How The Mind Works
	Building The Superior Mind <  Previous Contents Next  >

According to the conclusions of experimental psychology the possibilities that are latent in the soul of man are both limitless and numberless. It is evident therefore that when we learn to draw on the abundance of the great within we can readily build within ourselves all the elements of a superior mind. In applying this idea, however, the first essential is to recognize the fact that every effort to build for greater things must act directly upon the soul, because the soul is the only source of that which is expressed or that which may be expressed in the human personality.

In trying to build the superior in mind, life and character two methods have been employed. The first has been based upon the belief that man is naturally imperfect in every part of his being and that advancement may be promoted only by improving upon his imperfect qualities. The other method, which is the new method, is based upon the principle that man contains within himself all the qualities of superiority in a perfect state and that advancement is promoted, not by trying to improve upon his imperfections, but by trying to bring forth into personal expression more and more of the many perfect qualities that already exist within him.

The first method is necessarily a failure. And the reason why the race has improved so slowly is because this method has been used almost exclusively. A few, however, have in all ages, consciously or unconsciously used the second method, and it is through the efforts of these, that the advancement that we have made has been brought about. That the first method must be a failure is clearly understood when we realize that nothing can be evolved unless it is involved, and that it is impossible for man to bring forth the more perfect unless the more perfect already exists in a potential state within him.

This principle is well illustrated by the fact that we cannot produce light by acting upon darkness, nor produce perfection by trying to improve upon such things as do not have the possibilities of perfection. We cannot develop quality, worth or superiority in ourselves unless those elements which go to make up qualities of worth and superiority already exist within us. Development means the bringing out of that which is already within. But if there is nothing in the within no development will take place, no matter how faithfully we may apply ourselves. Thus we realize that before development along any line can be promoted, we must recognize the fact that we already possess within us all those elements that may be needed for the promotion of that development even to the highest possible degree. In other words, we must recognize the fact that all the possibilities of perfection already exist within us, and that we are therefore in reality perfect through and through as far as our real or interior nature is concerned.

Those who employ the first method do not recognize the greater possibilities within and therefore they do not try to bring forth what is already within them. They simply try to improve the imperfect in their personal nature by acting upon the imperfect. But we cannot fill an empty space by simply acting upon emptiness. We must bring something into that empty state if we wish fullness to take place. The imperfect lacks something; that is the reason why it is imperfect. And that something must be supplied from some other source before improvement or change for the better can be brought about. That something, however, that is lacking may be found in the great within because the great within contains everything that man may require to produce perfection in any part of his mind, character or personality.

The possibilities of the within are limitless and numberless. Of this fact we have any amount of evidence. Therefore by adopting the second method for building the superior in the human mind it is evident that any individual may steadily rise in the scale until he finally reaches the high goal of attainment that he may have in view.

To proceed, realize that the source of perfection and the source of all the elements of quality and worth exist already within you. Then by becoming more deeply conscious of these superior qualities that you possess within yourself those qualities will be expressed more and more, because the law is, that whatever we become conscious of within ourselves that we shall naturally express through mind and personality.

If you wish to improve any faculty or talent realize that the interior foundation of that faculty is perfect as well as limitless, and that you can make that faculty as remarkable as you wish by unfolding the perfection and the limitless power that is back of, beneath, or within that faculty. There is nothing to be gained by trying to patch up, so to speak, the imperfections of the exterior side of mind or personality through the application of some superficial or artificial method, though this is practically all that modern systems of mind building have attempted to do.

When we examine the results of those systems we realize how futile such methods necessarily are in this connection. However, when we proceed to enlarge the actual capacity of a faculty by drawing upon the interior and limitless source of that faculty we secure something with which to work. And by employing a scientific system of objective training in addition to the perpetual enlargement of a faculty from within, we build up not only a powerful faculty, but we learn to apply all of its power and talent in practical use.

The same methods will hold in the building of any part of the mind or the whole of the mind. And it is such methods through which we may secure not only satisfactory results in the present, but a perpetual increase of results for an indefinite period. Before we can employ these methods, however, we must recognize the fact that the real man within is already perfect and limitless and that the subconscious root of every talent or faculty is also perfect and limitless.

Therefore our object must not be to perfect our external selves by trying to improve upon our external selves regardless of what we may possess within us, but our object must be to bring forth into expression an ever increasing abundance of the power, the quality and the worth that is already latent within us. We must live, think and act with this great purpose uppermost in mind regardless of circumstances. In fact, everything we do must be done with the desire to bring forth more of the wonderful that is within us. And it is in this way that we may build the superior mind.

Those who have gone beneath the surface of mere existence and have familiarized themselves with real life know that the personal man is as he thinks. Therefore to perfect the personal man thought must be more perfect. But here we must remember that thought is created in the likeness of our own conception of ourselves. Therefore, so long as we think that we are imperfect in every part of body, mind and soul it is natural that our thought will be imperfect, and the personal man will accordingly in body, mind and character continue to be imperfect.

The law is that thought is the cause of every state or condition that appears in mind, character or personality. Thus we realize that so long as we think of ourselves as imperfect we will create imperfect thoughts; and imperfect thought will produce nothing else but imperfect conditions and states in every part of our being.

However, when man discovers that he himself in the real and in the soul state of his existence is absolutely perfect, he will think of himself as perfect, that is, he will not consider himself as an imperfect personality, but constantly think of himself as an individuality possessed of all the elements, powers and qualities of the highest state of perfection. Accordingly his thought will be perfect as far as he has developed this higher conception of himself. And since the personal man is in his nature the result of thought, more and more perfection will accordingly be expressed in every part of the personal man.

As man grows in the understanding of his own interior perfection his thought of himself will be higher and higher, better and better, more and more perfect. His mind, body and character will in consequence improve in proportion. And since there is no limit to the latent possibilities of perfection any individual can by attaining a larger and deeper conscious realization of the perfect qualities within develop himself perpetually, because whatever we become conscious of within ourselves that we naturally express through the life of the personality.

The art of building the superior in the human mind as well as in personality and character is therefore based upon the discovery that the real interior man is not only perfect in all his latent elements and qualities, but is actually a marvelous being; in fact is within himself limitless in power, having superior qualities that are actually numberless.

To unfold these possibilities and gradually bring out into expression more and more of the marvelous man within, we must become more and more conscious of this power and worth and perfection that exists within us. And this consciousness may be attained by thinking constantly with deep feeling of this interior perfection; and also by actually living for the one purpose of unfolding more and more of this interior perfection.

In brief, the principle is this: The superior already exists within us. When we become conscious of the superior we will, according to a leading metaphysical law, express the superior; and what we express in mind or personality becomes a permanent part of the personal man. Mind building, therefore, is based upon the bringing out of the greatness that is within, and in learning to apply in practical life that power which naturally comes forth, through mind and personality, as this interior greatness is unfolded.