Dynamic Thought
	Lesson For Week 8 <  Previous Contents Next  >

THERE has been a lot of nonsense written and spoken about the Law of Attraction.

People have been solemnly taught that all they need to do is to adopt a certain mental attitude, think thoughts of success and abundance, and then to sit and wait for abundance of all good things to drop from the skies at their feet. The folly of it is seen when we find that these teachers of "abundance" and "opulence" have themselves to work for a living, by teaching the very thing which, if true, would save them from all necessity of working.

Supposing it were true, then what is possible for one would be possible for all, and if all adopted this method of getting a living then who would till the soil or make our clothes? Would everything we need. come from the skies?

Even if these were true and man could draw all that he needed by the power of thought from the blue vault of heaven, then no one would have anything to do, life would become stagnant, and the race would perish from inaction.

Life is action, and if a man ceases to work he at once begins to disintegrate and soon requires six feet of earth wherein to cover his bones. When business men retire they quickly die, and those who, being born with riches have no necessity to work for a living, have to find work and interest of some sort in order to prevent themselves from mental and physical decay.

There is no such thing as getting something for nothing. The principle of the "square deal" runs right through life and the Universe. A business man who tries to get something for nothing, who, in other words, fails to give value for money, finally finds himself without a customer. Those who try to evade this law by creating trusts and combines will find that their ill gotten gains will be confiscated by a power greater than themselves.

The "square deal," reasonable profits, fair wages, honest straight-forward business integrity, all these will succeed and continue to succeed, as long as there remain people to do business with; but the "ring" or "combine" or "trust," squeezing its swollen, dishonest profits out of the life and blood of the common people, can only do business so long as the community allows them to. All who read history know what has been the fate of tyrants in the past, and there is no reason for believing that the profiteers and extortioners of the present day will fare any better.

Even if, however, a man can filch a fortune by unfair means, i.e., by not giving good value for money, by extortion or profiteering, he will lose in one direction exactly in proportion to that which he gains in another. Let him make a fortune by sharp practice; let him snap his fingers and sneer at integrity and honor and universal law; let him rejoice at what he has done; let him think himself a fine, clever fellow; nevertheless nemesis awaits him.

He will lose in love, peace of mind, happiness and health in exact proportion to his dishonest gain. He makes money, granted, but he loses that which money cannot buy. The writer has known men to be happy until they became wealthy, then they became of all men the most miserable. He has known them to be healthy while they were comparatively poor, and full of sickness and trouble when they became passing rich.

There is a Law of Compensation running through life and the Universe and you cannot avoid it. If you are to succeed you must work and accomplish; if you are to receive the riches of the world you must give of your best in exchange.

"Then give to the world the best you have, And the best will come back to you."

This is where the Law of Attraction operates, not by your sitting still and expecting the impossible to happen, but by the giving in faith and confidence of your best efforts to the World. By calling upon your hidden powers, and by creating powerful thoughts, you attract to yourself armies of thoughts of a similar kind, which passing into your subconscious mind are translated into actions of the highest type, the type that glories in achievement, and that wins Success. Thus if you give your best to the world, then in the form of a rich and abundant success "the best will come back to you."

These people who expect to be successful without working for it, take, many of them, great comfort from John Burrough's famous poem, the first verse of which is as follows:

"Serene, I fold my hands and wait;

Nor care for wind, or tide, or sea;

I rave no more 'gainst Time or Fate,

For lo! My own shall come to me."

Never was a sublime truth more perfectly expressed, but its meaning is the exact opposite to that which the "no work" people attach to it. It does not mean that we can literally sit and "think," without effort, good things into our lap. Instead, it describes the mental attitude of the man of faith—the man who believes he can succeed. Having adjusted his mind to the correct attitude, he is serene and calm, knowing that his efforts in the objective world of effort will be successful, owing to his mental world being in tune with all the higher cosmic forces.

These words therefore represent the mental attitude of a well poised, confident man, and have no connection with his physical life. Such a man owing to his mind being at peace, is always capable of the best and highest effort. It is those whose minds are at rest who work the best. Therefore those who think that they can become successful without translating their thoughts into actions, are deluding themselves.

Note the last line of the verse, "For lo! my own shall come to me." What is meant by "my own"? Obviously your own can only be that to which you are entitled, therefore "your own" can only be that which you have earned, are earning, or are going to earn,. by service to others. In other words, you have given, are giving, or will give, your best to the world, and "your own" will be the best that comes back to you through the operation of the Law of Compensation.

The principle of 'the square deal" runs through all life and the universe. Should an artist conceive a picture and be content that it remain in his mind, can he rightly expect payment for his creation? Would it be right if payment were made to him for a picture that existed only in his imaginative mind? No, because he has not rendered any service to his fellows, he has not given value for money. Let him therefore put his picture on canvas and thus bring joy and refreshment to many, and for his service payment will be made, and the greater his conception the greater will be the reward.

Again, an engineer conceives a bridge. Shall he be deserving of payment if he keeps it in his mind? No, let him transfer his mental image to paper and translate his drawings into actual steel and stone construction, and he will become a blessing to thousands. Then will he be worthy of the greatest rewards. Life demands of us a square deal, a fair exchange. If we are to receive we must give. If we give we shall receive.

Do not believe for one moment that chicanery, or sharp practice, or under-hand dealing, or hiding up faults, or taking advantage of other people's ignorance or weaknesses is going to lead to success, because it will not, and cannot. I have known plenty of men splendidly equipped for the battle of life, "brainy," resourceful, capable, and not lacking in courage, yet they have not succeeded, simply because they were not "straight." They were clever and plausible and could always do well at first interviews, but they could never keep their clients or customers because they failed to give honest service in exchange for honest money.

This world is crying aloud for honest, straightforward and sincere lawyers, doctors, business men, politicians, preachers and teachers. It calls for men of integrity, men who live their lives according to a principle instead of being mere opportunists; for men who love honor and truth, for men who believe in the principle of the square deal. The world wants men who will give of their very best, and upon such is willing to pour out its treasures in rich profusion. Principle and sincerity are more than ever needed today. Men who can be trusted, men on whom a nation, a world, can rely.

No great success is, or ever can be, possible without the quality of sincerity; no great achievement was ever won except by those to whom honor and principle were as the very breath of life. Look at the lives of all the truly great and successful ones that have ever lived, and we can only find sincerity of purpose—a giving of their very best service to the world. The extent of their sincerity was the measure of their greatness. They gave of their best, and greatness and immortality was their reward.

You may not seek greatness, you may not desire to become an "immortal"; your ideas of success may be but an increase of salary, a moderate fortune, or a well paid position in your calling or profession. To be a great writer or politician or poet or philosopher or leader of men; to be one great enough in character to carve your name on the history of your time; all these may not interest you in the slightest degree or, on the other hand, they may, but whatever your ambition may be, low or high, mean or great, you can only realize it if you are sincere.

To win success of any kind you must be sincere, you must give of your very best, you must somehow find expression for that which is within you.

As you come into conscious realization of the powers within you, you will have more to express. Therefore "your best" will be constantly getting better, with the consequence that your reward will be greater. In other words, as you develop "within," as you build up in the "unseen," so in like manner will your power to achieve be manifested in your life, and success and prosperity be attracted to you. All this is dependent upon your giving freely. If you give grudgingly you will receive but a scanty reward; if you give fully and freely of the best that is within you you will reap a rich and abundant harvest.

Give the best that is within you. How can I find words with which to express all that I mean? Give your best thoughts, hold nothing back; give your most faithful service, do not spare yourself, for all the cosmic forces are yours; give to the utmost of all the powers, the forces, the emotions, the inspirations that are within you; do this, and you will never lack. The universe is not run by caprice or chance, everything is according to Law. The Law of Compensation is immutable, it can never be evaded. "Whatsoever ye mete shall be measured to you again." These are scientific facts.

