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The Power of Positive Thinking

by Norman Vincent Peale

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction - What This Book Can Do for You..3

1 - Believe in Yourself.......................6

2 - A Peaceful Mind Generates Power..........23

3 - How to Have Constant Energy..............40

4 - Try Prayer Power.........................55

5 - How to Create Your Own Happiness.........75

6 - Stop Fuming and Fretting.................93

7 - Expect the Best and Get It..............110

8 - I Don't Believe in Defeat...............132

9 - How to Break the Worry Habit............149

10 - Power to Solve Personal Problems.......163

11 - How to Use Faith in Healing............178

12 - When Vitality Sags, Try This...........196

13 - Inflow of New Thoughts Can Remake You..209

14 - Relax for Easy Power...................226

15 - How to Get People to Like You..........240

16 - Prescription for Heartache.............255

17 - How to Draw upon That Higher Power.....271

Epilogue....................................285

The Quality Book Club. First edition. 1956

This ebook version Copyright © 2006

www.Self-Improvement-eBooks.com

All Rights Reserved

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Introduction

What This Book Can Do for You

THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN to suggest techniques and to

give examples which demonstrate that you do not need to be

defeated by anything, that you can have peace of mind,

improved health, and a never ceasing flow of energy. In

short, that your life can be full of joy and satisfaction. Of this

I have no doubt at all for I have watched countless persons

learn and apply a system of simple procedures that has

brought about the foregoing benefits in their lives. These

assertions, which may appear extravagant, are based on

bonafide demonstrations in actual human experience.

Altogether too many people are defeated by the everyday

problems of life. They go struggling, perhaps even whining,

through their days with a sense of dull resentment at what

they consider the "bad breaks" life has given them. In a sense

there may be such a thing as "the breaks" in this life, but

there is also a spirit and method by which we can control and

even determine those breaks. It is a pity that people should

let themselves be defeated by the problems, cares, and

difficulties of human existence, and it is also quite

unnecessary.

In saying this I certainly do not ignore or minimize the

hardships and tragedies of the world, but neither do I allow

them to dominate. You can permit obstacles to control your

mind to the point where they are uppermost and thus become

the dominating factors in your thought pattern. By learning

how to cast them from the mind, by refusing to become

mentally subservient to them, and by channeling spiritual

power through your thoughts you can rise above obstacles

which ordinarily might defeat you. By methods I shall

outline, obstacles are simply not permitted to destroy your

happiness and well being. You need be defeated only if you

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are willing to be. This book teaches you how to "will" not to

be.

The purpose of this book is a very direct and simple one. It

makes no pretense to literary excellence nor does it seek to

demonstrate any unusual scholarship on my part. This is

simply a practical, direct action, personal improvement

manual. It is written with the sole objective of helping the

reader achieve a happy, satisfying, and worthwhile life. I

thoroughly and enthusiastically believe in certain

demonstrated and effective principles which, when practiced,

produce a victorious life. My aim is to set them forth in this

volume in a logical, simple, and understandable manner so

that the reader feeling a sense of need, may learn a practical

method by which he can build for himself, with God's help,

the kind of life he deeply desires.

If you read this book thoughtfully, carefully absorbing its

teachings, and if you will sincerely and persistently practice

the principles and formulas set forth herein, you can

experience an amazing improvement within yourself. By

using the techniques outlined here you can modify or change

the circumstances in which you now live, assuming control

over them rather than continuing to be directed by them.

Your relations with other people will improve. You will

become a more popular, esteemed, and well-liked individual.

By mastering these principles, you will enjoy a delightful

new sense of well being. You may attain a degree of health

not hitherto known by you and experience a new and keen

pleasure in living. You will become a person of greater

usefulness and will wield an expanded influence.

How can I be so certain that the practice of these principles

will produce such results? The answer is simply that for

many years in the Marble Collegiate Church of New York

City we have taught a system of creative living based on

spiritual techniques, carefully noting its operation in the lives

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of hundreds of people. It is no speculative series of

extravagant assertions that I make, for these principles have

worked so efficiently over so long a period of time that they

are now firmly established as documented and demonstrable

truth. The system outlined is a perfected and amazing

method of successful living.

In my writings, including several books, in my regular

weekly newspaper column in nearly one hundred dailies, in

my national radio program over seventeen years, in our

magazine, Guideposts, and in lectures in scores of cities, I

have taught these same scientific yet simple principles of

achievement, health, and happiness. Hundreds have read,

listened, and practiced, and the results are invariably the

same: new life, new power, increased efficiency, greater

happiness.

Because so many have requested that these principles be put

into book form, the better to be studied and practiced, I am

publishing this new volume under the title, The Power of

Positive Thinking. I need not point out that the powerful

principles contained herein are not my invention but are

given to us by the greatest Teacher who ever lived and who

still lives. This book teaches applied Christianity; a simple

yet scientific system of practical techniques of successful

living that works.

—NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

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Chapter 1

Believe in Yourself

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! Have faith in your abilities!

Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own

powers you cannot be successful or happy. But with sound

self-confidence you can succeed. A sense of inferiority and

inadequacy interferes with the attainment of your hopes, but

self-confidence leads to self-realization and successful

achievement. Because of the importance of this mental

attitude, this book will help you believe in yourself and

release your inner powers.

It is appalling to realize the number of pathetic people who

are hampered and made miserable by the malady popularly

called the inferiority complex. But you need not suffer from

this trouble. When proper steps are taken, it can be

overcome. You can develop creative faith in yourself—faith

that is justified.

After speaking to a convention of businessmen in a city

auditorium, I was on the stage greeting people when a man

approached me and with a peculiar intensity of manner

asked, "May I talk with you about a matter of desperate

importance to me?"

I asked him to remain until the others had gone, then we

went backstage and sat down.

"I'm in this town to handle the most important business deal

of my life," he explained. "If I succeed, it means everything

to me. If I fail, I'm done for."

I suggested that he relax a little, that nothing was quite that

final. If he succeeded, that was fine. If he didn't, well,

tomorrow was another day.

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"I have a terrible disbelief in myself," he said dejectedly. "I

have no confidence. I just don't believe I can put it over. I am

very discouraged and depressed. In fact," he lamented, "I'm

just about sunk. Here I am, forty years old. Why is it that all

my life I have been tormented by inferiority feelings, by lack

of confidence, by self-doubt? I listened to your speech

tonight in which you talked about the power of positive

thinking, and I want to ask how I can get some faith in

myself."

"There are two steps to take," I replied. "First, it is important

to discover why you have these feelings of no power. That

requires analysis and will take time. We must approach the

maladies of our emotional life as a physician probes to find

something wrong physically. This cannot be done

immediately, certainly not in our brief interview tonight, and

it may require treatment to reach a permanent solution. But

to pull you through this immediate problem I shall give you a

formula which will work if you use it.

"As you walk down the street tonight I suggest that you

repeat certain words which I shall give you. Say them over

several times after you get into bed. When you awaken

tomorrow, repeat them three times before arising. On the

way to your important appointment say them three additional

times. Do this with an attitude of faith and you will receive

sufficient strength and ability to deal with this problem.

Later, if you wish, we can go into an analysis of your basic

problem, but whatever we come up with following that

study, the formula which I am now going to give you can be

a large factor in the eventual cure."

Following is the affirmation which I gave him—"I can do all

things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians

4:13) He was unfamiliar with these words so I wrote them on

a card and had him read them over three times aloud.

"Now, follow that prescription, and I am sure things will

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come out all right."

He pulled himself up, stood quietly for a moment, then said

with considerable feeling, "O.K., Doctor. O.K."

I watched him square his shoulders and walk out into the

night. He seemed a pathetic figure, and yet the way he

carried himself as he disappeared showed that faith was

already at work in his mind.

Subsequently he reported that this simple formula "did

wonders" for him and added, "It seems incredible that a few

words from the Bible could do so much for a person."

This man later had a study made of the reasons for his

inferiority attitudes. They were cleared away by scientific

counseling and by the application of religious faith. He was

taught how to have faith; was given certain specific

instructions to follow (these are given later in this chapter).

Gradually he attained a strong, steady, reasonable

confidence. He never ceases to express amazement at the

way in which things now flow toward rather than away from

him. His personality has taken on a positive, not negative,

character so that he no longer repels success, but, on the

contrary, draws it to him. He now has an authentic

confidence in his own powers.

There are various causes of inferiority feelings, and not a few

stem from childhood.

An executive consulted me about a young man whom he

wished to advance in his company. "But," he explained, "he

cannot be trusted with important secret information and I'm

sorry, for otherwise I would make him my administrative

assistant. He has all the other necessary qualifications, but he

talks too much, and without meaning to do so divulges

matters of a private and important nature."

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Upon analysis I found that he "talked too much" simply

because of an inferiority feeling. To compensate for it he

succumbed to the temptation of parading his knowledge.

He associated with men who were rather well to do, all of

whom had attended college and belonged to a fraternity. But

this boy was reared in poverty, had not been a college man or

fraternity member. Thus he felt himself inferior to his

associates in education and social background. To build

himself up with his associates and to enhance his self-

esteem, his subconscious mind, which always seeks to

provide a compensatory mechanism, supplied him with a

means for raising his ego.

He was on "the inside" in the industry, and accompanied his

superior to conferences where he met outstanding men and

listened to important private conversations. He reported just

enough of his "inside information" to cause his associates to

regard him with admiration and envy. This served to elevate

his self esteem and satisfy his desire for recognition.

When the employer became aware of the cause of this

personality trait, being a kindly and understanding man, he

pointed out to the young man the opportunities in business to

which his abilities could lead him. He also described how his

inferiority feelings caused his unreliability in confidential

matters. This self-knowledge, together with a sincere

practicing of the techniques of faith and prayer, made him a

valuable asset to his company. His real powers were

released.

I can perhaps illustrate the manner in which many youngsters

acquire an inferiority complex through the use of a personal

reference. As a small boy I was painfully thin. I had lots of

energy, was on a track team, was healthy and hard as nails,

but thin. And that bothered me because I didn't want to be

thin. I wanted to be fat. I was called "skinny," but I didn't

want to be called "skinny." I wanted to be called "fat." I

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longed to be hard-boiled and tough and fat. I did everything

to get fat. I drank cod-liver oil, consumed vast numbers of

milk shakes, ate thousands of chocolate sundaes with

whipped cream and nuts, cakes and pies innumerable, but

they did not affect me in the slightest. I stayed thin and lay

awake nights thinking and agonizing about it. I kept on

trying to get heavy until I was about thirty, when all of a

sudden did I get heavy? I bulged at the seams. Then I

became self conscious because I was so fat, and finally had

to take off forty pounds with equal agony to get myself down

to respectable size.

In the second place (to conclude this personal analysis which

I give only because it may help others by showing how this

malady works), I was a minister's son and was constantly

reminded of that fact. Everybody else could do everything,

but if I did even the slightest little thing—"Ah, you are a

preacher's son." So I didn't want to be a preacher's son, for

preachers' sons are supposed to be nice and namby-pamby. I

wanted to be known as a hard-boiled fellow. Perhaps that is

why preachers' sons get their reputation for being a little

difficult, because they rebel against having to carry the

banner of the church all the time. I vowed there was one

thing I would never do, and that was to become a preacher.

Also, I came of a family practically every member of which

was a performer in public, a platform speaker, and that was

the last thing I wanted to be. They used to make me get up in

public to make speeches when it scared me to death, even

filled me with terror. That was years ago, but the twinge of it

comes to me every now and then when I walk onto a

platform. I had to use every known device to develop

confidence in what powers the good Lord gave me.

I found the solution of this problem in the simple techniques

of faith taught in the Bible. These principles are scientific

and sound and can heal any personality of the pain of

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inferiority feelings. Their use can enable the sufferer to find

and release the powers which have been inhibited by a

feeling of inadequacy.

Such are some of the sources of the inferiority complex

which erect power barriers in our personalities. It is some

emotional violence done to us in childhood, or the

consequences of certain circumstances, or something we did

to ourselves. This malady arises out of the misty past in the

dim recesses of our personalities.

Perhaps you had an older brother who was a brilliant student.

He got A's in school; you made only C's, and you never

heard the last of it. So you believed that you could never

succeed in life as he could. He got A's and you got C's, so

you reasoned that you were consigned to getting C's all your

life.

Apparently you never realized that some of those who failed

to get high grades in school have been the greatest successes

outside of school. Just because somebody gets an A in

college doesn't make him the greatest man in the United

States, because maybe his A's will stop when he gets his

diploma, and the fellow who got C's in school will go on

later to get the real A's in life.

The greatest secret for eliminating the inferiority complex,

which is another term for deep and profound self doubt, is to

fill your mind to overflowing with faith. Develop a

tremendous faith in God and that will give you a humble yet

soundly realistic faith in yourself.

The acquiring of dynamic faith is accomplished by prayer,

lots of prayer, by reading and mentally absorbing the Bible

and by practicing its faith techniques. In another chapter I

deal with specific formulas of prayer, but I want to point out

here that the type of prayer that produces the quality of faith

required to eliminate inferiority is of a particular nature.

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Surface skimming, formalistic and perfunctory prayer is not

sufficiently powerful.

A wonderful colored woman, a cook in the home of friends

of mine in Texas, was asked how she so completely mastered

her troubles. She answered that ordinary problems could be

met by ordinary prayers, but that "when a big trouble comes

along, you have to pray deep prayers."

One of my most inspiring friends was the late Harlowe B.

Andrews of Syracuse, New York, one of the best

businessmen and competent spiritual experts I ever knew. He

said the trouble with most prayers is that they aren't big

enough, "To get anywhere with faith," said he, "learn to pray

big prayers. God will rate you according to the size of your

prayers." Doubtless he was right, for the Scriptures say,

"According to your faith be it unto you." (Matthew 9:29) So

the bigger your problem, the bigger your prayer should be.

Roland Hayes, the singer, quoted his grandfather to me, a

man whose education was not equal to that of his grandson,

but whose native wisdom was obviously sound. He said,

"The trouble with lots of prayers is they ain't got no suction."

Drive your prayers deep into your doubts, fears, inferiorities.

Pray deep, big prayers that have plenty of suction and you

will come up with powerful and vital faith.

Go to a competent spiritual adviser and let him teach you

how to have faith. The ability to possess and utilize faith and

gain the release of powers it provides are skills and, like any

skills, must be studied and practiced to gain perfection.

At the conclusion of this chapter are listed ten suggestions

for overcoming your inferiority pattern and for developing

faith. Practice these rules diligently and they will aid you in

developing confidence in yourself by dissipating your

feelings of inferiority, however deeply imbedded.

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At this point, however, I wish to indicate that to build up

feelings of self confidence the practice of suggesting

confidence concepts to your mind is very effective. If your

mind is obsessed by thoughts of insecurity and inadequacy it

is, of course, due to the fact that such ideas have dominated

your thinking over a long period of time. Another and more

positive pattern of ideas must be given the mind, and that is

accomplished by repetitive suggestion or confidence ideas.

In the busy activities of daily existence thought disciplining

is required if you are to re-educate the mind and make of it a

power-producing plant. It is possible, even in the midst of

your daily work, to drive confident thoughts into

consciousness. Let me tell you about one man who did so by

the use of a unique method.

One icy winter morning he called for me at a hotel in a

Midwestern city to take me about thirty-five miles to another

town to fill a lecture engagement. We got into his car and

started off at a rather high rate of speed on the slippery road.

He was going a little faster than I thought reasonable, and I

reminded him that we had plenty of time and suggested that

we take it easy.

"Don't let my driving worry you," he replied. "I used to be

filled with all kinds of insecurities myself, but I got over

them. I was afraid of everything. I feared an automobile trip

or an airplane flight; and if any of my family went away I

worried until they returned. I always went around with a

feeling that something was going to happen, and it made my

life miserable. I was saturated with inferiority and lacked

confidence. This state of mind reflected itself in my business

and I wasn't doing very well. But I hit upon a wonderful plan

which knocked all these insecurity feelings out of my mind,

and now I live with a feeling of confidence, not only in

myself but in life generally."

This was the "wonderful plan." He pointed to two clips

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fastened on the instrument panel of the car just below the

windshield and, reaching into the glove compartment, took

out a pack of small cards. He selected one and slipped it

beneath the clip. It read, "If ye have faith...nothing shall be

impossible unto you." (Matthew 17:20) He removed that

one, shuffled expertly through the cards with one hand as he

drove, selected another, and placed it under the clip. This one

read, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans

8:31)

"I'm a traveling salesman," he explained, "and I drive around

all day calling on my customers. I have discovered that while

a man drives he thinks all kinds of thoughts. If his pattern of

thought is negative, he will think many negative thoughts

during the day and that, of course, is bad for him; but that is

the way I used to be. I used to drive around all day between

calls drinking fear and defeat thoughts, and incidentally that

is one reason my sales were down. But since I have been

using these cards as I drive and committing the words to

memory, I have learned to think differently. The old

insecurities that used to haunt me are just about all gone, and

instead of drinking fear thoughts of defeat and

ineffectiveness, 1 think thoughts of faith and courage. It is

really wonderful the way this method has changed me. It has

helped in my business, too, for how can one expect to make a

sale if he drives up to a customer's place of business thinking

he is not going to make a sale?"

This plan used by my friend is a very wise one. By filling his

mind with affirmations of the presence, support, and help of

God, he had actually changed his thought processes. He put

an end to the domination of his long held sense of insecurity.

His potential powers were set free.

We build up the feeling of insecurity or security by how we

think. If in our thoughts we constantly fix attention upon

sinister expectations of dire events that might happen, the

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result will be constantly to feel insecure. And what is even

more serious is the tendency to create, by the power of

thought, the very condition we fear. This salesman actually

created positive results by vital thoughts of courage and

confidence through the process of placing the cards before

him in his car. His powers, curiously inhibited by a defeat

psychology, now flowed out of a personality in which

creative attitudes had been stimulated.

Lack of self-confidence apparently is one of the great

problems besetting people today. In a university a survey

was made of six hundred students in psychology courses.

The students were asked to state their most difficult personal

problem. Seventy-five percent listed lack of confidence. It

can safely be assumed that the same large proportion is true

of the population generally. Everywhere you encounter

people who are inwardly afraid, who shrink from life, who

suffer from a deep sense of inadequacy and insecurity, who

doubt their own powers. Deep within themselves they

mistrust their ability to meet responsibilities or to grasp

opportunities. Always they are beset by the vague and

sinister fear that something is not going to be quite right.

They do not believe that they have it in them to be what they

want to be, and so they try to make themselves content with

something less than that of which they are capable.

Thousands upon thousands go crawling through life on their

hands and knees, defeated and afraid. And in most cases such

frustration of power is unnecessary.

The blows of life, the accumulation of difficulties, the

multiplication of problems tend to sap energy and leave you

spent and discouraged. In such a condition the true status of

your power is often obscured, and a person yields to a

discouragement that is not justified by the facts. It is vitally

essential to re-appraise your personality assets. When done

in an attitude of reasonableness, this evaluation will convince

you that you are less defeated than you think you are.

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For example, a man fifty-two years of age consulted me. He

was in great despondency. He revealed utter despair. He said

he "was all through." He informed me that everything he had

built up over his lifetime had been swept away.

"Everything?" I asked.

"Everything," he repeated. He was through, he reiterated. "I

have nothing left at all. Everything is gone. There is no hope,

and I am too old to start all over again. I have lost all faith."

Naturally I felt sympathetic toward him, but it was evident

that his chief trouble was the fact that dark shadows of

hopelessness had entered his mind and discolored his

outlook, distorting it. Behind this twisted thinking his true

powers had retreated, leaving him without force.

"So," I said, "suppose we take a piece of paper and write

down the values you have left."

"There's no use," he sighed. "I haven't a single thing left. I

thought I told you that."

I said, "Let's just see anyway." Then asked, "Is your wife still

with you?"

"Why, yes, of course, and she is wonderful. We have been

married for thirty years. She would never leave me no matter

how bad things are."

"All right, let us put that down—your wife is still with you

and she will never leave you no matter what happens. How

about your children? Got any children?"

"Yes," he replied, "I have three and they are certainly

wonderful. I have been touched by the way they have come

to me and said, 'Dad, we love you, and we'll stand by you.' "

"Well, then," I said, "that is number two—three children who

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love you and who will stand by you. Got any friends?" I

asked.

"Yes," he said, "I really have some fine friends. I must admit

they have been pretty decent. They have come around and

said they would like to help me, but what can they do? They

can't do anything."

"That is number three—you have some friends who would

like to help you and who hold you in esteem. How about

your integrity? Have you done anything wrong?"

"My integrity is all right," he replied. "I have always tried to

do the right thing and my conscience is clear."

"All right," I said, "we will put that down as number four—

integrity. How about your health?"

"My health is all right," he answered. "I have had very few

sick days and I guess I am in pretty good shape physically."

"So let's put down as number five—good physical health.

How about the United States? Do you think it's still doing

business and is the land of opportunity?"

"Yes," he said. "It is the only country in the world I would

want to live in."

"That is number six—you live in the United States, land of

opportunity, and you are glad to be here." Then I asked,

"How about your religious faith? Do you believe in God and

that God will help you?"

