Chapter 6. How Riches Come to You
WHEN I say. You do not. Have. To drive sharp bargains. I do not mean. That you do not have to drive. Any bargains. At all. Or that you are. Above the necessity. For having. Any dealings. With your fellow men. I mean. You will not need. To deal with them unfairly. You do not have. To get something for nothing. But can give. To every man. More than you take from him.
You cannot give every man. More in cash market value. Than you take from him. But you can give him. More in use value. Than the cash value. Of the thing. You take from him. The paper. Ink. And other material. In this book. May not be worth. The money. You pay for it. But if the ideas suggested by it. Bring you thousands. Of dollars. You have not been wronged. By those. Who sold it to you. They have given you. A great use value. For a small cash value.
Let us suppose. I own a picture. By one. Of the great artists. Which. In any civilized community. Is worth thousands. Of dollars. I take it to Baffin Bay. And by "salesmanship". Induce an Eskimo. To give a bundle. Of furs. Worth $500 for it. I have really wronged him.
For he has. No use. For the picture. It has no use value. To him. It will not add. To his life.
But suppose. I give him a gun worth $50. For his furs. Then he has made a good bargain. He has use for the gun. It will get him many more furs. And much food. It will add. To his life in every way. It will make him rich.
When you rise. From. The competitive. To the creative plane. You can scan. Your business transactions. Very strictly. And if you are selling. Any man anything. Which does not add more. To his life. Than the thing. He gives you in exchange. You can afford. To stop it. You do not have. To beat anybody. In business. And if you are. In a business. Which does beat people. Get out. Of it at once.
Give every man more in use value. Than you take from him. In cash value. Then you are adding. To the life. Of the world. By every business transaction.
If you have people working for you. You must take. From them more in cash value. Than you pay them in wages. But you can so organize your business. That it will be filled. With the principle. Of advancement. So each employee who wishes to do so. May advance. A little every day.
You can make your business do for your employees. What this book is doing for you. You can so conduct your business. That it will be. A sort. Of ladder. By which every employee who will take the trouble. May climb. To riches himself. And given the opportunity. If he will not do so. It is not your fault.
And finally. Because you are. To cause. The creation. Of your riches. From Formless Substance. Which permeates. All your environment. It does not follow. That they. Are to take shape. From the atmosphere. And come into being. Before your eyes.
If you want. A sewing machine. For instance. I do not mean. To tell you. That you are. To impress. The thought. Of a sewing machine. On Thinking Substance. Until the machine. Is formed without hands. In the room where you sit. Or elsewhere. But if you want a sewing machine. Hold the mental image. Of it with the most positive certainty. It is being made. Or is on its way. To you. After once forming the thought. Have the most absolute. And unquestioning faith. That the sewing machine.
Is coming. Never think of it. Or speak. Of it. In any other way. Than as being sure. To arrive. Claim it. As already yours.
It will be brought. To you. By the power. Of the Supreme Intelligence. Acting upon. The minds. Of men. If you live in Maine. It may be. That a man. Will be brought from Texas. Or Japan. To engage. In some transaction. Which will result. In your getting. What you want.
If so. The whole matter. Will be as much. To that man's advantage. As it is to yours.
Do not forget. For a moment. That the Thinking Substance. Is through all. In all. communicating with all. And can influence all. The desire. Of Thinking Substance. For fuller life. And better living. Has caused. The creation. Of all the sewing machines already made. And it can cause the creation. Of millions more. And will. Whenever men set it in motion. By desire. And faith. And by acting. In a Certain Way.
You can certainly. Have a sewing machine. In your house. And it is just as certain. You can have. Any other thing. Or things which you want. And which you will use. For the advancement. Of your own life. And the lives. Of others.
You need not hesitate about asking largely. "It is your Father's pleasure. To give you the kingdom, " said Jesus.
Original Substance. Wants. To live all that is possible in you. And wants you. To have all that you can. Or will use for the living. Of the most abundant life.
If you fix upon your consciousness. The fact. That the desire. You feel. For the possession. Of riches. Is one with the desire. Of Omnipotence. For more complete expression. Your faith becomes invincible.
Once I saw a little boy. Sitting at a piano. And vainly trying to bring harmony out of the keys. I saw. He was grieved. And provoked. By his inability. To play real music. I asked him the cause. Of his vexation, and he answered, "I can feel the music in me. but I can't make my hands go right." The music in him was the URGE. Of Original Substance. Containing. All the possibilities. Of all life. All that there is of music. Was seeking expression through the child.
God. The One Substance. Is trying. To live. And do. And enjoy things. Through humanity. He is saying "I want hands. To build wonderful structures. To play divine harmonies. To paint glorious pictures. I want feet. To run my errands. Eyes to see my beauties. Tongues to tell mighty truths. A to sing marvelous songs," and so on.
All that there is. Of possibility. Is seeking expression through men. God wants those who can play music. To have pianos. And every other instrument. And to have the means. To cultivate. Their talents. To the fullest extent.
He wants those. Who can appreciate beauty. To be able. To surround themselves. With beautiful things. He wants those. Who can discern truth. To have every opportunity. To travel. And observe. He wants those who can appreciate dress. To be beautifully clothed.
And those who can appreciate good food. To be luxuriously fed.
He wants all these things. Because it is Himself. And enjoys and appreciates them. It is God who wants. To play. And sing. And enjoy beauty.
And proclaim truth. And wear fine clothes. And eat good foods. "It is God that worketh in you. To will. And to do," said Paul.
The desire you feel for riches. Is the infinite. Seeking. To express. Himself in you. As He sought. To find expression. In the little boy. At the piano.
So you need not. Hesitate. To ask largely. Your part. Is to focalize. And express the desire. To God.
This is a difficult point with most people. They retain something. Of the old idea. That poverty. And self-sacrifice. Are pleasing. To God. They look upon poverty. As a part. Of the plan. A necessity. Of nature. They have the idea. That God. Has finished His work. And made all that He can make. And that. The majority. Of men must stay poor. Because there is not enough. To go around. They hold. To so much. Of this erroneous thought. That they feel ashamed. To ask for wealth. They try not to want more than a very modest competence.
Just enough. To make them fairly comfortable.
I recall now. The case. Of one student. Who was told. That he must get in mind. A clear picture. Of the things he desired. So that the creative thought of them. Might be impressed. On Formless Substance. He was a very poor man. Living in a rented house. And having only what he earned. From day to day. And he could not grasp the fact that all wealth was his. So. After thinking the matter over. He decided. He might reasonably ask for a new rug. For the floor. Of his best room. And an anthracite coal stove. To heat the house. During the cold weather. Following the instructions given in this book. He obtained these things in a few months. And then. It dawned upon him. He had not asked enough. He went through the house in which he lived. And planned all the improvements. He would like. To make in it. He mentally added a bay window here. And a room there. Until it was complete in his mind. As his ideal home. And then he planned its furnishings.
Holding the whole picture in his mind. He began living. In the Certain Way. And moving toward what he wanted. And he owns the house now. And is rebuilding it. After the form of his mental image. And now. With still larger faith. He is going on. To get greater things. It has been unto him. According to his faith. And it is so with you. And with all of us.