Thus do we hold our lives and destinies in our own hands. We can give our best to the world—our best in service, in love, in devotion, in honesty, in faithfulness, in inspiration, in beauty—our best in all that we do or attempt to do; and back to us will come unerringly the highest good, the greatest joy, the best that life can offer. Or on the other hand we may give poor service, try to get what we do not deserve, endeavor by slimness, trickiness and sharp practice to snatch an advantage at the expense of others, and in return we shall reap a harvest of trouble, disappointment, unhappiness and failure.

"Then give to the world the best you have, And the best will come back to you." No longer can you offer the world the more or less imperfect service which has hitherto been the best that you could offer. Now are you entering into the fullness and glory of the vast powers of your subliminal mind, now are you controlling an ever-growing stream of creative thoughts; now are all these inward forces being translated into action, and that action can only be better service, better work, higher accomplishment, more abundant success than ever you have known before.

Let imperfect work belong only to the past; the badly scrubbed doorstep, the mediocre poem, the commonplace picture, the half-hearted service in parliament; time-serving, men pleasing, instead of working for a grand ideal; let it all go, it belongs to yesterday and yesterday is dead. It belongs to the imperfect past. Now you live in a more perfect present, and press on to a still more perfect future.

Mistakes and shortcomings of the past shall have no more dominion over you; in your bands is the key which opens up the way to all freedom and accomplishment.

From now onward the new and wonderful life within you will well up with ever-increasing power and find expression in better work, in tasks more perfectly

performed, in service more generously given, in more complete self-control.

Leave the past and its failures; you have nothing to do either with it or them; today is yours and the future shall be according as you build today.

This week's affirmation is:

I GIVE TO THE WORLD THE BEST I HAVE, AND THE BEST COMES BACK TO ME.

Then visualize yourself giving the very highest and best service of which you are capable and then picture the highest good coming back to you in return. Make this mental picture very real; it will have a great effect for good in your life.

As a visualizing exercise take a flower and picture its "growth" backwards from the full bloom right back to the planted seed. Actually "see" the whole process.

There is no need for me to anxiously snatch and grab, to hoard and scrape, to cheat and squeeze my fellow men. I do not have to run after success and fortune; instead, they kneel down at my feet and pay me homage. I need stoop to no subterfuges, no low cunning, no doubtful methods, for everything I need is mine, all that I desire comes to me, by the operation of Natural Law. I realize now that I am one with, and form a part of, the Infinite Mind. I realize that the Infinite Mind is "everything there is," and that everything there is is Infinite Mind. Therefore as I am a part of the Infinite Mind I too am all things and all things are in me.

Therefore everything that I can possibly require, peace of mind and health of body, achievement of friends, love, prosperity, success, these are all mine; they hasten to minister to my eternal joy.

I am a magnet, I attract to myself only the highest good.

I am attuned only to the highest vibration of health, success, accomplishment, happiness; the lower vibrations of disease, failure, want and unhappiness can find no echo in my mind, no manifestation in my life.

I am in my inner, higher, better Self a radiant and sublime Mental Being, partaking of the nature of the Infinite Mind, of which I form a part, and in whom I live and move and have my being.

I pour out unstintedly upon my fellows my best work and efforts, my richest thoughts and emotions; I give to the World the very best that is mine. Yet the more unselfishly I give the more richly am I blest, the more abundantly are life's choicest gifts showered upon me.

Give to the world the best you have, not merely your labor, your work, your earnest endeavor, but your inspiration, the very best that is in you. Not only work in the usual sense of the word, not only labor by accomplishing your daily task better than ever before, but in addition work mentally, work creatively, work along original lines. Strive to do something fresh, create something new, add something to the world's total sum of joy and happiness. This can only be done by spending your spare time, not in frivolous pleasures, but in concentration in the Silence.

Still the outer mind and the senses, and then in the Silence listen to the still small voice of inspiration. Thus will you receive your message which will send you out into life with a glow of passionate desire in your heart. In this way will you conceive that invention which hitherto has eluded you. Only by this means will you be able to evolve the original idea which will make your life really successful and useful.