CONTENTS

TitlePage

Copyright

Preface

CLASS1WhateverItIs,YouCanGetIt

CLASS2DoExactlyWhatITellYoutoDo

CLASS3YouNeedOnlyOneQuality

CLASS4IfYouCan’tCleanAllofThem,Don’tCleanAnyofThem

CLASS5TheProblemIsWhereYouAre

CLASS6MoneyIsaMagnifier

CLASS7YouAretheSumTotalofYourThoughts

CLASS8You’veAlreadyGotIt

CLASS9TheExistingModelIsObsolete

CLASS10OurMostPowerfulForce

CLASS11HowtoTellIfYou’reDoingItWrong

CLASS12TheOnlyLimitonPower

CLASS13Dance’tilItRains

CLASS14TheOnlySourceofSupply

CLASS15TheMagicGraphic

CLASS16TheOnlyThingYouCanControl

CLASS17ThinkYourDreamsintoReality

CLASS18YouDon’tNeedtoDoItAll

CLASS19It’sYourMove

CLASS20WorkfromtheHighertotheLower

CLASS21It’sNotAbouttheMoney

CLASS22CountYourBlessings

CLASS23It’sTimetoStretch

Afterword

A

PREFACE

sfarasIknow,BobProctoristheonlypersonwhohasbeenstudyingpersonaldevelopmenteverydayformorethanhalfacentury.Hiswork

conveysthemostvaluablekindofinformation—howtogetoutofyourownwaysoyoucanhaveahappy,healthyandmassivelywealthylife.Hehasdonephenomenalworkaroundtheworld,helpingmillionsofpeopleandcountlessorganizationsreachtheirbiggestgoals.

BobisthelastlivingteacherwithadirectlinktothegreatlineageofAndrewCarnegie,NapoleonHillandEarlNightingale.Thereisnooneontheplanetlikethismanandhislife-transformingteachings.Andhedoesn’tjustteachit,helivesit!BobisinhisearlyeightiesandhehasmoreenergyandenthusiasmforlifethananyoneIknow.Heactslikeheisjustgettingstartedashislife’smissioncontinuestobewhatithasbeenforthepastfifty-plusyears—tohelpasmanypeopleaspossiblemastertheartoflivingwithnolimits.

ThemostextraordinaryaspectofBobProctorandhisteachingsisthatheisatrueconsciouscompetent.Inotherwords,hedoesextremelywell,andheisconsciouslyawareofwhyhedoesextremelywellsohecanshareitwithothersinawaytheycanimmediatelyputtouse.Ittookhimnineandahalfyearsofserioussearching,workingwithgreatmentors,teachersandbooks,tofindouthowandwhyhislifechanged.Whenherealizedthetruthofwhathadhappened,allhewantedtodowasteachittoothers.Tohisamazementhefoundthatalmostallhighlysuccessfulpeopleareunabletoarticulatewhytheyaresosuccessful.Theyortheirsuperiorssatisfythemselveswiththeideatheyaresmartorhaveagoodeducationorhadgoodteachers.Buttherearealotofsmartpeoplewhohadagreateducationandhadsmartteacherswhoarenotdoingwellatall.Whenapersonishighlysuccessfulinanendeavorandtheycannotarticulatewhytheyare,theyhavesomethingverypowerfulgoingforthemthattheyareunabletogivetoanother.Proctorisnotonlysuccessful,heknowswhy

heisandthereforehehasthemostvaluablekindofinformationanditistransferable.

BobProctortrulybelievesweareallGod’shighestformofcreation,thatwehavebeenblessedwithmagnificentmentalfaculties,andthattheonlythingmissingiswhatwiseKingSolomonurgedustodevelop,andthatisourunderstanding.Wemustunderstandwhoweare,whywearedoingwhatwearedoingandhowtochangewhatwearedoingifwearenotsatisfiedwithourresults.Proctorisamasteratteachingjustthat.

Iamgratefulfortheinvaluablecontributionhehasmadetomylife.Histeachingshaveempoweredmetofindmypurposeandhavethecouragetopursueit.Ifeelincrediblyprivilegedtobehisfriend,andIamsogratefultobehisbusinesspartneratourcompany,theProctorGallagherInstitute.

Thelessonsthatyourequiretoachieveanyresultyouwantarelockedupbetweenthecoversofthisbook.Whathesharesistrulytheartofliving.AsyouturnthepageimaginethatyouarewalkingrightintooneofBobProctor’sclasses.

—SANDRAGALLAGHER

I

CLASSONE

WHATEVERITIS,YOUCANGETIT

ReclaimingthePowerofYourMind

wasonacoachingcallyesterday,andatonepointIsaid,“Youknow,onehundredyearsfromnow,maybeevensoonerthanthat,peoplearegoingto

lookbackandconsiderwhatwedowithchildrentobeacriminalactivity.Theyreallywill.Itwillbeacriminalactivity!”

Stopandthinkofthefreedomachildhaswhenheissmall,justalittletinybaby.Hisimaginationtakeshimwhereverhewantstogo.Childrenliveinaphenomenalworldwheretheycandoanythingtheywant.Theycanbecomepilots;theycanbetightropewalkers;theycanwalkstraightacrossNiagaraFallsandhavenoproblematall.It’sdonerightthereintheirmarvelousmind.

Thenwesendkidstoschoolandthatfantasticcreativeprocessissuddenlyabadthing.Thechild’simaginationiscalled“notpayingattention.”Driftingoffintothegloriousrealmoftheimaginationforafewmomentselicitsaswift“Whatareyoudoing?!”fromateacher.It’sapunishableoffense!Andthosepunishmentsareveryeffective.Youbeatalittlekidupacoupleoftimesfordoingsomethingandguesswhat?They’llstopdoingit.Soinsteadofbeingpraisedandencouragedtodeveloptheirimagination—anincrediblementalfaculty—they’remadetovirtuallyshutitdowncompletely.

ThelateStellaAdler,afantasticactingcoach,said,“Grownupstakethelifeoutofthings.It’sbettertomakethingsup,tousetheimagination,thantokillthem.”Icouldn’tagreemore.

Sonow,hereweareasadults,payingthousandsofdollars,takingdaysoffworkorawayfromhome,justtolearnhowtouseourimaginationagain.Butwehaveto.Wehavetoallgetbacktoaplaceofbeingabletoaccessthatphenomenalpowerbecauseeverythingmadebymanthatyouseeisnothingbutthephysicalmanifestationofsomebody’simagination.That’swhateverythinginyourfieldofviewinsidethisroomrightnowis.

IusedtohaveanofficeonBayviewAvenueinToronto.Wehadacleaningbusinesswherewecleanedoffices.That’showIstartedwashingfloors.OnedayIthought,Weshouldgetacarphone!Sowegotacarphoneandweputasupervisorontheroad,andhewouldgoaroundsupervisingallthecleaners,andIcouldgethimonthephone.Wehadtomountskiracksonthetopofhiscartoholdtheaerialupsothatwemightbeabletogethimbecausetherewereonlyhalfadozenchannelsonthephoneanditdidn’tworkverywell.Today,ofcourse,therearemillionsoflinesopen—millions.Weallhaveone.Andwecancommunicatewithanotherpersonontheirfrequency.Howdidthishappen?Someoneimaginedit,that’show.

IfItookyourpicturerightnow,Icouldsendittoanyoneanywhereintheworld.AllIhavetodoishitsendandbang!,itisimmediately100percentpresentinallplacesatthesametime.IfyouwereinSãoPaulo,you’dgetthepicture.IfyouwereinSanFrancisco,you’dgetthepicture.IfyouwereinShanghai,you’dgetthepicture.IfyouwereinChicago,you’dgetthepicture.Why?Becausethepictureiseverywhere.Theonlythingthatmakesitmaterializeissomethingthatresonateswithit:yournumber.Boom!,you’vegotit!

Athoughtisjustthesameasthatpicture.Theonlythingthatstopsathoughtisthatwhichresonateswiththethought.

Wecancommunicatetelepathicallywithanyone,anywhereintheworld,andwe’redoingitallthetime.Wejustdon’tknowwhatwe’redoing.Why?Becausenobodytaughtuswhatwe’redoing,andsowegrowupignorant.

Thinkaboutthis.Whenalittlesquirrelisborn,nobodyhastofendforit.Thatlittlesquirrelrunsupanddowntreesrightaway.Itwilllookfornuts.It’llfindsomething.Itfeedsitself.Alittlehumanbaby,ontheotherhand,willdieifyoudon’tlookafterhimorher.Yousee,thelittlesquirreloperatesbyinstinct,whichisperfect.Thesquirrelistotallyathomeinitsenvironment.Wearetotallydisorientedinours.Why?Becauseeventhoughwe’vebeengiventhemental

facultytocreateourownenvironment,wedon’tdoit.Whydon’twedoit?Becausewe’retold,“That’ssilly”...“Growup!”...“That’snotrealistic!”...“Whodoyouthinkyouare?”...allthatjazz.

Soherewe’vegothumanbeings,withmarvelousminds,andthey’restruggling,thinkingtheyarestuckwiththeconditionsorcircumstancesthey’resurroundedby.I’dliketodoitbutIcan’tbecause...Whateverfollows“because”isthecircumstance,andtheybecomesubservienttothecircumstance.ThecircumstancebecomestheirversionofGod...andtheydowhattheirperceptionofthecircumstancedictates.Theydon’teventrytocomeupwithabetterway.

You’reheretolearnhowtocreatemultiplesourcesofincomesothatyoucanhavefinancialfreedom.NowIknowyoumaybethinking,Oh,Icouldn’tdothat.Whycouldn’tyoudothat?BecauseI’veneverdonethat.Canyouimagineifyoudidn’tlearntodothingsthatyou’dneverdone?You’dstillbelyinginyourcrib,playingwithyourtoes.Youwould!

Butyouhadtogetupandputonefootinfrontoftheother.Youhadtobetaughttodothat.They’dholdyourhand—“Hetookasteponhisown!Didyouseethat?Hetookasteponhisown!He’swalking!Oh,hejustfellover.Oh,he’shurthimself!”Youtottered,youstumbled,andittookyousometime.Butsureenough,youlearnedtowalk.

Whatever“it”is,youcandoit.Yousimplyhavetolearnhow.

IoncereadthattheWrightbrothers’father,whowasabishopinareformchurch,toldthemtheyweregoingtoburninhellforsuggestingtheycouldfly;thatifGodhadintendedustofly,we’dhavewings.

Ofcourse,thatwasbelievedforcenturies.Itwasalsobelievedthattheworldwasflat.Wereallyboughtintoit,wereallybelievedit—andnotthatlongago!Accordingtotheprevailingwisdomofthetime,howcouldtheworldpossiblyberound?!Howwouldyouliveontheside?!Forgetthebottom.Andwhenyouwatchedashipdisappear,itlookedlikeitfelloff!See,logicdictatedthattheworldcouldn’tpossiblyberound,sothat’swhatwasbelieved.

Doyousupposethatpeoplewerethinkingwhentheyboughtintothatidea?Doyouthinktheywereusingtheirmarvelousimaginationwhentheyinsistedthatwecouldn’tfly?Idon’tthinkso.

EarlNightingalewasamentorofmine,andIlearnedsomuchfromhim.Irememberhimsaying,“Ifmostpeoplesaidwhattheywerethinking,theywouldbespeechless.”

You’llfindpeoplecompetingwithpeople.There’ssomebodytheydon’tevenlikeandthey’recompeting.“I’mgoingtobeather!”Whatfor?Whywouldyouspendanytimethinkingofher?She’snotevenaniceperson.Whywouldyouspendanytimethinkingaboutthatperson?Andifyou’regoingtothinkabouther,justseethegoodqualitiesinher.Becauseifyoudon’t,you’reputtingyourselfinabadvibration.

Alotofpeoplearenervouswhenmeetingme.Ifindthatamusing.Irememberonetime,yearsago,IwasworkingataconventionforMetropolitanLifeinToronto.Thereweremanypeopleatthisconvention.Isawthisoneguy—hewouldwalktowardmeandthenhe’dgoaway,walktowardme,goaway.Hewasnervousaboutmeetingme.Itwasfairlyobvious.

Finally,hismanagerbroughthimoverandsaid,“Bob,IwantyoutomeetHarry.”Theguy’shandwassoakingwet.Hewasshaking.Themanagersaid,“He’snervousmeetingyou.”Istartedlaughing,thenIquicklysaid,“I’mnotlaughingatyou,butifIsaidIwasnervousmeetingyou,wouldn’tyouthinkthatwasfunny?Imean,whywouldanyonebenervousmeetingme?Iknowyouthink,Whywouldanyonebenervousmeetingme?You’dthinkthat.SodoI.”

Whywouldwedothat?Whywouldweletanotherperson’spresence,apersonwedon’tevenknow,intimidateus?Whywouldwefeellikewearelessthanheorsheis?Whywouldweshrinkmentally?Wehavetobetrainedtodothat.Weweren’tbornwiththat.

Butlisten:We’rebigboysandgirlsnow.Wehavetheabilitytothink.Solet’sstartthinkingofwhatwereallywanttodo.Let’sgetridoftheideaofwhatwehavetodo.Youdon’thavetodoanything.You’llsay,“Well,youhavetobreathe.”No,youcouldputaplasticbagoveryourheadandfinishit.You

could.“Well,youhavetopaytaxes.”No,youdon’t.Youdon’t!Youcouldgotojailorgotoatax-freezone.Youdon’thavetopaytaxes.Youdon’thavetodoanything.

Youknowwhatwe’vegottogetstraightinourhead?Wechoosetodoeverythingwedo.

ViktorFrankl,theVienneseJewishpsychiatristwhowassenttoaGermanconcentrationcampduringtheSecondWorldWar,wroteabookcalledMan’sSearchforMeaning.Quiteagoodbook.Init,hesaidthatregardlessoftheintellectualorpsychologicalabusehewassubjectedtointhecamp,noonecouldcausehimtothinksomethinghedidn’twanttothink.

Thesameistrueofyouractions.Wechoosetodoeverythingthatwedo.“Shemademedoit!”Ohno,no,no,no,no.Shedidn’tmakeyoudoit.Theremighthavebeenalittlewarifyou’ddecidednottodoit.Thealternativemighthavebeenuncomfortable.Butshedidn’tmakeyoudoit—youchoseto.We’vegottotakeresponsibilityforwhatwe’redoing.We’vegottotakeresponsibilityforourlife!

Here’sthepoint:Whenyougotodosomethingthatyouhaveneverdone,therearegoingtobeallkindsofcrazythingsgoingoninsideofyou.There’sgoingtobethatlittlevoiceinsidethattalkstoyouandsays,“Whodoyouthinkyouare?Youcan’tdothat.Youcouldn’tpossiblybethereatninea.m.!You’vegottobehereatnine,you’vegottodothis.”Andthatlittlevoiceinsidefrequentlywinstheconversation.Itturnsintoabattle,andmoreoftenthannot,thatlittlevoiceinsidewinsit.

Sowhenapersondoesn’tmakethecall,theydon’taskanyonetobuythe$100,000policy.Thendowntheroadtheysay,“Well,itwouldn’thaveworked,anyway.That’snotgoingtomakeadifference.Somepeoplecan’taffordthat!”

Nonsense.Peoplecanaffordwhatevertheywant.Ifyougohomeandgothroughyourhouse,you’llseeit’sfullofstuffyoudon’tneed.Youboughtitbecauseyouwantedit.Andwhenyoureallywantsomething,youwillalwaysgetwhateverisrequiredtohaveit...always.Thatisanabsolutelawofyourbeing.Whenyoumakeadecision,youflipyourbrainontoadifferentfrequency.Youbegintoattractwhateverisonthatfrequency.Nowifyouunderstandthis,itmakeseverythingalittleeasier.Itmakesitalotbetter.Ifyoudon’tunderstandit,itbecomesfairlydifficult.Sowe’regoingtotryandunderstandit.

TodothatIthinkitwouldbehelpfulforyoutoknowwhereIcomefrom.Iwanttosharewithyouhowthisallstarted.

T

CLASSTWO

DOEXACTLYWHATITELLYOUTODO

TheInfallibleRecipeforSuccess

here’sabookIlove—absolutelylove—calledThinkandGrowRich.It’sbyNapoleonHill.Thisbookhadahugeimpactonthedirectionmylife

took.Istartedreadingitin1961,andeverythinginmylifestartedtochange.AndI’veneverstoppedreadingit.It’snotthatI’msuchaslowreader,it’sthatthere’ssomuchinthisbook.

Howitcameintomylifeisquiteastory.Alltheseyearslater,itstillamazesme.

Atthetime,IwasworkingfortheEastYorkFireDepartment,intheEastYorksuburbofToronto.ItwasthebestjobthatIeverhad,uptothatpoint.Ireallyshouldn’thavebeenthere.Ishouldnothavegottenthatjob.Therewerehundreds,maybeevenafewthousandpeoplewhoappliedforthatjob.There’sacertainelementofsocietywhoallwanttobefiremenorpoliceofficersbecausefiremenandpoliceofficersearnalittlebitbetterthanfactoryworkersorwaiters.Ialwaysthoughtbeingafiremanwasbetterthanbeingapoliceofficerbecausewegottogotobedwhenwewereondutyatnightandthepoliceofficerscouldn’t.

Anyway,therewasanadvertisementinthenewspaper—theyweregoingtohiretwenty-onefiremeninEastYork.WehadjustmovedtoEastYork.IgrewupintheBeachesareaofToronto,andIthought,Wow,thatwouldbesomething.

Atthetime,Iwasworkingatagasstation.Iwouldchangetires,changeoil,lubricatecars,washcars...Iwasdoingitforadollaranhour,forty-eighthoursaweek,sixdaysaweek.OneweekamonthIworkedsevendays,soIgotthreedaysoffamonth,andIwasearningabout$50aweek.

Therewasamagistratewholivedtwodoorsupfrommymother:MagistrateLynn.Ididnotknowhim.Ididn’tknowwhatthemanlookedlike.ButIknewhewasamagistrate.SoIwentandknockedonhisdoor,andIsaid,“Youdon’tknowme,sir,butmymotherlivesacoupledoorsfromhere.They’rehiringfiremenhereinEastYorkandIwasgoingtoputinanapplication,andIwonderifthere’sanythingyoucoulddotohelpme.”

IthinkhewasimpressedthatIaskedhim.“Oh,”hesaid,“Comeonin,son.”Hegotonthephone,calledthemayorandsaid,“I’vegotayoungguyherewhoI’dsortofliketogetonthefiredepartment.”Andwhoosh—Iwasonthefiredepartment!

Now,youhadtoweigh160pounds.Ihadneverweighed160poundsinmylife.Iwasgoingtoagym,tryingtoputonweight,becauseIknewIhadtohaveaphysical.IwasdrinkingWeightOn—concentratedfat—attemptingtogainweight,andIhadtodrinkorangejuicewithitsoIwouldn’tgag.Iwastryingdesperatelytoputweighton,butIstillweighed135pounds!

SooffIgoformyphysicalinthetownshipofficeandthisolddoctorsaid,“Soyou’regoingtobeafireman,areyou,son?”

AndIsaid,“Yessir,yessir.”Hesaid,“Well,gooverthereandweighyourself.”Igotonthescaleandheasked,“What’sitsay?”Isay,“160pounds.”Hestoppedforasecondandthenhesaid,“Well,we’llleaveitatthat,”and

wroteitdown.AndthereIwas,onthefiredepartment!Iworkedsevendaysandsevennightsamonth.Whenyougotonthenight

shiftyou’dgointhekitchen,makesomethingtoeat,maybemakeacupoftea,watchsomeTV,andwhenitgotlate,you’dmakeyourbedandgotosleep.Itwasarealimpositionifsomeonestartedafireinthemiddleofthenightandyouhadtogetupandgoputitout!

Noonehadeverquitthatjob.Notonepersonhadquitsince1934.I’dgotosleepatnight,getupinthemorningfromthefirehouse,goandplaygolf.Goandshootpool.Ihaddoubledmyincome,andIhardlyhadtowork!Iwasvirtuallyretired.IthoughtI’ddiedandgonetoheaven.

Thenoneday,Iwassittinginthekitchenandamanwholivednearthefirehouse,whosenamewasRayStanford,cameupandsatdownwithhiscupof

coffee.Raywasanincrediblemanwhospentmostofhistimetryingtowakepeopleup.

Rayasked,“Bob,whatwouldyouratherbedoing?”Isaid,“Iwouldn’tratherbedoinganythingthanwhatI’mdoing,Iloveit

here!Whywouldn’tIlikeit?”ButRayknewsomethingthatIdidn’tknow.Heknewthatmypastwasn’t

whoIwas.Heknewthatmyreportcardsweren’twhoIwas.HeknewthattheresultsthatIwasgettinginmypaycheckweren’twhoIreallywas.

Heasked,“Whatdoyoureallywant?”Isaid,“Iwantsomemoney.”MoneyreallywasallIwantedthen.Yousee,Iwasearning$4,000ayear,but

Iowed$6,000.IfItookeverythingIearnedforeighteenmonthstopayoffmydebt,withnothinglefttoliveon,Iwouldhavejustbrokeneven.

Raypulledawadofcashoutofhispocketandsaid,“Thisstuffcan’ttalkbutitcanhear,andifyoucallit,itwillcome.Howmuchdoyouwant?”

“$25,000.”However,IabsolutelydidnotbelieveIcouldearn$25,000.Imean,we

wouldhavehadtoselloneoftheaerialladderstocomeupwiththatkindofmoney.NooneIknewhad$25,000...thatwouldhavebeenlikeswimmingtoHawaii.Itwasn’tpossible.Ihadbeenraisedtobelieveitwasnotpossible.Ihaditrightinmybonesnottobelievethat.Nobodyinourfamilyhadeverdoneanythinglikethat.Asfarbackasyoucouldgo,nobodyhadeverevengonetoschoolinourfamily.Ihadnoideahowthatridiculous,impossibleamountofmoneycameintomyheadandoutofmymouth.

Raydidn’tbataneyelash,though.Hesimplysaidtome,“IfyoudoexactlyasItellyou,I’llshowyouexactlyhowtogetwhatyouwant.”

Ididn’tbelieveit.ButIbelievedhebelievedit—andthattouchedsomethinginsideofme.

SoIdecidedIwoulddowhathesaid,startingwithreadingthebookhehandedme,abookI’dneverheardof,calledThinkandGrowRichbyNapoleonHill.

Raysaidtome,“Iwantyoutostudyeveryday.”Thatwasadifficultthingformetodo,butIdidit.IdecidedIwoulddoexactlywhathetoldmeuntilIfoundoutthathewaslyingorthathedidn’tknowwhathewastalkingabout.

AndlikeIsaid,mywholeworldbegantochange.Itbegantochangelikenightandday.Istartedtolookaround.Iwouldseemyfellowfiremencomingintothefirehouseandsittingdowninfrontofthetelevisionset.Theyweremaybeintheirfortiesandtheyweretalkingabouttheunionandgettinganearly

retirement.AndthenI’dhearthatHarry,whohadjustretiredlastyear,haddiedthismorning.Poorbugger.Hisheartjuststoppedbeating.

AndIthought,Ican’tstayhere.I’vegottogetoutofhere.SoIcontinuedtodowhatRaytoldme.AndI’veneverstopped.

Today,ifIcoachsomebody,it’sthesamedeal.YoumustdoexactlywhatIsuggestuntilyoufindoutI’mlyingorIdon’tknowwhatI’mtalkingabout.

That’sthedealforyou,too.Iknowyou’llthinkI’malittlecrazy,andprobablyinthemindofthemasses,Iam.

ButifyoudoexactlywhatItellyou,you’llgettheresultsthatyouwant.JustlikeIdid.

Ifyou’remanagingpeople,don’tlettheirbehaviorscrewupyourhead.Don’tletwhatthey’regettingcauseyoutothinkthat’swhatthey’recapableof.Getthemtobelievewhatyoubelieve.Howdoyougetthemtodothat?Justgetthemtodosomesimplethings.Butgetthemtocommit.Getthemtodoiteveryday.Everyday.There’snotricktothis.Thishasnothingtodowithwhetheryou’resmartornot.

R

CLASSTHREE

YOUNEEDONLYONEQUALITY

TheLife-ChangingPowerofDiscipline

aytoldmesomethingcriticalduringthatfirstconversation.Hesaid,“Youneedonlyonequalitytosucceed.Youmusthavediscipline.”

Well,Ididn’twanttohavediscipline.Ididn’tknowwhatthewordmeant.IhadbeenintheCanadianNavy,anditwassomethinglikewhenIhadbeeninschool.Iwouldn’tdowhatIwastold,onlyinthenavyifyoudidn’tdowhatyouweretold,youwereindeeptrouble,Imeanyoupaidforit!Iwaslockeduponmytwenty-firstbirthday,andtheyhadmegoingthroughassaultcoursesallday.

Oh,itwassadisticwhattheydidtous.ButIknewwhattheruleswere.AndIsaid,“Screwyou.I’mnotfollowingyourrules!”Oh,aren’tyou?!Youknow,IthinktheyshouldtakeeveryyoungguyandstickhiminthearmyortheMarinesorsomething,forsixmonthsorayear,sohegrowsupfast.Theytoughenyouupmentally!

Well,theytoughenedmeupmentally,buttheyleftmewiththeimpressionthatdisciplineequaledpunishment.IfIdidn’tdowhatIwastold,theywouldhavemeoutontheparadesquaresquattingwitharifleovermyhead.Itwasonlyanine-poundrifle,butifyouholdanine-poundrifleoveryourheadforevenafewminutes,youthinkitweighsninehundredpounds!Andit’s,“Getitupthere!!”

“Yessir,yessir!”I’veonlytoldthisstoryonceortwicebutitjustcametomymind,soIguess

I’msupposedtotellyou.Iwasoutontheparadesquareandtherewasapetty

officerincharge,andhewas,inmyopinion,mean.Hehadmehoppingaroundontheparadesquare,andIhadjustfinishedfourteendaysofthis.Igotoutandtheygavemeanotherfourteendays,andIthought,Ican’thandlethis!SoIjustfellover.

Hesaid,“Getup!”Isaid,“Ican’t,sir.”“What’sthematter?”Isaid,“I’vegotapaininmyside.”“Wellthen,gotosickbay,”hesaid.ItoldhimIcouldn’twalk.Well,theygotmetosickbay.AndIwasafraidto

sayIwaslying,becausethenI’dreallybeintrouble!Sotheybringinthismidshipman,andhewaslikeanintern,onlywewereintheservice.Hepressedonmysideandsaid,“Doesithurt?”

Isaid,“Yessir.”Thenextmorning,thesurgeontookmeintohavemyappendixtakenout!I

wastooafraidtotellthemnothingwaswrong!Sotheytookmyappendixout,IfinishedmypunishmentinthehospitalandIgottwoweeks’sickleave.Ithought,IwishIhadanotherappendix!

Heylisten,whenyoudon’tplaybytherulesyougetyourselfintosomefunnyspots.Thepointis,Ihadtheideathatdisciplinewaspunishment.Ithoughtthatwasdiscipline—getthemoutthereintheparadesquareandbeattheheckoutofthem.

Thetruthis,disciplineistheabilitytogiveyourselfacommandandthenfollowit.Youwillneverdevelopanythingofanyconsequenceifyouarenotdisciplined.Ifyouaredisciplined,youcanhavemostanythingyouwant.Thisissobasic,it’ssosimpleandit’ssomisunderstood.Mostpeoplegothroughtheirentirelifeandneverenjoywhattheycouldenjoybecausetheylackdiscipline.ButRaywasright—whenyouhavediscipline,youcanhaveanythingyouseriouslywant.

Iamaverydisciplinedperson.Idon’tcareifanybodyelseisworking.Idon’tcarewhatanyoneelseisdoing.IknowwhatI’vegottodo,andIgetitdone,andIdon’tneedanybodytomotivateme.Idon’tneedanybodytopraiseme.Ijustneeddiscipline.That’sall.Youdon’tneedtothrowmeanybouquets.Justletmeputmyimaginationtowork,andIsay,“I’mgoingtodothis!”AndIgoanddoit.

Ifyouwanttomakeanysignificantchangeinyourlife,youabsolutelymustcommandyourselftodowhatyouknowhastobedoneandthenfollowthrough.Ifyoucandothat,you’llgetstrongerandstronger.Andthenyou’llbeabletodowhatyouwant,insteadofjustwhatyouthinkyoucando.

I

CLASSFOUR

IFYOUCAN’TCLEANALLOFTHEM,DON’TCLEANANYOFTHEM

ShatteringtheMythofHardWork

nthesecondchapterofmybookYouWereBornRich,Itellpeoplehowtogetoutofdebt.Yousetupanautomaticdebtrepaymentprogram,whereaportion

ofyourincomeautomaticallygoesintoanaccount.It’salllookedafter;it’sallautomatic;it’slikeanautoresponder.It’sanautomaticwaytopaydebtsothatyouneverhavetothinkaboutdebt.Thenyoustartbuildingtheconceptofprosperityinyourmind.

Yousee,whateveryouthinkaboutallthetime,youwillattractintoyourlife.Notwhatyouwant—whatyouareemotionallyinvolvedwith.Whichiswhyifyouhaveagoalofgettingoutofdebt,youwillprobablystayindebtforever.

AsIsaidearlier,Iwasn’tseriouswhenIfirstblurtedoutmygoalofmaking$25,000—atleastnotconsciouslyso.ButRaytookmeseriously,andhehadmewritethatgoaldownonacard.

OnceIdidthat,somethingveryinterestingbegantohappen.Beforethis,Iwasalwaysthinkingaboutdebt.Creditorswereforeverphoning

meandI’dsay,“Getoutofhere!Idon’thaveanymoney!”Iwouldgetangryat

themeventhoughitwastheirmoney!Theyshouldn’thavelentittome.Buttheydid,yousee,andsurprise,theywanteditback.So,atanyrate,Iwasspendingallmytimethinkingaboutdebt.