"Yes," he said. "I do not think I could have gotten through

this at all if I hadn't had some help from God."

"Now," I said, "let's list the assets we have figured out:

"1. A wonderful wife—married for thirty years.

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"2. Three devoted children who will stand by you.

"3. Friends who will help you and who hold you in esteem.

"4. Integrity—nothing to be ashamed of.

"5. Good physical health.

"6. Live in the United States, the greatest country in the

world.

"7. Have religious faith."

I shoved it across the table at him. "Take a look at that. I

guess you have quite a total of assets. I thought you told me

everything had been swept away."

He grinned ashamedly. "I guess I didn't think of those things.

I never thought of it that way. Perhaps things aren't so bad at

that," he said pensively. "Maybe I can start all over again if I

can just get some confidence, if I can get the feel of some

power within me."

Well, he got it, and he did start all over again. But he did so

only when he changed his viewpoint, his mental attitude.

Faith swept away his doubts, and more than enough power to

overcome all his difficulties emerged from within him.

This incident illustrates a profound truth which is expressed

in a very important statement made by the famous

psychiatrist, Dr. Karl Menninger. He said, "Attitudes are

more important than facts." That is worth repeating until its

truth grips you. Any fact facing us, however difficult, even

seemingly hopeless, is not so important as our attitude

toward that fact. How you think about a fact may defeat you

before you ever do anything about it. You may permit a fact

to overwhelm you mentally before you start to deal with it

actually. On the other hand, a confident and optimistic

thought pattern can modify or overcome the fact altogether.

I know a man who is a tremendous asset to his organization,

not because of any extraordinary ability, but because he

invariably demonstrates a triumphant thought pattern.

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Perhaps his associates view a proposition pessimistically, so

he employs what he calls "the vacuum-cleaner method." That

is, by a series of questions he "sucks the dust" out of his

associates' minds; he draws out their negative attitudes. Then

quietly he suggests positive ideas concerning the proposition

until a new set of attitudes gives them a new concept of the

facts.

They often comment upon how different facts appear when

this man "goes to work on them." It's the confidence attitude

that makes the difference, nor does this rule out objectivity in

an appraisal of facts. The inferiority complex victim sees all

facts through discolored attitudes. The secret of correction is

simply to gain a normal view, and that is always slanted on

the positive side.

So if you feel that you are defeated and have lost confidence

in your ability to win, sit down, take a piece of paper and

make a list, not of the factors that are against you, but of

those that are for you. If you or I or anybody think constantly

of the forces that seem to be against us, we will build them

up into a power far beyond that which is justified. They will

assume a formidable strength which they do not actually

possess. But if, on the contrary, you mentally visualize and

affirm and reaffirm your assets and keep your thoughts on

them, emphasizing them to the fullest extent, you will rise

out of any difficulty regardless of what it may be. Your inner

powers will reassert themselves and, with the help of God,

lift you from defeat to victory.

One of the most powerful concepts, one which is a sure cure

for lack of confidence, is the thought that God is actually

with you and helping you. This is one of the simplest

teachings in religion, namely, that Almighty God will be

your companion, will stand by you, help you, and see you

through. No other idea is so powerful in developing self

confidence as this simple belief when practiced. To practice

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it simply affirm "God is with me; God is helping me; God is

guiding me." Spend several minutes each day visualizing His

presence. Then practice believing that affirmation. Go about

your business on the assumption that what you have affirmed

and visualized is true. Affirm it, visualize it, believe it, and it

will actualize itself. The release of power which this

procedure stimulates will astonish you.

Feelings of confidence depend upon the type of thoughts that

habitually occupy your mind. Think defeat and you are

bound to feel defeated. But practice thinking confident

thoughts, make it a dominating habit, and you will develop

such a strong sense of capacity that regardless of what

difficulties arise you will be able to overcome them. Feelings

of confidence actually induce increased strength. Basil King

once said, "Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your

aid." Experience proves the truth of this. You will feel these

mighty forces aiding you as your increasing faith

reconditions your attitudes.

Emerson declared a tremendous truth, "They conquer who

believe they can." And he added, "Do the thing you fear and

the death of fear is certain." Practice confidence and faith

and your fears and insecurities will soon have no power over

you.

Once when Stonewall Jackson planned a daring attack, one

of his generals fearfully objected, saying, "I am afraid of

this" or "I fear that..." Putting his hand on his timorous

subordinate's shoulder, Jackson said, "General, never take

counsel of your fears."

The secret is to fill your mind with thoughts of faith,

confidence, and security. This will force out or expel all

thoughts of doubt, all lack of confidence. To one man who

for a long time had been haunted by insecurities and fears I

suggested that he read through the Bible underlining in red

pencil every statement it contains relative to courage and

20

confidence. He also committed them to memory, in effect

cramming his mind full of the healthiest, happiest, most

powerful thoughts in the world. These dynamic thoughts

changed him from cringing hopelessness to a man of

compelling force. The change in him in a few weeks was

remarkable. From almost complete defeat he became a

confident and inspiring personality. He now radiates courage

and magnetism. He regained confidence in himself and his

own powers by a simple process of thought conditioning.

To sum up—what can you do now to build up your self-

confidence? Following are ten simple, workable rules for

overcoming inadequacy attitudes and learning to practice

faith. Thousands have used these rules, reporting successful

results. Undertake this program and you, too, will build up

confidence in your powers. You, too, will have a new feeling

of power.

1. Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental

picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture

tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to

develop this picture. Never think of yourself as failing; never

doubt the reality of the mental image. That is most

dangerous, for the mind always tries to complete what it

pictures. So always picture "success" no matter how badly

things seem to be going at the moment.

2. Whenever a negative thought concerning your personal

powers comes to mind, deliberately voice a positive thought

to cancel it out.

3. Do not built up obstacles in your imagination. Depreciate

every so-called obstacle. Minimize them. Difficulties must

be studied and efficiently dealt with to be eliminated, but

they must be seen for only what they are. They must not be

inflated by fear thoughts.

4. Do not be awestruck by other people and try to copy them.

21

Nobody can be you as efficiently as YOU can. Remember

also that most people, despite their confident appearance and

demeanor, are often as scared as you are and as doubtful of

themselves.

5. Ten times a day repeat these dynamic words, "If God be

for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) (Stop reading

and repeat them NOW slowly and confidently.)

6. Get a competent counselor to help you understand why

you do what you do. Learn the origin of your inferiority and

self-doubt feelings which often begin in childhood. Self-

knowledge leads to a cure.

7. Ten times each day practice the following affirmation,

repeating it out loud if possible. "I can do all things through

Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13) Repeat

those words NOW. That magic statement is the most

powerful antidote on earth to inferiority thoughts.

8. Make a true estimate of your own ability, then raise it 10

percent. Do not become egotistical, but develop a wholesome

self-respect. Believe in your own God-released powers.

9. Put yourself in God's hands. To do that simply state, "I am

in God's hands." Then believe you are NOW receiving all the

power you need. "Feel" it flowing into you. Affirm that "the

kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21) in the form of

adequate power to meet life's demands.

10. Remind yourself that God is with you and nothing can

defeat you. Believe that you now RECEIVE power from

him.

22

Chapter 2

A Peaceful Mind Generates Power

AT BREAKFAST IN A HOTEL dining room three of us tell

to discussing how well we had slept the night before, a truly

momentous topic. One man complained of a sleepless night.

He had tossed and turned and was about as exhausted as

when he retired. "Guess I'd better stop listening to the news

before going to bed," he observed. "I tuned in last night and

sure got an ear full of trouble."

That is quite a phrase, "an ear full of trouble." Little wonder

he had a disturbed night. "Maybe the coffee I drank before

retiring had something to do with it," he mused.

The other man spoke up, "As for me, I had a grand night. I

got my news from the evening paper and from an early

broadcast and had a chance to digest it before I went to sleep.

Of course," he continued, "I used my go-to-sleep plan which

never fails to work."

I prodded him for his plan, which he explained as follows:

"When I was a boy, my father, a farmer, had the habit of

gathering the family in the parlor at bedtime and he read to

us out of the Bible. I can hear him yet. In fact, every time I

hear those Bible verses I always seem to hear them in the

tone of my father's voice. After prayers I would go up to my

room and sleep like a top. But when I left home I got away

from the Bible reading and prayer habit.

"I must admit that for years practically the only time I ever

prayed was when I got into a jam. But some months ago my

wife and I, having a number of difficult problems, decided

we would try it again. We found it a very helpful practice, so

now every night before going to bed she and I together read

the Bible and have a little session of prayer. I don't know

23

what there is about it, but I have been sleeping better and

things have improved all down the line. In fact, I find it so

helpful that even out on the road, as I am now, I still read the

Bible and pray. Last night I got into bed and read the 23rd

Psalm. I read it out loud and it did me a lot of good."

He turned to the other man and said, "I didn't go to bed with

an ear full of trouble. I went to sleep with a mind full of

peace."

Well, there are two cryptic phrases for you—"an ear full of

trouble" and "a mind full of peace." Which do you choose?

The essence of the secret lies in a change of mental attitude.

One must learn to live on a different thought basis, and even

though thought change requires effort, it is much easier than

to continue living as you are. The life of strain is difficult.

The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress,

is the easiest type of existence. The chief struggle then in

gaining mental peace is the effort of revamping your

thinking to the relaxed attitude of acceptance of God's gift of

peace.

As an illustration of taking a relaxed attitude and therefore

receiving peace, I always think of an experience in a certain

city where I lectured one evening. Prior to going on the

platform I was sitting backstage going over my speech when

a man approached and wanted to discuss a personal problem.

I informed him that at the moment it was impossible to talk

as I was just about to be introduced, and asked him to wait.

While speaking I noticed him in the wings nervously pacing

up and down, but afterward he was nowhere about. However,

he had given me his card, which indicated that he was a man

of considerable influence in that city.

Back at my hotel, although it was late, I was still troubled by

this man so I telephoned him. He was surprised at my call

24

and explained that he did not wait because obviously I was

busy. "I just wanted you to pray with me," he said. "I thought

if you would pray with me, perhaps I could get some peace."

"There is nothing to prevent us from praying together on the

telephone right now," I said.

Somewhat in surprise, he replied, "I have never heard of

praying on the telephone."

"Why not?" I asked. "A telephone is simply a gadget of

communication. You are some blocks from me, but by

means of the telephone we are together. Besides," I

continued, "the Lord is with each of us. He is at both ends of

this line and in between. He is with you and He is with me."

"All right," he conceded. "I'd like to have you pray for me."

So I closed my eyes and prayed for the man over the

telephone, and I prayed just as though we were in the same

room. He could hear and the Lord could hear. When I

finished I suggested, "Won't you pray?" There was no

response. Then at the other end of the line I heard sobbing

and finally, "I can't talk," he said.

"Go on and cry for a minute or two and then pray," I

suggested. "Simply tell the Lord everything that is bothering

you. I assume this is a private line, but if not, and if anybody

is listening, it won't matter. As far as anyone is concerned,

we are just a couple of voices. Nobody would know it is you

and I."

Thus encouraged, he started to pray, hesitantly at first, and

then with great impetuosity he poured out his heart, and it

was filled with hate, frustration, failure—a mass of it. Finally

he prayed plaintively, "Dear Jesus, I have a lot of nerve to

ask you to do anything for me, because I never did anything

for you. I guess you know what a no-account I am, even

though I put on a big front. I am sick of all this, dear Jesus.

25

Please help me."

So I prayed again, and asked the Lord to answer his prayer,

then said, "Lord, at the other end of the telephone wire, place

your hand on my friend and give him peace. Help him now

to yield himself and accept your gift of peace." Then I

stopped, and there was a rather long pause, and I shall never

forget the tone in his voice as I heard him say, "I shall

always remember this experience, and I want you to know

that for the first time in months I feel clean inside and happy

and peaceful." This man employed a simple technique for

having a peaceful mind. He emptied his mind and he

received peace as a gift from God.

As a physician said, "Many of my patients have nothing

wrong with them except their thoughts. So I have a favorite

prescription that I write for some, but it is not a prescription

that you can fill at a drugstore. The prescription I write is a

verse from the Bible, 'Romans 12:2.' I do not write out that

verse for my patients. I make them look it up and it reads:

'...be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind...' To be

happier and healthier they need a renewing of their minds,

that is, a change in the pattern of their thoughts. When they

'take' this prescription, they actually achieve a mind full of

peace. That helps to produce health and well-being."

A primary method for gaining a mind full of peace is to

practice emptying the mind. This will be emphasized in

another chapter, but I mention it here to underscore the

importance of a frequent mental catharsis. I recommend a

mind-emptying at least twice a day, more often if necessary.

Definitely practice emptying your mind of fears, hates,

insecurities, regrets, and guilt feelings. The mere fact that

you consciously make this effort to empty your mind tends to

give relief. Haven't you experienced a sense of release when

you have been able to pour out to somebody whom you can

trust worrisome matters that lay heavy upon the heart? As a

26

pastor I have often observed how much it means to people to

have someone to whom they can truly and in confidence tell

everything troubling their minds.

I conducted a religious service on board the S.S. Lurline on a

recent voyage to Honolulu. In the course of my talk I

suggested that people who were carrying worries in their

minds might go to the stern of the vessel and imaginatively

take such anxious thought out of the mind, drop it overboard,

and watch it disappear in the wake of the ship. It seems an

almost childlike suggestion, but a man came to me later that

day and said, "I did as you suggested and am amazed at the

relief it has given me. During this voyage," he said, "every

evening at sunset I am going to drop all my worries

overboard until I develop the psychology of casting them

entirely out of my consciousness. Every day I shall watch

them disappear in the great ocean of time. Doesn't the Bible

say something about 'forgetting those things that are

behind'?"

The man to whom this suggestion appealed is not an

impractical sentimentalist. On the contrary, he is a person of

extraordinary mental stature, an outstanding leader in his

field.

Of course, emptying the mind is not enough. When the mind

is emptied, something is bound to enter. The mind cannot

long remain a vacuum. You cannot go around permanently

with an empty mind. I admit that some people seem to

accomplish that feat, but by and large it is necessary to refill

the emptied mind or the old, unhappy thoughts which you

have cast out will come sneaking in again.

To prevent that happening, immediately start filling your

mind with creative and healthy thoughts. Then when the old

fears, hates, and worries that have haunted you for so long

try to edge back in, they will in effect find a sign on the door

of your mind reading "occupied." They may struggle for

27

admission, for having lived in your mind for a long time,

they feel at home there. But the new and healthy thoughts

which you have taken in will now be stronger and better

fortified, and therefore able to repulse them. Presently the

old thoughts will give up altogether and leave you alone.

You will permanently enjoy a mind full of peace.

At intervals during the day practice thinking a carefully

selected series of peaceful thoughts. Let mental pictures of

the most peaceful scenes you have ever witnessed pass

across your mind, as, for example, some beautiful valley

filled with the hush of evening time, as the shadows lengthen

and the sun sinks to rest. Or recall the silvery light of the

moon falling upon rippling waters, or remember the sea

washing gently upon soft shores of sand. Such peaceful

thought images will work upon your mind as a healing

medicine. So now and then during every day allow motion

pictures of peace slowly to cross your mind.

Practice the technique of suggestive articulation, that is,

repeat audibly some peaceful words. Words have profound

suggestive power, and there is healing in the very saying of

them. Utter a series of panicky words and your mind will

immediately go into a mild state of nervousness. You will

perhaps feel a sinking in the pit of your stomach that will

affect your entire physical mechanism. If, on the contrary,

you speak peaceful, quieting words, your mind will react in a

peaceful manner. Use such a word as "tranquillity." Repeat

that word slowly several times. Tranquillity is one of the

most beautiful and melodic of all English words, and the

mere saying of it tends to induce a tranquil state.

Another healing word is "serenity." Picturize serenity as you

say it. Repeat it slowly and in the mood of which the word is

a symbol. Words such as these have a healing potency when

used in this manner.

It is also helpful to use lines from poetry or passages from

28

the Scriptures. A man of my acquaintance who achieved a

remarkable peace of mind has the habit of writing on cards

unusual quotations expressing peacefulness. He carries one

of the cards in his wallet at all times, referring to it

frequently until each quotation is committed to memory. He

says that each such idea dropped into the subconscious

"lubricates" his mind with peace. A peaceful concept is

indeed oil on troubled thoughts. One of the quotations which

he used is from a sixteenth-century mystic, "Let nothing

disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. Everything passes

away except God. God alone is sufficient."

The words of the Bible have a particularly strong therapeutic

value. Drop them into your mind, allowing them to

"dissolve" in consciousness, and they will spread a healing

balm over your entire mental structure. This is one of the

simplest processes to perform and also one of the most

effective in attaining peace of mind.

A salesman told me of an incident that took place in a

Midwestern hotel room. He was one of a group of

businessmen having a conference. One man was very much

on edge. He was snappy, argumentative, high-strung.

Everyone present knew him quite well and realized he was

under great nervous pressure. But finally his irritating

attitudes began to get on everybody's nerves. Presently this

nervous individual opened his traveling bag, took out a big

bottle of brackish-looking medicine, and poured himself a

large dose. Asked what this medicine was, he growled, "Oh,

it's something for nerves. I feel like I'm going to break in

pieces. The pressure I'm under makes me wonder if I am

going to crack up. I try not to show it, but I suppose even you

fellows have observed swallowed several bottles of it, but I

don't seem to get any better."

The other men laughed, then one said in a kindly manner,

"Bill, I don't know anything about that medicine you are

29

taking. Maybe it's all right. It probably is, but I can give you

some medicine for those nerves that will do you more good

than that. I know, because it cured me, and I was worse off

than you are."

"What is this medicine?" snapped the other.

"This book will do the job, and I really mean it. I suppose

you think it strange that I carry a Bible around in my bag, but

I don't care who knows it. I am not a bit ashamed of it. I have

been carrying this Bible in my bag for the past two years,

and I have marked places in it that help keep my mind at

peace. It works for me, and I think it can do something for

you too. Why not give it a trial?"

The others were listening with interest to this unusual

speech. The nervous man had sunk low in his chair. Seeing

that he was making an impression, the speaker continued, "I

had a peculiar experience in a hotel one night which got me

into the habit of reading the Bible. I was getting into a pretty

tense state. I was out on a business trip and late one

afternoon came up to my room terribly nervous. I tried to

write some letters, but couldn't get my mind on them. I paced

up and down the room, tried to read the paper, but that

annoyed me, so I decided to go down and get a drink—

anything to get away from myself.

"While standing by the dresser, my eye happened to fall

upon a Bible lying there. I had seen many such Bibles in

hotel rooms, but had never read any of them. However,

something impelled me, and I opened the book to one of the

Psalms and started to read it. I remember that I read that one

standing up, then sat down and read another. I was interested

but certainly surprised at myself—me reading the Bible! It

was a laugh, but I kept on reading.

"Soon I came to the 23rd Psalm. I had learned that one as a

boy in Sunday school and was surprised that I still knew

30

most of it by heart. I tried saying it over, especially that line

where it says, 'He leadeth me beside the still waters; he

restoreth my soul.' I liked that line. It sort of got me. I sat

there repeating it over and over—and the next thing I knew I

woke up.

"Apparently I had dropped off to sleep and slept soundly. I

slept only about fifteen minutes, but upon awakening was as

refreshed and rested as if I'd had a good night's sleep. I can

remember yet the wonderful feeling of complete

refreshment. Then I realized that I felt peaceful, and said to

myself, 'Isn't it strange? What is wrong with me that I have

missed something as wonderful as this?'

"So after that experience," he said, "I bought a Bible, a little

one I could put in my bag, and I've been carrying it ever

since. I honestly like to read it, and I am not nearly so

nervous as I used to be. So," he added, "try that, Bill, and see

if it doesn't work."

Bill did try it, and he kept on trying it. He reported that it was

a bit strange and difficult for him at first, and he read the

Bible on the sly when nobody was around. He didn't want to

be thought holy or pious. But now he says he brings it out on

trains and planes or "any old place" and reads it, and it "does

him a world of good."

"I no longer need to take nerve medicine," he declared.

This scheme must have worked in Bill's case, for he is easy

to get along with now. His emotions are under control. These

two men found that getting peace of mind isn't complicated.

You merely feed your mind with thoughts that cause it to be

peaceful. To have a mind full of peace merely fill it full of

peace. It's as simple as that.

There are other practical ways by which you can develop

serenity and quiet attitudes. One way is through your

31

conversation. Depending upon the words we use and the tone

in which we use them, we can talk ourselves into being

nervous, high-strung, and upset. We can talk ourselves into

either negative or positive results. By our speech we can also

achieve quiet reactions. Talk peaceful to be peaceful.

In a group when the conversation takes a trend that is

upsetting, try injecting peaceful ideas into the talk. Note how

it counteracts the nervous tensions. Conversation filled with

expressions of unhappy expectation, at breakfast, for

example, often sets the tone of the day. Little wonder things

turn out according to the unhappy specifications. Negative

conversation adversely affects circumstances. Certainly talk

of a tense and nervous nature enhances inner agitation.

