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Think & Grow Rich
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CHAPTER 4
AUTO-SUGGESTION
THE MEDIUM FOR INFLUENCING THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
The Third Step toward Riches
AUTO-SUGGESTION is a term which applies to al1 suggestions and all
self-administered stimuli which reach one's mind through the five senses.
Stated in another way, auto-suggestion is self-suggestion. It is the agency
of communication between that part of the mind where conscious thought takes
place, and that which serves as the seat of action for the subconscious
mind.
Through the dominating thoughts which one permits to remain in the
conscious mind, (whether these thoughts be negative or positive, is
immaterial), the principle of auto-suggestion voluntarily reaches the
subconscious mind and influences it with these thoughts.
NO THOUGHT, whether it be negative or positive, CAN ENTER THE SUBCONSCIOUS
MIND WITHOUT THE AID OF THE PRINCIPLE OF AUTO-SUGGESTION, with the exception
of thoughts picked up from the ether. Stated differently, all sense
impressions which are perceived through the five senses, are stopped by the
CONSCIOUS thinking mind, and may be either passed on to the subconscious
mind, or rejected, at will. The conscious faculty serves, therefore, as an
outer-guard to the approach of the subconscious.
Nature has so built man that he has ABSOLUTE CONTROL over the material which
reaches his subconscious mind, through his five senses, although this is not
meant to be construed as a statement that man always EXERCISES this control.
In the great majority of instances, he does NOT exercise it, which explains
why so many people go through life in poverty.
Recall what has been said about the subconscious mind resembling a fertile
garden spot, in which weeds will grow in abundance, if the seeds of more
desirable crops are not sown therein. AUTO-SUGGESTION is the agency of
control through which an individual may voluntarily feed his subconscious
mind on thoughts of a creative nature, or, by neglect, permit thoughts of a
destructive nature to find their way into this rich garden of the mind.
You were instructed, in the last of the six steps described in the chapter
on Desire, to read ALOUD twice daily the WRITTEN statement of your DESIRE
FOR MONEY, and to SEE AND FEEL yourself ALREADY in possession of the money!
By following these instructions, you communicate the object of your DESIRE
directly to your SUBCONSCIOUS mind in a spirit of absolute FAITH. Through
repetition of this procedure, you voluntarily create thought habits which
are favorable to your efforts to transmute desire into its monetary
equivalent.
Go back to these six steps described in chapter two, and read them again,
very carefully, before you proceed further. Then (when you come to it), read
very carefully the four instructions for the organization of your "Master
Mind" group, described in the chapter on Organized Planning. By comparing
these two sets of instructions with that which has been stated on
auto-suggestion, you, of course, will see that the instructions involve the
application of the principle of auto-suggestion.
Remember, therefore, when reading aloud the statement of your desire
(through which you are endeavoring to develop a "money consciousness"), that
the mere reading of the words is of NO CONSEQUENCE— UNLESS you mix emotion,
or feeling with your words. If you repeat a million times the famous Emil
Coué formula, "Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and better,"
without mixing emotion and FAITH with your words, you will experience no
desirable results. Your subconscious mind recognizes and acts upon ONLY
thoughts which have been well-mixed with emotion or feeling.
This is a fact of such importance as to warrant repetition in practically
every chapter, because the lack of understanding of this is the main reason
the majority of people who try to apply the principle of auto-suggestion get
no desirable results.
Plain, unemotional words do not influence the subconscious mind. You will
get no appreciable results until you learn to reach your subconscious mind
with thoughts, or spoken words which have been well emotionalized with
BELIEF.
Do not become discouraged, if you cannot control and direct your emotions
the first time you try to do so. Remember, there is no such possibility as
SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. Ability to reach, and influence your subconscious
mind has its price, and you MUST PAY THAT PRICE. You cannot cheat, even if
you desire to do so. The price of ability to influence your subconscious
mind is everlasting PERSISTENCE in applying the principles described here.
