THE SECRET OF SUCCESS, William Walter Atkinson [best management books of all time txt] 📗

create
these new Desires before he can do so – is not Desire always precedent to action?
"Very close reasoning this, good friends, but all advanced occultists know that
there is a point in which the Principle of Desire shades and merges into
companion Principle, Will, and that a close reasoner and mental analyst may
imagine a mental state in which one may be almost said to manifest a WILL to
Will, rather than to merely Desire to Will. This state must be experienced before
it can be understood – words cannot express it.
We have stated that it was in the power of man to Create Desire – not only to be
its master when created, but also to actually Create it by bringing it into being.
And the statement is absolutely true, and is verified and proven by the most
recent experiments and discoveries of modern psychology. Instead of man being
a creature of Desire – and this indeed he is in many cases – he may become
Master of Desire and even a Creator of it. By knowledge and Will he may reverse
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the ordinary order of things and, displacing the intruder from the throne, he may
seat himself there in his rightful place, and then bid the late occupant do his will
and obey his bidding. But the best way for the new occupant of the throne to
bring about a reorganized court is to dismiss the old objectionable creatures of
his mind and create new ones in their places. And here is how it may be done: In
the first place, one must think carefully over the tasks that he wishes to
accomplish, then, using his judgment carefully, judicially and impartially –
impersonally so far as is possible – he must take mental stock of himself and see
in what points he is deficient, so far as the successful accomplishment of the task
is concerned. Then let him analyze the task before him, in detail, separating the
matter into as many clear defined divisions as possible, so that he may be able to
see the Thing as It Is, in detail as well as in its entirety. Then let him take a
similar inventory of the things, which seem necessary of the accomplishment of
the task – not the details that will arise only as the work progresses, day by day –
but the general things, which must be done in order that the task is brought to a
successful conclusion. Then having taken stock of the task, the nature of the
undertaking, and one’s own qualifications and shortcomings – then Begin to
Create Desire, according to the following plan: The first step in the Creation of
Desire is that of the forming of a clear, vital Mental Image of the qualities, things
and details of the undertaking, as well as of the Completed Whole. By a Mental
Image we mean a clear-cut, distinct mental picture in the Imagination of the
things just names. Now, do not turn away with an impatient motion at the
mention of the word Imagination. That is another word that you have only a
mistaken idea of. Imagination means far more than the mere idle, fanciful use of
that part of the mind that is believed by people to be "all there is to it. "It isn’t all,
by a long way – in fact, the fanciful part may be said to be merely a shadow of the
real Imaginative effort. Imagination is a real thing – it is a faculty of the mind by
which it creates a matrix, mold, or pattern of things, which the trained Will and
Desire afterward, materializes into objective reality. There has been nothing
created by the hands and mind of man which did not have its first origin in the
Imagination of some one. Imagination is the first step in Creation – whether of
worlds or trifles. The mental pattern must always precede the material form. And
so it is in the Creation of Desire. Before you can Create a Desire you must have a
clear Mental Image of what you need to Desire.
You will find that this task of creating a Mental Image is a little harder than you
had expected at the start. You will find it hard to form even a faint mental picture
of that which you need. But be not discouraged, and persevere, for in this, as
everything else. Practice makes perfect. Each time you try to form the Mental
Image it will appear a little clearer and more distinct, and the details will come
into a little more prominence. Do not tire yourself at first, but lay aside the task
until later in the day, or tomorrow. But practice and persevere and you need, just
as clearly as a memory picture of something you have already seen. We shall have
more to say on this subject of Mental Imagery and Imagination in subsequent
lessons.
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Then, after having acquired the clear Mental Image of the things you wish to
Desire, and thus attain, cultivate the focusing of the Attention upon these things.
The word attention is derived from the Latin word "Attendere," meaning "to
stretch forth," the original idea being that in Attention the mind was "stretched
forth," or "extended" toward the object of attention, and this is the correct idea
for that is the way the mind operates in the matter. Keep the ideas before your
attention as much as possible, so that the mind may take a firm grasp upon them,
and make them a part of itself – by doing this you firmly impress the ideas upon
the wax tablet of the mind.
Thus having fixed the idea clearly in your mind, by means of the Imagination and
Attention, until as we have said, it becomes a fixture there, begin to cultivate an
ardent DESIRE, LONGING, CRAVING DEMAND for the materialization of the
things. Demand that you grow the qualities necessary for the task – demand that
your mental pictures materialize – Demand that the details be manifested as well
as the Whole, making allowance for the "something better" which will surely arise
to take the place of the original details, as you proceed – the Inner Consciousness
will attend to these things for you.