On the contrary, start each day by affirming peaceful,

contented, and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be

pleasant and successful. Such attitudes are active and definite

factors in creating satisfactory conditions. Watch your

manner of speech then if you wish to develop a peaceful

state of mind.

It is important to eliminate from conversations all negative

ideas, for they tend to produce tension and annoyance

inwardly. For example, when you are with a group of people

at luncheon, do not comment that the "Communists will soon

take over the country." In the first place, Communists are not

going to take over the country, and by so asserting you create

a depressing reaction in the minds of others. It undoubtedly

affects digestion adversely. The depressing remark colors the

attitude of all present, and everyone goes away with a

perhaps slight but definite feeling of annoyance. They also

carry away with them a mild but definite feeling that

something is wrong with everything. There are times when

we must face these harsh questions and deal with them

objectively and vigorously, and no one has more contempt

for Communism than I have, but as a general thing to have

32

peace of mind, fill your personal and group conversations

with positive, happy, optimistic, satisfying expressions.

The words we speak have a direct and definite effect upon

our thoughts. Thoughts create words, for words are the

vehicles of ideas. But words also affect thoughts and help to

condition if not to create attitudes. In fact, what often passes

for thinking starts with talk. Therefore if the average

conversation is scrutinized and disciplined to be sure that it

contains peaceful expressions, the result will be peaceful

ideas and ultimately, therefore, a peaceful mind.

Another effective technique in developing a peaceful mind is

the daily practice of silence. Everyone should insist upon not

less than a quarter of an hour of absolute quiet every twenty-

four hours. Go alone into the quietest place available to you

and sit or lie down for fifteen minutes and practice the art of

silence. Do not talk to anyone. Do not write. Do not read.

Think as little as possible. Throw your mind into neutral.

Conceive of your mind as quiescent, inactive. This will not

be easy at first because thoughts are stirring up your mind,

but practice will increase your efficiency. Conceive of your

mind as the surface of a body of water and see how nearly

quiet you can make it, so that there is not a ripple. When you

have attained a quiescent state, then begin to listen for the

deeper sounds of harmony and beauty and of God that are to

be found in the essence of silence.

Americans unfortunately are not skilled in this practice,

which is a pity, for as Thomas Carlyle said, "Silence is the

element in which great things fashion themselves." This

generation of Americans has missed something that our

forefathers knew and which helped to condition their

character—and that is the silence of the great forest or of the

far-reaching plains.

Perhaps our lack of inner peace is due to some extent to the

effect of noise upon the nervous system of modern people.

33

Scientific experiments show that noise in the place where we

work, live, or sleep reduces efficiency to a noticeable degree.

Contrary to popular belief, it is doubtful if we ever

completely adjust our physical, mental, or nervous

mechanisms to noise. No matter how familiar a repeated

sound becomes, it never passes unheard by the subconscious.

Automobile horns, the roar of airplanes, and other strident

noises actually result in physical activity during sleep.

Impulses transmitted to and through the nerves by these

sounds cause muscular movements which detract from real

rest. If the reaction is sufficiently severe, it partakes of the

nature of shock.

On the contrary, silence is a healing, soothing, healthy

practice. Starr Daily says, "No man or woman of my

acquaintance who knows how to practice silence and does it

has ever been sick to my knowledge. I have noticed that my

own afflictions come upon me when I do not balance

expression with relaxation." Starr Daily closely associates

silence with spiritual healing. The sense of rest that results

from a practice of complete silence is a therapy of utmost

value.

In the circumstances of modern life, with its acceleration of

pace, the practice of silence is admittedly not so simple as it

was in the days of our forefathers. A vast number of noise-

producing gadgets exist that they did not know, and our daily

program is more hectic. Space has been annihilated in the

modern world, and apparently we are also attempting to

annihilate the factor of time. It is only rarely possible for an

individual to walk in deep woods or sit by the sea or meditate

on a mountaintop or on the deck of a vessel in the midst of

the ocean. But when we do have such experiences, we can

print on the mind the picture of the silent place and the feel

of the moment and return to it in memory to live it over

again just as truly as when we were actually in that scene. In

fact, when you return to it in memory the mind tends to

34

remove any unpleasant factors present in the actual situation.

The memory visit is often an improvement over the actual

for the mind tends to reproduce only the beauty in the

remembered scene.

For example, as I write these words, I am on a balcony of

one of the most beautiful hotels in the world, the Royal

Hawaiian on the famed and romantic Waikiki Beach in

Honolulu, Hawaii. I am looking into a garden filled with

graceful palm trees, swaying in the balmy breeze. The air is

laden with the aroma of exotic flowers. Hibiscus, of which

on these islands there are two thousand varieties, fill the

garden. Outside my windows are papaya trees laden with

ripening fruit. The brilliant color of the royal poinciana, the

flame of the forest trees, adds to the glamor of the scene; and

the acacia trees are hung heavily with their exquisite white

flowers.

The incredible blue ocean surrounding these islands stretches

away to the horizon. The white waves are surging in, and the

Hawaiians and my fellow visitors are riding gracefully on

surfboards and outrigger canoes. Altogether it is a scene of

entrancing beauty. It has an indescribably healing effect

upon me as I sit here writing about the power generated in a

peaceful mind. The insistent responsibilities under which I

ordinarily live seem so far away. Though I am in Hawaii to

give a series of lectures and to write this book, nevertheless

the peace with which this place is filled envelops me. Yet I

realize that when I have returned to my home in New York,

five thousand miles away, I shall only then truly savor the

exquisite joy of the beauty which I now behold. It will

become enshrined in memory as a private retreat to which

my mind can go in the busy days that lie ahead. Often, when

far from this idyllic place, I shall return in memory to find

peace along the palm-lined, foam-washed beach at Waikiki.

Fill your mind with all peaceful experiences possible, then

35

make planned and deliberate excursions to them in memory.

You must learn that the easiest way to an easy mind is to

create an easy mind. This is done by practice, by the

application of some such simple principles as outlined here.

The mind quickly responds to teaching and discipline. You

can make the mind give you back anything you want, but

remember the mind can give back only what it was first

given. Saturate your thoughts with peaceful experiences,

peaceful words and ideas, and ultimately you will have a

storehouse of peace-producing experiences to which you

may turn for refreshment and renewal of your spirit. It will

be a vast source of power.

I spent a night with a friend who has a very lovely home. We

had breakfast in a unique and interesting dining room. The

four walls are painted in a beautiful mural picturing the

countryside in which my host was reared as a boy. It is a

panorama of rolling hills, gentle valleys, and singing

streams, the latter clean and sun speckled, and babbling over

rocks. Winding roads meander through pleasant meadows.

Little houses dot the landscape. In a central position is a

white church surmounted by a tall steeple.

As we breakfasted my host talked of this region of his youth,

pointing out various points of interest in the painting around

the wall. Then he said, "Often as I sit in this dining room I go

from point to point in my memory and relive other days. I

recall, for example, walking up that lane as a boy with bare

feet, and I can remember yet how the clean dust felt between

my toes. I remember fishing in that trout stream on many a

summer afternoon and coasting down those hills in the

wintertime.

"There is the church I attended as a boy." He grinned and

said, "I sat through many a long sermon in that church but

gratefully recall to mind the kindliness of the people and the

sincerity of their lives. I can sit here and look at that church

36

and think of the hymns I heard there with my mother and

father as we sat together in the pew. They are long buried in

that cemetery alongside the church, but in memory I go and

stand by their graves and hear them speak to me as in days

gone by. I get very tired and sometimes am nervous and

tense. It helps to sit here and go back to the days when I had

an untroubled mind, when life was new and fresh. It does

something for me. It gives me peace."

Perhaps we all cannot have such murals on the dining-room

walls, but you can put them around the wall of your mind:

pictures of the most beautiful experiences of your life. Spend

time among the thoughts which these pictures suggest. No

matter how busy you may be or what responsibilities you

carry, this simple, rather unique practice, having proved

successful in many instances, may have a beneficial effect

upon you. It is an easily practiced, easy way to a peaceful

mind.

There is a factor in the matter of inner peace which must be

stated because of its importance.

Frequently I find that people who are lacking in inner peace

are victims of a self-punishment mechanism. At some time in

their experience they have committed a sin and the sense of

guilt haunts them. They have sincerely sought Divine

forgiveness, and the good Lord will always forgive anyone

who asks Him and who means it. However, there is a curious

quirk within the human mind whereby sometimes an

individual will not forgive himself.

He feels that he deserves punishment and therefore is

constantly anticipating that punishment. As a result he lives

in a constant apprehension that something is going to

happen. In order to find peace under these circumstances he

must increase the intensity of his activity. He feels that hard

work will give him some release from his sense of guilt. A

37

physician told me that in his practice a number of cases of

nervous breakdown were traceable to a sense of guilt for

which the patient had unconsciously attempted to

compensate by hectic overwork. The patient attributed his

breakdown not to the sense of guilt, but to his overworked

condition. "But," said the physician, "these men need not

have broken down from overwork if first the sense of guilt

had been fully released." Peace of mind under such

circumstances is available by yielding the guilt as well as the

tension it produces to the healing therapy of Christ.

At a resort hotel where I had gone for a few days of quiet

writing I encountered a man from New York whom I knew

slightly. He was a high-pressured, hard-driving, and

exceedingly nervous business executive. He was sitting in

the sun in a deck chair. At his invitation I sat down and

chatted with him.

"I'm glad to see you relaxing in this beautiful spot," I

commented.

He replied nervously, "I haven't any business being here. I've

so much work to do at home. I'm under terrible pressure.

Things have got me down, I'm nervous and can't sleep. I'm

jumpy. My wife insisted that I come down here for a week.

The doctors say there's nothing wrong with me if I just get to

thinking right and relax. But how in the world do you do

that?" he challenged. Then he gave me a piteous look.

"Doctor," he said, "I would give anything if I could be

peaceful and quiet. It's what I want more than anything in

this world."

We talked a bit, and it came out in the conversation that he

was always worrying that something sinister was going to

happen. For years he had anticipated some dire event, living

in constant apprehension about "something happening" to his

wife or his children or his home.

38

It was not difficult to analyze his case. His insecurity arose

from a double source—from childhood insecurities and from

later guilty experiences. His mother had always felt that

"something was going to happen," and he had absorbed her

anxiety feelings. Later he committed some sins, and his

subconscious mind insisted upon self-punishment. He

became victim to the mechanism of self-punishment. As a

result of this unhappy combination I found him this day in a

highly inflamed state of nervous reaction.

Finishing our conversation, I stood beside his chair a

moment. There was no one near, so I rather hesitantly

suggested, "Would you by any chance like me to pray with

you?" He nodded, and I put my hand on his shoulder and

prayed, "Dear Jesus, as You healed people in the long ago

and gave them peace, heal this man now. Give him fully of

Thy forgiveness. Help him to forgive himself. Separate him

from all his sins and let him know that You do not hold them

against him. Set him free from them. Then let Thy peace

flow into his mind, and into his soul, and into his body."

He looked up at me with a strange look on his face and then

turned away, for there were tears in his eyes and he didn't

want me to see them. We were both a bit embarrassed, and I

left him. Months later I met him, and he said, "Something

happened to me down there that day when you prayed for

me. I felt a strange sense of quietness and peace, and," he

added, "healing."

He goes to church regularly now and he reads the Bible

every day of his life. He follows the laws of God and he has

lots of driving force. He is a healthy, happy man, for he has

peace in his heart and mind.

39

Chapter 3

How to Have Constant Energy

A MAJOR-LEAGUE baseball pitcher once pitched a game

when the temperature was over one hundred degrees. He lost

several pounds as a result of the afternoon's exertion. At one

stage of the game his energy sagged. His method for

restoring his ebbing strength was unique. He simply repeated

a passage from the Old Testament—"But they that wait upon

the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with

wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they

shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

Frank Hiller, the pitcher who had this experience, told me

that reciting this verse on the pitcher's mound actually gave

him a renewal of strength so that he was able to complete the

game with energy to spare. He explained the technique by

saying, "I passed a powerful energy-producing thought

through my mind."

How we think we feel has a definite effect on how we

actually feel physically. If your mind tells you that you are

tired, the body mechanism, the nerves, and the muscles

accept the fact. If your mind is intensely interested, you can

keep on at an activity indefinitely. Religion functions

through our thoughts, in fact, it is a system of thought

discipline. By supplying attitudes of faith to the mind it can

increase energy. It helps you to accomplish prodigious

activity by suggesting that you have ample support and

resources of power.

A friend in Connecticut, an energetic man, full of vitality and

vigor, says that he goes to church regularly to "get his

batteries recharged." His concept is sound. God is the source

of all energy—energy in the universe, atomic energy,

electrical energy, and spiritual energy; indeed every form of

40

energy derives from the Creator. The Bible emphasizes this

point when it says, "He giveth power to the faint; and to

them that have no might he increaseth strength." (Isaiah

40:29)

In another statement the Bible describes the energizing and

reenergizing process: "...in Him we live (that is, have

vitality), and move (have dynamic energy), and have our

being (attain completeness)." (Acts 17:28)

Contact with God establishes within us a flow of the same

type of energy that re-creates the world and that renews

springtime every year. When in spiritual contact with God

through our thought processes, the Divine energy flows

through the personality, automatically renewing the original

creative act. When contact with the Divine energy is broken,

the personality gradually becomes depleted in body, mind,

and spirit. An electric clock connected with an outlet does

not run down and will continue indefinitely to keep accurate

time. Unplug it, and the clock stops. It has lost contact with

the power flowing through the universe. In general this

process is operative in human experience though in a less

mechanical manner.

A number of years ago I attended a lecture at which a

speaker asserted before a large audience that he had not been

tired in thirty years. He explained that thirty years before he

had passed through a spiritual experience in which by self-

surrender he had made contact with Divine power. From then

on he possessed sufficient energy for all of his activities, and

these were prodigious. He so obviously illustrated his

teachings that everyone in that vast audience was profoundly

impressed.

To me it was a revelation of the fact that in our

consciousness we can tap a reservoir of boundless power as a

result of which it is not necessary to suffer depletion of

energy. For years I have studied and experimented with the

41

ideas which this speaker outlined and which others have

expounded and demonstrated, and it is my conviction that the

principles of Christianity scientifically utilized can develop

an uninterrupted and continuous flow of energy into the

human mind and body.

These findings were corroborated by a prominent physician

with whom I was discussing a certain man whom we both

know. This man, whose responsibilities are very heavy,

works from morning until night without interruption, but

always seems able to assume new obligations. He has the

knack of handling his work easily and with efficiency.

I commented to the physician that I hoped this man was not

setting a dangerous pace that might possibly lead to a

breakdown. The physician shook his head. "No," he replied,

"as his physician I do not think there is any danger of a

crack-up, and the reason is that he is a thoroughly well-

organized individual with no energy leaks in his make-up.

He operates a well-regulated machine. He handles things

with easy power and carries burdens without strain. He never

wastes an ounce of energy, but every effort is applied with

maximum force."

"How do you account for this efficiency, this seemingly

boundless energy?" I asked.

The physician studied for a moment. "The answer is that he

is a normal individual, emotionally well integrated, and,

what is more important, he is a soundly religious person.

From his religion he has learned how to avoid drainage of

power. His religion is a workable and useful mechanism for

preventing energy leaks. It is not hard work that drains off

energy but emotional upheaval, and this man is entirely free

from that."

Increasingly people are realizing that the maintenance of a

sound spiritual life is important in enjoying energy and

42

personality force.

The body is designed to produce all needed energy over an

amazingly long period of time. If the individual takes

reasonable care of his body from the standpoint of proper

diet, exercise, sleep, no physical abuse, the body will

produce and maintain astonishing energy and sustain itself in

good health. If he gives similar attention to a well-balanced

emotional life, energy will be conserved. But if he allows

energy leaks caused by hereditary or self-imposed emotional

reaction of a debilitating nature, he will be lacking in vital

force. The natural state of the individual when body, mind,

and spirit work harmoniously is that of a continuous

replacement of necessary energy.

Mrs. Thomas A. Edison, with whom I often discussed the

habits and characteristics of her famous husband, the world's

greatest inventive wizard, told me that it was Mr. Edison's

custom to come into the house from his laboratory after

many hours of labor and lie down on his old couch. She said

he would fall asleep as naturally as a child, in perfect

relaxation, sinking into a deep and untroubled slumber. After

three or four, or sometimes five hours he would become

instantly wide awake, completely refreshed, and eager to

return to his work.

Mrs. Edison, in answer to my request that she analyze her

husband's ability to rest in a manner so natural and complete,

said, "He was nature's man," by which she meant that he was

completely in harmony with nature and with God. In him

there were no obsessions, no disorganizations, no conflicts,

no mental quirks, no emotional instability. He worked until

he needed to sleep, then he slept soundly and arose and

returned to his work. He lived for many years, and was in

many respects the most creative mind ever to appear on the

American continent. He drew his energy from emotional

self-mastery, the ability to relax completely. His amazingly

43

harmonious relationship with the universe caused nature to

reveal to him its inscrutable secrets.

Every great personality I have ever known, and I have

known many, who has demonstrated the capacity for

prodigious work has been a person in tune with the Infinite.

Every such person seems in harmony with nature and in

contact with the Divine energy. They have not necessarily

been pious people, but invariably they have been

extraordinarily well organized from an emotional and

psychological point of view. It is fear, resentment, the

projection of parental faults upon people when they are

children, inner conflicts and obsessions that throw off

balance the finely equated nature, thus causing undue

expenditure of natural force.

The longer I live the more I am convinced that neither age

nor circumstance needs to deprive us of energy and vitality.

We are at last awakening to the close relationship between

religion and health. We are beginning to comprehend a basic

truth hitherto neglected, that our physical condition is

determined very largely by our emotional condition, and our

emotional life is profoundly regulated by our thought life.

All through its pages, the Bible talks about vitality and force

and life. The supreme over-all word of the Bible is life, and

life means vitality—to be filled with energy. Jesus stated the

key expression, "...I am come that they might have life, and

that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) This

does not rule out pain or suffering or difficulty, but the clear

implication is that if a person practices the creative and re-

creative principles of Christianity he can live with power and

energy.

The practice ot the above-mentioned principles will serve to

bring a person into the proper tempo of living. Our energies

are destroyed because of the high tempo, the abnormal pace

at which we go. The conservation of energy depends upon

44

getting your personality speed synchronized with the rate of

God's movement. God is in you. It you are going at one rate

and God at another, you are tearing yourself apart. "Though

the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding

small." The mills of most of us grind very rapidly, and so

they grind poorly. When we become attuned to God's rhythm

we develop a normal tempo within ourselves and energy

flows freely.

The hectic habits of this age have many disastrous effects. A

friend of mine commented upon an observation made by her

aged father. He said that in early days when a young man

came courting in the evening he sat with his intended in the

parlor. Time in those days was measured by the deliberate,

ponderous strokes of the grandfather clock, which has a very

long pendulum. It seemed to say, "There—is—plenty—of—

time. There—is—plenty—of—time. There—is—plenty—

of—time." But modern clocks, having a shorter pendulum

with a swifter stroke, seem to say, "Time to get busy! Time

to get busy! Time to get busy! Time to get busy!"

Everything is speeded up, and for that reason many people

are tired. The solution is to get into the time synchronization

of Almighty God. One way to do this is by going out some

warm day and lying down on the earth. Get your ear close

down to the ground and listen. You will hear all manner of

sounds. You will hear the sound of the wind in the trees and

the murmur of insects, and you will discover presently that

there is in all these sounds a well-regulated tempo. You

cannot get that tempo by listening to traffic in the city streets,

for it is lost in the confusion of sound. You can get it in

church where you hear the word of God and the great hymns.

Truth vibrates to God's tempo in a church. But you can also

find it in a factory if you have a mind to.

A friend of mine, an industrialist in a large plant in Ohio,

told me that the best workmen in his plant are those who get

45

into harmony with the rhythm of the machine on which they

are working. He declares that if a worker will work in

harmony with the rhythm of his machine he will not be tired

at the end of the day. He points out that the machine is an

assembling of parts according to the law of God. When you

love a machine and get to know it, you will be aware that it

has a rhythm. It is one with the rhythm of the body, of the

nerves, of the soul. It is in God's rhythm, and you can work

with that machine and not get tired if you are in harmony

with it. There is a rhythm of the stove, a rhythm of the

typewriter, a rhythm of the office, a rhythm of an

automobile, a rhythm of your job. So to avoid tiredness and

to have energy, feel your way into the essential rhythm of

Almighty God and all His works.

To accomplish this, relax physically. Then conceive of your

mind as likewise relaxing. Follow this mentally by

visualizing the soul as becoming quiescent, then pray as

follows: "Dear God, You are the source of all energy. You

are the source of the energy in the sun, in the atom, in all

flesh, in the bloodstream, in the mind. I hereby draw energy

from You as from an illimitable source." Then practice

believing that you receive energy. Keep in tune with the

Infinite.

Of course many people are tired simply because they are not

interested in anything. Nothing ever moves them deeply. To

some people it makes no difference what's going on or how

things go. Their personal concerns are superior even to all

crises in human history. Nothing makes any real difference

to them except their own little worries, their desires, and

their hates. They wear themselves out stewing around about

a lot of inconsequential things that amount to nothing. So

they become tired. They even become sick. The surest way

not to become tired is to lose yourself in something in which

you have a profound conviction.

