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IF YOU SHOULD HEAR the word house, what do you see in your
mind's eye? Do you see the letters h-o-u-s-e? No, you see a picture
of a house. It may be your own house; a house you admire, or the
dream house you expect to own some day.
The mind does not think in words, but in pictures. When you are
reading you are continually translating the words your eyes see into
pictures. In other words you see what you read.
Not all words can be changed into pictures: the word love, for
instance. But, when we think of a word which does not lend itself to
pictures, we do the next best thing. We associate it with a picture
word. When you hear the word love, you are likely to see in your
mind's eye the picture of one you do love: your wife or husband, or
sweetheart.
When one has difficulty in remembering what he has read, it is
usually because of a bad reading habit. His eyes have been following
the words, but he has not been changing the words into pictures. In
my books I often urge the reader to think while he reads. In
reality, this means see while you read.
You can go to a movie and watch a play which may run for two hours
or more. Later you can describe the whole film in most exact detail.
This is because you have been watching the story in pictures.
Such magazines as Life and Look have thousands of pictures submitted
to them which they never use. The picture editor on such magazines
studies these pictures from the standpoint of reader interest. If he
does not think that a picture will appeal to a large segment of the
readers, it will not be used. The picture editor, therefore, is one
of the most valuable employees on the staff. The growth of the
magazine's circulation depends upon him.
Since thoughts are pictures, mental pictures will be either negative
or positive, depending upon the trend of thought.
Establish this thought in your mind right now: Negative thoughts
cause negative reactions; positive thoughts cause positive
reactions.
Now then—since thoughts are pictures, does it not behoove you to
appoint yourself as a picture editor to evaluate the mental pictures
entering your mind? You agree, I am certain.
PICTURES ARE PATTERNS
In earlier chapters you learned that the Creative Mind accepts
thoughts of the conscious mind as instructions and reproduces in our
beings or affairs whatever you hold in thought. We can now enlarge
upon the original statement by saying that the pictures held in the
conscious mind will be accepted as patterns by the Creative Mind.
Have you ever played one of those old-time player pianos? A wide
roll of paper filled with small holes and slots would pass over a
tracker board having a series of openings, each opening representing
a key on the piano. No matter how many times you played a certain
music roll, you always got the same tune. It would be foolish to
think that one time the roll would produce "Annie Laurie" and the
next time you would get "Yankee Doodle."
Mental pictures are just as infallible. You cannot hold a picture of
failure and expect it to guide you to success.
As an illustration: Suppose you are over your head in bills, and
have a negative type of mind. What are the mental pictures you see?
You see your creditors getting judgments against you; you visualize
your salary being attached and, as a result of it, losing your job,
Such pictures become realities because of a mental block. You see no
way of getting the money to pay the bills, with the result that
creditors will take action. Your problems cause you to become
inefficient at your job, which you eventually lose.
All right! What kind of pictures would a positive mind hold under
the same circumstances? Your pictures would probably see you going
to your creditors, asking them to be a bit lenient so that you could
gather your forces and work out ways and means of getting the extra
money needed. You would work harder at your job so that your
services would be recognized and a larger income given to you. You
would solve your problem in keeping with the positive mental
pictures.
You will now see the wisdom of becoming your own mental picture
editor. If a negative picture attempts to enter your mind raus damit!
Replace it with a positive one.
MENTAL TELEVISION
A phenomenon is a fact; our description of it is a theory.
This truism may well apply to what I am about to say. If I hit my
fist against the top of my desk, a sound will register in your ear.
That is a phenomenon. Should I attempt to explain what happened from
the moment my fist made contact with the desk until the sound
reached your ear, that would be theory—which might or might not be
correct.
In talking about mental television, I will explain certain
established phenomena, but my explanation will be theory.
"How can one bring about success through positive mental pictures,
when others are involved?" I am often asked; and it is a good
question.
It is true that one's success is always dependent upon others. If he
could fully control his success, failure would be out of the
question because one would do only those things which would prompt
success.
An individual's success, if he is an employee, will depend upon his
employer; if he is a businessman, it will depend upon his
prospective customers. So, you will see that a person's mental
pictures, to be effective, must influence others in addition to
himself.
