 SINCE THIS ENTIRE BOOK has been built around the rewards of positive thinking, this chapter will show you how to direct the flow of personal power in various channels to enable you to attain certain predetermined results. We often hear people say: "I have a poor memory," or "I can't relax," or "I get tired very easily," etc. I will mention several of these conditions and suggest how you may beam your positive thoughts in their direction for quick results. Of course, once your entire thinking is on the positive side, you will automatically hold positive thoughts regarding any condition which might disturb you. But, as pointed out in an earlier chapter, mental exercises will be required to enable you to change your mental pattern from negative to positive. Until you do reach the position where it will be natural for you to "accentuate the positive," it would be good practice if you consciously focused positive directives toward the condition you wish to change. I would suggest that you reread the following pages a few times so that the various attributes will become familiar to you. Some of the subjects listed have been treated in earlier chapters but, for the convenience of having them all together, will again be mentioned here. Self-mastery. Until one can master himself, he will never able to master others. In talking about mastering others, I do not mean dominating others. I mean that form of leaders which makes people follow because they want to, not because they are ordered to do so. Self-mastery is that condition whereby your body is your servant and not your master. It does as you direct - and does not direct you. (It would be well to reread Chapter 4: Mind is Man.) If you find you are controlled by certain habits which you would like to overcome, instead of thinking of them as having enslaved you, hold a thought of self-mastery by knowing you have the power to overcome any unpleasant habit. If laziness has been holding you back, learn to like the things you have to do, instead of merely doing the things you like to do. To develop self-mastery, dwell upon a thought such as: "Each time a negative thought attempts to enter my mind, I will immediately become aware of it and will dissolve it with a positive thought. My self-confidence is mounting as day by day I gain greater mastery over self." Overcoming timidity. A good formula to use in changing any condition is to concentrate on the condition you want, not the condition you're attempting to overcome. To hold to a thought such as: I will not be timid, gives power, to the existing timidity. You do not want to be timid, so do not think about it. Instill in your mind a thought such as: "I like people. I like to be with people. I like to talk to people." Do not merely use lip service. As you affirm the fact that you like people and like to talk to people, actually see yourself enjoying - not fearing - the company of others. A woman who had been given this formula did not realize that her timidity was fading away until one day, after a party, it struck her that while there she had been thoroughly enjoying her conversation with others. Accentuating the positive proved to be effective therapy for her. Gaining a magnetic personality. What is a magnetic personality? Why is one person outstandingly attractive while others seem so drab? A magnetic personality is not something you see, but something you feel. The magnetism one projects to others comes from the heart. It consists of love, friendliness, generosity, understanding, etc. An individual with fine features and a good body can be repellent as far as magnetic personality is concerned, while a person entirely lacking in physical charm may have a most magnetic personality. Therefore, since personal magnetism is an intangible thing, something we project from within, it must be placed within the category of mind. This means that, if necessary or desirable, it can be changed by mind. As interesting as it may seem, when you hold to the thought: I have a magnetic personality, you are literally guided to do the things which will give you a magnetic personality. You become friendly; you are generous; you are understanding. You naturally do all of the things which will attract others to you. Along with your desire to like people, cultivate the habit of thinking of their comfort and happiness in preference to your own. Know that due to your genuine interest in other people, your personality is growing more magnetic. Mental concentration. People with a so-called "scatter-brain" are often considered to be slightly mentally defective. This, except in rare cases, is not so. The inability to concentrate is due to bad mental habits we fall into. We will be thinking of one thing, then another thought will enter our consciousness and power is given to that thought with the result that the first one is lost. Then another thought comes creeping along, power is given to that one, and the second one is lost, etc., etc. Mental concentration is our ability to hold on to one thought until we are through with it, before going on to the next one. The value of mental concentration is so great, it can rightfully be referred to as an art, yet, it is so easy to acquire. "I lack the ability to concentrate," many will say. Those who know anything about the mind, know that to make such a statement is literally instructing the Creative Mind to bring about such a condition. Unless you really want to be a scatter-brain," never again give utterance to the thought that you can't concentrate. To develop the powers of concentration, build upon a thought such as: "I am blessed with great powers of mental concentration. I can hold my thoughts on a single idea until I elect to discharge it from my mind." Building a Retentive Memory. Whenever you use the expressions: "I have forgotten," or "I can't remember," you are putting the powers of mind to work - but, against you. You know by now that such thoughts are accepted by your Creative Mind as instructions, and the Creative Mind works accordingly. In this case, it would work toward giving you a bad memory. It would see to it that you did forget - or could not remember. The Creative Mind is your storehouse of memory. It has retained everything you have heard, seen or read since your birth, right up to the present moment. To forget means that you lack the ability to bring into consciousness that which you already have in your Creative Mind. A good memory is merely an awareness