46

A famous statesman who made seven speeches in one day

was still boundless in energy.

"Why are you not tired after making seven speeches?" I

asked.

"Because," he said, "I believe absolutely in everything I said

in those speeches. I am enthusiastic about my convictions."

That's the secret. He was on fire for something. He was

pouring himself out, and you never lose energy and vitality

in so doing. You only lose energy when life becomes dull in

your mind. Your mind gets bored and therefore tired doing

nothing. You don't have to be tired. Get interested in

something. Get absolutely enthralled in something. Throw

yourself into it with abandon. Get out of yourself. Be

somebody. Do something. Don't sit around moaning about

things, reading the papers, and saying, "Why don't they do

something?" The man who is out doing something isn't tired.

If you're not getting into good causes, no wonder you're

tired. You're disintegrating. You're deteriorating. You're

dying on the vine. The more you lose yourself in something

bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have. You

don't have time to think about yourself and get bogged down

in your emotional difficulties.

To live with constant energy it is important to get your

emotional faults corrected. You will never have full energy

until you do.

The late Knute Rockne, one of the greatest football coaches

this country ever produced, said that a football player cannot

have sufficient energy unless his emotions are under spiritual

control. In fact, he went so far as to say that he would not

have a man on his team who did not have a genuinely

friendly feeling for every fellow player. "I have to get the

most energy out of a man," he said, "and have discovered

that it cannot be done if he hates another man. Hate blocks

47

his energy and he isn't up to par until he eliminates it and

develops a friendly feeling." People who lack energy are

disorganized to one degree or another by their deep,

fundamental emotional and psychological conflicts.

Sometimes the results of this disorganization are extreme,

but healing is ever possible.

In a Midwestern city I was asked to talk with a man,

formerly a very active citizen of that community, who had

suffered an acute decline in vitality. It was thought by his

associates that he had had a stroke. This impression was

given by the shuffling manner in which he moved, by an

extraordinary lethargic attitude, and by his complete

detachment of himself from the activities to which he had

formerly given a large portion of his time. He sat

despondently in his chair hour after hour, and often he would

weep. He exhibited many of the symptoms of a nervous

breakdown.

I arranged to see him in my hotel room at a certain hour. My

door was open and through it I could see the elevator. I

chanced to be looking in that direction when the elevator

door opened and this man came shuffling down the hall. It

seemed that at any moment he would topple over, and he

gave every evidence of scarcely being able to negotiate the

distance. I asked him to be seated and engaged him in

conversation, which conversation was rather fruitless, for it

revealed little enlightenment because of his tendency to

complain about his condition and his inability to give

thoughtful consideration to my questions. This was

apparently due to his enormous self-pity.

When I asked him if he would like to be well, he looked up

at me in the most intense and pathetic manner. His

desperation was revealed by his answer which was that he

would give anything in the world if he could regain the

energy and the interest in life which he formerly enjoyed.

48

I began to draw out of him certain facts regarding his life and

experience. These were all of a very intimate nature and

many of them so deeply imbedded in his consciousness that

it was with the utmost difficulty that his personality yielded

them up. They had to do with old infantile attitudes, fears

that stemmed from earliest days, most ot them deriving from

the mother-child relationship. Not a few guilt situations

appeared. It seemed that over the course of the years these

factors had accumulated like drifting sand across the channel

of a river. The flow of power was gradually decreased so that

an insufficient amount of energy was passing through. The

man's mind was in such a complete state of retreating that a

process ot reasoning and enlightenment seemed quite

impossible.

I sought for guidance and found myself, quite to my surprise,

standing beside him and placing my hand upon his head. I

prayed, asking God to heal the man. I suddenly became

aware of what seemed to be the passing of power through my

hand which rested upon his head. I hasten to add that there is

no healing power in my hand, but now and then a human

being is used as a channel, and it was evidently so in this

instance, for presently the man looked up with an expression

of the utmost happiness and peace and he said simply, "He

was here. He touched me. I feel entirely different."

From this time on his improvement was pronounced, and at

the present time he is practically his old self again, except for

the fact that he now possesses a quiet and serene confidence

which was not present previously. Apparently the clogged

channel in his personality through which the passage of

power had been impeded was opened by an act of faith and

the free flow of energy was renewed.

The facts suggested by this incident are that such healings do

take place and that a gradual accumulation of psychological

factors can cut off the flow of energy. The further fact is

49

stressed that these same factors are susceptible to the power

of faith to energy within an individual.

The effect of guilt and fear feelings on energy is widely

recognized by all authorities having to do with the problems

of human nature. The quantity of vital force required to give

the personality relief from either guilt or fear or a

combination of each is so great that often only a fraction of

energy remains for the discharge of the functions of living.

Energy drainage occasioned by fear and guilt is of such an

amount as to leave little power to be applied to a person's

job. The result is that he tires quickly. Not being able to meet

the full requirements of his responsibility, he retreats into an

apathetic, dull, listless condition and is indeed even ready to

give up and fall back sleepily in a state of enervation.

A businessman was referred to me by a psychiatrist whom

the patient had been consulting. It appeared that the patient,

generally regarded as quite morally strict and upright, had

become involved with a married woman. He had attempted

to break off this relationship but was encountering resistance

from his partner in infidelity, although he had earnestly

besought her to abandon their practice and allow him to

return to his former state of respectability.

She had threatened him with the possibility that she might

enlighten her husband concerning these escapades if he

insisted in his desire to cease the relationship. The patient

recognized the fact that if the husband became apprised of

the situation, it would result in disgrace for him in his

community. He happened to be a prominent citizen and

prized his high standing.

As a result of his fear of exposure and a sense of guilt he had

been unable to sleep or rest. And since this had gone on for

two or three months he was in a very serious slump in energy

and did not possess the vitality to perform his job efficiently.

Inasmuch as some important matters were pending, the

50

situation was serious.

When the psychiatrist suggested that he see me, a clergyman,

because of his inability to sleep, he remonstrated by saying

there was no way in which a clergyman could correct the

condition which caused his sleeplessness, but, on the

contrary, he felt that a medical doctor might supply effective

medication.

When he stated his attitude to me I simply asked him how he

expected to sleep when he had two very annoying and

unpleasant bedfellows with whom he was attempting to

sleep.

"Bedfellows?" he asked in surprise. "I have no bedfellows."

"Oh, yes, you have," I said, "and there is nobody in this

world who can sleep with those two, one on either side."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I said, "You are trying to sleep every night between fear on

one side and guilt on the other, and you are attempting an

impossible feat. It makes no difference how many sleeping

pills you take, and you admit you have taken many such

pills, but they have had no effect upon you. The reason they

do not affect you is that they cannot reach the deeper levels

of your mind where this sleeplessness originates and which

is siphoning off your energy. You must eradicate fear and

guilt before you will ever be able to sleep and regain your

strength."

We dealt with the fear which was of exposure by the simple

expedient of getting him ready in mind to face whatever

might ensue as a result of doing the right thing, which was of

course to break off the relationship regardless of

consequences. I assured him that whatever he did that was

right would turn out right. One never does wrong by doing

51

right. I urged him to put the matter in God's hands and

simply do the right thing, leaving the outcome to God.

He did that, not without trepidation, but with considerable

sincerity just the same. The woman, either through

shrewdness or some expression of her own better nature or

through the more doubtful expedient of transferring her

affections elsewhere, released him.

The guilt was handled by seeking God's forgiveness. When

this is sincerely sought it is never denied, and our patient

found surcease and relief. It was astonishing how when this

double weight was lifted from his mind his personality once

again began to function normally. He was able to sleep. He

found peace and renewal of strength. Energy quickly

returned. A wiser and thankful man, he became able to carry

on his normal activities.

A not infrequent case of diminishing energy is staleness. The

pressure, monotony, and unceasing continuity of

responsibilities dull the freshness of mind which a person

must have to approach his work successfully. As an athlete

goes stale so does the individual, whatever his occupation,

tend to come upon dry and arid periods. During such a

condition of mind the expenditure of greater energy is

required to do with difficulty what one formerly did with

comparative ease. As a result the vital powers are hard put to

it to supply the force required, and the individual often loses

his grip and power.

A solution for this state of mind was employed by a

prominent business leader, president of the board of trustees

of a certain university. A professor who had formerly been

outstanding and extraordinarily popular had begun to slip in

teaching ability and in the power to interest students. It was

the verdict of the students as well as the private opinion of

the trustees that this teacher must either recover his former

capacity to teach with interest and enthusiasm or it would be

52

necessary to replace him. This latter expedient was

entertained with hesitancy for the reason that there still

remained a normal expectancy of several active years before

he reached the age of retirement.

The businessman above referred to asked the professor to

come to his office and announced to him that the board of

trustees was giving him a six months' leave of absence with

all expenses paid and with full salary. There was only one

stipulation, and that was that he go away to a place of rest

and give himself over to gaining a complete renewal of

strength and energy.

The businessman invited him to use a cabin which he himself

owned in a wilderness setting and made the curious

suggestion that he take no books except one book, the Bible.

He suggested that the professor's daily program be walking,

fishing, and some manual work in the garden; that he read

the Bible every day for such a period as would enable him to

read the Book through three times in the six months. He

further suggested that he memorize as many passages as

possible for the purpose of saturating his mind with the great

words and ideas which the Book contains.

The businessman said, "I believe that if you spend six

months outdoors chopping wood, digging in the soil, reading

the Bible, and fishing in the deep lakes you will become a

new man."

The professor agreed to this unique proposal. His adjustment

to this radically different mode of life was an easier one than

he or anyone who knew him expected. In fact, he was

surprised to find that he actually liked it. After he became

conditioned to active outdoor living he discovered that it had

an immense appeal for him. He missed his intellectual

associates and his reading for a while, but forced back upon

the Bible, his only book, he became immersed in it, and to

his amazement found, as he put it, "a library within itself." In

53

its pages he found faith and peace and power. In six months

he was a new man.

The businessman now tells me that this professor has

become, as he puts it, "a person of compelling power."

Staleness passed away, the old-time energy returned, power

surged back, zest for living was renewed.

54

Chapter 4

Try Prayer Power

IN A BUSINESS OFFICE high above the city streets two

men were having a serious conversation. One, heavily

troubled by a business and personal crisis, paced the floor

restlessly, then sat dejectedly, head in hand, a picture of

despair. He had come to the other for advice, since he was

considered a man of great understanding. Together they had

explored the problem from every angle but seemingly

without result, which only served to deepen the troubled

man's discouragement. "I guess no power on earth can save

me," he sighed.

The other reflected for a moment, then spoke rather

diffidently. "I wouldn't look at it that way. I believe you are

wrong in saying there is no power that can save you.

Personally, I have found that there is an answer to every

problem. There is a power that can help you." Then slowly

he asked, "Why not try prayer power?"

Somewhat surprised, the discouraged man said, "Of course I

believe in prayer, but perhaps I do not know how to pray.

You speak of it as something practical that fits a business

problem. I never thought of it that way but I'm willing to try

prayer if you will show me how."

He did apply practical prayer techniques and in due course

got his answer. Matters ultimately turned out satisfactorily.

That is not to say he did not have difficulties. In fact, he had

rather a hard time of it but ultimately he worked out of this

trouble. Now he believes in prayer power so enthusiastically

that I recently heard him say, "Every problem can be solved

and solved right if you pray."

Experts in physical health and well-being often utilize prayer

55

in their therapy. Disability, tension, and kindred troubles

may result from a lack of inner harmony. It is remarkable

how prayer restores the harmonious functioning of body and

soul. A friend of mine, a physiotherapist, told a nervous man

to whom he was giving a massage, "God works through my

fingers as I seek to relax your physical body, which is the

temple of your soul. While I work on your outward being, I

want you to pray for God's relaxation inwardly." It was a

new idea to the patient, but he happened to be in a receptive

mood and he tried passing some peace thoughts through his

mind. He was amazed at the relaxing effect this had on him.

Jack Smith, operator of a health club, which is patronized by

many outstanding people, believes in the therapy of prayer

and uses it. He was at one time a prize fighter, then a truck

driver, later a taxi driver, and finally opened his health club.

He says that while he probes his patrons for physical

flabbiness he also probes for spiritual flabbiness because, he

declares, "You can't get a man physically healthy until you

get him spiritually healthy."

One day Walter Huston, the actor, sat by Jack Smith's desk.

He noted a big sign on the wall on which were penciled the

following letters: A P R P B W P R A A. In surprise Huston

asked, "What do those letters mean?"

Smith laughed and said, "They stand for 'Affirmative Prayers

Release Powers By Which Positive Results Are

Accomplished.' "

Huston's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Well, I never

expected to hear anything like that in a health club."

"I use methods like that," said Smith, "to make people

curious so they will ask what those letters mean. That gives

me an opportunity to tell them that I believe affirmative

prayers always get results."

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Jack Smith, who helps men to keep physically fit, believes

that prayer is as important, if not more important, than

exercise, steam baths, and a rubdown. It is a vital part of the

power-releasing process.

People are doing more praying today than formerly because

they find that it adds to personal efficiency. Prayer helps

them to tap forces and to utilize strength not otherwise

available.

A famous psychologist says, "Prayer is the greatest power

available to the individual in solving his personal problems.

Its power astonishes me."

Prayer power is a manifestation of energy. Just as there exist

scientific techniques for the release of atomic energy, so are

there scientific procedures for the release of spiritual energy

through the mechanism of prayer. Exciting demonstrations of

this energizing force are evident.

Prayer power seems able even to normalize the aging

process, obviating or limiting infirmity and deterioration.

You need not lose your basic energy or vital power or

become weak and listless merely as a result of accumulating

years. It is not necessary to allow your spirit to sag or grow

stale or dull.

Prayer can freshen you up every evening and send you out

renewed each morning. You can receive guidance in

problems if prayer is allowed to permeate your subconscious,

the seat of the forces which determines whether you take

right or wrong actions. Prayer has the power to keep your

reactions correct and sound. Prayer driven deeply into your

subconscious can remake you. It releases and keeps power

flowing freely.

If you have not experienced this power, perhaps you need to

learn new techniques of prayer. It is well to study prayer

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from an efficiency point of view. Usually the emphasis is

entirely religious though no cleavage exists between the two

concepts. Scientific spiritual practice rules out stereotyped

procedure even as it does in general science. If you have

been praying in a certain manner, even if it has brought you

blessings, which it doubtless has, perhaps you can pray even

more profitably by varying the pattern and by experimenting

with fresh prayer formulas. Get new insights; practice new

skills to attain greatest results.

It is important to realize that you are dealing with the most

tremendous power in the world when you pray. You would

not use an old-fashioned kerosene lamp for illumination.

You want the most up-to-date lighting devices. New and

fresh spiritual techniques are being constantly discovered by

men and women of spiritual genius. It is advisable to

experiment with prayer power according to such methods as

prove sound and effective. If this sounds new and strangely

scientific, bear in mind that the secret of prayer is to find the

process that will most effectively open your mind humbly to

God. Any method through which you can stimulate the

power of God to flow into your mind is legitimate and

usable.

An illustration of a scientific use of prayer is the experience

of two famous industrialists, whose names would be known

to many readers were I permitted to mention them, who had

a conference about a business and technical matter. One

might think that these men would approach such a problem

on a purely technical basis, and they did that and more; they

also prayed about it. But they did not get a successful result.

Therefore they called in a country preacher, an old friend of

one of them, because, as they explained, the Bible prayer

formula is, "Where two or three are gathered together in my

name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)

They also pointed to a further formula, namely, "If two of

you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall

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ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in

heaven." (Matthew 18:19)

Being schooled in scientific practice, they believe that in

dealing with prayer as a phenomenon they should

scrupulously follow the formulas outlined in the Bible which

they described as the textbook of spiritual science. The

proper method for employing a science is to use the accepted

formulas outlined in the textbook of that science. They

reasoned that if the Bible provides that two or three should

be gathered together, perhaps the reason they were not

succeeding was that they needed a third party.

Therefore the three men prayed, and to guard against error in

the process they also brought to bear on the problem various

other Biblical techniques such as those suggested in the

statements: "According to your faith be it unto

you." (Matthew 9:29) "What things soever ye desire, when

ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have

them." (Mark 11:24)

After several thoroughgoing sessions of prayer the three men

together affirmed that they had received the answer. The

outcome was entirely satisfactory. Subsequent results

indicated that Divine guidance was actually obtained.

These men are great enough scientists not to require precise

explanation of the operation of these spiritual laws any more

than in the case of naturalistic laws but are content with the

fact that the law does operate when "proper" techniques are

employed.

"While we cannot explain it," they said, "the fact remains

that we were baffled by our problem and we tried prayer

according to the formulas in the New Testament. That

method worked and we got a beautiful result." They did add

that it seemed to them that faith and harmony are important

factors in the prayer process.

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A man opened a small business in New York City a number

of years ago, his first establishment being, as he

characterized it, "a little hole in the wall." He had one

employee. In a few years they moved into a larger room and

then into extensive quarters. It became a very successful

operation.

This man's method of business as he described it was "to fill

the little hole in the wall with optimistic prayers and

thoughts." He declared that hard work, positive thinking, fair

dealing, right treatment of people, and the proper kind of

praying always get results. This man, who has a creative and

unique mind, worked out his own simple formula for solving

his problems and overcoming his difficulties through prayer

power. It is a curious formula but I have practiced it and

personally know that it works. I have suggested it to many

people who also found real value in its use. It is

recommended to you.

The formula is (1) PRAYERIZE, (2) PICTURIZE, (3)

ACTUALIZE.

By "prayerize" my friend meant a daily system of creative

prayer. When a problem arose he talked it over with God

very simply and directly in prayer. Moreover, he did not talk

with God as to some vast and far-off shadowy being but

conceived of God as being with him in his office, in his

home, on the street, in his automobile, always near by as a

partner, as a close associate. He took seriously the Biblical

injunction to "pray without ceasing." He interpreted it as

meaning that he should go about every day discussing with

God in a natural, normal manner the questions that had to be

decided and dealt with. The Presence came finally to

dominate his conscious and ultimately his unconscious

thinking. He "prayerized" his daily life. He prayed as he

walked or drove his car or performed other everyday

activities. He filled his daily life full of prayer—that is, he

60

lived by prayer. He did not often kneel to offer his prayers

but would, for example, say to God as to a close associate,

"What will I do about this, Lord?" or "Give me a fresh

insight on this, Lord." He prayerized his mind and so

prayerized his activities.

The second point in his formula of creative prayer is to

"picturize." The basic factor in physics is force. The basic

factor in psychology is the realizable wish. The man who

assumes success tends already to have success. People who

assume failure tend to have failure. When either failure or

success is picturized it strongly tends to actualize in terms

equivalent to the mental image pictured.

To assure something worthwhile happening, first pray about

it and test it according to God's will; then print a picture of it

on your mind as happening, holding the picture firmly in

consciousness. Continue to surrender the picture to God's

will—that is to say, put the matter in God's hands—and

follow God's guidance. Work hard and intelligently, thus

doing your part to achieve success in the matter. Practice

believing and continue to hold the picturization firmly in

your thoughts. Do this and you will be astonished at the

strange ways in which the picturization comes to pass. In this

manner the picture "actualizes." That which you have

"prayerized" and "picturized" "actualizes" according to the

pattern of your basic realizable wish when conditioned by

invoking God's power upon it, and if, moreover, you give

fully of yourself to its realization.

I have personally practiced this three-point prayer method

and find great power in it. It has been suggested to others

who have likewise reported that it released creative power

into their experience.

For example, a woman discovered that her husband was

drifting from her. Theirs had been a happy marriage, but the

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wife had become preoccupied in social affairs and the

husband had gotten busy in his work. Before they knew it,

the close, old-time companionship was lost. One day she

discovered his interest in another woman. She lost her head

and became hysterical. She consulted her minister, who

adroitly turned the conversation to herself. She admitted

being a careless homemaker and that she had also become

self-centered, sharp-tongued, and nagging.

She then confessed that she had never felt herself the equal

of her husband. She had a profound sense of inferiority

regarding him, feeling unable to maintain equality with him

socially and intellectually. So she retreated into an

antagonistic attitude that manifested itself in petulance and

criticism.

The minister saw that the woman had more talent, ability,

and charm than she was revealing. He suggested that she

create an image or picture of herself as capable and

attractive. He whimsically told her that "God runs a beauty

parlor" and that faith techniques could put beauty on a

person's face and charm and ease in her manner. He gave her

instruction in how to pray and how spiritually to "picturize."

He also advised her to hold a mental image of the restoration

of the old-time companionship, to visualize the goodness in

her husband, and to picture a restored harmony between the

two of them. She was to hold this picture with faith. In this

manner he prepared her for a most interesting personal

victory.

About this time her husband informed her that he wanted a

divorce. She had conquered herself to the extent of being

able to receive this request with calmness. She simply replied

that she was willing if he wanted it, but suggested a deferral

of the decision for ninety days on the ground that divorce is

so final. "If at the end of ninety days you still feel that you

want a divorce, I will co-operate with you." She said this

62

calmly. He gave her a quizzical look, for he had expected an

outburst.

