Every year without fail, the words “resolutions” and “valentine” spike up on web searches. Millions of people log in to their favorite search engines and google for goals and love. According to Google Trends, the searches for the word “resolutions” spike up right at the end of each year. The searches for the word “valentine” spike up at the second week of February. Let us ride the wave and set some post valentines resolutions.

Where is Your Horizon?

How far into the future do you set your goals? Are you only looking at the next 18 months? Your actions and choices today will affect your future. Successful people think further into the future than unsuccessful people. They are willing to invest for the future instead of getting instant gratification. They are willing to sow the seeds and wait for them to bear fruits.

Set a major goal that is attainable but have a longer term view of it. Your major mission in life becomes your moral compass, helping you make the right choices along the way. If you only think of the near term, your habits, friends, output and choices will show.

The Feeling of Achievement

One of my decisions this year is to get used to the taste of victory. I want to get used to the idea of winning. I want to get used to the idea of being a super achiever. It is a self perpetuating state. The more you think of yourself as a winner, the more likely you are to succeed.

Positive thinking alone will not make you win your battles, but it does a lot more for your success than negative thinking ever can. So how do you develop the feeling of achievement? The answer lies with the goals you set for yourself.

If you set goals that are almost impossible to achieve, then chances are that you will not achieve them. The biggest man was once a baby. Start with baby goals and grow with them. Get used to the little league before jumping into the small league. Learn to spell before you write your novel.

Celebrate each victory no matter how small. When you set a specific, measurable goal, and you reach it, take a moment to celebrate. Take a moment to reflect on what made you succeed. As you do that over and over, you will grow in confidence and ability. You will establish a pattern of winning that will be difficult to break.

Life Work Balance

Do you have an insatiable desire for wealth that is detrimental to your values and relationships? Taking business and success too seriously can lead to stress and emotional turmoil that can ruin everything else.

Since launching this blog, I have written on a wide array of topics ranging from Personal Branding, to Emotional Mastery to Relationships and Getting Rich. I have tried to inspire you and me to find balance instead of chasing success in only one aspect of life. How would you like to gain the whole world and lose your soul? How would you feel if you became the richest man in your city and lose you family?

Take regular breaks from work or business. It helps create a healthy work / life balance. You can spend time with your family and friends when taking breaks from work.

Take a piece of piece of paper and set your goals in all aspects of your life. Re-evaluate your quest for success and decide if you are paying a fair price. Is your job worth your family life? Is your night out worth your school grades? Is a little grass worth your career?

Finding the One

Find the one goal that makes you happy. Put in the requisite time and effort to attain that goal. Going on with life without a major goal is like setting out to sea without a destination in mind.

The major goal for this blog, this year, is to create a community of positive minded people. I want to provide a personal development platform and an environment for people to share their experiences. I am still working behind the scenes to put the building blocks in place. It is a goal that has consumed me and will continue to until it turns out into reality.

What is your major goal in life? What are you trying to achieve this year or in your life? Take time to really understand yourself and where you want to go. You are the captain of your universe and you owe it to yourself to get direction. Nobody can tell you what your major goal should be. Look within and you will find it. When you find your goal, give it your very best.

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Someone once said, “Given a long enough timeline, we shall all be dead”. Life is so temporary. We are on earth for a season, yet for a reason. Why are you here? Have you found your mission yet? Have you found your calling yet? What would your legacy be if you took your last breath tonight?

I always fantasized about dying young when I was younger. I listened to Tupac and Biggie Smalls as they sang about their impending deaths. But death no longer excites me. I don’t get the same kick nowadays when I write my own obituary. Unfortunately, my death is just around the corner.

Knowing that I am only mortal helps me focus on the important things in life. I know I can be re-called to my maker anytime now so I have to make every moment count. Am I freaking you out?

Imagine the shock that Nelson Mandela must have had in 2001 when CNN pre-maturely (wrongly) published his pre-written obituary. CNN pulled down the webpage in 20 minutes but the damage had already been done.

Nelson Mandela was neither the first nor the last person to be pre-maturely declared dead. When Mark Twain was wrongly reported to be dead, this is what he famously said: “The report of my death has been grossly exaggerated”.

I know this a gloomy way to start the year, but stay with me.

When setting your 2010 resolutions (if you have not already done so), please keep in mind that you are only here for a season. Align your resolutions with your true mission in life.

If you found out that you were terminally ill, would you spend more time at the pub? Would you spend more time with your family? Would you travel the world? Would you try to make more money? What would you really do?

Find out what really matters and only do that. Your time is limited.

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[This is the final part of the serialization of the book "As a Man Thinketh" By James Allen]

A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as the result of thought, and as he develops a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect he ceases to fuss and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene.

The calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others; and they, in turn, reverence his spiritual strength, and feel that they can learn of him and rely upon him. The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Even the ordinary trader will find his business prosperity increase as he develops a greater self-control and equanimity, for people will always prefer to deal with a man whose demeanour is strongly equable.

The strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. “Who does not love a tranquil heart, a sweet-tempered, balanced life? It does not matter whether it rains or shines, or what changes come to those possessing these blessings, for they are always sweet, serene, and calm. That exquisite poise of character, which we call serenity is the last lesson of culture, the fruitage of the soul. It is precious as wisdom, more to be desired than gold—yea, than even fine gold. How insignificant mere money seeking looks in comparison with a serene life—a life that dwells in the ocean of Truth, beneath the waves, beyond the reach of tempests, in the Eternal Calm!

“How many people we know who sour their lives, who ruin all that is sweet and beautiful by explosive tempers, who destroy their poise of character, and make bad blood! It is a question whether the great majority of people do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of self-control. How few people we meet in life who are well balanced, who have that exquisite poise which is characteristic of the finished character!

Yes, humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt only the wise man, only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey him.

Tempest-tossed souls, wherever ye may be, under whatsoever conditions ye may live, know this: In the ocean of life the isles of Blessedness are smiling, and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming. Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought. In the bark of your soul reclines the commanding Master; He does but sleep: wake Him. Self-control is strength; Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, “Peace, be still!”

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[This blog post is part of the serialization of the book "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen]

Composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, sage, these are the makers of the after-world, the architects of heaven. The world is beautiful because they have lived; without them, labouring humanity would perish.

He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it. Columbus cherished a vision of another world, and he discovered it; Copernicus fostered the vision of a multiplicity of worlds and a wider universe, and he revealed it; Buddha beheld the vision of a spiritual world of stainless beauty and perfect peace, and he entered into it.

Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all, heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.

To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to, achieve. Shall man’s basest desires receive the fullest measure of gratification, and his purest aspirations starve for lack of sustenance? Such is not the Law: such a condition of things can never obtain: “ask and receive.”

Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.

The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.

Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not long remain so if you but perceive an Ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot travel within and stand still without. Here is a youth hard pressed by poverty and labour; confined long hours in an unhealthy workshop; unschooled, and lacking all the arts of refinement. But he dreams of better things; he thinks of intelligence, of refinement, of grace and beauty. He conceives of, mentally builds up, an ideal condition of life; the vision of a wider liberty and a larger scope takes possession of him; unrest urges him to action, and he utilizes all his spare time and means, small though they are, to the development of his latent powers and resources. Very soon so altered has his mind become that the workshop can no longer hold him. It has become so out of harmony with his mentality that it falls out of his life as a garment is cast aside, and, with the growth of opportunities, which fit the scope of his expanding powers, he passes out of it forever. Years later we see this youth as a full-grown man. We find him a master of certain forces of the mind, which he wields with worldwide influence and almost unequalled power. In his hands he holds the cords of gigantic responsibilities; he speaks, and lo, lives are changed; men and women hang upon his words and remould their characters, and, sunlike, he becomes the fixed and luminous centre round which innumerable destinies revolve. He has realized the Vision of his youth. He has become one with his Ideal.

And you, too, youthful reader, will realize the Vision (not the idle wish) of your heart, be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both, for you will always gravitate toward that which you, secretly, most love. Into your hands will be placed the exact results of your own thoughts; you will receive that which you earn; no more, no less. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your Ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration: in the beautiful words of Stanton Kirkham Davis, “You may be keeping accounts, and presently you shall walk out of the door that for so long has seemed to you the barrier of your ideals, and shall find yourself before an audience—the pen still behind your ear, the ink stains on your fingers and then and there shall pour out the torrent of your inspiration. You may be driving sheep, and you shall wander to the city-bucolic and open-mouthed; shall wander under the intrepid guidance of the spirit into the studio of the master, and after a time he shall say, ‘I have nothing more to teach you.’ And now you have become the master, who did so recently dream of great things while driving sheep. You shall lay down the saw and the plane to take upon yourself the regeneration of the world.”

The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, and chance. Seeing a man grow rich, they say, “How lucky he is!” Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim, “How highly favoured he is!” And noting the saintly character and wide influence of another, they remark, “How chance aids him at every turn!” They do not see the trials and failures and struggles which these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience; have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable, and realize the Vision of their heart. They do not know the darkness and the heartaches; they only see the light and joy, and call it “luck”. They do not see the long and arduous journey, but only behold the pleasant goal, and call it “good fortune,” do not understand the process, but only perceive the result, and call it chance.

In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. Gifts, powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized.

The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart—this you will build your life by, this you will become.

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[This blog post is part of the ongoing serialization of the classic personal development book "As a man Thinketh" by James Allen]

A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of himself; he must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition.

It has been usual for men to think and to say, “Many men are slaves because one is an oppressor; let us hate the oppressor.” Now, however, there is amongst an increasing few a tendency to reverse this judgment, and to say, “One man is an oppressor because many are slaves; let us despise the slaves.”

The truth is that oppressor and slave are co-operators in ignorance, and, while seeming to afflict each other, are in reality afflicting themselves. A perfect Knowledge perceives the action of law in the weakness of the oppressed and the misapplied power of the oppressor; a perfect Love, seeing the suffering, which both states entail, condemns neither; a perfect Compassion embraces both oppressor and oppressed.

He who has conquered weakness, and has put away all selfish thoughts, belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free.

A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts. He can only remain weak, and abject, and miserable by refusing to lift up his thoughts.

Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things, he must lift his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence. He may not, in order to succeed, give up all animality and selfishness, by any means; but a portion of it must, at least, be sacrificed. A man whose first thought is bestial indulgence could neither think clearly nor plan methodically; he could not find and develop his latent resources, and would fail in any undertaking. Not having commenced to manfully control his thoughts, he is not in a position to control affairs and to adopt serious responsibilities. He is not fit to act independently and stand alone. But he is limited only by the thoughts, which he chooses.