You cannot develop the desired ability for a lower price. You, and YOU
ALONE, must decide whether or not the reward for which you are striving (the
"money consciousness"), is worth the price you must pay for it in effort.
Wisdom and "cleverness" alone, will not attract and retain money except in a
few very rare instances, where the law of averages favors the attraction of
money through these sources. The method of attracting money described here,
does not depend upon the law of averages. Moreover, the method plays no
favorites. It will work for one person as effectively as it will for
another. Where failure is experienced, it is the individual, not the
method, which has failed. If you try and fail, make another effort, and
still another, until you succeed.
Your ability to use the principle of auto-suggestion will depend, very
largely, upon your capacity to CONCENTRATE upon a given DESIRE until that
desire becomes a BURNING OBSESSION.
When you begin to carry out the instructions in connection with the six
steps described in the second chapter, it will be necessary for you to make
use of the principle of CONCENTRATION.
Let us here offer suggestions for the effective use of concentration. When
you begin to carry out the first of the six steps, which instructs you to
"fix in your own mind the EXACT amount of money you desire," hold your
thoughts on that amount of money by CONCENTRATION, or fixation of attention,
with your eyes closed, until you can ACTUALLY SEE the physical appearance of
the money. Do this at least once each day. As you go through these
exercises, follow the instructions given in the chapter on FAITH, and see
yourself actually IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY!
Here is a most significant fact— the subconscious mind takes any orders
given it in a spirit of absolute FAITH, and acts upon those orders, although
the orders often have to be presented over and over again, through
repetition, before they are interpreted by the subconscious mind. Following
the preceding statement, consider the possibility of playing a perfectly
legitimate "trick" on your subconscious mind, by making it believe,
because you believe it, that you must have the amount of money you are
visualizing, that this money is already awaiting your claim, that the
subconscious mind MUST hand over to you practical plans for acquiring the
money which is yours.
Hand over the thought suggested in the preceding paragraph to your
IMAGINATION, and see what your imagination can, or will do, to create
practical plans for the accumulation of money through transmutation of your
desire.
DO NOT WAIT for a definite plan, through which you intend to exchange
services or merchandise in return for the money you are visualizing, but
begin at once to see yourself in possession of the money, DEMANDING and
EXPECTING meanwhile, that your subconscious mind will hand over the plan, or
plans you need. Be on the alert for these plans, and when they appear, put
them into ACTION IMMEDIATELY. When the plans appear, they will probably
"flash" into your mind through the sixth sense, in the form of an
"inspiration." This inspiration may be considered a direct "telegram," or
message from Infinite Intelligence. Treat it with respect, and act upon it
as soon as you receive it. Failure to do this will be FATAL to your success.
In the fourth of the six steps, you were instructed to "Create a definite
plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once to put this plan into
action." You should follow this instruction in the manner described in the
preceding paragraph. Do not trust to your "reason when creating your plan
for accumulating money through the transmutation of desire. Your reason is
faulty. Moreover, your reasoning faculty may be lazy, and, if you depend
entirely upon it to serve you, it may disappoint you.
When visualizing the money you intend to accumulate, (with closed eyes),
see yourself rendering the service, or delivering the merchandise you intend
to give in return for this money. This is important!
SUMMARY OF INSTRUCTIONS
The fact that you are reading this book is an indication that you earnestly
seek knowledge. It is also an indication that you are a student of this
subject. If you are only a student, there is a chance that you may learn
much that you did not know, but you will learn only by assuming an attitude
of humility. If you choose to follow some of the instructions but neglect,
or refuse to follow others—you will fail! To get satisfactory
results, you must follow ALL instructions in a spirit of FAITH.
The instructions given in connection with the six steps in the second
chapter will now be summarized, and blended with the principles covered by
this chapter, as follows:
First. Go into some quiet spot (preferably in bed at night) where you will
not be disturbed or interrupted, close your eyes, and repeat aloud, (so you
may hear your own words) the written statement of the amount of money you
intend to accumulate, the time limit for its accumulation, and a description
of the service or merchandise you intend to give in return for the money. As
you carry out these instructions, SEE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE
MONEY.
