Great Lessons From Great Men
By J.D. Roth
Because I write a personal finance blog, I read a lot of books about money. I’ll be honest: they’re usually pretty boring. Sure, they can tell you how to invest in bonds or how to find the latest loophole in the tax code. But most of them lack a certain something: the human element.
Recently I’ve begun to read a different kind of money book in my spare time. I’ve discovered the joy of classic biographies and success manuals, especially those written by (or about) wealthy and/or thrifty men. When I read about Benjamin Franklin or Warren Buffett or J.C. Penney, I learn a lot — not just about money, but about how to be a better man.
Here are twelve of most important lessons that these books, written by and about great men of years gone by, have taught me:
Be Tenacious
“Anybody can be a halfway man, but the one who rises above this class is the one who keeps everlastingly pushing.” — J. Ogden Armour, Touchstones of Success (1920)
More than any other, one lesson stands out from the books I’ve read: Never give up. If you have a goal or a dream, pursue it. If there’s a cause that you truly believe in, then fight for it. That’s not to say that you should doggedly chase greed or gluttony, but that you should do your best to achieve those things that are important to you. Great men struggle through daunting obstacles to reach their destinations. In everything that you do, do your best. And remember: The road to wealth is paved with goals.
Exercise Self-Control
“‘Tis easier to suppress the first desire, than to satisfy all that follow it.” — Benjamin Franklin, The Way to Wealth (1758)
Benjamin Franklin famously attempted to codify his quest for self-control. As Brett wrote last year, Franklin committed himself to thirteen virtues, and he developed a system for tracking how disciplined he was in his daily pursuit of these ideals. There’s nothing wrong with an occasional indulgence. But when the indulgence becomes a habit — or worse, a vice — this can affect your life. Even destroy it. If you have habits that prevent you from fulfilling your potential, find a way to boost your self-control. (You might, for example, use Joe’s Goals to track your progress, much like Benjamin Franklin did.)
Do the Right Thing
“To be truly rich, regardless of his fortune or lack of it, a man must live by his own values. If those values are not personally meaningful, then no amount of money gained can hide the emptiness of life without them.” — John Paul Getty, How to Be Rich (1961)
Have a code of honor, and live by it. Your code of honor might come from your faith, or from your education, or from your family. Whatever the source, live by these values. Life is filled with temptations. The more you accomplish, the more people will tempt you with offers for quick gains or passing pleasures. Many men succumb to these, but those who do rarely achieve what they might have if they’d stuck to their principles. The books I’ve read are filled with stories of men who have resisted the urge to compromise, and who believe that this has been a key to their success. Don’t cheat. Be honest. Work hard. And embrace the golden rule.
Embrace The Golden Rule
“Good will is one of the few really important assets of life. A determined man can win almost anything that he goes after, but unless, in his getting, he gains good will he has not profited much.” — Henry Ford, My Life and Work (1922)
James Cash Penney — the man behind the J.C. Penney chain of department stores — believed that success could be measured by how a man treated others. In his book, Fifty Years with the Golden Rule, Penney describes his life-long adherence to this maxim: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Other great men believed the same. They believed that their fortunes came not from pursuing money itself, but by producing something of value to others. But this principle also holds true outside of business. In your dealings with your friends, your family, and with strangers, treat others as you would like to be treated. Doing so builds social capital, strengthening the fiber of the community.
Pay Yourself First
“Many a man is poor today, although he has worked like a slave, simply because he could not save.” — Orison Swett Marden, The Young Man Entering Business (1903)
Another common thread in most of these books — and in personal-finance classics like The Richest Man in Babylon — is the importance of saving. “Pay yourself first,” the old adage goes, and it’s great advice. If you will set aside ten or twenty per cent of all that you earn, your fortune will grow far beyond that of your peers. Some of this money should be invested in a manner that makes you comfortable. (You should learn about the concepts of asset allocation and diversification, if you haven’t already.) But some of your money should also be set aside in a high-interest savings account to act as an emergency fund. When you save — when you pay yourself first — you are using the strength of your youth to insure your uncertain tomorrow.
Avoid Debt
“Be assured that it gives much more pain to the mind to be in debt, than to do without any article whatever which we may seem to want.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to his daughter Martha (14 June 1787)
Debt is slavery. When you owe money to another man, you are obligated to work for his benefit, not yours. Many young men struggle with debt — I did so myself. But those who are not able to overcome their spending habits are likely to find themselves always poor. When you pay interest to someone else, you cannot earn interest for yourself. When you’re in debt, your options are limited. You cannot choose, for example, to take a month off to travel across the country with a friend. You cannot quit a job you hate. If you did, how would your bills get paid? To be sure, a certain amount of debt is useful in business, but make it a policy in your personal life to never borrow for something that will decrease in value. (And if you’re already behind, make it a priority to get out of debt as soon as possible.)
Keep Well
“The foundation of success in life is good health: that is the substratum of fortune; it is the basis of happiness. A person cannot accumulate a fortune very well when he is sick.” — P.T. Barnum, The Art of Money Getting (1880)
Your health is your greatest asset. If you lack health, you cannot work, and cannot produce an income. Health allows you to engage in productive activities, at work and at play. It allows you to enjoy the company of your friends and family. And it allows you to live with vigor. Guard your health. Do not neglect your body. Eat well. Exercise regularly. If you drink or smoke, do so in moderation. You will not live forever, but with some care and foresight, you may get a little closer!
Do Not Covet
“By wishing to be what he calls ‘up-to-date’ as his friends or boon companions, many a young man mortgages his future.” — Orison Swett Marden, The Young Man Entering Business (1903)
It never pays to compare yourself to others. For one, you can find yourself longing to own the same things they do. Your best friend buys a new Ford Mustang, and suddenly you want one too. The guys from work go out for drinks on Friday evening, but you’re broke — the temptation to join in, to have what others have, can be unbearable. Focus only on yourself and how the things you own and do relate to your goals. Don’t be jealous of others. (This is one message in the famous essay, “Acres of Diamonds”: Instead of looking elsewhere for wealth, look at your own life.)
Live Modestly
“This, then, is held to be the duty of the man of wealth…To set an example of modest, unostentatious living, shunning display or arrogance.” — Andrew Carnegie, The Gospel of Wealth (1889)
This is the flip side to “Do Not Covet”. Just as you should not allow the behavior of your friends to influence your spending decisions, so too be conscious of your influence on them. If you have money, don’t flaunt it. And if you don’t have money, don’t pretend that you do. It’s fine (even good) to buy quality products, but don’t be flashy. Live simply and well.
Practice Patience
“No matter how great the talent or the effort, some things just take time: you can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.” — Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report (1985)
Too many men want to “get rich quick.” They’re on the lookout for fast money. They also want to lose weight now, to be a great golfer now, to be in management now. This obsession with “now” is a problem. In his new book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell writes that the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is 10,000 hours. That is, those who achieve mastery have patiently practiced their craft for at least 10,000 hours — the equivalent of five years of full-time work. When people ask me why my personal finance blog is so successful, one of my responses is that I’ve worked at it 60+ hours a week for the past three years. Practice may not “make perfect,” but it certainly breeds success.
