One of the original earliest books written in the “self help” genre is a book called “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen. It was published in the same year that the Wright brothers first took to the air. I didn’t come across this book until after my fortieth birthday, but it had a profound affect on me and I was struck by the simplicity and relevance of its message. If I could summarise the book in one sentence, it would be:
Good Thoughts lead to Good Actions which lead to Good Consequences.
The reverse is also true — that is, Bad Thoughts lead to Bad Actions which lead to Bad Consequences.
This really struck home with me because when I reflected on some of the outcomes in my life that I am less proud of, there was always something in the lead up when I could have, and should have, controlled my thoughts better in order to prevent the subsequent negative action, and hence, the negative outcome.
The corollary to this is that it’s supremely important to govern our thoughts — to interrupt the voice in our head when it is heading down a path that is not desirable. According to Allen, it’s not valid to say, “they’re only thoughts, they don’t hurt anyone”. He strongly believes that all thoughts will manifest themselves in some sort of action, so if you want to ensure that you are always proud of your actions, then you should do your best to ensure you are always proud of your thoughts.
A second book worth reading on the subject of thought processes is The Magic of Thinking Big by David J Schwartz. In this book, he strongly advocates adopting a positive mental attitude that is focused on developing solutions. Schwartz believes that once you have adopted a solution-focused mindset and thought about your goal, your mind will work out a way to reach the destination.
Some specific techniques that resonated with me include:
- When you feel defeated, Think Big. Recognise that it’s not possible to achieve success without hardship and setbacks, but it is possible to live the rest of your life without defeat, by regarding the setback as a lesson. Learn from it, research it. Salvage something from every setback. In addition, blend persistence with experimentation. Back off and start afresh with a new approach. Finally, think Big Enough to see that defeat is a state of mind, nothing more.
- When Romance starts to slip, think big. Concentrate on the biggest qualities in the person you want to love you, and do something special for your mate (often).
- When that “I haven’t got what it takes” feeling creeps up on you, Think Big. Concentrate on your assets. Build a “sell yourself to yourself” commercial and use it. (In fact, Schwartz recommends you write a 30 second commercial selling your good points and read it to yourself every day).
- When you feel your progress on the job is slowing down, think big. Think “I can do better”. There is always room for doing everything better. And when you think “I can do better”, ways to be better will appear.
More than two thousand years ago, Publilius Syrus said, A wise man will be master of his mind, a fool will be its slave. Both James Allen and David J. Schwartz subscribe to this school of thinking, and they’ve convinced me too. By constantly evaluating our thought processes and directing (or re-directing) them in positive and constructive directions, we can maximise the likelihood of achieving successful outcomes and staying happy.
You can learn more about this Life Hack by reading:
- As a Man Thinketh by James Allen (free)
- The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