For example :— Suppose that you intend to accumulate $50,000 by the first of
January, five years hence, that you intend to give personal services in
return for the money, in the Capacity of a salesman. Your written statement
of your purpose should be similar to the following:
"By the first day of January, 19.., I will have in my possession $50,000,
which will come to me in various amounts from time to time during the
interim.
"In return for this money I will give the most efficient service of which I
am capable, rendering the fullest possible quantity, and the best possible
quality of service in the capacity of salesman of (describe the service or
merchandise you intend to sell).
"I believe that I will have this money in my possession. My faith is so
strong that I can now see this money before my eyes. I can touch it with my
hands. It is now awaiting transfer to me at the time, and in the proportion
that I deliver the service I intend to render in return for it. I am
awaiting a plan by which to accumulate this money, and I will follow that
plan, when it is received."
Second. Repeat this program night and morning until you can see, (in your
imagination) the money you intend to accumulate.
Third. Place a written copy of your statement where you can see it night and
morning, and read it just before retiring, and upon arising until it has
been memorized.
Remember, as you carry out these instructions, that you are applying the
principle of auto-suggestion, for the purpose of giving orders to your
subconscious mind. Remember, also, that your subconscious mind will act ONLY
upon instructions which are emotionalized, and handed over to it with
"feeling." FAITH is the strongest, and most productive of the emotions.
Follow the instructions given in the chapter on FAITH.
These instructions may, at first, seem abstract. Do not let this disturb
you. Follow the instructions, no matter how abstract or impractical they
may, at first, appear to be. The time will soon come, if you do as you have
been instructed, in spirit as well as in act, when a whole new
universe of power will unfold to you.
Scepticism, in connection with ALL new ideas, is characteristic of all human
beings. But if you follow the instructions outlined, your scepticism will
soon be replaced by belief, and this, in turn, will soon become crystallized
into ABSOLUTE FAITH. Then you will have arrived at the point where you may
truly say, "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul!"
Many philosophers have made the statement, that man is the master of his own
earthly destiny, but most of them have failed to say why he is
the master. The reason that man may be the master of his own earthly status,
and especially his financial status, is thoroughly explained in this
chapter. Man may become the master of himself, and of his environment,
because he has the POWER TO INFLUENCE HIS OWN SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, and through
it, gain the cooperation of Infinite Intelligence.
You are now reading the chapter which represents the keystone to the arch of
this philosophy. The instructions contained in this chapter must be
understood and APPLIED WITH PERSISTENCE, if you succeed in transmuting
desire into money.
The actual performance of transmuting DESIRE into money, involves the use of
auto-suggestion as an agency by which one may reach, and influence, the
subconscious mind. The other principles are simply tools with which to apply
auto-suggestion. Keep this thought in mind, and you will, at all times, be
conscious of the important part the principle of auto-suggestion is to play
in your efforts to accumulate money through the methods described in this
book.
Carry out these instructions as though you were a small child. Inject into
your efforts something of the FAITH of a child. The author has been most
careful, to see that no impractical instructions were included, because of
his sincere desire to be helpful.
After you have read the entire book, come back to this chapter, and follow
in spirit, and in action, this instruction:
READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTER ALOUD ONCE EVERY NIGHT, UNTIL YOU BECOME THOROUGHLY
CONVINCED THAT THE PRINCIPLE OF AUTO-SUGGESTION IS SOUND, THAT IT WILL
ACCOMPLISH FOR YOU ALL THAT HAS BEEN CLAIMED FOR IT. AS YOU READ,
UNDERSCORE WITH A PENCIL EVERY SENTENCE WHICH IMPRESSES YOU FAVORABLY.
Follow the foregoing instruction to the letter, and it will open the way for
a complete understanding, and mastery of the principles of success.
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