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Within the mind are all of the resources needed for successful living. Ideas are present in consciousness which, when released and given scope together with proper implementation, can lead to the successful operation of any project or undertaking.
our Creator has laid up within our minds and personalities all the potential powers and ability we need for constructive living. It remains for us to tap and develop these powers.
For example, a man of my acquaintance is connected with a business where he is the chief of four executives. At regular intervals these men have what they call an ‘idea session’,
Before starting the session the group spends ten minutes in silent prayer and meditation.
Following the quiet period all start talking, pouring out ideas that have come to their minds. Memos of the ideas are written upon cards and thrown on the table. No one is permitted to criticise any idea at this particular juncture for argument might stop the flow of creative thought. The cards are gathered up and each one is evaluated at a later session;
For example, he likes to fall asleep while praying, for he believes that his subconscious is most relaxed at that time. It is in the subconscious that our life is largely governed. If you drop a prayer into the subconscious at the moment of its greatest relaxation, the prayer has a powerful effect.
Dr. Laubach believes that actual power is generated by prayer. One of his methods is to walk down the street and ‘shoot’ prayers at people. He calls this type of praying, ‘flash prayers’. He bombards passers-by with prayers, sending out thoughts of good will and love.
It is my practice before making a speech to any audience to pray for the people present and to send out thoughts of love and goodwill towards them.
In our brains we have about two billion little storage batteries. The human brain can send off power by thoughts and prayer. The human body’s magnetic power has actually been tested. We have thousands of little sending stations, and when these are tuned up by prayer it is possible for a tremendous power to flow through a person and to pass between human beings.
young married woman admitted she was filled with hates, jealousy, and resentment towards neighbours and friends. She was also very apprehensive, always worrying about her children, whether they would be sick or get into an accident or fail in school. Her life was a pathetic mixture of dissatisfaction, fear, hate, and unhappiness.
suggested that the practice of real prayer could change her life and gave her some instructions in sending out love thoughts instead of hate thoughts and confidence thoughts instead of fear thoughts. I suggested that every day at the time for the children to come home from school she pray, and make her prayers
Pray for people you do not like or who have mistreated you. Resentment is blockade number one of spiritual power.
Finally he asked the old man why he was so happy. “You must have a wonderful secret of happiness,” he suggested. “No,” replied the old man, “I haven’t any great secret. It’s just as plain as the nose on your face. When I get up in the morning,” he explained, “I have two choices—either to be happy or to be unhappy, and what do you think I do? I just choose to be happy, and that’s all there is to it.”
You can be unhappy if you want to be. It is the easiest thing in the world to accomplish.
Children are more expert in happiness than adults. The adult who can carry the spirit of a child into middle and old age is a genius, for he will preserve the truly happy spirit with which God endowed the young.
That is Elizabeth’s formula for happiness, and it seems to me that it’s all there—her playmates (that’s her associates), her school (the place where she works), her church and Sunday school (where she worships), her sister, brother, mother and father (that means the home circle where love is found). There you have happiness in a nutshell, and the happiest time of your life is in relation to those factors.
And here is what the girls said made them happy: “Street lights on the river; red roofs in the trees; smoke rising from a chimney; red velvet; the moon in the clouds.” There is something in the beautiful essence of the universe that is expressed, though only half articulated, by these
To become a happy person have a clean soul, eyes that see romance in the commonplace, a child’s heart, and spiritual simplicity.
Since a fundamental desire of every human being is for that state of existence called happiness, something should be done about it. Happiness is achievable and the process for obtaining it is not complicated. Anyone who desires it, who wills it, and who learns and applies the right formula may become a happy person.
wife is in the manufacturing business.” This was surprising, for she did not seem to be the industrial or executive type, so I asked: “What does she manufacture?” “Unhappiness,” he replied. “She manufactures her own unhappiness.”
It is a pity, too, for there are so many problems created by life itself that dilute our happiness that it is indeed most foolish to distill further unhappiness within your own mind.
How foolish to manufacture personal unhappiness to add to all the other difficulties over which you have little or no control!
Our unhappiness is further distilled by saturating the consciousness with feelings of resentment, ill-will, and hate.
“I make it a habit to be happy.”
Out of the happiness habit comes a happy life. And because we can cultivate a habit, we therefore have the power to create our own happiness.