There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and the strengthening of his resolution and self-reliance. And the higher he lifts his thoughts, the more manly, upright, and righteous he becomes, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements.

The universe does not favour the greedy, the dishonest, the vicious, although on the mere surface it may sometimes appear to do so; it helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. All the great Teachers of the ages have declared this in varying forms, and to prove and know it a man has but to persist in making himself more and more virtuous by lifting up his thoughts.

Intellectual achievements are the result of thought consecrated to the search for knowledge, or for the beautiful and true in life and nature. Such achievements may be sometimes connected with vanity and ambition, but they are not the outcome of those characteristics; they are the natural outgrowth of long and arduous effort, and of pure and unselfish thoughts.

Spiritual achievements are the consummation of holy aspirations. He who lives constantly in the conception of noble and lofty thoughts, who dwells upon all that is pure and unselfish, will, as surely as the sun reaches its zenith and the moon its full, become wise and noble in character, and rise into a position of influence and blessedness.

Achievement, of whatever kind, is the crown of effort, the diadem of thought. By the aid of self-control, resolution, purity, righteousness, and well-directed thought a man ascends; by the aid of animality, indolence, impurity, corruption, and confusion of thought a man descends.

A man may rise to high success in the world, and even to lofty altitudes in the spiritual realm, and again descend into weakness and wretchedness by allowing arrogant, selfish, and corrupt thoughts to take possession of him.

Victories attained by right thought can only be maintained by watchfulness. Many give way when success is assured, and rapidly fall back into failure.

All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and are of the same method; the only difference lies in the object of attainment.

He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.

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[This blog post is part of the serialization of the book "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen]

They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pityings, all of which are indications of weakness, which lead, just as surely as deliberately planned sins (though by a different route), to failure, unhappiness, and loss, for weakness cannot persist in a power evolving universe.

A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal, or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at the time being; but whichever it is, he should steadily focus his thought-forces upon the object, which he has set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought. Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting-point for future power and triumph.

Those who are not prepared for the apprehension of a great purpose should fix the thoughts upon the faultless performance of their duty, no matter how insignificant their task may appear. Only in this way can the thoughts be gathered and focussed, and resolution and energy be developed, which being done, there is nothing which may not be accomplished.

The weakest soul, knowing its own weakness, and believing this truth ‘that strength can only be developed by effort and practice, will, thus believing, at once begin to exert itself, and, adding effort to effort, patience to patience, and strength to strength, will never cease to develop, and will at last grow divinely strong.

As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.

To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.

Having conceived of his purpose, a man should mentally mark out a straight pathway to its achievement, looking neither to the right nor the left. Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded; they are disintegrating elements, which break up the straight line of effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual, useless. Thoughts of doubt and fear never accomplished anything, and never can. They always lead to failure. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in.

The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them. thwarts himself at every step.

He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. His every, thought is allied with power, and all difficulties are bravely met and wisely overcome. His purposes are seasonably planted, and they bloom and bring forth fruit, which does not fall prematurely to the ground.

Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force: he who knows this is ready to become something higher and stronger than a mere bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations; he who does this has become the conscious and intelligent wielder of his mental powers.

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[This blog post is part of the serialization of the classic personal development book "As a Man Thinketh" By James Allen]

Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought. Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a sickly body. Thoughts of fear have been known to kill a man as speedily as a bullet, and they are continually killing thousands of people just as surely though less rapidly. The people who live in fear of disease are the people who get it. Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body, and lays it open to the, entrance of disease; while impure thoughts, even if not physically indulged, will soon shatter the nervous system.

Strong, pure, and happy thoughts build up the body in vigour and grace. The body is a delicate and plastic instrument, which responds readily to the thoughts by which it is impressed, and habits of thought will produce their own effects, good or bad, upon it.

Men will continue to have impure and poisoned blood, so long as they propagate unclean thoughts. Out of a clean heart comes a clean life and a clean body. Out of a defiled mind proceeds a defiled life and a corrupt body. Thought is the fount of action, life, and manifestation; make the fountain pure, and all will be pure.

Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food.

Clean thoughts make clean habits. The so-called saint who does not wash his body is not a saint. He who has strengthened and purified his thoughts does not need to consider the malevolent microbe.

If you would protect your body, guard your mind. If you would renew your body, beautify your mind. Thoughts of malice, envy, disappointment, despondency, rob the body of its health and grace. A sour face does not come by chance; it is made by sour thoughts. Wrinkles that mar are drawn by folly, passion, and pride.

I know a woman of ninety-six who has the bright, innocent face of a girl. I know a man well under middle age whose face is drawn into inharmonious contours. The one is the result of a sweet and sunny disposition; the other is the outcome of passion and discontent.

As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode unless you admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body and a bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the free admittance into the mind of thoughts of joy and goodwill and serenity.

On the faces of the aged there are wrinkles made by sympathy, others by strong and pure thought, and others are carved by passion: who cannot distinguish them? With those who have lived righteously, age is calm, peaceful, and softly mellowed, like the setting sun. I have recently seen a philosopher on his deathbed. He was not old except in years. He died as sweetly and peacefully as he had lived.

There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills of the body; there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow. To live continually in thoughts of ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self made prison-hole. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently learn to find the good in all—such unselfish thoughts are the very portals of heaven; and to dwell day by day in thoughts of peace toward every creature will bring abounding peace to their possessor.

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[This blog post is a serialization of the book, "As a Man Thinketh", by James Allen]

Here is a man who is wretchedly poor. He is extremely anxious that his surroundings and home comforts should be improved, yet all the time he shirks his work, and considers he is justified in trying to deceive his employer on the ground of the insufficiency of his wages. Such a man does not understand the simplest rudiments of those principles which are the basis of true prosperity, and is not only totally unfitted to rise out of his wretchedness, but is actually attracting to himself a still deeper wretchedness by dwelling in, and acting out, indolent, deceptive, and unmanly thoughts.

Here is a rich man who is the victim of a painful and persistent disease as the result of gluttony. He is willing to give large sums of money to get rid of it, but he will not sacrifice his gluttonous desires. He wants to gratify his taste for rich and unnatural viands and have his health as well. Such a man is totally unfit to have health, because he has not yet learned the first principles of a healthy life.

Here is an employer of labour who adopts crooked measures to avoid paying the regulation wage, and, in the hope of making larger profits, reduces the wages of his workpeople. Such a man is altogether unfitted for prosperity, and when he finds himself bankrupt, both as regards reputation and riches, he blames circumstances, not knowing that he is the sole author of his condition.

I have introduced these three cases merely as illustrative of the truth that man is the causer (though nearly always is unconsciously) of his circumstances, and that, whilst aiming at a good end, he is continually frustrating its accomplishment by encouraging thoughts and desires which cannot possibly harmonize with that end. Such cases could be multiplied and varied almost indefinitely, but this is not necessary, as the reader can, if he so resolves, trace the action of the laws of thought in his own mind and life, and until this is done, mere external facts cannot serve as a ground of reasoning.

Circumstances, however, are so complicated, thought is so deeply rooted, and the conditions of happiness vary so, vastly with individuals, that a man’s entire soul-condition (although it may be known to himself) cannot be judged by another from the external aspect of his life alone. A man may be honest in certain directions, yet suffer privations; a man may be dishonest in certain directions, yet acquire wealth; but the conclusion usually formed that the one man fails because of his particular honesty, and that the other prospers because of his particular dishonesty, is the result of a superficial judgment, which assumes that the dishonest man is almost totally corrupt, and the honest man almost entirely virtuous. In the light of a deeper knowledge and wider experience such judgment is found to be erroneous. The dishonest man may have some admirable virtues, which the other does, not possess; and the honest man obnoxious vices which are absent in the other. The honest man reaps the good results of his honest thoughts and acts; he also brings upon himself the sufferings, which his vices produce. The dishonest man likewise garners his own suffering and happiness.

It is pleasing to human vanity to believe that one suffers because of one’s virtue; but not until a man has extirpated every sickly, bitter, and impure thought from his mind, and washed every sinful stain from his soul, can he be in a position to know and declare that his sufferings are the result of his good, and not of his bad qualities; and on the way to, yet long before he has reached, that supreme perfection, he will have found, working in his mind and life, the Great Law which is absolutely just, and which cannot, therefore, give good for evil, evil for good. Possessed of such knowledge, he will then know, looking back upon his past ignorance and blindness, that his life is, and always was, justly ordered, and that all his past experiences, good and bad, were the equitable outworking of his evolving, yet unevolved self.

Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles. Men understand this law in the natural world, and work with it; but few understand it in the mental and moral world (though its operation there is just as simple and undeviating), and they, therefore, do not co-operate with it.

Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in some direction. It is an indication that the individual is out of harmony with himself, with the Law of his being. The sole and supreme use of suffering is to purify, to burn out all that is useless and impure. Suffering ceases for him who is pure. There could be no object in burning gold after the dross had been removed, and a perfectly pure and enlightened being could not suffer.

The circumstances, which a man encounters with suffering, are the result of his own mental inharmony. The circumstances, which a man encounters with blessedness, are the result of his own mental harmony. Blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure of right thought; wretchedness, not lack of material possessions, is the measure of wrong thought. A man may be cursed and rich; he may be blessed and poor. Blessedness and riches are only joined together when the riches are rightly and wisely used; and the poor man only descends into wretchedness when he regards his lot as a burden unjustly imposed.

Indigence and indulgence are the two extremes of wretchedness. They are both equally unnatural and the result of mental disorder. A man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy, healthy, and prosperous being; and happiness, health, and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer, of the man with his surroundings.

A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts; ceases to kick against circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities within himself.

Law, not confusion, is the dominating principle in the universe; justice, not injustice, is the soul and substance of life; and righteousness, not corruption, is the moulding and moving force in the spiritual government of the world. This being so, man has but to right himself to find that the universe is right; and during the process of putting himself right he will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him.

