider “I am making more room in my life for success
every day” a much wiser affirmation than “I will win the
lottery today!” Affirmations are always phrased in the
first person and usually in a present tense (“I am”) rather
than a future tense (“I will”) in order to increase the
realization of the statement for the affirmee.
Affirmations are believed to be a very powerful means
of reprogramming the unconscious mind. They appear
to be most effective when repeated in a quiet and restful
state of mind and body, and when the desired outcome
is vividly experienced in one’s mind and resulting
emotions are felt. They are an intrinsic part of many
New Age groups including I AM Activity and the Church
Universal and Triumphant of Elizabeth Clare Prophet.
However, in these groups affirmations are generally
recited in flat, mechanical voices at top speed and
volume, in order to elevate particpants’ “vibratory levels”.
Perhaps the most often used and well-known
affirmation is the word “Amen,” which can be translated
simply as “so be it” or “and so it is,” affirming the truth
of whatever was written or said immediately prior. While
often used to conclude prayer, the word itself is neutral
as to its context and exemplifies a logical affirmation
more than a spiritual one.
3) Visualization
Visualization works in much the same way as
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affirmation; you visualize yourself achieving something

and your brain will come to believe it is so; therefore,
you will be able to do it. Again, this is closely related to
the law of attraction but does not address any underlying
issues which could contribute to negative vibes.
In Conclusion
Although the power of the law of attraction has yet
to be supported by any physical means its effects have
been proven time and time again. In spite of the
opposition which you will surely face, both within your
own mind and throughout the rest of your societal
acquaintances, if you adhere carefully to the guidelines
set forth you too will be able to unlock the power hidden
within the depths of your own mind and chart the course
for your own destiny.
– Bob Jak
“The significant problems we have cannot be solved

at the same level of thinking which created them . . .”
Albert Einstein
123
Know How To Be Rich
I f you think about it, money has no intrinsic value. In

fact, not a single person in this world wants money.
You don’t invest in the share market or buy gold
because you want money. What you are after is the value
behind money. In other words, what you really want is
the things money can buy such as house, a car, electronic
gadgets, security, freedom, vacation holidays, clothes,
comfort, and anything else that you place value on.
However, since you place meaning or value on what
money can buy, you think that you want money. If all
you wanted was money itself, then you would be happy
with a pile of coins and currency notes that you would
collect and never spend. It is important to understand
that money is a symbol and what you are really after is
the meaning behind the symbol, not money itself. When
you buy something at the store it appears that the money
you give them is “paying” for the purchase. However,
the money you’re using to pay for the purchase only
represents something that you have placed value on.
When you focus on the value behind the money and the
freedom it represents, then you are asking for the “money
124
As A Man Thinketh
behind the money.” It begins in the mind, and it is

composed of the same energy that makes up everything
else. Therefore, if you create a positive vision in your
mind of what money represents, (not the currency itself)
and constantly focus on it at a higher vibration, you can
manifest what money represents to you. You do this by
focusing on the purposes that you want to use the money
for, then you will receive the money to fulfill those
purposes. With money, you can have freedom to do
whatever you desire, buy gifts for loved ones, travel the
world, spend more time with family and friends, employ
others and help others in need. By allowing yourself to
accept riches over poverty, you’re sending a signal to the
universe that you’re ready to be rich today. Here is
something you need to know. Every successful person
has turned their Money Idea into a career or business.
Step One- Your Money Idea

You MUST have a Money Idea. In order to come up
with your Money Idea, you need to ask yourself these
Money Questions:
1) What am I great at doing? Leadership? Helping?
Healing, Talking? Listening? Relationships? Marketing?
Selling? Shopping? Cooking? Music? Sports? Everyone
in this world has a special skill or knowledge-base. What’s
yours?
2) What are you deeply passionate about? What
would you love to do even if you weren’t paid to do it?
What stimulates you?
3) How can you profit or generate a cash flow from
your idea? How are other people making money doing
what you would like to do?
Continue to ask yourself these questions, over and
over again. When you ask Money Questions, your
125
unconscious mind will give you a Money Answer. That’s

