Grow Rich While You Sleep
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THE STORY OF ALADDIN and his miraculous lamp and ring was undoubtedly written by one giving vent to his own desires to have wishes come true.

Most people indulge in wishful thinking, particularly those who feel that they are not getting out of life all that they should.

Many who have numerous troubles to worry about will think how nice it would be if they could go to sleep and awaken to find all of their problems solved. Would it seem ludicrous to say that this is well within the realm of possibility? As a matter of fact you possess the means of making all reasonable wishes come true.

If you are heavily in debt, this power within you can guide you to freedom from financial obligations. If you are not happy in the home you are occupying, this influence can let you out of it and into the "home of your dreams."

The size of the fortune you build is dependent solely upon the amount of the personal power you exert. It is just like your automobile: the more pressure you apply to the accelerator the faster you will go.

Whether your idea of riches is $50,000, $100,000 or a million or more, you have the mental power to bring it about. If you doubt this statement, ask yourself the question: "How did the millionaires acquire their money? Did Dame Fortune hand it to them? Was it their destiny to acquire plutocratic magnificence?" No - definitely no. These tycoons have been using their inner power, whether they knew it or not. They possess nothing you do not possess except, perhaps, the awareness that they can do things of great magnitude.

"But they have a better education than I have," you might declare in defense.

Tommyrot!

In New York lives a man with practically no education. At one time he was a harness maker at a very small wage. Today he owns two skyscrapers as well as a few fashionable apartment houses. He was just getting by when he awakened to the fact that he had a reservoir of power capable of guiding him to great heights.

A motto I wrote many years ago fits this and other similar cases perfectly. Think about it!

"A man may plod along for years without showing any signs of accomplishment... when sometime ... unexpectedly ... a powerful thought will seep into his consciousness - and a leader is born."

Education is desirable, very much so. One should obtain all the knowledge he can get and should see to it that his children are well educated. But, just because an individual did not have the opportunity of gaining an education is no reason for him to abandon any hopes of making an outstanding success of his life.

In a large sales organization in New York, one of the top-notch salesmen is a man whose education is nil. His conversation includes atrocious words such as "dese, dose, dem, ain't," etc. He does not sell to illiterate people, but calls on the heads of large companies.

As I will explain later in this chapter, this uneducated salesman is using the forces contained in his creative mind.

A businessman in an eastern metropolis was about to fail. Through a series of adverse conditions he had reached a point where his liabilities exceeded his assets by nearly $50,000.

Creditors were threatening suit; two of them had actually started litigation. Things looked so black for this man it seemed inevitable that his doors would soon be closed.

He was so discouraged that he dreaded coming to his office each morning, because he knew he would have to face a renewed barrage of telephone calls from creditors asking him for money and telling him what would happen if they did not get it.

One day while reading his newspaper on the train, he saw the story of a man who had taken over a nearly bankrupt business and had turned it into an outstanding success.

A series of provocative thoughts entered the mind of our troubled businessman.

"If that fellow could turn a near bankrupt business into a success, why can't I take my own near bankrupt business and do the same?" our friend asked himself.

Without realizing it, he had sparked his creative mind into action. He began thinking in terms of I CAN and I WILL. Did he now hesitate to go to his office? NO! The next morning he hastened into the city and the moment he entered his office door he asked his bookkeeper to give him a full list of all his creditors.

One by one he phoned these people. "Give me just a bit more time and you'll be paid in full - and with interest," he said with new-found enthusiasm.

"Did you land a big contract?" one of the largest creditors asked.

"No, but I have gained something far more important," replied the debtor. "I have acquired a new spirit which will put me over."

"I believe you have. I can hear it in your voice. Yes, we will be happy to cooperate with you," said the creditor with a note of real friendliness.

His voice, expressing sincere elation, drew a favorable response from every creditor who had formerly been threatening to sue him.

With his mind at peace, he concentrated his efforts on getting business; and with his newly found spirit, he had no difficulty in securing many worth-while contracts. It was not long before the books of this company showed no red ink, but important sums of earned profits.

In this case, nothing unusual happened. Business conditions were the same. The only change was in the mind of the man who had formerly felt his business was rapidly going on the rocks.

The SUBCONSCIOUS MIND vs. the CREATIVE MIND

In the early 1800's, when students of human behavior first began to realize that the mind was dual in its operation, the mind below the level of consciousness was named the subconscious mind. It was felt that the conscious mind, with its ability to think, scheme, plan and reason, would naturally be the master mind and that the other one would be subservient to it. This is far from being the truth.

As you are about to learn, the subconscious mind is the real seat of intelligence and power. No one ever has had or will have as much intelligence, consciously, as all of us have subconsciously.

The prefix "sub" means under, below, beneath, lower. For example: a post office substation is never as important as the main office. Why then, since the subconscious mind is the seat of intelligence and power, call it the subconscious mind?

Our thoughts and actions are continually being guided by the subconscious mind, whether or not we are led to success and happiness, or failure and despair.