The proof of this truth is in every person, and it therefore admits of easy investigation by systematic introspection and self-analysis. Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance. Bestial thoughts crystallize into habits of drunkenness and sensuality, which solidify into circumstances of destitution and disease: impure thoughts of every kind crystallize into enervating and confusing habits, which solidify into distracting and adverse circumstances: thoughts of fear, doubt, and indecision crystallize into weak, unmanly, and irresolute habits, which solidify into circumstances of failure, indigence, and slavish dependence: lazy thoughts crystallize into habits of uncleanliness and dishonesty, which solidify into circumstances of foulness and beggary: hateful and condemnatory thoughts crystallize into habits of accusation and violence, which solidify into circumstances of injury and persecution: selfish thoughts of all kinds crystallize into habits of self-seeking, which solidify into circumstances more or less distressing. On the other hand, beautiful thoughts of all kinds crystallize into habits of grace and kindliness, which solidify into genial and sunny circumstances: pure thoughts crystallize into habits of temperance and self-control, which solidify into circumstances of repose and peace: thoughts of courage, self-reliance, and decision crystallize into manly habits, which solidify into circumstances of success, plenty, and freedom: energetic thoughts crystallize into habits of cleanliness and industry, which solidify into circumstances of pleasantness: gentle and forgiving thoughts crystallize into habits of gentleness, which solidify into protective and preservative circumstances: loving and unselfish thoughts crystallize into habits of self-forgetfulness for others, which solidify into circumstances of sure and abiding prosperity and true riches.

A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances. A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.

Nature helps every man to the gratification of the thoughts, which he most encourages, and opportunities are presented which will most speedily bring to the surface both the good and evil thoughts.

Let a man cease from his sinful thoughts, and all the world will soften towards him, and be ready to help him; let him put away his weakly and sickly thoughts, and lo, opportunities will spring up on every hand to aid his strong resolves; let him encourage good thoughts, and no hard fate shall bind him down to wretchedness and shame. The world is your kaleidoscope, and the varying combinations of colours, which at every succeeding moment it presents to you are the exquisitely adjusted pictures of your ever-moving thoughts.

“So You will be what you will to be;

Let failure find its false content

In that poor word, ‘environment,’

But spirit scorns it, and is free.

“It masters time, it conquers space;

It cowes that boastful trickster, Chance,

And bids the tyrant Circumstance

Uncrown, and fill a servant’s place.

“The human Will, that force unseen,

The offspring of a deathless Soul,

Can hew a way to any goal,

Though walls of granite intervene.

“Be not impatient in delays

But wait as one who understands;

When spirit rises and commands

The gods are ready to obey.”

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[This blog post is part of the serialization of the book "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen]

Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also reveals, within himself, the laws of thought, and understands, with ever-increasing accuracy, how the thought-forces and mind elements operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances, and destiny.

Thought and character are one, and as character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstance, the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. This does not mean that a man’s circumstances at any given time are an indication of his entire character, but that those circumstances are so intimately connected with some vital thought-element within himself that, for the time being, they are indispensable to his development.

Every man is where he is by the law of his being; the thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there, and in the arrangement of his life there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a law which cannot err. This is just as true of those who feel “out of harmony” with their surroundings as of those who are contented with them.

As a progressive and evolving being, man is where he is that he may learn that he may grow; and as he learns the spiritual lesson which any circumstance contains for him, it passes away and gives place to other circumstances.

Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself.

That circumstances grow out of thought every man knows who has for any length of time practised self-control and self-purification, for he will have noticed that the alteration in his circumstances has been in exact ratio with his altered mental condition. So true is this that when a man earnestly applies himself to remedy the defects in his character, and makes swift and marked progress, he passes rapidly through a succession of vicissitudes.

The soul attracts that which it secretly harbours; that which it loves, and also that which it fears; it reaches the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of its unchastened desires,—and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.

Every thought-seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.

The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought, and both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are factors, which make for the ultimate good of the individual. As the reaper of his own harvest, man learns both by suffering and bliss.

Following the inmost desires, aspirations, thoughts, by which he allows himself to be dominated, (pursuing the will-o’-the-wisps of impure imaginings or steadfastly walking the highway of strong and high endeavour), a man at last arrives at their fruition and fulfilment in the outer conditions of his life. The laws of growth and adjustment everywhere obtains.

A man does not come to the almshouse or the jail by the tyranny of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of grovelling thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress of any mere external force; the criminal thought had long been secretly fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity revealed its gathered power. Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself No such conditions can exist as descending into vice and its attendant sufferings apart from vicious inclinations, or ascending into virtue and its pure happiness without the continued cultivation of virtuous aspirations; and man, therefore, as the lord and master of thought, is the maker of himself the shaper and author of environment. Even at birth the soul comes to its own and through every step of its earthly pilgrimage it attracts those combinations of conditions which reveal itself, which are the reflections of its own purity and, impurity, its strength and weakness.

Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are. Their whims, fancies, and ambitions are thwarted at every step, but their inmost thoughts and desires are fed with their own food, be it foul or clean. The “divinity that shapes our ends” is in ourselves; it is our very self. Only himself manacles man: thought and action are the gaolers of Fate—they imprison, being base; they are also the angels of Freedom—they liberate, being noble. Not what he wishes and prays for does a man get, but what he justly earns. His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions.

In the light of this truth, what, then, is the meaning of “fighting against circumstances?” It means that a man is continually revolting against an effect without, while all the time he is nourishing and preserving its cause in his heart. That cause may take the form of a conscious vice or an unconscious weakness; but whatever it is, it stubbornly retards the efforts of its possessor, and thus calls aloud for remedy.

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[Chapter two of the book - As a Man Thinketh by James Allen]

As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called “spontaneous” and “unpremeditated” as to those, which are deliberately executed.

Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.

“Thought in the mind hath made us, What we are

By thought was wrought and built. If a man’s mind

Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes

The wheel the ox behind….

..If one endure

In purity of thought, joy follows him

As his own shadow—sure.”

Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harbouring of grovelling thoughts.

Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.

Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this—that man is the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.

As a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills.

Man is always the master, even in his weaker and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his “household.” When he begins to reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application, self analysis, and experience.

Only by much searching and mining, are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being, if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul; and that he is the maker of his character, the moulder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, and utilizing his every experience, even to the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself which is Understanding, Wisdom, Power. In this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that “He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened;” for only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.

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Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,

And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes

The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,

Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:—

He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:

Environment is but his looking-glass.

Foreword

THIS little volume (the result of meditation and experience) is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on the much-written-upon subject of the power of thought.

It is suggestive rather than explanatory, its object being to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that— by virtue of the thoughts, which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master-weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.

“They themselves are makers of themselves.”

JAMES ALLEN.

BROAD PARK AVENUE, ILFRACOMBE, ENGLAND

———————————————

“As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen is an inspiring book about the power of your mind.

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The emotion of sex contains the secret of creative ability.

CHAPTER 11 ( Think and Grow Rich Book – Napoleon Hill)

THE MYSTERY OF SEX TRANSMUTATION

The Tenth Step toward Riches

WHY MEN SELDOM SUCCEED BEFORE FORTY

I discovered, from the analysis of over 25,000 people, that men who succeed in an outstanding way, seldom do so before the age of forty, and more often they do not strike their real pace until they are well beyond the age of fifty. This fact was so

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astounding that it prompted me to go into the study of its cause most carefully, carrying the investigation over a period of more than twelve years.

This study disclosed the fact that the major reason why the majority of men who succeed do not begin to do so before the age of forty to fifty, is their tendency to DISSIPATE their energies through over indulgence in physical expression of the emotion of sex. The majority of men never learn that the urge of sex has other possibilities, which far transcend in importance, that of mere physical expression. The majority of those who make this discovery, do so after having wasted many years at a period when the sex energy is at its height, prior to the age of forty-five to fifty. This usually is followed by noteworthy achievement.

The lives of many men up to, and sometimes well past the age of forty, reflect a continued dissipation of energies, which could have been more profitably turned into better channels. Their finer and more powerful emotions are sown wildly to the four winds. Out of this habit of the male, grew the term, “sowing his wild oats.”

The desire for sexual expression is by far the strongest and most impelling of all the human emotions, and for this very reason this desire, when harnessed and transmuted into action, other than that of physical expression, may raise one to the status of a genius.

One of America’s most able business men frankly admitted that his attractive secretary was responsible for most of the plans he created. He admitted that her presence lifted him to heights of creative

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imagination, such as he could experience under no other stimulus.

One of the most successful men in America owes most of his success to the influence of a very charming young woman, who has served as his source of inspiration for more than twelve years. Everyone knows the man to whom this reference is made, but not everyone knows the REAL SOURCE of his achievements.

History is not lacking in examples of men who attained to the status of genii, as the result of the use of artificial mind stimulants in the form of alcohol and narcotics. Edgar Allen Poe wrote the “Raven” while under the influence of liquor, “dreaming dreams that mortal never dared to dream before.” James Whitcomb Riley did his best writing while under the influence of alcohol. Perhaps it was thus he saw “the ordered intermingling of the real and the dream, the mill above the river, and the mist above the stream.” Robert Burns wrote best when intoxicated, “For Auld Lang Syne, my dear, we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for Auld Lang Syne.”

But let it be remembered that many such men have destroyed themselves in the end. Nature has prepared her own potions with which men may safely stimulate their minds so they vibrate on a plane that enables them to tune in to fine and rare thoughts which come from–no man knows where! No satisfactory substitute for Nature’s stimulants has ever been found.

It is a fact well known to psychologists that there is a very close relationship between sex desires and

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spiritual urges–a fact which accounts for the peculiar behavior of people who participate in the orgies known as religious “revivals,” common among the primitive types.

The world is ruled, and the destiny of civilization is established, by the human emotions. People are influenced in their actions, not by reason so much as by “feelings.” The creative faculty of the mind is set into action entirely by emotions, and not by cold reason. The most powerful of all human emotions is that of sex. There are other mind stimulants, some of which have been listed, but no one of them, nor all of them combined, can equal the driving power of sex.

A mind stimulant is any influence which will either temporarily, or permanently, increase the vibrations of thought. The ten major stimulants, described, are those most commonly resorted to. Through these sources one may commune with Infinite Intelligence, or enter, at will, the storehouse of the subconscious mind, either one’s own, or that of another person, a procedure which is all there is of genius.

A teacher, who has trained and directed the efforts of more than 30,000 sales people, made the astounding discovery that highly sexed men are the most efficient salesmen. The explanation is, that the factor of personality known as “personal magnetism” is nothing more nor less than sex energy. Highly sexed people always have a plentiful supply of magnetism. Through cultivation and understanding, this vital force may be drawn upon and used to great advantage in the relationships between

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people. This energy may be communicated to others through the following media:

When employing salesmen, the more capable sales manager looks for the quality of personal magnetism as the first requirement of a salesman. People who lack sex energy will never become enthusiastic nor inspire others with enthusiasm, and enthusiasm is one of the most important requisites in salesmanship, no matter what one is selling.

The public speaker, orator, preacher, lawyer, or salesman who is lacking in sex energy is a “flop,” as far as being able to influence others is concerned. Couple with this the fact, that most people can be influenced only through an appeal to their emotions,

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and you will understand the importance of sex energy as a part of the salesman’s native ability. Master salesmen attain the status of mastery in selling, because they, either consciously, or unconsciously, transmute the energy of sex into SALES ENTHUSIASM! In this statement may be found a very practical suggestion as to the actual meaning of sex transmutation.