Night after night he went out, and night after night she sat at

home, but she pictured him as seated in his old chair. He was

not in the chair, but she painted an image of him there

comfortably reading as in the old days. She visualized him

pottering around the house, painting and fixing things as he

had formerly done. She even pictured him drying the dishes

as he did when they were first married. She visualized the

two of them playing golf together and taking hikes as they

once did.

She maintained this picture with steady faith, and one night

there he actually sat in his old chair. She looked twice to be

sure that it was the reality rather than the picturization, but

perhaps a picturization is a reality, for at any rate the actual

man was there. Occasionally he would be gone but more and

more nights he sat in his chair. Then he began to read to her

as in the old days. Then one sunny Saturday afternoon he

asked, "What do you say to a game of golf?"

The days went by pleasantly until she realized that the

ninetieth day had arrived, so that evening she said quietly,

"Bill, this is the ninetieth day."

"What do you mean," he asked, puzzled, "the ninetieth day?"

"Why, don't you remember? We agreed to wait ninety days

to settle that divorce matter and this is the day."

He looked at her for a moment, then hidden behind his paper

turned a page, saying, "Don't be silly. I couldn't possibly get

along without you. Where did you ever get the idea I was

going to leave you?"

The formula proved a powerful mechanism. She prayerized,

she picturized, and the sought-for result was actualized.

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Prayer power solved her problem and his as well.

I have known many people who have successfully applied

this technique not only to personal affairs but to business

matters as well. When sincerely and intelligently brought

into situations, the results have been so excellent that this

must be regarded as an extraordinarily efficient method of

prayer. People who take this method seriously and actually

use it get astonishing results.

At an industrial convention banquet I was seated at the

speaker's table next to a man who, though a bit on the rough

side, was very likable. He may have felt a bit cramped by his

proximity to a preacher, which obviously wasn't his usual

company. During the dinner he used a number of theological

words, but they were not put together in a theological

manner. After each outburst he apologized, but I advised him

that I had heard all those words before.

He told me he had been a church attendant as a boy but "had

gotten away from it." He gave me that old story which I have

heard all my life and which even now people will get off as

something entirely new, viz., "When I was a boy my father

made me go to Sunday school and church and crammed

religion down my throat. So when I got away from home I

couldn't take it any more and have seldom been to church

since."

This man then observed that "perhaps he should start going

to church since he was getting old." I commented that he

would be lucky to find a seat. This surprised him for he "did

not think anybody went to church any more." I told him that

more people attend church each week than frequent any

other institution in the country. This rather bowled him over.

He was head of a medium-sized business and he fell to

telling me how much money his firm took in last year. I told

him I knew quite a few churches whose take exceeded that.

64

This really hit him in the solar plexus, and I noted his respect

for the church mounting by leaps and bounds. I told him

about the thousands of religious books that are sold, more

than any other type of book. "Maybe you fellows in the

church are on the ball at that," he slangily remarked.

At this moment another man came up to our table and

enthusiastically told me that "something wonderful" had

happened to him. He said he had been very depressed, for

things hadn't been going well with him. He decided to get

away for a week or so and on this vacation read one of my

books in which practical faith techniques are outlined. He

said this brought him the first satisfaction and peace he had

felt. It encouraged him as to his own possibilities. He began

to believe that the answer to his trouble was practical

religion.

"So," he said, "I began to practice the spiritual principles

presented in your book. I began to believe and affirm that

with God's help the objectives I was endeavoring to

accomplish could be achieved. A feeling came over me that

everything was going to be all right, and from then on

nothing could upset me. I absolutely knew it was going to be

O.K. - So I began to sleep better and feel better. I felt as if I

had taken a tonic. My new understanding and practice of

spiritual techniques were the turning point."

When he left us, my table companion, who had listened in on

this recital, said, "I never heard anything like that before.

That fellow talks about religion as happy and workable. It

was never presented to me that way. He also gives the

impression that religion is almost a science, that you can use

it to improve your health and do better in your job. I never

thought of religion in that connection."

Then he added, "But do you know what struck me? It was

the look on that guy's face."

65

Now the curious fact is that when my table companion made

that statement a semblance of the same look was on his own

face. For the first time he was getting the idea that religious

faith is not something piously stuffy but is a scientific

procedure for successful living. He was observing at

firsthand the practical working of prayer power in personal

experience.

Personally, I believe that prayer is a sending out of vibrations

from one person to another and to God. All of the universe is

in vibration. There are vibrations in the molecules of a table.

The air is filled with vibrations. The reaction between human

beings is also in vibration. When you send out a prayer for

another person, you employ the force inherent in a spiritual

universe. You transport from yourself to the other person a

sense of love, helpfulness, support—a sympathetic, powerful

understanding—and in this process you awaken vibrations in

the universe through which God brings to pass the good

objectives prayed for. Experiment with this principle and you

will know its amazing results.

For example, I have a habit, which I often use, of praying for

people as I pass them. I remember being on a train traveling

through West Virginia when I had a curious thought. I saw a

man standing on a station platform, then the train moved on

and he passed from sight. It occurred to me that I was seeing

him for the first and last time. His life and mine touched

lightly for just a fraction of an instant. He went his way and I

went mine. I wondered how his life would turn out.

Then I prayed for that man, sending out an affirmative prayer

that his life would be filled with blessings. Then I began

praying for other people I saw as the train passed. I prayed

for a man plowing in the field and asked the Lord to help

him and give him a good crop. I saw a mother hanging up

clothes, and that line of freshly washed garments told me she

had a large family. A glimpse of her face and the way in

66

which she handled the clothes of the children told me she

was a happy woman. I prayed for her, that she would have a

happy life, that her husband would always be true to her and

that she would be true to him. I prayed that they might be a

religious family and that the children would grow up strong,

honorable young people.

In one station I saw a man leaning half asleep against a wall,

and I prayed that he would wake up and get off relief and

amount to something.

Then we stopped at a station, and there was a lovable little

kid, one pants leg longer than the other, shirt open at the

neck, wearing a too-big sweater, hair tousled, face dirty. He

was sucking a lollipop and working hard on it. I prayed for

him, and as the train started to move he looked up at me and

gave me the most wonderful smile. I knew my prayer had

caught him, and I waved to him, and he waved back at me. I

shall never see that boy again in all likelihood, but our lives

touched. It had been a cloudy day up to that point, but

suddenly the sun came out and I think there was a light in the

boy's heart, for it was revealed on his face. I know that my

heart felt happy. I am sure it was because the power of God

was moving in a circuit through me, to the boy and back to

God; and we were all under the spell of prayer power.

One of the important functions of prayer is as a stimulus to

creative ideas. Within the mind are all of the resources

needed for successful living. Ideas are present in

consciousness which, when released and given scope

together with proper implementation, can lead to the

successful operation of any project or undertaking. When the

New Testament says, "The kingdom of God is within

you," (Luke 17:21) it is informing us that God our Creator

has laid up within our minds and personalities all the

potential powers and ability we need for constructive living.

It remains for us to tap and develop these powers.

67

For example, a man of my acquaintance is connected with a

business where he is the chief of four executives. At regular

intervals these men have what they call an "idea session," the

purpose of which is to tap all the creative ideas lurking in the

minds of any of the four. For this session they use a room

without telephones, buzzers, or other usual office equipment.

The double window is fully insulated so that street noises are

for the most part eliminated.

Before starting the session the group spends ten minutes in

silent prayer and meditation. They conceive of God as

creatively working in their minds. Each in his own way

silently prays, affirming that God is about to release from his

mind the proper ideas needed in the business.

Following the quiet period all start talking, pouring out ideas

that have come to their minds. Memos of the ideas are

written upon cards and thrown on the table. No one is

permitted to criticize any idea at this particular juncture for

argument might stop the flow of creative thought. The cards

are gathered up and each one is evaluated at a later session;

but this is the idea-tapping session, stimulated by prayer

power.

When this practice was inaugurated a high percentage of the

ideas suggested proved to be without particular value, but as

the sessions continued the percentage of good ideas

increased. Now many of the best suggestions which have

later demonstrated their practical value were evolved in the

"idea session."

As one of the executives explained, "We have come up with

insights that not only show on our balance sheet but we have

also gained a new feeling of confidence. Moreover, there is a

deeper feeling of fellowship among the four of us and this

has spread to others in the organization."

Where is the old-fashioned businessman who says that

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religion is theoretical and has no place in business? Today

any successful and competent businessman will employ the

latest and best-tested methods in production, distribution,

and administration, and many are discovering that one of the

greatest of all efficiency methods is prayer power.

Alert people everywhere are finding that by trying prayer

power they feel better, work better, do better, sleep better,

are better.

My friend Grove Patterson, editor of the Toledo Blade, is a

man of remarkable vigor. He says that his energy results, in

part at least, from his methods of prayer. For example, he

likes to fall asleep while praying, for he believes that his

subconscious is most relaxed at that time. It is in the

subconscious that our life is largely governed. If you drop a

prayer into the subconscious at the moment of its greatest

relaxation, the prayer has a powerful effect. Mr. Patterson

chuckled as he said, "Once it worried me because I would

fall asleep while praying. Now I actually try to have it so."

Many unique methods of prayer have come to my attention,

but one of the most effective is that advocated by Frank

Laubach in his excellent book, Prayer, the Mightiest Power

in the World. I regard this as one of the most practical books

on prayer, for it outlines fresh prayer techniques that work.

Dr. Laubach believes that actual power is generated by

prayer. One of his methods is to walk down the street and

"shoot" prayers at people. He calls this type of praying,

"flash prayers." He bombards passers-by with prayers,

sending out thoughts of good will and love. He says that

people passing him on the street as he "shoots" prayers at

them often turn around and look at him and smile. They feel

the emanation of a power like electrical energy.

In a bus he "shoots" prayers at his fellow passengers. Once

he was sitting behind a man who seemed to be very gloomy.

He had noticed when he entered the bus that the man had a

69

scowl on his face. He began to send out toward him prayers

of good will and faith, conceiving of these prayers as

surrounding him and driving into his mind. Suddenly the

man began to stroke the back of his head, and when he left

the bus the scowl was gone and a smile had replaced it. Dr.

Laubach believes that he has often changed the entire

atmosphere of a car or bus full of people by the process of

"swishing love and prayers all around the place."

In a Pullman club car a half-intoxicated man was quite

boorish and rude, talking in an overbearing manner and

generally making himself obnoxious. I felt that everyone in

the car took a dislike to him. Halfway down the car from him

I determined to try Frank Laubach's method. So I started to

pray for him, meanwhile visualizing his better self and

sending out thoughts of good will toward him. Presently, for

no seemingly apparent reason, the man turned in my

direction, gave me a most disarming smile, and raised his

hand in the gesture of salute. His attitude changed and he

became quiet. I have every reason to believe that the prayer

thoughts effectively reached out toward him.

It is my practice before making a speech to any audience to

pray for the people present and to send out thoughts of love

and good will toward them. Sometimes I select out of the

audience one or two people who seem to be either depressed

or even antagonistic and send my prayer thoughts and good-

will attitude specifically toward them. Recently addressing a

Chamber of Commerce annual dinner in a southwestern city,

I noted a man in the audience who seemed to be scowling at

me. It was altogether possible that his facial expression was

not in any way related to me, but he seemed antagonistic.

Before starting to speak I prayed for him and "shot" a series

of prayers and good-will thoughts in his direction. As I

spoke, I continued to do this.

When the meeting was over, while shaking hands with those

70

around me, suddenly my hand was caught in a tremendous

clasp and I was looking into the face of the man. He was

smiling broadly. "Frankly I did not like you when I came to

this meeting," he said. "I do not like preachers and saw no

reason for having you, a minister, as speaker at our Chamber

of Commerce dinner. I was hoping that your speech would

not be successful. However, as you spoke something seemed

to touch me. I feel like a new person. I had a strange sense of

peace—and doggone it, I like you!"

It was not my speech that had this effect. It was the

emanation of prayer power. In our brains we have about two

billion little storage batteries. The human brain can send off

power by thoughts and prayers. The human body's magnetic

power has actually been tested. We have thousands of little

sending stations, and when these are turned up by prayer it is

possible for a tremendous power to flow through a person

and to pass between human beings. We can send off power

by prayer which acts as both a sending and receiving station.

There was a man, an alcoholic, with whom I had been

working. He had been "dry" (as the Alcoholics Anonymous

term it) for about six months. He was on a business trip, and

one Tuesday afternoon about four o'clock I had a strong

impression that he was in trouble. This man dominated my

thoughts. I felt something drawing me so I dropped

everything and started praying for him. I prayed for about a

half-hour, then the impression seemed to let up and I

discontinued my prayers.

A few days later he telephoned me. "I have been in Boston

all week," he said, "and I want you to know I'm still 'dry,' but

early in the week I had a very hard time."

"Was it on Tuesday at four o'clock?" I asked.

Astonished, he replied, "Why, yes, how did you know? Who

told you?"

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"Nobody told me," I replied. "That is, no human told me." I

described my feelings concerning him on Tuesday at four

o'clock and told about praying for him for half an hour.

He was astounded, and explained, "I was at the hotel and

stopped in front of the bar. I had a terrible struggle with

myself. I thought of you, for I needed help badly right then,

and I started to pray."

Those prayers starting out from him reached me, and I began

to pray for him. Both of us joining in prayer completed the

circuit, and reached God, and the man got his answer in the

form of strength to meet the crisis. And what did he do?

He went to a drugstore, bought a box of candy, and ate all of

it without stopping. That pulled him through, he declared—

"prayer and candy."

A young married woman admitted she was filled with hates,

also very apprehensive, always worrying about her children,

whether they would be sick or get into an accident or fail in

school. Her life was a pathetic mixture of dissatisfaction,

fear, hate, and unhappiness. I asked her if she ever prayed.

She said, "Only when I get so up against it that I am just

desperate; but I must admit that prayer doesn't mean

anything to me, so I don't pray very often."

I suggested that the practice of real prayer could change her

life and gave her some instructions in sending out love

thoughts instead of hate thoughts and confidence thoughts

instead of fear thoughts. I suggested that every day at the

time for the children to come home from school she pray,

and make her prayers an affirmation of God's protective

goodness. Doubtful at first, she became one of the most

enthusiastic advocates and practicers of prayer I have ever

known. She avidly reads books and pamphlets and practices

every effective prayer-power technique. This procedure

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revamped her life as is illustrated by the following letter

which she wrote me recently:

"I feel that my husband and I have both made wonderful

progress in the last few weeks. My greatest progress dates

from the night you told me that 'every day is a good day if

you pray.' I began to put into practice the idea of affirming

that this would be a good day the minute I woke up in the

morning, and I can positively say that I have not had a bad or

upsetting day since that time. The amazing thing is that my

days actually haven't been any smoother or anymore free

from petty annoyances than they ever were, but they just

don't seem to have the power to upset me any more. Every

night I begin my prayers by listing all the things for which I

am grateful, little things that happened during the day which

added to the happiness of my day. I know that this habit has

geared my mind to pick out the nice things and forget the

unpleasant ones. The fact that for six weeks I have not had a

single bad day and have refused to get downhearted with

anyone is really marvelous to me."

She discovered amazing power in trying prayer power. You

can do the same. Following are ten rules for getting effective

results from prayer:

1. Set aside a few minutes every day. Do not say anything.

Simply practice thinking about God. This will make your

mind spiritually receptive.

2. Then pray orally, using simple, natural words. Tell God

anything that is on your mind. Do not think you must use

stereotyped pious phrases. Talk to God in your own

language. He understands it.

3. Pray as you go about the business of the day, on the

subway or bus or at your desk. Utilize minute prayers by

closing your eyes to shut out the world and concentrating

briefly on God's presence. The more you do this every day

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the nearer you will feel God's presence.

4. Do not always ask when you pray, but instead affirm that

God's blessings are being given, and spend most of your

prayers giving thanks.

5. Pray with the belief that sincere prayers can reach out and

surround your loved ones with God's love and protection.

6. Never use a negative thought in prayer. Only positive

thoughts get results.

7. Always express willingness to accept God's will. Ask for

what you want, but be willing to take what God gives you. It

may be better than what you ask for.

8. Practice the attitude of putting everything in God's hands.

Ask for the ability to do your best and to leave the results

confidently to God.

9. Pray for people you do not like or who have mistreated

you. Resentment is blockade number one of spiritual power.

10. Make a list of people for whom to pray. The more you

pray for other people, especially those not connected with

you, the more prayer results will come back to you.

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Chapter 5

How to Create Your Own Happiness

WHO DECIDES WHETHER you shall be happy or

unhappy? The answer—you do!

A television celebrity had as a guest on his program an aged

man. And he was a very rare old man indeed. His remarks

were entirely unpremeditated and of course absolutely

unrehearsed. They simply bubbled up out of a personality

that was radiant and happy. And whenever he said anything,

it was so naive, so apt, that the audience roared with

laughter. They loved him. The celebrity was impressed, and

enjoyed it with the others.

Finally he asked the old man why he was so happy. "You

must have a wonderful secret of happiness," he suggested.

"No," replied the old man, "I haven't any great secret. It's just

as plain as the nose on your face. When I get up in the

morning," he explained, "I have two choices—either to be

happy or to be unhappy, and what do you think I do? I just

choose to be happy, and that's all there is to it."

That may seem an oversimplification, and it may appear that

the old man was superficial, but I recall that Abraham

Lincoln, whom nobody could accuse of being superficial,

said that people were just about as happy as they made up

their minds to be. You can be unhappy if you want to be. It is

the easiest thing in the world to accomplish. Just choose

unhappiness. Go around telling yourself that things aren't

going well, that nothing is satisfactory, and you can be quite

sure of being unhappy. But say to yourself, "Things are

going nicely. Life is good. I choose happiness," and you can

be quite certain of having your choice.

Children are more expert in happiness than adults. The adult

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who can carry the spirit of a child into middle and old age is

a genius, for he will preserve the truly happy spirit with

which God endowed the young. The subtlety of Jesus Christ

is remarkable, for He tells us that the way to live in this

world is to have the childlike heart and mind. In other words,

never get old or dull or jaded in spirit. Don't become super-

sophisticated.

My little daughter Elizabeth, aged nine, has the answer to

happiness. One day I asked her, "Are you happy, honey?"

"Sure I'm happy," she replied.

"Are you always happy?" I asked.

"Sure," she answered, "I'm always happy."

"What makes you happy?" I asked her.

"Why, I don't know," she said, "I'm just happy."

"There must be something that makes you happy," I urged.

"Well," she said, "I'll tell you what it is. My playmates, they

make me happy. I like them. My school makes me happy. I

like to go to school. (I didn't say anything, but she never got

that from me.) I like my teachers. And I like to go to church.

I like Sunday school and my Sunday-school teacher. I love

my sister Margaret and my brother John. I love my mother

and father. They take care of me when I'm sick, and they

love me and are good to me."

That is Elizabeth's formula for happiness, and it seems to me

that it's all there—her playmates (that's her associates), her

school (the place where she works), her church and Sunday

school (where she worships), her sister, brother, mother, and

father (that means the home circle where love is found).

There you have happiness in a nutshell, and the happiest time

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of your life is in relation to those factors.

A group of boys and girls were asked to list the things that

made them happiest. Their answers were rather touching.

Here is the boys' list: "A swallow flying; looking into deep,

clear water; water being cut at the bow of a boat; a fast train

rushing; a builder's crane lifting something heavy; my dog's

eyes."

And here is what the girls said made them happy: "Street

lights on the river; red roofs in the trees; smoke rising from a

chimney; red velvet; the moon in the clouds." There is

something in the beautiful essence of the universe that is

expressed, though only half-articulated, by these things. To

become a happy person have a clean soul, eyes that see

romance in the commonplace, a child's heart, and spiritual

simplicity.

Many of us manufacture our own unhappiness. Of course not

all unhappiness is self-created, for social conditions are

responsible for not a few of our woes. Yet it is a fact that to a

large extent by our thoughts and attitudes we distill out of the

ingredients of life either happiness or unhappiness for

ourselves.

"Four people out of five are not so happy as they can be,"

declares an eminent authority, and he adds, "Unhappiness is

the most common state of mind." Whether human happiness

strikes as low, a level as this, I would hesitate to say, but I do

find more people living unhappy lives than I would care to

compute. Since a fundamental desire of every human being

is for that state of existence called happiness, something

should be done about it. Happiness is achievable and the

process for obtaining it is not complicated. Anyone who

desires it, who wills it, and who learns and applies the right

formula may become a happy person.

In a railroad dining car I sat across from a husband and wife,

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strangers to me. The lady was expensively dressed, as the

furs, diamonds, and costume which she wore indicated. But

she was having a most unpleasant time with herself. Rather

loudly she proclaimed that the car was dingy and drafty, the

service abominable, and the food most unpalatable. She

complained and fretted about everything.

Her husband, on the contrary, was a genial, affable,

easygoing man who obviously had the capacity to take things

as they came. I thought he seemed a bit embarrassed by his

wife's critical attitude and somewhat disappointed, too, as he

was taking her on this trip for pleasure.