ButonceIwrotethatgoaldown,Istartedthinkingaboutearningmoney.That$25,000.

Ihadheardsomebodysay,“There’sgoodmoneyincleaningfloors.”Ithought,I’mnotproud.I’llcleanfloors.Thatsamepersonhadalsosaid,“Don’tworkforsomeoneelse;workforyourself.”Madesensetome,buttodothatIhadtogetafloormachineandotherequipment.

Ifoundausedmachinefor$980,andsomebucketsandmopstogowithit,whichmeantIhadtoget$980.Noonewouldlendmemoney—Iwouldn’tlendmemoneyeither,becauseIknewIwasn’tgoingtopayitback!It’snotthatIdidn’twanttopayitback,it’sthatIneverhadenoughmoneytopayitback.ButIreadinabook,ifonepersonwon’tlendit,gotoanotherperson,andanotherperson,andprettysoonyou’llgetgoodatyourpresentationandsomebodywilllendyouthemoney.

That’showIendedupinatrustcompanyandgotintoseethemanager,AlKeiper.ThereIaminMr.Keiper’soffice,tellinghimwhatIwant,andI’menthusiastic,andIhadbuiltthisbusinessinmyimaginationandIwasgoingtocleanfloorsallovertheworld.IthinkhethoughtIwasalittlecrazy,butIwasalsoprettyenthusiasticaboutwhatIwasgoingtodo.

Hesaid,“I’mgoingtolendyouthemoney.”Iwasshocked.Butatanyrate,IgotthethousanddollarsandawayIwent.

IhadmycleaningbusinessIwasworkingat,alongwithmydutiesasafireman.Ithoughtthewaytomakemoremoneywastoworkharder,getanotheroffice,thenanother.SohereIam,cleaningoffices,puttingoutfires,cleaningoffices,puttingoutfires,cleaningoffices.WhenIwentintothefirehouseIprayednoonewouldstartafire,Iwassotiredandwantedtosleep.

OnedayIpassedoutonthestreet.Iwasexhausted.Iregainedconsciousnessonthesidewalk,lookedup,andtherewasagreatbigpoliceofficerlookingdownatme.Hemightnothavebeenaverybigman,buthelookedlikeagianttomewhenIwaslookingupathim,anditwasascaryenvironmentbecausetherewasacrowdofpeoplearoundmeandtherewerelightsflashingandIcouldhearasiren.Ihadpassedout,andIguesssomebodythoughtIwasdead.I

wasonlyabouttwenty-sevenyearsold.It’snotnormalforatwenty-seven-year-oldyoungmantopassoutonthestreet.

Theyweregoingtotakemetothehospital.IfinallyregainedconsciousnessandrealizedwhereIwas,andIthought,I’vegottogetoutofhere.SoItalkedthemintonottakingmetothehospitalandIgotawaybymyself,satdownsomewhereandstartedtothink.Andsuddenly,aquietvoiceinsideofmesaid,“Ifyoucan’tcleanallofthem,don’tcleananyofthem.”

SoIgotalldressedup,andIgototherpeoplecleaningoffices.Andinlessthanfiveyears,IwascleaningofficesinToronto,Montreal,Boston,Cleveland,AtlantaandLondon,England.IfyouhadaskedmewhatIwasdoing,I’dhavesaidcleaningoffices.ButwhatelsewasIdoing?IwasreadingThinkandGrowRicheveryday—inadisciplinedmanner.Therewerealotofpeoplecleaningoffices,buttheyweren’tdoingwhatIwasdoing.TherewerealotofpeoplereadingThinkandGrowRichbuttheyweren’tdoingwhatIwasdoing.Andallofasudden,IwantedtoknowwhyIwasenjoyingallthissuccess.

O

CLASSFIVE

THEPROBLEMISWHEREYOUARE

MovingBeyondGoalSetting

neofthefirstlessonsRayStanfordtaughtmewasthatyouhavetolookatwhereyouarefirstandthenwhereyou’regoing,andthenyouhavetoget

moving.Thatissosimpleandsoobvious.Yetifthat’sallthereistoit—andtherereallyisnothingelsetoit—thenwhyarepeoplesostuck?

Theobviousthingisthattheydon’tknowwheretheyaregoing.Inotherwords,theydon’thaveagoal.

Iusedtothinkthatwastheproblem,butIdon’tanymore.Ibelievethatmostpeoplehaveagoal.Theymaynotbeveryarticulatewhenitcomestodescribingthegoal,theymaynothavewrittenitdownsothatanybodycouldunderstandit,butIthinkthey’vegotsomepointthey’dliketomovetoward.

Sowhatdoesthatleave?Itleaveswhereyouare.I’vebecomeawarethattheproblemisrighthere—whereyouarerightnow.

Whereareyou?Well,mostpeoplesay,“IknowwhereIam,IamhereattheSheratonHotelatyourseminar.”Uh-huh.That’swhereyouarephysically.Butwhereareyoumentally?Whywouldsomeonewhoknowsallthisgreatinformationcontinuetohaveaconflict,continuetobenonproductive,continuetobestuck?

Theanswerisbecausetherearetwopartstoourpersonality.There’sapartthatviewstheworldandeverythinginit.Thatisourintellectualmind.It’sthesidewherewehavetheabilitytochoose,thinkandimagine.Andthenthereis

theotherpartofourpersonality—thesubconsciousoremotionalmind.We’llgettothatinabit.

I’dlikeforyoutoraiseyourhandifyoubelieveyoucanearnalotmoremoneythanyouarerightnow.Wellthen,whytheheckaren’tyou?Yousay,“IbelieveIcan!”Andononelevelyoudobelieveit.Onaconsciouslevel,yousay,“Yes,yes!Inotonlybelieveit,Iknowit!”

Butthatisn’tthepartofyouthatcontrolsyourbehavior,andit’syourbehaviorthatcontrolstheamountofmoneyyouearn.

ThepartofyourpersonalitythatcontrolsyourbehaviorisnotthepartthatI’mtalkingtorightnow.ThepartthatI’mtalkingtonowisyourintellectualmind.You’resittingtherethinking,Well,Iknowthat!Butwhatyourintellectualmindprobablydoesn’tknowisthatonasubconsciouslevel,youdonotbelievethatyoucanearnalotmoremoney.

Theword“praxis”istheintegrationofbeliefwithbehavior.Ourjobistohelpyoutaketheideasthatyoubelieveonaconsciouslevel,andmovethemtoyoursubjectivemind.Movetheoldconditionedideasoutandmovethenewideain.Whenthathappens,everythingchanges.

Ididthat.Iearnedawholelotofmoney,andIhadnoideawhatIwasdoing.See,paradigmsaretheproblem.Whatisaparadigm?Aparadigmisa

multitudeofhabits—it’stheprogramminginthesubjectivemind.We’llgetintoparadigmsinalittlebit.

RayStanfordsatmedownandheputan“R”onasheetofpaper.Hesaid,“Bob,letthat‘R’representtheresultsthatyouaregettinginyourlife.Areyouhappywithyourresults?”

Thenheputtwo“H”’sanda“W”onthepaperandsaid,“Letthesetwo‘H’’sandthe‘W’representhappiness,healthandwealth.DoyouthinkI’mahappyguy?”

Isaid,“Yes,youseemprettyhappytome.”Hesaid,“HaveyoueverseenmewhenIwassick?”IhadtoadmitthatI

hadn’t.Hesaid,“HaveyoueverseenmewhenIwasbroke?”Thisguyalwayshada

rollofmoneyonhim.Ineversawhimwhenhewasbroke.Thenhesaid,“Bob,you’vegottobeoneofthemostmiserablepeopleIhave

evermet.”AndIwas.Iwasanunhappyhumanbeing.Iwasunhappyalmostallthetime.

Oh,Ihadfuneverynowandthen—butfunandhappinessaretwodifferentthings.Funisveryshort-livedandit’sveryshallow.Ithinkeverybodyhasfunnowandthen.Buthappinessissomethingthatrunsverydeepandit’slonglasting.Iwasn’taveryhappyperson;Ijustdidn’tknowit.

Hesaid,“Youarejustflat-outmiserable.Youare.You’realwayssick.Youdon’thaveaterminalillnessoranything,butyou’vealwaysgotaheadacheoracoldorsomething.Andyou’realwaysbroke.”

Remember,Iwasearning$4,000ayearatthetime,butIowed$6,000.Thisiswhenhesaid,“DoexactlywhatItellyoutodo.”Idon’tknowwhyhepickedme.HonesttoGod,Icannottellyouwhy.I’m

prettysurewehaveguidesthatarewithus,andtheyhelpusalongtheroad.IbelievethatIwasguidedanditwasn’tanaccidentthatthismanwasinmylife.

Inoneyear,Iwentfromearning$4,000andowing$6,000toearning$175,000.IhadabsolutelynoideawhattheheckIwasdoing.ThenItookittooveramilliondollars.Thiswasbackinthe1960s,whenamilliondollarswasalotofmoney.It’salotofmoneytoday,butrelativelyspeaking,it’snotthatmuch.IfyouaskedmewhatIwasdoing,Ididn’tknow.Ireallydidnotknow.However,asIhavealreadymentioned,IhadtoknowwhyIhadchanged.

Yousee,Icamefromsuchamessed-upbackground.Ihadneveraccomplishedanythingofanyconsequence.Ihaveabrotherandsister;theybothdidwellinschool.Theynevergotintrouble.Mysister’sayearolderthanme,mybrother’sayearyounger.Andthingswerealwayscoolwiththem.Withme,mymotherusedtocry,“Whyareyoudoingthistome?”Iwasn’tdoinganythingtoher,Iwasdoingittome!OntopoftheproblemsIwascreatingformyself,Iwaspermittingherremarkstocreateguiltinmymind.

ThenIwentintothenavy,asIsaid,andwhatanexperiencethatwas.Ihadnobusinessexperience.Ihadverylittleformaleducation—aftereighthgrade,IwenttoDanforthTechnicalSchoolforjustacoupleofmonths.Onedaytheviceprincipalcalledmeintohisofficeandinformedmethatmyformaleducationhadjustcometoanabrupthalt.Iwassohappy!Itwasallover.Ididn’thavetogobackthereanymore!TosayIdidn’tlikeschoolwasanunderstatement.Noonehadevercausedmetolikeschool.

Let’sthinkaboutthis.Whenyouleaveschoolandgotowork,whatareyoudoing?You’resellingyourtime,yourenergy,yourloyalty,yourknowledgeforanamountofmoney.WhattheheckdidIhavetosell?Ididn’tevenhaveagoodattitude.

SoIgotajob,firstofall,deliveringgroceriesforabutchershop.IhadtodeliverthemonawagonbecauseIdidn’thaveabicycle.Isoonburnedoutwiththat,andthenIgotajobinthedowntownareaofTorontofromfiveatnight

untiltwointhemorningworkingataprintingshopfor$12aweek.Butlookingbacktoday,IrealizethattheywereactuallybeingkindbecauseIwasn’tevenworththe$12.

AfterthenavyIworkedinbars.Infact,IworkedintwobarswhereIonlylastedanhourbeforetheyfiredme.Nowthat’sabitofarecord...toholdajobforonlyanhour.AndIdidittwice!

IrememberIwasdrivingbyoneoftheplacesandIsaidtomywife,“Linda,seethatplacethere—thatwasoneoftheplaceswhereIlastedjustanhour.”IwasdrinkingmorethanIwasselling!Itjustwasn’tprofitabletohavemethere.

SohereIamwithalltheseoffices,allthesepeople,earningallthismoneyandthinkingofmybackground,tryingtofigureouthowIwasdoingit.Ifthecontrasthadn’tbeenasgreatasitwas,Iprobablywouldhavejustcontinuedon,openedmorecleaningoffices,andcontinueddoingwhatIwasdoing.Butitwassoenormousthatitstartedtopuzzleme.Ihadtoknowwhathappened.WhydidIchange?

Iwasdeterminedtofindtheanswer.Ittookmenineyearstofigureitout.Ihadshiftedmyparadigm,that’swhatIhaddone.Ishiftedmyparadigmintwoways.Onewaywasmypersonalinvolvementinsomethingthathadanemotionalimpactonme,andtheotherwasthroughtheconstant,spacedrepetitionofanidea.

I

CLASSSIX

MONEYISAMAGNIFIER

HowtoDoWhatYouWanttoDo

haveahandheldrecordplayerthatIusedtodrivearoundwith,playingthesametworecordsoverandoverandoveragain—EarlNightingale’srecordings

ofTheStrangestSecretandThinkandGrowRich.Ilistenedtothoserecordssomanytimesthatthemessagesweresearedintomybrain.Theybecameaninseparablepartofme.Theychangedmeatthecellularlevel.Iliterallybecamethosemessages.

I’vemetsomeofthemostbrilliantpeopleintheworld.Ihavestudiedwithsomeabsolutegeniuses.AndbecauseIwassointerestedinwhattheywereteaching,theywereinterestedinteachingme.Iknowthingsthatalotofpeopleneverlearn.Iknowwhywedowhatwedo,andwhywedon’tdowhatwewanttodo.Assimpleandobviousasthatsounds,veryfewpeopleknowwhytheydon’tdowhattheyalreadyknowhowtodo,whytheirlifeisstuck.

ThefirstlargecompanyIworkedwithasaconsultantwasthePrudentialofAmerica.Itwasthelargestinsurancecompanyinthehistoryoftheworld—thelargest!Theyspentmillionsofdollarsontraining.Yettheydidnotknowwhytheirstarswerestars.

Iknewwhy.IendedupinMelHaycraft’soffice,vicepresidentoftheChicagoofficein

thePrudentialCenter,thenumberoneterritoryoutoftenterritoriesofthatcompany.Hesaid,“Whathaveyougot?”

Isaid,“I’vegotsomeideasthatIthinkwillchangeyourwholeworld.”“Really.”“Yes.”Inresponse,hetookahandfulofbrochuresandthrewthemacrossthetable.

Hehadnothingonhisdeskbutthesebrochures.Andhesaid,“Theyallsaythesamething.”

“ButI’mdifferent.”“Howareyoudifferent?”Isaid,“Igetresults.”“Ohreally?Allthesepeoplesaidthattoo.”“Yeah,well,I’mdifferent.”“Whatmakesyoudifferent?”“Imakemedifferent,”Isaid.“Listen,wecouldstayhereplayinggames

forever.Yourresponsibilityistoincreasethesales.There’ssomeoneaboveyouwhoiswatchingyouandifyoudon’timprovesalestheyaregoingtoletyougo.Youknowthat.Iamtheguywho’sgoingtohelpyoudowhatyouwanttodo.Givemeahundredofyourbestpeople—don’tgivemeyourworst,anyonecandosomethingwithyourworst—givemeyourbestpeopleandI’llshowyouwhatIcandoandIwon’tchargeyouadime.”

Helookedatmeandsaid,“Ilikethat.”Isaid,“Ithoughtyouwould.”Heacceptedmyoffer.Wetook100ofhisbestpeople;wehadthemselling

morethantheyhadeversoldinthesameperiod.EverybodyinthecompanywantedtoknowwhattheheckMelHaycraftwasdoing.AfterIdidthe100-persontest,Ihad450ofPrudential’ssalespeopleattheHillsideHolidayInninChicago.IstoodupinfrontofthemandItoldthem,“Icanshoweveryoneofyouhowtogooutandwrite$5millioninbusinessthisyear.”

WhenIsaidthat,Ilostthewholeaudience.Theirbodiesstayed,buttheirmindsleft.

Atthefirstbreak,amancameuptomeandsaid,“Proctor,haveyoueversoldinsurance?”

“No,Ineverhave.Why?”“Youdon’tknowwhatyou’retalkingabout.”“Oh,IknowwhatI’mtalkingabout.IjustsaidI’veneversoldinsurance.”Hesaid,“Doyouknowthiscompanyisgoingtobeonehundredyearsold

nextyear?”“That’sright.”“Doyouknowwe’vegottwentythousandsalesagents?”“Yes.”“Doyouknowwe’veneverhadonewrite$5million?”“Thenyoucanbethefirst.”Helookedatmewithsortofasmirkonhisface.“Yousaidwecoulddoit

thisyear.It’sAugust,theyear’soverhalfgone.”Isaid,“Thenitisn’tgoingtotakeyouaslongtodoit,isit?“Here’sthedeal,”Isaid.“Youalreadyknowhowtowritethe$5million.

Yourproblemisn’thowtowriteit.Yourproblemis—whyaren’tyoudoingwhatyoualreadyknowhowtodo?Ifyougobackinthereandopenyourearsandlistentome,I’mgoingtoshowyouhowtowrite$5million.Idon’thavetosellinsurancetoknowhowtodothat.Youknowhowtoselltheinsurance.Youdon’tknowwhyyou’renotdoingwhatyouwanttodo.”

HisnamewasDonSlovan.ThesecondweekinDecemberhehad$5,200,000worthofbusinessonthebooks.Heclosedtheyearwithalittleover$6million.ThisisallinPrudential’srecords.I’vegotitinmagazinesIcouldshowyou.

Hewasn’ttheonlyonetosell$5millionininsurance.Therewasawholestringofpeoplewhofollowedhim.TheysentpsychologistsoutfromNewJerseytotryandfigureoutwhatthisguyProctorwasdoing!Onepsychologistwentbackandsaid,“Recordwhathe’sdoing,we’llgooutandgetanactortoteachwhathe’sdoing!”Ithought,Thatpoorguy,hedoesn’tevenknowwhatI’mdoing.HethoughtitwaswhatIwassaying.Itwasn’twhatIwassayingatall.ItwastheenergythatIwasputtingout.

IfiguredoutwhatIhaddonetochangemylife.Ididn’thavetostudyanyone’spersonalitytoshowthemhowtochange.Ijusthadtostudymine.Idon’thavetostudyyou.Ijusthavetostudyme.Weareallthesame.Somearemale,somearefemale,butoutsideofthereproductivesystem,we’reallthesame.Youmightthinkofage,raceandculturaldifferences.Theonlydifferencethereisinappearanceandthetruthisrarelyintheappearanceofthings.Throwusallintoa

hotfireandweareallreducedtothesamelevel.Useyourhigherfaculties.Lookwithin.

Wearespiritualbeings,livinginaphysicalbody.Thereisonlyonemind.Justone.Weallhavethesamementalfaculties.Weallhavedifferentprogramming.Weallhavedifferentgeneticconditioning.Wewereallraisedindifferentenvironments.Butweallhavethesamefaculties.

Weareconditionedtolivethroughoursenses.Wecanhear,see,smell,tasteandtouch.Welettheoutsideworldcontrolourmind.Welookatourreportcardandletitcontrolwhatwearelike.Thereportcardturnsintooursalessheetorourjobevaluation.

Wehavebeengiftedwiththehighermentalfacultiesofintuition,perception,will,memory,reasonandimagination.Whenwebegindevelopingandeffectivelyusingthesefaculties,wecancontrolouroutsideworldandstoplettingitcontrolus.

Einsteinwassorightwhenhesaid,“Theintuitivemindisasacredgiftandtherationalmindisafaithfulservant.Wehavecreatedasocietythathonorstheservantandhasforgottenthegift.”

Whatwehavetodoisgainanunderstandingofhowourprogrammingtookplace,andhowwecanchangeitsothatitstopscontrollingusandwestarttocontrolourselves.Whenyoudothat,that’swhenyoutakecontrolofyourlife.That’swhenyoucansetanygoalandgetthere.

Thereisonlyoneproblemintheworld,andthatisignorance.Theonlyprobleminyourcompanyisignorance.Theonlythingholdingpeoplebackisignorance.Peoplejustdon’tknow.Andtheydon’tknowtheydon’tknow,inmostcases.

Aswegothroughtheseclassestogether,you’regoingtofindthatyourlifestartstoshift.Allyouaregoingtodoisopenup—becomemoreaware.

LookatwhatNapoleonHillsaid.Thisissogood.Whenmoneycomesinquantitiesknownas“bigmoney,”itflowstotheone

whoaccumulatesit,aseasilyaswaterflowsdownhill.Thereexistsagreatunseenstreamofpower,whichmaybecomparedwithariver,exceptthatonesideflowsinonedirection,carryingallwhogetintothatsideofthestream

onwardandupwardtowealth—andtheothersideflowsintheoppositedirection,carryingallwhoareunfortunateenoughtogetintoit(andnotabletoextricatethemselvesfromit)downwardtomiseryandpoverty.

Everypersonwhohasaccumulatedagreatfortunehasrecognizedtheexistenceofthisstreamoflife.Itconsistsofone’sthinkingprocess.Thepositiveemotionsofthoughtformthesideofthestreamthatcarriesonetofortune.Thenegativeemotionsformthesidethatcarriesonedowntopoverty.

Thiscarriesathoughtofstupendousimportancetothepersonwhoisfollowingthiswiththeobjectofaccumulatingafortune.

Ifyouareinthesideofthestreamofpowerthatleadstopoverty,thismayserveasanoarbywhichyoumaypropelyourselfoverintotheothersideofthestream.Itcanserveyouonlythroughapplicationanduse.Merelyreading,andpassingjudgmentonitonewayoranother,willinnowaybenefityou.

Povertyandrichesoftenchangeplaces.Povertymay,andgenerallydoes,voluntarilytaketheplaceofriches.Whenrichestaketheplaceofpoverty,thechangeisusuallybroughtaboutthroughwell-conceivedandcarefullyexecutedplans.Povertyneedsnoplan.Itneedsnoonetoaidit,becauseitisboldandruthless.Richesareshyandtimid.Theyhavetobe“attracted.”

Wewanttofocusonbigmoney.Wewanttogetourselvesintheflowofbigmoney.Wewanttostarttalkingaboutbigmoney.Italkalotaboutmoney,tryingtoprovokepeopletothinkaboutitintherightsense.Butknowthis:Moneyisamagnifier.That’sallitis.Earningalotofmoneydoesn’tmakeyouabetterperson;itmakesyoumoreofwhatyoualreadyare.Ifyou’renotaniceperson,you’llbecomeunbearable.Ifyouareaniceperson,you’llbecomeanicerperson.Moneyenablesyoutodomoreofwhatyoulovetodo.That’sreallywhatit’sfor.Moneydoesonlytwothings:one,itisusedtomakeyoumorecomfortable,andthemorecomfortableyouare,themoreeffectiveyoubecome;andtwo,itenablesyoutoextendthegoodyoudofarbeyondyourphysicalpresence.

Wheredoesthemoneycomefrom?Fromtheinfinite.Wheredoeseverythingcomefrom?Thinkaboutit.Moneyisjustpaper.That’sallitis,paperwithinkonit.It’sasuselessasoldnewspaperuntilyougotouseit.Physicalpaperisn’tmoney.Itrepresentsmoney.Moneyisanidea.Allthemoneyintheuniverseisavailabletoyou.Butyou’vegottoattractit.Ithastobeearned.Theonlypeoplewho“make”moneyareinjail,intheMintorontheirwaytojail.Everybody

elseearnsit.It’sthatsimple.There’snothingcomplicatedaboutthis.It’sallrathersimpleifwestopandlearnit.

Thinkofitthisway:Ifyoustartyourdayoffright,thinkingoptimistically,oddsareprettygoodthatitwillstayright.Ontheflipside,ifyoustartyourdayoffwrong,thinkingnegatively,oddsaregooditwillstaywrong.Youcanbeprettycertainthatyouwon’tbeveryfarintoyourdayandsomebody’sgoingtotryandruinit.They’regoingtogiveyoubadnews.Maybeyoulookatanewspaperandseesomethingbad.Turnyourtelevisionon,badnews.Someonewilltryanddisturbyou.They’renotconsciouslyanddeliberatelytryingtodoit.That’stheirwayoflife.That’showtheylive.Ifyoulistentothem,youaregoingtobeofftrack.Youmustgetontherighttrack.

That’sthewayitiswithmoney.Iwantyoutovisualizeit.Buildthatpictureoftheriverinyourmind.One

sideiscarryingyoutowardwhatyouwant.Theothersideiscarryingyouawayfromwhatyouwant.Onesideistakingyoutowealth,theothersideistakingyoutopoverty.

Y

CLASSSEVEN

YOUARETHESUMTOTALOFYOURTHOUGHTS

Energy,AwarenessandtheRealKeytoChange

oudon’tattractwhatyouwant.Wantsareintellectualinnature.Wantsareinyourconsciousmind.Youattractwhatyouareinharmonywith,what

youare.Andyouarethesumtotalofyourthoughtsthatbecomefixedinyoursubconsciousmind.You’vegottogetthewantandplantwhatyouwantinyourheartofhearts.You’vegottoplantitdeepintheuniversalsubconsciousmind.Thatwillthendictatethevibrationyouarein,andyoucanonlyattractenergytoyouthat’sinharmoniousvibrationwithyou.Levelsofvibrationarecalledfrequencies.Ourmindandbodyfunctiononfrequencies.Justlikeyourradio,itcanonlyreceivefromthefrequencyitisoperatingon.Ifyouaredisturbed,ifyouarelettingthingsbotheryou,ifyouarelettingfinancialsbotheryou,Icanguaranteeyou,assureasit’sgoingtogetdarkoutsidetonight,you’regoingtoattractmoreproblems.Youcanonlyattractwhatyouareinharmonywith.

Now,youask,howdoyouchangethat?Youchangeitthroughawareness.It’slikewhenyouwerealittlekidin

schoolandtheteacher’stryingtoteachyouanewmathematicalequationwhenyou’vejustlearnedhowtomultiplyandthentheythrowfractionsatyou.Younotonlymultiplythenumber,theyputalineunderthenumberandanumberundertheline.Andthentheyputthesestackednumbersnexttoeachotherandtellyoutomultiplythem.Ofcourseyoudon’tknowwhatyou’redoing.The

teachershowsyouontheboard,butyoudidn’tgetitsotheteachercomesovertoyouandshedoesanequation.Youstilldon’tgetitbecauseyouaresonervous.Sheasksifyouarepayingattention.Then,sheasksyoutodoit.

Yousay,“Idon’tknowhow.”Theteachersays,“Ijustshowedyou.”Yourepeat,“Idon’tknowhow.”Theteachersays,“Well,payattention.WatchwhatI’mshowingyou.”Yousee,youweren’tlistening.Youhearwithyourearsbutyoulistenwith

youremotions.Frequently,someonewillbetalkingtoyouandyouwillhearthem,butiftheyaskyouwhattheysaidyoucouldn’trepeatit.Youmustletyourselfbecomeemotionallyinvolvedwithwhattheyaresaying.Sonowyoulistenastheteachergoesthroughitagain,andfinallyyousay,“NowIsee!”Andawayyougo.Awarenesskicksin...youunderstand.

Youmustdeveloptheawareness.Andawarenessmusthaveafoundation.Understandingisyourfoundation.ThatispreciselywhyKingSolomoncenturiesagosaid,“Withallthygettinggetunderstanding.”

Nowlet’sthink—let’sreallythink.Theresultsyou’regettingareanexpressionofyourlevelofawareness.Ifyouletthisfallintoplaceinyourmind,Ithinkyou’regoingtofindthatyourawarenessisblockedbyparadigms.It’soldconditioningthatblockstheawareness.You’vegottochangetheconditioning.

Nowimagineifyourawarenessexpandedalittlebit—justimagineifthathappened.Mygoodness,ifthat’sallyoudid,youcouldmultiplyyourresults!Itisimportantthatyouunderstandthistoexpandyourlevelofconsciousawareness—andthat’sallwe’redoinghereisexpandingyourlevelofawarenessindifferentareas.

Youeliminatethedarknesswhenyouturnonthelight.Lettherebelight—lettherebeahigherlevelofconsciousawareness.

Listen,apersondoesn’tearn$100,000ayearbecausetheywanttoearn$100,000ayear.Theyearn$100,000ayearbecausetheyarenotawareofhowtoearn$100,000amonth!Whentheybecomeawareofhowtoearn$100,000amonth,they’renotgoingtogobackandsettlefor$100,000ayear.

Lettherebelight.Lettherebeahigherdegreeofconsciousness.Wewanttoexpandourlevelofawareness.It’slikeMayaAngelousaid:“Dothebestyoucanuntilyouknowbetter.Thenwhenyouknowbetter,dobetter.”

Whywouldpeoplestruggle?Peopledon’twanttostruggle.They’restrugglingbecausethey’renotawareofhowtoeliminatethestruggle.

Howdoyouexpandyourlevelofawareness?Nowthat’sagoodquestion.Andit’saquestionthateverybodyshouldgetananswerto.Youdoitthrougheffectiveeducationcombinedwithprofessionalcoachingoverareasonableperiodoftime.You’llaltertheconditioningandexpandyourlevelofawareness.

See,expandingyourawarenessissimplyputtingabiggerideaintheplaceofthesmalleridea.Eachtimeyoudothatyoubecomemoreawareofhowit’sdone.

Wesayit’sasadthingwhenachildisafraidofthedark.ButI’lltellyousomethingthat’salotsadderthanthat:anadultwho’safraidofthelight.Somepeopleareafraidofwakingup.Theyaresocomfortablewheretheyare—doyouknowtherearewomenrightaroundhere,probablywithinwalkingdistanceofwhereyouarerightnow,whoarebeingbouncedoffthewallbysomebruteorsomedrunkenbeasteverynight?Andthey’reafraidtoleave!!Whyaretheyafraidtoleave?Becausethey’remoreafraidofbeingontheirownthantheyareofbeingwiththisguy.Sometimeswhentheydoleavetheygorightbackintothesamethingagain.Thisisnotuncommon.What’sdoingit?It’stheirconsciousnessthat’sdoingit.You’vegottoshifttheconsciousness.Ifyoudon’t,youcan’tmakeapermanentchange.Youcan’tattractwhatyoureallywant.

