As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
This book is lifetime classic that could be a great read for anyone who is interested in improving his mindset.
Free Kindle Book could be found here:
https://www.amazon.com/As-Man-Thinketh-Complete-Original/dp/1523643536
It teaches how to use our mind in a better way and how maintaining positive thoughts will ultimately affect our circumstances.
The lessons are simple and yet powerful — here is the gist of them as I captured it:
Lesson 1: Your mind is like a garden
MAN’S mind may be likened to a garden, which may be
intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether
cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no
useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless
weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce
their kind.
Lesson 2: The body is the servant of the mind
It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately
chosen or automatically expressed. At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty.
Lesson 3: Thought 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.
Lesson 4: Aimlessness is a vice
UNTIL thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment. With the majority the bark of thought is allowed to “drift” upon the ocean of life. Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting must not continue for him who would
steer clear of catastrophe and destruction.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.
Lesson 5: ALL that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is
the direct result of his own thoughts
Man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man’s; they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another.
His condition is also his own, and not another man’s.
His suffering and his happiness are evolved from within. As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.
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.
Lesson 6: Gifts, powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort
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.
Lesson 7: CALMNESS of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom
It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.
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.
Summary
- Your mind is like a garden
- The body is the servant of the mind
- Thought crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into
circumstance - Aimlessness is a vice
- ALL that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is
the direct result of his own thoughts - Gifts, powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort
- CALMNESS of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom
