As A Man Thinketh by James Allen - Thought in Achievement
For more information about What is the law of attraction please click on the link title below:
Whether with the law of attraction, thru meditation and exercise, or by a willingness to think and act on thought, we make ourselves what we are.
ALL that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct
result of his own thoughts. In a justly ordered universe, where loss of
equipoise would mean total destruction, individual responsibility must
be absolute. A 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.
It has been usual for men to think and to say, "Many men are slaves
because one is an oppressor; let us hate the oppressor." Now, however,
there is amongst an increasing few a tendency to reverse this judgment,
and to say, "One man is an oppressor because many are slaves; let us
despise the slaves."
The truth is that oppressor and slave are co-operators in ignorance,
and, while seeming to afflict each other, are in reality afflicting
themselves. A perfect
Knowledge perceives the action of law in the weakness of
the oppressed and the misapplied power of the oppressor; a perfect Love,
seeing the suffering, which both states entail, condemns neither; a perfect
Compassion embraces both oppressor and oppressed.
He who has conquered weakness, and has put away all selfish thoughts,
belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free.
A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts.
He can only remain weak, and abject, and miserable by refusing to lift
up his thoughts.
Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things, he must lift
his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence. He may not, in order to
succeed, give up all animality and selfishness, by any means; but a
portion of it must, at least, be sacrificed. A man whose first thought
is bestial indulgence could neither think clearly nor plan
methodically; he could not find and develop his latent resources, and
would fail in any undertaking. Not having commenced to manfully control
his thoughts, he is not in a position to control affairs and to adopt
serious responsibilities. He is not fit to act independently and stand
alone. But he is limited only by the thoughts, which he chooses.
There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice, and a man's
worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices his confused
animal thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of his plans,
and the strengthening of his resolution and self-reliance. And the
higher he lifts his thoughts, the more manly, upright, and righteous he
becomes, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring
will be his achievements.
The universe does not favour the greedy, the dishonest, the vicious,
although on the mere surface it may sometimes appear to do so; it helps
the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. All the great Teachers of
the ages have declared this in varying forms, and to prove and know it
a man has but to persist in making himself more and more virtuous by
lifting up his thoughts.
Intellectual achievements are the result of thought consecrated to the
search for knowledge, or for the beautiful and true in life and nature.
Such achievements may be sometimes connected with vanity and ambition,
but they are not the outcome of those characteristics; they are the
natural outgrowth of long and arduous effort, and of pure and unselfish
thoughts.
Spiritual achievements are the consummation of holy aspirations. He who
lives constantly in the conception of noble and lofty thoughts, who
dwells upon all that is pure and unselfish, will, as surely as the sun
reaches its zenith and the moon its full, become wise and noble in
character, and rise into a position of influence and blessedness.
Achievement, of whatever kind, is the crown of effort, the diadem of
thought. By the aid of self-control, resolution, purity, righteousness,
and well-directed thought a man ascends; by the aid of animality,
indolence, impurity, corruption, and confusion of thought a man
descends.
A man may rise to high success in the world, and even to lofty
altitudes in the spiritual realm, and again descend into weakness and
wretchedness by allowing arrogant, selfish, and corrupt thoughts to
take possession of him.
Victories attained by right thought can only be maintained by
watchfulness. Many give way when success is assured, and rapidly fall
back into failure.
All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual
world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by
the same law and are of the same method; the only difference lies
in the object of attainment.
He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would
achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must
sacrifice greatly.
If you need more information about how to take control of your life you will find a very informative website at Law of Attraction Articles.
What is the law of attraction | how to take control of your life | the law of attraction articles | how to live a successful life | tips to manage stress | money and the law of attraction | love and the law of attraction | how to manage stress effectively | the secrets of the law of attraction | building wealth | the law of attraction and wealth | how to have a successful life