how your unconscious mind works.
When you’re trying to solve a problem or come up
with an idea, your unconscious mind holds the answer
to your “how-to” questions. Questions such as, “How can
I market this?” “How can I find someone to help me” or
simply, “How can I generate $100,000 from this business
or idea in the next 90 days?” “Never stop asking
questions. When you ask questions, an answer will come.
It’s waiting inside of you right now…so keep asking.
4) If you can’t think of the right questions to ask,
then all you have to ask is the QBQ or the Question
Behind the Question. Ask your unconscious “What
question to I need to ask to get the answer I desire? This
is called the QBQ, or the Question Behind the Question.
5) Ask your unconscious mind to make coming up
with an idea a high conscious and unconscious priority
for you, and then let it go. All it takes is a request: “Please
make (coming up with a Money Idea, solving this
problem, figuring out a way to market my product or
service, etc.) a high conscious and unconscious priority.”
Now, let your unconscious mind go to work and stop
thinking about it.
6) Continue to repeatedly ask questions and write
down whatever ideas come to mind. Start noticing the
ideas you have. The key is to not think, “Why haven’t I
come up with an idea yet?
What’s wrong with me?” When you get into that
mode, you shut yourself off to any new ideas. Notice
that when you focus on what you don’t want – how you’re
not coming up with any ideas. Ask yourself, “Am I moving
toward what I want or away from what I don’t want?”
Then switch your focus to coming up with an idea on
what you want. Request that your unconscious mind to
make it a high priority, and let it go. Do something fun.
126
As A Man Thinketh
Stop worrying about it. Now that you’ve made it an

unconscious priority, the idea will come. Remember, the
only place the Money Idea is coming from is within YOU.
Your Money Idea holds the key to your financial success.
Step two - Your Money Vision

We all have a vision. For some it is Fear, Failure,
Depression, etc. For some it is Success, Happiness and
Abundance. If you want to be successful, you have to
turn on your Money Vision. Here are some steps to
turning on your Money Vision.
1) Instead of using your regular vision, use your
Money Vision. Ask your unconscious mind to make it a
high priority to use your Money Vision to come up with
ideas.
2) As you walk around, consciously look for
opportunity. For instance, if you go into a department
store, besides the obvious merchandise you will also see
lights; price tags, cash register; computer; printed
materials, signs, shelves, etc. Everything in that store
was created in the mind of someone who then turned
that idea into a business. If you read a newspaper or a
magazine you will also see thousands of products and
services – each one created by someone who turned that
idea into a business.
3) Imagine that there is an abundance of ideas all
around you just waiting to pop into your conscious mind.
Write down at least 10 ideas that you could market. Some
of them may be improvements on something that is
already marketed. Don’t try to come up with the perfect
or an original idea. Just write down at least 10 ideas
that have potential. The point of this exercise is to get
into the habit of using your Money Vision.
4) As you do this don’t forget to express gratitude for
127
being given the opportunity to use your Money Vision.
Step three - Your Money Stream

Once you’ve started your business and you’ve
achieved some financial success, you need to create
multiple streams of income. If you don’t, you are at risk
of losing all of your money in your one business. When
you only have one source of revenue, you’re putting all
of your eggs in one basket. And if that basket falls or
breaks, you won’t have any other sources revenue.
However, if you put your eggs into more than one basket,
and allow those eggs to hatch and multiply then you’ll
always have more than enough eggs. And, if one or more
of the baskets falls or breaks, you have other baskets full
of eggs and you’ll never run out of income. The key is to
create multiple streams of income. While you want to
focus on one main product or service – you want to make
sure that you have multiple outlets for that product or
service. Ask yourself, “What are some other ways to bring
in revenue streams?” Once you have your Money Idea
and use your Money Vision, the ideas will start coming
to you. Remember to write them down. Start thinking in
terms of multiple revenue streams.
Step four - Your Money Theme

If you try to turn every single idea you have into a
profitable business, your energy will be scattered all over
the place. The key is to find an idea you love and have
that idea be the centerpiece or your Money Theme. If
you love the idea, and you just know it will succeed,
keep focusing on it. Many successful people have been
turned down hundreds of times on one idea, but because
they knew inside that their idea was money, they kept at
it until they succeeded. Most successful companies have
128
As A Man Thinketh
many different products or services, but they focus on

one core idea or theme. It could be discount goods or
services, selling to a high or low-end market, selling to a
niche group of people. They may eventually have
subsidiaries, but they all started out with one main idea
or theme and kept that as their main objective. Once
you come up with your Money Idea, you might have
different outlets for that idea, but you’ll always be driven
by your initial Money Idea. If one Money Idea does not
succeed, then, as long as you consciously look at the
world with your Money Vision, you’ll have an endless
flow of ideas from which to choose. There are a lot of
people who call themselves entrepreneurs, but they never
succeed. They are the ones who focus on dozens of
unrelated ideas or businesses at the same time. I am
sure you know the people I’m talking about. Perhaps
you’re one of them – I know I was for a long time. Until
I started focusing helping people to succeed and become
rich through teaching the Universal Principles for
Success, my focus was all over the place. But now, I have
my Money Theme. What is your Money Theme?
Step five - Your Money Market

