Chapter 10. Further Use of the Will
YOU cannot retain. A true. And clear vision. Of wealth. If you are constantly turning your attention. To opposing pictures. Whether they be external or imaginary.
Do not tell. Of your past troubles. Of a financial nature. If you have had them. Do not think of them at all. Do not tell. Of the poverty. Of your parents. Or the hardships. Of your early life. To do any of these things. Is to mentally class yourself. With the poor. For the time being.
And it will certainly check the movement. Of things. In your direction.
"Let the dead bury their dead," as Jesus said. Put poverty and all things. That pertain. To poverty completely behind you.
You have accepted a certain theory. Of the universe. As being correct. And are resting all your hopes. Of happiness. On its being correct. And what can you gain. By giving heed. To conflicting theories?
Do not read religious books. Which tell you.
That the world is soon coming to an end. Do not read. The writing of critics. And pessimistic philosophers who tell you. That it is going to the devil.
The world is not going to the devil. It is going to God.
It is the wonderful. Becoming.
True. There may be. A good many things. In existing conditions. Which are disagreeable. But what is the use. Of studying them. When they are certainly passing away. And when. The study. Of them. Only tends. To check their passing. And keep them with us? Why give time. And attention. To things which are being removed. By evolutionary growth,. When you can hasten. Their removal. Only. By promoting. The evolutionary growth. As far. As your part.
Of it goes?
No matter how horrible. In seeming. May be. The conditions. In certain countries. Sections. Or places. You waste your time. And destroy your own chances. By considering them.
You should interest yourself. In the world. Becoming rich.
Think. Of the riches. The world is coming into. Instead. Of the poverty. It is growing out of. And bear in mind. That the only way. In which you can assist the world. In growing rich. Is by growing rich yourself. Through the creative method -- not the competitive one.
Give your attention wholly. To riches. Ignore poverty.
Whenever you think. Or speak. Of those. Who are poor. Think. And speak. Of them. As those who are becoming rich. As those. Who are. To be. Congratulated. Rather than pitied. Then they. And others. Will catch the inspiration. And begin. To search. For the way out.
Because I say. You are to give your whole time. And mind. And thought to riches. It does not follow. You are to be sordid or mean.
To become really rich. Is the noblest aim. You can have in life. For it includes. Everything else.
On the competitive plane. The struggle. To get rich. Is a Godless scramble. For power. Over other men. But when we come into the creative mind. All this is changed.
All that is possible. In the way. Of greatness. aAnd soul unfoldment. Of service. And lofty endeavor. Comes by way. Of getting rich. All is made possible. By the use of things.
If you lack. For physical health. You will find. That the attainment. Of it. Is conditional. On your getting rich.
Only those who are emancipated. From financial worry. Who have the means. To live a care-free existence. And follow hygienic practices. Can have. And retain health.
Moral. And spiritual greatness. Is possible. Only to those. Who are above the competitive battle for existence. Only those who are becoming rich. On the plane. Of creative thought. Are free from the degrading influences. Of competition. If your heart is set on domestic happiness. Remember. Love flourishes best. Where there is refinement. A high level. Of thought. And freedom. From corrupting influences. And these are. To be found. Only where riches. Are attained. By the exercise. Of creative thought. Without strife. Or rivalry.
You can aim. At nothing so great. Or noble. I repeat. As to become rich. And you must fix your attention. Upon your mental picture. Of riches. To the exclusion. Of all that may tend. To dim. Or obscure the vision.
You must learn. To see the underlying TRUTH in all things. You must see beneath. All seemingly wrong conditions. The Great One Life. Ever moving forward. Toward fuller expression. And more complete happiness.
It is the truth. There is no such thing as poverty. There is only wealth.
Some people remain in poverty. Because. They are ignorant. Of the fact. There is wealth for them. And these can best be taught. By showing them. The way. To affluence in your own person. And practice.
Others are poor. Because. While they feel. There is a way out. They are too intellectually lazy. To put forth the mental effort. Necessary. To find that way. And travel by it. And for these. The very best thing you can do. Is to arouse their desire. By showing them. The happiness. That comes. From being rightly rich.
Others still are poor. Because. While they have some notion. Of science. They have become so swamped. And lost. In the maze. Of metaphysical. And occult theories. That they. Do not know which road to take. They try a mixture. Of many systems. And fail in all. For these. Again. The very best thing. To do. Is to show. The right way. In your own person. And practice. An ounce. Of doing things. Is worth. A pound. Of theorizing.
The very best thing. You can do for the whole world. Is. To make the most. Of yourself.
You can serve God. And man. In no more effective way. Than by getting rich. That is. If you get rich. By the creative method. And not by the competitive one.
Another thing. We assert. That this book. Gives in detail. The principles. Of the science. Of getting rich. And if that is true. You do not need. To read. Any other book. Upon the subject. This may sound narrow. And egotistical,. But consider. There is no more scientific method. Of computation in mathematics. Than by addition. Subtraction. Multiplication. And division. No other method is possible. There can be but one shortest distance. Between two points. There is only one way. To think. Scientifically. And that is. To think in the way. That leads by the most direct. And simple route. To the goal. No man has yet formulated. A briefer. Or less complex "system". Than the one set forth herein. It has been stripped. Of all non-essentials. When you commence on this. Lay all others aside. Put them. Out of your mind altogether.
Read this book every day. Keep it with you. Commit it to memory. And do not think about other "systems" and theories. If you do. You will begin. To have doubts,. And to be uncertain. And wavering. In your thought. And then you will begin. To make failures.
After you have made good. And become rich. You may study other systems. As much as you please. But until you are quite sure. You have gained what you want. Do not read anything. On this line. But this book. Unless it be the authors mentioned in the Preface.
And read only the most optimistic comments. On the world's news. Those in harmony with your picture.
Also. Postpone your investigations. Into the occult. Do not dabble in theosophy. Spiritualism. Or kindred studies. It is very likely. That the dead still live. And are near. But if they are. Let them alone. Mind your own business.
Wherever the spirits. Of the dead may be. They have their own work to do. And their own problems to solve. And we have no right. To interfere. With them. We cannot help them.
And it is very doubtful. Whether they can help us. Or whether. We have any right. To trespass upon their time if they can. Let the dead. And the hereafter alone. And solve your own problem. Get rich. If you begin. To mix. With the occult. You will start mental cross-currents. Which will surely bring your hopes. To shipwreck. Now. This and the preceding chapters. Have brought us. To the following statement. Of basic facts:
There is a thinking stuff. From which all things are made. And which. In its original state
Permeates. Penetrates. And fills the interspaces. Of the universe. A thought. In this substance. Produces the thing that is imaged. By the thought. Man can form things. In his thought. And. By impressing his thought upon formless substance. Can cause the thing. He thinks about to be created.
In order to do this. Man must pass from the competitive. To the creative mind. He must form. A clear mental picture. Of the things he wants. And hold this picture. In his thoughts. With the fixed PURPOSE. To get. What he wants. And the unwavering FAITH. That he does get what he wants. Closing his mind. Against all that may tend. To shake his purpose. Dim his vision. Or quench his faith.
And in addition. To all this. We shall now see. He must live and act in a Certain Way.