Then Desire firmly, confident, and earnestly. Be not half-hearted in your
demands and desires – claim and demand the WHOLE THING, and feel
confident that it will work out into material objectivity and reality. Think of it,
dream of it, and always LONG for it – you must learn to want it the worst way –
learn to "want it hard enough. "You can attain and obtain many things by
"wanting them hard enough" – the trouble is with most of us that we do not want
things hard enough – we mistake vague cravings and wished for earnest, longing,
demanding Desire and Want. Get to Desire and Demand the Thing just as you
demand and Desire your daily meals. That is "wanting it the worst way. "This is
merely a hint – surely you can supply the rest, if you are in earnest, and "want to
hard enough.”
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The Law of Attraction
There is in Nature a great Law – the Law of Attraction – by the operations of
which all things – from atoms to men – are attracted toward each other in the
degree of the common affinity of common use. The reverse of this law – which is
merely another manifestation of its power – is what is called Repulsion, which is
but the other pole of Attraction, and by the operations of which things tend to
repel each other in the degree that they are unlike, opposing, and of no use to
each other. The Law of Attraction is Universal, on all the planes of life, from the
physical to the spiritual. Its operations are uniform and constant, and we may
take the phenomena of one plane and thereby study the phenomena of another
plane, for the same rule applies in each case – the same Law is in operation in the
same way.
Beginning with the tiny corpuscles, electrons, or ions, of which the atoms are
formed, we find manifested the Law of Attraction – certain electrons attract each
other, and repel others still, thereby causing to spring into existing groups,
combinations and colonies of electrons which being in agreement and harmony
manifest and constitute what are called atoms, which until recently were
supposed to be the primal form of matter. Passing on the atoms themselves, we
find many degrees of affinity and attraction existing between them which cause
them to combine and form into molecules of which all masses of matter consists.
For instance, every drop of water is composed of countless molecules of water.
And each molecule is composed of two atoms of Hydrogen and one atom of
Oxygen – the combination always being the same in every molecule of water.
Now, why these atoms combine in just this way – the same invariable grouping
and proportion? Not by chance, surely, for there is no such thing in Nature –
there is a natural law back of every phenomenon. And in this case it is the Law of
Attraction manifesting in the case of these atoms. And it is so in all chemical
combinations – it is called Chemical Affinity. Sometimes an attached atom will
come in contact with, or in proximity to, another atom, and then bang goes the
explosion of the molecule as the atom flies away from its partners and into the
arms of the other atom for which it has a greater affinity. There are marriages and
divorces in the world of atoms, you will notice. And in the cases of the molecules,
it is found that certain molecules are attracted to others of the same kind, under
what is called Cohesion, and thus masses of matter are composed. A piece of gold,
silver, tin, glass, or other form of matter is composed of countless molecules held
together tightly by Cohesion – and this Cohesion is merely another form of the
Law of Attraction – the same that draws all things together. And, underlying the
Law of Attraction is to be found our old Principle of Desire and Will. You may
shrug your shoulders at this mention of desire and Will in connection with
electrons, atoms, molecules – all forms of matter, but just wait a bit and see what
the leading scientific authorities have to say on the subject.
Prof. Hakel, one of the world’s greatest scientists – a materialist who would sneer
at the teachings of Mental Science – even this man, naturally prejudiced against
mentalist theories, finds himself compelled to say: “The idea of chemical affinity
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consists in the fact that the various chemical elements perceive the qualitative
differences in other elements – experience pleasure of revulsion at contact with
them, and execute specific movements on this ground. "He also positively and
distinctly states that in the atoms there must be something corresponding to
Desire for contact and association with other atoms, and Will to enable the atom
to respond to the Desire Law is constant throughout Nature, from atom to man –
physical, mental and spiritual.
But what has all this to do with the Secret of Success you may ask? Simply, that
the Law of Attraction is an important part in the Secret of Success, inasmuch as it
tends to bring to us the things, persons and circumstances in accordance with our
earnest Desire, Demand, and Will, just as it brings together the atoms and other
particles of matter. Make yourself an atom of Living Desire and you will attract to
yourself the person, things and circumstances fitting in with the accomplishment
of your Desire. You will also get into rapport with those who are working along
the same lines of thought, and will be attracted them and