Give Generously
“Thrift does not end with itself, but extends its benefits to others. It founds hospitals, endows charities, establishes colleges, and extends educational influences.” — Samuel Smiles, Thrift (1875)
I was not raised in a culture of giving. It’s only something I’m beginning to learn in middle age. But as I read about the choices of men who have come before me, it’s clear that they have derived satisfaction (and done a lot of good) by giving generously — not just of money, but also of time and knowledge. Do not hoard the things you have. Share them so that others might profit, too.
Learning from the Average Joe
Over the past few months, I’ve enjoyed reading the real-life stories of how great men became great. But I’ve also found it enlightening to read about the experiences of the average day guy — the fellows like you and me.
One book I strongly recommend (especially considering the state of the economy) is Hard Times by Studs Terkel. Hard Times is an oral history of the Great Depression. Terkel interviewed scores of men and women about their experiences during the 1930s. Their stories are amazing, and they offer great insight about how we can live better lives today.
Go forth, my friends, and do great things.
At Get Rich Slowly, J.D. generally writes about things like how to choose a credit card and how to find the best savings account. From time-to-time, he also shares motivational articles on topics like how to build confidence and how to beat procrastination.
Your Vision - Your Reality
March 3, 2009 by Editor
Filed under Law of Attraction, Optimism, Self Esteem, Self Improvement
By Peter Shepherd
A goal is a desire made specific and with a deadline. Setting and achieving
goals that fulfill your needs is essential to health and happiness. Striving
toward your goals is a statement that you are taking charge of your life, rather
than life taking charge of you.
Visualizing a goal is more important than knowing every detail or even any
details of how you will achieve it. The first step for a painter is to visualize the
end result, at least in concept; the means of achieving that result are
extremely variable - different materials and styles, for example - and some of
the steps may require learning new skills or may depend on ideas and
inspiration that the artist knows will arrive at the appropriate time - he doesn’t
worry about them not being there at the beginning. However it turns out, it will
express his feelings and spirit, and that is more than good enough.
Seeking visualized goals is a powerful, natural tendency - like the tendency of
plants to seek the light - an insistent drive that can crack the hardest granite.
If you don’t have a clear image of where you want to go, this creative urge will
be frustrated and you may experience your life as meaningless or directionless.
Then you may visualize negative goals for yourself - you may see yourself as
incompetent, ill, in pain, a failure, and your creative power will tend to make
these a reality.
The first step in goal setting is to get in touch with what you really want in life.
Something that is truly inspiring for you, so you know it is “right.” It should be
what you really, really want, regardless of “what it takes.” Not what other
people want or what they expect of you, and not something to please others -
to inspire you it must be true to your self, something that will really motivate
you.
It may be a lifetime goal or one for a year, month or week ahead. Keep it clear
and simple but don’t set out your goal in terms of generalities like “some” or
“more” - be specific! Include tangible details of time, place, facts, figures,
persons. Clarify exactly what the goal means in terms of specific changes in
your life and a specific deadline for its achievement.
The goal should be achievable - maybe out of reach, for the moment, but not
out of sight! It should also be something you believe in, that you feel is right,
that is consistent with your values.
Then envision that situation in your mind as actually happening now. Express it
as a statement of fact in the present tense, see yourself with the goal already
accomplished. What are you doing? What are your surroundings? What are
people saying to you? How are you feeling now that you have accomplished it?
Get the feeling of that achievement in your heart and celebrate! That feeling
will then stay with you and energize all your actions toward manifesting the
goal.
Here are some examples of well expressed accomplishments: “I am going on a
singles club outing once a week and meeting new people I get on really well
with [the goal to make 5 new genuine friends].” “I am swimming a mile three
times a week and I feel stronger and more alive [the goal to get fit by
swimming a mile three times a week].” “I am living comfortably within my
budget for food, clothing and entertainment; now I feel financially secure and
in control of my spending [the goal to live within my budget by three months
time].” “Bob and I are understanding each other and really loving and trusting
one another and we are having beautiful sex [the goal to improve the
communication in our relationship so that our sex life is great again].”
Don’t use negatives such as “I am not over-eating.” Think positive! Also
negative goals, or not being able to see yourself actually achieving the goal,
strongly indicate the likelihood of internal conflict taking place, in which case
you need to handle this, to identify the limiting beliefs and revise them.
For example, you might learn that you are afraid of how others will respond if
you achieve your goal, or that you are unable or unwilling at this time to
perform the necessary steps to proceed, or that the goal is really meant to
please another or match somebody else. In these cases, you first need to
thoroughly grasp and accept the conflicting viewpoints and feelings involved
and compare them to the current reality, your actual needs, and to realize any
distorted thinking taking place. Then either the goal will be clarified and the
problems drop away, or you will see that the goal is not genuine and choose
another goal.
You then also need to work out an action plan, covering the steps you need to
take in sequence to manifest your goal. What do you need to do, change,
learn, or implement, to move your life from where it is now to where you want
it to be?
To plot out your path, it is best to work backward from your vision of an
accomplished goal - that way you ensure you stay on track, that what you plan
leads to the goal and not some place else. What has to be done to enable you
to finally achieve the goal? What has to be in place? Then you just proceed
backward: what needed to be done one step earlier? Work back to the first
steps you need to take. The first steps need to be things that you know you
can do, so you can get going. Put this in writing and share your goal with those
who will support you.
As you begin to act, identify your fears, accept and release them. Identify
other things you are doing, perhaps habitually, that in fact make it difficult or
even impossible to eventually achieve your goal, and stop doing those things.
Identify and revise your limiting beliefs (including beliefs that you have been
suppressing), and shift that energy into the love you have for your vision.
As you put your first steps into reality you will find yourself acting in ways
compatible with creating your vision; ideas and resources will fall into place.
Setbacks are inevitable but you can learn from them, then re-establish your
vision and move on with greater confidence than before. Use all that you have
learned to establish and boost your self esteem - be your own greatest
supporter. With self-confidence you’ll want to stretch yourself and try new
things. And remember the reasons why you are doing what you are doing - this
will help you do whatever it takes to reach your goal, to be patient when
necessary, and to be persistent with your efforts.
It is equally important to focus also as ruthlessly and honestly as possible on
the current reality. And this is key: measure your progress from where you
started, not against how far you have to go. Each action in which you
demonstrate your competence boosts your self-esteem; each development that
you make happen boosts your morale.
By comparing your progress with the point at which you started out, you will
be encouraged to continue. Goals are achieved step by step and each step
needs to be validated - otherwise the goal may seem far away and it may feel
you are making little progress, when really you are.
Then compare your current reality and state of progress with the final vision -
the next steps will be clarified and you will be motivated to continue. This is an
improvisatory process and cannot be entirely predicted at the outset. Since
creating is improvisatory, the steps you planned to take and even the goal
itself may be revised. Now you know yourself better you may discover that you
actually want something very different from what you originally set out to get.
THE FUTURE EXISTS
FIRST IN IMAGINATION
THEN IN WILL
THEN IN REALITY
Have a great time (setting and achieving goals is the game of life).
SOURCE: Tools For Transformation
Learn To Think Like A Millionaire
February 11, 2009 by Editor
Filed under Abundance, Beliefs, Law of Attraction, Optimism
Rich people have a way of thinking that is different from poor and middle class people. They think differently about money, wealth, themselves, other people, and life. Let’s examine six crucial differences between how rich people think and how poor or middle class people think.
By doing so, you will have some alternative beliefs in the files of your mind from which to choose. In this way, you can catch yourself thinking as poor people do and quickly switch over to how rich people think.
Remember, beliefs are not right, wrong, true or false, they’re just past opinions which can be changed on your command. The fact is, you can CHOOSE to think in ways that will support you instead of ways that don’t.
1. Rich People Believe “I Create My Life”
Poor people believe “Life happens to me.”
If you want to create wealth, it is imperative that you believe that you are at the steering wheel of your life; that you create every moment of your life, especially your financial life. If you don’t believe this, then you must believe you have little control over your life and that financial success has nothing to do with you. That is not a very rich attitude.
Instead of taking responsibility for what’s going on in their lives, poor people choose to play the role of victim. Of course, any “victim’s” predominant thought process is “poor me.” And presto, through the law of intention that’s literally what they get; “poor,” as in money, me.
Here’s some homework I promise will change your life. For the next seven days, I challenge you not to complain at all. Not just out loud, but in your head too. I’ve given this little challenge to thousands of people and several hundred have personally told me that this exercise completely transformed their lives. I invite you to email me with the results of this experiment. I guarantee you’ll be astonished as to how amazing your life will become when you stop focusing on the “crap.”
It’s time to decide. You can be a victim OR you can be rich, but you can’t be both. It’s time to take back your power and acknowledge the fact that you create every moment of your life. That you create everything that is in your life and everything that is not in it. That you create your wealth and you create your non-wealth and everything in between.
2. Rich People Play the Money Game to Win
Poor people play the money game not to lose.
Poor people play the money game on defense rather than offense. Let me ask you, if you were to play any sport or any game strictly on defense, what are the chances of you winning that game? Most people agree; slim and none.
Yet, that’s exactly how most people play the money game. Their primary concern is survival and security, not wealth and abundance. So, what is your goal? What is your real objective? What is your true intention?
Rich people’s big goal is to have massive wealth and abundance. Poor people’s big goal is to have “enough to pay the bills…” on time would be a miracle! Again, let me remind you of the power of intention. When your objective is to have enough to pay the bills, that’s exactly how much you’ll get; just enough to pay the bills and usually not a cent more. You get what you truly intend to get. If you want to get rich, your goal has to be “rich.” Not just enough to pay the bills and not just enough to be comfortable. Rich, darn it, rich!
3. Rich People Are Committed to Being Rich
Poor people are uncommitted to being rich.
Most of us have good reasons as to why it would be wonderful to be rich, but what about the other side of the coin? Are there reasons why it might not be so great to be rich or go through the process of trying to get rich?
Each of us has a file on wealth in our mind. This file contains our personal beliefs that include why being wealthy would be great. But for many people, their file also includes information as to why being rich might not be so great. These people have mixed internal messages around money and especially wealth.
One part of them says, “Having more money will make life a lot more fun.” But then another part screams, “Yeah, but “I’m going to have to work like a dog! What kind of fun is that?” One part says, “I’ll be able to travel the world.” then the other part responds, “Yeah, and everyone in the world will want something from me.” These mixed messages are one of the biggest reasons that most people never become rich.
In fact, the #1 reason most people don’t get what they want is they don’t know what they want. Rich people are totally clear they want wealth. They are unwavering in their desire. They are fully committed to creating wealth. They will do “whatever it takes” to have wealth as long as it’s moral, legal and ethical. Rich people do not send mixed messages to the universe. Poor people do.
I hate to break the news to you, but getting rich is not a “stroll in the park.” It’s takes focus, expertise, 100% effort, and “never say die” perseverance. You have to really commit to it, both consciously and subconsciously. You have to believe in your heart you can do it and you deserve it. If you are not fully committed to creating wealth, chances are you won’t.
4. Rich People Think Big
Poor people think small.
We once had a trainer teaching at one of our seminars who went from a net worth of $250 thousand to over $600 million in only 3 years. When asked his secret he said, “Everything changed the day I began to think big.” In my book, SpeedWealth, I discuss the “Law of Income” which states that “you will be paid in direct proportion to the value you deliver according to the market place.”
Another way of understanding this is to answer the following question: How many people do you actually serve or affect?
For instance in my business, some trainers enjoy speaking to groups of 20, others are comfortable with 100, others like an audience of 500, still others want 5000 people or more in attendance. Is there is a difference in income between these trainers? You bet there is.
Who are you? How do you want to live your life? How do you want to play the game?
Do you want to play in the big leagues or in little league, in the majors or the minors?
Will you play big or play small? It’s your choice.
But hear this. It’s not about you. It’s about living your mission. It’s about living true to your purpose. It’s about adding your piece of the puzzle to the world. It’s about serving others.
Most of us are so stuck in our egos that everything revolves around “me, me and more me.” But again, it’s not about you, it’s about adding value to other people’s lives. It’s your choice. One road leads to being broke and miserable, the other leads to money, meaning, and fulfillment.
It’s time to stop hiding out and start stepping out. It’s time to stop needing and start leading. It’s time to start being the star that you are. It’s time to share your gifts and value in a BIG way. There could be thousands or even millions of people counting on you. Are you up to the challenge for our society and our children’s sake? Let’s hope so.
5. Rich People Are Bigger Than Their Problems
Poor people are smaller than their problems.
Getting rich is not a stroll in the park. It’s a journey that is full of obstacles, twists, and detours. The simple fact is, success is messy. The road is fraught with pitfalls and that’s why most people don’t take it. They don’t want the hassles, the headaches and the responsibilities. In short, they don’t want the problems.
Therein lies one of the biggest differences between rich people and poor people. Rich and successful people are bigger than their problems while poor and unsuccessful people are smaller than their problems.
Poor people will do almost anything to avoid anything that looks like it could be a problem. They back away from challenges. The irony is that in their quest to make sure they don’t have problems, they have the biggest problem of all… they’re broke and miserable.
The secret to success is not to try to avoid or shrink your problems; it’s to grow yourself so you’re bigger than any problem.
Imagine a “level 2″ character person looking at a “level 5″ problem. Would this problem appear to be big or small? The answer is that from a “level 2″ perspective, a “level 5″ problem would seem BIG.
