Vijai P. Sharma, Ph.D
After looking for quite a while, I finally found a copy of the book, As A Man Thinketh, by James Adams. The book is profound in its understanding of the power and significance of thought in shaping our lives.
"As a man thinketh in his heart so is he," sums it up beautifully.
Descartes said, "I think therefore I am." You can also say, "Therefore, I am what I think."
Since the individuals are the makers of their thoughts, they can shape their lives anyway they like. "By virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance," says James Allen.
Allen frequently refers to the hidden laws of thought. He encourages us to discover them through observation and self-analysis. I have attempted to discern and extrapolate some of those laws for the purpose of this article.
The Law of Action
Every action is a result of thought. There is no such thing as a "mindless" action. Even the "spontaneous" and "unpremeditated" actions result from cultivation of a particular pattern of thought.
The Law of Circumstance
Circumstance is not a "happenstance." We cause our circumstances. Allen explains it succinctly, "Circumstance does not make the man, it reveals him to himself." When people say they are "fighting against the circumstances," it suggests that they might not have exactly understood the cause and effect relationship, where your thought is the "cause" and the circumstance is the "effect."
Allen points out that people are anxious to improve their circumstances but are unwilling to improve themselves.
Circumstance wouldn't improve unless the individual improves. Say, you are a disgruntled employee. You don't pull your weight at work because you are unhappy over not receiving promotion. But, the chances of getting promoted are not good if you don't do things beyond the call of duty.
The Law of Choice
Your mind is a garden and you are the gardener. You can sow the right thought-seeds and grow nice fruits and flowers. Grow the wrong thought seeds and you will have all kind of weeds in there. It's your choice. Also, if you don't watch your garden closely, the weeds can take over before you realize it.
The Law of Change
Change in your circumstance is in exact ratio with the changes in your attitude and way of thinking. When you change old thought patterns, you change how you react and respond to the events coming at you. In doing so, you somehow begin to change the outcomes in your favor.
The Law of Harmony
Suffering is the result of being out of harmony with the law of our being. Happiness, health and prosperity are the result of the harmony between you and your universe, between the inner and the outer.
When people are out of harmony with the rest of the world, clashing and conflicting and yelling at everyone, their bodies and mind pay the price. When they stop blaming others and their circumstances, they begin to get in harmony with the universe.
Most of the joy or suffering you encounter are simply fruits of your own thoughts and intentions.
Law of Attraction
You attract what you think, love or fear.
Beware of the law of attraction. Remember the analogy of seeds in the ground. Whatever you allow to take root and grow will bear fruit, sooner or later.
A person is what he or she thinks. You attract what you are like. To put it in Allen's words, "Men do not attract that which they want but that which they are."
Your wishes and thoughts are only answered when they are consistent with your thoughts and actions.
Allen says, "Nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles." So, only good can come out of good thought and actions.
According to Allen, a noble character is the result of continued effort in the direction of right thoughts; and an ignoble character, that of wrong thoughts.
Isn't that a nice thought to start the new year?
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Copyright 2003, Mind Publications
Posted January 2003
Dr. Vijai Sharma
Your Life Coach
By Telephone