To change the conversation he asked what business I was in,

and then said that he was a lawyer. Then he made a big

mistake, for with a grin he added, "My wife is in the

manufacturing business."

This was surprising, for she did not seem to be the industrial

or executive type, so I asked, "What does she manufacture?"

"Unhappiness," he replied. "She manufactures her own

unhappiness."

Despite the icy coolness that settled upon the table following

this ill-advised observation, I was grateful for his remark, for

it describes exactly what so many people do—"They

manufacture their own unhappiness."

It is a pity, too, for there are so many problems created by

life itself that dilute our happiness that it is indeed most

foolish to distill further unhappiness within your own mind.

How foolish to manufacture personal unhappiness to add to

all the other difficulties over which you have little or no

control!

Rather than to emphasize the manner in which people

manufacture their own unhappiness, let us proceed to the

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formula for putting an end to this misery-producing process.

Suffice it to say that we manufacture our unhappiness by

thinking unhappy thoughts, by the attitudes which we

habitually take, such as the negative feeling that everything

is going to turn out badly, or that other people are getting

what they do not deserve and we are failing to get what we

do deserve.

Our unhappiness is further distilled by saturating the

consciousness with feelings of resentment, ill will, and hate.

The unhappiness-producing process always makes important

use of the ingredients of fear and worry. Each of these

matters is dealt with elsewhere in this book. We merely want

to make the point at the present time and stress it forcefully

that a very large proportion of the unhappiness of the average

individual is self-manufactured. How, then, may we proceed

to produce not unhappiness but happiness?

An incident from one of my railroad journeys may suggest

an answer. One morning in an old-style Pullman car

approximately a half-dozen of us were shaving in the men's

lounge. As always in such close and crowded quarters after a

night on the train, this group of strangers was not disposed to

be gay, and there was little conversation and that little was

mostly mumbled.

Then a man came in wearing on his face a broad smile. He

greeted us all with a cheery good morning, but received

rather unenthusiastic grunts in return. As he went about his

shaving he was humming, probably quite unconsciously, a

gay little tune. It got a bit on the nerves of some of the men.

Finally one said rather sarcastically, "You certainly seem to

be happy this morning! Why all the cheer?"

"Yes," the man answered, "as a matter of fact, I am happy. I

do feel cheerful." Then he added, "I make it a habit to be

happy."

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That is all that was said, but I am sure that each man in that

lounge left the train with those interesting words in mind. "I

make it a habit to be happy."

The statement is really very profound, for our happiness or

unhappiness depends to an important degree upon the habit

of mind we cultivate. That collection of wise sayings, the

book of Proverbs, tells us that "...he that is of a merry heart

hath a continual feast." (Proverbs 15:15) In other words,

cultivate the merry heart; that is, develop the happiness habit,

and life will become a continual feast, which is to say you

can enjoy life every day. Out of the happiness habit comes a

happy life. And because we can cultivate a habit, we

therefore have the power to create our own happiness.

The happiness habit is developed by simply practicing happy

thinking. Make a mental list of happy thoughts and pass

them through your mind several times every day. If an

unhappiness thought should enter your mind, immediately

stop, consciously eject it, and substitute a happiness thought.

Every morning before arising, lie relaxed in bed and

deliberately drop happy thoughts into your conscious mind.

Let a series of pictures pass across your mind of each happy

experience you expect to have during the day. Savor their

joy. Such thoughts will help cause events to turn out that

way. Do not affirm that things will not go well that day. By

merely saying that, you can actually help to make it so. You

will draw to yourself every factor, large and small, that will

contribute to unhappy conditions. As a result, you will find

yourself asking, "Why does everything go badly for me?

What is the matter with everything?"

The reason can be directly traced to the manner in which you

begin the day in your thoughts.

Tomorrow try this plan instead. When you arise, say out loud

three times this one sentence, "This is the day which the

Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm

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118:24) Only personalize it and say, "I will rejoice and be

glad in it." Repeat it in a strong, clear voice and with positive

tone and emphasis. The statement, of course, is from the

Bible and it is a good cure for unhappiness. If you repeat that

one sentence three times before breakfast and meditate on

the meaning of the words you will change the character of

the day by starting off with a happiness psychology.

While dressing or shaving or getting breakfast, say aloud a

few such remarks as the following, "I believe this is going to

be a wonderful day. I believe I can successfully handle all

problems that will arise today. I feel good physically,

mentally, emotionally. It is wonderful to be alive. I am

grateful for all that I have had, for all that I now have, and

for all that I shall have. Things aren't going to fall apart. God

is here and He is with me and He will see me through. I

thank God for every good thing."

I once knew an unhappy sort of fellow who always said to

his wife at breakfast, "This is going to be another tough day."

He didn't really think so, but he had a mental quirk whereby

if he said it was going to be a tough day, it might turn out

pretty well. But things really started going badly with him,

which was not surprising, for if you visualize and affirm an

unhappy outcome, you tend thereby to create just that type of

condition. So affirm happy outcomes at the start of every

day, and you will be surprised at how often things will turn

out so.

But it is not sufficient to apply to the mind even such an

important affirmation therapy as I have just suggested unless

throughout the day you also base your actions and attitudes

upon fundamental principles of happy living.

One of the most simple and basic of such principles is that of

human love and good will. It is amazing what happiness a

sincere expression of compassion and tenderness will induce.

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My friend Dr. Samuel Shoemaker once wrote a moving story

about a mutual friend, Ralston Young, famous as Redcap No.

42 in the Grand Central Station in New York. He carries

bags for a living, but his real job is living the spirit of Christ

as a redcap in one of the world's greatest railway stations. As

he carries a man's suitcase, he tries to share a little Christian

fellowship with him. He carefully watches a customer to see

if there is any way in which he can give him more courage

and hope. He is very skillful in the way he goes about it too.

One day, for example, he was asked to take a little old lady

to her train. She was in a wheel chair, so he took her down

on the elevator. As he wheeled her into the elevator he

noticed that there were tears in her eyes. Ralston Young

stood there as the elevator descended, closed his eyes, and

asked the Lord how he could help her, and the Lord gave

him an idea. As he wheeled her off the elevator, he said with

a smile, "Ma'am, if you don't mind my saying so, that is a

mighty pretty hat you are wearing."

She looked up at him and said, "Thank you."

"And I might add," he said, "that sure is a pretty dress you

have on. I like it so much."

Being a woman, this appealed to her, and despite the fact that

she was not feeling well, she brightened up and asked, "Why

in the world did you say those nice things to me? It is very

thoughtful of you."

"Well," he said, "I saw how unhappy you were. I saw that

you were crying, and I just asked the Lord how I could help

you. The Lord said, 'Speak to her about her hat.' The mention

of the dress," he added, "was my own idea." Ralston Young

and the Lord together knew how to get a woman's mind off

her troubles.

"Don't you feel well?" he then asked.

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"No," she replied. "I am constantly in pain. I am never free

from it. Sometimes I think I can't stand it. Do you, by any

chance, know what it means to be in pain all the time?"

Ralston had an answer. "Yes, ma'am, I do, for I lost an eye,

and it hurt like a hot iron day and night."

"But," she said, "you seem to be happy now. How did you

accomplish it?"

By this time he had her in her seat in the train, and he said,

"Just by prayer, ma'am, just by prayer."

Softly she asked, "Does prayer, just prayer, take your pain

away?"

"Well," answered Ralston, "perhaps it doesn't always take it

away. I can't say that it does, but it always helps to overcome

it so it doesn't seem like it hurts so much. Just keep on

prayin', ma'am, and I'll pray for you too."

Her tears were dried now, and she looked up at him with a

lovely smile, took him by the hand, and said, "You've done

me so much good."

A year passed, and one night in Grand Central Station

Ralston Young was paged to come to the Information booth.

A young woman was there who said, "I bring you a message

from the dead. Before she died my mother told me to find

you and to tell you how much you helped her last year when

you took her to the train in her wheel chair. She will always

remember you, even in eternity. She will remember you, for

you were so kind and loving and understanding." Then the

young woman burst into tears and sobbed in her grief.

Ralston stood quietly watching her. Then he said, "Don't cry,

missy, don't cry. You shouldn't cry. Give a prayer of

thanksgiving."

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Surprised, the girl said, "Why should I give a prayer of

thanksgiving?"

"Because," said Ralston, "many people have become orphans

much younger than you. You had your mother for a long,

long time, and besides you still have her. You will see her

again. She is near to you now and she always will be near to

you. Maybe," he, said, "she is right with us now—the two of

us, as we talk."

The sobs ended and the tears dried. Ralston's kindness had

the same effect on the daughter as it had had on the mother.

In this huge station, with thousands of people passing by, the

two of them felt the presence of one who inspired this

wonderful redcap to go around this way spreading love.

"Where love is," said Tolstoy, "God is," and, we might add,

where God and love are, there is happiness. So a practical

principle in creating happiness is to practice love.

A genuinely happy man is a friend of mine, H.C. Mattern,

who, with his equally happy wife, Mary, travels throughout

the country in the course of his work. Mr. Mattern carries a

unique business card on the reverse side of which is stated

the philosophy which has brought happiness to him and his

wife and to hundreds of others who have been so fortunate as

to feel the impact of their personalities.

The card reads as follows: "The way to happiness: keep your

heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply,

expect little, give much. Fill your life with love. Scatter

sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you would be

done by. Try this for a week and you will be surprised."

As you read these words you may say, "There is nothing new

in that." Indeed, there is something new in it if you have

never tried it. When you start to practice it you will find it

the newest, freshest, most astonishing method of happy and

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successful living you have ever used. What is the value of

having known these principles all your life if you have never

made use of them? Such inefficiency in living is tragic. For a

man to have lived in poverty when all the time right on his

doorstep is gold indicates an unintelligent approach to life.

This simple philosophy is the way to happiness. Practice

these principles for just one week, as Mr. Mattern suggests,

and if it has not brought you the beginnings of real

happiness, then your unhappiness is very deep seated indeed.

Of course in order to give power to these principles of

happiness and make them work it is necessary to support

them with a dynamic quality of mind. You are not likely to

secure effective results; even with spiritual principles

without spiritual power. When one experiences a dynamic

spiritual change inwardly, success with happiness-producing

ideas becomes extraordinarily easy. If you begin to use

spiritual principles, however awkwardly, you will gradually

experience spiritual power inwardly. I can assure you that

this will give you the greatest surge of happiness you have

ever known. It will stay with you, too, as long as you live a

God-centered life.

In my travels about the country I have been encountering an

increasing number of genuinely happy individuals. These are

persons who have been practicing the techniques described

in this book and which I have presented in other volumes and

in other writings and talks and which other writers and

speakers have likewise been giving to receptive people. It is

astonishing how people can become inoculated with

happiness through an inner experience of spiritual change.

People of all types everywhere are having this experience

today. In fact, it has become one of the most popular

phenomena of our times, and, if it continues to develop and

expand, the person who has not had a spiritual experience

will soon be considered old-fashioned and behind the times.

Nowadays it is smart to be spiritually alive. It is old-fogyism

85

to be ignorant of that happiness-producing transformation

which people everywhere are enjoying at this time.

Recently, after finishing a lecture in a certain city, a big,

strapping, fine-looking man came up to me. He slapped me

on the shoulder with such force that it almost bowled me

over.

"Doctor," he said in a booming voice, "how about coming

out with the gang? We are having a big party at the Smiths'

house, and we would like you to come along. It's going to be

a whale of a shindig and you ought to get in on it." So ran his

racy invitation.

Well, obviously this didn't sound like a proper party for a

preacher, and I was hesitant. I was afraid I might cramp

everyone's style, so I began to make excuses.

"Oh, forget it," my friend told me. "Don't worry, this is your

kind of party. You will be surprised. Come on along. You

will get the kick of your life out of it."

So I yielded and went along with my buoyant and racy friend

and he was certainly one of the most infectious personalities

I had encountered in quite a while. Soon we came to a big

house set back among trees with a wide, sweeping driveway

up to the front door. From the noise issuing from the open

windows there was no question but that quite a party was in

progress, and I wondered what I was getting myself into. My

host, with a great shout, dragged me into the room, and we

had quite a handshaking time, and he introduced me to a

large group of gay and exuberant people. They were a happy,

joyous lot of folk.

I looked around for a bar, but there wasn't any. All that was

being served was coffee, fruit juice, ginger ale, sandwiches,

and ice cream, but there was lots of those.

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"These people must have stopped somewhere before coming

here," I remarked to my friend.

He was shocked, and said, "Stopped somewhere? Why, you

don't understand. These people have got the spirit all right,

but not the kind of 'spirit' you are thinking about. I am

surprised at you," he said. "Don't you realize what makes this

crowd so happy? They have been renewed spiritually. They

have got something. They have been set free from

themselves. They have found God as a living, vital, honest-

to-goodness reality. Yes," he said, "they have got spirit all

right, but it isn't the kind that you get out of a bottle. They

have got spirit in their hearts."

Then I saw what he meant. This wasn't a crowd of sad-faced,

stodgy people. They were the leaders of that town—

businessmen, lawyers, doctors, teachers, society people, and

a lot of simpler folk besides, and they were having a

wonderful time at this party— talking about God, and they

were doing it in the most natural manner imaginable. They

were telling one another about the changes that had occurred

in their lives through revitalized spiritual power.

Those who have the naive notion that you can't laugh and be

gay when you are religious should have been in on that party.

Well, I went away from that party with a Bible verse running

through my mind, "In him was life; and the life was the light

of men." (John 1:4). That was the light I saw on the faces of

those happy people. An inner light was reflected outwardly

on their faces, and it came from an effervescent spiritual

something that they had taken into themselves. Life means

vitality, and these people obviously were getting their vitality

from God. They had found the power that creates happiness.

This is no isolated incident. I venture the assertion that in

your own community, if you will look around for them, you

will find lots of people just like those described above. If you

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don't find them in your own home town, come to the Marble

Collegiate Church in New York City and you will find them

by the score. But you can get the same spirit by reading this

book if you practice the simple principles set forth.

As you read this book believe what you read, because it is

true; then start working on the practical suggestions the book

contains and you, too, will have the spiritual experience that

produces this quality of happiness. I know this is so, because

many of those to whom I have referred and shall refer in later

chapters got their vital new life in the same way. Then,

having been changed inwardly, you will begin to create out

of yourself not unhappiness, but a happiness of such quality

and character that you will wonder if you are living in the

same world. As a matter of fact it won't be the same world

because you are not the same, and what you are determines

the world in which you live, so as you change, your world

changes also.

If happiness is determined by our thoughts it is necessary to

drive off the thoughts which make for depression and

discouragement. This can be done first by simply

determining to do it; second, by utilizing an easily employed

technique which I suggested to a businessman. I met him at a

luncheon and have seldom heard such gloom as he got off.

His conversation would have been ultra-depressing had I

permitted it to affect me. It reeked with pessimism. To hear

him talk you would think everything was headed for ruin. Of

course the man was tired. Accumulated problems had

swamped his mind which was seeking release in retreat from

a world which was too much for his depleted energy. His

principal trouble was in his depressed thought pattern. He

needed an infusion of light and faith.

So rather boldly I said, "If you want to feel better and stop

being miserable, I can give you something that will fix you

up."

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"What can you do?" he snorted. "Are you a miracle worker?"

"No," I replied, "but I can put you in touch with a miracle

worker who will drain off that unhappiness of yours and give

you a new slant on life. I mean that," I concluded, as we

separated.

Apparently he became curious, for he got in touch with me

later and I gave him a little book of mine called Thought

Conditioner. It contains forty health and happiness producing

thoughts. Inasmuch as it is a pocket-sized booklet, I

suggested that he carry it for easy consultation and that he

drop one of the suggested thoughts in his mind every day for

forty days. I further suggested that he commit each thought

to memory, thus allowing it to dissolve in consciousness, and

that he visualize this healthy thought sending a quieting and

healing influence through his mind. I assured him that if he

would follow this plan, these healthy thoughts would drive

off the diseased thoughts that were sapping his joy, energy,

and creative ability.

The idea at first impressed him as being a bit queer and he

had his doubts, but he followed directions. After about three

weeks he called me on the telephone and shouted, "Boy, this

sure works! It is wonderful. I have snapped out of it, and I

wouldn't have believed it possible."

He remains "snapped out of it" and is a genuinely happy

person. This pleasant condition resulted because he became

skilled in the power to create his own happiness. He later

commented that his first mental hurdle was honestly to face

the fact that while his unhappiness made him miserable, yet

he was at home in self-pity and self-punishment thoughts. He

knew that these sick thoughts were the cause of his trouble,

but he shrank from the effort required to desire change

sufficiently to actually go about changing. But when he

began systematically to insert healthy spiritual thoughts into

his mind as directed, he began first to want new life, then to

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realize the thrilling fact that he could have it, then the even

more amazing fact that he was getting it. The result was that

after some three weeks of a self-improvement process new

happiness "burst" upon him.

Everywhere in this country today are groups of people who

have found the happy way. If we can have even one such

group in every city, town, and hamlet in America, we can

change the life of this country within a very short time. And

what kind of group do we mean? Let me explain.

I was speaking in a Western city and returned to my hotel

room rather late. I wanted to get a little sleep, for I was to be

up at five-thirty next morning to catch a plane. As I was

preparing for bed, the telephone rang, and a lady said, "There

are about fifty of us at my house waiting for you."

I explained that I could not come due to the early hour of my

departure in the morning.

"Oh," she said, "two men are on their way to get you. We

have been praying for you, and we want you to come and

pray with us before you leave the city."

I am glad I went, though I had very little sleep that night.

The men who came for me were a couple of alcoholics who

had been healed by the power of faith. They were two of the

happiest, most lovable fellows you can imagine.

The home to which they took me was packed. People were

sitting on the stairways, on the tables, on the floor. One man

was even perched on the grand piano. And what were they

doing? They were having a prayer meeting. They told me

that sixty such prayer groups were going on in that city all

the time.

I was never in such a meeting. They were anything but a

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stuffy group. They were a released, happy crowd of real

people. I found myself strangely moved. The spirit in that

room was tremendous in its lifting force. The group would

burst into song, and I never heard such singing. The room

was filled with a wonderful spirit of laughter.

Then a woman stood up. I saw that she had braces on her

legs, and she said, "They told me I would never walk again.

Do you want to see me walk?" And she walked up and down

the room.

"What did it?" I asked.

"Jesus," she replied simply.

Then another fine-looking girl said, "Did you ever see a

victim of the narcotics habit? Well, I was one and I was

healed." There she sat, a beautiful, modest, charming young

woman and she, too, said, "Jesus did it."

Then a couple who had drifted apart told me that they had

been brought together and they were happier than ever

before.

"How did it come about?" I asked. And their reply was,

"Jesus did it."

A man said he had been a victim of alcohol, that he had

dragged his family down until they were living in abject

poverty and he was a complete failure. And now as he stood

before me he was a strong, healthy personality. I started to

ask how, but he nodded and said, "Jesus did it."

Then they burst into another song, and then someone

dimmed the lights and we all held hands around in a great

circle. I had a feeling as though I had hold of an electric

wire. Power was flowing around that room. Without any

question I was the least spiritually developed person in that

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group. I knew in that moment that Jesus Christ was right

there in that house and those people had found Him. They

had been touched by His power. He had given them new life.

This life bubbled up in an irrepressible effervescence.

This is the secret of happiness. All else is secondary. Get this

experience and you've got real, unalloyed happiness, the best

the world offers. Don't miss it whatever you do in this life,

for this is it.

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Chapter 6

Stop Fuming and Fretting

MANY PEOPLE MAKE life unnecessarily difficult for

themselves by dissipating power and energy through fuming

and fretting.

Do you ever "fume" and "fret"? Here is a picture of yourself

if you do. The word "fume" means to boil up, to blow off, to

emit vapor, to be agitated, to be distraught, to seethe. The

word "fret" is equally descriptive. It is reminiscent of a sick

child in the night, a petulant half-cry, half-whine. It ceases,

only to begin again. It has an irritating, annoying, penetrating

quality. To fret is a childish term, but it describes the

emotional reaction of many adults.

The Bible advises us to "Fret not thyself..." (Psalm 37: 1)

This is sound advice for the people of our time. We need to

stop fuming and fretting and get peaceful if we are to have

power to live effectively. And how do we go about doing so?

A first step is to reduce your pace or at least the tempo of

your pace. We do not realize how accelerated the rate of our

lives has become, or the speed at which we are driving

ourselves. Many people are destroying their physical bodies

by this pace, but what is even more tragic, they are tearing

their minds and souls to shreds as well. It is possible for a

person to live a quiet existence physically and yet maintain a

high tempo emotionally. Even an invalid can live at too high

a pace from that standpoint. The character of our thoughts

determines pace. When the mind goes rushing on pell-mell

from one feverish attitude to another it becomes feverish and

the result is a state bordering on petulance.

The pace of modern life must be reduced if we are not to

suffer profoundly from its debilitating over-stimulation and

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super-excitement. This over-stimulation produces toxic

poisons in the body and creates emotional illness. It produces

fatigue and a sense of frustration so that we fume and fret

about everything from our personal troubles to the state of

the nation and the world. If the effect of this emotional

disquiet is so pronounced physically, what must its effect be

on that deep inner essence of the personality known as the

soul?