The salesman who knows how to take his mind off the subject of sex, and direct it in sales effort with as much enthusiasm and determination as he would apply to its original purpose, has acquired the art of sex transmutation, whether he knows it or not. The majority of salesmen who transmute their sex energy do so without being in the least aware of what they are doing, or how they are doing it.

Transmutation of sex energy calls for more will power than the average person cares to use for this purpose. Those who find it difficult to summon will-power sufficient for transmutation, may gradually acquire this ability. Though this requires will-power, the reward for the practice is more than worth the effort.

The entire subject of sex is one with which the majority of people appear to be unpardonably ignorant. The urge of sex has been grossly misunderstood, slandered, and burlesqued by the ignorant and the evil minded, for so long that the very word sex is seldom used in polite society. Men and women who are known to be blessed–yes, BLESSED–with highly sexed natures, are usually looked upon as being people who will bear watching.

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Instead of being called blessed, they are usually called cursed.

Millions of people, even in this age of enlightenment, have inferiority complexes which they developed because of this false belief that a highly sexed nature is a curse. These statements, of the virtue of sex energy, should not be construed as justification for the libertine. The emotion of sex is a virtue ONLY when used intelligently, and with discrimination. It may be misused, and often is, to such an extent that it debases, instead of enriches, both body and mind. The better use of this power is the burden of this chapter.

It seemed quite significant to the author, when he made the discovery that practically every great leader, whom he had the privilege of analyzing, was a man whose achievements were largely inspired by a woman. In many instances, the “woman in the case” was a modest, self-denying wife, of whom the public had heard but little or nothing. In a few instances, the source of inspiration has been traced to the “other woman.” Perhaps such cases may not be entirely unknown to you.

Intemperance in sex habits is just as detrimental as intemperance in habits of drinking and eating. In this age in which we live, an age which began with the world war, intemperance in habits of sex is common. This orgy of indulgence may account for the shortage of great leaders. No man can avail himself of the forces of his creative imagination, while dissipating them. Man is the only creature on earth which violates Nature’s purpose in this connection. Every other animal indulges its sex

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nature in moderation, and with purpose which harmonizes with the laws of nature. Every other animal responds to the call of sex only in “season.” Man’s inclination is to declare “open season.”

Every intelligent person knows that stimulation in excess, through alcoholic drink and narcotics, is a form of intemperance which destroys the vital organs of the body, including the brain. Not every person knows, however, that over indulgence in sex expression may become a habit as destructive and as detrimental to creative effort as narcotics or liquor.

A sex-mad man is not essentially different than a dope-mad man! Both have lost control over their faculties of reason and will-power. Sexual overindulgence may not only destroy reason and willpower, but it may also lead to either temporary, or permanent insanity. Many cases of hypochondria (imaginary illness) grow out of habits developed in ignorance of the true function of sex.

From these brief references to the subject, it may be readily seen that ignorance on the subject of sex transmutation, forces stupendous penalties upon the ignorant on the one hand, and withholds from them equally stupendous benefits, on the other.

Widespread ignorance on the subject of sex is due to the fact that the subject has been surrounded with mystery and beclouded by dark silence. The conspiracy of mystery and silence has had the same effect upon the minds of young people that the psychology of prohibition had. The result has been increased curiosity, and desire to acquire more

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knowledge on this “verboten” subject; and to the shame of all lawmakers, and most physicians–by training best qualified to educate youth on that subject–information has not been easily available.

Seldom does an individual enter upon highly creative effort in any field of endeavor before the age of forty. The average man reaches the period of his greatest capacity to create between forty and sixty. These statements are based upon analysis of thousands of men and women who have been carefully observed. They should be encouraging to those who fail to arrive before the age of forty, and to those who become frightened at the approach of “old age,” around the forty-year mark. The years between forty and fifty are, as a rule, the most fruitful. Man should approach this age, not with fear and trembling, but with hope and eager anticipation.

If you want evidence that most men do not begin to do their best work before the age of forty, study the records of the most successful men known to the American people, and you will find it. Henry Ford had not “hit his pace” of achievement until he had passed the age of forty. Andrew Carnegie was well past forty before he began to reap the reward of his efforts. James J. Hill was still running a telegraph key at the age of forty. His stupendous achievements took place after that age. Biographies of American industrialists and financiers are filled with evidence that the period from forty to sixty is the most productive age of man.

Between the ages of thirty and forty, man begins to learn (if he ever learns), the art of sex transmutation.

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This discovery is generally accidental, and more often than otherwise, the man who makes it is totally unconscious of his discovery. He may observe that his powers of achievement have increased around the age of thirty-five to forty, but in most cases, he is not familiar with the cause of this change; that Nature begins to harmonize the emotions of love and sex in the individual, between the ages of thirty and forty, so that he may draw upon these great forces, and apply them jointly as stimuli to action.

Sex, alone, is a mighty urge to action, but its forces are like a cyclone–they are often uncontrollable. When the emotion of love begins to mix itself with the emotion of sex, the result is calmness of purpose, poise, accuracy of judgment, and balance. What person, who has attained to the age of forty, is so unfortunate as to be unable to analyze these statements, and to corroborate them by his own experience?

When driven by his desire to please a woman, based solely upon the emotion of sex, a man may be, and usually is, capable of great achievement, but his actions may be disorganized, distorted, and totally destructive. When driven by his desire to please a woman, based upon the motive of sex alone, a man may steal, cheat, and even commit murder. But when the emotion of LOVE is mixed with the emotion of sex, that same man will guide his actions with more sanity, balance, and reason.

Criminologists have discovered that the most hardened criminals can be reformed through the influence of a woman’s love. There is no record of

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a criminal having been reformed solely through the sex influence. These facts are well known, but their cause is not. Reformation comes, if at all, through the heart, or the emotional side of man, not through his head, or reasoning side. Reformation means, “a change of heart.” It does not mean a “change of head.” A man may, because of reason, make certain changes in his personal conduct to avoid the consequences of undesirable effects, but GENUINE REFORMATION comes only through a change of heart–through a DESIRE to change.

Love, Romance, and Sex are all emotions capable of driving men to heights of super achievement. Love is the emotion which serves as a safety valve, and insures balance, poise, and constructive effort. When combined, these three emotions may lift one to an altitude of a genius. There are genii, however, who know but little of the emotion of love. Most of them may be found engaged in some form of action which is destructive, or at least, not based upon justice and fairness toward others. If good taste would permit, a dozen genii could be named in the field of industry and finance, who ride ruthlessly over the rights of their fellow men. They seem totally lacking in conscience. The reader can easily supply his own list of such men.

The emotions are states of mind. Nature has provided man with a “chemistry of the mind” which operates in a manner similar to the principles of chemistry of matter. It is a well known fact that, through the aid of chemistry of matter, a chemist may create a deadly poison by mixing certain elements, none of which are–in themselves–

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harmful in the right proportions. The emotions may, likewise, be combined so as to create a deadly poison. The emotions of sex and jealousy, when mixed, may turn a person into an insane beast.

The presence of any one or more of the destructive emotions in the human mind, through the chemistry of the mind, sets up a poison which may destroy one’s sense of justice and fairness. In extreme cases, the presence of any combination of these emotions in the mind may destroy one’s reason.

The road to genius consists of the development, control, and use of sex, love, and romance. Briefly, the process may be stated as follows:

Encourage the presence of these emotions as the dominating thoughts in one’s mind, and discourage the presence of all the destructive emotions. The mind is a creature of habit. It thrives upon the dominating thoughts fed it. Through the faculty of will-power, one may discourage the presence of any emotion, and encourage the presence of any other. Control of the mind, through the power of will, is not difficult. Control comes from persistence, and habit. The secret of control lies in understanding the process of transmutation. When any negative emotion presents itself in one’s mind, it can be transmuted into a positive, or constructive emotion, by the simple procedure of changing one’s thoughts.

THERE IS NO OTHER ROAD TO GENIUS THAN THROUGH VOLUNTARY SELF EFFORT! A man may attain to great heights of financial or business achievement, solely by the

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driving force of sex energy, but history is filled with evidence that he may, and usually does, carry with him certain traits of character which rob him of the ability to either hold, or enjoy his fortune. This is worthy of analysis, thought, and meditation, for it states a truth, the knowledge of which may be helpful to women as well as men. Ignorance of this has cost thousands of people their privilege of HAPPINESS, even though they possessed riches.

The emotions of love and sex leave their unmistakable marks upon the features. Moreover, these signs are so visible, that all who wish may read them. The man who is driven by the storm of passion, based upon sex desires alone, plainly advertises that fact to the entire world, by the expression of his eyes, and the lines of his face. The emotion of love, when mixed with the emotion of sex, softens, modifies, and beautifies the facial expression. No character analyst is needed to tell you this–you may observe it for yourself.

The emotion of love brings out, and develops, the artistic and the aesthetic nature of man. It leaves its impress upon one’s very soul, even after the fire has been subdued by time and circumstance.

Memories of love never pass. They linger, guide, and influence long after the source of stimulation has faded. There is nothing new in this. Every person, who has been moved by GENUINE LOVE, knows that it leaves enduring traces upon the human heart. The effect of love endures, because love is spiritual in nature. The man who cannot be stimulated to great heights of achievement by love,

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is hopeless–he is dead, though he may seem to live.

Even the memories of love are sufficient to lift one to a higher plane of creative effort. The major force of love may spend itself and pass away, like a fire which has burned itself out, but it leaves behind indelible marks as evidence that it passed that way. Its departure often prepares the human heart for a still greater love.

Go back into your yesterdays, at times, and bathe your mind in the beautiful memories of past love. It will soften the influence of the present worries and annoyances. It will give you a source of escape from the unpleasant realities of life, and maybe–who knows?–your mind will yield to you, during this temporary retreat into the world of fantasy, ideas, or plans which may change the entire financial or spiritual status of your life.

If you believe yourself unfortunate, because you have “loved and lost,” perish the thought. One who has loved truly, can never lose entirely. Love is whimsical and temperamental. Its nature is ephemeral, and transitory. It comes when it pleases, and goes away without warning. Accept and enjoy it while it remains, but spend no time worrying about its departure. Worry will never bring it back.

Dismiss, also, the thought that love never comes but once. Love may come and go, times without number, but there are no two love experiences which affect one in just the same way. There may be, and there usually is, one love experience which leaves a deeper imprint on the heart than all the others, but all love experiences are beneficial, except

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to the person who becomes resentful and cynical when love makes its departure.

