Mastery of Fate
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A GREAT many new ideas of extreme value have recently appeared in current thought, but one of the most valuable is the idea that "he can who thinks he can;" and in the mastery of fate it will not only be necessary to keep this idea constantly in mind, but also to make the fullest possible use of the law upon which this idea is based.

To accomplish anything, ability is required; and it has been demonstrated that when man thinks he can do a certain thing, he increases the power and the capacity of that faculty which is required in doing what he thinks he can do.

To illustrate: When you think that you can succeed in business, you cause your business ability to develop, because by thinking that you can succeed in business you draw all the creative energies of the system into the business faculties, and consequently those faculties will be developed; and as those faculties are being developed, you gain that ability which positively can produce success in business.

You develop the power to do certain things by constantly thinking that you can do those things, because the law is that wherever in mind we concentrate attention, there development will take place; and we naturally concentrate upon that faculty that is required in the doing of that which we think we can do.

If you think that you can compose music, and continue to think that you can, you will develop that musical faculty that can compose music. Even though you may not have the slightest talent in that direction now, by thinking constantly that you can compose music you will develop that talent.

Results may begin to appear in a few months, or it may require a few years; nevertheless, if you continue to think that you can compose music, you will, in a few years be able to do so. Later on, you can develop into a rare musical genius.

Persistence, however, is required and all thought must be concentrated daily upon that one accomplishment. But this will not be difficult, because before long the entire mind will form a tendency to accumulate all its power and creative energy in the region of that one faculty; and constant development will take place both consciously and unconsciously.

Whatever a man desires to do, if he thinks that he can, he will develop the necessary power, and when the necessary power and ability are gained, the tangible results inevitably follow.

The secret is persistence. After you have decided what you want to do, begin to think that you can, and continue without ceasing to think that you can. Pay no attention to temporary failures; know that you can, and continue to think that you can.

To continue in the consciousness of the law that underlies this idea will bring greater results and more rapid results, because in that case you will consciously direct the developing process, and you will know that to think you can is to develop the power that can.

To keep constantly before mind the idea that "he can who thinks he can," will steadily increase the qualities of faith, self-confidence, perseverance and persistence; and whoever develops these qualities to a greater and greater degree will move forward without fail.

Therefore, to live in the conviction that "he can who thinks he can," will not only increase ability along the desired lines, but will also produce the power to push that ability into a living, tangible action.

In addition to thinking that you can do, try to do; put into practice at once what power and ability you possess, and by continuing to think that you can do more, you will develop the power to do more. To keep before mind the idea that "he can who thinks he can" will also hold attention upon the high ideals we have in view, and this is extremely important.

The fact is if we do not give ideal models to the creative energies of mind, those energies will employ whatever passes before them, as the senses admit all sorts of impressions from without.

The creative energies of mind are constantly producing thought, and these thoughts will be produced in the likeness of the deepest, the clearest and the most predominant mental impressions. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that the predominant impressions be those into the likeness of which we desire to grow, because, as the impressions are, so are the thoughts; and as the thoughts are, so is man.

When man thinks that he will succeed, the predominant impression is the idea of success. All his thoughts will therefore contain the elements of success, and the forces that can produce success; and he himself, will become thoroughly saturated with the very life of success.

Nothing succeeds like success; therefore, the, man that is filled with the spirit of success can never fail; and what is more, the forces that contain the elements of success will give that man the very qualifications that are essential to success, because like produces like.

And again, the faculty required to produce the success desired, will be the one upon which all these success-energies will be concentrated.

When a man has the ability to do certain things, those things will be done; that is a foregone conclusion; and the ability to do what we want to do, comes when we constantly and persistently think that we can do what we want to do.

In the mastery of fate, the law upon which this idea is based will be found indispensable; because, since fate is created, and not controlled, all the elements of fate will have to be constantly re-created.

But no one can do this unless he thinks he can. To change many of the circumstances and conditions that now may surround us, requires more ability and power than we now possess; and to secure this greater power we must proceed to change and improve everything in our world by working in the conviction that we can.

By constantly thinking that we can change all our conditions, we gain a power to produce that change, and will consequently reach our goal.

The man who faces his environment with the belief that he is helpless before so many insurmountable obstacles, will remain where he is; but the man who thinks he can, will proceed to surmount everything, overcome everything, change everything and improve everything; and by constantly thinking he can, he will gain the power to do what he thinks he can do.