Now imagine a “level 8″ person looking at the same “level 5″ problem. From this person’s perspective, is this problem big or small? Magically the identical problem is now a SMALL problem.
And for a “level 10″ person, it’s NO problem at all. It’s just an everyday occurrence, like getting dressed or brushing your teeth. Whether you are rich or poor, playing big or playing small, problems do not go away. If you’re breathing, you will always have so-called “problems.”
What’s important to realize is that the size of the problem is never the real issue. What matters is the size of you!
Remember, your wealth can only grow to the extent that you do! The idea is to grow yourself to a place where you can overcome any problems that get in your way of creating wealth and keeping it once you have it.
Rich people do not back away from problems, do not avoid problems and do not complain about problems. Rich people are financial warriors and when a warrior is confronted with a challenge they shout: BRING IT ON!
6. Rich People Focus on Opportunities
Poor people focus on problems.
Rich people see potential growth. Poor people see potential loss.
Rich people focus on the rewards. Poor people focus on the risks.
It’s the age-old question, is the glass half empty or half full? We’re not merely talking about “positive thinking” here, we’re talking about a habitual way of seeing the world. Poor people come from fear. Their minds are constantly scanning for what’s wrong or what could go wrong in any situation. Their primary mindset is “What if it doesn’t work?” or, more bluntly, “It won’t work.” Rich people, as we discussed earlier, take responsibility for creating their life and come from the mindset, “It will work because I’ll make it work.”
In the financial world, as in most other arenas, risk is directly proportionate to reward; generally, the higher the reward, the higher the risk. People with rich mentalities are willing to take that risk.
Rich people expect to succeed. They have confidence in their abilities, they have confidence in their creativity and they believe that should the “doo-doo hit the fan”, they can always make their money back or succeed in another way.
On the other hand, poor people expect to fail. They lack confidence in themselves and in their abilities, and should things not work out, they believe it would be catastrophic.
You have to do something, buy something, or start something in order to succeed financially. You have to see opportunities for profit all around you instead of focusing on ways of losing money.
T. Harv Eker will be a featured trainer with The Masters Gathering, which will bring some of the world’s greatest teachers together for on amazing event. Join the masters here…
This Article Doesn’t Exist
February 9, 2009 by Editor
Filed under Beliefs, Learning, Negativity, Optimism
What are you worried about right now?
Well, it’s an almost guarantee that you are worried about nothing, for the very reason that you don’t exist!
You have no worries because you have no mind or body or life to worry with — it’s all an illusion. No worries, but more significantly, no worrier.
If you think this sounds like utter nonsense, some of the most brilliant scientists, philosophers and theological thinkers of our century would disagree with you.
Science and math suggest that we humans don’t exist, (even though there is really no math or science — more illusions!)
The advent of quantum mechanics and modern physics increasingly imply that our existence as human beings is a kind of persistent illusion. We are under the false assumption that we’re people, we only imagine we have bodies and brains, and minds functioning inside those brains. Illusions, all of it.
Listen to what one of the greatest physicists of the century, Authur Eddington said of quantum theories:
“In the world of physics…the shadow of my elbow rests on the shadow table as the shadow ink flows over the shadow paper…the frank realization that physical science is concerned with a world of shadow is one of the most significant of recent advances.”
By “shadow” Eddington meant illusion. More than any other science, it is particle physics that is confronting the fundamentals of reality, and more and more, the evidence point to the fact there is no reality!
For the past 300-some years, the world has been under the impression that everything is made up of atoms, “the building blocks of the universe.” It was the great Isaac Newton who solidified our impression that atoms were like billiard balls. Pile enough of them on top of each other, set them in motion and you get rocks, trees, animals and people.
But in 1900 Albert Einstein’s hero, the brilliant Max Planck, revealed some incredibly disturbing discoveries he made while trying to solve problems concerning the radiation of energy.
To make a long story short, Planck was forced to conclude that matter at its most fundamental level is not continuous, not solid. There are no tiny billiard balls. When you break down an atom, you get an electron, a proton and maybe a neutron. But it turns out these are not the smallest units either. You can break things down further to bosons, quarks, W particles, tachyons and a lot of other shadowy “things” that just sort of wink in and out of existence.
Where do things go when they “wink out?” Nowhere! They cease to exist! Then they come back again.
So what? you might ask. Well, as you know, the human body is made up from the fundamental elements of nature. We are mostly water, but we also have iron in our blood, calcium in our bones, and such. But each of those substances are made up of individual atoms, which in turn are made up of ghostly bits of nothing that just sort of come and go, in and out of reality.
Scientists call this blinking process “quantum fluctuation.”
So when the elements of your body fluctuate, so does your body, and so do you! So does you brain and the chemicals in your brain! In fact, you may be in a state of nothingness more often than you are in a state of somethingness (even though there really is no somethingness!)
As the currently popular medical guru Depack Chopra points out, all of us our dead (nonexistent) for much of the time, yet we are all constantly afraid of dying, not realizing we are dead much of the time! (Oh by the way, there’s no such thing as time either. Einstein proved it was an illusion, but we won’t get into that right now).
Even at its most solid state, the atom turns out to be not very solid at all. Atoms are 99.999999 empty space. If the nucleus of an atom were the size of a ping-pong ball, and if you were to place it in the center of a large football stadium, the electrons that orbit around the nucleus would be at the outer walls of the stadium.
What is between the nucleus and the electron? Nothing! And what are the nucleus and electron made from? Smaller and smaller bits of energy which are not solid, but actually whirling fragments of light.
Even a block of solid lead is nothing and light, acting as “something.” So is your car. So are the chemicals in your brain. So are you.
Once during a long, boring drive from Grand Forks to southern Missouri with one of my graduate school professors, we became embroiled in a lengthy debate about the deep issues of the universe. I argued that all was illusion, and he argued for solid reality. When I mentioned the unreal nature of fundamental particles, he said:
“That makes no difference! All this means is that these flucuating bits of energy are what we are made out of — but we are still us, still the same, still real solid people. Are your saying is that we are more fundamental than atoms.”
He also said: “If I whacked you with a baseball bat, I bet your pain wouldn’t feel like an illusion!”
At the time, I was stumped to answer because that was before I understood the nature — or more accurately — the mechanics of illusion. I didn’t realize that even our argument was an illusion!
The fact is, my professor and I could have argued for years on end and neither of us would have convinced the other because BOTH of our aurguments were false! Why? Because neither of our arguments exist!
The fact is, language is one of the primary ways in which we become deceived into believing in solid reality. Once a creature reaches the stage where it can manipulate symbolic language, you can bet that creature is deeply buried under many layers of illusion.
I also should have quoted the Uncertainty Principle and the Incompleteness Theorm to my professor.