There should be no disappointment over love, and there would be none if people understood the difference between the emotions of love and sex. The major difference is that love is spiritual, while sex is biological. No experience, which touches the human heart with a spiritual force, can possibly be harmful, except through ignorance, or jealousy.

Love is, without question, life’s greatest experience. It brings one into communion with Infinite Intelligence. When mixed with the emotions of romance and sex, it may lead one far up the ladder of creative effort. The emotions of love, sex, and romance, are sides of the eternal triangle of achievement-building genius. Nature creates genii through no other force.

Love is an emotion with many sides, shades, and colors. The love which one feels for parents, or children is quite different from that which one feels for one’s sweetheart. The one is mixed with the emotion of sex, while the other is not.

The love which one feels in true friendship is not the same as that felt for one’s sweetheart, parents, or children, but it, too, is a form of love.

Then, there is the emotion of love for things inanimate, such as the love of Nature’s handiwork. But the most intense and burning of all these various kinds of love, is that experienced in the blending of the emotions of love and sex. Marriages, not blessed with the eternal affinity of love, properly balanced and proportioned, with sex, cannot be happy ones–and seldom endure. Love, alone, will

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not bring happiness in marriage, nor will sex alone. When these two beautiful emotions are blended, marriage may bring about a state of mind, closest to the spiritual that one may ever know on this earthly plane.

When the emotion of romance is added to those of love and sex, the obstructions between the finite mind of man and Infinite Intelligence are removed. Then a genius has been born!

What a different story is this, than those usually associated with the emotion of sex. Here is an interpretation of the emotion which lifts it out of the commonplace, and makes of it potter’s clay in the hands of God, from which He fashions all that is beautiful and inspiring. It is an interpretation which would, when properly understood, bring harmony out of the chaos which exists in too many marriages. The disharmonies often expressed in the form of nagging, may usually be traced to lack of knowledge on the subject of sex. Where love, romance and the proper understanding of the emotion and function of sex abide, there is no disharmony between married people.

Fortunate is the husband whose wife understands the true relationship between the emotions of love, sex, and romance. When motivated by this holy triumvirate, no form of labor is burdensome, because even the most lowly form of effort takes on the nature of a labor of love.

It is a very old saying that “a man’s wife may either make him or break him,” but the reason is not always understood. The “making” and “breaking” is the result of the wife’s understanding, or

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lack of understanding of the emotions of love, sex, and romance.

Despite the fact that men are polygamous, by the very nature of their biological inheritance, it is true that no woman has as great an influence on a man as his wife, unless he is married to a woman totally unsuited to his nature. If a woman permits her husband to lose interest in her, and become more interested in other women, it is usually because of her ignorance, or indifference toward the subjects of sex, love, and romance. This statement presupposes, of course, that genuine love once existed between a man and his wife. The facts are equally applicable to a man who permits his wife’s interest in him to die.

Married people often bicker over a multitude of trivialities. If these are analyzed accurately, the real cause of the trouble will often be found to be indifference, or ignorance on these subjects.

Man’s greatest motivating force is his desire to please woman! The hunter who excelled during prehistoric days, before the dawn of civilization, did so, because of his desire to appear great in the eyes of woman. Man’s nature has not changed in this respect. The “hunter” of today brings home no skins of wild animals, but he indicates his desire for her favor by supplying fine clothes, motor cars, and wealth. Man has the same desire to please woman that he had before the dawn of civilization. The only thing that has changed, is his method of pleasing. Men who accumulate large fortunes, and attain to great heights of power and fame, do so, mainly, to satisfy their desire to please women.

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Take women out of their lives, and great wealth would be useless to most men. It is this inherent desire of man to please woman, which gives woman the power to make or break a man.

The woman who understands man’s nature and tactfully caters to it, need have no fear of competition from other women. Men may be “giants” with indomitable will-power when dealing with other men, but they are easily managed by the women of their choice.

Most men will not admit that they are easily influenced by the women they prefer, because it is in the nature of the male to want to be recognized as the stronger of the species. Moreover, the intelligent woman recognizes this “manly trait” and very wisely makes no issue of it.

Some men know that they are being influenced by the women of their choice–their wives, sweethearts, mothers or sisters–but they tactfully refrain from rebelling against the influence because they are intelligent enough to know that NO MAN IS HAPPY OR COMPLETE WITHOUT THE MODIFYING INFLUENCE OF THE RIGHT WOMAN. The man who does not recognize this important truth deprives himself of the power which has done more to help men achieve success than all other forces combined.

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Stockbrokers have been known to commit suicide when the going gets tough. When the markets nose-dive, some prefer to jump off skyscrapers rather than face the consequences. Do you attach too much meaning and personal involvement in your material possessions?

Imaginary Losses

It is very easy to fall into the trap of imagining that the worst will happen. If you keep your mind focused on what could go wrong, then you might just precipitate it. You can create your worst fears by constantly thinking about them. I am not saying that you sink your head in the sand and assume that nothing bad will happen; far from it. What am saying is that you should not overly live in fear of the worst. Fear of failure or loss paralyzes action.

We are talking about getting ahead in life in this series of articles. To be able to get ahead, minimize your imaginary loses. Many people die so many times in their own heads. They have so many divorces in their minds. They fail so many exams, have accidents, have their houses broken into… all in their minds. Imaginary loses can reduce your lifestyle and quality of life. In addition, they can steal the fighting spirit and the zeal to succeed. Be aware. You have been warned.

Cumulative Losses

Some people lose it all and they think that that was a bad day or a bad month. But the reality was that they were on a losing streak all along, they just did not realize it. Losing, just like winning, is not an event but a process. If for example you have a habit of drinking and driving, having a road accident might seem like it was “sudden” but it really wasn’t. Falling deeply in debt does not happen overnight. It is the cumulative effect of spending habits and financial discipline.

You can reverse your fortunes by having an early warning system in place. For example, if you continuously miss your targets in your business, it should serve as a warning is not late. If you are in a relationship and your communication is almost nil, then you should be aware of the impending disaster. Pay attention to the details. Losses, just like success, rarely happen overnight.

Spread Your Risk

Daniel Ngari is more than this blog. If this blog was no more, I would still survive and thrive. Many people place too much emphasis on one aspect of their lives. They put too many eggs in one basket. They put their sanity at risk by investing too heavily in one aspect of life. Spread your risk of total loss by finding solace in diverse areas of your life.

Have hobbies and people who you can fall back on if the worst comes to the worst. It may be a cell group at your church or people you play a sport with. Have a place you belong other than your work or business.

Keep a portion of your income for a rainy day. Do not be driven by instant gratification. Consuming today without regard for tomorrow can exacerbate the pain of losses. View money as a game. Play to both win and enjoy. Use your money wisely and remember to pass the ball (giving). You get back what you give out.

Disaster Recovery Plan

In the software development industry, having a disaster recovery plan is a smart way of minimizing loses. What would you do if your computer got a virus? What would you do if your USB thumb drive stopped working?

Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. The worst could happen without any warning. Having given thought to your action plan in such an event can mean the difference between a temporary setback and total ruin.

Starting all Over Again

The best thing you can do if you lose it all is to take time to reflect on where you went wrong. Don’t dwell too much on it, but don’t avoid this important stage. Make sure you do not make the same mistake twice.

After you have identified what went wrong, create a game plan. Have a plan on how you are going to bounce back to where you were and beyond. Take small but consistent steps towards the attainment of your goals.

If you ever have to start again after failure, do not give up. Be persistent. “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”. Calvin Coolidge (30th President of the United States of America, 1872-1933).

No matter what challenges you may be facing in your life today, take heart; persist. That which cannot kill you will only make you stronger. The size of the victory depends on the size of the opponents.

Regardless of how deep in hell you may be, if you look inside yourself, you will see that a hero lies in you. The strength of your character and your hunger to bounce back can help you overcome adversity. Many people give up on the first sign of trouble, but the art of bouncing back is what separates successes from failures.

In Summary

Losing all that you have worked for can be a painful experience. Unfortunately, many people let the fear of potentially losing it all paralyze their actions. Focus on the bright side of life. Know that even if you lost it all, you could still bounce back.

Every cloud has a silver lining, make sure you learn from your mistakes or understand the reasons for your loss, then quickly attempt to bounce back. Take well thought out action steps, persistently, to re-build and re-brand you.

If you like this article, please share it with a friend. I would love to hear your comments on the topic of bouncing back after losing it all.

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This year, I have been unshackling myself from mental slavery. I earmarked 2009 as the year of unparalleled professional and personal growth. It has meant getting rid of some beliefs that were royally screwing my life and preventing me from getting ahead.

I decided to start this blog to share my experiences, lessons and thoughts with others…why? To inspire you to be the best you can be. It has not been an easy road exposing my life to people I might never meet. But it is a small prize to pay to make a positive contribution in your life. I might never meet you in person, but it is my hope that your success will inspire others too.

Early this week, I posted a blog post about setting up systems to serve you. If you have a good belief system… a collection of ideas, outlook, habits, and action triggers, you will succeed. The kind of belief system you set up will determine how high you rise and how far you go. To succeed, you have to let go of self limiting beliefs.

Will Smith is one of my favorite actors of all time. You can watch him on a video I posted in January 2009 on the about page of this blog. He said that he believes whole-heartedly that our thoughts, our feelings, our dreams; our ideas are PHYSICAL in the universe. Your belief system WILL manifest itself in your physical life.

I am living testimony that positive thoughts can transform a life. I had reached the depths sheol and did not like it down there. My beliefs and ideas were keeping me down. I tried the positive thinking “nonsense” and it surprisingly made absolute sense to me. I urge you to give it a try my friend. Commit yourself to a complete renewal of your mind through positive thoughts. What you think, you become. What you believe, you get.

Let us look at a few areas of life that a shaky belief system can cost you (and what to do about it).

Finances

• Generosity – What are your thoughts on giving? I have found that the more you give the more it comes back to you. Do not hoard the little you have thinking that you will start giving when you “get there”. Commit a certain percentage of your time and resources for generosity. If you cannot give $10 to your church when you have $100, it is unlikely that you will give them a hundred grand when you make a million.
• Sow and Reap – As a man soweth, so shall he also reap. What kind of seeds are you planting in your life right now? Whether you realize it or not, you are a farmer. You are always planting and harvesting. If you plant an extravagant lifestyle on credit, you will reap massive debt. If you sow an automatic investment strategy, then you will reap compounded returns.
• Don’t work for money – Do you believe that you have to work for money? That is not cool. Let money work for you instead. Don’t rock up to a job you hate every day for the rest of your life just for the paycheck. Find your passion, do what you like to do, not what money makes you do. The irony is that the more you do what you enjoy doing, the more money you will get.
• The quickest path to happiness – I have said previously on this blog that those who say money cannot buy happiness don’t know where to shop. I maintain that view, but let me add something… you can still be happy without spending your money. The quickest path to happiness is contentment.
• Gain Financial Literacy – Do you bury your head in the sand and let your accountant crunch the numbers for you? Do you say that you are not good with numbers or that finance is too complicated? Such a belief system can cost you a fortune. Get busy now and acquire financial literacy. Celebrities who hand over their money to money managers at times end up in the poor house if they do not pay attention to the details of their financial standing.