Everythingweareseekingisseekingus.WhenIfirstreadthat,IknowIdidn’tunderstandit.Everythingweare

seekingisseekingus.Awarenessisthenameofthegame.Sowe’regoingtobecomeawareofcertainthingsaboutourselves.

[Bobchoseapersonatrandomanddescribedherpersonalityindetail.]

BOB:Tina,howlonghaveyoustudiedthehumanpersonality?Howmanyyears?

TINA:Twenty-sixyears.

BOB:Howoftendoyourunintosomebodywhocanjustwalkbyandtellyouwhatyou’relike,thewayIdidearlier?It’sunusual,isn’tit?

TINA:Itisrare.

BOB:Thisisthefirsttimeyou’veeverrunintoanybodylikethat.YetIwasveryaccurate.Icouldgofurtherjusttovalidatetheaccurateness,butIamveryaccurateinreadingyourpersonality,aren’tI?

TINA:You’reveryaccurate.

BOB:HowwouldIknowhowtodothat?Welllisten,whatyouseesittinghereisnotTina.ThisisTina’sbody.Thisisamolecularstructure.It’samassofmoleculesinaveryhighspeedofvibration.Hermindismovement.Thisisnothermind,thisistheexpressionofhermind.Themindismovement.Bodyisthemanifestationofthatmovement.Now,thevibrationshe’sin—Ipickitup.Icanreadthatvibration.IfIcanreadit,youcanreadit.IfIhadmyeyesclosed,I’dknowwhatshe’slike,allright?Theenergycomingfromthebodyissopotentandpowerful,itwillpenetrateacamera,penetrateafilm,andyoucanactuallyphotographtheenergy.AsTinachangestheimagesinhermind,thedensityinthecoloroftheenergywillchange.

TheyearIwasborn—alongtimeago—SemyonKirlian,aRussianphotographer,perfectedaformofphotographywhereyoucanphotographamassandyoucanphotographtheenergycomingfromit.SoasTinachangestheimagesinhermind,thedensityandthecoloroftheimageswillchange.

NowasIcomeincontactwithherenergy,Icancauseherenergytochange.Infact,Iwillcauseherenergytochange—andshewouldcauseminetochange.Neitheroneofusknowsanythingaboutthis,we’rejust,let’ssay,acoupleofofficeworkers,butourenergyiscausingtheotherperson’senergytochange.

Takeanyofficeinanycompanywherepeoplearesittingattheirdesks.IcouldwalkintosuchanofficeandIcouldsay,“Movethatwomanbackthere,”“Movethatmanoverhere,”“Takethisladyandputheroverhere”—Icouldrearrangetheofficeandproductivitywouldgoupintheoffice.I’dgetenergyflowingfreely.It’scalled“circulation.”

Whenthebloodinthebodystopscirculatingyou’redone.It’sallover.You’llmoveontothenextphaseofyoureternaljourney.Circulationisthelawoftheuniverse.Well,whenyougettheenergyinanofficeflowingfreely,productivityisgoingtogoup.We’vegottobeawarethatourenvironmenthasawholelottodowithourmentalstate.

KarlMenningerfromtheMenningerFoundationinTopeka,Kansas,saidenvironmentismoreimportantthanheredity.Youhavetobeverycarefulaboutthepeopleyouspendtimewith.Iamvery,verycarefulwiththepeopleIspendalotoftimewith.TherearesomepeopleIjustdon’twanttospendalotoftimearound.Idon’tthinkI’manybetterthanthem,Ijustdon’twanttobelikethem.Idon’tthinkI’mbetterthananybody,andIdon’tthinkanybodyisbetterthanme.ButI’lltellyousomething—Idon’twanttolivethelifethatsomepeoplearelivingandifyoudon’twanttolivethewaytheyareliving,getawayfromthem.Youwouldbewisenottospendalotoftimewithsomebodywhoisinabadvibrationallthetime.

BOB:Now,Tina,youhavebeenstudyingthemindfortwenty-someyearsandyetyousayit’sveryunusualhowIcanwalkbyapersonandtellyouallaboutthem.Here’sthepointIwanttogetacross—thisabilityisnotunique—it’sjustunusualrelativetomostpeople.IfIcandosomething,youcandoit.Idon’thaveanythinggoingformethatyouhaven’tgotgoingforyou!Youcanlearnhowtodowhatyouwitnessothersdoingifyoureallywanttoandyouarepreparedtopaytheprice.

WhenIwalkintoaboardroominacorporateoffice,Iknowexactlywhatthepeopleintheboardroomarelikeandexactlyhowtoworkwitheveryoneatthetable.Iknowtheoneswhoareveryleft-brainedandthosewhoareveryright-brained,andthosewhobouncebetweenleft-andright-brained.Ipayattentiontotheirenergy,andIknowjusthowtostructuretheconversationsothatImakethesale.Inmymind,it’snotamatterofwhetherI’mgoingtomakethesale,it’sdoIwanttomakethesale?AndifIdon’twanttomakethesale,I’mnotgoingtomakeit.Why?Well,therearesomepeopleyoujustdon’twanttoworkwith.I’mnotgoingtoworkwithsomebodywhereIhavetokeepsellingthemeveryday.Whywouldyouwanttocoachsomebodywhereyouhavetokeepsellingthemeveryday?Iftheydon’tdowhatIsay,thenwearebothtoast.SoIamselectiveaboutwhoIworkwith.Mostpeoplewantyoutocoachthemtheirwayandtheirwayisnotworking.

AslongasaclientdoeswhatIsay,I’llkeepgoing.They’llearnmulti-millionsofdollarsifthat’swhattheyreallywantandtheyremainagreatstudent.Butoftentheywilllearnonlysomuchandthentheydon’twanttolearnanymorefromyou,sotheyshutdown.

Greatstudentsgatherinformationveryquickly.Greatstudentsalwayswantmore.Theyareeagertolearn.Theysoakitup.Aviisagreatstudentofmine.Heisforeveraskingmequestions—aboutthis,aboutthat.Littlethings.He’snotembarrassedtoaskanykindofquestion.

Therearenodumbquestions.Ifyou’vegotaquestion,youshouldaskit.Theobjectiveistodevelopawareness.It’sallaboutawareness.That’sallthereis.

I

CLASSEIGHT

YOU’VEALREADYGOTIT

UnderstandingYourSpiritualPerfection

nhisbookWorkingwiththeLaw,RaymondHolliwellwrote,“Thereisamarvelousinnerworldthatexistswithinus,andtherevelationofsuchaworld

enablesustodo,toattainandtoachieveanythingwedesirewithintheboundsorlimitsofNature.”

There’saworldoperatingwithinyou.Awonderfulworld.Wewanttotryandunderstandthat.YourspiritualDNAisperfect.It’sabsolutelyperfect.Itrequiresnomodification,noimprovement.Thereisabsoluteperfectionwithinyou.Itisreallyimportantthatwegetthis.Thereisperfectionwithinyou.Itdoesn’thavetobemodified.Itdoesn’thavetobechanged.It’sthere.Allyouhavetodoisletitcometothesurface.Whenyoustretchandgoforsomethingyoureallylovethatisbeyondwhatyouthinkyoucando,youwillfindthatyoucanperformawholelotbetterthanyouusedtothinkyoucould.Youbecameawarethatthereistheabilitywithinthatyoupreviouslyfailedtorecognize.

Yousee,weoperateontheideathatyouhavetoget“it,”whatever“it”is...tobecomewhateveryouwanttobe.Youdon’thaveto“get”anything.You’vegotit.Ididn’tgetanythingtogofrombeingbrokeandstrugglingtoearningmillions.IjustbecameawareofwhatIalreadyhad.

Scienceandtheologyteachusthatallthepowerthateverwasisalwayspresentinallplacesatthesametime.Thatitiswithinme!It’severpresent—allthepower—alltheknowledge.Let’strytounderstandthat.Alltheknowledgethereeverwasoreverwillbeis100percentevenlypresentinallplacesatthesametime.That’sabigidea.Nothingiscreatedordestroyed.Everythingismadefromthesamething:spirit/energy.Askyourself,“Wheredoideascomefrom?”“Wheredidtheideaforthesmartphonecomefrom?”

Thesimpletruthisthatapersonactivatedtheirimaginationandoriginatedtheideafromthepowerthatiscontinuallyflowingtoandthroughus.Thatpersonwasawarethatiftheycouldseeitintheirmind,theycouldholditintheirhand.

Thisisnotdifficult.Thisisreallyprettyeasytounderstand.Itaughtthistokids.Iwasshowingafriendapicturehangingonmywallinmyhome.It’sasetof

fivesportscardsinaframe.Eachcardhasapictureofoneofthefivelivinggoldmedaldecathlonwinnersatthattimeandeachofthemwassignedbythegoldmedalwinner.Agoodfriendofmine,MiltCampbell,wasoneofthem.Hewastheonewhogavemethesecards.TheothersareBobMathias,JimThorpe,RaferJohnson,andBruceJenner(nowknownasCaitlynJenner).

Miltwasworkingwithmeatthetime.Wehadagroupoftwelvekids.Iworkedwiththemforonehouraweekonthephone.Iwasteachingthemabouttheirmindandabouttheirlife.TheywereonthestageinKansasCityinfrontofapproximatelytenthousandpeopleafterjusttwelveweeks—twelveone-hourlessonsonthephone—andtheadultsweretakingnotes.Itwasabsolutelymind-blowingwhatthosekidslearnedabouttheirmindinsuchashorttime.

Adults—wethinkweknowsomuch—sowerejectallthisas“woo-woo.”Thesetruthshavealwaysbeenhereandunderstoodbyafew.

Justunderstandthatyou’reaspiritualbeing.Thereisapowerflowingtoandthroughyouandyoucandowhateveryouwantwithit.Andasitflowsin,youchoosethoughts.Asyouinternalizethosethoughtsyoualterthevibratoryrateofthebody.Onaconsciouslevel,aswebecomeawareofthevibrationwearein,

werefertothatconsciousawarenessasfeeling...“feeling”isawordwehaveinventedtodescribeconsciousawarenessofvibration.

Let’stakealookatthisanotherway—it’samatterofchoice.LookatwhatHolliwellsaysaboutthis:“Allfailuresinlifeareduetotakingsideswiththefinitearoundus.Allsuccessinlifeisduetotakingsideswiththelawwithin.”

Ifwecan’tseeit,smellit,tasteitortouchit,ifwecan’tgetinvolvedwiththephysical,wesayit’snotthere.Youknow,oftenyouhearpeoplesay,“Whatyoudon’tknowwon’thurtyou.”Well,whatyoudon’tknowcankillyou.Stopandthinkaboutthis.There’sairinthisroom.Ifwesealeditallupairtightandthenstartedtopumpairin,whatwouldhappen?We’dblowtheroomup.Wewouldliterallyblowallthewallsoutoftheplace.

Thereisapowerinwhatyoucannotsee.We’vegottostarttounderstandthis.Allfailuresinlifeareduetoustakingsideswiththefinite—withwhat’sgoingonoutside.Weseealimitationontheoutsideandsowethinkwecan’thavesomethingdifferent.Wewantmoremoney,butweseethedwindlingbankaccount.Sowestoppursuingwhatwereallywant.Yousee,ifweputourfocusonthefinitearoundus,suchasthedwindlingbankaccount,andbelieveitisthetruthforus,thatiswhatwewillgetmoreof.

However,wecanshiftourfocustotheinsideandthesuccesswewantandbelievethatispossibleforus.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatyouwanttolearn...thewaytodoitisalreadyhere.Ifyouarestuck,it’sonlybecauseyou’renotawareofwhat’salreadyhere.Keepthinking...imaginewhateveritis.Seeitcompleted.Thewaywillcomeeitherthroughideasyouthinkorthroughanotherperson.Byseeingitcompletedyouhaveflippedyourmindontothefrequencythatcontainsthewayanditwillbeattractedtoyou.

Ioftenstandinaseminar,pointatmyself,andsay,“Thisisme.”Butthetruthisthisisn’tmeatall.Thisismybody.Ifyouask,“Whoareyou?”Isay,“I’mBob.”I’mnotBob.Bobismyname.You’veneverheardanyonesay,“Amhand.Amhead.Amfoot.”Yousay,“Myhand,myhead,myfoot.Myname.Mybody.”Thisisn’tme.Youwillneverseetherealmewithyourphysicaleyes.Iamallknowing.Iamallpowerful.PartofmeiseverywherebecauseIamasoul.Idon’thaveasoul,Iamasoul.Iamspirit.IamGod’shighestformofcreation.

Thinkaboutit.Youcanfeelanotherperson’spresenceeveniftheyareontheothersideoftheworld.Iftheyarethinkingofyouandyouarethinkingofthemandyouareemotionallyinvolvedwiththeirenergy—you’reinharmonywith

them,onthesamefrequency—thenyouwillfeeltheirpresence.Thisisbecausethereisnotimeorspaceinspirit.It’sanillusionthatthereis.Whenitcomestothemind,thereisn’tanytimeorspace.We’vegottotryandunderstandthis.

We’vegottounderstandthatalltheknowledgethateverwasoreverwillbeisalwayshere.Thewaytoflyairplaneshasalwaysbeenhere.Thewaytobuildmicrophonesandcomputershasalwaysbeenhere.Whydopeoplestruggle?Whydotheyalwaysresistthistypeofinformation?WhenHenryFordbuiltcarsitwasnotuncommontohearapersonsay,“Iamnotbuyingoneofthosedumbthings.”“You’dbemuchbetteroffgettingagoodhorseandafinebuggy!”“Peoplewillneverbuythosethings!!”“Youwouldhavetobuildroadsandhavegasforthecarsoneverycorner.”“Carswillnevercatchon.”

Today,wethinkcarsarethebestwaytotravel.Butthetruthisthebestwaytotravelhasn’tevenbeenthoughtofyet.Thebestwaytodowhatyou’redoinghasneverbeenthoughtofyet.Whydon’tyouthinkofit?Whydon’tyouthinkofabetterwaytocommunicatethisinformation?Theinformationishere.Allyouneedtodoistapintoit.

Recently,IwenttoTelAviv,fromTelAvivtoCyprus,fromCyprustoDubai,fromDubaitoMelbourne,fromMelbournetoAuckland,fromAucklandtoLosAngelesandfromLosAngelesbacktoToronto.Thiswasallinaboutseventoeightdays.EverywhereIwenttherewerebigcrowdsaskingme,“CouldIjustspendanhourwithyou?”“CouldIjustspendfifteenminuteswithyou?”“CouldIjustaskyouaquestion?”AndIcouldn’t.Ihadtosay“Ican’t”becauseIhadtocatchaplane;Ihadtogotothenextcity.ButallthetimeIwasthinking,Ishouldbeabletospendtimewiththosepeople.IfIcouldjustanswertheirquestions,Icouldchangetheirwholelife.Iprobablyknowwhattheywanttofindout.Ithought,Therehasgottobeawaywiththecommunicationsystemswe’vegottoday.

SoI’mflyingfromLosAngelesbacktoTorontoandIthought,Streaming!Well,Ididn’tknowanythingaboutstreaming,soIcalledJoshuaCarr,ourITguy,andsaid,“Whatdoyouknowaboutstreaming?”

Hesaid,“Well,whatdoyouwanttoknow?”Isaid,“CanIstream?”Hesaid,“Sureyoucan.I’llsetitup.”Aboutanhourortwolaterhephonedmebackandsaid,“There’saniconon

yourcomputer,justclickit.”Andjustlikethat,I’mstreaming.Withintwohours

ofthinkingoftheidea,IhadoverthreehundredpeopleregisteredfromsixtydifferentcountrieswhojoinedBobProctor’sStreamingClub.Thereisnoendtowhatyoucando!!Butyou’vegottostepoutanddoit!I

didn’tknowhowtodothat.Ididn’thavetoknowhowtosetthatup.Somebodyelseknewhowtodoit.Igotthemtodoitforme.Whatyou’vegottounderstandisthatthewaytodoitisalreadyhere.Allyouneedissomehelp.Gethelp!Don’tbeafraidtoaskforhelp.Humbleyourself.Don’ttrytobe

thesmartestpersonintown.You’renotthesmartest.There’salwayssomeonesmarter.Therearepeoplewhoknowhowtodothingsthatyoudon’tknowhowtodo.Youcanlearnorgetsomeonewhoknowshow,asIdid.Butunderstandthistoo:wedon’tputourselvesdownjustbecausewedon’tknow.

AndrewCarnegieputitperfectlywhenhesaid:

Theaccumulationofgreatfortunescallsforpower,andpowerisacquiredthroughhighlyorganizedandintelligentlydirectedspecializedknowledge,butthatknowledgedoesnot,necessarily,havetobeinthepossessionofthe[person]whoaccumulatesthefortune.

AndrewCarnegiestatedthathepersonallyknewnothingaboutthesteelbusiness,andhedidnotnecessarilycaretoknowanythingaboutit.Hefoundthespecializedknowledgethatherequiredforthemanufacturingandmarketingofsteelthroughhismastermindgroup.It’sworthmentioningthatin1908AndrewCarnegiewasthewealthiestmanintheworld,presumablythefirstbillionaire.

Allthepowerintheuniverseis100percentevenlypresentinallplacesatthesametime.You’vegotit!You’vegotalltheknowledge.Everyquestionhasananswer.Webstercalledarhetoricalquestionaquestionwithoutananswer.That’snotaquestion.That’sastatement.Everyquestionhasananswer!Theanswerisontheflipsideofthecoin!Thereisthelawofpolarity.Thatlawstatesthateverythinghasanopposite.Question–answer;up–down;hot–cold.Youcan’thaveonewithouttheother.Startaskingyourselftherightquestions.Theanswerswillbethere.

Youhavegottoaskyourself:“Areyoutrulywhatyoupretendtobe?”Wehearpeoplesay,“Ah,it’sjustme.”Justme—comeon!Ortheysay,“I’d

reallyliketodoit,butIdon’tknowhowI’lldoit.”Haveyouanyideawherewewouldbeifpeoplealwayssaid,“Ican’tdoit

becauseIdon’tknowhow?”Youdon’thavetoknowhow!Youjusthavetoknowthatyoucan.

Ifyousetagoalandyouknowhowtoachieveit,you’renotgrowing.You’regoingsideways!Whenyousetagoalyoushouldbesettingagoalforsomethingyouhaveabsolutelynoideahowtodo.Theonlyprerequisiteis:Doyouwantit?Doyoureallywantit?

ItellastoryinmybookYouWereBornRich—thiswasbackintheeighties—aboutacoupleIknew.PatandJohnwereverydisturbed;theyweren’tgettingalong;theywerehavingahardtime.Isaid,“Youknowwhatyourproblemis?Youdon’thaveagoal!Youneedagoal.What’ssomethingyoureallywant?”

Shewassortofgettingtunedintoourconversation,andhewasgettingangrywithmyquestions.

Finallytheysaid,“Well,we’dliketobuyourownhome.”Isaid,“Thengooutandbuyone.”Hesaid,“Butwedon’thaveanymoney.”Isaid,“Youdon’tneedanymoney,whatdoyouneedmoneyfor?”Hesaid,“Whatdoyoumean,wedon’tneedanymoney?”Isaid,“Well,youhaven’tdecidedtobuythehousesowhatdoyouneedthe

moneyfor?“Let’sreallyplaywithyourmind.Whatdoyoureallywant?”Theywere

livinginabasementwithherdaughteratthetime.Hissonwouldn’tspeaktohim;helivedwithhismother.TheysaidtheywantedtobetogetherintheirownhouseforChristmasandhavehissonandherdaughtertherewiththem.

Isaid,“OKthen,that’sthegoal.Thatshouldn’tbetoohardtopulloff.Justaskforit.”

“Justaskforit?”“Yeah,justaskforit!”IcalledarealestateagentIknew,NatalieKopmanatHarveyKallesReal

Estate,whoseofficewasnearby,andIsaid,“Comeonoverhere.I’vegotaliveoneforyou.Theywanttobuyahouseandtheyhaven’tgotanymoney.”

Nataliecameoverandshe’dbeentomyseminar,sosheknewexactlywhattodo.Shesaidtothem,“Describethehouseforme.”Theydescribedthehouse,andshewentandfoundit.Itwas7BardsWalkway.Shetoldthemwhattheyneededtogetit.ThiswasinOctober.

Theybothsoldlifeinsuranceforthesamecompany,andIsaid,“Goonandaskyourmanagerhowyoucanearnthatmuchmoneyinahurrytoputdown.”Andtheydidit.Theygotinto7BardsWalkway.Theygotinaroundthe10thor12thofDecember,andIwenttoseethemaroundthe16th.

Theywereinthehouse,buttheyhadalittletinytableandjusttwochairs.Isaid,“HowareyougoingtohaveChristmasdinnerwiththis?”

Theysaid,“John’ssonisstillnottalkingtous.”Isaid,“Well,it’snotChristmasyet!”Asitsohappened,mywife,Linda,and

Ihadrecentlymoved,andwehadasparediningroomsetwewerelookingtogetridof.IhadthiswhiteCadillacconvertibleandhereIwasdrivingdowntheparkwaywiththetopdowninthemiddleofwinter,withthediningroomsetintheconvertible.Ihadchairswrappedaroundme,tables...butIgotthemthere.AndonChristmasday,hissonshowedup,herdaughterwasthere,andtheyallhadChristmasdinnertogetherintheirhouse.

Thereissomethinginsideofyouthatwantstobecomeonewiththatwhichis,withGod.Thatdesireisgoingtocauseyoutogrow.Whenyouletthatsomethinginsideofyouexpressitselfthroughyou,youbecomeverycreative.Youwillwanttostartexpressingyouruniquenessasahumanbeing.IknowthatIhaveanswerstoeverythingIwanttoknowinsideofme.Ijusthavetorelaxmymind.IjusthavetoopenmyselftothegoodIdesire.

SandyGallagher,mybusinesspartner,andIsatdownandwesetagoalofearning$100millionayearwithourcompany.Somepeoplesay,“Whydon’tyouretire?”That’slikesaying,“Well,whydon’tyougoandburyyourself!”Retirementisabadidea—it’sapullbackfromlife!It’sabadideabecauseIwanttodoawholebunchofthings.IwanttobuildawholebunchofschoolsinAfrica.ThereareallkindsofthingsIwanttodoanditcostsawholelotofmoney.Ifyouhavemoremoneythanyouneed,thenyou’renotdoingwhatyoushouldbedoing!I’vealwaysgotsomethingmoretodothanwhatI’vealreadydoneoraccomplished.

I’mnotreallythatinterestedinmoneyoutsideofearningmore,becauseofwhatIwanttodowithit.Moneyisjustthevehicle.It’slikethecarthatwillgetmehome,theplanethatwillgetmetowhereIwanttogo.Moneyisaninstrument.It’saninstrumentthat’susedtoexpressyouruniquenessasahumanbeing.

Youaretheoffspringofadeathlesssoul.Ifyougetthesethingsstraightinyourmindandunderstandthat,thenyou’regoingtounderstandwhotherealyouis.Getthatstraight.Getitstraightinyourmind.

Yousee,allyou’vedoneisjustlistentowhatI’msayingandit’scausedyoutolookatyourselfalittlemoreobjectively,alittlemorelikeastrangerwould.

We’retheonlycreatureonthisplanetthatcanhavealookoutsideourselflikeastrangermight.Wecanobserveourownbehavior.Wecanlistentowhatwesay.Wecanpayattentiontowhatwe’redoingandwherewe’regoing.Thereisn’tanybodyalivewhoknowswhatyouarecapableofdoing.

I’vegotaquoteherefromafriendofmine,SteveBow.Hesaid,“God’sgifttousismoretalentandabilitythanwe’lleverhopetouseinourlifetime.OurgifttoGodistodevelopasmuchofthattalentandabilityaswecaninthislifetime.”

Beforewefinishhere,you’regoingtohaveanopportunitytohaveeverybodyinthisroomhelpyougetwhatyouwant.Now,youmightnotknowwhatyouwant.Oryoumighthavecomeinherethinkingyouknewwhatyouwantedanditmighthavechanged.Itmighthavechangeddramatically.

Whenyoucameherelasttime,Jennifer,youdidn’tknowwhatyouwanted,didyou?No,youdidn’t.Whenwasthelasttimeyouwerehere?TheendofOctober—andthisisjustthemiddleofJanuary.InthemiddleofOctoberwhenyouwereleavinghere,youweresortofdownalittlebecauseeverybodyelseprettymuchknewwhattheywantedandyoudidn’tknowwhatyouwanted.Thenyougothomeandwham!,somethinghappened.Whathappened?Youstoppedthinking,WhatcanIdo?andstartedthinking,WhatamIreallygoodatandlovedoing?Whatareyougoodat?

JENNIFER:I’magoodmom,Ilovebeingamom.

BOB:Thenwhat?

JENNIFER:IamgoodbecauseItakewhatyouteachandapplyit.

BOB:Soyou’remanagingmotherhood?Andwhatdidyoudo?

JENNIFER:IdecidedIwantedtowriteabookinoneweekandmakeitabestsellerbythenextMatrixxseminar.IwroteyoubecauseIdidn’twantyoutoshootitdown.Yousaidgoforit.IcontactedPeggyMcColl.

BOB:Andyouwroteitinaweek?

JENNIFER:Yes.

BOB:Andisitgood?

JENNIFER:Numberoneinternationalbestseller.

Yousee,shestoppedthinkingaboutwhatshecouldn’tdoandstartedthinkingaboutwhatsheloveddoing.Thanks,Jennifer.Giveheranotherhand.

Ifyouhaven’tdecidedwhatyouwanttodo,forgetaboutwhatyouwanttodo.Askyourself,“WhatdoIlovetodo?”

Ilovedoingthis,Iloveit,Iabsolutelyloveit.Ilovewatchingpeoplewakeup!Andwhentheydo,youknowit.Theymightnotsayanything,butyoufeeltheenergy—youfeeltheenergyshift.Youreallydo.Yousay,“Wow!”AndIseethathappeningallthetimeintheroom.Thatjazzesme.Thatreallygetsmegoing.Thisisaformofentertainment.That’swhatentertainersdo.Theyputtheenergyout;theygettheenergyfromtheaudience;theygivetheenergytotheaudience.Theycirculateit.That’swhathappenshereintheroom.Anditkeepsgettingbiggerandbiggerandbetterandbetter.

Whatdoyoureallylovedoing?Whatdoyoureallylovedoing?We’regoingtogettothepointwhereyou’regoingtowriteyourgoalonalittlecard.You’regoingtorealizeit’snotabigdeal.Lookingback,itbecomesthebestseller.It’ssortofdisgustinghowsimpleitis,isn’tit?Imean,youwonder,whymakeabigdealoutofanything?It’sabigdealbecauseyoudon’tknowhowtodoit.Ifyou’rewaitinguntilyoufigureouthowtodoit,youmayneverdoanything.Youjusthavetogetgoingandhelpwillcome.

Jenniferdidn’tknowanythingaboutwritingabest-sellingbook,sosheaskedme.IgaveherPeggyMcColl’snumberandshegotholdofPeggy.Peggy’sreallygoodatbooks,writingthemandmakingthembestsellers.

Howwouldyouliketocomeupwithanideaandhaveeveryonehereusealltheconnectionsandideasthey’vegottohelpyou?Thatwouldbekindofcool,wouldn’tit?That’sexactlywhat’sgoingtohappen.Buttheycan’thelpyouunlessyoudecidewhatyouwant.You’vegottohaveitwrittenout.Andifyougiveittometoread,I’dhavethesamepictureinmymindthatyouhadinyourmindasyouwroteit.Isthisagoodidea?Ithinkso.

T

CLASSNINE

THEEXISTINGMODELISOBSOLETE

ReprogrammingYourMindforPosttraumaticGrowth

inaaskedmeagoodquestion.I’llbringitoutinfrontofeverybody.Shesaid,“There’sposttraumaticstressandposttraumaticgrowth.Howdoyou

getinvolvedwithposttraumaticgrowth?”MichaelBeckwithgavemetheanswertothat.There’sathree-stepapproach

—infact,Ithinkhemadeamovieofitorwroteabookonit.There’sathree-stepapproachtoletgoofthepastandexpectgoodinthefuture:

Number1:Itiswhatitis—acceptit.Itdoesn’tmatterwhathashappenedinyourlife.Someofyouhavehadbadthingshappeninyourpast,reallydisturbing,theyreallymessedyourlifeup.Itiswhatitis,acceptit.Eitheryou’regoingtocontrolit,orit’sgoingtocontrolyou.Itiswhatitis,acceptit.

IlearnedthatfromMichaelonaSaturday.Thefollowingweek,theyhadmeinCedars-SinaiMedicalCenter,cuttingmychestopen,takingmyheartout,collapsingmylungandreplacingtheaorticvalve.Anddoyouwanttoknowsomething?Igotbetter,justlikethat,andIwasbackoutontheroadinninetydaysgoinglikearocketbecauseMichaelhadexplainedthattomeonSaturday.HespokeonSaturday,IspokeonSunday.Iwrotedownwhathesaid.Ithought,Thisisbrilliant.

Number2:Harvestthegood.Ilovetheword“harvest”—youcanjustseethembringinginthecrops,youknow?Harvestthegood.There’sgoodin

everythingandthemoreyoulookforit,themoreyou’llfind.Harvestthegood.Number3:Forgivealltherest.Forgivemeanstoletgoofitcompletely.

Abandon.Justletitgo.Quitdwellingonwhat’swrong.Forgivealltherest.That’sposttraumaticgrowth.There’sthebadandthegood.Youmaybethinking,Well,there’sgottobemoretoitthanthat.Imean,I

needtoseeafewbehavioralscientistsandpsychiatristsandpsychologists.Imean,we’vegottogointoalotoftherapy.