It is impossible to have peace of soul if the pace is so

feverishly accelerated. God won't go that fast. He will not

endeavor to keep up with you. He says in effect, "Go ahead if

you must with this foolish pace and when you are worn out I

will offer my healing. But I can make your life so rich if you

will slow down now and live and move and have your being

in me." God moves imperturbably, slowly, and with perfect

organization. The only wise rate at which to live is God's

rate. God gets things done and they are done right and He

does them without hurry. He neither fumes nor frets. He is

peaceful and therefore efficient. This same peace is offered

to us —"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto

you..." (John 14:27)

In a sense this is a pathetic generation, especially in the great

cities because of the effect of nervous tension, synthetic

excitement, and noise; but the malady extends into the

country districts also, for the air waves transmit tension.

I was amused by an old lady who, in talking about this

matter, said, "Life is so daily." That remark certainly spoke

volumes about the pressure, responsibilities, and tension of

daily life. Its persistent, insistent demand upon us is

provocative of pressure.

One wonders whether this generation of Americans is not so

accustomed to tension that many are in the unhappy state of

not being comfortable without it. The deep quietness of

woods and valleys so well known to our forefathers is an

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unaccustomed state to them. The tempo of their lives is such

that in many instances they have an incapacity to draw upon

the sources of peace and quietness which the physical world

offers.

One summer afternoon my wife and I went for a long walk in

the woods. We were stopping at the beautiful Lake Mohonk

Mountain House which is set in one of the finest natural

parks in America, 7,500 acres of virgin mountainside in the

middle of which is a lake lying like a gem in the forest. The

word mohonk means "lake in the sky." Aeons ago some giant

upheaval of the earth cast up these sheer cliffs. You come out

of the deep woods onto some noble promontory and rest your

eyes on great valleys set among hills, rock-ribbed and

ancient as the sun. These woods, mountains, and valleys

constitute what ought to be a sure retreat from every

confusion of this world.

On this afternoon as we walked there was a mixture of

summer showers and sunlit hours. We were drenched and

started to fret about it a bit because it took the press out of

our clothes. Then we told each other that it doesn't hurt a

human being to get drenched with clean rain water, that the

rain feels cool and fresh on one's face, and that you can

always sit in the sun and dry yourself out. We walked under

the trees and talked and then fell silent.

We were listening, listening deeply to the quietness. In a

strict sense, the woods are never still. There is tremendous

activity always in process, but nature makes no strident

noises regardless of the vastness of its operation. Nature's

sounds are quiet, harmonious.

On this beautiful afternoon, nature was laying its hand of

healing quietness upon us, and we could actually feel the

tension being drawn off.

Just as we were falling under this spell, the faint sounds of

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what passes for music came to us. It was nervous, high-

strung music of the jitterbug variety. Presently through the

woods came three young people, two young women and a

young man, and the latter was lugging a portable radio.

They were three young city people out for a walk in the

woods and tragically enough were bringing their noise along

with them. They were nice young folk, too, for they stopped

and we had a pleasant talk with them. It occurred to me to

ask them to turn that thing off and listen to the music of the

woods, but I didn't feel it was my business to instruct them,

and finally they went on their way.

We commented on the loss they were incurring, that they

could pass through this peacefulness and not give ear to the

music that is as old as the world, harmony and melody the

like of which man has never equaled: the song of the wind

through the trees, the sweet notes of birds singing their hearts

out, the whole background of the music of the spheres.

This is still to be found in America in our woods and great

plains, in our valleys, in our mountain majesties, and where

the ocean foams on soft shores of sand. We should avail

ourselves of its healing. Remember the words of Jesus,

"Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest

awhile." (Mark 6:31) Even as I write these words and give

you this good advice, I recall instances where it has been

necessary to remind myself to practice the same truth, which

emphasizes that we must everlastingly discipline ourselves to

quietness if we expect its benefits in our lives.

One autumn day Mrs. Peak and I took a trip into

Massachusetts to see our son John at Deerfield Academy.

We told him we would arrive at 11 A.M., and we pride

ourselves on the good old American custom of promptness.

Therefore, being a bit behind schedule, we were driving at

breakneck speed through the autumnal landscape. My wife

said, "Norman, did you see that radiant hillside?"

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"What hillside?" I asked.

"It just went by on the other side," she explained. "Look at

that beautiful tree."

"What tree?" I was already a mile past it.

"This is one of the most glorious days I have ever seen," my

wife said. "How could you possibly imagine such amazing

colors as these New England hillsides in October? In fact,"

she said, "it makes me happy inside."

That remark of hers so impressed me that I stopped the car

and went back a quarter of a mile to a lake backed by

towering hills dressed in autumn colors. We sat and looked

and meditated. God with His genius and skill had painted

that scene in the varied colors which He alone can mix. In

the still waters of the lake lay a reflected vision of His glory,

for the hillside was unforgettably pictured in that mirrorlike

pond.

For quite a while we sat without a word until finally my wife

broke the silence by the only appropriate statement that one

could make, "He leadeth me beside the still waters." (Psalm

23:2) We arrived at Deerfield at eleven, but we were not

tired. In fact, we were deeply refreshed.

To help reduce this tension which seems to dominate our

people everywhere, you can start by reducing your own pace.

To do that you will need to slow down, quiet down. Do not

fume. Do not fret. Practice being peaceful. Practice "the

peace of God which passeth all understanding." (Philippians

4:7) Then note the quiet power sense that wells up within

you.

A friend of mine who was compelled to take an enforced rest

as a result of "pressure" wrote me, "Many lessons have been

learned during this enforced retreat. Now I know better than

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before that in the quiet we become aware of His presence.

Life can get muddled. But 'muddied water,' says Lao-tse, 'let

stand, will become clear.' "

A physician gave some rather whimsical advice to a patient,

an aggressive, go-getter type of businessman. Excitedly he

told the doctor what an enormous amount of work he had to

do and that he had to get it done right away quick or else.

"I take my brief case home every night and it's packed with

work," he said with nervous inflection.

"Why do you take work home with you at night?" the doctor

asked quietly.

"I have to get it done," he fumed.

"Cannot someone else do it, or help you with it?" asked the

doctor.

"No," the man snapped. "I am the only one who can do it. It

must be done just right, and I alone can do it as it must be

done, and it has to be done quickly. Everything depends

upon me."

"If I write you a prescription, will you follow it?" asked the

doctor.

This, believe it or not, was the prescription. His patient was

to take off two hours every working day and go for a long

walk. Then he was to take off a half-day a week and spend

that half-day in a cemetery.

In astonishment the patient demanded, "Why should I spend

a half-day in a cemetery?"

"Because," answered the doctor, "I want you to wander

around and look at the gravestones of men who are there

permanently. I want you to meditate on the fact that many of

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them are there because they thought even as you do, that the

whole world rested on their shoulders. Meditate on the

solemn fact that when you get there permanently the world

will go on just the same and, as important as you are, others

will be able to do the work you are now doing. I suggest that

you sit on one of those tombstones and repeat this statement,

'...a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it

is past, and as a watch in the night.'" (Psalm 90:4)

The patient got the idea. He slowed his pace. He learned to

delegate authority. He achieved a proper sense of his own

importance. He stopped fuming and fretting. He got

peaceful. And, it might be added, he does better work. He is

developing a more competent organization and he admits

that his business is in better condition.

A prominent manufacturer was afflicted with tension, in fact,

he was in a very high-strung frame of mind. As he himself

described it, "he leapt out of bed every morning and

immediately got himself into high gear. He was in such a

rush and dither that he 'made his breakfast on soft-boiled

eggs because they slid down fast.'" This hectic pace left him

fagged and worn at about midday. He sank into bed every

night exhausted.

It so happens that his home is situated in a grove of trees.

Very early one morning, unable to sleep, he arose and sat by

the window. He became interested in watching a bird emerge

from his night's sleep. He noticed that a bird sleeps with his

head under his wing, the feathers pulled all around himself.

When he awakened, he pulled his bill out from under his

feathers, took a sleepy look around, stretched one leg to its

full length, meanwhile stretching the wing over the leg until

it spread out like a fan. He pulled the leg and wing back and

then repeated the same process with the other leg and wing,

whereupon he put his head down in his feathers again for a

delicious little cat nap (only in this case a bird nap), then the

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head came out again. This time the bird looked around

eagerly, threw his head back, gave his wings and legs two

more big stretches, then he sent up a song, a thrilling,

melodic song of praise to the day, wherewith he hopped

down off the limb, got himself a drink of cold water, and

started looking for food.

My high-strung friend said to himself, "If that's the way the

birds get up, sort of slow and easy like, why wouldn't it be a

good method for me to start the day that way?" He actually

went through the same performance, even to singing, and

noticed that the song was an especially beneficial factor, that

it was a releasing mechanism.

"I can't sing," he chuckled, "but I practiced sitting quietly in

a chair and singing. Mostly I sang hymns and happy songs.

Imagine, me singing, but I did. My wife thought I was bereft

of my senses. The only thing I had on the bird was that I did

a little praying, too, then, like the bird, I felt like some food,

and I wanted a good breakfast—bacon and eggs. And I took

my time eating it. After that I went to work in a released

frame of mind. It surely did start me off for the day minus

the tension, and it helped me go through the day in a

peaceful and relaxed manner."

A former member of a championship university crew told me

that their shrewd crew coach often reminded them, "To win

this or any race, row slowly." He pointed out that rapid

rowing tends to break the stroke and when the stroke is

broken it is with the greatest difficulty that a crew recovers

the rhythm necessary to win. Meanwhile other crews pass the

disorganized group. It is indeed wise advise—"To go fast,

row slowly."

In order to row slowly or to work slowly and maintain the

steady pace that wins, the victim of high tempo will do well

to get the co-ordinating peace of God into his mind, his soul,

and, it might be added, into his nerves and muscles also.

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Have you ever considered the importance of having the

peace of God in your muscles, in your joints? Perhaps your

joints will not pain so much when they have the peace of

God in them. Your muscles will work with correlation when

the peace of God who created them governs their action.

Speak to your muscles every day and to your joints and to

your nerves, saying, "Fret not thyself." (Psalm 37: 1) Relax

on a couch or bed, think of each important muscle from head

to feet, and say to each, "The peace of God is touching you."

Then practice "feeling" that peace throughout your entire

body. In due course your muscles and joints will take heed.

Slow down, for whatever you really want will be there when

you get there if you work toward it without stress, without

pressing. If, proceeding under God's guidance and in His

smooth and unhurried tempo, it is not there, then it was not

supposed to be there. If you miss it, perhaps you should have

missed it. So definitely seek to develop a normal, natural,

God-ordered pace. Practice and preserve mental quiet. Learn

the art of letting go all nervous excitement. To do this, stop

at intervals and affirm, "I now relinquish nervous

excitement—it is flowing from me. I am at peace." Do not

fume. Do not fret. Practice being peaceful.

To attain this efficient state of living, I recommend the

practice of thinking peaceful thoughts. Every day we

perform a series of acts designed to care for the body

properly. We bathe, brush the teeth, take exercise. In similar

fashion we should give time and planned effort to keeping

the mind in a healthy state. One way to do this is to sit

quietly and pass a series of peaceful thoughts through the

mind. For example, pass through the thoughts the memory of

a lofty mountain, a misty valley, a sun-speckled trout stream,

silver moonlight on water.

At least once in every twenty-four hours, preferably in the

busiest part of the day, deliberately stop whatever you are

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doing for ten or fifteen minutes and practice serenity.

There are times when it is essential resolutely to check our

headlong pace, and it must be emphasized that the only way

to stop is to stop.

I went to a certain city on a lecture date and was met at the

train by a committee. I was rushed to a bookstore where I

had an autographing party and then to another bookstore

where another autographing party was held. Then they

rushed me to a luncheon. After rushing through the luncheon

I was rushed to a meeting. After the meeting I was rushed

back to the hotel where I changed my clothes and was rushed

to a reception where I met several hundred people and drank

three glasses of fruit punch. Then I was rushed back to the

hotel and told I had twenty minutes to dress for dinner. When

I was getting dressed the telephone rang and somebody said,

"Hurry, hurry, we must rush down to dinner."

Excitedly I chattered, "I will rush right down."

I rushed from the room and was so excited that I could

scarcely get the key into the lock. Hastily I felt myself, to be

sure that I was completely dressed, and rushed toward the

elevator. All of a sudden I stopped. I was out of breath. I

asked myself, "What is this all about? What is the meaning

of this ceaseless rush? This is ridiculous!"

Then I declared independence, and said, "I do not care if I go

to dinner. I do not care whether I make a talk. I do not have

to go to this dinner and I do not have to make a speech." So

deliberately and slowly I walked back to my room and took

my time about unlocking the door. I telephoned the man

downstairs and said, "If you want to eat, go ahead. If you

want to save a place for me, I will be down after a while, but

I am not going to rush any more."

So I removed my coat, sat down, took off my shoes, put my

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feet up on the table, and just sat. Then I opened the Bible and

very slowly read aloud the 121st Psalm, "I will lift up mine

eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help." I closed

the book and had a little talk with myself, saying, "Come on

now, start living a slower and more relaxed life," and then I

affirmed, "God is here and His peace is touching me.

"I do not need anything to eat," I reasoned. "I eat too much

anyway. Besides, the dinner will probably not be very good,

and if I am quiet now I will give a better speech at eight

o'clock."

So I sat there resting and praying for fifteen minutes. I shall

never forget the sense of peace and personal mastery I had

when I walked out of that room. I had the glorious feeling of

having overcome something, of having taken control of

myself emotionally, and when I reached the dining room the

others had just finished the first course. All I missed was the

soup, which by general consent was no great loss.

This incident was an amazing experience of the healing

presence of God. I gained these values by simply stopping,

by quietly reading the Bible, by sincerely praying, and by

thinking some peaceful thoughts for a few moments.

Physicians generally seem to feel that much physical trouble

could be avoided or overcome by practicing the philosophy

and methodology of not fuming or fretting.

A prominent citizen of New York told me that his doctor

suggested that he come to our clinic at the church "because,"

said his physician, "you need to develop a calm philosophy

of living. Your power resources are played out."

"My doctor says I am pushing myself to the limit. He tells

me I'm too tense, too high-strung, that I fume and fret too

much, and," he concluded, "my doctor declares the only sure

cure is for to develop what he calls a calm philosophy of

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living."

My visitor arose and paced the floor, then demanded, "But

how in the world can I do that? It's a lot easier said than

done."

Then this excited gentleman went on to say that his doctor

had given him certain suggestions for developing this calm

philosophy of living. The suggestions as outlined were

indeed wise. "But then," he explained, "the doctor suggested

that I see you people here at the church, for he feels that if I

learn to use religious faith in a practical manner it will give

me peace of mind and bring down my blood pressure. Then I

will feel better physically. While I realize the doctor's

prescription is sensible," he complained, "how can a man

fifty years old, of a high-strung nature such as mine,

suddenly change the habits of a lifetime and develop this so-

called calm philosophy of living?"

That did indeed seem to be a problem, for he was a bundle of

excitable and explosive nerves. He paced the floor, he

thumped the table, his voice was high-pitched, He gave the

impression of a thoroughly disturbed and baffled man.

Obviously he was showing up at his worst, but he was

clearly revealing the inner state of his personality, and the

insight thus gained gave us a chance to help him through

understanding him better.

As I listened to his words and observed his attitude, I again

understood why Jesus Christ retains his remarkable hold on

men. It is because He has the answer to such problems as

this, and I proved that fact by suddenly changing the line of

the conversation. Without any introductory words I began to

recite certain Bible texts such as, "Come unto me, all ye that

labor and the heavy laden, and I will give you

rest." (Matthew 11:28) And again, "Peace I leave with you,

my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I

unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be

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afraid." (John 14:27) And still again, "Thou wilt keep him in

perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee." (Isaiah 26:3)

I recited these words slowly, deliberately, reflectively. As

this reciting went on, I noticed that my visitor stopped being

agitated. Quietness came over him and then we both sat in

silence. It seemed that we sat so for several minutes. Perhaps

it wasn't that long, but finally he took a deep breath.

"Why, that's funny," he said. "I feel a lot better. Isn't that

queer? I guess it was those words that did it."

"No, not the words alone," I answered, "though they do have

a remarkable effect upon the mind, but something deeper

happened just then. He touched you a minute ago—the

Physician with the healing touch. He was present in this

room."

My visitor evidenced no surprise at this assertion, but eagerly

and impetuously agreed—and conviction was written on his

face. "That's right, He sure was. I felt Him. I see what you

mean. Now I understand—Jesus Christ will help me develop

a calm philosophy of living."

This man found what increasing thousands are presently

discovering, that a simple faith in and practice of the

principles and techniques of Christianity bring peace and

quietness and therefore new power to body, mind, and spirit.

It is the perfect antidote to fuming and to fretting. It helps a

person to become peaceful and thus to tap new resources of

strength.

Of course it was necessary to teach this man a new pattern of

thinking and acting. This was done in part by suggesting

literature written by experts in the field of spiritual culture.

For example, we gave him lessons in the skill of church

going. We showed him how to make church worship a

therapy. He was instructed in the scientific use of prayer and

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relaxation. And as a result of this practice eventually he

became a healthy man. Anyone willing to follow this

program and sincerely put these principles into day-by-day

practice can, I believe, develop inner peace and power. Many

of these techniques are outlined in this book.

In attaining emotional control the daily practice of healing

techniques is of first importance. Emotional control cannot

be gained in any magical or easy way. You cannot develop it

by merely reading a book, although that is often helpful. The

only sure method is by working at it regularly, persistently,

scientifically, and by developing creative faith.

I suggest that you begin with such a primary procedure as

simply the practice of keeping physically still. Don't pace the

floor. Don't wring your hands. Don't pound or shout or argue

or walk up and down. Don't let yourself get worked up into a

dither. In excitement one's physical movements become

accentuated.

Therefore begin at the simplest place, that is by ceasing

physical movement. Stand still, sit down, lie down. Certainly

keep the voice down to a low pitch.

In developing a calm control it is necessary to think

calmness, for the body responds sensitively to the type of

thoughts that pass through the mind. It is also true that the

mind can be quieted by first making the body quiet. That is

to say, a physical attitude can induce desired mental

attitudes.

In a speech I related the following incident which occurred in

a committee meeting I attended. A gentleman who heard me

tell this story was greatly impressed by it and took its truth to

heart. He tried the technique suggested and reports that it has

been very effective in controlling his fuming and fretting.

I was in a meeting where a discussion was going on which

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finally became rather bitter. Tempers were becoming frayed

and some of the participants were decidedly on edge. Sharp

remarks were passed. Suddenly one man arose, deliberately

took off his coat, opened his collar, and lay down upon a

couch. All were astonished, and someone asked if he felt ill.

"No," he said, "I feel fine, but I am beginning to get mad,

and I have learned that it is difficult to get mad lying down."

We all laughed, and the tension was broken. Then our

whimsical friend went on to explain that he had "tried a little

trick" with himself. He had a quick temper, and when he felt

himself getting mad he found that he was clenching his fist

and raising his voice, so he deliberately extended his fingers,

not allowing them to form into a fist. In proportion to the

rising of his tension or anger, he depressed his voice and

talked in exaggerated low tones. "You cannot carry on an

argument in a whisper," he said with a grin.

This principle can be effective in controlling emotional

excitements, fretting, and tension, as many have discovered

by experimentation. A beginning step, therefore, in achieving

calmness is to discipline your physical reactions. You will be

surprised at how quickly this can reduce the heat of your

emotions, and when emotional heat is driven off, fuming and

fretting subside. You will be amazed at the energy and power

you will save. You will be much less tired.

It is, moreover, a good procedure to practice being

phlegmatic or apathetic, even indifferent. To a certain extent

even practice being sluggish. People thus constituted are less

likely to emotional breaks. Highly organized individuals may

do well to cultivate these reactions to a degree at least.

Naturally one does not want to lose the keen, sensitive

responsiveness characteristic of the highly organized

individual. But the practice of being phlegmatic tends to

bring such a keyed-up personality to a balanced emotional

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position.

Following is a technique consisting of six points which I

have personally found of great helpfulness in reducing the

tendency to fume and fret. I have suggested its use to

countless people who practice it and find it of great value:

1. Sit relaxed in a chair. Completely yield yourself to the

chair. Starting with your toes and proceeding to the top of

your head, conceive of every portion of the body as relaxing.

Affirm relaxation by saying, "My toes are relaxed—my

fingers—my facial muscles."

2. Think of your mind as the surface of a lake in a storm,

tossed by waves and in tumult. But now the waves subside,

and the surface of the lake is placid and unruffled.

3. Spend two or three minutes thinking of the most beautiful

and peaceful scenes you have ever beheld, as, for example, a

mountain at sunset, or a deep valley filled with the hush of

early morning, or a woods at noonday, or moonlight upon

rippling waters. In memory relive these scenes.

4. Repeat slowly, quietly, bringing out the melody in each, a

series of words which express quietness and peace, as, for

example, (a) tranquillity (say it very deliberately and in a

tranquil manner); (b) serenity; (c) quietness. Think of other

such words and repeat them.