You see, the idea that language is all illusion is not a simple belief, but a fact which has been proved mathematically. Back in the 1920s, a German math genius by the name of Kurt Godel produced a rigorous mathematical demonstration which showed that all logic was ultimately self contradictory.
Godel’s proof is known as Godel’s Theorm, but also as the Incompleteness Theorm. It states this:
“It is impossible to to establish the logical consistency of any complex deductive system except by assuming principles of reasoning whose own internal consistency is an open question as that of the system itself.”
Whew! That’s just a fancy way of saying that, no matter what your viewpoint — it’s wrong! You will never be able to convince someone of what you believe because all rhetoric is, by nature, fundamentally inconsistent.
That’s why arguing politics and religion is so frustrating — no one is ever right, literally! All arguments are rigged from the start!
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But there’s even more bad news for reality. It’s called the Heisenbreg Uncertainty principle, suggested and later proved by one of the fathers of quantum mechanics, the great Werner Heisenberg. His principle states:
“The position and the velocity of an object cannot both be measured exactly, at the same time, not even in theory. The very concepts of exact position and exact velocity together, in fact, have no meaning in nature.”
What this means is that physical objects cannot be pinned down to absolutely exist in any one place at any given time. Like Godel’s Theorm, this principle comes with a rigorous mathemetical proof.
So not only are all verbal arugments fundamentally inconsistent, and therefore false, but physical matter ultimately cannot be measured.
As one physicist put it:
“Our conception of substance is only vivid so long as we do not face it. It begins to fade when we analyze it … the solid substance of things is another illusion … we have chased the solid substance from the continuous liquid to the atom, from the atom to the electron, and there we have lost it.”
It’s amazing how complimentary Godel’s Theorm and the Uncertainty Principle are — they both devastate the idea of a solid physcial world filled with ultimate “truths.” There are no objects, no people and no truth. We’ve only been tricked into thinking so, as weird as this sounds.
Who have we been tricked by? Ourselves! And we don’t exist! Odd!
You might ask: How does knowing that you don’t exist help you with your daily troubles? Well, in fact, it helps a lot. Indeed, this knowledge can lead you to an extreme state of happiness, even bliss. How?
By getting to work at realizing that you are buried under many layers of very tricky, persistent illusions, which because of their mathematical inconsistency, are driving you nuts! It seems like you can never find ultimate truth, true peace and the purest of love becaue you are trying to get these things under the false assumption that they exist in some real way. They don’t. And neither does pain, suffering and worry.
The greater degree to which you become aware that you and your world is all sticky illusion, the greater your feeling of being happy, loving and truthful will become. Why this is so becomes plain when we give a more conventional example of how illusions cause pain.
We all know someone who has mistaken money for what money represents, or mistaken money for happiness. Money itself is just paper, a symbol which rerpresents material goods. Some people fall under the illusion that money is an end it itself, so they mindlessly persue more and more of the green stuff until they have a heart attack and die.
All would agree it’s good to be free of the illusion of money and materialism.
Well, as it turns out, the more illusions we get rid of, the better off we are. Getting rid of illusions like money, drugs and sex addictions is easy compared to getting rid of major illusions like death, time, language, and physical existence, but it’s far from impossible.
I should warn you also, that the more you try to achieve happiness, the worse off you’re likely to get because happiness is an illusory concept which does not exist. You’ll get very frustrated, although frustration does not exist either. Sorry.
So it’s better to work on getting rid of illusions themselves and let the rest take care of itself.
The brilliant psychologist-philospher-author Ken Wilber describes seven layers of illusion in his groundbreaking book, The Spectrum of Consciousness. In this book, Wilber takes you step by step through the kind of illusions human are trapped within, from Nothing to the deepest layer of illusion, which he calls “dualisms.”
The more you understand the nature of illusions, the various kinds of illusions, (especially language, time, the separation of objects in space) the more likely you are to find your way out.
This is what Zen and other forms of meditation are about — to get you to stop thinking so that the ultimate silence of the greater reality of Nothing can be realized.
But as any Zen master would warn you, the minute you start thinking that Zen meditation is going to help you, or that the Zen philosophy is going to help you, or any philosophy or any religion — in that assumption you get lost again!
What’s truly weird about illusion is that you have to use illusions to get rid of them, and it’s hard describe how this gets done. Remember Godel’s Theorm: all arugments based in language are fundamentally inconsistent, and therefore, just more traps.
Even what you are reading here right now is a trap, though this article strives to point out the fact that you are trapped by illusions! But I think it’s at least better to know you’re in jail, than being in jail and thinking this prison we call “life” is our true home.
Some might say: “Okay, but it’s better to exist as an illusion that suffers than to be nothing at all!”
So let me throw you this bone: The big Nothing scientists and philosophers speak of is not so much the complete lack of anything, as it is a singularity of pure Virtual Potential. It does not exist, but has the potential to exist if it wants to. It’s Nothing, but a kind of dynamic Nothing. Whatever. Words and labels are tricky.
But the reason you have the illusion of being, along with its joy and suffering — you want it. At the same time, you can have the bliss of realizing Infinite Potential without the suffering of the illusion of objective existence. In fact, this is your condition right now. You just don’t know it. It’s weird.
A lot of people who read this article are going to say: “Jeez! What a load of utter nonsense!”
And guess what? They’re right!
Article Source: Ken Korczak http://ironghost.wordpress.com
So You Have A Pounding Headache…
January 1, 2009 by Editor
Filed under Better Living, Optimism
For those who tied it on last night… the anatomy of a headache…. from Men’s Health
Oh, the pain, the pain. You went and let that party get the better of you. Now your muscles ache, your stomach is doing back flips, and it feels as if the marching band has decided to use your cerebellum as a big bass drum.
If you choose to drink, then you know a hangover can be the price you pay. You just keep forgetting how bad it makes you feel. So what is it about alcohol, anyway, that causes you so much misery? And is there anything you can do about it? Here’s a quick picture of what happens to your body every time you let a beer keg get the better of you.
First off, alcohol affects you by a simple formula: The more you drink, the more your system has to work overtime to flush it all out. Your brain says “party,” but it’s hard for your body to keep up.
For one thing, drinking to excess is like barging in on your central nervous system without knocking. Special sensitivity receptors embedded in your nerve-cell membranes were happily binding with important neurotransmitters until the booze showed up. Alcohol spoils the moment by throwing those receptors out of whack and upsetting those nerve cells. And it’s not enough that the booze ruined your brain’s evening: As your body purges alcohol the next morning, your central nervous system stays unbalanced and stressed out enough to cause vomiting, tremors, and agitation.
For another, as you consume alcohol, it metabolizes into acetaldehyde, which in high concentrations can cause rapid pulse, sweating, and nausea. Mix in that some booze contains flavor, taste, and color enhancers known as congeners that also add to hangover symptoms.
Besides forcing your system to deal with an army of its toxic byproducts, alcohol zeroes in on specific body functions and throws them off balance.