As soon as we develop a success consciousness, the subconscious mind will direct us - in thought and action - to success and happiness. This being true, don't you believe with me that the name Creative Mind would be more fitting? I'm sure you do, so from this page onward every time I mention the Creative Mind, I mean that which we formerly referred to as the subconscious mind.

OUR MENTAL POWERHOUSE

The following is a very simple description of the Creative Mind and its relationship to the conscious mind. It is the same illustration I gave on the radio in New York in 1930, which the late Alfred Adler thought was the best description of the subconscious mind he had ever heard.

We will use a large manufacturing plant as an illustration. A big corporation, you know, has a president and a general manager. Of course it has many intermediate officers: vice-presidents, secretaries, treasurer, etc. For the sake of simplicity, we will think only of the president and the general manager.

Let us assume that the corporation in this illustration is an automobile plant.

The president does the planning; the general manager executes the plans.

When a new-model car is being contemplated, the president will make the decision as to all changes to be made. These changes will be given to the general manager. Designers and draftsmen are instructed to put the plans on paper; models are made; the plant is tooled up to create the new designs and on and on it goes until finally a car rolls off the line bearing all of the changes originally planned by the president.

This gives an ideal example of the relationship between the conscious and the creative mind.

The conscious mind is the president; the Creative Mind is the general manager.

The conscious mind does the thinking, planning, evaluating. The Creative Mind carries out the orders.

Let us assume, by way of illustration, that an individual was just getting by. He managed to keep food on the table and to pay his rent; but there never was any money left over for nice clothes, recreation, etc.

Suddenly a powerful thought entered his mind. He began to see himself as a success. He began to think in terms of "I AM a Success." All right, what happens?

His general manager - his Creative Mind - accepts the thought "I AM a Success" as an instruction. It is a new model ordered by the president - the conscious mind.

Now then, just as the general manager in the factory would give instructions to his many department heads, so, too, will your general manager - Creative Mind - begin sending out messages to his assistants throughout your body.

Your general manager knows that to be a success you must look like one. He will make you more alert; he will put a spring in your step; he will put a look of determination in your eye; he will put an expression in your voice which rings of success.

But, most important of all, your general manager will direct your thinking so that you will be guided to do the things which will make you a success.

Several years ago a man came to me hoping I could help him to find a job. He was in quite a predicament. His rent was overdue. His telephone had been disconnected. His grocer was about to shut off his credit.

I asked this man to repeat to himself frequently for the next 24 hours, particularly before retiring, "I AM a Success." This seemed incongruous to him, but I made him promise he would do it.

The next morning he awoke and had such an urge to go out and prove he was a success that he bolted down his breakfast to save every possible minute.

Leaving his house, instead of lagging along with the feeling that it would be another hopeless day, he marched with his chin up and chest out, with a mental attitude which told him he was facing a world of opportunities and that he could literally select the one best fitted to him.

Passing a department store, this revitalized man saw a small card in one of the windows which read: "Salesman Wanted, Hardware Department." He stared at the card a moment, then with determination walked into the store. In the personnel department he faced the man authorized to hire employees.

"I've had no experience selling hardware, sir, but I love tools and I believe I could fill the job advertised in your window."

The courageous and confident manner in which this applicant approached the personnel manager made an immediate good impression. Only a few preliminary questions were asked.

"I'd like to give you a chance to show what you can do. Can you start tomorrow morning?" said the man behind the desk.

This was several years ago. The man is now manager of his department and is making a good salary. He has purchased a comfortable home, drives a new car and is a very good provider for his wife and child.

The average ne'er-do-well feels that the road to success is long and tortuous. Is this true? The case just described proves it is not true. The tide turned for this man in just 24 hours.

After the pattern of success was implanted in the Creative Mind of this man, he, guided by the Creative Mind, became a success.

Isn't this a revelation to you? Isn't it hard to believe that you have been going through life wishing for things without realizing that through the use of your Creative Mind you do not have to wish, that you literally have it within your power to make your dreams come true?

Obtaining financial success is by no means the only use for your Creative Mind, as the following story shows.

A lonely "old maid" bemoaned the fact that she was not attractive to the opposite sex and that she was destined to a life of loneliness.

She was told to hold a thought, such as: "I am attractive to men. I will meet the man whom I can make happy and who, in turn, will make me happy."

What do you think happened? Within a few weeks she met a fine man and just four months later they were married. The last I heard they were divinely happy.

Stories of this kind might lead one to believe that I am indulging in some form of legerdemain, but I'm not. It is merely another evidence of what the Creative Mind can do for you when you will it to do so. This woman had not been friendly enough, and was selfish to the extent of not thinking of anyone but herself.

The Creative Mind, which you know has reasoning faculties independent of the conscious mind, guided this woman to become more friendly and unselfish. It is not hard to sense a friendly attitude, and men like the company of friendly women. So there you have it. She met a man who quickly became attracted to her. As they spent time together, her generosity toward him made him think in terms of a life together. So, they were married, and, I feel sure, will live happily ever after.