If there is any foundation to Dr. J. B. Rhine's theories regarding
extrasensory perception—ESP—and I definitely believe there is, then,
since thoughts are pictures, there must be a transmittal of mental
pictures from one mind to another, or, as one may say, mental
television.
In a television studio, the cameras in front of the subject would be
of no value unless there was a power to project the image on the
various screens throughout the country.
In order to project a mental picture, power must also be applied—and
that power is enthusiasm.
When you have a success picture—and that picture is backed up by
enthusiasm—it will most likely be received and acted upon by the one
involved in your success.
Let me tell you a true story of a man who had been held back by
wrong mental pictures, and then zoomed to success through right
ones.
This man, Joe Thomas I'll call him, operated a small machine shop.
His equipment consisted of a lathe, drill press and some hand tools.
He did the work and his wife answered the telephone and kept books.
Joe's income was just about sufficient for their necessities.
One day Joe happened to listen to a broadcast I was giving in which
I talked about the mental pictures we hold. This provocative subject
caused Joe to do a bit of thinking—and looking within. He thought of
the mental pictures he had been holding of himself and his business.
He later admitted, with some embarrassment, that he had never been
able to see himself as anything but a small operator. He had
considered that if he kept busy, that was about all he could expect.
Fired by the logic he had heard, Joe Thomas began to build mental
pictures of himself owning and operating a large machine shop. To
relate the full story of his climb would take many pages, but
suffice it to say that the day arrived—and fairly quickly— when Joe
was sitting in a well furnished executive's office, guid¬ing the
work of 75 employees. The last I saw of Joe he had sold his business
for nearly a million dollars, had taken a trip around the world, and
was looking for new trails to blaze.
Nothing had changed with this man except his mental pictures.
Business conditions were no better than when he operated his one-man
shop. But the moment Joe started to see himself as a big operator,
his Creative Mind began guiding him in thought and action so that he
became a big operator.
"What Things So ever Ye Desire"
There is a passage in the Good Book which fits in very well with the
subject matter of this chapter. It will be found in Mark 11:24:
"Therefore I say unto you, What things so ever ye desire, when
ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
This statement, to many, is hard to believe. "How can I believe I
have something which I know I do not possess?" they will often ask.
What this statement really means is that you should hold mental
pictures of yourself enjoying the use of that which you may desire.
Studying the statement further, you will find that it does not mean
that by visualizing whatever it is you desire, it will come to you
instantaneously, as if by magic. The Biblical quotation says
"believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
The word "shall" signifies that the result of your desire will come
at a later date. Now you have the picture, according to the promise
in the Scriptures. Briefly: Form mental pictures of yourself using
and enjoying that which you desire; believe the picture to be true,
and you will be guided in thought and action to think the thoughts
and do the things which will make a reality of your picture.
As you think back over what you have read so far, you will remember
that what I just told you is no different from what I have been
telling you throughout the book. I have merely used Biblical
authority to back me up in the soundness of the principles being
laid down to you.
Here is a truth I wish to emphasize: The principles relating to
mental pictures apply equally to negative thoughts as to
constructive, positive thoughts.
Let us assume that you are afraid of losing your job; what kind of
pictures do you hold? Do you see yourself growing richer? Certainly
not! You picture yourself as being in financial difficulties. You
fear losing your home and furnishings. You wonder how you can have
food on your table.
Such mental pictures will actually make you more inefficient in your
work; you'll make mistakes, your work will not be of the best
quality due to your mental stress. The outcome? Your employer will
most likely find reason to dispense with your services.
EXERCISES
Many times you may attempt to hold positive pictures, even think you
are doing so; yet the effect of them is destroyed through a doubt
creeping in.
The first exercise I suggest is that you think of some objective you
have yearned for, yet which you have never realized because of your
doubt.
For sake of illustration, let us assume that you have long wished
for a trip to Hawaii. You may not have taken it because of lack of
money, lack of time—or both.
Visit a travel agency and ask for folders describing and
illustrating tours to and through Hawaii. Select the one which would
please you most.
After you have decided which tour you like best, begin seeing
yourself taking that trip. Do not wish for it, but see it as a
reality. As you look at pictures of the ship, visualize yourself
enjoying the deck sports or merely relaxing in one of the
comfortable deck chairs.
See yourself in Hawaii relishing the freshly picked tropical fruit,
or lolling on the beach soaking up the warm rays of the sun. Do not
overlook the Hawaiian Luau (a famous Hawaiian feast). Make the
mental picture so vivid that, for the time being, you are actually a
citizen of our 50th state.