Drinking dries you out
Though it may seem as if you’re flooding your system every time you fill your party cup, you’re actually losing fluids as you drink. That morning-after thirst, dizziness, headache, and dry throat spell one thing—dehydration.
You’re all dried out because alcohol functions as a diuretic, encouraging your kidneys to create more urine by suppressing your body’s levels of the anti-diuretic hormone vasopressin. And the more trips to the bathroom you make, the more you deplete your body’s reservoir of fluids. Add an episode of vomiting or a case of the “sweats,” and you throw off your electrolyte balance even more.
Drinking disrupts your stomach
A few drinks might relax your mood, but they put your stomach on full alert. Alcohol inflames your stomach lining and increases production of gastric acid, as well as pancreatic and intestinal digestive fluids. Throw your stomach into overdrive with drinks, and you increase your risk of throwing up.
Drinking alters your blood sugar
As alcohol makes its way through your system, it disrupts your body’s production of natural sugars, or glucose. It also causes your liver to accumulate fat compounds known as triglycerides and adds lactic acid to your body fluids, both of which can trigger low glucose, or mild hypoglycemia. Since glucose is your brain’s chief fuel, low glucose levels can make you feel tired, weak, and irritable-all standard-issue hangover symptoms.
Drinking screws up your sleep
Funny how your hangover feels like the time you pulled an all-nighter during finals. That’s because alcohol disrupts your normal sleep patterns, decreasing the time you spend in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and increasing your deep, or slow-wave, sleep. You’re effectively turning your body clock on its head and giving yourself “jet lag.”
The best defense
How to stay ahead of the game and possibly outwit hangovers ahead of time? First of all, you could choose not to drink. But if you do, having just one or two, spreading your consumption out over the course of an evening, and drinking water between drinks will help your system step up to the job. Avoid mixing alcohol with nicotine or other drugs, and consider grabbing some chow before heading out for the evening. A stomach even slightly full will slow down alcohol’s trip into your bloodstream.
Once you’re home and ready to crash (or if it’s already morning and you’re squinting at this while nursing a pounding head), try to chug down some water or juice to restore your electrolytes and keep you hydrated. Be careful about grabbing a tablet of anything: Aspirin can upset your already-grouchy stomach, and acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, can damage your liver when it meets the alcohol still in your system. And forget about “the hair of the dog that bit you.” More booze will only restore alcohol to your already-addled system and prolong the pain.
The best cures? Get some more sleep, give it time. And consider laying off the alcoholic drinks in favor of water, juice, or soda next time.
By Tony Farrell, Men’s Health
I Am Thankful For…
December 9, 2008 by Editor
Filed under Abundance, Better Living, Gratitude, Optimism
and finally….
Advice From The Dalai Lama
November 7, 2008 by Editor
Filed under Abundance, Beliefs, Better Living, Happiness, Optimism, Power, Purpose, Relationships, Self Improvement
It’s been making the rounds, so I figured, why not here for those who haven’t seen this list before. Instructions for Life in the new millennium from the Dalai Lama:
1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rules: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
The Overview Effect
In February, 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell experienced the little understood phenomenon sometimes called the “Overview Effect”.
He describes being completely engulfed by a profound sense of universal connectedness. Without warning, he says, a feeling of bliss, timelessness, and connectedness began to overwhelm him.
He describes becoming instantly and profoundly aware that each of his constituent atoms were connected to the fragile planet he saw in the window and to every other atom in the Universe. He described experiencing an intense awareness that Earth, with its humans, other animal species, and systems were all one synergistic whole.
He says the feeling that rushed over him was a sense of interconnected euphoria. He was not the first—nor the last—to experience this strange “cosmic connection”.
Rusty Schweikart experienced it on March 6th 1969 during a spacewalk outside his Apollo 9 vehicle: “When you go around the Earth in an hour and a half, you begin to recognize that your identity is with that whole thing. That makes a change…it comes through to you so powerfully that you’re the sensing element for Man.” Schweikart, similar to what Mitchell experienced, describes intuitively sensing that everything is profoundly connected.
Their experiences, along with dozens of other similar experiences described by other astronauts, intrigue scientists who study the brain. This “Overview Effect”, or acute awareness of all matter as synergistically connected, sounds somewhat similar to certain religious experiences described by Buddhist monks, for example.
Where does it come from and why?
Andy Newberg, a neuroscientist/physician with a background in space medicine, is learning how to identify the markers of someone who has had the experience. “You can often tell when you’re with someone who has flown in space,” he says, “It’s palpable.” Andy scans brains for a living: praying nuns, transcendental mediators, and others in the act of focused states.
Newberg can pinpoint regions in subjects’ gray matter that correlate to these circumstances. Newberg is seriously looking at how to fly equipment that could study—in action—the brain functions of space travelers. If this Overview Effect is a real, physiological phenomenon—he wants to watch it happen.
Newberg’s first test subject will not be a paid astronaut, but rather a paying space tourist: Reda Andersen slated to fly with Rocketplane Kistler says, “It would be criminal NOT to study the first of us (space adventure travelers).”
After decades of study and contemplation about his experience, Ed Mitchell believes that the feeling of “oneness” with the Universe that he and others have experienced is a consequence of little understood quantum physics.
In a recent interview with writer Diana deRegnier of American Chronicle, Mitchell explains how the event changed his life and his entire perspective on the world and how each of us fits into the grand scale of the cosmos.
“Four hundred years ago. the philosopher Rene Descartes came to the conclusion that physicality, spirituality, mind and body belonged to different realms of reality that didn’t interact. Now, that served the purpose to get the Inquisition off the backs of the intellectuals so they could disagree on material things with the church and without the fear of being burned at the stake. So that ended that, but it did cause, for four hundred years, science to consider consciousness and mind a subject for philosophy and religion and not a subject for science.
Now, one of the things that happened, in the 1940s, was the mathematician, physicist, Norbert Wiener (MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for the first time really defined information as the negative of entropy, and entropy as the idea of the universe is running down and wastes energy. But, Wiener defined information as the negative of entropy, and that’s wonderful but it didn’t go far enough.”
Mitchell says that in an attempt to fill in some of the missing gap, the 2008 revised edition of his book The Way of the Explorer explores the largely ignored science of human consciousness. Using what he calls the “dyadic model” he outlines the “two faces” of energy. “Instead of being two separate things, it’s the energy as the basis of our existence in matter. And, it’s the basis of our knowing and information,” Mitchell explains.
“We had not had, in science, a definition of consciousness. The only definition of consciousness from the dictionary is that at its basic level it is awareness. Consciousness means to be aware, and then we have different levels of consciousness depending upon how complex the substance is. It has been demonstrated many times over in laboratories that basic awareness is demonstrable at the level of plants, at simple bacteria, at simple life forms.
This is done with Faraday cages. It’s shown that this information at this deep level, at the quantum level, can transcend electromagnetic theory. And, now we’re getting into quantum physics and we don´t want to go there at this point. But it’s a very fundamental notion that awareness is at the very basis of things.”