Career

• Flexible goals – Some people believe that just because their biology teacher said it, they have to become doctors. Just because you were good in math does not mean you should be an accountant. Be flexible and adaptable to changing times and opportunities in your career.
• It may take time to succeed – Career success does not happen overnight. Be prepared to put in the hours, effort and perseverance. Success is normally found just after others give up. Push yourself, don’t give up.
• Formal qualifications are not the “alpha and omega” of career success. You can succeed in a career that you did not earn a degree. I am a graduate in Business (Marketing & Information Systems) but what I do has little to do with what I studied at uni. I know a lot of people who have had career success in what they trained in. I also a lot of others that have succeeded in areas of their passion even though they do not have any formal training.
• Work on your strengths – In school we are taught to focus on our weak areas. To repeat until we get it. But real life is a little different. Work on your strengths instead of wasting your time on what you are not good at. You can always subcontract your weak areas if you find success on what you are good at.
• It is never too late – I recently read a story about a middle aged lady that had gone back to university to study law. She had been running a clothing store for 20 years. She went on to become a successful lawyer. Do not be stuck in a rut for fear of change. As long as you are not six feet underground, you can do whatever you put your mind to.

Relationships

• Treat yourself nice – How you treat and perceive yourself will have a dramatic effect on how others treat you. Think about it, when you meet new people, you treat them according to how they present or express themselves. Put your best foot forward and others will treat you accordingly.
• Relationships are forever – Think of creating win-win situations with others. Whether you are talking with your customers or wife, treat them with respect and set a foundation for an ongoing relationship.
• Birds of a feather – You will be judged by the company you keep. People you surround yourself with can infect you with their enthusiasm for life or their morbid desire for punishment.
• Stereotypes – Do not succumb to stereotyping yourself or others. Take time to listen and learn about others before making sweeping statements.

In Summary

You can do whatever your put your mind to. Your beliefs affect your relationships, your finances, your health and much more. Think positively and constantly re-evaluate your belief system.

Kindly share this article with your friends. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic. For the readers who have supported this blog in the last eight months, I say a big thank you. I appreciate you.

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Many of us are always looking to climb higher. Unfortunately, the higher you climb the more you realize how far you still to go. Do you spend your life looking for the next promotion, the next relationship, the next success?

I like a quote by Will Smith, he said “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t need, to impress people they don’t like.” Breaking your back to amass a collection of luxuries you don’t need, to impress people you don’t care about sounds silly, but a surprisingly high number of people do that year in year out.

Internal Congruence

To be truly successful, you need to have internal congruence. Your mind and soul needs to be convinced that what you are doing is a worthy pursuit. Wouldn’t it be nice to find the quickest path to happiness instead of perpetually chasing the wind?

If one part of you wants to succeed and the other part says “hey man, is it really worth it?” then you are going to have problems. You are going to sabotage yourself more than Al-Qaeda operatives in Iraq sabotage Americans. You will be your own enemy in your success battles.

Finding Balance

Do you have an insatiable desire for wealth that is detrimental to your values and relationships? Taking business and success too seriously can lead to stress and emotional turmoil that can ruin everything else.

Since launching this blog, I have been writing on a wide array of topics ranging from Personal Branding, to Emotional Mastery to Relationships and Getting Rich. It is all about finding balance instead of chasing success in one aspect of life to the exclusion of all else. How would you like to gain the whole world and lose your soul? How would you feel if you became the richest man in your city and lose you family?

Take a piece of piece of paper and set your goals in all aspects of your life. Re-evaluate your quest for success and decide if you are paying a fair price. Is your job worth your family life? Is your night out worth your school grades? Is your career worth a little grass or more?

And the Bible Says…

Today I will leave you with the  scripture that inspired the title of this post.

Ecclesiastes 1 (New International Version)

1. The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

2        “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

3        What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

4        Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

5        The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.

6        The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.

7        All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

8        All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9        What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

10    Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

11    There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.

12    I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13     I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!

14     I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

15     What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

16    I thought to myself, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.”

17     Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18    For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

Parting Shot…

I would love to hear from you regarding your thoughts about chasing the wind of success and finding balance. Your comments are highly appreciated. Kindly share this blog post with your friends on Facebook and other social Media.

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Henry Ford capitalized on the assembly line system to produce cars more efficiently. He designed his manufacturing system to introduce efficiency and help roll out affordable cars faster from his production lines.

What kind of systems can you set up to be working for you 24/7 to introduce efficiency and effectiveness in your life or venture? This blog for example, is a simple system working for me. It is able to deliver value to my readers in 90 countries, 24 hours a day / 7 days a week.

Footballers earn a lot of money, so do musicians, but have you ever spared a thought about the people who own the systems… the football franchises, the recording industry magnates etc. These people working behind the scenes earn a lot more; in fact they are the ones who pay the footballers and the musicians.

Having systems work for you is a major leverage for getting ahead in life. Unfortunately not many people obsess over setting up their own systems. If you do not obsess about setting up systems to serve you, you will be limited on how high you can ascend. Your own flesh and blood can only do so much.

Decide what vehicle you want to use to deliver value to others, and employ smart systems to serve you around the clock. Your system might be a computer program like in the case of this blog, or it may be a monthly arrangement with a professional e.g. a bookkeeper or cleaner.

Aim to have systems around what you do. Free your time for creativity and growing your venture, not getting stuck in a rut. What if you had hundreds of systems working for you 24/7/365 days?

The Internet is a good place to setup systems to serve you. You could setup a simple blog to act as your CV. You could setup a shop on the internet to be selling your goods and services even when you sleep. Please check out a couple of articles I wrote on how you can use the internet to serve you; 1) How to use Social Media for Personal Branding, 2) How to use Blogging for Personal Branding.

Think about your daily activities, especially if you run a business. Are there some of your actions that can be automated, delegated or outsourced? Could you create a system to do what you did yesterday? Aim to create a new system per week to make your work more efficient or effective. Examples of systems working for others include classified advertising, production lines, websites, subcontracting work, personal budgeting, automatic investment plans etc.

In Summary

To get ahead in life you need to release yourself from the mundane and repetitive tasks that can be done by someone else. Think of building systems and processes to serve you and multiply your efforts, ideas, talents and resources.

If you like this blog post, please share with your friends on Facebook, or via email. I would love to hear from you through the comments system with ideas or questions about setting up systems to serve you.

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First, let us see what Google has to say about the word “buy”.

• Obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; “The family purchased a new car”; “The conglomerate acquired a new company”

• Bribe: make illegal payments to in exchange for favors or influence; “This judge can be bought”
• Acquire by trade or sacrifice or exchange; “She wanted to buy his love with her dedication to him and his work”

While we are at it, let us have a quick look at what “influence” is all about.

• A power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc; “used her parents’ influence to get the job”
• Causing something without any direct or apparent effort
• Determine: shape or give direction to; “mold public opinion”
• Charm: induce into action by using one’s charm; “She charmed him into giving her all his money”

Why Become Influential?

To get ahead in life, you will need to influence others to do things for you. You may need to influence people to buy from you. You may need to influence people to vote for you. There are all sorts of ways to influence people. Once you have influence, you will cause things to happen without any direct or apparent effort.

One of the most influential people in the world is Oprah Winfrey. Bill O’Reilly once said: “I mean this is a woman that came from nothing to rise up to be the most powerful woman, I think, in the world. I think Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in the world, not just in America. That’s — anybody who goes on her program immediately benefits through the roof. I mean, she has a loyal following; she has credibility; she has talent; and she’s done it on her own to become fabulously wealthy and fabulously powerful”

In July 2007 TV Guide reported that Winfrey was the highest paid TV entertainer in the United States during the past year. She earned an estimated $260 million during the year. That amount was more than 5 times what had been earned by the person in second place (Wikipedia). In 2008, Oprah was said to be worth US$2.7 million.

The more influential you are, the richer you will be (in most cases). Wealth makes people influential, but influence can precede great wealth. Gaining influence, by whatever means available to you, can open up doors that are closed to many.

Being influential makes life easier. You can do what you desire, shape the direction of events, be in control, and be happy. At any one moment in time, you are either influencing others or being influenced in some way.

Buying Influence

Going by the definitions of buying above, I choose to focus on buying as being “acquire by trade or sacrifice or exchange”. To get influence, you have to trade something you value or make sacrifices . Influence is a worthy purchase. Now let us a look at 10 ways of buying influence.

1 – Tell a Compelling Story

Unless you are going to brandish a gun and force people to do your bidding, you need to articulate what is in it for them. Inspiring people into action through stories is one of the most powerful ways of gaining influence. The most read book in history, the bible is a collection of stories with lessons galore.

Taking time to develop a compelling story can give you a master key to influencing people. Whether you are a marketer, a politician, a union leader or a preacher, your story is what will create your following. Do people resonate with what you are telling them? Do they believe your story? Do they trust you to guide them?

Your story needs to be told and re-told. Great brands are just a repetition of a compelling story. The story does not have to be a long winded narrative. It can be an association, a memory, a reason to take action. Articulating your vision is the first step to influencing people.

2 – Unite People

Power comes from people. If you can find a way of uniting people towards a common goal, then you will be powerful and influential. Perhaps you could start by bringing together people, people who share a hobby, passion, or profession. You would become the cornerstone of the group and that is how influence begins.

If you take your time and put thought into what people really need or want to unite in, then you can tap on those emotions, needs or circumstances to become influential. A good example that comes to mind is Malcom X. He tapped on the racial tensions between blacks and whites in America to become very influential. (Disclaimer: the following is text is a quote by Malcom X, not my opinion or thoughts).

Malcolm X: Brothers and sisters, I am here to tell you that I charge the white man.

I charge the white man with being the greatest murderer on earth. I charge the white man with being the greatest kidnapper on earth. There is no place in this world that this man can go and say he created peace and harmony.

