“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
This is the 7th verse from the 23rd chapter of the Book of Proverbs. That’s how the inspiration for the title of James Allen’s book came from. He wrote this book representing the power of thoughts.
What are thoughts?
If I ask you what are you thinking right now, what will be your answer?
Nothing!
Well, that’s not possible. As long as we breathe, we keep on thinking about something. Even when you are reading this, a lot of things are going on at the back of your mind. Like your next deadlines to be completed, your financial crisis, or the seminar which you are going to attend, what to cook for dinner and the list is endless.
Such thoughts are a natural phenomenon of your body that is associated with your mind. A spiritual force, the energy that is omnipotent.
In the words of the author, your thoughts are the remote control of your life. It’s a force that changes the way you interpret, interact, and react to the world you live in. Your thoughts determine how rich or poor, how healthy or unsuccessful, how happy or sad you are.
The Power of Positive Thinking
Do you know how powerful are your thoughts?
A thought arose in Newton’s mind when he saw an apple felling, and the rest is history.
Karl Marx had thought to raise communism, and the entire republic of Russia was the product.
Not only this a single defeat is enough to convince a person for suicide.
In short, the power of thoughts can either help you or hurt you. It can either make you grow or lay you down. But whatever the result, it is also true that the power of thoughts lies completely in your hands. No one can take this power from you making you think anything.
Thoughts reside in your subconscious mind. These can be either your best friend or your worst enemy because the thoughts that are the most prominent in your mind are the ones that will become a reality in your life.
However, depending on your current circumstances, maintaining a positive mindset can be difficult because the mind tends to believe what it sees. When the thoughts come to your mind that tell you your goals of attracting success are impossible, silence those thoughts immediately. The longer you allow them to take root in your mind, the harder it will be to uproot them and develop a plan for success.
A great way to combat negative thoughts is with the help of daily affirmations. The more you say something, the more you believe it, and the more you believe it, the more likely it is to happen. When you feel discouraged, say an affirmation that affirms the opposite of your current, negative thought patterns and you will notice how your life begins to change.
Lessons learned from the book:
1. You are the master of your thought, the molder of your character, and the maker and shaper of your condition, environment, identity, and destiny.
You are the master even in your weakest and most abandoned state.
2. Your thoughts are the basis of your actions.
Just as a plant emerges from a bit of seed, your actions grow from the seeds of your thoughts implanted. Choose successful thoughts and your actions will allow you to lead a successful life.
3. Your thoughts affect your moods, emotions, feelings, and actions.
You can never experience a good day as long as you keep on thinking destructive thoughts all day. Try negative self-talk everyday and observe the degradation in your self-esteem. If you spend all of your time thinking about how horrible your life is right now, then your life will only get worse.
On the other hand, try positive self-talk too, and notice the changes.
By the right choice and true application of thought, you can attain divine perfection while with the wrong application, you can also become a beast.
4. You do not attract what you want but what you are.
Your whims, fancies, and ambitions are thwarted at each and every step, not what you wish and pray for you get, but what you justly earn. Your wishes and prayers are answered only when they harmonize with your thoughts and actions.
CONCLUSION
“As a Man thinketh” reveals that we are the makers of ourselves. All that we are, all that we have, and all that we are experiencing are the reflection of our inner consciousness. The inner consciousness we mean here is our mind and soul.
The book actually talks about the Law of Attraction though James Allen did not really use that term in his writings. Until today, almost everyone who has mastered the Law of Attraction surely has read this book at a certain point in their life. It is the basic book every Law of Attraction learner should study.
As A Man Thinketh is one of the most inspirational books ever written related to the Power of Thoughts. You just have to realize that in success, working hard is not the only way to go. We need to have good thoughts. We need to think of the implications of our thoughts, know and have a purpose, and most importantly, dream.