Mitchell believes that perhaps both the theologians and scientists have missed the mark.
“All I can suggest to the mystic and the theologian is that our gods have been too small; they fill the universe. And to the scientist all I can say is that the gods do exist; they are the eternal, connected, and aware Self experienced by all intelligent beings.’
In response to DeRegnier questioning whether or not Mitchell believes in the idea of God, he responds that while he does not believe in the traditional “grandfather figure” version of God, “we do have great mystery about what is the origin of the universe, how it came to be. There’s a great deal of question as to whether the big bang is the correct answer to the way the universe arose, and under what auspices and conditions. I don’t think we have the full answers to that yet. Hopefully in due course we’ll be able to find a much better way to describe all this.”
But while Mitchell does not claim to know how to perfectly interpret his experience, he is certain that it was a glimpse into a largely ignored reality: People, places and things are all more closely connected than they sometimes appear. He also mentions the need for better stewardship of our precious planet.
“The great thinker Buckminster Fuller, philosopher, now deceased but for a goodly portion of the twentieth century, pointed out at the beginning of our space exploration that we are the crew of ‘space ship earth’. But we ‘re a crew of mutiny and how can you run a space ship with a mutinous crew?”
By Rebecca Sato
Source: Daily Galaxy
JK Rowling - A Year In A Life
I haven’t read any of the Harry Potter books but my kids have seen some of the movies. I’m not into it but I admire the woman’s life story. I ran across this little clip which I thought was pretty cool… especially given her life circumstances and how far she’s come. Imagine going back to a place in time when your just starting out and struggling to make ends meet.
In this small clip, JK Rowling goes back and visits the tenement flat where she wrote the first Harry Potter book.
Update: The original video has been pulled from youtube, so we’ve updated this post with a new video of her commencement speech at Harvard, June 5, 2008. (2 Parts)
Food For Thought…
September 15, 2008 by Editor
Filed under Beliefs, Motivation, Optimism, Purpose
Richard Hooker worked for seven years on his humorous war novel, M*A*S*H, only to have it rejected by 21 publishers before Morrow decided to publish it. It became a runaway bestseller, spawning a blockbusting movie and highly successful television series.
Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution, gave up a medical career and was told by his father, “You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat catching.” In his autobiography, Darwin wrote, “I was considered by my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect.
When NFL running back Herschel Walker was in junior high school, he wanted to play football, but the coach told him he was too small. He advised young Herschel to go out for track instead. Never one to give up, he ignored the coach’s advice and began an intensive training program to build himself up. Only a few years later, Herschel Walker won the Heisman trophy.
Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded.
Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer.
Colonel Sanders had the construction of a new road put him out of business in 1967. He went to over 1,000 places trying to sell his chicken recipe before he found a buyer interested in his 11 herbs and spices. Seven years later, at the age of 75, Colonel Sanders sold his fried chicken company for a finger-lickin’ $15 million!
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. Disney also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn’t read until he was seven. His teacher described him as “mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams.” He was expelled and refused admittance to Zurich Polytechnic School. The University of Bern turned down his Ph.D. dissertation as being irrelevant and fanciful.
The movie Star Wars was rejected by every movie studio in Hollywood before 20th-Century Fox finally produced it. It went on to be one of the largest grossing movies in film history.
Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15 out of 22 in chemistry.
When General Douglas MacArthur applied for admission to West Point, he was turned down, not once but twice. But he tried a third time, was accepted and marched into the history books.
After Fred Astaire’s first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, said, “Can’t act! Slightly bald! Can dance a little!” Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.
The father of the sculptor Rodin [The Thinker Statue] said, “I have an idiot for a son.” Described as the worst pupil in the school, Rodin failed three times to secure admittance to the school of art. His uncle called him uneducable.
Babe Ruth, considered by sports historians to be the greatest athlete of all time and famous for setting the home run record, also holds the record for strikeouts.
Eighteen publishers turned down Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, before Macmillan finally published it in 1970. By 1975 it had sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone.
Margaret Mitchell’s classic Gone with the Wind was turned down by more than twenty-five publishers.
When the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book was completed, it was turned down by thirty-three publishers in New York and another ninety at the American Booksellers Association convention in Anaheim, California, before Health Communications, Inc., finally agreed to publish it. The major New York publishers said, “It is too nicey-nice” and “Nobody wants to read a book of short little stories.” Since that time more than 8 million copies of the original Chicken Soup for the Soul book have been sold. The series, which has grown to thirty-two titles, in thirty-one languages, has sold more than 53 million copies.
In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere… son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.” Elvis Presley went on to become the most popular singer in America.
Dr. Seuss’ first children’s book, And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street, was rejected by twenty-seven publishers. The twenty-eighth publisher, Vanguard press, sold six million copies of the book.
The Other Side Of Life - Video
August 27, 2008 by Editor
Filed under Better Living, Negativity, Optimism, Relationships
We’ve all had those days were we think we’re the center of the universe. Sometimes we become so self absorbed in our everyday lives and make the mistake of thinking the world is out to inconvenience us.
Check out this video for an alternative look. Maybe it’ll make you think the next time your impatiently standing or feel the world is out to get you.
Napoleon Hill Discusses Andrew Carnegie
August 11, 2008 by Editor
Filed under Abundance, Beliefs, Fear, Law of Attraction, Motivation, Negativity, Optimism, Power
An oldie but a goodie. Napoleon Hill talks about the wisdom the billionaire Andrew Carnegie shared with him some hundred years ago.
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“Last Lecture” Professor Randy Pausch Has Died
Some of you may recall Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor whose final lecture inspired millions. News came out today that he has died of pancreatic cancer.
In May, Dr. Pausch spoke at the Carnegie Mellon University commencement. He said a friend recently told him he was “beating the [Grim] Reaper” because it’s now been nine months since his doctor told him he would die in six.
“But we don’t beat the Reaper by living longer. We beat the Reaper by living well,” said Dr. Pausch, who urged the graduates to find and pursue their passion. He put an exclamation point at the end of his remarks by kissing his wife, Jai, and carrying her off stage.
Below is the video link to the “Last Lecture” we posted back in Mar 2008.
http://myselfdevelopment.net/index.php/2008/03/14/the-last-lecture/
Louise Hay - You Can Heal Your Life: The Movie
July 4, 2008 by Editor
Filed under Abundance, Beliefs, Happiness, Imagination, Law of Attraction, Learning, Negativity, Optimism, Power, Purpose, Self Esteem, Self Improvement
This entertaining and inspirational movie based on the best-selling book of the same name is hosted by author and teacher Louise L. Hay. This film gives penetrating insights into Louise’s fascinating personal story; and shows how her views on self-esteem, abundance, and the metaphysical causes behind physical ailments were developed. It also reveals how she applied these concepts to her own emotional, spiritual, and professional life.
A number of luminaries in the fields of self-help, philosophy, health, spirituality, and New Thought join Louise, giving their take on success, happiness, and the myriad ways in which people can heal their own lives. And there are also gripping firsthand accounts from others who have been positively affected by Louise’s work.
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Some Thoughts On The Mind…
July 1, 2008 by Editor
Filed under Beliefs, Imagination, Law of Attraction, Motivation, Negativity, Optimism, Power, Self Improvement
Throughout history, in every great teaching, culture and religion, a central principle is the power of our thoughts to build the life we desire. The essential power of our thoughts is no secret…except to those who have yet to learn it.
“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
“For as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.”
– Proverbs 23:7
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought; it is founded on our thoughts; it is made up of our thoughts. A man’s life is the direct result of his thoughts… We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.”
– Gautama Siddhartha (Buddha)
“To know, yet to think that one does not know, is best; not to know, yet to think that one knows, will lead to difficulty.”
– Lao-Tzu
” A thought is an idea in transit.”
– Pythagoras
“He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger… Men of superior mind busy themselves first getting at the root of things; when they succeed, the right course is open to them.”
– Confucius
“Let go the things in which you are in doubt for the things in which there is no doubt.”
– Mohammed
“Mind is the creator of everything.
You should therefore guide it to create only good.
If you cling to a certain thought with dynamic will power,
It finally assumes a tangible outward form.
When you are able to employ your will for constructive purposes,
You become the controller of your destiny.”
– Paramahansa Yogananda
“They can because they think they can.”
– Virgil
“Our life is what our thoughts make it.”
– Marcus Aurelius Antonius
“It is not the events but our viewpoint toward events that is the determining factor. We ought to be more concerned about removing wrong thoughts from the mind than removing tumors and abscesses from the body.”
– Epictetus
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
– Shakespeare
“I think, therefore I am.”
– Descartes
“The universe begins to look more like a great thought than like a great machine.”
– Sir James Jeans
“Mind is the Master-power that molds and makes, and man is Mind, and ever more he takes the tool of Thought, and shaping what he wills, brings forth a thousand joys, or a thousand ills. He thinks in secret and it comes to pass; Environment is but his looking-glass.”
– James Allen
“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve.”
– Napoleon Hill
“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret — curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”
– Walt Disney
“Happiness is not a matter of events; it depends upon the tides of the mind.”
– Alice Meynell
“Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.”
– William James
“Our life is what our thoughts make it. A man will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him.”
– James Allen
“When you rule your mind you rule your world. When you choose your thoughts you choose results.”
– Imelda Shanklin
“Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life become more secure, more fraught with action, richer in experience and achievement.”
– Edward Rickenbacker
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”
– Michael Jordan
“We are what we think; as we desire so do we become! By our thoughts, desires, and habits, we either ascend to the full divine dignity of our nature, or we descend to suffer and learn.”
– J. Todd Ferrier
“The significant problems we face today cannot be solved on the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”
– Albert Einstein
“The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; 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. 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 furtive of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit; bad thought, bad fruit.”
– James Allen
“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.”
– Yogi Berra
“The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds.”
– Gerald G. Jampolsky
“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.”
– William James
“To think health when surrounded by the appearances of disease or to think riches when in the midst of the appearances of poverty requires power, but whoever acquires this power becomes a mastermind. That person can conquer fate and can have what he or she wants.”
– Wallace D.Wattles
“What the mind does not attend to, the mind dismisses. What the mind attends to, the mind considers. What the mind constantly considers, the mind believes. What the mind believes, the mind eventually does.”
– William J. McCrane
“Man, alone has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone can dream and make his dreams come true.”
– Napoleon Hill
“Just as each plant has its foundation in the hidden soil of the earth, so too are your thoughts based in the inner part of yourself… By learning what goes into creating within the inner part of your mind and what the process of growth is for your thoughts, you can learn how to make your thoughts stronger and healthier, and enrich your existence.”
– Brad Jensen
“Your thoughts are the architects of your destiny.”
– David O. McKay
“Reality is not so much what happens to us; rather, it is how we think about those events that create the reality we experience. In a very real sense, this means that we each create the reality in which we live.”
– Dr. Albert Ellis
“Thought takes man out of servitude, into freedom.”
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“We lift ourselves by our thought, we climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always, everywhere — your ideal of what you long to attain — the ideal of health, efficiency, success.”
– Orison Swett Marden
“We tend to get what we expect.”
– Norman Vincent Peale
“All things are created twice. There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation of all things. You have to make sure that the blueprint, the first creation, is really what you want, that you’ve thought everything through. Then you put it into bricks and mortar. Each day you go to the construction shed and pull out the blueprint to get marching orders for the day. You begin with the end in mind.”
– Stephen Covey
“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.”
– James Allen
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”
– Plutarch
“The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.”
– Earl Nightingale
“Our imagination is the only limitation to what we can have in the future.”
– Charles Kettering
“Our subconscious minds have no sense of humor, play no jokes and cannot tell the difference between reality and an imagined thought or image. What we continually think about eventually will manifest in our lives. The first order of business of anyone who wants to enjoy success in all areas of his/her life is to take charge of the internal dialogue they have and only think, say and behave in a manner consistent with the results they truly desire.”
– Sidney Madwed
“A man’s felicity consists not in the outward and visible blessing of fortune, but in the inward and unseen perfections and riches of the mind.”
– Anacharsis
“For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.”
– Harry F. Banks
“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are.”
– Norman Vincent Peale
“Every achiever I have ever met says, “My life turned around when I began to believe in me.”
– Robert Schuller
“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence
– Albert Einstein
“It is not who you think you are…or even who you think you are not that really determines success…it’s who you think you are becoming…”
– Doug Firebaugh
“A belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses; it is an idea that possesses the mind.”
– Robert Bolton
“Once you begin to believe there is help ‘out there,’ you will know it to be true.”
– Saint Bartholomew
“What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists…and it becomes available only when you are in that state of mind in which you know exactly what you want…and are fully determined not to quit until you get it.”
– Alexander Graham Bell
“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.”
– Norman Vincent Peale
“You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind.”
– Dale Carnegie
“Poverty is a way of living and thinking, and not just a lack of money or things. Prosperity is not just having things. It is the consciousness that attracts the things. Prosperity is a way of living and thinking, and not just having money or things.”
– Eric Butterworth
“The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results.”
– Norman Vincent Peale
“The Law of Attraction attracts to you everything you need, according to the nature of your thought life. Your environment and financial condition are the perfect reflection of your habitual thinking. Thought rules the world.”
– Joseph Murphy
“People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
– Abraham Lincoln
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.”
– Marcus Aurelius
“Mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance.”
– James Allen
“Truly, thoughts are things, and powerful things at that, when they are mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence and a burning desire for their translation into riches, or other material objects.”
– Napoleon Hill
“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
– Romans 12:2