Everywhere he’s gone he’s created havoc. Everywhere he’s gone he’s created destruction. So I charge him. I charge him with being the greatest kidnapper on this earth! I charge him with being the greatest murderer on this earth! I charge him with being the greatest robber and enslaver on this earth! I charge the white man with being the greatest swine-eater on this earth. The greatest drunkard on this earth!

He can’t deny the charges! You can’t deny the charges! We’re the living proof of those charges! You and I are the proof. You’re not an American, you are the victim of America. You didn’t have a choice coming over here. He didn’t say, “Black man, black woman, come on over and help me build America”. He said, “Nigger, get down in the bottom of that boat and I’m taking you over there to help me build America”. Being born here does not make you an American. I am not an American, you are not an American. You are one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of America.

You and I, we’ve never see any democracy. We didn’t see any democracy on the-the cotton fields of Georgia, wasn’t no democracy down there. We didn’t see any democracy. We didn’t see any democracy on the streets of Harlem or on the streets of Brooklyn or on the streets of Detroit or Chicago. Ain’t no democracy down there. No, we’ve never seem democracy! All we’ve seen is hypocrisy! We don’t see any American Dream. We’ve experienced only the American Nightmare!

Crowd: [shouting] Malcolm! Malcolm! We want Malcolm! We want Malcolm!

The crowd had just been given a reason to unite… and who was there to lead them? Who was there to influence them? Of course, Malcom X! If you can find an angle to unite people (along the lines of something that meets your and their objectives), then my friend, you will have just purchased a truckload of influence.

3 – Meet a Need

Take time to do your homework on what people need. It is easier to influence people who need you than people who can do without you. Make yourself indispensable or highly desirable. Invest some time to get in tune with the needs of others. There are different types of needs and Abraham Maslow summed them up nicely in five levels.

• Physiological needs – These are the basic needs that each person has. Meeting these needs can give you leverage and influence. These needs include the need for food, sleep, sex, shelter, clothing etc. If someone depends on you for shelter for example, you are more likely to influence them than someone who does not. Think of how you can align your offering with the needs of the people you want to influence. They may be basic needs, but they are very powerful needs that many people will go to great lengths to meet.
• Safety needs – Once people have their physiological needs sorted, they start looking for some form of security or protection. Insurance companies pry on these needs. They target people who are just above being driven by physiological needs alone. They urge them to protect what they have. You can position yourself to be the protector and provider of security and gain influence because of that. Some unscrupulous people can gain influence through manipulation, by playing on the fear factor. For example, extortionists can offer to protect a business and if the business owner refuses to pay, they can use scare tactics to influence the owner to comply.There are different types of safety needs including: personal safety, financial security and good health. You can get ahead in life by just focusing on meeting just one need. For example, you could build a business around providing information about healthy living for young families.
• Social needs – When people have a roof over themselves in a safe house/neighborhood, they start paying attention to higher level needs such as intimacy, family and friendship. Think of ways you can gain leverage by being the antidote for loneliness. The need for friendship and acceptance can provide you with a window to influence someone or people.
• Esteem – You can gain influence by providing a sense of belonging to people. This is where starting a professional association, sports team, sub-culture and a membership club can make you influential. You can influence people through the emotion of wanting to belong. People with low self esteem are more easily influenced. Think of ways you can build up others, meet their need to belong, the need to be recognized, accepted and feel important. Blend that with your business or activities to gain influence and get ahead in life.
• Self-Actualization – This need is not for everyone. It is for those who have conquered the above needs. This is a need that only the cream of society can actually call a pressing need. Self actualization is the desire for someone to reach their full potential and be the master of their destiny. You will hit jackpot if you can position yourself as the self-actualization guru. If you can help people meet this need, then my friend, you will be influencing the cream. And now, that is influence.

4 – Become an Authority

People respond to authority. One of the most powerful ways of propelling your influence to the stratosphere is through positioning yourself as an authority. Becoming an authority can eliminate doubts about your abilities and marshal people around your ideas.

You just don’t wake up one day and decide that you are an authority on the diplomatic relations between Australia and China. You gain that authority status through recognition by peers. If you are a doctor, you cannot just say you are the best. Other experts like you have to think you are the best. It is not easy getting authority status.

Authority status is not acquired overnight. Be persistent in your aspiration for authority status in your chosen field. Continuously develop your career. Learn the ropes. Learn the people.

You can gain authority status without starting from the bottom by aligning yourself with experts in your field. A man by the name Rich Schefren took the internet marketing community by storm. He seemingly came from nowhere and became the go to guy in internet marketing coaching by getting strong endorsements from known big names. He stood on the shoulders of giants and became the giant that he is today.

Gaining influence by becoming a known authority on a subject matter is a powerful way especially in a knowledge economy. Find something you love and specialize. Dig deeper than most people dare. Decide to learn, experience, practice, perfect and master your area. Work with others in the area, be helpful and let them be the ones to let the world know who the “big dog” in that subject matter is.

5 – Pre-Plan your Influence

I will let you in on a secret. You can influence anyone if you focus on influencing them, plan it and run over your moves before they even realize it. Teachers meet in the staff room to decide how they are going to influence students. Government economists influence the spending habits of consumers by cutting or increasing the official interest rate. Advertisers influence people into making purchase decisions by pre-planning their moves.

Get smart on this and you will thank me later. Spend time thinking of what kind of power or influence you want to have over someone or a group of people. Then like a chess game, plan your moves prior to making them. Do not just go with the flow. Think about what you want to accomplish and the steps you will take before you can influence people.

6 – Limited Time Offers

Direct marketing experts are good at telling a compelling story about a product or service, and then make you want it NOW. People will tend to procrastinate if they do not have to do something NOW.

Again this calls for prior planning. Think about what you want people to do and create a time limit for a decision. Do you want your child to have dinner now? Creating a limited time offer can modify their behavior. This works not just for children but staff, groups, congregations and partners. Spend time showing people why they need to do something and create a small window of opportunity for them to take action.

7 – Focus on the Long Term

Align yourself with nature. Nature develops slowly. Unless you are Jack and the bean stalk, when you plant some beans, it will take time for them to germinate and grow. You will have to cultivate the land, weed the garden, then wait for nature to take its course, then harvest.

If you look at the greatest rivers, first they start with small tributaries on the mountains. Those tributaries eventually form a river, as the river progresses towards the ocean, it becomes more and more powerful. You can use that analogy to grow your influence in different areas. It is not the one big action that you take that will make you influential… it is the small steady tributaries that make you a force to reckon with.

Your tributaries may come in the form of offering a helping hand to a friend in need. Or it may be that you have solved someone’s need. My influence on this blog will come as a result of each blog post or effort I make over time. Your influence in your business or industry will depend on lots of little steps over a long time. Plan your game plan and with time you will be influential in whatever area you choose.

8 – Friendship

People are more likely to respond to those they like. Whether you are a student doctor or a teacher, cultivate friendships with people in your area and beyond. Those friendships will come in handy. Do not just become a friend to someone when you need something from them. Be genuinely interested in friendship for the sake of friendship and that will come across. It is easy to spot a phony and people do not like fake or opportunistic friends.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. Be there at the hour of need when your friends need you. Invest in your friendships by spending time and resources to cement your bonds. A friend is more likely to do what you want them to than an enemy or stranger. Friendships are developed over time, so start early.

9 – Favors

Make sure you dish out more favors than you take in. In my favorite movie “The Godfather”, Don Coleone was asked for a favor to dispense justice. He said “Someday, and that day may never come, I’ll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day accept this justice as gift on my daughter’s wedding day”. By giving that favor for free, he put himself in a position of influence on the man who needed justice done.

Think of ways you can give people favors according to their needs. Again this calls for prior planning. It may be a tip you give to a club bouncer or your mechanic, or it may be working a few hours extra for free when your boss was really stressed or over worked.

Be constantly on the lookout on how you can make people owe you instead of the other way out. It is easier to influence people who owe you. Your favors do not have to be monetary. You can be there in person for a person when they really needed a friend. You can go an extra mile for them, even if it is part of your job.

Don’t get into the habit of collecting your favors before you need them. Just like the Godfather, be willing to let some favors slide. Be ready to help and forget, but be helping anyway. This theory works whether you are in the most corrupt country in the world or the opposite. People are the same world over. They will bend to do more for those they have accepted favors from. Having said that, make sure you do not run contrary to the laws governing you on your quest for influence through favors.

10 – Listening Skills

Some people have ears but they do not hear. Not because they do not have the ability to hear but because they are too busy waiting for the turn to speak. Listening lets you in on the motivations, needs, strengths and weaknesses of others. God gave you two ears and one mouth. Use them in that proportion.

Developing your listening skill is one of the most powerful ways of influencing people. Whether you are a politician or a husband, you need to learn to listen. You need to know the prevailing mood of the people you want to influence and adapt where required. Listening multiplies your opportunities for influencing others. When people speak, they are telling you how to influence them. Learn to listen deep, get the deeper meaning of what people speak up or decide to censor. Understand people’s body language, posture, written word and actions. Take time to internalize that before taking actions to influence them. Get ahead through developing your listening skills.

In Summary

Getting ahead calls for increasing your influence. The time to start making progress towards gaining influence in now. It takes time and effort to be really influential. Influence open doors that would otherwise be closed. It is a worthy asset to develop or even purchase. You do not have to spend money or be corrupt to gain influence. You gain influence through understanding people and their motivations and needs.

If you like this blog post, please share with your friends. I would love to hear from you through comments or via the contact form on this blog.

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My mind was like I sponge. I was taking in lessons like you would not believe. I was constantly thinking of you, my dear reader. I found myself asking; what can I learn from this situation to share with my readers? How can I inspire my friends through what has just happened to me today? Would my friends like to hear about this? I have good news for you.

I came back with a suitcase of inspiring messages. Lessons with the potential to change lives, re-kindle passions, and fuel the desire to get ahead in life.

The Get Ahead Series

I went to various parts of Kenya and spoke to hundreds of people, many of them my neighbors and family. Even people who do not have much in the way of formal education seem to be getting ahead in life. They seem to have ingenious ways of spotting opportunities and getting ahead, given their limited resources.

It got me asking myself lots of questions. For the last 11 years that I have been in Australia, I have seen people with so much more in the way of resources, talents and opportunities. However, they do not seem to have that fire, that energy, that desire to get ahead. Not in the way people I met in Kenya are anyway.

Australia is a laid back country with lots of opportunities compared to Kenya. Some call it the lucky country although the government prefers us to think of it as the clever country. The traffic lights work, the rules are obeyed, the taps never run dry, the crime rate is really low, there is universal health care… in other words, life is good. This perhaps makes some people relax.