The happiness habit is developed by simply practising happy thinking. Make a mental list of happy thoughts and pass them through your mind several times every day.
Every morning before arising, lie relaxed in bed and deliberately drop happy thoughts into your conscious mind.
When you arise, say out loud three times this one sentence: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24) Only personalise it and say: “I will rejoice and be glad in it.”
“I believe this is going to be a wonderful day. I believe I can successfully handle all problems that will arise today. I feel good physically, mentally, emotionally. It is wonderful to be alive. I am grateful for all that I have had, for all that I now have, and for all that I shall have. Things aren’t going to fall apart. God is here and He is with me and He will see me through. I thank God for every good thing.”
“Well,” answered Ralston, “perhaps it doesn’t always take it away. I can’t say that it does, but it always helps to overcome it so it doesn’t seem like it hurts so much. Just keep on prayin’, ma’am, and I’ll pray for you too.”
practical principle in creating happiness is to practise love.
“The way to happiness: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you would be done by. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”
What is the value of having known these principles all your life if you have never made use of them? Such inefficiency in living is tragic. For a man to have lived in poverty when all the time right on his doorstep is gold indicates an unintelligent approach to life. This simple philosophy is the way to happiness.
That was the light I saw on the faces of those happy people. An inner light was reflected outwardly on their faces, and it came from an effervescent spiritual something that they had taken into themselves. Life means
Then, having been changed inwardly, you will begin to create out of yourself not unhappiness, but a happiness of such quality and character that you will wonder if you are living in the same world.
I gave him a little book of mine called Thought Conditioners. It contains forty health-and happiness-producing thoughts. Inasmuch as it is a pocket-sized booklet, I suggested that he carry it for easy consultation and that he drop one of the suggested thoughts in his mind every day for forty days.
But when he began systematically to insert healthy spiritual thoughts into his mind as directed, he began first to want new life, then to realise the thrilling fact that he could have it, then the even more amazing fact that he was getting it.
Get this experience and you’ve got real, unalloyed happiness, the best the world offers. Don’t miss it whatever you do in this life, for this is it.
Many people make life unnecessarily difficult for themselves by dissipating power and energy through fuming and fretting.
The pace of modern life must be reduced if we are not to suffer profoundly from its debilitating over-stimulation and super-excitement.
These woods, mountains, and valleys constitute what ought to be a sure retreat from every confusion of this world.
We were listening, listening deeply to the quietness. In a strict sense, the woods are never still. There is tremendous activity always in process, but nature makes no strident noises, regardless of the vastness of its operation. Nature’s sounds are quiet, harmonious.
This is still to be found in the country, in our woods and great plains, in our valleys, in our mountain majesties, where the ocean foams on soft shores of sand. We should avail ourselves of its healing.
To help reduce this tension which seems to dominate our people everywhere, you can start by reducing your own pace. To do that you will need to slow down, quiet down. Do not fume. Do not fret. Practise being peaceful.
But “muddied water”, says Lao-tse, ‘let stand, will become clear.’”
Meditate on the solemn fact that when you get there permanently the world will go on just the same and, as important as you are, others will be able to do the work you are now doing.
He noticed that a bird sleeps with his head under his wing, the feathers pulled all around himself. When he awakened, he pulled his bill out from under his feathers, took a sleepy look around, stretched one leg to its full length, meanwhile stretching the wing over the leg until it spread out like a fan. He pulled the leg and wing back and then repeated the same process with the other leg and wing, whereupon he put his head down in his feathers again for a delicious little cat nap (only in this case a bird nap), then the head came out again. This time the bird looked around eagerly, threw his
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A former member of a championship university crew told me that their shrewd crew coach often reminded them: “To win this or any race, row slowly.” He pointed out that rapid rowing tends to break the stroke and when the stroke is broken it is with the greatest difficulty that a crew recovers the rhythm necessary to win. Meanwhile other crews pass the disorganised group. It is indeed wise advise—“To go fast, row slowly.”
In order to grow slowly or to work slowly and maintain the steady pace that wins,
Learn the art of letting go all nervous excitement. To do this, stop at intervals and affirm. ‘I now relinquish nervous excitement—it is flowing from me. I am at peace.’ Do not fume. Do not fret. Practise being peaceful.
