[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!”

[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.

Life has plenty of systems

Did you know that a car is a collection of systems? Lighting System, Braking System, Lubrication System, Cooling System, Fuel System, Ignition System, Suspension System and many more. All these systems have to work together for the car to function properly.

A car without a braking system is a disaster waiting to happen. Do you have brakes in your life or are you hurtling down towards self destruction? Do you have self control or a moral code that determines how far or how fast you can go?

The success of a car is determined by more than one system working together. Success is not about one thing that you do. It is combination of habits and actions that you take. What good is a well paying job when you cannot get along with your family or your health is in ruins?

The trick is to understand what each part of life brings to the table. Determine how each of your activity impacts the others. Just as a car mechanic will not spend all his day inspecting the cooling system and ignore the fuel system, do not ignore parts of your life. Apportion the right amount of time for different people and activities in your life. In other words, find balance.

Are you well serviced?

A regularly serviced car runs smoothly and proves more useful to the owner over the long term. Some people try and save money by not taking their cars for service. This is short term thinking that costs more over the long term.

You can service yourself by constantly improving your skills, your thoughts and your relationships. Do not forget to spend time thinking about your life, checking your progress towards your goals, or performance.

There are different types of services that a car needs. A car may need a routine check up or tune up that helps it runs more efficiently. It also needs a log book service. A log book service is pre-determined by manufacturers based on the kilometers accumulated. This type of service helps the car runs efficiently over the long haul.

You can determine periodic periods for servicing yourself too. This can range from dental checks to annual personal goals setting sessions. Avoiding this type of service will cost you more over the long term.

Your car may be involved in an accident or work erratically. This will call for repair service. The older the car, the more the repairs required. Repairs left too long may cause a danger to the driver and to the car. If you have unresolved issues, or an area of life that needs correcting, take time to sort that out before it starts affecting other areas.

Are you insured?

Car mechanics do not always come cheap. If you want the best care, be insured. Have someone else foot the bill of repairs especially for unexpected repairs. You can self insure your car through regular servicing (against routine problems). Read more about this topic on my earlier article about insurance for the upwardly mobile.

Where do you want to go?

You are the master of the car. Likewise you are the master of your destiny. Determine where you want to go. Be in control of your own life.

Before you embark on your journey, make sure you have enough supplies for your journey. You would not want to go from Perth, Western Australia, to Adelaide, South Australia without having packed right or adequately serviced your vehicle.

What do people think about you?

Do you have a powerful personal brand? Does your reputation precede you? What kind of first impression do you make? Do you have a consistent brand image that gets the results you desire? Do you project an image of success or hardship?

Some cars are more equal than others. A Lamborghini and a Toyota Corolla are not cut from the same cloth. How you position yourself will determine what value people place on you. Today is your lucky day, I have prepared a personal branding salad bar for you.