Now that you have come up with your Money Idea
using your Money Vision, and you have your Money
Theme, it’s time to determine your Money Market. In
order to supply a product or service to your Money
Market, you have to know the demand of your Money
Customers.
1) Once you have your Money Idea, here some
questions you can ask to find out your Money Market:
Who is my ideal customer? What does he or she want
from me? What are her or his needs? How can I create
value for this person that others may have missed or are
129
not fulfilling? Is there a better or more unique way I can

serve these people than the competition?
2) Now ask your unconscious mind to make these
questions a high conscious and unconscious priority. Then
let go. Just let your unconscious mind do the work.
3) Continue to ask the questions over and over again
until answers start popping into your head. Ask the QBQ
if you get stuck. In other words, “What question do I
need to ask to get the answer I want?”
4) When you get your first answer, write it down. As
you practice this exercise, more and more ideas will flood
your mind. Write all of them down, and choose the one
that feels best to you. One that you feel is in alignment
with your desire. However, keep in mind the ONLY reason
why entrepreneurs are successful and profitable is
because they found a way to offer a unique value to
others. In other words, they are giving people what they
want in their own unique way, thereby adding value to
their lives. Ask yourself, “How can I create a unique value
for my Money Market? What kind of value does my
Money Customer want?”
To sum it up - Money Idea + Money Vision +
Money Stream + Money Theme + Money Market
= Lifelong Success. It is a simple but powerful formula
that never fails. Once again I will also remind you that -
your life will not change because you KNOW
what to do. It will change when you DO what
you know.
— Dr. Robert Anthony
130
As A Man Thinketh
Money as a Motivator
of Behavior
I
t has been said that, “Money may not be the most
important thing, but it’s way up there with oxygen.”
The fastest and easiest way to get the things you want
as quickly as possible is almost always to have enough
money to be able to buy them, whatever they cost. For
this reason, the desire to acquire money, quickly and
easily, and as much as possible, is a major motivator of
human behavior. But it is not usually money that people
really want.
Freedom
Sometimes I will ask my clients why they want to
acquire a lot of money. After thinking about their answer
for a couple of minutes, they finally conclude that what
they want more than anything else is “freedom.” In
reality, they see money as a means to achieving the
freedom they really desire. They define freedom as
having enough money so they can get everything they
want. Having enough money will enable them to be
completely free from worry about safety, security, leisure,
love, respect and fulfillment. They see having lots of
money as the fastest way to a good life.
131
Ten Million Dollars

In our programs, we do an exercise in Values
Clarification. When everyone is seated, we hand out
individual checks made out to each person in the amount
of $10 million dollars. Of course, the checks are not
cashable, but the idea of receiving $10 million dollars
cash gives people an opportunity to fantasize about what
they really want in their lives. We then have participants
break into groups, discuss what they would do if they
suddenly received $10 million, and then report back to
the group. We go around the room and write down their
answers on a white board or flip chart. Here is the most
amazing discovery: almost everything that our clients
would want to do, have, or acquire, does not cost any
money!
The Lust for Power

The desire for power is one of the most destructive
forces in the world today, and always has been. If the
fastest and easiest way to get all the things you want is
to have all the money you need, it then follows that the
fastest and easiest way to get the money you need is to
acquire power over people and resources, both in
business and at the political level. Power can be defined
as “the ability to control or influence money, people and
resources.” It is the ability to force people to do what
you want them to do, whether or not it is consistent
with their own personal desires.
Money and Power Together

Money starts out as the motivation for an expedient
person to fulfill his needs, for himself and his family. It
can soon become an end in itself. Once a person has
enough money so that he no longer worries about money,
132
As A Man Thinketh
it becomes a form of measurement, a scorecard that he

uses to compare himself against others. Megalomaniacs
and dictators often become obsessed with power, to the
exclusion of all other considerations. By the same token,
many men in business become preoccupied with money,
to the exclusion of other things, especially their families.
How Power is Acquired

There are different ways that power is acquired in
our society. In business, power is acquired by getting
results, by making decisions that lead to incremental gain
in revenues and profits. The most powerful people in
the business world are those with the best reputation
for achieving financial goals in their areas of
responsibility.
Action Exercise
Sometimes the relative rank order of importance of
a person is obvious. He or she might be better dressed,
or wear more jewelry. In the financial world, hierarchy
becomes clear in the way people speak or in the way
that they are treated by others. It is important to carry
yourself appropriately in order to be taken seriously in
the finance world.
— Brian Tracy
133
The Master Key System
This book inspired Bill

Gates to drop out of the
Harvard University and
pursue his dream of
“a computer on every
desktop.”
A New Christ
by
Wallace D. Wattles,
Best-Selling
author of
“Science of
Getting Rich”
134
As A Man Thinketh
QFORD Best-Sellers
DARE TO FAIL / lkgl foQyrk dk