Many are content to go to school, get a job, have a few beers over the weekend, watch footy with some mates and call it a week. There are many in Australia that are getting, and staying ahead of the game, even compared to Kenya, but the common man in Kenya seems more obsessed and in need of getting ahead than a typical Aussie.

I decided to write a “Get Ahead” series for my friends, both in Kenya and in Australia, that want to be inspired to learn how, why and when to make a difference with their lives. In this series, I will be looking at various factors that lead to success.

I will focus mainly on success as defined in money terms. I will look at success as making money, enough money, to do all that your heart desires, and to have more left over.

How many of us would do with more money? What would an extra $15,000 a month do to your lifestyle? What would a few assets to your name do to your confidence? If you are in debt, how would it feel to wake up and find that the debts are gone?

This series will be my candid talk on what money means to me and to our society. I will be drawing lessons from both Kenya and Australia.

A Man named Desire

I went to high school with a friend that I shall name “Desire”, for the purpose of this blog post. He is a regular reader of this website. We sat with him at a Nairobi pub and had a talk about his life since high school, and my life here in Australia.

This man desired to be rich. He purposed to make it in life and in school, he would tell me of all the crazy business ideas that he had for the future. Without realizing it, we used to “bond” on our desire for success. We were young minds more than 10 years ago but with a passion for getting ahead.

Talking to him on that sunny Thursday in Nairobi reminded me of his brilliance and gave me ideas for more than 10 blog posts that will form the backbone of this series I told him “hey man, do you realize am going to be writing about the stuff you are saying?”, he was like “yeah, whatever, do you what you need to do”.

It is with much gratitude that I say thank you man, for the inspiration you gave to me. I will freely share with my readers just as you shared with me.

For your information, this man with a desire to succeed, has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. He has done well for himself and his family. I hope his lessons will inspire you to be the best you can be.

The Road Ahead

Are you still working for the big man? For many of the people I met who are doing great things in Kenya, and here in Australia, massive financial success mainly comes from working for yourself.

Working for someone else has a way of stifling creativity. Working for someone is a good way to get started, but to really get ahead of the curve financially, you have to become a business owner or an investor. More about that later in the series.

Other areas we shall look at in this series include the desire for freedom, coping with debt, living your dreams and facing your fears. We shall talk of getting ahead as being the master of your own ship, controlling your destiny and being happy.

Nothing in this series is rocket science. In fact, you may find that you already knew 99% of the stuff that we shall look at. But am willing to bet that you are probably only applying a very small portion of the lessons in this series.

Commit to applying the lessons coming to you over the next few weeks and you will make a big difference in your life. Success comes at a price. We shall be exploring the price that needs to be paid to get ahead in careers, finances, relationships and other goals in life.

Your Views

I would love to hear from you regarding getting ahead in life. Are you stuck in a rut? Do you know people who have gotten ahead in life? What lessons can you share? Your comments will help shape the rest of the series. Please share this blog post with your friends on facebook, and other social sites.

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A thought in this substance produces the thing that is imaged by the thought. Man can form things in his thought, and by impressing his thought upon formless substance can cause the thing he thinks about to be created. In order to do this, man must pass from the competitive to the creative mind; otherwise he cannot be in harmony with the Formless Intelligence, which is always creative and never competitive in spirit.

Man may come into full harmony with the Formless Substance by entertaining a lively and sincere gratitude for the blessings it bestows upon him. Gratitude unifies the mind of man with the intelligence of Substance, so that man’s thoughts are received by the Formless. Man can remain upon the creative plane only by uniting himself with the Formless Intelligence through a deep and continuous feeling of gratitude.

Man must form a clear and definite mental image of the things he wishes to have, to do, or to become; and he must hold this mental image in his thoughts, while being deeply grateful to the Supreme that all his desires are granted to him. The man who wishes to get rich must spend his leisure hours in contemplating his Vision, and in earnest thanksgiving that the reality is being given to him. Too much stress cannot be laid on the importance of frequent contemplation of the mental image, coupled with unwavering faith and devout gratitude. This is the process by which the impression is given to the Formless, and the creative forces set in motion.

The creative energy works through the established channels of natural growth, and of the industrial and social order. All that is included in his mental image will surely be brought to the man who follows the instructions given above, and whose faith does not waver. What he wants will come to him through the ways of established trade and commerce.

In order to receive his own when it shall come to him, man must be active; and this activity can only consist in more than filling his present place. He must keep in mind the Purpose to get rich through the realization of his mental image. And he must do, every day, all that can be done that day, taking care to do each act in a successful manner. He must give to every man a use value in excess of the cash value he receives, so that each transaction makes for more life; and he must so hold the Advancing Thought that the impression of increase will be communicated to all with whom he comes in contact.

The men and women who practice the foregoing instructions will certainly get rich; and the riches they receive will be in exact proportion to the definiteness of their vision, the fixity of their purpose, the steadiness of their faith, and the depth of their gratitude.

About

The Get Rich Series is based on The Science of Getting Rich. It  is a classic book by Wallace D. Wattles. It is a practical manual intended for the men and women whose most pressing need is for money; who wish to get rich first, and philosophize afterward.

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But this is not true.

It is true that existing governments keep the masses in poverty, but this is because the masses do not think and act in the Certain Way. If the masses begin to move forward as suggested in this book, neither governments nor industrial systems can check them; all systems must be modified to accommodate the forward movement.

If the people have the Advancing Mind, have the Faith that they can become rich, and move forward with the fixed purpose to become rich, nothing can possibly keep them in poverty.

Individuals may enter upon the Certain Way at any time, and under any government, and make themselves rich; and when any considerable number of individuals do so under any government, they will cause the system to be so modified as to open the way for others.

The more men who get rich on the competitive plane, the worse for others; the more who get rich on the creative plane, the better for others.

The economic salvation of the masses can only be accomplished by getting a large number of people to practice the scientific method set down in this book, and become rich. These will show others the way, and inspire them with a desire for real life, with the faith that it can be attained, and with the purpose to attain it.

For the present, however, it is enough to know that neither the government under which you live nor the capitalistic or competitive system of industry can keep you from getting rich. When you enter upon the creative plane of thought you will rise above all these things and become a citizen of another kingdom.

But remember that your thought must be held upon the creative plane; you are never for an instant to be betrayed into regarding the supply as limited, or into acting on the moral level of competition.

Whenever you do fall into old ways of thought, correct yourself instantly; for when you are in the competitive mind, you have lost the cooperation of the Mind of the Whole.

Do not spend any time in planning as to how you will meet possible emergencies in the future, except as the necessary policies may affect your actions today. You are concerned with doing today’s work in a perfectly successful manner, and not with emergencies which may arise tomorrow; you can attend to them as they come.

Do not concern yourself with questions as to how you shall surmount obstacles which may loom upon your business horizon, unless you can see plainly that your course must be altered today in order to avoid them.

No matter how tremendous an obstruction may appear at a distance, you will find that if you go on in the Certain Way it will disappear as you approach it, or that a way over, through, or around it will appear.

No possible combination of circumstances can defeat a man or woman who is proceeding to get rich along strictly scientific lines. No man or woman who obeys the law can fail to get rich, any more than one can multiply two by two and fail to get four.

Give no anxious thought to possible disasters, obstacles, panics, or unfavorable combinations of circumstances; it is time enough to meet such things when they present themselves before you in the immediate present, and you will find that every difficulty carries with it the wherewithal for its overcoming.

Guard your speech. Never speak of yourself, your affairs, or of anything else in a discouraged or discouraging way.

Never admit the possibility of failure, or speak in a way that infers failure as a possibility.

Never speak of the times as being hard, or of business conditions as being doubtful. Times may be hard and business doubtful for those who are on the competitive plane, but they can never be so for you; you can create what you want, and you are above fear.

When others are having hard times and poor business, you will find your greatest opportunities.

Train yourself to think of and to look upon the world as a something which is Becoming, which is growing; and to regard seeming evil as being only that which is undeveloped. Always speak in terms of advancement; to do otherwise is to deny your faith, and to deny your faith is to lose it.

Never allow yourself to feel disappointed. You may expect to have a certain thing at a certain time, and not get it at that time; and this will appear to you like failure.

But if you hold to your faith you will find that the failure is only apparent.

Go on in the certain way, and if you do not receive that thing, you will receive something so much better that you will see that the seeming failure was really a great success.

A student of this science had set his mind on making a certain business combination which seemed to him at the time to be very desirable, and he worked for some weeks to bring it about. When the crucial time came, the thing failed in a perfectly inexplicable way; it was as if some unseen influence had been working secretly against him. He was not disappointed; on the contrary, he thanked God that his desire had been overruled, and went steadily on with a grateful mind. In a few weeks an opportunity so much better came his way that he would not have made the first deal on any account; and he saw that a Mind which knew more than he knew had prevented him from losing the greater good by entangling himself with the lesser.

That is the way every seeming failure will work out for you, if you keep your faith, hold to your purpose, have gratitude, and do, every day, all that can be done that day, doing each separate act in a successful manner.

When you make a failure, it is because you have not asked for enough; keep on, and a larger thing then you were seeking will certainly come to you. Remember this.

You will not fail because you lack the necessary talent to do what you wish to do. If you go on as I have directed, you will develop all the talent that is necessary to the doing of your work.

It is not within the scope of this book to deal with the science of cultivating talent; but it is as certain and simple as the process of getting rich.

However, do not hesitate or waver for fear that when you come to any certain place you will fail for lack of ability; keep right on, and when you come to that place, the ability will be furnished to you. The same source of Ability which enabled the untaught Lincoln to do the greatest work in government ever accomplished by a single man is open to you; you may draw upon all the mind there is for wisdom to use in meeting the responsibilities which are laid upon you. Go on in full faith.

Study this book. Make it your constant companion until you have mastered all the ideas contained in it. While you are getting firmly established in this faith, you will do well to give up most recreations and pleasure; and to stay away from places where ideas conflicting with these are advanced in lectures or sermons. Do not read pessimistic or conflicting literature, or get into arguments upon the matter. Do very little reading, outside of the writers mentioned in the Preface. Spend most of your leisure time in contemplating your vision, and in cultivating gratitude, and in reading this book. It contains all you need to know of the science of getting rich; and you will find all the essentials summed up in the following chapter.

About

The Get Rich Series is based on The Science of Getting Rich. It  is a classic book by Wallace D. Wattles. It is a practical manual intended for the men and women whose most pressing need is for money; who wish to get rich first, and philosophize afterward.

Discussion

I would love to hear you ideas and opinion on this chapter. Your comments are highly appreciated.

Other articles you may enjoy :

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