See,youdon’twanttocomplicateit.Ifthiswerecomplicated,Iwouldneverhavegottenit.I’masimpleguy.I’mreallyasimpleguy.Justkeepitsimple.That’swhatyouwanttodo.Reduceittotheridiculous.Itiswhatitis.Acceptit.It’seithergoingtocontrolyou,oryou’regoingtocontrolit.Numbertwo—harvestthegood.Numberthree—forgivealltherest.

ImetCynthiaKerseyattheAirportMarinaHotel.Idon’tknowifyouknowCynthiaKersey,butsheisaneatwoman.Shereallyis.She’sraisedmillionsofdollarstobuildschoolsallovertheworld.ButatthisparticularmomentI’mtalkingabout,herhusbandhadleftherandshewasprettyshakenup.ShehadjustcomebackfromhertherapisttothehotelandImetherforthefirsttime.

Isaid,“Sowhatdidyourtherapisthavetosay?”Cynthiasaid,“Well,shesaidIwasgoingtobereallyangryforninemonths

toayear.”Isaid,“Whatwouldyouwanttodothatfor?!Firethetherapist.Whywould

youwanttobeangry?Sendhimlove.”ShelookedatmelikeI’dfallenoutofatree.

Sheasked,“Sendhimlove?”Isaid,“Sendhimlove.It’sgotnothingtodowithhim.Whileyouareholding

badthoughtsabouthim,he’sprobablyouthavingagoodtime,andyou’retheoneinthebadvibration!

“Starttounderstandhowyourmindfunctions.Whenyousendhimloveit’sgottopassthroughyou.Youtakeanenergythatflowsintoyourmindthathasnoformandyou’regivingitform.Youturnitintosomethingbeautifulandyousenditofftohim.Whateverhedoeswithitisuptohim.Butit’syouthatyou’rebenefiting.”

Doyouknowwhatforgivenessis?Forgivenessisforyourbenefit.YoudosomethingandIforgiveyou,that’sformybenefit.I’mnotdoingitforyou,I’mdoingitforme!Forgivemeanstoletgoofcompletely.Abandon.

Peoplekeeprepeatingtheirsadstoriesoverandover.Theyjustkeeplivingwiththesamesadstories.Theykeeprepeatingthem.Andyouknowwhathappens?Ifyoukeeprepeatingthem,it’sgoingtokeepreoccurring,atleastinyourmind,ifnotinyourphysicalworld.Whydoyouwanttolivethere?Didyoulikeit?No.Well,whydoyougothere?Whydon’tyougowhereyouwanttogo?You’vegottheabilitytogowhereveryouwant.Youhavetheabilitytochoose.

Yousee,you’reaspiritualbeing.Thewayyouuseyourintellectdictatesyouremotionalstate.Whateverwegetemotionallyinvolvedwithdeterminesthevibrationthatwe’rein.Thebodyisamassofmoleculesinahighspeedofvibration.

Forgivenessisaphenomenalconcept.LikeIsaid,itmeansletgocompletely.Forgiveyourself.Youcan’tchangewhatyoudid.Youknow,therearemanypeoplewhowanderaroundwithtremendousfeelingsofguilt.Guiltandresentmentarethemostdestructiveemotionsthatanyonecanexperience.

Iwasraisedwithalotofguilt.SoasIgotolder,Iwasexperiencingalotofguilt,andIwashavingdifficultygettingridofit.EverylittlethingIdidthatIthoughtjustwasn’tquiteright,Ifeltreallyguiltyabout.SoIwenttoapsychiatristinSouthernCalifornia.Ionlywenttothatpsychiatristaboutfourorfivetimes.Iwasonmywaythere,andIdecidedIdidn’thavetogoanymore.Hewasabletohelpmegetridoftheguiltusingthesimpleconceptofforgiveness.

Forgivenessisaveryhealthyconcept.We’vegottolearntoforgiveourselves.We’vegottoforgiveothers.Wehavetorealizethatwecan’tchangewhatwedidyesterday.Evenifyoudidsomethingdeliberatelywrong,letitgo!Andwhenitcomesbackintoyourmind,letitgoagain.Ifsomeonehasdonesomethingtoyou,don’thaveanyresentment,letitgo.Thatdoesn’tmeanyouwanttogivethemtheopportunitytodoitagain.It’sjustthatyousimplycan’tholdbadthoughtsinyourmindandmoveinagooddirection.

Forgivenessisoneofthemostliberatingthingsyoucaneverdo.Formthehabitofnotholdingontoanythingthatiscausingyoutofeelbad.Startlovingyourself.Startrespectingyourself.Andhaveahealthyrespectforwhatyouarecapableofdoing.

Understandthis:Carryingbadthoughtsaboutanyoneoranythingisnotdoinganyoneanygood.It’ssinful.It’sdestructive.Andthepriceofsinisdeath.Now

thatdoesn’tmeanthey’regoingtoburyyou.Butyourbadthoughtsmaybeburyingyourcompany.Theymaybeburyingyourincome.Theymaybeburyingyourrelationshiporyourfriends.

Forgivenesswillcauseeverythingtogrow.Itwillcauseyoutobehealthier.Itwillcauseyourincometogrow,yourfriendstogrow,yourbusinesstogrow.Justreplaceanythoughtofguiltorresentmentwithoneofbeauty,withoneofplenty,withoneofabundance.

BuckminsterFullersaid,“Youneverchangethingsbyfightingtheexistingreality.Tochangesomething,buildanewmodelthatmakestheexistingmodelobsolete.”

Seeyourselfwhereyouwanttobeandthenbethere.Don’tbeinthepast.Bethere!Actlikethepersonyouwanttobecome.

I

CLASSTEN

OURMOSTPOWERFULFORCE

ItDifferentiatesUsfromaPigoraHorse

’dliketosharesomethingwithyou:

Mindisthemasterpowerthatmouldsandmakes,AndManisMind,andevermorehetakesThetoolofThought,and,shapingwhathewills,Bringsforthathousandjoys,athousandills:—Hethinksinsecret,anditcomestopass:Environmentisbuthislooking-glass.

JamesAllenwrotethosewordsalittleoveronehundredyearsago.Ibegantostudythemaboutfifty-fiveyearsago.Everyyeartheymeanalittlemoretome.ThesewordsdescribetheLawofThinking.

Thinkingisapowerfulforce.Ithasbeensaidthatit’sthemostpowerfulforcewe’recapableof.

ArchibaldMacLeish,aPulitzerPrize–winningplaywright,wroteaplaycalledTheSecretofFreedom,andhehadacharacterstandupandsay,“Theonlythingaboutamanthatisamanishismind.Everythingelseyoucanfindinapigorahorse.”

It’safunnyline,butit’strue.Everythingelseyoucanfindinapigorahorse.Yousee,thinkingisavery,verypowerfulformofenergy.Thoughtwavesare

cosmicwavesthatpenetratealltimeandspace.AswegointotheLawofThinking,IwanttorefertoseveralpointsRaymond

HolliwellmadeinhisfabulousbookWorkingwiththeLaw.Hesaid,“Totheaveragepersonlifeisanenigma,adeepmystery,acomplex

andincomprehensibleproblem,orappearsso,butitisverysimpleifoneholdsthekey.Mysteryisonlyanothernameforignorance;allthingsaremysterieswhentheyarenotunderstood,butwhenweunderstandlife,itnolongerappearsmysterious.”

UntilIwastwenty-six,lifewasarealmysterytome.ItwasexactlyhowHolliwelldescribedit:anincomprehensibleproblem.AndIhadalotofproblems!ButthenIbegantostudythisinformation.IttookmeawhilebutasIstartedtoadopttheseconceptsandadaptmymindtothem,mylifestartedtochange.Myproblemsstartedtodisappear.Istartedtoearnalotmoremoney.Iwaslivinginahealthybody,veryrarelygettingill.Istartedtoattractdifferentpeopleintomylife,moreinterestingpeople.Yousee,thetruthwasthatIwasjustbecomingamoreinterestingperson.Apersonisinterestingbecausethey’reinterested.Yousee,aswestartthinkingpowerfulthoughts,everythingstartstochange.

RaymondHolliwellalsosaid:

Manisaprogressivebeing,acreatureofconstantgrowth,beforewhomliesanillimitableoceanofprogresstobenavigatedandconqueredonlybydevelopmentandcultureofhisinherentpowers.Theprogressoftheindividualislargelydeterminedbyhisrulingmentalstate,becausethemindisthebasicfactorandgoverningpowerintheentirelifeofman.Attentionshouldbegiventothepredominantmentalstate,foritwillregulatetheactionanddirectionofallone’sforces,facultiesandpowers,thesumtotalofwhichwillinevitablydeterminemanyparticularexperiencesandthepersonalfate.

Yousee,therulingstateisliketheCPUinacomputer.Thecentralprocessingunitistherulingstateofthecomputer.

Hecontinues:

Therulingstateofmindismadeupofvariousmentalattitudeswhichtheindividualadoptstowardsthings,events,andlifeingeneral.Ifhisattitudesarebroadinmind,optimisticintone,andtruetolife,hispredominantmentalstatewillcorrespondandexhibitahighly

constructiveandprogressivetendency.Asalmostalltheforcesofthepersonalityfunctionthroughtheconsciousmindinonewayoranother,andasthedailymentalandphysicalactsarelargelycontrolledbytheconsciousmind,itisobviousthattheleadingmentalstatewilldeterminethedirectioninwhichthepowersoftheindividualaretoproceed.

Therulingmentalstateissoimportant—itreallyiseverything.IknowthatyouandIhavebeentrainedtobelievethatwe’vegottochangewhat’sgoingonoutthere.Thatwe’vegottofixthisandfixthat.Wehaveliterallybeenprogrammedtolivethroughoursenses—togobywhatwesee,hear,smell,tasteortouch.But,asIpreviouslybroughttoyourattention,therehasbeenlittlethoughtgiventoourhigherfaculties:ourwill,perception,imagination,intuition,memoryandreason.Ourinnerfacultiesarewhereitreallyhappens.Itallbeginsinside.

Youdon’thavetoworryaboutchangingwhat’sgoingonoutthere.Idon’tcareifit’syourbankaccountorthehealthofyourbody.Asyoutakeoverthepowerofthought,you’regoingtofindthattheX-rayswillshowadifferentyou.Thebankaccountwillshowadifferentbalance.Infact,everythinginlifewillbegintochange.

LetmesharewhatRaymondHolliwellsaidaboutthought:

Thoughtisasubtleelement;althoughitisinvisibletothephysicalsight,itisanactualforceorsubstance,asrealaselectricity,light,heat,waterorevenstone.Wearesurroundedbyavastoceanofthoughtstuffthroughwhichourthoughtspasslikecurrentsofelectricity,ortinystreaksoflightormusicalwaves.Youcanflashyourthoughtsfrompoletopole,completelyaroundtheworldmanytimesinlessthanasinglesecond.Scientiststellusthatthoughtiscomparedwiththespeedoflight.Theytellusourthoughtstravelattherateof186,000milespersecond.Ourthoughttravels930,000timesfasterthanthesoundofourvoice.Nootherforceorpowerintheuniverseyetknownisasgreatorasquick.Itisaprovenfact,scientifically,thatthemindisabatteryofforce,thegreatestofanyknownelement.

Isn’tthatamazing?Yousee,thethinkerislikethecomputerprocessor.Whenitisfinelytuned,itworksreally,reallyfast.Youcanthink.Andwhatyouthinkultimatelyproducestheresultsinyourlife.It’salaw.

I’mgoingtotellyousomethingthatI’velearnedbeyondashadowofadoubt.Ihavesharedthiswithyoubefore,butIwanttoreemphasizeit.Thethoughtsthatyouthinkandturnovertoyouremotionalmindinstantly,bylaw,controlthevibratoryrateofyourbody.Yourbodyisamassofmagneticenergy.Ittrulyis.Ifyouputyourbodyinfrontofaninfraredcamerainacompletelydarkroom,you’djustseeitasaglistening,radiatingform.Andifyoucouldhearyourbody,itwouldsoundlikeasymphony.

Yettothenakedeye,itjustlookslikeathing.Butit’snotathing.Thebodyisoneofthemostmagnificentinstrumentsontheplanet.Youliveinone.It’swhatyouthinkthatisgoingtodictatewhatyourbodyisgoingtodo.Weknowthatouractionsproduceourresults.Ifwewanttochangeourresults,wehavetochangeouractions.However,ifyoudon’tgotothethought,theactionswon’tchange.Well,theymightchangetemporarily,butbelieveme,thethoughtsthatyouthinkrepeatedlybecomefixedinyoursubconsciousmind.Andthosearethethoughtsthataregoingtodeterminewhathappensinyourlife.Makenomistakeaboutit.

Here’smorefromHolliwell:

Somethinkthatwemustdealwithtwoforces;thatis,toattractthegoodwemustdoawaywiththebad,butthisisnottrue.Forexample;ifwearecold,wedonotworkwithcoldandheatalikeinordertogetwarm.Webuildafire,andaswegatheraroundthatfireweenjoytheheatthatisextendedfromitandbecomewarm.Aswebuildupwarmth,thecolddisappears,forcoldistheabsenceofheat.Tobewarm,wegiveourwholethoughttothosethingswhichtendtocreatewarmth;weignorethecoldinthinkingofheatandbringforthheat.Prosperityandpovertyarenottwothings;theyaremerelytwosidesofoneandthesamething.Theyarebutonepower,rightlyorwronglyused.Wecannotthinkofplentyandthenworryabouttheunfavorableconditionsthatmayseemapparent.Wethinkaboutplenty,andaswethinkofit,lack,itsopposite,willbecomeabsorbedordisappear.Allourthoughtsmustbedirectedtothatonethingwhichwedesireinorderthatourdesiremaybefulfilled.Ourmethodisnotmanipulatingtwopowers,notdealingwithgoodandevil,rightandwrong,prosperityandpoverty,butaswefollowtheLawofGoodanddwelluponthatwhichisgoodweshallbringtopassallgoodthings.

Ifyouwanttochangetheresultsinyourlife,andI’mjustworkingonthepremisethatyoudo,givesomeseriousthoughttohowyou’reusingyourmind.

AldousHuxleywasrightwhenhesaid,“Thereisonlyonecorneroftheuniverseyoucanbecertainofimproving,andthat’syourownself.”

Youknowallthosethingswewanttochangeoutside,they’rejustareflectionofwhatisgoingoninside.Thatmightbeabigideaforyourightnow,butnotwhenyoustudythisforaweekoramonth.Everythingyou’veheardaboutchoosingyourthoughtsandyourthoughtscontrollingyourlifeistrue.Youbecomewhatyouarethinkingabout.ThatistheLawofThinking.

Thewayyouareprogrammedgeneticallydictateswhetheryouaregoingtooperatepredominatelyfromtheleftorrighthemisphereofyourbrain.Therighthemisphereofthebrainisthecreativeside.Itdealswithcolors,pictures,music,feelingsandsoforth.Thelefthemisphereismorelinearandanalytical.It’smoreintellectual.

Apersonwhoisdominatedbythelefthemisphereisgoingtohaveadifficulttimewiththistostartoffwith.Firstofall,we’reraisedtobelievethat’swhereyouranswersare.Whenwewerelittlekids,theytoldusyou’vegottofigureitout.We’dgotoourparentsandsay,“Iwantthis,”andthey’drespond,“Well,howareyougoingtogetthat?”Thekiddoesn’tknowhowtogetit.Soweleavethemwiththeimpressionthattheycan’tgetitbecausetheycan’tfigureouthowtogetit.

Whentheygetolder,theyaskaboutsomethingtheyreallywanttodo.Theparentsays,“Whereisthemoneygoingtocomefrom?”Ofcourse,theydon’tknow.Sothey’releftwiththeimpressionthattheyhavetogiveuptheirdream.Andtheyletitgo.Unfortunately,thatisprogrammedintotheirmindataveryearlyage.That’scalledenvironmentalconditioninganditisrampant.Ifwewantsomething,forexample,andwecan’tseewherethemoneyisgoingtocomefrom,we’reprogrammedtobelievethatweshouldforgetaboutit.

Asaresult,whenmostpeoplethinkofagoal,iftheycan’tseehowit’sgoingtohappen,theywon’tsetthegoal.Theykeepbackingupuntilthey’vegotitallplannedoutandthensay,“OK,IthinkIcandothis.”

Well,that’snotsettingagoalatall.That’saimingforsomethingthatyoualreadyknowyoucando.Butthere’snoinspirationingoingaftersomethingyouthinkyoucando.You’vegottogoaftersomethingyouwant.

Now,youmaywonderwhyIsaysettingagoalthatyouknowyoucandoisn’treallysettingagoal.Isaythatbecauseyouhavetothinkaboutwhyyou’resettingthegoalinthefirstplace.Areyousettingthegoaltogetthecar,toget

thehouse,togetthejob?No!You’resettingthegoaltoraiseyourconsciousawareness.That’sreallythepurposeofagoal.It’stobringmoreofyoutothesurface.Andwhenyoudo,youenjoyeverythingyoudomore.

Settingagoalyoucanachieveislikedying.It’snotinspiring.Youwon’tgetmuchsupportfromothers.You’llprobablyquit.Butwhenyousetagoalthatinspiresyou,itdoesn’tmatterifyoudon’tgetsupport.You’returnedon;itsetssomethingonfireinsideofyou.It’sthewaytolive!

Now,understandthatwhenyou’regoingafterwhatyouwant,youwillnotknowhowit’sgoingtohappen.

I’vehadthegoodfortuneofworkingwithEdmundHillary(thefirstmantoreachthetopofMountEverest)onthreedifferentoccasions.TheonlythingthatIcouldseedifferentinHillarythananyoneelsewashissize.He’sabigman.Buthedidnotknowhowtogettothetopofthatmountain.HewasabeekeeperfromNewZealand.Whatdidheknowaboutgettingtothetopofthehighestmountainintheworld?Nobodyhadeverclimbedthatmountain.Sohecouldn’tfindoutaboutitfromsomeoneelse.Hecouldn’treadaboutit.Infact,therewassufficientevidencetodiscourage99percentofthepopulationfromattemptingit.Manypeoplewhohadtriedtoclimbthatmountainhaddied.Iamtoldyoucanfindpeopleencasediniceatthetop.Theirbodiesarefrozenthere;they’renevercomingdown.

Hillarywastoldhecouldn’tdoit.In1951,thisbeekeepergotthemoney,histeamandhisguidestogether,andofftheywent.Andtheyfailed.Theydidn’tgettothetopofthemountain.Theyhadtogohome.

Allhisfriendsandrelativessaid,“Itoldyou,youcouldn’tdoit.”Andhesaid,“Well,wedidn’tdoit,butwe’regoingtodoit.”Thentheystartedtogetangrywithhimandsaid,“You’regoingtoloseyour

life.Theairissothinupthereyoucan’tbreathe.It’simpossibletodo.”Butin1952,hewentback.Moremoney.Moreresources.Andhefailed

again.Butyousee,failingispartofwinning.Failingjustmadehimmoredetermined.

Soin1953,hewentbackagain.Andthistimehedidit!HestoodontopofMountEverest.

NowmorethanonethousandpeoplehaveclimbedtothetopofMountEverestsinceHillarydidit.It’salmostlikepeoplesay:“Ifsomebodyhasdoneit,thenwebelieveit.”

ButHillarybelieveditwhennobodyhadeverdoneit.HowdidtheWrightbrothersgetofftheground?Youcouldprovethatwecouldn’tfly.Buttheyknewwecouldbecausetheycouldseeit.

Ifyoucanseeit,thenyoucandoit.Howareyougoingtodoit?Well,you’llbeabletotellthepersonthatafteryoudoit.It’snotalllockedupinyourintellect.It’slockedupinfaith.It’slockedupinthebeliefthatifyouholdtheideainyourmind,you’llmoveintothevibrationthatwillattractit.

That’swhyyou’vegottounderstandthelaws.You’vegottounderstandyourrelationshiptothelaws.Andyou’vegottoknowthatyoucandoit.Wherewillthemoneycomefrom?Whereveritisrightnow!Youwillattractit.

Hillarygottothetopofthemountainbecausehebelievedhewouldgetthere!Heunderstoodhowthemindworked.Heunderstoodthatifhekepttheimageofwhathewantedinhismind,hewouldsucceed.Hedidn’tseehimselfdying;hedidn’tseehimselfencasediniceforever.Hesawhimselfgoingtothetopandcomingbackdown.Andthat’sexactlywhathedid!

That’sthewayyou’vegottoseeit!You’vegottoseeyourselfgettingtothetopofyourmountain.Andknowthateverythingyouwillneedwillcomeasyouneedit.Theonlywayyou’rereallygoingtograspthisistounderstandtheLawofThinking.Youcan’tstudythistoomuch.I’vebeenstudyingiteverydaynowforoverfifty-fiveyears,andIthinkI’mreallyjustgettingagriponit.Butthebeautifulpartis,there’snoendtoit.

Thinkaboutthisforamomentwithrespecttogoalsandgoalachievement.Youcouldbereadingagoodnovelandyou’rereallyintoit.Youreallydon’twantittocometoanendbecauseyou’reenjoyingitsomuch.Yetyoudowantittocometoanend,becauseyouwanttofindoutwhathappens.Butyouknowit’sgoingtocometoanend.Oryoucouldbeouttodinnerwithsomeoneandyou’rehavingagreattime,butyouknowit’sgoingtocometoanend.Youmaybeonvacationandyouknowit’scomingtoanend.Well,youmaybelockedintowhatI’mteachingandyouknowthatthisseminariscomingtoanend.Youknowthat.

Butwhenyoustartstudyingyourselfandyourpotential,thereisn’tanyendtoit.Soforfifty-five-plusyearsI’vewokenupeverydayandIthink,Icangetmore.There’smore.Icanunderstandmore.Itkeepsyoujazzed.Itkeepsyouturnedon.Itwindsyourstemeverydaywhenyouwakeup,becauseyouknowyou’redealingwiththeinfinite.

Well,whatarewetalkingabout?We’retalkingaboutyourpotential.Youdon’tknowwhatyoucando.Nobodyknowswhatyoucando.Idon’tcarewhatyou’vedone.LookathowIstartedout.Iwasunhappy.Iwassick.Ihadonlyacoupleofmonthsofhighschooleducation.Iwasbroke.Ihadnobusinessexperience.Imean,talkaboutlosing.Iwasarealloser!

Butallthatstuffisinthepast.It’sbehindyou.That’swhereyou’vebeen.Itdoesn’thavetodeterminewhereyou’regoingtogo.You’renotgoingtofigureouthowtodoit.Notuntilyou’vedoneit.

Andhere’sanotherpoint.Afteryou’vedoneit,youstillwon’tknowhowyoudiditbecausethereareallkindsoflittleserendipitousthingsthathappenwhileyou’regettingtherethatyouarenotevenawareof.

Iwantyoutoimaginethatyou’reworkingtowardyourgoal.Youknowyou’regoingtogetthere,butyoudon’tknowhow.You’vegotthisparticularproblemorchallengethatisreallystretchingyou.Itisreallytestingyouandyoucan’tseemtosolveit,butyou’rethinkingaboutitallthetime.

Now,you’reshoppinginthesupermarketandthere’salonglinetogettothecashier.Soyou’refrustratedandallofasuddensomebodyrunsintoyourshoppingcart.Youturnaroundtoseewhathappenedandwhenyouturnthere’saheadlineonatabloidthat’sinarack.Andwhateverwasinthatheadlinehityourbrainandtriggeredaseriesofthoughtsandthesolutiontoyourproblempopsintoyourmind.

Afteryoureachthegoalyoulookback,maybethreemonthslater,andyouthink,Ifthatpersonhadn’trunintomycart...

That’soneofthoseserendipitousthingsthathappentotriggeryourmind.Thosethingsflipyourmindontoadifferentfrequency.Yousee,youthinkonfrequencies.Theanswertoyourproblemisonahigherfrequencythanwheretheproblemis.You’vegottokeepraisingyourlevelofconsciousawareness.

Dr.MichaelBeckwithsaid,“Consciousnessisbeingawarethatyouareaware.”That’ssuchabeautifulwayofputtingit.Consciousnessisbeingabletotrulythinkaboutwhatyouarethinkingabout.

L

CLASSELEVEN

HOWTOTELLIFYOU’REDOINGITWRONG

LivinginHarmonywiththeUniversalLaws

ookatwhatThomasEdisonsaid:

Iknowtheworldisruledbyinfiniteintelligence.Everythingthatsurroundsus,everythingthatexists,provesthereareinfinitelawsbehindit.Therecanbenodenyingthisfact.Itismathematicalinitsprecision.

Everythingoperatesbylaw.Thelawisexact.IseethelawasGod’smodusoperandi.It’showeverythinghappens.

WernhervonBraun—IquotedhiminthemovieTheSecret—hesaidthenaturallawsoftheuniversearesoprecisethatwedon’thaveanydifficultybuildingspaceships,wecansendpeopletothemoonandyoucantimethelandingwiththeprecisionofafractionofasecond.

Ourproblemis,weseeit,webelieveit,vonBraunsaidit,theyuseit,theygotothemoon...butwedon’tbringitintoourownlife.Wedon’tunderstandthatthoughtisenergy.Wedon’tunderstandthatthoughtwavesarecosmicwavesthatpenetratealltimeandspace.Wedon’tunderstandthatit’sourthinkingthatcontrolsthevibrationofthisbodythatwe’relivingin.Wedon’tunderstandthat

thevibrationwe’reindictateswhatweattractintoourlife.Wedon’tunderstandthatthesamethingkeepsreoccurringuntilwechangetheidea.

See,ifyouareinharmonywiththelaw,yourlifeisgoingtokeepgettingbetter.Ifyou’relivingbythelaw,you’regoingtocontinuetoearnmore,you’regoingtofeelbetterandyou’regoingtohavemorefun.Itjustkeepsgettingbetter.Andifit’snotgettingbetter,you’reviolatingthelaw.It’sthatsimple.Don’targuewithit.

WhenIwasalittleboy,IwenttoSundayschool.IhadtogotoSundayschoolorI’dgetintrouble.WhenI’dplayhooky,mysisterwouldgohomeandtellmymother,andthenI’dbeintrouble,soIendedupgoingtoSundayschool.

SoI’mdownthereinthebasementofthechurchwiththisintrovertedlittlegirlwhowasaSundayschoolteacherwhiletheparentswereupstairssingingandtalkingtooneanother.Atanyrate,I’mdownthereandI’mtoldthatthepriceofsinisdeath.Ialwaysthoughtthatwasratherseverebuttheysaidit,soyouknowitmustbethewayitis.AndthenIwastoldifyoudothis,it’sasin,ifyousaythat,it’sasin.Ithought,Golly,amIgoingtodie?

Well,IwasprettycurioussoIthought,I’mgoingtotryit.Inotonlytriedit,Ididit,andIenjoyedit!Ididn’tdie!AndIdiditagain.Inotonlysaiditbutitdidn’thurt,youknow,itfeltgood.AndIthought,Ididn’tdie.

IthoughttheymeantthatI’dliterallydieifIsinned,butyousee,theproblemwasmyperceptionofwhatwasbeingsaid.Myunderstandingwaswhatwasmissing.Isthepriceofsindeath?Yes.Absolutely.Soyouhavetoask,wellwaitaminute—Whatisdeath?

Deathistheoppositeoflife.Iflifeisgrowth,thendeathmustbeungrowth.Ungrowth—see,I’mgoingtobelikeWebster;I’mmakingupnewwords.I’llwriteadictionaryoneday.Ginawhohasworkedcloselywithmeforovertwenty-eightyearssaysIspellthemdifferentlyeverytimeIspell.Butatanyrate,thebasiclawoflifeistocreateordisintegrate.Disintegratedoesn’tmeanthatyou’rejustgoingto...whoosh...disappear.Itmeansyou’reeithergoingaheadoryou’regoingback.

Whenyouviolatethelaw,that’sasin.Violatethelaw,youlose.Getinharmonywiththelaw,youwin.Makesense?

Lookatitthisway—thelawsaysgiveandyoushallreceive.Whenyouholdoutyourhandtoshakeanotherperson’shand,youdon’taskfortheirhand,youjustholdoutyourhandandyougetoneback.That’sthewayitworks.Whenyoudogood,yougetgood.That’sthelaw.

Now,ifIgooutandtryandget,that’snotgoingtoworktoowell.IfI’moutsellingandIsay,“Ireallywanttohelpyou,”butI’mthinking,Iwantsomemoney,IhopeImakethesale,Iamviolatingthelaw.I’msendingtheideaonaconsciouslevelthatIwanttohelpyou.Soit’sapositiveideaintellectually,butemotionally—hearttoheart—Iwantyourmoney.Sohe’shearingtheideaIwanttohelpyou,butthefeelinghe’spickingupisIwantyoutohelpme.Sowhathappens?Isetupaconflictinhismind.Positiveideaonaconsciouslevel,negativeideainthesubconscious.Hedoesn’tunderstandwhathe’spickingupemotionally,buthe’sstillpickingitup,anditstillimpactshim.Tocloseasaleyou’vegottogettheotherpartytowritetheirnameonaline.That’scalledorderlybehavior.You’renevergoingtogetorderlybehavioroutofamindthat’sinconflict.

ButifIsay,“Ireallywanttohelpyou,”andI’memotionallyinvolvedwithwantingtohelpyou,youknowwhatyouhavetodo,justlikethat.Youdon’thavetoworryaboutclosingasale.Closingasaleisanaturalconclusiontoaveryfinepresentation.Youjustwanttofallinlovewithhelpingpeople.Theamountofmoneyyouearnisalwaysindirectrelationtotheamountofservicethatyourender.Thisisallinharmonywiththelaw.