of a good memory. The one with a good memory is not always thinking: "I have a bad memory," is he? No! He knows he has a good memory. If you want a good memory, never use the words: "forgotten," or "can't remember." Instead, just know that the facts you want will be forthcoming. If you want to bring a fact into consciousness, and it does not come readily, instead of saying: "I have forgotten," say something like: "It will come to me in a moment," and it will. So, from this moment onward, think in terms of: "I have a good memory." You will be surprised to find that your memory is good. Art of conversation. It is easier than you think to acquire the art of conversation. A good conversationalist is one who will pick his subject matter according to the tastes of those listening. He will refrain from anything of a controversial nature as he knows that if his listeners do not agree with him, he will at once prove unpopular. Arthur Brisbane, one of the greatest editorial writers of this century, said: "To win the favor of the public, tell them something they already know - and they'll agree with you." Would you believe me if I said that the quickest way to become a good conversationalist is to gain an awareness of being a good conversationalist? To say: "I wish I were a good conversationalist," is to admit that you are not - and don't expect to be. Instead, accentuate the positive, by building on the thought: "I am a good conversationalist." Do not say it once or twice. Say it many, many times. And practice! When with people, see how much you can add to the conversation. Do not hog the conversation, but be ready to advance your thoughts as the occasion arises. Peaceful sleep. One of the first chapters of this book is devoted to a discussion of sleep. It will help you if you review it occasionally. Remember! When you retire with a doubt in your mind as to whether or not you will sleep, the chances are strong that you will not sleep. When you retire with the thought that it is wonderful to be thoroughly relaxed and stretched out in bed, free of tight clothing, it is most likely you will not stay awake very long. Art of relaxation. "Oh, I just can't relax," is a statement I often hear. When I hear it, I reply by saying: "I am sure that is true." It is true because the "can't relax" thought acts as an instruction to the Creative Mind to keep the one who thinks it tense. When you are tense you are burning energy. When you are relaxed you are storing energy. Develop a relaxation consciousness. Know you can relax. When one is fully relaxed, he loses body consciousness. He is not aware of legs and arms and body. He is almost like a mind afloat. Practice relaxation. Learn to sit down and feel a looseness throughout the entire body. Ten minutes of such relaxation will do you lots of good, since short periods of relaxed rest are more beneficial than longer periods when the body is tense. Have you ever noticed what a master of relaxation a cat is? He will look very sleepy, then yawn a couple of times and drop off into peaceful sleep. In just a few minutes he will open his eyes wide and be thoroughly refreshed. Remember to accentuate the positive as far as relaxation is concerned. Until you master the art of relaxation, give your mind frequent instructions, such as: "I am master of my being and can fully relax at will. My mind is dwelling on peaceful, harmonious thoughts." The Possession of Poise. Just as you enjoy being with people of poise, so, too, will others enjoy being with you when you reflect poise. The real meaning of poise, according to Webster, is to be in balance. This, it seems to me, is a good definition as far as humans are concerned. We think of the one who can keep himself under control under all conditions as showing poise. Thomas Jefferson said: "Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances." The person of poise possesses many desirable characteristics, some of them being:
Remember! Accentuate the positive. Constantly see yourself as possessing all of the attributes which give you the poise so much admired by others. Overcoming fatigue. The remarks that follow relate to psychosomatic fatigue. If your energy is continually at low ebb, have a careful examination by your doctor, and be guided by him. Many people get tired because they expect to get tired. If they awaken in the morning, facing a day of many duties, they will allow a feeling of fatigue to start almost immediately, because they anticipate that by the end of the day they will be exhausted. And, they are usually right. By nightfall they are tired. In such cases, it has been the mind - more than the work - which made them tired. There are two types of fatigue, natural and psychosomatic. Natural fatigue is weariness resulting from bodily or mental exertion, according to one dictionary. It is easy to accept fatigue as being weariness from bodily exertion, but there is no such thing as mental fatigue, according to Bruce Bliven, who said: Laymen often speak of "mental fatigue" or "brain fog," thinking that long, concentrated mental effort produces tiredness in the brain itself. Yet scientists believe that this state cannot exist. Your brain is not like your muscles. Its operations are not muscular but electro-chemical in character, comparable in part to a direct-current wet-cell battery. When your brain appears tired after hours of mental work, the fatigue is almost certainly located in other parts of your body; your eyes, or muscles of your neck and back. The brain itself can go almost indefinitely. ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE There are several things one might do to avoid psychosomatic fatigue, which is the condition in which a person's mind generates fatigue, because he expects to get tired:
This chapter is a most valuable one. Place a bookmark at its beginning so that you can locate it readily. It will help you in gaining many blessings in life by continually accentuating the positive. Have you ever noticed the plus (+) and minus ( - ) signs on the storage battery in your automobile? The plus sign indicates the positive pole; the minus sign, the negative pole. Until you reach the point of being naturally positive minded, why not take a piece of soap, and on your bathroom mirror place a small + sign? Each time you see it, you will be reminded to check your thinking to make certain you really are accentuating the positive. |
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