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As
A Man Thinketh, By James Allen
Chapter
4
Thought
And Purpose
Until
thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment.
With the majority the bark of thought is allowed to "drift"
upon the ocean of life. Aimlessness is a vice, and such
drifting must not continue for him who would street clear
of catastrophe and destruction.
They who have no central
purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries,
fears, troubles, and self-pityings, all of which are indications
of weakness, which lead, just as surely as deliberately
planned sins (though by a diff route), to failure, unhappyness,
and loss, for weakness cannot persist in a power-evolving
universe.
A man should conceive
of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish
it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of
his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal,
or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at
the time being. Whichever it is, he should steadily focus
his thought-forces upon the object he had set before him.
He should make this purpose his supreme duty and should
devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts
to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings.
This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration
of thought. Even if he fails again and again to accomplish
his purpose--as he must until weakness is overcome--the
strength of character gained will be the measure of his
true success, and this will form a new starting point for
future power and triumph.
Those who are not prepared
for the apprehension of a great purpose, should fix the
thoughts upon the faultless performance of their duty, no
matter how insignificant their task may appear. Only in
this way can the thoughts be gathered and focussed, and
resolution and energy be developed. Once this is done, there
is nothing which may not be accomplished.
The weakest soul knowing
its own weakness, and believing this truth--that strength
can only be developed by effort and practice--will, thus
believing, at once begin to exert itself. And, adding effort
to effort, patience to patience, and strength to strength,
will never cease to develop and will at last grow divinely
strong.
As the physically weak
man can make himself strong by careful and patient training,
so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising
himself in right thinking.
To put away aimlessness
and weakness and to begin to think with purpose is to enter
the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure
as one of the pathways to attainment. Who make all conditions
serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly,
and accomplish masterfully.
Having conceived of
his purpose, a man should mentally mark out a straight pathway
to its achievement, looking neither to the right nor left.
Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded. They are
disintegrating elements which break up the straight line
of effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual, useless. Thoughts
of doubt and fear can never accomplish anything. They always
lead to failure. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong
thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in.
The will to do springs
from the knowledge that we can do. Doubt and fear are the
great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them,
who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step.
He who has conquered
doubt and fear has conquered failure. His every thought
is allied with power, and all difficulties are bravely met
and overcome. His purposes are seasonably planted, and they
bloom and bring forth fruit that does not fall prematurely
to the ground.
Thought allied fearlessly
to purpose becomes creative force. He who knows this is
ready to become something higher and stronger than a bundle
of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations. He who
does this has become the conscious and intelligent wielder
of his mental powers.
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