WallaceWattles,theauthorofTheScienceofGettingRich,devotedanentirechaptertotheLawofPerpetualIncrease.Ifyou’regoingwiththelaw,yourresultsaregoingtokeepgettingbetter.Progress.Growth.Whenonegoodisrealized,anotherdesireforagreatergoodwilldevelop.Andthenontoahigherstatehe’sheaded.Yousee,anotherandmoregloriousstatewillunfold.Yourvisionwillurgeyouonandon.Hence,you’lldiscovertheadvancinglifeisthetruelife.ThelifethatGodintendedyoutolive.It’ssupposedtokeepgettingbetter.

Ifyourresultsaren’tgettingbetter,you’reviolatingthelaw.You’regoingtolose.You’redyingoryourbusinessisdying.That’sthewayitis.Theymaynotbeburyingyou,butyoursalesaregoingdown,you’reearninglessmoney,youdon’tfeelasgood,youhaven’tgotanyenergy,you’rejustsortofspent.

Thatshouldbeawarningsign.Youshouldthink,Waitaminute,whathappenedtome?Imustbeviolatingthelaw.Justthinkofhelpingpeople.Getabigideainyourmind.Starttocreate.Feelgood.

WhenIwasalittleboymygrandmotherprettymuchraisedme.WealwaysthoughtGrandmawaslikeGod.Shewasadearlittleladybutshedidn’thavetherightideas.Grandmausedtosay,“Youshouldbesatisfiedwithwhatyou’vegot,dear.”Grandmawaswrong!!Youshouldbehappywithwhatyou’vegot,butyoushouldneverbesatisfied.

Dissatisfactionisacreativestate.See,dissatisfactioniswhatkeepsusreaching.Whatdoesthelawsay?Itsaysbigger,better,faster.That’swhytherunnerswanttorunfaster.Jumperswanttojumphigher.Singerswanttosingmore.Peoplewhoareearningmoneywanttoearnmore.Youwanttodomore.Isittogetit?No!It’stogrow.Goalsarenottogetstuff.Goalsaretogrow.Gettingisnice,butasidebenefitisthatthebiggerthegoal,themorealiveyou’regoingtobecome.It’sprettybasic.

Youareaspiritualbeing.Youliveinaphysicalbody.Butthephysicalisjustthephysicalmanifestationofahighersideofyou.

Whereisspirit?Spiritisomnipresent.Well,whatdoesthatmean?Spiritiseverywhere.Spiritisinthislecternhere.Spirit’sintheplatform,it’sinthecomputer,it’sintheair.

Yousay,nowit’sreallygettingconfusing.You’llsayspiritisnotinthegardenrock.Well,waitaminute—spirit’severywhereexceptinagardenrock!Huh.Well,isspiritinatree?Spirit’somnipresentexceptinagardenrockoratree!Hmmm.Isspiritinthetireonmycar?No!No!Notinthetireofacar!It’sspirit!Spirit’severywhereexceptinagardenrock,atreeandthetiresinmycar!Waitaminute—ifitiseverywhere,it’severywhere.

Doyouseehowpeoplegetconfused?Youknowwhatweshoulddo:Weshouldthinkofsomethingelse.Butinsteadwethink,Let’sturnthetelevisionon.Getlostinsomebodyelse’sworld.That’swhatwedo.

Thetireofthecarismadeofthesamestuffyourbodyismadeof.Thetreeismadeofthesamestuffyourbody’smadeof.Thegardenrockismadeoutofthe

samestuffyourbodyismadeof.Thegardenrockismoving.Everythingmoves.Weliveinanoceanof

motion.Nothingrests.Thatwallismoving.Itappearstobestillbutit’sreallynot.Abodyinacoffinismoving.There’snosuchthingasdead.That’safalseconcept.Thebodyinacoffinismoving.Ifthebodyisn’tmoving,howwoulditeverchangetodust?See,ifyoupickeduptheremainsandlookedatitthroughamicroscope,you’dseeitmoving.Dancingrightbeforeyoureyes.Anditwillturntodust.Why?Becauseitmoves.Everythingmoves.Nothingrests.Nothingiseithercreatedordestroyed;thatjustpostulatesthetheoryoflife.Thereisnosuchthingasdeath.Youmovedintoyourbodyandyouwillmoveoutofyourbody.Bothlifeanddeatharetransitionsandpartsofthesamegreatadventure.

DoyouwanttoknowthedifferencebetweenusandothercreaturesonEarth?We’recreativebeings.We’recreatedintheimageofGod.Wecancausespirittomoveinthewaythatwewant.Wecancauseittomoveintowhateverformwewant.

Butdoyouknowwhathappened?Wegottheequationreversed.WecreatedGodinourimageandnowwe’retryingtofigureouthowHe—He,notShe—canbeomnipresent.Canyouseewherethisgoes?Itgoesdownthewrongpath.Why?Becausewe’reignorant.Wejustdon’tunderstand.Butifwestudy—everythingyoustudyinyourreligion,you’regoingtofindthatit’strue.It’sourperceptionthatwehaveaproblemwith.YouandIarespiritualbeings.Weliveinaphysicalbody.Butunliketherestoftheanimalkingdom,weweregivenanintellect.Weweregivenintellectualfacultiesthatnootherformoflifehas.It’showweusetheseintellectualfacultiesthatdictatesouremotionalstate.

Whatistheemotionalstate?It’showwefeel.It’sthevibrationwe’rein.Sowhenwetalkaboutthevibrationwe’rein—we’retalkingaboutouremotionalstate.Feelingisconsciousawarenessofthevibrationwe’rein.Whenyousayyou’renotfeelinggood,whatyou’rereallysayingis“IamconsciouslyawarethatI’mnotinagoodvibration.”

“What’sthematter?”“I’mjustfeelingsobad.”“Why?”“Well,it’sthewayhe’sacting.”Ohhhh.You’relettinghisactionscontrol

yourfeelings.Whywouldyoulethisactionscontrolyourfeelings?“Well,youdon’tknowwhatit’slike.IfyouknewthefinancialproblemsI

have,you’dknowwhyI’mupset.”Whywouldyougetupsetoverfinances?Whatisthepointinthat?Why

wouldyougetupsetoveranything?Whydon’tyoujustlookatit—itiswhatitis,acceptit.It’seithergoingtocontrolyouoryou’regoingtocontrolit.

Here’ssomethingeveryonereallyneedstounderstand.Youknow,Iknowpeopleandyouknowpeoplewhoareworkingonpersonaldevelopment.They’vegotagreatlibraryofmaterial,they’veattendedabunchofseminars,buttheyreallydon’tmakeithappen.Andwherethey’repuzzledis“HowdoIearnsomemoney?”

Howmanypeoplearepuzzledbythat?Behonest.Holdyourhandwayup.Standup.Quiteafewofyou.Thankyou.Idothatsoyoucanacknowledgeittoyourself.

InThinkandGrowRich,NapoleonHillsays:

Ifyou’reoneofthosewhobelievethathardworkandhonestyalonewillbringriches,perishthethought!Itisnottrue!Riches,whentheycomeinhugequantities,arenevertheresultofhardworkalone!Richescomeinresponsetodefinitedemandsbasedupontheapplicationofdefiniteprinciples.Notbychanceorluck.

Whoareyougoingtodemanditof?AreyougoingtodemanditofGod?Areyougoingtodemanditofsomebodyelse?

Thequotesays,“Richescomeinresponsetodefinitedemandsbasedupontheapplicationofdefiniteprinciples.Notbychanceorluck.”Sothedemandwouldhavetobeonyourself.You’vegottodemanditofyourself.Andthen,you’vegottofollowtherules.You’vegottoworkwiththelaw.

Youcouldveryeasilyjustskipoverthat,butthereisanabsoluteLawofCompensation.

WegiveoutacardinourseminarsatsomepointwherewequoteDonShula,thegreatAmericanfootballcoach.Hesaid,“Thestartiswhatstopsmostpeople.”

Thisisnotrocketscience.Thisisgettingreallyhonestwithyourself.Mostpeopledonotdemanditofthemselves.You’vegottodemandit.You’vegottoreallyapplythis.

TheLawofCompensationclearlystatesthattheamountofmoneyyouearnwillalways—notsomeofthetime,notonlyinRussiaortheUnitedStates—always,inallplacesatalltimes,beinexactratiotothesethreepoints:(1)theneedforwhatyoudo,(2)yourabilitytodoit,and(3)thedifficultytherewillbeinreplacingyou.

IbelievethatwhatwedoatPGIisinveryhighdemandallovertheworld.Ihave$40onme.Youcouldputmeonaplanetoanywhereintheworldwithjustthis$40,andIguaranteeyouthatIwouldimmediatelystartmultiplyingit.Immediately.

BecauseIknowthatwhatIknowhowtodoisindemandeverywhereintheworld.Ihavenevergoneanywhereintheworldwhereitwasn’tindemand.

WewentintoShanghaiandtheyhadtogetabouttwentypeopletoholdhandsaroundusbecausepeopleweretryingtogetatme.TheyknewIhadsomethingtheywanted.Iguesstheythoughtiftheygotcloseenough,theywouldgetit.That’snothowyougetit.Thebottomlineisthatyou’vealreadygotit!

Youcanalwaystellaperson’slevelofunderstandingbytheirresults.Iftheresultsaren’tthere,theydon’tknowit’sbecausethey’renotlivinginharmonywiththelaw.Idon’tcarewhatkindofstorytheygiveyou.Theydon’tknow!Andunfortunately,inmostcases,theydon’tknowthattheydon’tknow.

Thisissomethingeverypersoninthisroomisinterestedin.Theamountofmoneyyouearnisinexactratiototheneedforwhatyoudo.

Ididn’tknowthatwhenIgotintothisbusiness.Ididn’tgetintothisbusinessbecauseofthat.IgotintothisbusinessbecauseIabsolutelylovedit.IjustcouldnotgetenoughandIstillcan’tgetenough!It’slikeI’vebeenhungryforthissincethefirstdayIheardarecord.IneverheardanyonetalkinglikeEarlNightingaleonthatrecord.

Yousee,Iknowthere’snolimitontheamountthatIcanearn.AndIknowthattheonlywaytoraisemyincomeistounderstandthisbetter.Thetrickisn’tinthemarketing.Thetrickisn’tinyoursalespresentation.Thetrickisinyourunderstanding.Iftheunderstandingisn’tthere,you’renotgoingtoearnmoremoney.

That’swhySolomonsaid,“Withallthygettinggetunderstanding.”There’sonlyonewaytogetunderstanding.Oneway,nottwo.Justone.Andthat’sthroughstudy.Thereisnootherway.

Therearemanyformsofstudy,butyou’vegottostudy!Knowledgeisomnipresent.Alltheknowledgethereeverwasoreverwillbeiseverywhereallthetime.It’sinallplacesatthesametime.

Yourcomputerhasalwaysbeenhere.Itdidn’tjustarrivewithSteveJobsorBillGates.Ithasalwaysbeenhere!Wewerejustnotawareofit.Edisonbecameawarethattherewasmagicintheairandthathecouldbottleit,directit,andharnessit.NiagaraFallshasbeenthereforalo-o-o-ngtime.IthadtobechanneledtoprovideallofthepowergeneratedbytheFalls.

You’vegottounderstandit.Theamountofmoneyyouearnisinexactratiototheneedforwhatyoudo.Iseepeoplewhocomebackhereoverandover.

Theymakealittleprogressandtheythinkthey’vegotit.AndIdon’tthinkweevergetit.Ithinkwe’realwaysgettingit.

Atageeighty-seven,Michelangelosaid,“Iamstilllearning.”You’vegottokeeplearning.

Oureducationalsystemandcorporatetrainingprogramsareincomplete.There’ssomethingmissing.Isaythatbecause3percentofthepopulationisearning97percentofthemoney.Somethingiswrong!That’swhyIknowtherewillalwaysbeaveryhighdemandforwhatIdo.

Ihaveanopinion,andIdon’tthinkI’llevergetshakenoffthis.Ibelieveifaprogramyou’restudyingdoesn’thaveaspiritualfoundation,itisincomplete.Ifit’sincomplete,you’renotgoingtowin.

Idon’tteachreligion.I’mnotqualifiedtoteachreligion,butIdoknowsomethingaboutthespiritualsideofourlife.Idoknowthis:Youressenceisspirit,andspiritisalwaysforexpansion.Itisneverfordisintegration.Itisalwaysforgrowth,always.Somethinginyouwantstogrow.

Sowhateveryou’redoingyou’regoingtowanttodoitbetter.Ifyou’rerunning,you’regoingtowanttorunfaster.Ifyousing,youwanttosingbetter.Ifyousell,youwanttosellmore.Ifyoujump,youwanttojumphigher.It’sinyournaturetogrowandexpand.

ThesecondpartoftheLawofCompensationisthattheamountofmoneyyouearnwillalwaysbeinexactratiotoyourabilitytodoit.

I’vebecomeverygoodatthis,butIknowIcangetawholelotbetter.AndbecauseI’mverygood,I’mdifficulttoreplace,whichisthethirdpartofthelaw.ButIcanbereplaced.There’snosuchthingasbeingindispensable.

Thereisagreatpoemcalled“TheIndispensableMan”bySaxonWhiteKessinger.Itsays:

Takeabucketandfillitwithwater,Putyourhandinituptothewrist,Pullitoutandtheholethat’sremaining,Isameasureofhowmuchyou’llbemissed.

Youcansplashallyouwishwhenyouenter,Youmaystirupthewatergalore,Butstop,andyou’llfindthatinnotime,Itlooksquitethesameasbefore.

Now,whatI’mdoingisgettingtheideaacrossthatnooneisindispensable.Ifyoustarttogettheideathatyouareindispensable,youregoistakingoverandyou’rereallyscrewed.You’regoinginthewrongdirection.

Thesearethebasics.We’vegottounderstandwherethepoweris.Thepowerisinthespiritualessenceofwhoyouare.Andaslongasyourecognizethat,studythatandstartbeingabetterinstrumentforittoflowthrough,yourresultsaregoingtoimprove.You’vegottogetbetteratwhatyou’redoing.

NapoleonHillsaid,“Donotgosearchingforopportunitybutreachoutandembraceitrightwhereyouare.”

Well,ifyougobackandthinkaboutitforamoment,iftheneedisthere,andyou’redifficulttoreplacebecauseyou’regoodenough,thetrickistokeepgettingbetter.SotheonlypartoftheLawofCompensationthatyoureallyhavetofocusonisthesecondone—focusonyourabilitytodothework.Justkeepgettingbetteratwhatyoudo.Andunderstandthatyoucanalwaysgetbetter.

Weseethateveryday.Whereit’sreallyevidentisinsports.Therecordscontinuetogetshattered.Youknow,foryearstheyusedtothinkmancouldn’trunamilefaster.Theyusedtoletwildanimalschasethemandtheycouldn’trunitanyfaster.RogerBannisterbrokeitintosmallpartsandhebrokethefour-minutemile.Butwithinamonth,somebodyelsebrokehisrecord.Andnow,ifyoulookattheBostonMarathon,they’renearlyrunningafour-minutemileinamarathon.They’rerunningafive-minutemileanddoingittwenty-sixtimes!Youcouldn’tconceiveofanythinglikethatnottoolongago.

Y

CLASSTWELVE

THEONLYLIMITONPOWER

TappingintotheAbundanceoftheUniverse

ou’vegottounderstandthattheuniverseisabundant.Mygoodness.YoucangorightbacktotheUpanishads,themostancientwritingthereis.It

says,“Fromabundancehetookabundance,andstillabundanceremains.”Yousay,“Well,howdoyoudothat?”Takeadeepbreath.Comeon,suckitallin.Comeon.Holdit.Juststaylike

thatfortherestoftheday.Yousee,youwouldn’tthinkofdoingthat.Fromabundancehetookabundance,andstillabundanceremains.Yousay,“That’sdifferent.”No,itisn’t.It’sexactlythesame.We’vegottounderstandthateverythingoperatesbythesamelaw.All

successinlifeisduetotakingsideswiththelawwithinus.OK.Thus,workingwiththelawmaybeconsideredthesameastakingthelawintoourlivesandmindasasilentpartner.

Youcouldbetakingthelawintoyourownhands—workinginharmonywiththelaw.

Itmakessense,doesn’tit?Howdoyougoahead?Well,you’vegottoseeyourselftherefirst.You’vegottoactlikeyou’realreadythere.

Wheredoesithappen?Ithappensintellectually.IfI’vegotanideainmyconsciousness,thenIcansharetheideawithyouandyourconsciousness,can’tI?IfI’vegotit,thenIcangiveittoyou.Doesthatmakesense?Idon’thavetogetitifI’vegotit.IfI’vegotit,I’vegotit.AndifI’vegotit,Icantalktoyouaboutit,can’tI?

SoifI’vegotanideaintellectually,Icanshareitwithyouintellectually.Myintellectcouldshareitwithyourintellectonaconsciouslevel.Idon’thavetohaveithereonthephysicalplane.Icouldtalktoyouaboutallkindsofmoney.SoI’mnotgettingit,I’vegotit.IfIgetemotionallyinvolvedwiththeidea,Icouldsharethoseemotionswithyou.IfI’vegotitintellectuallyandemotionally,thenI’vegotit.Isthatright?

Sixty-sevenyearsbeforethelifeofChrist,Horacesaid,“Nemodatquodnonhabet.”Freelytranslatedthatmeans“Youcannotgivewhatyouhaven’tgot.”Buttheoppositeofthatisthatyoucangivewhatyou’vegot.IfI’vegotitintellectually,Icanshareitwithyouintellectually.IfI’vegotitemotionally,Icanshareitwithyouemotionally.TheonlythingIcan’tdoisenjoyitonthephysicalorshareitwithyouonthephysical.

Yousee,that’swheretheproblemis.Welivethroughourphysicalsenses.Ifitisn’tthereonthephysical,yousay,“Well,Ihaven’tgotit!”OhyesIhave.Icantalktoyouaboutit.Icanfeelit.Icansharemyfeelingswithyou.It’sjustthatithasn’tmanifestedinformyet.Wheredoesitcomefrom?

Everythingcomesfromthenonphysical.Youworkfromahighertoalowerpotential.Who’sanengineer?Dowehaveanelectricalengineerhere?There’sgottobeone.Admitit.Isthereone?Allright.

IfI’mworkingwithelectricity,I’vegottoworkfromahighertoalowerpotential,don’tI?IfItrytogocontrarytothat,I’mgoingtobeintrouble.Wouldn’tyouagree?Theonlylimitonelectricityisthelimitthatisplacedontheformthroughwhichitflows.(Pointingtoalight.)Wecallthatelectricity,butit’sreallynot.It’sanexpressionofelectricity,isn’tit?Well,theonlylimitonelectricityisthelimitontheformthroughwhichit’sflowing.Aseventy-five-wattbulbhasmorepowerthanasixty-wattbulb.Andaone-hundred-wattbulbhasevenmorepower,correct?

Well,theonlylimitonspiritualpoweristheformthroughwhichit’sflowing:you.Buildabiggerideaandyou’llexperienceagreaterexpressionofthepower.Soyouseeapersonwalkingaround,nojuice,noenergy,theyhaven’tgotaverybigidea.Allyouhavetodoiswatchapersonandthatwilltellyouwhat’sgoingonintheirmind.Becausethebodyistheinstrumentofthemind.Thebodyexpresseswhat’sgoingon.Whenyouseeapersonandthey’relethargicanddraggingthemselvesaround,youknowthatthey’rebored.Youknowthattheyhaven’tgotanythingbutbadideas—ifthey’rethinkinganythingatall!

Mostpeoplearen’teventhinking.They’rejustaplaythingforwhat’sgoingonaroundthem.They’relikeacorkintheocean,bouncingallovertheplace.Apersonwhoisthinkingknowsexactlywherethey’regoing.They’reusingtheir

higherfaculties:theirreason,will,intuition,perception,memoryandimagination.

Lookatspirit—whereisspirit?Spiritisomnipresent.Lookatthelinesonalinedsheetofpaperandletthoselinesrepresentlevelsofvibration,morecommonlyreferredtoasfrequencies.EverythingoperatesbylawandoneofthelawsistheLawofVibration.OK.Nowwhereisspirit?Spiritiseverywhere.Itiseverything.Itisthehighestpartofourpersonality.What’sthelowest?Thephysical.Nowwhat’srightinthemiddle?Theintellect.That’swhatmakesusdifferentfromanyotherformoflife.It’sthroughtheintellectthatwecantapinonahigherlevelandchangethingsonalowerlevel.

Here’swhatwe’vegottounderstand—youletthissinkinandyou’regoingtorealizethateverythingisconnected.Likethecolorsofarainbow—eachfrequencyishookeduptotheoneaboveandtheonebelow.Thereisnolineofdemarcation.You’rehookedintoeverythingintheuniverse.Everything.You’rehookedintoit.Yourmarvelousmindcantapintothehigherlevel—thespiritual.Everylineonthepageisconnectedtotheoneaboveandtheonebelow.Focusonthenonphysical—seewhatyouwant.Seeyourselfwithit.

Butwedon’tdothat,dowe?Wegotothelowestlevel.Welookatthebankaccounttoseewherewearefinancially.Wegotothecomputertoseewhatourresultsare.Yousee.Well,whatareyoudoingthatfor?Everybodydoesit.Theyteachyoutodoit.That’showyouknowwhereyou’reat.Ohhh.Iwonderifthey’reallwrong.Yousay,“Well,theycan’tallbewrong.”Why?Theyalwayshavebeen!

Whenyouseealargegroupofpeoplegoingonewayandonlyafewgoingtheotherway,followthesmallgroup.You’llprobablynevermakeanothermistakeaslongasyoulive.Ifyoufollowthemasses,you’rereallygoingtobeinamess.Why?Becausethemasseshavenoideawherethey’regoing.They’vegottowaittoturnonthenewstoseewhatkindofdayitis.Theylookoutthewindowandsay,“Ohmy,wellthisisgoingtobeabaddayfortraffic.”Whynotlookatitdifferently?“Well,wewon’thavetodriveasfast,wecangosloweryouknow,itwillgiveusanopportunitytothink.Wecanenjoyourdrive.”That’saprettysillywaytothinkthough,isn’tit?Let’sdowhatwealwaysdoandgetupset.Yeah,let’sgetinthecarandgetupset.Gofast,thenslow.Slamrightintothejerk.Getthecarallsmashedup.Youknow.

Yousay,“Waitaminute—ifit’sthissimple,whyisn’teverybodydoingit?”That’saprettygoodquestion.Let’slookatthisadifferentway.

W

CLASSTHIRTEEN

DANCE’TILITRAINS

TransformingYourThoughtsintoThings

hydon’tyouactlikethepersonyouwanttobecome?Whydon’tyouactlikethestarwhoyoureallyare?Youknowwhyyoudon’t?Because

you’reafraidofwhattheythink.Youknowwhenthatstarted?Whenyouwerejustalittlekid.Theysaid,

“Whatwouldtheneighborsthink?”Whocares?!Ifoundoutwhattheneighborsthink—theydon’t!Quitconcerningyourselfwithwhattheneighborsthink!Actlikethepersonyouwanttobecome.Youaretheoffspringofadeathlesssoul.Thisiswhatyouwanttoburninto

yourmind!There’sapowerthat’sallknowing,that’severpresent.That’swhatyou’reanexpressionof.It’ssoimportantthatyougetthisstraight,soimportant.Wheredoyoureallywanttogo?

RalphWaldoEmersonsaid,“Thereisnoplanet,sun,orstarcouldholdyou,ifyoubutknewwhatyouare.”Searthatintoyourmind.

It’swhatwefeedintooursubconsciousmind,whichisalsotheemotionalmind,thatdictatesthevibrationthatthebodymovesinto.Thebodybeingtheinstrumentofthemind,thevibrationdictateswhatyouattractintoyourlife.Ifyouoperatewithabigidea—youseeyourselfoperatingwithaverysuccessful

businessandyouseeyourthingsreallyflying—doyouknowwhatyou’regoingtodo?Ifyoukeepthatpicture,you’regoingtoattractpeoplewhowillmakethathappen.

Butifyouletthebusinesscontrolyouandyoucomplainaboutthispersonandthatpersonandhowbadthingsare,you’regoingtorepelanybodywho’sgotanyspeedonthematall,andyou’regoingtoattractmoreproblems.

Soseewhatyouwant.Holdtheimageofyourselfalreadythere.Changeyourvibration.

There’sacutestoryaboutatribeinAfrica.Theyhavearaindance.AlotoftribesinAfricahaveraindances,butthistribeisdifferent.Everytimetheydance,itrains!

Anthropologistshavegonetostudythesepeoplebecauseitdoesn’traineverytimemosttribesdoadance.Sotheywentandstudiedthisonetribetofindoutwhyitrainseverytimetheydance.

Doyouwanttoknowwhattheyfoundout?Theyfoundoutthetribedancesuntilitrains.Ahhh.

EverytimeIgoout,Imakeasale.How?BecauseIstayoutuntilImakethesale!Ahhh.

Thisisnotrocketscience.It’ssimplestuff.

Let’sgetaglass,OK?Let’sputwaterintheglass.Wheredidthewatercomefrom?Itcamefromnothing,fromspirit.Whatisthewatermadeof?Thewaterisenergy.What’stheglassmadeof?Energy.Theglassusedtobesand.Whatwedidwaschangethevibratoryrateoftheenergythatwecalledsand,andweturneditintoglass.

Sonowwe’vegotasandfullofwater?Well,no.Wecallitglassnow.Wehaveaglassfullofwater.It’snotasandfullofwater.It’saglassfullofwater.It’senergyfullofwater.Wecalltheenergysand...no,wecallitglass.Wheredoesthewatergo?Ifyouaddheattothewater,itturnsintosteam,andthesteamturnsintoair,etherorgas.

Here’swhatwewanttograsp:There’snolineofdemarcationwhereitstopsbecomingoneandstartstobecometheother.There’snolineofdemarcationwhereitstopsbecomingwaterandstartsbecomingsteam.It’sallhookedtogether.

Ifyoumakethissimpleenough,youcan’tmissit.Yousee,they’reallfrequencies.Justdifferentfrequencies.Wecallitsteambecauseit’sona

differentfrequency.Nowstaywithme.Wheredoesitcomefrom?Well,webringitback—itcomesfromethertothesteamtothewater,butgetthis,everylineishookeduptotheoneaboveandtheonebelow.

Yousay,“Whereareyougoingwiththis?”Wheredoyouwantmetogo?Iknowwherewe’llgo.Let’sgotoourthinking.

Hereweare—there’sspirit.We’vegotspirit.We’vegottheintellectand,voila,we’vegotthephysical.Nowlet’sactivateourintellectualfaculties.Doyouknowwhatyourintellectualfacultiesare?Wetouchedonthembefore.Oneofthemisreason.Thatgivesustheabilitytothink.Solet’sactivateourreasoningfactorandlet’stapinonahigherlevel.Where’sthought?Thoughtisomnipresent.Where’sspirit?It’somnipresent.Sowetapintoourspiritualessence,pullourthoughtstogetherandwebuildanidea.

Thishotelwasnothingbutanideaatonetime.Weholdanidealongenoughandtheideawillmoveintoform.That’swhatAndrewCarnegiesaid:“Anyideathatisheldinthemind,thatisemphasized,thatiseitherfearedorrevered,willbeginatoncetoclotheitselfinthemostconvenientandappropriateformavailable.”Ifyouholdtheidea,itwillmoveintoform.See,allwe’redoingisworkingwiththelaw.We’reworkingwithenergy.We’reworkingwiththepower.We’reworkingwithspirit.

Wehavetheabilitytobe,doorhavewhateverwewant.Idon’tcarewhatyourpastis.Didyouhavesometraumaticexperience?Itdoesn’tmatter.Letitgo!Tuneinatthesubconsciouslevel.Say,“Wow,Iamsurroundedbypower!It’sflowingtoandthroughme!Wow!”

Thisiscool.Icanthink!Thankyou,God!Icanthink!IthinkI’mrich!Igotrich.IthinkI’mhappy.Howdoyoubecomehappy?Helpothersbehappy.Howdoyoubecomeloved?Loveothers.Thisisprettysimple.Imean,Ilearnedit!

QUESTION:Ihaveaquestion—HowcanIattracttheperfectideatomyselffromspirit?

BOB:Well,the“perfectidea”istheideathatyou’reinlovewith.Ifyoulovesomeone,you’veattractedtheperfectperson,haven’tyou?Does

thatmakesense?Butsomeoneelsesays,“Youlovethatturkey?What’sthematterwithyou?”Soit’samatterofperceptionthen.Theperfectideaistheideathatyou’reemotionallyinvolvedin.

Doyouknowwhatloveis?Loveisresonance.It’swhentheconscious,subconsciousandbodyareallinlovewithoneidea.It’salsocalledintegrity.Yourthoughts,feelingsandactionsarealllinedup.Soyoujusthavetoaskyourself,“WhatdoIreallylovedoing?”

D

CLASSFOURTEEN

THEONLYSOURCEOFSUPPLY

DiscoverAlltheSecretsofSuccess

oyouknowwhatprayeris?I’mgoingtotellyouwhatitis.It’snotgettingonyourkneesandsaying,“Godhelpme.”That’smakinganoiseonyour

knees.Prayeristhemovementthattakesplacebetweenspiritandformwithandthroughus.Wetapintothenonphysicalandwecreatethephysical.

Youdon’thavetowonderwhereit’sgoingtocomefrom.There’sonlyonesource.There’sonesourceofsupply.Ifyouthinkotherpeopleareyoursource,you’reprobablygoingtoslowdown.Butthenyourealizethere’sonlyonesourceofsupply:infinite.IcallthatsourceGod,youcallitwhateveryouwant—callitintelligence,universalintelligence,Allah—youraiseyourlevelofconsciousnessuntilyouareonewithit.Thenyoujustperformthemagic.

Thereisonepower.EveryreligionthathasmaintaineditsbalanceoveranyperiodoftimehasdonesobasedontheemotionalappealofafuturepromisethatyouwillonedaybecomeonewithyourGod.Youcouldparttheseas,youcoulddowhatever,becauseyou’reworkinginharmonywiththelaw.

Peoplecometomyclassesfromallovertheworld.TheycomefromIsrael,SouthAmerica,Australia,fromalloverEuropeandalloverNorthAmerica.Peopletravelallthatdistance.Youknowwhy?Theywantmoreofthis.Whydotheywantmoreofit?Becauseit’sinharmoniousvibrationwiththeessenceofwhotheyare.

InWorkingwiththeLaw,RaymondHolliwellsays:

Alloftheprocessesofnaturearesuccessful.Natureknowsnofailures.Sheneverplansanythingbutsuccess.Sheaimsatresultsineveryformandmanner.Tosucceedinthebestandfullestsenseofthetermwemust,withNatureasourmodel,copyhermethods.Inherprinciplesandlawsweshalldiscoverallthesecretsofsuccess.

Keepinmind,everythinginthisuniversethatyoucanseewiththenakedeye,andeverythingyoucannotsee,isanexpressionofspirit.Alsobearinmindthatspiritoperatesbyexactlaws.Youaresubjecttothoselawsinjustthesamemannerasnatureis.Therefore,Holliwellisright—wedefinitelyshouldcopynature’smethods.

Yousee,thisisanorderlyuniverse.Nothinghappensbyaccident.Theimagesyouplantinyourmarvelousmindinstantlysetupanattractiveforcethatgovernsyourresultsinlife.Youmustremember,though,thatthisprocessisequallyaseffectivewithpositiveimagesasitiswithnegativeones.

Althoughitistruethateverythingyouwilleverwantisalreadyhere—ifnotinform,insubstance—itisuptoyoutogetintoharmonywithit.Sinceyoudoattracteverythingintoyourlifebylaw,itwouldbeawisemoveonyourparttobeginformingthehabitofthinkingonlyofwhatyouwant,regardlessoftheconditionsorcircumstancesyoumaypresentlyfindyourselffacing.

L

CLASSFIFTEEN

THEMAGICGRAPHIC

MappingYourMind

et’ssupposeIaskeverybodyintheroomiftheywouldhelpmechangethesetupoftheroomandtodoitwithouttalkingtoanybody,andyouallagree

youwill.Butnobodycantalk.“Let’sgo.”Finallysomebodywouldsay,“Whatdoeshewantustodo?”You’dsay,“Idon’tknow,askhim.”“Whydon’tyouaskhim?!”“Ican’t

talk.”Youknowwe’dhavechaosinhere.Doyouknowwhy?Becausenobody’s

gotapicture.There’snopicture.Butoutofconfusioncomesorderandit’sahigherdegreeoforderthanthatwhichexistedpriortotheconfusion.SonowIsay,“I’mgoingtomakethatthefrontoftheroom,andthatthebackoftheroom.”(pointing)Inafewsecondsflatwe’dhaveorder,wouldn’twe?Why?Becauseeverybody’soperatingwiththesamepicture.

Doyourealizewe’vegotpeoplegoingtoworkandtheyhavenopicture?Theydon’tevenknowwhatthey’reworkingfor.Theydon’tknowwhichwaytogo.Theydon’tknowiftheyshouldtalktoanybody.Maybetheyshouldturnonthetelevisionandgetlostinsomebodyelse’sworlduntiltheygetthisfiguredout.SotheywatchThePriceIsRightforalittlewhile.Theirmindisinatotalstateofconfusion.Youhavegottohaveorder.

BOB:Whatdoesyourcarlooklike?Whatcolorisit?

JIM:It’sgray.

BOB:Whatcolorisyourrefrigerator?

JIM:It’ssilver.

BOB:Whatcolorisyourmind?

JIM:Lotsofcolors.

BOB:Hmmm.Isitbigorsmall?

JIM:Sometimesit’sbigandsometimesit’ssmall.

BOB:Isyoursbig?Isitbiggerthanabreadbox?

KAREN:Yes.

BOB:Itis.Whatcolorisit?

KAREN:Allcolors.

BOB:Howbigisit?

KAREN:Big.

BOB:Howbigisthat?

Yousee...we’regettingintoaproblemhere,aren’twe?That’sbecausenobody’severseenthemind.Youstarttalkingaboutthemindandthere’snoimage.

Dr.ThurmanFleetinSanAntonio,Texas,understoodthisbackin1934,andhedecidedhewasgoingtogiveordertothemind.Sohecreatedagraphicillustrationofthemind.Hesaid,“We’veneverseenthemind.Letthisrepresentthemind.Andthere’sthebody.”

Thisisthebasicgraphic:

Nowthatisagenie.ThatisthemostvaluablegraphicIhaveeverseen.Let’stakemoredetailedalookatthegenieusingthefollowinggraphic:

Herewehavethemindandthebody,butwe’vedividedthegraphicofthemindintotwoparts:theconsciousmindandthesubconsciousmind.

Wehavesensoryfactors—wecansee,hear,smell,tasteandtouch.Andwehavebeenprogrammedtolivethroughthesesenses.Aslittlekids,peoplewillsay—“WouldyoulistentowhatI’mtellingyou?”“Willyoulookatthis?”“WillyoulistentowhatI’msaying?”They’relikelittleantennae.Webecometheplaythingforeverythingthat’sgoingonoutside.Weletthebankaccount,whatpeoplesay,whatwethinkpeoplethinkandourperceptionofwhattheythinkofuscontrolus.Weuseoursensoryfactors—it’salloutsideinput.

Whatwewanttounderstandisthatthosesensoryfactorsgetusintoalotoftrouble.Theyaregiventoustohelpuscommunicateandcorrespondwithouroutsideworld.Wearenotmeanttoletthemcontrolourlife.Wedon’twanttobecomesubjectivetowhat’sgoingonaroundus.

Nowlet’sgraspthisconcept.Theconsciousmindisalsowhatwecalltheintellectualmind.Let’stakealookagainatourintellectualfactors(seethegraphicbelow):

Youhaveperception.Perceptionisanintellectualfactor.Weknowtheworldisround.Atonepointwethoughtitwasflat.Whatdidwechange?Wechangedourperception.Theworlddidn’tchange.Theworldisthesameasitwasthen.Itwasalwaysround.Itwasourperceptionofitthatchanged.

Myperceptionoftheworld—myworldthatIlivedin—andmyabilitytoearnmoney,iswhatchangedforme.IalwayshadtheabilitytoearnmoneyevenwhenIwasstrugglingandwasn’tearningany.Whywasn’tIearninganymoney?BecauseIthoughtIcouldn’tearnany.See,thetruthwasthatIwasn’tthinking.Iwaslettingtheoutsideworldcontrolme.Yourperceptionisyourreality.Youcanchangetheperceptionofthebusinessyou’rein.Changeyourperceptionofhowyouoperateyourbusiness.

YouandIweretalkingaboutthat,Dan.IwasfiringsomethingsbackatyouandIsaidchangeyourperceptionofwhatyou’redoing,andyouwouldprobablymakemoreheadway,wouldn’tyou?Andyou’dmakealotmoremoney.

Thewillisanotherintellectualfaculty.Brucecametoaseminar.Isaid,“Turnyourannualincomeintoamonthlyincome.”He’stheprincipalofaschool.Sowhatdidhedo?Heturnedhisannualincomeintohismonthlyincome.Heshockedhimselfwithwhathecouldearn.You’llbeamazedatwhatyoucandowhenyouhavethewill.

WhenDr.WernhervonBraunwasaskedbyPresidentKennedywhatitwouldtaketobuildarockettotakeamantothemoon,heansweredwithjust

fivewords.Hedidn’tsayyou’regoingtohavetogetallthetopscientistsintheworldtogetherandreallybrainstormand...hedidn’tsayanyofthat.WhenheansweredKennedy,heansweredhiminthesefivewords:“Thewilltodoit.”

Whatdoyouneedtogettowhereyouwanttogo?Well,firstofall,wheredoyouwanttogo?Youneedthewilltodoit.Doyouknowwhereyouwanttogo,Linda?Areyousure?Youdoknow?That’sallyouneedisthewilltodoit.Doyouknowwhereyouwanttogo,Michelle?Youdoknow.That’sallyouneed:thewilltodoit.Doyouknowwhereyouwanttogo,Mike?Youdon’tknowwhereyouwanttogo.Well,you’reprobablynotgoingtogoanywherethen.Butthat’swhatittakes.

Whatisthewill?Thewillisamentalfacultythatgivesyoutheabilitytofocus.Youtakethispowerthat’sflowingintoyourconsciousness—ifyoucouldseeit,itwouldbelikeafunnelflowingrightintothecrownofyourhead.Andasitflowsintoyourconsciousness,youhavetheabilitytoturnitintoapicture.

Let’sthinkaboutitforaminute.Let’ssupposethatIgetupandhangasignonthatwallandIturnoutallthelightsandthenIlightacandle.WiththecandlelightI’mtryingtoreadthesignonthatwall.ButIcan’treadit.It’snotthatthere’snotenoughcandlepower.Thereis.It’sjustthatit’snotbeingdirectedtothepicture.Someofitisgoingthere(pointing),someofitiscomingonme.Someofitisgoingupthere,downthere,overthere.

Well,ifItookthesamecandlepowerandIputitinaflashlight,noneofitwouldbewasted.I’dmarshalthatenergyandI’dfocusitononespot.That’swhathappenswithyourmindwhenyoumarshaltheenergythat’sflowingintoyourconsciousness.Thewillgivesyoutheabilitytofocusononeimagetotheexclusionofalloutsidedistractions.

IfI’mstandingbehindyouinamallandI’mstaringatyou,you’llfeelit,won’tyou?Youwillfeelit.Ifmystaringisreallystrong,you’rereallygoingtofeelit.You’llgetaveryuncomfortablefeeling.What’shappening?Iamstaringatyou.I’vegotoneidea—it’syou—onthescreenofmymind.I’msendingthatenergy—it’sjustrifle-firingrightintoyourbrain.I’msendingcellsrightintoyourbrain.It’scausinganuncomfortablefeeling.You’llturnaroundandyou’llseeme,andI’llturnaway.Feelingisconsciousawarenessofvibration.

Doyouknowwhatthepictureorimageyou’vecreatedinyourminddoes?Itmarshalstheenergy.Itincreasestheamplitudeofvibration,andtheenergyflowcomingfromyouisincreaseddramatically.Itbecomesmuchmorepowerful.

Thewilltodoit.That’swhatgotustothemoon.That’swhatgotustodoeverythingwe’redoing.Thewillgivesyoupower.

Thenyou’vegotyourimagination.Yourmarvelousimagination.It’sabsolutelycriminalthewaywe’vetreatedourimaginationandthewaywewere

taughttodoit.Whydowehavegreatbigcorporationsandweaklittlecreativedepartments?Whydowesitthereandtalkaboutwhywecan’tdosomethingwhenallwehavetodoistotallyrelax,letourimaginationgo,seeourselvesdoingitandWow,Icanseeit!!Icanseethatgreatbigcompany.Icanseeusoperatingallovertheworld.

Isatinaroom—inalittleroom—inahouseonMaplewoodLaneinGlenview,Illinois,andItookmypenandIwrotedown“I’mgoingtohaveacompanythat’lloperateallovertheworld,”andnowIhaveacompanythatoperatesallovertheworld.Ithinkweoperateinninety-somecountriesrightnow.NowIwanttodo$100million.IwanttoexpandwhatI’mdoing.Iwanttodoitinabiggerway.Why?BecauseIwantto.BecauseIwantto.That’sallyouhavetoknow.Ijustwantto.

You’rethinking,Well,theremustbesomereasonwhyyouwantto.Yeah.Iwantto.That’swhy.Ijustwantto.Well,whatareyougoingtodowiththemoney?Idon’tknow.Maybegiveitaway.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatIdowithit.See,we’lldosomethingwithitandwe’lltryanddoitconstructively.Wecertainlydon’twanttojustsitandcountitallthetime—pileitupandoh,lookatallthemoney!Whatdoyouwanttodothatfor?It’saninstrumentthatweputtowork.Wewanttoputittoworkdoingsomethingthatwe’dhavefundoing.That’sconstructive.Somethingthatservesusandservesothers.

“Yousee,theimagination,”Hillsaid,“isthemostmarvelous,miraculous,inconceivablypowerfulforcetheworldhaseverknown.Youcanbuildcastlesinyourmind.”

Waybackin1970,IworkedforKemmonsWilsonandWallaceJohnsonattheHolidayInnMemphis–UniversityofMemphis,Tennessee.In1950therewasn’toneHolidayInn.In1970thereweremoreHolidayInnsthantheHilton,RamadaandSheratonchainscombined.Theywerebuildinganewroomeverythirteenminutes!Doyouknowwhy?Wilsonhadgoneonavacationwithhisfamily,andhewasappalledatthestateofthehotelsontheroad,atwhatitcostthemforkids.HediscusseditwithJohnsonandtheythought,Whydoesn’tsomebodybuildafinechainofhotelsandletthekidsstayfornothing?Andthat’sexactlywhattheydecidedtodo.That’swheretheHolidayInnscamefrom.

KemmonsWilsonandWallaceJohnsonbuiltthose.ThentheysoldouttotheBassCorporationandWallaceJohnsondied.KemmonsWilsonateightywasbored.HestartedtobuildtheWilsonInns,andbeforehediedhebuiltone

hundredofthem.Healsowroteabook:HalfLuckandHalfBrains.I’vegotanautographedbookfromhim.

Agehasnothingtodowithit!It’syourthinkingthathaseverythingtodowithit.It’showyouuseyourimagination.Wheredidwegettheideathatagemadeadifferenceorgendercouldmakeadifference?Whydoesawomanearn70percentofwhatamanearns?Whothoughtofthatidea?Whatvalidityistheretoit?There’snone!Butyouknowsomething,ifyouandIgraduatedaselectricalengineersandwebothwentoutandgotajobrighthereinthiscitytoday,Iwouldearnmorethanyouinalmostallcompanies.Why?BecauseI’maman.You’llsay,“Well,that’snotright.”Itdoesn’tmatterwhetherit’srightornot,that’swhattheydo.Idon’tknowwhyeverywomandoesn’tgointobusinessforherselfandfireallthemen.Womenliterallyrunourcompany.Theyliterallyrunthecompany.Wedidn’tjusthirewomentorunthecompany.Theyjusthappentorunthecompany.

Think!Youcandoanythingyouwant.Youcandowhateveryouwant.It’stheimagination.Usetheimagination.Understandthatthat’swhereeverythingstartsforyou.Butwhenyougetthepictureintheimagination,don’tletitgo,andsay,“Ahhh,thatwasnice.Yeah,Ireallyenjoyeddoingthat,butit’sjustanidea.”Whatareyoutalkingabout?It’sdirectionforyourlife.It’sinspirationforyou.It’llkeepyoualive.Itwillgiveyoujuiceallthedaysofyourlife.

Everybody’sgotaperfectmemory.Ifwehavetime,I’llgetyoutodemonstratethat.Icouldshowyouhowtorememberahundredthingsjustlikethat.JerryLucaswasteachingpeopletomemorizetheBibleinSanFranciscoanumberofyearsago.Wehadapsychiatrist,Abdullah,infromSaudiArabia,andhewasteachingpeoplehowtomemorizetheKoran.Mostpeoplecan’tremembertheirphonenumber.Wehaveaperfectmemory.

Thenyouhaveintuition.WeweretalkingandIwastellingAndywhathewaslike,andIwasn’tjustfairlyaccurate,Iwasveryaccurate,wasn’tI?Yes.Yousee.Andhe’ssaying,“Well,howdoyoudothat?”Youbecomeaware...it’syourintuitivefactor,youpickitupandyoureadit.You’regoingtofindthatgoodpoliceofficersareveryintuitive.Goodcustomsagentsareintuitive.IremembertherewasacustomsagentattheTorontoairport.Stringerwashislastname,JimStringer.Igottoknowhimwhilegoingthroughtheairport.Igottoknowtheguysincustomsbytheirfirstnames.ThenIsawinthepaperthatJimhaddied.Hewasafairlyyoungman;hewasonlyinhisforties.IrememberIgothisaddress,andIsentacardtohiswifebecauseIreallylikedtheguy.WeusedtostopandtalkalotandsomethingIdidn’tknowabouthimisthathewasoneofthetopagentsouthereattheairport.Hepickedoutmorepeoplesmugglingdrugsintothecountryanddifferentthingsthananybodyelsethere.It

washisintuition.Theywroteaboutitinthenewspaperandsaidhewasaveryintuitiveperson.Hejustsensedthatyouwerebreakingthelaw,anditturnedouthewasright.

Yourintuitionisoneofyourfaculties.It’sahigherfacultyandit’sinyourconsciousmind.Itenablesyoutotuneintolifeonasubconscious,universallevel.Itenablesyoutopickupotherpeople’senergyandtranslateit,soyouknowwhatthey’rethinking.Youdon’thavetobewiththem,becausethisisnotphysical.Theycouldbeontheothersideoftheglobeandyouwillstillpickuptheirenergy.Youwillfeelit.It’syourintuitivefactorthatdoesthat.Ittranslatestheenergythatyoupickupsoyoucanknowwhat’sgoingon.

Thenofcourseyouhavereason.That’swhatgivesyoutheabilitytothink.Yourimaginationisapowerfulmentalfaculty.Imaginationisthemental

facultyoutofwhichvisionsarise.Itdealswiththemightbeelementinyourlife.Yourimaginationallowsyoutogointothefutureandbringthefuturebackintothepresentandactlikethepersonyouwanttobecome.NapoleonHilldescribedtheimaginationas“themostmarvelous,miraculous,inconceivablypowerfulforcetheworldhaseverknown.”Andyouownit.Imaginationgaveustheelectriclight,theballpointpen,airtravel,thecomputerchip;everythingyouseethatwasmadebymanwasfirstoriginatedinsomeone’simagination.

Andthenwehavethememory.There’snosuchthingasabadmemory.Thereareonlyweakmemories.Memoryisamentalmusclethatcanbestrengthenedinexactlythesamemannerphysicalmusclesarestrengthened—throughrepetitious,perfectpractice.Mostpeoplesaypracticemakesperfect.Thetruthisperfectpracticemakesperfect.

Youcanuseallsixofthosehighermentalfaculties(will,perception,intuition,memory,imaginationandreason)tocreatemagicinyourmind.Infact,ourinstitutebuiltaprogramonthedevelopmentofyourhigherfaculties,anditiscalled“TheMagicinYourMind.”

Let’stakealookatthefollowinggraphic:

Yousee,you’vegottheconsciousmind,thesubconsciousmindandthebody.Theconsciousmindisyourthinkingmind.That’swhereyourthoughtsareformed—youcanentertainthoughtsthere.Thesubconsciousistheemotionalmind.

Soyoubuildideasandyourdreaminyourconsciousmind,youimpressthemuponyoursubconsciousmindandwhatdoesthatdo?Thathastobeexpressedthroughthebodybecausethebodyistheinstrumentofthemind.Sothebodymovesintoactionandproducesaresult.

Hereiswhatitlookslike:

Butthen,yousee,wegobacktothatoldparadigm.Wethink,Whatwouldtheythink?Imean,ifsomeofthepeopleIworkwithseemeactingthatway,they’llask,“Whodoyouthinkyouare?”Andthey’dstarttalkingaboutme.Idon’twantthemtalkingaboutme.

Youdon’twantthemtalkingaboutyou.Imean,whatwouldyousay?Whatareyougoingtosaytoyourhusband?Areyougoingtotellyourwife?She’sgoingtosay,“Whoareyoutryingtobe?Growup.Beyourself!”Whatyoushouldsayis,“That’swhatIam!”Becauseifyoueverknewwhoselfwas—man,I’dshockyouifIshowedyouself.

Canyouseewherethisridiculousconflictisgoingoninside?

H

CLASSSIXTEEN

THEONLYTHINGYOUCANCONTROL

ShiftingfromReactingtoResponding

owmanyofyouknowpeoplewhoareconstantlyreactingtosituationsoutside?Iknowalotofpeoplelikethat.Theyreacttoeverythingthat’s

goingonoutside.Theyreact.Ifit’spositive,man,they’refuntobearound.Butifit’snegative,put’emouttopasturebecausethey’rehellonwheels.Theyreacttoeverythingthat’sgoingon.They’renotinchargeoftheirlife!

Iwasteachingsomekidsthedifferencebetweenreactingandresponding.Iwastalkingtoonelittlegirlwhowassayingshegotintroubleinschool.Iaskedherwhyandshesaidbecauseshehitoneoftheboys.Iaskedwhyandshesaidbecause“he’sstupid.”

Isaid,“Well,oddsareprettygoodthathe’snotgoingtogetbrightforquiteawhile...andyougotintroubleforit.”

Shesaid,“Yes.”Isaid,“Whydidyouhithim?”Shesaid,“Becauseofthethingshewassaying.”Isaid,“Isee.OK.Whydon’tyoulearnanewwaytorespondtothese

situations?Youknow,IhavebeenaroundtheparkforquiteawhileandIhavefoundthatboysdon’tmatureveryfast,andsomeofthemneverdo.Butyou’regoingtobearoundthemandifyou’regoingtoreacteverytimethattheydosomethingdumb,thenyou’llbegoingaroundinareactionarystateallthetime.

Whenaboyactsdumb,whydon’tyoujustsaytoyourself,‘Well,thatwassuredumbofhim.I’mgladI’mnotlikethat.’Thengoaboutyourbusiness.Youwouldn’thavegottenintroublebecauseyou’renotgoingtochangehisbehavioranyway.”

Whenyoureact,youputthesituationorthepersonincontrolofyou.Whenyourespond,youstayincontrol.That’sthedifferencebetweenreactingandresponding.That’snotabigdealtolearn,butI’mtellingyouthatwhenyoulearnit,itisabigdeal.

Nowlet’slookatthegraphicagain:

There’stheconsciousmind.Allright.Theconsciousmindbuildspictures.Youthink.Youtakethosepictures.They’reyourdreams.Andyouimpressthosedreamsuponthesubconsciousmind.Sothepictureyouhold,youimpressuponyoursubconsciousmind.Thatideaisthenexpressedthroughthebodyintoaction.Theactionsetsupareaction.See,theLawofAttractionisactuallytheuniversereactingtotheenergythatyou’rein.Andtheaction/reactionalterstheconditions,circumstancesandenvironment,orinthevernacular,whatwecalltheresults.

That’stheprocess.Let’sgobackoveritagain.Youbuildthepictureintheconsciousmind.Thisiswhereyoubuildyourdream.Youtakethatdreamandyougetemotionallyinvolvedwithit.Youletyourselfgetemotionallyinvolved.Youactuallyfeelitallhappening.Thatwillchangeyouremotionalstate.“Feeling”isawordweinventedtodescribeourconsciousawarenessofvibration.Thatfeelingorvibrationisexpressedinaction.Theactionsetsupa

reaction.Theaction/reactionthenaltersourconditions,circumstancesandenvironmentinourlife.

Sowhatdowewanttounderstand?Wewanttounderstandthatourresults(theconditions,circumstancesandenvironment)arecausedbywhat’sgoingoninourmind.Thereactionisactuallytheattraction.

It’saprettysimpleconcept.Wouldyouagree?That’showitworks.Who’sgotquestionsonthis?

STUDENT:Thethingswesayaboutspiritandthinking—theproblemIhavenowisputtingittoaction.Iknowthereisaspirit,butIdon’tknowhowtomaketheactionhappen.Whenyou’retalkingsometimesIdon’tbelieveit,butIthink,OK,Bobhasenoughexperience,I’msureit’strue!Andthat’sonething.ThentheotherthingisabouttheLawofGiving—really,Iamhererightnow,itmightbeselfish—butIwanttogetrichmyself.I’mnotthinkingaboutgettingmoneytogiveatthispoint.Iwanttogetmoneymyself.

BOB:Whydoyouwantit?

STUDENT:Iwanttoenjoyit.

BOB:Howareyougoingtoenjoyit?

STUDENT:Thelifestyle.Myfamily.

BOB:Nowwaitaminute.It’sforyourfamily.Whatareyougoingtodowiththemoney?Areyougoingtogiveittoyourfamily?Let’sstaywiththisforamoment.Let’ssupposeyouearnallkindsofmoneyandyoujustkeepitinyourroominadrawerandeverynowandthenyougoandcountit.Youdon’tshareanythingwiththefamily—“No,getoutofhere!I’mnotgoingtogiveittoyou!”—You’dbeamiserableoldmanprettysoon,wouldn’tyou?

STUDENT:Well,wecouldbuyhouses...

BOB:Youwanttosavesomeofthesethingsandshareitwiththem.

STUDENT:Sure.

BOB:Youwon’tenjoyituntilyoudo.Ifyougetanewcar,youdon’treallyenjoythecaruntilyoushowittosomebody.Yousharethebeautyorthecomfortofthecarwithsomebodyandthey’llsay,“Gosh,thisisreallynice.”Youdon’tenjoyanythinguntilyoushareit.Idon’tcareifit’sasunset.You

couldbesittingtheresaying,“Wow,lookatthat.Isn’tthatbeautiful!”Butifthere’ssomebodyelsethereandyousay,“Lookatthat!Wow!Lookatthat!!,”youenjoyitmore,don’tyou?

Youshouldwillinglygiveandgraciouslyreceive.It’samatterofkeepingthingsmoving.Keepitinthecycle.Circulation.

STUDENT:ButIfeelIdon’thaveenoughmoneytogivenow.

BOB:Givewhatyou’vegot.

STUDENT[laughing]:Butthat’snotmygoalnow.Mygoalistogetmoney.

BOB:Iunderstandexactlywhereyou’recomingfromandaswegetinvolvedinthisIthinkyou’regoingtogettheanswertothat.Youwill.Doyouwanttoknowsomething?Thereareawholelotofpeoplehereinexactlythesamespot,thinkingI’llgiveitifIgetit,butIwanttogetit!Youarenotonyourown.We’llshowyou.You’llsee.

BOB:Anybodyelsehaveaquestiononthis?Yes.

STUDENT:Inyourmodel,wereactbecausethereissomeaction.Andthenyousaidthatwewereattractedtothataction.Canyouexplainthatfurther?

BOB:You’vegottocometogripswiththisinyourmind.You’vegottoactorrespondinacontrolledway—awaythatattractswhatyouwantinsteadofwhatyoudon’twant.Whenyoureact,youareattractingwhatyoudon’twant.Inotherwords,youwanttorespondinsteadofreactandthenwhatyouwantwillcomeback.

STUDENT:Whydosomanypeoplereact?

BOB:Wereactbecausewe’vebeentrainedtoreact.Weletwhat’sgoingonoutsideofuscontrolofus.Ifwecouldstopandobservewhat’sgoingonaroundusandstopreactingtoit,wewouldbewayfurtherahead.SoIthinkthatwhathappenswhenwechangeiswestarttodothat.Westarttoobserveandnotreactandwhenwefindourselvesgoingtoreact,westop.We’vegottofirstbecomeawareofwhatwe’redoing.Wedon’tchangeitrightaway.

I’llgiveyouagoodexampleofchangingwhat’sgoingon.WhenIwasalittlekid,I’dsay,“Areyouscoming?”Iftherewasmorethanoneitwouldbe

“Areyouscoming?”Thatwasverynaturaltome.It’smorethanonesoit’syous,notyou.Therearethree,fourorfiveofyou!Mrs.GregorywasmybuddyJack’smother.WeusedtobearoundtheirhouseandMrs.Gregorywouldalwayssay,“Bob,it’snot‘yous,’it’s‘you.’”SoIthought,She’sreallydumb.There’smorethanone,howcoulditbe“you”?Shedidnotletup.Everytime—“Bob,it’snot‘yous,’it’s‘you.’”Shekeptitupandkeptitup.ThenIgottoapointwhereI’dsay“Areyouscoming?”andI’dbeawareIsaidit.Icouldhearmyselfsayingit.ThenIgottothepointwhereI’dstopwhenIwasgoingtosay“Areyouscoming?”andI’dsay“Areyoucoming?”Itfeltveryuncomfortable.AndnowwheneverIhearanybodysay“Areyouscoming?”IseeMrs.Gregory!

Youfirsthavetobecomeawareofwhatyou’redoing.Youhavetobecomeawarethatyou’rereactingtosituations.Thenyouhavetostopyourself.Somethinginsidewantsyoutoreact.You’regoingtostrikeback.You’regoingtoreact.You’vegottostopyourselffromreactingandtakecontrolofthesituation.Sometimestherewillbenoreactiononyourpartatall.Youwillnotdoanything.Youwilltakenoaction.Youjustobserveandletitgo.Thisisnotaneasythingtolearn.ButI’mgoingtotellyou—thecompensationforlearningitisastronomical.Itisreallygood.

I

CLASSSEVENTEEN

THINKYOURDREAMSINTOREALITY

ThinkingYourDreamsintoBeing

usedtomentoramanwhohadmoremoneythananyoneIknow.Hehada120-footyachtthathewouldsailintheCaribbean,andthenhewouldshipthe

yachttotheMediterraneanandsailintheMediterranean.HehadabeautifulplaceinCapd’AntibesinthesouthofFrance.HehadanotherplaceinGstaad.HehadabeautifulplaceinEatonSquareinLondon.IfItookyouinthereandtoldyouitwasPrinceCharles’scondo,youwouldhavebelievedme.ThismanwasverywealthyandusedtoflymedowntohisyachtintheMediterraneanortheCaribbeanormaybeovertoCapd’Antibes.Iwouldworkwithhimforthreeorfourdays,formanythousandsofdollars,andmyjobwastogethimtogobacktowork.