(A book for those who hate to fail)
This book is dedicated to all the

millions of people who have tried and
failed in whatever they have
attempted; to those who have still not
achieved the things they want in life;
to those who have climbed to great
heights but have fallen; to the
multitudes who have suffered greatly
in their journey through life.
In a world where material
achievement is being equated to
‘success’, many people give up, become very disappointed, some
even commit suicide when they fail to get what they want.
What these people fail to know is that in the lives of all
the world’s greatest achievers lie a path laden with many
mistakes, set backs, disappointments and failures. But these
stories are seldom told. Failing is considered Taboo!
Now for the 1st time in the world, a book has revealed it
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Who then is the best person to share this inspiring message
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Billi, currently Asia’s top speaker, is a highly sought after
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Available in Hindi & English
135
The Science of Getting RICH

(Secret Behind THE SECRET)
The Science of Getting RICH is the 100-year-old book that

inspired Rhonda Byrne's bestselling The Secret- Explains the precise
series of practical steps that, if followed, guarantee prosperity-
Reveals the secrets that underlie today’s success and prosperity
movements. In his bestselling book, Wallace D. Wattles explains
that “universal mind” underlies and permeates all creation. Through
the process of visualization we can engage the law of attraction -
impressing our thoughts upon “formless substance” and bringing
the desired object or circumstances into material form. The author
emphasizes the critical importance of attitude: only by aligning
ourselves with the positive forces of natural law can we gain
unlimited access to the creative mind and its abundant rewards.
The Science of Getting Rich holds the secret to how economic and
emotional security can be achieved in a practical, imaginative, and
noncompetitive way, while maintaining a loving and harmonious
relationship with all of life. By living in accordance with the positive
principles outlined in this book, we can find our rightful place in
the cosmic scheme and create for ourselves an environment in which
to grow in wealth, wisdom, and happiness. Rhonda Byrne, in her
book, The Secret, tells how a 100-year-old book entered her life
and changed it forever. Here is that book. Written in 1910, The
Science of Getting Rich inspired Byrne to create her bestselling
video, and subsequently, to write her book. She has said that it
gave me a glimpse of The Secret. It was like a flame inside of my
heart. And with every day since, it’s just become a raging fire of
wanting to share all of this with the world. “There is a science of
getting rich. It is an exact science, like algebra or arithmetic. There
are certain laws which govern the process of acquiring riches. Once
a person learns and obeys these laws, he will get rich with
mathematical certainty.” - Wallace D. Wattles, The Science of Getting
Rich.
Available in English, Hindi, Marathi & Punjabi.

www.scienceofgettingrich.co.in

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As A Man Thinketh

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AS A MAN

Stop thinking in terms of “Limitations”

**Buy our titles online at www.A1Books.co.in

First Indian Edition: 2007

Published by Arunkant Jindal for QFORD, New Delhi (India)

“All that we achieve and

Mind is the Master-power that molds and makes,

“They themselves are makers of themselves”

by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and

An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process,

become by discovering within himself the laws of

will always be found to be harmoniously related to his

and its attendant sufferings apart from vicious

some direction. It is an indication that the individual is

ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use

uncleanliness and dishonesty, which solidify into

and habits of thought will produce their own effects,

sympathy, others by strong and pure thought, and others

This is the royal road to self-control and true

are disintegrating elements which break up the straight

oppressor because many are slaves; let us despise the

and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and

lofty attitudes in the spiritual realm, and again descend

all heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain

with the growth of opportunities that fit the scope of his

almness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of

C wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort

He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a

Keep your hands firmly upon the helm of thought. In

How To Attract Money

^^nfjnzrk ,d fnu bfrgkl cu tk,xh]

The Law of Attraction

Getting Everything You Want Out of Life Through the

accomplish great things and acquire great riches just by

What is the Law of Attraction?

The History of the Law of Attraction

understand that this is not simply New Age nonsense

What is the Premise of the Law of Attraction?

The theory behind the law of attraction is the belief

other people. It is important to understand that this is

What do Vibes Have to With the Law of Attraction?

wishing for it to happen. Sometimes it is a result of

How Can I Use the Law of Attraction?

factor in each of these events; in many cases you will

result you are hoping for is going to occur. This is an

What Can the Law of Attraction Do for You?

job simply isn’t interested in what they have to offer.

attraction will bring it to your doorstep. It might not be

“We are unlimited beings…we have no ceilings”

The same principle can be applied to the opening of

The same can be said of any attempts to open a

energy out into the universe, and consequently drawing

Love and Family

exactly what it is that you are looking for in a relationship.

part of your life within a few months of making the

When Doesn’t the Law of Attraction Work?

only thing standing between you and success is yourself;

Five Common Mistakes

information all of the time.

you were confident in its ability to effect the desired

It is those who have dared to dream, and believe in

Arguments Against the Law of Attraction

(–) poles is a fact of nature and science. Suffice to say,

In his book Six Easy Pieces Feynman states:

That’s right, straight from the mouth of one of the