While carrying on with this exercise, be careful not to allow any
negative elements to enter your picture. If—only for a moment—a
thought such as "Boy, I wish this were true" begins to creep in,
chase it out. It will offset the good already built up through your
exercise.
Because of your exercising, the Hawaiian tour is about to become a
reality—no doubt about it. You are visualizing the experiences you
are soon to enjoy.
What will happen? Your Creative Mind will begin guiding you in
thought and in action so that ways and means will be opened up to
make the mental pictures a reality. You will soon find yourself on
the ship or plane headed for the glamorous islands.
Let's think of another exercise. How about the house in which you
live? Would you like to have a larger and better one? All right,
this will make a splendid exercise.
Visualize the type of home you would like and the number of rooms.
See yourself actually living in such a home.
Remember the Biblical passage quoted earlier: "What things so ever
ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall
have them." While picturing your new home, see it as a reality. See
it complete in all details. If you have wanted a den, add one to
your mental house. Perhaps you are a hobbyist and would like to have
a shop all your own. You can have it—so add it. A swimming pool?
Yes, if that's your desire.
Since it is true that your Creative Mind works best while your
conscious mind is either pleasantly occupied, or in abeyance, the
best time to exercise is when you are partaking of refreshing
recreation—or, better still, while asleep.
Make it a point to practice your exercises every evening just before
going to sleep. After making yourself comfortable in bed, relax—then
turn on your mental pictures. Again let me warn you: do not see the
pictures as wishes; see them as realities.
If some problem has come up during the day, instead of keeping
yourself awake by worrying about it, hold mental pictures of the
solution to the problem. This will eliminate your wakeful-ness, and
help you to drop off quickly to peaceful sleep. And, while your
conscious mind is thus in abeyance, your Creative Mind will work on
your problem, ready to bring a solution into consciousness when you
awaken in the morning.
I will give you one final exercise before concluding this chapter.
This exercise will pertain to health and physical well-being.
My earnest advice to you is to start out by having your doctor give
you a thorough check-up. If he finds anything basically wrong with
you, have it attended to.
Many people have an illness consciousness. They continually fear
that some new ailment is developing. Knowing, as we do, that there
is intelligence in every cell of the body, mental pictures of
ailments of various sorts will actually transmit the message to your
cells with the result that you will always be feeling on the aches
and pains side. And holding mental pictures of illness will, during
the process of cell renewal, bring weaker cells into being.
Develop mental pictures of radiant health. See yourself continually
getting better and better in every respect. Instead of looking for
ailments, notice how much better you are getting. Awaken in the
morning with a glad-to-be-alive feeling. Think how good it will be
to arise and start another challenging day of exciting activity.
Encourage your Creative Mind to guide you in thought and action so
that good health will be a reality as well as your right¬ful
heritage. Along with your evening exercises concerning your
objective, hold pictures of your physical being as glowing with
radiant health. Know that your Creative Mind will guide you in
thought and action so that you will do the things necessary for good
health, both as to diet and physical exercise; that you will have
the buoyancy and vitality to carry through on the objectives you are
visualizing.
If you have passed what has formerly been accepted as middle age,
forget it. Most people, as they approach the threescore years and
ten, develop an age consciousness. They feel they are too old to
start this or that. I definitely believe that when we learn how to
live and to think, the normal life span of man will not be 70
(threescore years and ten) but will exceed 100 years.
I am holding my own life span as being 125 years and I am living
accordingly. Now that I am in my 70's I feel better, physically and
mentally, than I have at any time in my life.
Perhaps I will not live to be 125, but I will not shorten my life
through fear of death. I intend to keep busy—and happy— until the
grim reaper comes along with his scythe, beckoning me onward.
What you have learned in this chapter is not for temporary use. You
have learned a new principle of life. You have gained some new tools
which will make achievement assured and easy of accomplishment.
As I often say: Knowledge is of no value unless you make use of it.
Make use of this new knowledge NOW! Start developing the ability to
create mental pictures of what you want without fear that you'll
fail to achieve them.
Mastering this will be like falling heir to a tremendous storehouse
of everything you've ever desired, with the knowledge that all of it
is yours—merely for the taking.
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