That’sright...hewouldn’twork!Iguesshewouldn’tworkbecausehewasraisedtobelievethatyouworkedtoearnmoney,whichhehadmorethanenoughof.That’safoolishidea,bytheway,theideathattheendgoalofworkistoearnmoney.That’sactuallytheworstwaytoearnmoney.Butatanyrate,Ididmyjob,Ididgethimtogotowork,andwhenIdid,Iwasoutofwork.Ienjoyedworkingwithhim.

OnethingthatreallystruckmeaboutthisclientisthefactthathewouldplayLouisArmstrong’ssong“WhataWonderfulWorld”everymorning.Everymorningwecouldhearitthroughoutthevessel,throughouttheplace,wherever

wewere.Itwouldplayoverandoverandoveragain,andIthought,Youknow,there’ssomethingtothat!

IsuggestyouputthatsongonaniPodorsomethingandwakeuptoiteverymorning.Youmightwanttoget“ICanSeeClearlyNow”byJohnnyNashand“Pretend”byNatKingCole,too,whileyou’reatit.Youknowhowthatonegoes:

Pretendyou’rehappywhenyou’reblueItisn’tveryhardtodoAndyou’llfindhappinesswithoutanendWheneveryoupretend

Ifyouplaysongslikethatallthetime,you’regoingtoprogramyourmind.Atfirst,you’lljustpretend.Butprettysoon,you’llfindhappinesswithoutend.

Here’swhy:Referbacktothestickpersongraphic.Youseetheconsciousmind,the

subconsciousandthebody.Here’swhatwewanttoknow—theconsciousmindisthethinkingmind.Itisalsotheeducatedmind.Thisisthepartofthemindthatschoolreallyfocuseson.ThisiswheretheintellectandallthoseintellectualfactorsIwastalkingaboutareresident—intheconsciousmind.

Theemotionalmindisquitedifferentfromtheconsciousmind.Forthepsychmajors,theconsciousmindisinductiveanddeductive.Inotherwords,theconsciousmindhastheabilitytoacceptandrejectbutitalsohastheabilitytojustaccept.OK.Thesubconsciousistotallydeductive.Inotherwords,ithasnoabilitytoreject.Theconsciousmindhastheabilitytochoose.Asthispowerflowsintoyourconsciousmind,youcanchoosewhattodowithit.Youcanchooseanythingyouwanttothink.Youcanthinkanythingyouwanttothink.

Thisishugewhenyouthinkaboutit.There’sapowerflowingthroughyou.Therearesomethingsyouthinkyouhavetodo.Therearesomethingsyouthinkyoucan’tcontrol.Thereisonlyonethingyoucancontrol—andthat’syou.Youcan’tcontrolanythingelse.Youcancontrolyourperceptionofsomethingelse.Youcancontrolhowyourespondtoit.Butyou’reincontrolofyou.Youhavetheabilitytochoose.Youhavetheabilitytoacceptorrejectanyidea.Youknowwhatyouhearontelevision—youcanrejectitall.Youdon’thavetoacceptanyofit.Whentheytalkabouttheeconomygoingdownthetubes—rejectit.Someonecomesalongandtheypointout,“Well,thesearethefactsandyou’vegottopayattentiontothem!”Youdon’thavetopayattention.Youcanrejectit.

Idon’thavetopayattentiontosomethingthatIdonotwanttopayattentionto.Godgavemetheabilitytochoose.I’mgoingtochoosetorejectallthatjazz.

Whenyourejectit,youhavetheabilitytooriginateathought.Ifyoucouldseeabeautifulpower,it’sflowingintoyourconsciousness.It’slikeafunnel.It’sflowingtoandthroughyou.Whenitflowsintoyouithasnoform.Ithasnoform.It’sapure,unadulterated,creativeenergythat’sflowingintoyourconsciousmind.Youhavetheabilitytochoose.Whateveryouchoose,andyouimpress,yoursubconsciousmindmustaccept.Ithasabsolutelynoabilitytoreject.Yoursubconsciousmindistotallydeductive.

Nowthisisthepartthatyoureallywanttotryandgrasp.Yoursubconsciousmindcannotdifferentiatebetweenwhat’srealandwhat’simagined.IfIputyouinahypnoticstate,Icouldcauseyoutosweat.Icouldhaveyoubelievingthatitwas120degreesinthisroom.AndthenasecondlaterIcouldhaveyoushiveringbecauseit’ssocold.Thetemperatureintheroomdidn’tchange,butyourperceptionofthetemperatureintheroomchangedbecauseoftheideaIputinyourmind.

Icouldturnmybodyasrigidasthistable.It’scalledcatalepsy.BecauseItellit,itisstiffandrigid.WhateverItellittodo.It’smybody.Yourbodyisaninstrumentofthemind.Whenyoubuildanimageinyourmindofwhatyouwant,you’vegottounderstandthatyoursubconsciousmindcannotrejectit.Itistotallysubjective.Onehundredpercent.Anditcannotdifferentiatebetweenwhat’srealandwhat’simagined.Itmustacceptit.

WhatIjustcoveredthere—it’sthemostimportantthingyoucouldeverlearn.Here’syouandmetoday.There’sapower.It’sflowingintoyour

consciousness.You’vegotthenewspaper...theradio...theTV...younameit.They’reallflowingintoourconsciousmind.Becausewehaveareasoningfactor—rememberwesaidthatreasonwasoneoftheintellectualfactors—that’swhatgivesustheabilitytothink.Wecansay,“I’mnotgoingtoacceptthat.I’mnotgoingtothinkthat.I’mnotgoingtolistentothat.”WecanjustsayI’mrejectingitandyoucouldgetridofit.

Butwedon’tdothat.Whatdowedo?I’lltellyouexactlywhatwedo.Weleaveourmindwideopenwhenthatstuffcomesalong.Wedon’tevenreasonwithit.Weleaveourmindwideopenanditgoesdirectlytooursubconsciousmind.Whydowedothat?Becausewe’reprogrammedtodoit.That’swhereourparadigmis.

Holdyourhandforamomentlikethis—putitonyourchinforasecond,wouldyoudothat?Comeon.Where’syourchin?Whatareyoudoingupthere(putshandoncheek)?Why’dyougothere?BecauseIdid.IfIwalkedoffacliff,wouldyoufollowme?Comeon!!Followme!!Youknowwhatwashappening?

Youweren’tthinking!Yoursubconsciousmindwaswideopen!YoudidexactlywhatIdid!

That’sthewaywelive.Weseeallthosepeopleoutthereandwe’rejustfollowinglikesheep...“Thatmustbethewaytogo!They’reallgoingthatway!!”No,that’sreallynotthewaytogo!There’snobusinessthere.Allthebusinessisdownhere.See.Youseetwoorthreepeoplegoingdownandgettingallthebusiness.Whydowedothat?Thatiswhatyouhavebeenraisedtodo!It’slikespeakingthelanguageyouspeak.It’slikelikingthefoodyoulike.Whydoyoulikeit?Youdidn’tdecideyoulikethefood.Yousay,“Oh,Idecided.”No,youdidn’t.Whydoyouspeakthelanguageyouspeak?Youweretrainedtospeakthelanguage.

Asaninfant,yoursubconsciousmindiswideopen.Whateverisgoingonaroundyougoesrightintoyoursubconsciousmind.Iwantyoutothinkofthisforamoment.Wecantakeababyinanypartoftheworldandbeforethatbabyisfourorfiveyearsold—beforesheevengoestoschool,thatbabycouldlearnfivelanguages,speakfivelanguagesfluently.That’snotuncommoninsomepartsoftheworld.IhadanassociateinKualaLumpurwhoselittleboyatfouryearsoldcouldspeakfourlanguages.Nobodythoughtanythingofit.Therewerepeoplearoundwhowerespeakingfourlanguages.Thelittleboyspokefourlanguages.Here,I’mstilllearningone.

Doyouknowthatyoucanteachababytoreadbeforethebabycantalk,andthenwhenthebabycantalkyoucangivehimabookandhe’llreadittoyou?Remember,thesubconsciousmindwillacceptwhateveryougivetoit.It’swideopen.

Well,ifyougointoawelfarearea,almostallwelfarerecipientsarethird-,fourth-,fifth-generationwelfarerecipients.Didyourmotherloveyou?Sowegobackthroughallthatcrap.Let’ssupposewefindtheproblem.Youstillhavetheproblem!Whywouldyouspendallthattimelookingfortheproblem?Whenyoufindit,youstillhaveit!That’saformofpsychoanalysisIthink,isn’tit?Let’sthrowthatout.Let’sjustsaythat’spartofthepast.Howaboutpsychotherapy?Thatwouldbealittlebitmoreprogressive.Doesthatmakesense?

OK.So,howdowegetallofthoseideas?Well,overandoverandoverthatinformationisprogrammedintothesubconsciousmind.Lookatthisforamoment.Thebaby’smindiswideopen.Shewillacceptwhateveryougivetoit.That’sthelanguagethebabylearns.Thebaby’sself-imageisbuiltataveryearlyage—beforethebabyevenhastheabilitytothink,beforetheconsciousfacultieshaveevenbeenformed.Thischildcannoteventhinkandyetthebabyisbuildingaself-image—whatthebabythinksofherself.Thetruthisthis...

thebabyishavingtheself-imagebuiltforherandmoreoftenthannot,thepersonbuildingitisignorantabouthumanpotential.Youfindachildwho’sraisedwithalotofpraiseandthatchild’sgoingtogrowupveryconfident.Youfindachildwho’sraisedwithalotofcriticism,he’sgoingtogrowupveryinsecure.Youcanputwhateveryouwantintothebaby’smind.Putitinoverandoverandover.

Whydoyoulikethefoodyoulike?Youwereprogrammedtolikeit.Whydoyouspeakthelanguage?Youwereprogrammedtospeakit.Whydoyouhavetheprejudicesyouhave?Youwereprogrammedtohavethem.Whydoesoneraceofpeoplethinkthey’resuperiortoallothers?We’redifferentcolors,differentshapes,differentsizesanddifferentgenders.Youknowsomething—there’sonecommondenominator—there’sonemind.Weareallanexpressionofexactlythesamething.

Oh,nowallthisconditioning—thatconditioningturnsintowhatisself-image,butself-imageisonlyoneidea.Whatwereyousurroundedby?Lookatthisforaminute.

RobertHeinleinwasasciencefictionwriterinthe1960s.HewroteaboutaStrangerinaStrangeLand,whichistrue,“Intheabsenceofclearlydefinedgoals,webecomestrangelyloyaltoperformingdailytriviauntilultimatelywebecomeenslavedbyit.”

Thisistrueaboutmostpeople.Theybecomeenslavedbytrivia.That’salltheyknow!Trivia!Nothing.There’snotacreativethoughtthatcomesoutoftheminyears.Andtheywonderwhythey’renotenjoyinglife.Whathappened?Life’spassedmeby.Whatdoyoumeanlife’spassedyouby?

Well,ifyou’resurroundedbypeoplewhoselivesarefilledwithdailytrivia,oddsareprettygoodthatyourlifeis,too.Ifyouhadpeoplearoundwhileyouweregrowingupbelievingthatitwasdifficulttoearnmoney,oddsareprettygoodyoubelievethat,too.Ifyouweresurroundedbypeoplewhenyouweregrowingupwhostruggledjusttomakeendsmeet,they’regoodpeople,theyjustdon’thavemuch,butthey’regood.Ifyougrewuparoundpeoplewhothoughtthere’ssomethingwrongwithhavingmoney,richpeoplearen’thappy,Iknowrichpeoplewholaugh.Whydidwegrowupwiththeseideas?Wegrewupwithalltheprejudicesandallthescrewed-upthinkingofthepeoplewe’resurroundedby.

Yousay,“ButIlovemyparents.”Well,Iloveminetoobuttheydidn’treallyhaveitverywellputtogether.Myfather...Ineverreallyknewhim.Hewassortofaloserwholeftearly.Mymotherwasabeautifulperson,ahard-workingwoman,butworkedhardallherlife.See.Whatwereweprogrammedtodo?

Let’sjustchangethethinking.Let’sreprogramthemind.

T

CLASSEIGHTEEN

YOUDON’TNEEDTODOITALL

ThePowerofaMastermind

here’sastoryaboutmywife,Linda,thatIwastellingtheconsultantstheotherday.Sherentedatwo-thousand-square-footspaceandwemetwitha

manfromToday’sBusinesswhoIwasdoingseminarsfor;theyfurnishoffices.Theydress’emup,youknow,doarealnicejob.Shehiredthemtocomeinanddoheroffice.Theyhadtherightkindoffurnitureandcarpets.Everything!Soshegotallthesedesks,allthese...alotoffurniture,let’sputitthatway—twothousandsquarefeetoffurniture—andshestartedherownbusiness.Isaid,“You’vegottogetpeopletostartworkingwithyou!”Lindagotpeopleworkingbutshewasinfaroverherhead.

Iwenthomeonedayandfoundherinthebedroomunderthecovers.Literally,underthecovers.Shehadthempulledupoverherhead.Whatdowedo?Wegobacktothewomb.Doyouevergetlikethat?Yougetscared.Youreverttothewomb.

That’swhereshewas.Isaid,“Linda,what’sthematter?”Shesaid,“Ican’tdothis!I’minovermyhead!”Whatshewantedmetodoisputmyarmaroundherandsay,“Honey,letme

doitforyou,I’llhelpyou.”Instead,Isaid,“Wellthen,quit!”AndIwalkedout.Doyouknowwhathappened?Shestraightenedupunderthosecoversand

said,“Youbastard—I’mnotquitting.”Ithought,Itworked!Shedidn’tquit.Shestartedtogo.

Youknow,there’salittlebookIhave:AsaManThinkethbyJamesAllen.Ilovethislittlebook.Hesays:“Amanonlybeginstobeamanwhenheceasestowhineandrevile,andcommencestosearchforthehiddenjusticewhichregulateshislife.”Astrongpersoncannothelpaweakerpersonunlessthatweakerpersonreallywantstobehelped,andeventhentheweakerpersonmustbecomestronghimself.Hemust,byhisownefforts,developthestrengththatheadmiresinanother.Nooneelsecanalterhiscondition.

See,Icouldn’tdoitforLinda.Shehadtochangeherwayofthinking,stopreactingtothecircumstancesandbegintousethemtodiscoverthehiddenpowerandpossibilitieswithinherself.Shehadtodoitforherselfsoshecouldgrow.

Backin1961IwassittingandtryingtofigureouthowIcouldearnthe$25,000Ihadwrittenonmycard.ThenRayshowedmeStep6inThinkandGrowRich.It’scalled“OrganizedPlanning.”Rightatthetopofapageitsays,“Beforeyoucanbesureofyourabilitytotransmutedesireintoitsmonetaryequivalent,youwillrequirespecializedknowledgeoftheservice,merchandise,orprofessionthatyouintendtoofferinreturnforfortune.”

You’vegottohavespecializedknowledgeifyou’regoingtoearnthemoney.AndIdidn’thaveanyspecializedknowledge.Ididn’tgotoschool.Ididn’thaveanybusinessexperience.Poorme.I’mputtingmyselfdown,youknow.I’mthinkingofeverythingIdidn’thave.RaytoldmethatuntilIstopputtingmyselfdownIwasnevergoingtogetup.HetoldmetostartthinkingofallthethingsIhadgoingformeandtoreallygetthatIdidn’thavetohavethespecializedknowledge.

Nowlet’slookatthispart—thisisjustfurtherdownonthesamepage.Thisisrathergood.Hillsaid,“Theaccumulationofgreatfortunescallsforpowerandpowerisacquiredthroughhighlyorganizedandintelligentlydirectedspecializedknowledge,butthatknowledge[myemphasis]doesnot,necessarily,havetobeinthepossessionofthe[person]whoaccumulatesthefortune.”

ThisisthesecondtimeIamsharinginformationfromMr.Carnegie...itissoimportant.AndrewCarnegiewasthewealthiestmanintheworldin1908.HewasapoorlittleScottishboywhocametoAmericawithhisparents.Hemadehismoneyinthesteelbusiness.Remember,hesaidinanotherpartofthebookthatheknewnothingaboutthemarketingormanufacturingofsteel,and

furthermore,hehadnoinclinationtolearn.Hegoteverythingheneededthroughtheaidofhismastermindgroup.

Ifyouthinkyouneeditall,forgetit.Youdon’tneeditall.IclearlylearnedthatIdon’tneeditall.There’sallkindsofthingsthatIdon’tknow.Ihavesurroundedmyselfwithsomeabsolutelyincredibleindividuals.Ifyougottoknowthepeopleinourcompany,youwouldbeveryimpressed.Wehavethemostphenomenalpeoplewhoyou’llevermeet.GinaHaydenisageniusinexecution.Man,shecanmakestuffhappen!Icango—itdoesn’tmatterwhereIgointheworld—andeverything’sreadyforme.IcangotoKiev—sevendifferentlanguagesweweredealingwith,alltranslatedsimultaneouslyinsevendifferentboothsintheback.Everythingjustfallsinplacelikeclockwork.WhenIgetofftheplane,there’salimowaitingthere.Idon’thavetoworryaboutanything.Ginamakeseverythinghappen.WehadSandyGallaghercomeintothecompany.Sheisanabsolutegeniuswithmoney.Ihaveneverseenanyonewhounderstandsmoneylikeshedoes.Shecanlookatafinancialstatementandseesomethingthattheaveragepersonwillneversee.Justageniuswhenitcomestomoney.MykieOylerhere—shewritessomecopy.I’llsay,“Where’dyougetthat?”She’llsay,“Iwroteit.”She’sgood,reallygood.Shewritessomeneatstuff.We’vegotsomephenomenalpeopleinthecompany.Absolutelyincredible.Everywhereyougo,you’regoingtofindsomephenomenalpeople.ArashVossoughiheadsupoursalesforce.Heistremendous.Youattractgreatpeoplewhenyoucontinuallyworkonyou.

Youneed“highlyorganizedandintelligentlydirectedspecializedknowledge.”Buthere’sthekeytoit—youdon’thavetohaveit.Now,watch.Youcanobtainthespecializedknowledge,savingyourselfyearsoftime-consumingstudyandhardship.Therearegoingtobepeoplewhowillbeabletohelpyou.Thewholeideaistoputasmuchoutthereasyoucan.Youjusthavetothinkofmorewaystohelppeople.Youdon’thavetoworryaboutwhat’sgoingtohappentoyou.Youwillfindthattheuniversewillrewardyouinabundance.Justthinkofhowyoucanhelpotherpeople.That’sallyouhavetothinkabout.

Youdon’thavetoknowhowtodoeverything.I’mjustverygoodatwhatIdo,andIgetotherstodoeverythingelse.

Doyouknowwhatthedefinitionofcreativityis?Noroutine.Itistheoppositeofroutine.Getoutofaroutine.Andyoucangetpeopletohelpyou.

Amastermindissomethingyougiveto,nottakefrom.Ifwe’reallgiving,it’sthatmastermindenergythataddstoallofus.Let’ssayMykieandIareinamastermind...weaddtoit,butcarefully.Mykiewillsay,“Let’saddMichelle.”Sosomething’sarrangedandIspendtimewithMichelle.ThenIcomebacktoMykieandsay,“Idon’tthinkso.”Idon’thavetotellherwhy.Theenergywasn’tthere.Notonthesamefrequency.Itdoesn’tmeananythingiswrong.ButmaybeMichelleandIareonthesamefrequencysoIsayyes,andit’sallthreeofusonthesamefrequency.We’reallinharmony.

It’snotabrainstormingsession.Arealmastermindiswheneveryonecomestogetherandthey’reinharmony.Mostpeopledon’thavearealmastermind.MarkVictorHansenandIhaveamastermind—weinvitepeoplefromtimetotime.That’swheretheMillionDollarForumcamefrom.It’saboutwhatyoucangive.Ifyougowiththatattitude—togive—you’llbeamazedbywhatyougetoutofit.

T

CLASSNINETEEN

IT’SYOURMOVE

ThePowerofDecision

hereisasinglementalmoveyoucanmakethat,inamillisecond,willsolveenormousproblemsforyou.Ithasthepotentialtoimprovealmostany

personalorbusinesssituationyouwilleverencounter...anditcouldliterallypropelyoudownthepathtoincrediblesuccess.I’mtalkingaboutdecision.

Youknow,infifty-plusyearsinthesamebusiness,youlearnsomethingifyoureallywanttomakethingsfly.Ihavefoundthatmostpeoplehavedifficultywithdecisions.Theylookataproblem,theyseeallthepossiblesolutions,buttheydon’tzeroinonone.Untilyouzeroinononeandtakeactiononit,nothinghappens.

Here’stypicallywhathappens.Wehaveastreamofthoughtsmovingthroughourmindandwepicksomethingthatwereallylike.Andwesay,“Youknowwhat?ThisiswhatIreallywanttohappen.”Andwesetatargettoshootat.

Buthere’sthemistakethatmostpeoplemake.Theysay,“I’mgoingtodothatassoonas...Ifindthemoney.I’mgoingtotakethatvacation...assoonasIfindthemoney.I’mgoingtoopenanotheroffice...assoonasIfindthemoney.”

Doyouknowsomething?You’renevergoingtofindthemoney.You’realwayslookingforwhatyouthinkyouneedtogettowhereyouwanttogoonthefrequencyofyourthoughts.Butitdoesn’tworkthatway.You’renotgoingtofindwhatyou’relookingforonthatlevel.You’vegottobecourageous.

You’vegottostepoutandsay,“I’mgoingtodothisandI’mgoingtodoitnow.”

EdmundHillarydidn’tknowhowtogettothetopofMountEverestuntilhegotthere.TheWrightbrothersdidn’tknowhowtogetintotheairuntiltheygotthere.Thesecondyoumakethedecision—Bingo!—youflipyourbrainontoadifferentfrequencyandtheappropriatethoughtsstartrollingintoyourmind.That’showitworks!

ThisisoneofthemostimportantlessonsI’veeverlearned.Ithashelpedmeearnmillions.Anditwillhelpyoutodothesame.

Theworld’smostsuccessfulpeopleareallabletomakedecisions.Decisionmakersgotothetopandthosewhocan’tmakedecisionsseemtogonowhere.Thinkaboutit.Decisionsorthelackofthemareresponsibleforthemakingorbreakingofcareers.

Individualswhohavebecomeproficientatmakingdecisions,withoutbeinginfluencedbythedecisionsofothers,arethesamepeoplewhoseannualincomesfallintothesix-andseven-figurecategories.Thepeoplewhoneverdevelopthementalstrengthtomakethesevitalmovesarerelegatedtothelowerincomeranksforalloftheircareers,andmoreoftenthannot,theirlivesbecomelittlemorethanadull,boringexistence.

Ofcourse,it’snotjustyourincomethatisaffectedbydecisions.Yourwholelifeisaffected.Thehealthofyourmindandbody,thewell-beingofyourfamily,yoursociallifeandthetypesofrelationshipsyoudeveloparealldependentuponyourabilitytomakesounddecisions.

Youwouldthinkthatanythingasimportantasdecisionmakingwouldbetaughtineveryschool.Butit’snot.Andtocompoundtheproblem,decisionmakingisnotonlymissingfromthecurriculumofalmostallofourformaleducationalinstitutions,ithasbeenleftoutofvirtuallyallofthetrainingandhumanresourcedevelopmentprogramsinourcorporatetrainingworld.

Atthispoint,youcouldbeaskingyourself,“HowamIexpectedtodevelopthisability?”Well,Ihavetheanswerforyou.Youhavegottodoitonyourown.Thegoodnewsisyou’vealreadybegunbythinkingaboutanddigestingtheinformationthatIamsharingwithyourightnow.Thisiscausingyoutobecomemoreawareoftheimportanceofmakingdecisions.

Mostofushaveweakdecision-makingmuscles...wedon’tevenrecognizewhatitmeanstomakearealdecision.Wefailtorealizetheforcethatatrulycongruent,committeddecisionmakes.

Partofourproblemisthatweusetheterm“decision”solooselythatithascometodescribeourwishes,notourcommitments.Insteadofmakingdecisions,westateourpreferences.Theword“decide”comesfromtheLatindecidere—therootsde-,meaning“off,”andcaedere,meaning“tocut”—therefore,makingadecisionmeanscuttingofffromanyotherpossibility.Atruedecision,then,meansyouarecommittedtoachievingaresult,andthencuttingyourselfofffromanyotherpossibility.

Aftermakingatruedecision,especiallyatoughone,youwillusuallyfeelatremendousburdenhasbeenliftedfromyourshoulders.

Committeddecisionsshowupintwoplaces:yourcalendarandyourcheckbook.Nomatterwhatyousayyouvalue,oreventhinkyourprioritiesare,youhaveonlytolookatlastyear’scalendarandcheckbooktoseethedecisionsyouhavemadeaboutwhatyoutrulyvalue.

Forexample,Iamcommittedtogrowth,bothprofessionallyandpersonally.Areviewofmycalendaralwaysshowsmultiplecontinuingeducationcourses,seminarsandworkshopsinbothmypersonalandprofessionallife.

Takealookatyourcalendartoseewhatitsaysaboutyourvalues.

I

CLASSTWENTY

WORKFROMTHEHIGHERTOTHELOWER

LeaveYourSensesOutofIt

nthissession,we’regoingtobreakdownthefirstpageofRaymondHolliwell’schapterontheLawofSuccessinhisbookWorkingwiththeLaw.

Thisisaphenomenalchapterthatwecantakesomegreatlessonsfrom.Forinstance,Holliwellsaid,“Godintendedeveryindividualtosucceed.Itis

God’spurposethatmanshouldbecomegreat.”Isn’tthatwonderful?GodintendedthatyouandIwouldbecomegreat.Inanotherbook,amannamedRobertRussellsaid,andIamparaphrasing,

thereisnosecrettobecominggreat.Youbecomegreatbydoinglittlethingsinagreatwayeveryday.

Soyoudon’thavetolookforsomethingreallybig.Startrightwhereyouare.Doyourbestateverythingyoudo.

Holliwellgoesontosay,“ItisGod’swillthatmanshouldnotonlyuse,butenjoy,everygoodintheuniverse.TheLawofGoddeniesmannothing.Manisborntoberich.”

IcreatedaprogramyearsagothatwasbasedoneverythingIhadlearnedatthetime.ItwascalledYouWereBornRichbecauseit’strue—youwerebornrich.Youhavedeepreservoirsoftalentandabilitywithinyou.You’reprobablyjustalittleshortofmoney.ButasHolliwellsayshere,“Thepowersinherentwithinyouareinexhaustible.”

Iwantyoutothinkaboutthatforamoment.Youhavepowersthatareinexhaustible!Thisisalaw.

Hesaid,“Eachnormalpersonisendowedwithacompletesetoffacultieswhich,ifproperlydevelopedandscientificallyapplied,willensuresuccess,ever-growingsuccess.”

ThegreatNapoleonHillsaid,“Aneducated[person]isnot,necessarily,onewhohasanabundanceofgeneralorspecializedknowledge.Aneducated[person]isonewhohassodevelopedthefacultiesofhismindthathemayacquireanythinghewants,oritsequivalent,withoutviolatingtherightsofothers.”

Butwe’renottaughttodevelopthosefaculties.We’retaughttolivebyourfivesenses.Doyouknowwhatthatdoes?Itprogramsustolivefromtheoutsidein.Itprogramsustolivefromthebottomup.WhatdoImeanbythat?Imean,welivefromthephysicaluptotheintellectualorthespiritual.You’relettingthephysicalcontrolthehigher,butitdoesn’tworkthatway.

Godworksfromthehighertothelower.Spiritalwaysmanifestsfromthehighertothelower,fromthenonphysicaltothephysical.Ifyou’regoingtoliveinharmonywiththelaw,that’sthewayyou’regoingtohavetowork.You’regoingtohavetoworkfromthethoughttothething,andnotfromthethingtothethought.

NowwhatdoImeanbythat?Imean,don’tletyourbankaccountdictateyourfinancialstatus.

OneofthethingsIaskpeoplewhentheyfirstcometoworkwithmeiswhat’sthemostyou’veeverearnedinayear?Irememberaskingoneofmyoldbusinesspartnersthatquestion.Hesaid,“$100,000.”Hewasprettyproudofitandthatwasprettygoodmoney.

Isaid,“IfyoudoexactlywhatItellyou,I’llshowyouhowtochangethatintoamonthlyincome.”Anddoyouknowthatwithinmonthshewasearningthatasamonthlyincome?That’swhatwedo.Weteachpeoplehowtoturntheirannualincomeintotheirmonthlyincomebysettingupmultiplesourcesofincome.

EarlierImentionedthatHolliwellsaidthateachnormalpersonhasacompletesetoffacultiesthatwillensuregreaterandgreatersuccesswhenthey’redevelopedproperly.We’vetalkedaboutthosefacultiesbeforesoIwon’tgointoanygreatdetailaboutthemnow.But,remember,youhaveperception—that’sthewayyoulookatlife,yourwill—thatteachesyoutoconcentrate,yourmemory.There’snosuchthingasabadmemory;youhaveperfectmemory.Youhavereason—that’syourabilitytothink—andyouhaveintuitionandimagination.Theseareallphenomenalmentaltools.Youcandevelopthemto

experiencegreaterandgreatersuccess.You’regoingtohavetousethemifyou’regoingtolivefromtheinsideout.

Holliwellgoeson:“Everymancontainswithinhimselfthecapacityforendlessdevelopment.”

Endlessdevelopment!Idon’tknowaboutyou,butthatexcitesme.I’vebeenworkingonthisnowforoverfifty-fiveyearsandIknowthatI’mgoingtostudyforthenextfifty-fiveyears.Ijustwanttokeepgettingbetteratit.

Nexthesays,“AdvancementintoallthingsistheLaw’sgreatpurpose.BylearningtoworkwiththeLawinpromotingthataim,manmaybuildhimselfintogreaterandgreatersuccess.”

