As a Man Thinketh

James Allen (1864 to 1912) was a humble man of humble origins who said what he thought and did what he said. He discovered a way to achieve happiness consistently and in all circumstances as long as certain laws of the universe were adhered to. The laws of the universe I refer to are the same laws described by all the saints, mystics and prophets down though the ages. They are the same laws decribed in the Christian Bible, the Koran of Islam, The Vedas of the Hindus and in all the sacred ancient texts. James Allen didn’t discover anything new he just became aware of how to use what was already available to each one of us.

His education was interrupted at the age of fifteen when he was forced to leave school to support his family after his father was killed. He worked hard and made the best of what life had given him. After uncovering the laws that governed reality he devoted his life to applying these laws and teaching people how to use them. He wrote nineteen books in all and though he did not receive fame or fortune in his own lifetime his books have inspired millions since his death.

I learned of James Allen when my father gave me the book “As A Man
Thinketh” as I set out on my own life’s journey as a young man. I didn’t fully understand the ideas explained in the book at first. It has taken me many years and many readings to come to the understanding I have today of what James Allen wanted to teach the world. I would like to share with you this understanding which I practice in my own life. No doubt I will continue to refine this understanding as the years progress and I invite you to join me in exploring how our thoughts create and are constantly altering our reality.

Thought is an energy. Like electricity or magnetism you can’t see it but you know it exists because of its effects. Though electricity isn’t completely understood we use it and have become dependent on it for some of our basic needs like heat and light. Thought too can be harnessed by the mind for the effects it produces. Scientists know how to harness electricity to create heat and light but few ever learn how to harness the power of thought to create health, wealth and happiness. We are all aware of the desire for every human being to be healthy, wealthy and happy but there is no subject in the school curriculum that teaches us how to achieve these things. Can any of you remember your very first thought? Do you even remember the first thought you have on waking? Yet we spend most of our lives immersed in thought. The only times we are not thinking are times when we are driving and arrive at our destination unable to remember the journey, or when we are dozing or sleeping. Are you thinking when you are watching TV or a movie or is your mind doing something else? Surely you must remember a time during a boring lesson or meeting when you were jolted back to the present when someone called your name? Have you ever had the experience of being stuck on the same page in a book because every time you read the paragraph you can’t remember what you read?

What if thought is an energy at our disposal? What if it could be moulded to create anything we wanted in our lives but this came with a condition? In order to create something we had to deliberately choose to make it a habit to dwell on thoughts about the thing we wanted. What if it was as simple as dwelling upon a thought form in order to create what we wanted? How then could a child who thinks he is stupid ever be clever? How then could a man be poor if he dwells upon thoughts of how to create wealth? How could a woman be loved if she harbours thoughts of how unlovable she is? Thoughts are like radio waves all around us and we tune into certain frequencies depending on how we feel. The happier we feel the higher the thought forms we attract and so we simply feed ourselves more happiness. The more miserable we feel the more we attract thoughts of misery and by feeding our minds with more of the same we feel worse. It is our choice of thought initially that starts the cycle so wouldn’t it make sense to choose the thoughts to dwell upon in order to create the feelings we desire? The chair you are sitting on started off as a thought in someones head. That person must have spoken about the idea and eventually enough energy was invested in the idea to give it momentum and it is now physically manifested under you. It is not magic, it is a process and once you understand the process you can use it to create not just the feelings you desire but even the material things you want.

It is not enough to consciously think about something in order to create it. If it was that simple then everybody would be doing it and the world would be Paradise. Effort is required and the effort involved is what stands in the way of every human being receiving everything they desire. It takes effort to change the habits and patterns of lifetimes. It takes effort to change and even though you might find yourself slipping back into your old negative thoughts you have free will and you can choose whatever you want to think about. It doesn’t matter whether or not you believe it will work just choose your thoughts and investigate the possibility with an open mind. what do you have to lose? If you are poor and struggling financially choose to imagine what it would feel like to be rich. Unless you replace your thoughts of poverty with thoughts of wealth how else are you going to change your reality? Well, you could entertain the idea that you could become rich and start imagining all the ways that this could happen. You could start reading about the lives of people who rose out of the ashes to become rich and famous. You could use your powerful imagination to shift your limiting beliefs and you could change your internal dialogue to hear yourself saying…”Everyday in every way I am becoming happier and happier, I am starting to love and accept myself more and more with each passing day.” Eventually the walls of Jericho did fall and so too the walls of your negative world will crumble and you will rebuild for yourself a stronger brighter, healthier, wealthier, world. Give it a go…what have you got to lose! Thank you Dad, and thank you James Allen.