For about 15 years of my life I was a radio personality. In San Francisco I maintained a 30-minute daily broadcast for over ten years.

Ordinarily an audience would tire of hearing a half-hour talk seven days a week by the same man. This was not true in my case. "You seem to be getting better and better," letters by the score would declare.

I'm not trying to present myself as some sort of miracle man, because I am not. I did not do a thing you could not do. My secret, which enabled me to pull in up to 70 per cent of all the mail reaching the station, was that I made full use of my Creative Mind.

Script for a 30-minute program would require at least 14 pages of double-spaced typewriting. I used only a single page of the briefest kind of notes. In other words practically all of the talk was ad-libbed; a steady uninterrupted flow of words had to be forthcoming.

Every day, before going on the air, I would repeat to myself: 'This broadcast will be the best one I have ever given." And it would work just that way.

Immediately after greeting my listeners the thoughts would begin to flow and would continue until the clock said it was time to say good-bye.

My publishers comment on how few corrections have to be made in my manuscripts. Authors often have to rewrite entire portions - and sometimes all - of their books before printing. In my last book, I Will, not a single page was rewritten.

Am I bragging? No! Because I am no better than you are. I am merely making use of a force we all have. I am using the Creative Mind which is always standing by ready to guide me.

Before sitting down to the typewriter I talk to my Creative Mind. I usually say something, such as: "I am being guided in the thoughts which will make this book a helpful one to all who read it." And, just as though an inner voice were dictating to me, the thoughts flow and flow.

Please do not read these lines and say: "That sounds great. I'm going to try it sometime."

That word "going" is a bad word. It is indefinite. You can say you are going to do something, and if you do not do it for ten years you are still telling the truth. Instead of going to do something - do it!

You will never know the potency of your Creative Mind until you make use of it. Give it a chance to prove itself to you. Right this very instant it is waiting for your command.

Do not approach your Creative Mind negatively. Do not say to yourself: "I will try it to see if it works for me." The word "try" indicates a doubt. We do not try to do things we know we can do - we do them. To "see if it works for me" also expresses a doubt.

Think of something good you would like to have happen. As an example, suppose you had to make an important decision tomorrow. At the moment you are in a quandary; you do not know which course to take. All right! Right now begin holding a thought, such as: "Regarding the decision I must make, I will be guided to take the steps which will be best for all parties concerned." Repeat this several times, and especially before retiring. Know that by the time you must reach your decision, the plan to follow will be clear to you. You will be amazed to find how logical your thinking is and you will instinctively know that your opinion is sound.

But, do not stop there. Give your Creative Mind another task. You cannot overdo it. Like your automobile which is always ready to serve you, your Creative Mind merely awaits instruction.

Remember this! Your Creative Mind is never idle. It is always working either for or against you. Therefore, isn't it proper that you should keep it working for you?

HOW ABOUT HEALTH?

There is intelligence in every cell of your body, and this intelligence is an important part of your Creative Mind.

Without further comment on my part, doesn't this statement open up broad new vistas of understanding?

We started this chapter by referring to the Creative Mind as the seat of intelligence. There is one fact in this connection which should be mentioned at this time.

The Creative Mind, as you already know, accepts thoughts of the conscious mind as instructions and acts upon them. You have also learned that the Creative Mind has reasoning faculties independent of the conscious mind. Whether your thought is negative or positive, the Creative Mind without questioning will put the thought into effect.

If you think in terms of infirmities, your Creative Mind, which has contact with every cell in your body, will accept your thought as an instruction and will send out the message throughout your being to make you infirm, and as time goes on you will find a reflection of your thoughts in your being. You will slow down, your eyes will lose their sparkle, you will acquire an I-feel-miserable attitude.

Suppose, on the other hand, you begin developing an I-feel-great attitude; what will happen? You answer that question. With what you have already learned you know the answer. You will feel great.

A few years ago a New Orleans clinic published a paper which stated that 74 per cent of 500 consecutive patients admitted to the department handling gastrointestinal diseases were found to be suffering from emotionally induced illness. In 1951, a paper from the Outpatient Medical Department of an eastern university indicated that 76 per cent of patients coming to that clinic were suffering from emotionally induced illness, or, what is commonly referred to as psychosomatic symptoms.

If the ailments of 76 out of every hundred persons were mentally induced, doesn't it stand to reason that a glad-to-be-alive feeling can also be mentally induced? Naturally!

In your experiments to prove the effectiveness of the Creative Mind in adding to your health, wealth and happiness, learn how it can add materially to your health by giving it the proper instructions.

Think in terms of: "I am guided in thought and action to do the things that will be conducive to better health. My Creative Mind - with its contact with every cell in my body - will establish a health pattern which will make me feel better, look better, and be better."

Make this statement several times before retiring at night and note how much better you will feel the following day.

Do not overlook the importance of this chapter. It would make me happy if you were so enthusiastic about its contents that you reread it before proceeding to the next one.