Soyoumightsay,“Whatisthewinformeinreallystudyingtheselaws?”Well,that’sit!You’regoingtobuildyourselfintoagreaterandgreatersuccess.Now,that’saphenomenalidea!You’regoingtoearnmoremoney.Anditwilljustkeepgoing.Iwentfromearning$4,000ayeartoearningmillions.Andit’seasier.Idon’tworkashard.

NapoleonHillsaidittakesnomoreenergytoworkforthebigideathanitdoesforthesmallone.Well,that’swhatwe’resayinghere.

Whatelsecanyouexpect?Well,you’regoingtohavemorefriends—betterfriends.You’regoingtoliveinahealthierbody.You’regoingtoenjoyyourworkmore.You’regoingtodowhatyouwanttodo.Livethewaythatyouwanttolive.

Nowlistentothis.Holliwellsaid,“AlltheprocessesofNaturearesuccessful.Natureknowsnofailures.”That’shuge!

Hecontinues:“Sheneverplansanythingbutsuccess.Sheaimsatresultsineveryformandmanner.Tosucceedinthebestandfullestsenseofthetermwemust,withNatureasourmodel,copyhermethods.Inherprinciplesandlawsweshalldiscoverallthesecretsofsuccess.”

Isn’tthatexciting?Wesucceedwhenwemodelnature.Iknowonething.Thetidealwaysgoesoutandthetidealwayscomesin.Thenightalwaysfollowstheday.Winterneverfollowswinter.Thisisthelawatwork.It’sperfectinallofnature.Andwecandothesamething.

Next,hesaid,“Inherprinciplesandlawsweshalldiscoverallthesecretsofsuccess.Infiniteresourcesareatman’sdisposal.Therearenolimitstohispossibilities.”

Thinkaboutit.Infinite.Thatmeanstherearenolimitsonourability.Andthen:“Hefocusesandindividualizestheelements,forces,andprinciples

ofthewholeworld.”Thewholeworld!That’sabitofastretch,isn’tit?

Doyouknowthateverythinginthisuniversewillrushtoyouraidwhenyouareworkinginharmonywiththelaw?Thisisn’tsomedecisionbysomeemotionalorcapriciousGodsittingonacloud.Thisistheabsolutelawoftheuniverse.ThelawistheuniformandorderlymethodoftheomnipotentGod.It’sthewayeverythingworks.Andeverythingworksperfectly.

Holliwellcontinues:“Hecandevelopawonderfulintelligence;thus,alllife’squestionsmaybeanswered,allNature’ssecretsdiscovered,andallhumanproblemssolved.Nothingisimpossible.”

Nowyoumaybethinkingthattheworldisindireneedofthis.Oh,youaresoright!

Butdoyouknowit’sbecausewe’relivinginharmonywiththelawthatwecanlivethewaywedo?Doyouknowtherearesomepeoplewhohaveneverseenatoilet?Doyouknowtherearesomepeoplewhohaveneverseenanelectricstove?Doyouknowthatthewholeworldlivedlikethatnotlongago?Doyouknowthattheelectriclightisabrandnewidearelativetomostpeopleintheworld?Doyouknowthateverythingwe’vegotthatwetakeforgrantedisrelativelynew?

Allofthishappenedjustinthelastcenturyorso.Thinkaboutit.Andithashappenedbecausewestartedtounderstandthelaw.Thinkofwhatyoucandowhenyouunderstandthelaw.

Holliwellsaid:

Higherfaculties,remarkabletalents,superiorinsight,andgreaterpoweraredormantinall,andbyspecialpsychologicalmethods,theseexceptionalelementscanbedevelopedtoanextraordinarydegreeforactualandpracticaluse.Everymindcandevelopgreatness.ItissimplyamatterofKNOWINGHOW.Trueself-help,self-discovery,self-knowledge,andtheproperinstructionsinapplyingone’sfacultiesandusingone’sforceswilladvanceanyperson.

Yousee,themindisperfect.Itisperfectandmanisnot.Wecanthinkandourthoughtsturnintothings.

Holliwellsaid:

Practicewillensureefficiency;usewillbringforthresults.Success,therefore,iswithinthereachofeveryaspiringman.Doyouwishtosucceed?Youcan.Youpossessalltheessentialswithinyourself;allyouneedistogainarightunderstandingoftheprinciplesandlawsupon

whichsuccessisbased,andthentoapplytherightmethodsofoperatingthesecausesuntilsuccessisearned.

Butyoumustearnit.Thereisnofreelunch.I’vejusttouchedonthefirstpageoftheLawofSuccess.Asyougetintothis,

you’regoingtorealizethatthere’sgreathelpeverywherearoundus.Wecanhaveeverythingwewant.Wecanenjoyallthegoodwewanttoenjoy.Butonlyifweworkinharmonywiththelaw.

IstartedearningoveramilliondollarswhenIstartedcleaningoffices.Butyouknow,IthinkcleaningtheofficeswasalmostincidentaltowhatIwasdoing.Icouldhavebeendoinganything.

Ihadtofindoutwhathappenedtome.WhydidIchange?WhydidIgofrombeingalosertoearningmorethanamilliondollars?

WhatIreallydidwasIchangedmybeliefaboutwhoIam.Ihadreadallofthereligiousbooks;Ihaveaphenomenallibraryofreligiousandself-helpbooks.Ihaveoverthreethousandbooksinmypersonallibraryalone.Butitwasn’tuntilI’dreadThinkandGrowRichthateverythingstartedtochange.Ihadgiventhatbooktootherpeoplebutnothinghappened.

SoIstartedtostudytofigureoutwhyIhadchanged.IttookmenineyearsandwhatIarrivedatisthatIhadchangedmybeliefaboutwhoIam.

Doyouknowthatifyoureallyanalyzemostofyourbeliefs,you’dfindtheyhavenofoundation?Webelievelies.

Nowyousay,“Well,Ibelievethat.”Andyet,ourbehaviorwouldindicatethatwe’veneverheardofit.That’sbecausethere’samissinglink.It’snotobvious.It’sinside.

Yoursuccessdoesn’tcomefromwhatyoudo.It’showyoudoit—it’swhat’sgoingoninside.Itcomesfromlivinginharmonywiththelaw.There’sabigdifference.

E

CLASSTWENTY-ONE

IT’SNOTABOUTTHEMONEY

HavingtheFreedomtoDoWhatYouWant

verythingwewantisalreadyhere—it’ssimplyamatterofgettingit.It’samatterofbecomingawareofitspresence.Themainthingistokeepthe

mainthingthemainthing.Whatisthemainthing?Themainthingisfreedom.IhadamentornamedBillGove.Billisgonenow,buthesaid,“IfIwantto

befree,I’vegottobeme.NotthemeIthinkyouthinkIshouldbe.NotthemeIthinkmywifethinksIshouldbe.NotthemeIthinkmykidsthinkIshouldbe.IfIwanttobefree,I’vegottobeme.And,Ibetterknowwhomeis.”

Idon’tknowhowmuchyouknowaboutyourself,butIknowwhenIstartedtostudythis,Iknewverylittleaboutme.Iknewmyname,myweight,myheight,mygender,myaddress,myphonenumber...beyondthatIdidn’tknowverymuch.

Thinkaboutthisforamoment.Timeandmoneyfreedom.Wewanttimeandmoneyfreedom.Well,youwillbeamazedathowmuchfreetimeyouhavewhenyouneverhavetothinkaboutmoney.Ifyou’vegotmoneyproblems,itconsumesyourtime.

WhenIwasindebteveryoneusedtophonemeandask,“Where’sthemoney,where’sthemoney?”

Isaid,“IfIknewwherethemoneywas,youwouldn’thavetophoneme!”Iearned$4,000ayearandIowed$6,000.That’snotagoodpositiontobein.

Yousee,IwasactuallyhopelessbecauseIwouldhavehadtotakeeverycentIearnedforeighteenmonthsjusttogetoutofdebt.AndIwouldhavenothingto

liveon.IthinktherearealotofpeoplewholivelikeIwasliving.It’snotfun.It’snotevenliving—itisexisting.

Sowhatdowemeanbytimeandmoneyfreedom?Wewanttohaveenoughtimetodowhatwewanttodowhenwewanttodoit.Andwewanttohavethemoneytobeabletoaffordit.

ItusedtobethatifIwentinastore,Iwouldlookatthepricetagandleave.ButIwanttobeabletowalkinifIseesomethingIwantandthepricetagbethelastthingIlookat.Youlookatmostpeoplewhentheygoshoppingandthefirstthingtheylookatisthepricetag.They’renotgettingwhattheywantatall.They’regettingwhattheythinktheycanafford.Littledotheyknowtheycouldbuythewholestore.Somebodydid.It’simportantthatwegetthisstraight.

Doyouknowthatthere’saninfinitesourceofsupply?Allreligionandallsciencehavealwaystaughtthat.Thisisnotmyidea.ThisissomethingIhavebecomeawareof.Whenyou’redealingwithinfinite,youcannevertakemorethanyourshare.Thereisanabundanceforeverybody.

IrememberRayStanford.Hetookoutawadofmoney—themanalwayshadalotofmoneyandIneverhadany—andtoldmethatmoneycouldn’ttalkbutitcanhear.Ifyoucallit,itwillcome.Ineverforgotthat.Iwascallingitbutitdidn’tcome.ItcamewhenIunderstoodabundance.WhenIunderstoodthespiritofopulence.

Yousee,youcannevertakemorethanyourshare.We’redealingwiththeinfinite.

Iwantyoutothinkaboutthisforamoment.Ourworldischanging.Itischangingsodramaticallyandsorapidlythatitisalmostridiculous.Youknow,itwasn’ttoolongagothatwhenIdidaseminarI’dhaveagreatbigchalkboard.AndI’dhavealotofdampclothsbecauseyou’vegottocleantheboard.I’dneedlotsofdryclothssoIcouldkeepworkingandIneededlotsofchalk.Today,Ihavealittlethree-poundcomputer.IcanmakeallofthesepicturesandIcantouchabuttonandvavoom!,thepictureschange.

Thisworldisgettingsmaller;it’snotgettingbigger.We’reonlyhoursawayfromanywherenow.Youcandobusinessallovertheworld.Ihavebusinessesallovertheworld.

LastThursdayIwasworkinginDublin.ThisThursdayIaminMelbourne.Itwasn’ttoolongagothatitwouldhavebeentheexperienceofalifetimetodo

that.Nowyoucanknockitoutinaweek,plusdoawholelotofotherthingsaswell.Thisworldreallyisgettingsmaller.Thechiphaschangedourwholelife.

In1970—that’sbeforesomeofyouwereevenhere—IwasonaprograminChicagowithEricHoffer,theauthorofaterrificlittlebookcalledTheTrueBeliever.Thisbookisaclassic.Anyway,duringthisprogram,Hoffersaid,“Intimesofchangelearnersinherittheearth;whilethelearnedfindthemselvesbeautifullyequippedtodealwithaworldthatnolongerexists.”

Intimesofchange,thelearnerswillinherittheearth.Itookthattobemetaphoricforyouwillbehappy,healthyandprosperous.Yousee,in1970thingswerereallychanging,butbycomparisonwithnow,theyweren’tevenwarmingup.Lookatthespeedwe’removingattoday.

Intimesofchange,thelearnerswillinherittheearth,whilethelearnedfindthemselvesbeautifullyequippedtodealwithaworldthatnolongerexists.See,schoolleavesuswiththeideathatthere’ssuchathingasalearnedoraneducatedperson.Doyouknowthere’snosuchthingasaneducatedperson?Idon’tknowwhothoughtofit,butitisn’tso.There’snosuchthingasalearnedperson.You’reeitherlearningoryou’renot.

Yetthepeoplewhogetthedegree,andthinktheyhavearrived,arewonderingwhathappened.Thisworldischanging.Ifyouwanttokeepgoing,you’vegottokeepstudying.You’vegottokeeplearning.Itshouldbeapartofyourdailyexperience—thesameaseatingortakingashower.It’sgottobesomethingwe’redoingallthetime.Ifwedo,we’llinherittheearth;we’llbehappy,healthyandprosperous.Bymanypeople’sstandards,atmyageapersonisconsideredold,yetIhavemoreenergythanmostpeoplewhoaretwenty-three.Iearnallkindsofmoney;Ihaveallkindsoffun;Ihaveallkindsofwonderfulfriendsallovertheworld.ButthatisbecauseIjustkeepstudying.Ifyoustopstudying,itallgoesaway.It’sthatsimple.

Thechipinourcomputershaschangedtheworld.Ithaschangeditlikenightandday.NowIknowtherearepeopleinthisroomwhohaveneverstudiedthethingswe’retalkingabout.YououghttothankGodthatyou’rehere.Yousee,Ihappentobelievethatyou’realwaysintherightplacefortherightreasonattherighttime.Thisisthemostpowerfulstuffthatyou’reevergoingtolayyourhandson.I’vegotlicensetobragaboutitbecausenoneofitismine.

IlikethewayBillGatesputit.Hesaid,“Onethingisclear:Wedon’thavetheoptionofturningawayfromthefuture.Noonegetstovoteonwhethertechnologyisgoingtochangeourlives.”

Thisisn’tademocraticprocess.Thisisthedeal.Andyou’reeitherapartofitoryou’renot.Youseethisdealisstrictlybetweenyouandyourself.Nooneelseisinvolved.

Yourproblemsareneveraboutanyoneelse.Ifyouhaveaproblem,thepersonyoushouldhaveaconsultationwithisalwaysavailable.That’sagoodthingtoremember.

Nowthinkaboutthis.Howmanywouldagreethatfinancialsuccesshasalottodowithbeingintherightplaceattherighttime?Howmanywouldagreewiththat?

Almosteveryoneagreeswiththat.Well,there’ssomethingthat’smissinghere.You’vegottobeawarethatyou’reintherightplaceattherighttime.Theopportunitiesarealwayscomingatus.Ifwe’renotaware,wemissthem.Yourresultsareanexpressionofyourlevelofawareness.Ifyouwereawareofhowtoearnmoremoney,doyouthinkthatyouwouldeversettleforearningless?Ofcoursenot!

Remember,everyreligionandallscienceteachusthateverythingwe’veeverwantedisalreadyhere.Thatbeingtrue,whydon’twehavemorethanwehave?Becausewe’renotawareofit.Ifyouexpandyourlevelofawareness,yourwholelifewillchange.

Youmaybewonderinghowtoexpandyourlevelofawareness.Youdoitthrougheffectiveeducationcombinedwithprofessionalcoachingoverareasonableperiodoftime.

Oneofthekeyconceptstocreatingwealthistounderstandthatmoneyisnotthegoal.That’sright,Isaid,moneyisnotthegoal.

Frequently,peoplewilltellmethattheywanttomakemoney.However,Iknowitisnotmoneytheyarereallyafter.It’sthethingsthatmoneycanbuyandthefreedomoftimetodowhattheyreallywant.Whileyoumaythinkthisisaninsignificantdifference,itisactuallythereasonsomanypeopleneverbecomewealthy.

Mostofusweretaughtthroughoutourchildhoodthatthewholepointofmakingmoneyistosockitawayandbuildournestegg.Wethinkofthisasatypeofinsuranceagainstbadfortune,accidentsoroldagewhenwecannolongerwork.Thewealthyknowthatmoneyonlyworkswhenitisinmotion—notwhenit’ssittinginabankaccount.Youmustunderstandthatwealthisan

ongoingjourneyofgrowthandcirculation,andifthatcirculationisstopped,thentheflowofmoneywillcease.

Whileitmayseemthattherearemanyroadblocksonyourjourneytowealth,theonlyrealobstacleiswhatyoubelieve,thinkandfeelaboutmoney.Mostofuswereraisedwiththecliché“Seeingisbelieving,”whichisaskepticalandnegativeviewoflife.Still,wehearitthroughoutourlifeuntilitbecomesapartofourthoughtprocesswithoutevenrealizingit.Wealthypeopleunderstandthatthisclichéisexactlybackward—youmustbelieveinwhatyoucanachievebeforeyouwillseeithappeninyourlife.Wealthypeopleknowthat“Believingisseeing.”Theonlythingthatseparatesamillionairefromyourightnowisawealthymind-set,andthefoundationofthatmind-setisbelief.

Doesthismeanthatthewealthyhavesomespecialskillorknowledge?No—buttheydopossesssomekeycharacteristicsthathelpthembecomewealthy.

Thefirstofthesecharacteristicsisawillingnesstolistentotheirownheart.Ifyoucouldbecomewealthybylisteningtothemasses,thenthemasseswouldbewealthyandtheyarenot.Itisanaturaltendencytoasktheopinionsofthoseweloveorrespect.Unfortunately,welistentotheircommentsandbiaseswithouttakingintoaccounttheresultsintheirownlives.Wemakeadecisiontolistenbasedonouremotionalattachmentratherthanbylookingatwhattheyhaveachieved.Howcananyonewhohasnotaccumulatedwealthadviseyouonhowtodoit?Theycan’t.

Asecondcharacteristicofthewealthyistheabilitytoactwhenopportunitiespresentthemselves.Opportunityisoftenimaginedtobesomethingthatyoucan’tmissorpassup.However,Iknowfrompersonalexperiencethatopportunityisoftenonlyawhisperthatcomesduringsomeofthemosttryingtimesoflife.Ifyoureadthelifestoriesofverywealthyandsuccessfulpeople,youwillfrequentlyfindtheywerefiredfromjobs,kickedoutofschoolordealtwithsignificantpersonaltragediesthatotherpeoplewouldviewasdevastating.Instead,theyviewedthechallengesasopportunitiesandprospered.

Thewealthyalsounderstandthatwealthisanongoingprocess.Itisnotadestinationyouarriveatonedayandthenstop.Itisalsorarelyaccomplishedovernight—althoughitcanoccurinashortperiodoftime.However,ifyougainwealthbeforeyouhavegainedawealthymind-set,thenyouareindangeroflosingthatwealthforever.Wehaveallheardofthosewhowinthelotteryonlytobenearpennilessafewyearslater.Sincetheywerenevertaughttothinkwealthy,theyhaveverylittlechanceofachievingwealththatlasts,andultimatelytheylosewhatmoneytheyhave.

Thosewithawealthymind-setdowhattheylove—andmakemoneyatit.OftenIseeindividualswhoareseekingwealthlikeit’ssomethingoutsidethat

theyhavetosearchfor.Inreality,wealthexistswithinyou.Youhaveactivitiesandhobbiesthatyouloveandyoucanmaketheseintoyourbusinessifyouchooseto.Thosewhoaresuccessfulandcreateagreatdealofwealthdosobecausetheyaredoingsomethingtheylove.Themoneyfollowsandisjustalogicalresultofthemrealizingtheirdream.Moneyisnotthedream.

Whetheryougrowupintheworstcircumstanceorhaveeveryadvantage,youhavetheexactsamepotentialinsideofyoutocreatethelifeyouwant.Nomatterhowmanytimesyoureadorhearsomeonetalkabouthowtobecomewealthy,yourlifewillneverchangeuntilyoubelievethatitcan—believingisseeing.

M

CLASSTWENTY-TWO

COUNTYOURBLESSINGS

AnAttitudeofGratitudeChangesEverything

akesurethatyou’regratefuleveryday.Idon’tcarewhatyoursituationis,thereissomethingforyoutobegratefulfor.Therearepeoplewhoare

livingonlessthan$50ayear,aresick,havelosttheirhome.Soforsome,itmightbejustbeinggratefulforeachbreathortheabilitytofeelthesunontheirface.Butforthegeneralpopulation,wehavesomuchtobegratefulfor.

Expressinggratitudeworkslikemagic.IrememberdoingaseminarinPhoenixonedaywhenSandyGallagher,mybusinesspartner,wasgoingthrougharoughtimeinherlife.IwasleavingtownandsheaskedifwecouldgrabacupofcoffeebeforeIflewout.

SowewenttoacoffeeshopandsheaskedifIcouldgivehertwoorthreeideastohelphermaintainagoodattitude.Isaidsureandtookanapkinthatwasonthetable.Igrabbedapenandwroteonthetopofthenapkin:“Everymorningthinkoftenthingsthatyouaregratefulfor.”Then,Isaid,“Whenyougetfinishedwritingthetenthingsdown,sendlovetothreepeoplewhoarebotheringyou.”

Nowmostpeoplehavedifficultydoingthat.Ifsomeoneisreallybotheringthem,theysendbadenergytothatperson.Don’tdothat,sendlovetothem.Thepersonwhoisbotheringyouhasnothingtodowiththis.It’sthevibrationyou’reputtingyourselfin.You’reputtingyourselfintoawonderfulvibrationbysendinglovetothem.

ThethirdthingItoldSandytodowastobequietforfiveminutesandaskforguidancefortheday.

Well,SandywasheadingtoHawaiitospendsometimewithhersisterandmothersoshehadthemgetinvolvedwiththisthree-prongedpracticeeachmorning:writingdowntenthingstobegratefulfor,sendinglovetothreepeoplewhoarebotheringyou,andsittingquietlyforfiveminutesandaskingforguidancefortheday.

Onthefirstmorning,Sandy,hersisterandhermotherthoughtitwasalittlebitofadumbidea,buttheydiditanyway.Andtoday,eachoneofthemwilltellyouitchangedtheirlives.

WallaceWattlesdedicatedanentirechaptertothetopicofgratitudeinTheScienceofGettingRich.Onthefirstpage,hesaid,“Thewholeprocessofmentaladjustmentandatunementcanbesummedupinoneword,gratitude.”

Now,let’slookattheterm“mentaladjustment.”Ifwehavechallengesinourlifethataredominatingourthinking—ashortageofmoney,abusinessproblem,arelationshipproblem—wewillhaveatendencytofocusontheproblem.Andbydoingthat,weaddenergytowhat?Theproblem!Andthentheproblemgrows.

WallaceWattlesissayingdon’tdothat.Getintotheprocessofmentaladjustment.Seewhatyouwant.Don’tspendanytimelookingatwhatyoudon’twant.

Wattlessaid,“Thewholeprocessofmentaladjustmentandatunementcanbesummedupinoneword:gratitude.Theatunementisgettinginharmonywiththelaw.

Howcouldweputthatintoaction?Well,let’slookatitthisway.Whenyouseemtobeoverwhelmedwithproblems,juststopwhateveryou’redoingandblockallofthatstuffout.Then,thinkaboutallofthethingsthatyouhavetobegratefulfor.Iknowthat’saprettybigorder,butifyoudoit,everythingwillstarttoshiftinaninstant.Justlikesnappingyourfingers.Whenyouchangethewayyoulookattheproblems,theproblemswillchange.

Gratitudeisapowerfulprocessforshiftingyourenergyandbringingmoreofwhatyouwantintoyourlife.Begratefulforwhatyoualreadyhaveandyouwillattractmoregoodthings.Ifyoujuststudythisoneword,“gratitude,”everydayforamonth,Iguaranteethatyourlifewillshift.

Wattlesalsosaid,“Thegratefulmindisconstantlyfixeduponthebest;therefore,ittendstobecomethebest;ittakestheformorcharacterofthebestandwillreceivethebest.”

“Gratitude”isabeautifulword,butit’salsooneofthemostmisunderstoodwordsinanylanguage.Yousee,gratitudehooksyouupwithyoursourceofsupply.Itliterallyputsyouinharmonywithyoursourceofsupplysothatthegoodineverythingwillmovetowardyou.

Y

CLASSTWENTY-THREE

IT’STIMETOSTRETCH

YourGreatIdeaWhoseTimeHasCome

oudon’tgetenergy.Peoplesay,“Wheredoesshegetallthatenergy?”Nobodygetsenergy.Everybodyreleasesenergy.Itflowstoandthrough

us.There’snoshortageofenergy.You’llseeapersoncomehomefromworkandsay,“Ijusthaven’tgotany

energy.”Youknowwhattheirproblemis?They’rebored!They’rebored.Boredomistheabsenceofacreativeidea.Theymayhavenevergivenbirthtoacreativeidea!Theyjustsortofgothroughlifeinalockstep-typefashion.Doingwhateverybodydoes.Itstartedwhentheywerelittlekids—goingoutandbeingliketheotherlittlekids,whichistheonlythingtheycan’tbelike—andsotheyspendtheirwholelifetryingtobeliketheotherlittlekids.

I’vealwaysgotabigidea.IgoaftergoalsIhavenoideahowwe’llreach.ButIknowwe’regoingto—Iknowwe’regoingto.AndthefactthatIdon’tknowhowtodoitdoesn’tscareme.Itturnsmeon.

I’vealwaysfoundthatbigideasgrowevenbiggerwhenthey’rediscussedandmulledoverinarelaxedsettingthat’scompletelyseparatefromaconferenceroomorboardroom.Infact,manyofthebestideasI’vecreatedhave

comefromsittingatmykitchentable,doodlingandbrainstormingandlookingoutthewindow.Ithappensrightthereinmykitchen.

AlfredAdleroncesaid,“Iamgratefulfortheideathathasusedme.”Whenyoufallinlovewithanidea,youwillbegratefulforthatideabecauseitwillmoveyouintoaction.

Whatideaswindyouupandmakeyouwanttomoveintoaction?Ifyou’renotsure,getquietandvisualize.Visualizationiswhereeverythingstarts.Whenyouthinkaboutit,everythingbeginswithapicture.AndtheLawofTransmutationtellsusthatenergyisalwaysmovingintoform.YouandIhavebeengivencreativefacultiesunlikeanyotherformoflifesowehavetheabilitytocreatethevisionortheimageinourmind.

Everythingyouseerightnowallstartedasanimageinsomebody’smind.Wealwaysseethegeniusinsomebodyelse,butneverinourselves.Youarecreative,powerful,innovativeandyouhavegeniuslockedupwithinyoujustwaitingtobeunleashed.Don’tgoanotherdaydownthepathofalifethatisn’tcompletelysatisfying.

Yousayyouhaveideasfloodingyourmindeveryday.Wonderful!Sonowwhat?

Ideasareuselessifyoudon’ttakeactiontomakethemhappen.Butifyoudo,onegoodideacouldchangeyourentirelife.Itcanchangetheworld!

Howwouldyouliketohavehadtheideaforthecomputerthatyouworkon,orFacebookorTwitter?Stopandthinkofwhatthepeoplewhocreatedthesmartphoneearned.Wouldn’tyoujustlovetobeonthereceivingendofthat?

Unfortunately,almostallideasarestillborn.Peoplethinkaboutthembuttheydieinsidetheperson’smind.Beautifulideas.Ideasthatcouldchangethelifeofthepersonwhoisentertainingthem.Buttheyneverseethelightofday.

Why?It’slikeIsaidearlier—it’sthestartthatstopsmostpeople.Butthethingthat

issittingonyourshoulderswillcreateideas.Andeverythingaroundyouisnothingbuttheexpressionofanidea.

Youstartedoutwithaverybeautifulimagination.ButtheygotyouinschoolandWham!,theyknockeditoutofyou.Theycalleditnotpayingattention.

Well,letthatgo.Don’tlivethereanymore.AndrewCarnegie,whowasthewealthiestmanintheworldintheearly1900s,saidheknewnothingaboutthemanufacturingorthemarketingofsteel.Andyethebecamethewealthiestmanintheworldinthesteelbusiness.

Nowhowdidhedothat?Hediditwithateam.Nooneinthehistoryoftheworldwhohaseverdone

anythingofanyconsequencehaseverdoneitontheirown.Stoplettingyourideasdieinsideofyou.Gethelpwhereyouneeditsothey

canbeborn.Dedicateyourlifetoaworthyidea—anideasobigandexhilaratingthatyou’regratefulfortheideathathasusedyou.

O

AFTERWORD

nethingshouldbeclearfromevenacasualperusalofBobProctor’slectures—heisnotatypicalmotivationalspeaker.Thetruthis,Bob

Proctordoesnotseehimselfasamotivationalspeaker.Heteachesmethodliving,muchthesameasStellaAdlertaughtmethodacting.Hedoesn’tprovideBand-Aidsfortheproblemsandchallengeswefaceeachday.Andhedoesn’taddresssymptoms.Hegoesrighttothecauseofwhat’skeepingusstucksowecanmoveontoabiggerlife.

BobProctorhasanexaltedideaoflife.Hebelievesyoushouldn’tjustbecontent,youshouldbejoyful.Yourbodyshouldn’tjustfeelOKandbepainfree,itshouldbevibrantlyhealthyandenergetic.Youshouldn’tjustbeabletopaythebillsandtakeavacationonceayear,youshouldhaveallthemoneyyouwanttodoeverythingyouwanttodo.

Bobdoesn’thopeallofthosethingscanhappen,heknowstheycanhappenandtheywillhappenifyoulearntodoonething:liveinharmonywiththelawsoftheuniverse.

Bobdidn’tcometothisrealizationquicklyoreasily.IttookdecadesofstudyingNapoleonHill’sThinkandGrowRich,yearsofworkingwithhismentorEarlNightingaleandavoraciousappetitetolearneverythinghecanaboutuniversallaws.Bobhasbeenstudyingandapplyingthismaterialeverydaysince1961.

Thisisnotaconventional“how-to”bookbecauseBobisnotaconventionalman.Infact,heabhorsconformingandbeingnormal.Hesaysweshouldnever

followthemassesbecausethemassesdon’tknowwhotheyare,wherethey’regoingorwhattheyreallywant.

Insteadofprovidingacookie-cutterequationforlivingahealthy,happyandwealthylife,thelessonsinthisbookhaveabroadergoal.Thepurposeoftheseclassesistoraiseyourlevelofawarenessofwhoyouareandwhatisreallypossibleforyouwhenyouliveinharmonywithuniversallaws.That’snotsomethingyoucanlearnovernight,inamonthorinaclass.It’salifelongjourney.Butknowthis:asyoustarttounderstandtheselawsandmakeaconsciousefforttoapplythem,yourlifewilljustkeepgettingbetterandbettereveryday.

—SANDRAGALLAGHER

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