5. Make a mental list of times in your life when you have

been conscious of God's watchful care and recall how, when

you were worried and anxious, He brought things out right

and took care of you. Then recite aloud this line from an old

hymn, "So long Thy power hath kept me, sure it STILL will

lead me on."

6. Repeat the following, which has an amazing power to

relax and quiet the mind: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect

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peace, whose mind is stayed on thee." (Isaiah 26:3) Repeat

this several times during the day, whenever you have a

fraction of a moment. Repeat it aloud if possible, so that by

the end of the day you will have said it many times.

Conceive of these words as active, vital substances

permeating your mind, sending into every area of your

thinking a healing balm. This is the best-known medicine for

taking tension from the mind.

As you work with the techniques suggested in this chapter,

the tendency to fume and fret will gradually be modified. In

direct proportion to your progress the power heretofore

drawn off by this unhappy habit will be felt in your increased

ability to meet life's responsibilities.

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Chapter 7

Expect the Best and Get It

"WHY DOES MY boy fail in every job he gets?" asked a

puzzled father about his thirty-year-old son.

It was indeed difficult to understand the failure of this young

man, for seemingly he had everything. Of good family, his

educational and business opportunities were beyond the

average. Nevertheless, he had a tragic flair for failure.

Everything he touched went wrong. He tried hard enough,

yet somehow he missed success. Presently he found an

answer, a curiously simple but potent answer. After

practicing this newfound secret for a while he lost the flair

for failure and acquired the touch of success. His personality

began to focus, his powers to fuse.

Not long ago at luncheon I could not help admiring this

dynamic man at the height of his power. "You amaze me," I

commented. "A few years ago you were failing at

everything. Now you have worked up an original idea into a

fine business. You are a leader in your community. Please

explain this remarkable change in you."

"Really it was quite simple," he replied. "I merely learned the

magic of believing. I discovered that if you expect the worst

you will get the worst, and if you expect the best you will get

the best. It all happened through actually practicing a verse

from the Bible."

"And what is that verse?"

"'If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that

believeth.' (Mark 9:23) I was brought up in a religious

home," he explained, "and heard that verse many times, but it

never had any effect upon me. One day in your church I

heard you emphasize those words in a talk. In a flash of

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insight I realized that the key I had missed was that my mind

was not trained to believe, to think positively, to have faith in

either God or myself. I followed your suggestion of putting

myself in God's hands and practiced your outlined techniques

of faith. I trained myself to think positively about everything.

Along with that I try to live right." He smiled and said, "God

and I struck up a partnership. When I adopted that policy,

things began to change almost at once for me. I got into the

habit of expecting the best, not the worst, and that is the way

my affairs have turned out lately. I guess it's a kind of

miracle, isn't it?" he asked as he concluded his fascinating

story.

But it wasn't miraculous at all. Actually what had happened

was that he had learned to use one of the most powerful laws

in the world, a law recognized alike by psychology and

religion, namely, change your mental habits to belief instead

of disbelief. Learn to expect, not to doubt. In so doing you

bring everything into the realm of possibility.

This does not mean that by believing you are necessarily

going to get everything you want or think you want. Perhaps

that would not be good for you. When you put your trust in

God, He guides your mind so that you do not want things

that are not good for you or that are inharmonious with God's

will. But it does definitely mean that when you learn to

believe, then that which has seemingly been impossible

moves into the area of the possible. Every great thing at last

becomes for you a possibility.

William James, the famous psychologist, said, "Our belief at

the beginning of a doubtful undertaking is the one thing (now

get that— is the one thing) that insures the successful

outcome of your venture." To learn to believe is of primary

importance. It is the basic factor of succeeding in any

undertaking. When you expect the best, you release a

magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction

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tends to bring the best to you. But if you expect the worst,

you release from your mind the power of repulsion which

tends to force the best from you. It is amazing how a

sustained expectation of the best sets in motion forces which

cause the best to materialize.

An interesting illustration of this fact was described some

years ago by Hugh Fullerton, a famous sports writer of a

bygone era. As a boy, Hugh Fullerton was my favorite writer

of sports stories. One story which I have never forgotten

concerned Josh O'Reilly, one-time manager of the San

Antonio Club of the Texas league. O'Reilly had a roster of

great players, seven of whom had been hitting over three

hundred, and everybody thought his team would easily take

the championship. But the club fell into a slump and lost

seventeen of the first twenty games. The players simply

couldn't hit anything, and each began to accuse the other of

being a "jinx" to the team.

Playing the Dallas Club, a rather poor team that year, only

one San Antonio player got a hit, and that, strangely enough,

was the pitcher. O'Reilly's team was badly beaten that day. In

the clubhouse after the game the players were a disconsolate

lot. Josh O'Reilly knew that he had an aggregation of stars

and he realized that their trouble was simply that they were

thinking wrong. They didn't expect to get a hit. They didn't

expect to win. They expected to be defeated. They were

thinking not victory but defeat. Their mental pattern was not

one of expectation but of doubt. This negative mental

process inhibited them, froze their muscles, threw them off

their timing, and there was no free flow of easy power

through the team.

It so happened that a preacher named Schlater was popular in

that neighborhood at that time. He claimed to be a faith

healer and apparently was getting some astounding results.

Throngs crowded to hear him and most everybody had

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confidence in him. Perhaps the fact that they did believe in

his power enabled Schlater to achieve results.

O'Reilly asked each player to lend him his two best bats.

Then he asked the members of the team to stay in the

clubhouse until he returned. He put the bats in a

wheelbarrow and went off with them. He was gone for an

hour. He returned jubilantly to tell the players that Schlater,

the preacher, had blessed the bats and that these bats now

contained a power that could not be overcome. The players

were astounded and delighted.

The next day they overwhelmed Dallas, getting 37 base hits

and 20 runs. They hammered their way through the league to

a championship, and Hugh Fullerton said that for years in the

Southwest a player would pay a large sum for a "Schlater

bat."

Regardless of Schlater's personal power, the fact remains that

something tremendous happened in the minds of those

ballplayers. Their thought pattern was changed. They began

thinking in terms of expectation, not doubt. They expected

not the worst, but the best. They expected hits, runs,

victories, and they got them. They had the power to get what

they wanted. There was no difference in the bats themselves,

I am quite sure of that, but there was certainly a difference in

the minds of the men who used them. Now they knew they

could make hits. Now they knew they could get runs. Now

they knew they could win. A new thought pattern changed

the minds of those men so that the creative power of faith

could operate.

Perhaps you have not been doing so well in the game of life.

Perhaps you stand up to bat and cannot make a hit. You

strike out time and again and your batting average is

lamentably low. Let me give you a suggestion. I guarantee

that it will work. The basis for my assurance is the fact that

thousands of people have been trying it with very great

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results. Things will be very different for you if you give this

method a real trial.

Start reading the New Testament and notice the number of

times it refers to faith. Select a dozen of the strongest

statements about faith, the ones that you like the best. Then

memorize each one. Let these faith concepts drop into your

conscious mind. Say them over and over again, especially

just before going to sleep at night. By a process of spiritual

osmosis they will sink from your conscious into your

subconscious mind and in time will modify and reslant your

basic thought pattern. This process will change you into a

believer, into an expecter, and when you become such, you

will in due course become an achiever. You will have new

power to get what God and you decide you really want from

life.

The most powerful force in human nature is the spiritual-

power technique taught in the Bible. Very astutely the Bible

emphasizes the method by which a person can make

something of himself. Faith, belief, positive thinking, faith in

God, faith in other people, faith in yourself, faith in life. This

is the essence of the technique that teaches. "If thou canst

believe," it says, "all things are possible to him that

believeth." (Mark 9:23) "If ye have faith... nothing shall be

impossible unto you." (Matthew 17:20) "According to your

faith be it unto you." (Matthew 9:29) Believe—believe—so

it drives home the truth that faith moves mountains.

Some skeptical person who has never learned this powerful

law of the effect of right thinking may doubt my assertions

regarding the amazing results which happen when this

technique is employed.

Things become better when you expect the best instead of

the worst, for the reason that being freed from self-doubt,

you can put your whole self into your endeavor, and nothing

can stand in the way of the man who focuses his entire self

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on a problem. When you approach a difficulty as a personal

unity, the difficulty, which itself is a demonstration of

disunity, tends to deteriorate.

When the entire concentration of all your force—physical,

emotional, and spiritual—is brought to bear, the

consolidation of these powers properly employed is quite

irresistible.

Expecting the best means that you put your whole heart (i.e.,

the central essence of your personality) into what you want

to accomplish. People are defeated in life not because of lack

of ability, but for lack of wholeheartedness. They do not

wholeheartedly expect to succeed. Their heart isn't in it,

which is to say they themselves are not fully given. Results

do not yield themselves to the person who refuses to give

himself to the desired results.

A major key to success in this life, to attaining that which

you deeply desire, is to be completely released and throw all

there is of yourself into your job or any project in which you

are engaged. In other words, whatever you are doing, give it

all you've got. Give every bit of yourself. Hold nothing back.

Life cannot deny itself to the person who gives life his all.

But most people, unfortunately, don't do that. In fact, very

few people do, and this is a tragic cause of failure, or, if not

failure, it is the reason we only half attain.

A famous Canadian athletic coach, Ace Percival, says that

most people, athletes as well as non-athletes, are "holdouts,"

that is to say, they are always keeping something in reserve.

They do not invest themselves 100 percent in competition.

Because of that fact they never achieve the highest of which

they are capable.

Red Barber, famous baseball announcer, told me that he had

known few athletes who completely give themselves.

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Don't be a "holdout." Go all out. Do this, and life will not

hold out on you.

A famous trapeze artist was instructing his students how to

perform on the high trapeze bar. Finally, having given full

explanations and instruction in this skill, he told them to

demonstrate their ability.

One student, looking up at the insecure perch upon which he

must perform, was suddenly filled with fear. He froze

completely. He had a terrifying vision of himself falling to

the ground. He couldn't move a muscle, so deep was his

fright. "I can't do it! I can't do it!" he gasped.

The instructor put his arm around the boy's shoulder and

said, "Son, you can do it, and I will tell you how." Then he

made a statement which is of inestimable importance. It is

one of the wisest remarks I have ever heard. He said, "Throw

your heart over the bar and your body will follow."

Copy that one sentence. Write it on a card and put it in your

pocket. Place it under the glass on your desk top. Tack it up

on your wall. Stick it in your shaving mirror. Better still,

write it on your mind, you who really want to do something

with life. It's packed with power, that sentence. "Throw your

heart over the bar and your body will follow."

Heart is the symbol of creative activity. Fire the heart with

where you want to go and what you want to be. Get it so

deeply fixed in your unconscious that you will not take no

for an answer, then your entire personality will follow where

your heart leads. "Throw your heart over the bar" means to

throw your faith over your difficulty, throw your affirmation

over every barrier, throw your visualization over your

obstacles. In other words, throw the spiritual essence of you

over the bar and your material self will follow in the victory

groove thus pioneered by your faith-inspired mind. Expect

the best, not the worst, and you will attain your heart's desire.

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It is what is in the heart of you, either good or bad, strong or

weak, that finally comes to you. Emerson said, "Beware of

what you want for you will get it."

That this philosophy is of practical value is illustrated by the

experience of a young woman whom I interviewed a number

of years ago. She made an appointment to see me in my

office at two o'clock on a certain afternoon. Being quite busy

that day, I had gotten a little behind schedule, and it was

about five minutes after two when I walked into the

conference room where she was waiting. It was obvious that

she was displeased for her lips were pressed firmly together.

"It's five minutes after two, and we had an appointment at 2

P. M.," she said. "I always admire promptness."

"So do I. I always believe in being prompt, and I hope you

will forgive me for my unavoidable delay," I said with a

smile.

But she was not in a smiling mood, for she said crisply, "I

have a very important problem to present to you and I want

an answer, and I expect an answer." Then she shot out at me:

"I might as well put it to you bluntly. I want to get married."

"Well," I replied, "that is a perfectly normal desire and I

should like to help you."

"I want to know why I can't get married," she continued.

"Every time I form a friendship with a man, the next thing I

know he fades out of the picture and another chance is gone

by, and," she added, speaking frankly, "I am not getting any

younger. You conduct a personal-problem clinic to study

people and you have had some experience, and I am putting

my problem right up to you. Tell me, why can't I get

married?"

I studied her to see if she was the kind of person to whom

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one could speak frankly, for certain things had to be said if

she really meant business. Finally I decided that she was of

big enough caliber to take the medicine that would be

required if she was to correct her personality difficulties, so I

said, "Well, now, let's analyze the situation. Obviously you

have a good mind and a fine personality, and, if I may say so,

you are a very handsome lady."

All of these things were true. I congratulated her in every

way that I honestly could, but then I said, "I think that I see

your difficulty and it is this. You took me to task because I

was five minutes late for our appointment. You were really

quite severe with me. Has it ever occurred to you that your

attitude represents a pretty serious fault? I think a husband

would have a very difficult time if you checked him up that

closely all the time. In fact, you would so dominate him that,

even if you did marry, your marital life would be

unsatisfactory. Love cannot live under domination."

Then I said, "You have a very firm way of pressing your lips

together which indicates a domineering attitude. The average

male, I might as well tell you, does not like to be dominated,

at least so that he knows it." Then I added, "I think you

would be a very attractive person if you got those too-firm

lines out of your face. You must have a little softness, a little

tenderness, and those lines are too firm to be soft." Then I

observed her dress, which was obviously quite expensive,

but she didn't wear it very well, and so I said, "This may be a

bit out of my line, and I hope you won't mind, but perhaps

you could get that dress to hang a little better." I know my

description was awkward, but she was a good sport about it

and laughed right out loud.

She said, "You certainly don't use style phraseology, but I

get the idea."

Then I suggested, "Perhaps it might help to get your hair

fixed up a little. It's a little—floaty. Then you might also add

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a little sweet-smelling perfume—just a whiff of it. But the

really important thing is to get a new attitude that will

change the lines on your face and give you that indefinable

quality known as spiritual joy. This I am certain will release

charm and loveliness in you."

"Well," she burst out, "never did I expect to get this

combination of advice in a minister's office."

"No," I chuckled, "I suppose not, but nowadays we have to

cover the whole field in a human problem."

Then I told her about an old professor of mine at Ohio

Wesleyan University, "Roily" Walker, who said, "God runs a

beauty parlor." He explained that some girls when they came

to college were very pretty, but when they came back to visit

the campus thirty years later their beauty had faded. The

moonlight-and-roses loveliness of their youth did not last.

On the other hand, other girls came to college who were very

plain, but when they returned thirty years later they were

beautiful women. "What made the difference?" he asked.

"The latter had the beauty of an inner spiritual life written on

their faces," and then he added, "God runs a beauty parlor."

Well, this young lady thought about what I told her for a few

minutes and then she said, "There's a lot of truth in what you

say. I'll try it."

Here is where her strong personality proved effective, for she

did try it.

A number of years went by and I had forgotten her. Then in a

certain city, after making a speech, a very lovely-looking

lady with a fine-looking man and a little boy about ten years

of age came up to me. The lady asked smilingly, "Well, how

do you think it hangs?"

"How do I think what hangs?" I asked, puzzled.

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"My dress," she said. "Do you think it hangs right?"

Bewildered, I said, "Yes, I think it hangs all right, but just

why do you ask?"

"Don't you know me?" she asked.

"I see a great many people in my life," I said. "Frankly, no, I

don't think I have ever seen you before."

Then she reminded me of our talk of years ago which I have

described.

"Meet my husband and my little boy. What you told me was

absolutely true," she said very earnestly. "I was the most

frustrated, unhappy individual imaginable when I came to

see you, but I put into practice the principles you suggested. I

really did, and they worked."

Her husband then spoke up and said, "There was never a

sweeter person in the world than Mary here," and I must say

that she looked the part. She had evidently visited "God's

beauty parlor."

Not only did she experience a softening and mellowing of

her inner spirit, but she properly used a great quality which

she possessed, namely, the driving force to get what she

wanted. This led her to the point where she was willing to

change herself so that her dreams could be realized. She had

that quality of mind whereby she took herself in hand, she

applied the spiritual techniques, and she had a profound and

yet simple faith that what her heart told her she wanted could

be obtained by the proper creative and positive procedures.

So the formula is to know what you want, test it to see if it is

a right thing, change yourself in such a manner that it will

naturally come to you, and always have faith. With the

creative force of belief you stimulate that particular gathering

together of circumstances which brings your cherished wish

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to pass.

Students of modern dynamic thought are realizing more and

more the practical value of the ideas and teachings of Jesus,

especially such truths as the dictum, "According to your

faith, be it unto you." (Matthew 9:29) According to your

faith in yourself, according to your faith in your job,

according to your faith in God, this far will you get and no

further. If you believe in your job and in yourself and in the

opportunities of your country, and if you believe in God and

will work hard and study and put yourself into it—in other

words, if you "throw your heart over the bar," you can swing

up to any high place to which you want to take your life and

your service and your achievement. Whenever you have a

bar, that is to say a barrier, in front of you, stop, close your

eyes, visualize everything that is above the bar and nothing

that is below it, then imaginatively throw "your heart" over

that bar and see yourself as being given lifting power to rise

above it. Believe that you are experiencing this upthrust of

force. You will be amazed at the lifting force you will

receive. If in the depth of your mind you visualize the best

and employ the powers of faith and energy, you will get the

best.

Naturally in this process of achieving the best it is important

to know where you want to go in life. You can reach your

goal, your best dreams can come true, you can get where you

want to go only if you know what your goal is. Your

expectation must have a clearly defined objective. Lots of

people get nowhere simply because they do not know where

they want to go. They have no clear-cut, precisely defined

purpose. You cannot expect the best if you think aimlessly.

A young man of twenty-six consulted me because he was

dissatisfied with his job. He was ambitious to fill a bigger

niche in life and wanted to know how to improve his

circumstances. His motive seemed unselfish and entirely

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worthwhile.

"Well, where do you want to go?" I asked.

"I just don't know exactly," he said hesitantly. "I have never

given k any thought. I only know I want to go somewhere

other than where I am."

"What can you do best?" I then asked. "What are your strong

points?"

"I don't know," he responded. "I never thought that over

either."

"But what would you like to do if you had your choice?

What do you really want to do?" I insisted.

"I just can't say," he replied dully. "I don't really know what I

would like to do. I never thought it over. Guess I ought to

figure that one out too."

"Now, look here," I said, "you want to go somewhere from

where you are, but you don't know where you want to go.

You don't know what you can do or what you would like to

do. You will have to get your ideas organized before you can

expect to start getting anywhere."

That is the failure point with many people. They never get

anywhere because they have only a hazy idea where they

want to go, what they want to do. No objective leads to no

end.

We made a thorough analysis, testing this young man's

capabilities, and found some assets of personality he did not

know he possessed. But it was necessary to supply a

dynamic to move him forward, so we taught him the

techniques of practical faith. Today he is on the way to

achievement.

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Now he knows where he wants to go and how to get there.

He knows what the best is and he expects to attain it and he

will— nothing can stop him.

I asked an outstanding newspaper editor, an inspiring

personality, "How did you get to be the editor of this

important paper?"

"I wanted to be," he replied simply.

"Is that all there is to it?" I asked. "You wanted to be and so

there you are."

"Well, that may not be all of it, but that was a large part of

the process," he explained. "I believe that if you want to get

somewhere, you must decide definitely where you want to be

or what you want to accomplish. Be sure it is a right

objective, then photograph this objective on your mind and

hold it there. Work hard, believe in it, and the thought will

become so powerful that it will tend to assure success. There

is a deep tendency," he declared, "to become what your mind

pictures, provided you hold the mental picture strongly

enough and if the objective is sound."

So saying, the editor pulled a well-worn card from his wallet

and said, "I repeat this quotation every day of my life. It has

become my dominating thought."

I copied it and am giving it to you: "A man who is self-

reliant, positive, optimistic, and undertakes his work with the

assurance of success magnetizes his condition. He draws to

himself the creative powers of the universe."

It is indeed a fact that the person who thinks with positive

self-reliance and optimism does magnetize his condition and

releases power to attain his goal. So expect the best at all

times. Never think of the worst. Drop it out of your thought,

relegate it. Let there be no thought in your mind that the

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worst will happen. Avoid entertaining the concept of the

worst, for whatever you take into your mind can grow there.

Therefore take the best into your mind and only that. Nurture

it, concentrate on it, emphasize it, visualize it, prayerize it,

surround it with faith. Make it your obsession. Expect the

best, and spiritually creative mind power aided by God

power will produce the best.

It may be that as you read this book you are down to what

you think is the worst and you may remark that no amount of

thinking will affect your situation. The answer to that

objection is that it simply isn't so. Even if you may be down

to the worst, the best is potentially within you. You have

only to find it, release it, and rise up with it. This requires

courage and character, to be sure, but the main requirement

is faith. Cultivate faith and you will have the necessary

courage and character.

A woman was compelled by adversity to go into sales work,

a type of activity for which she had no training. She

undertook to demonstrate vacuum cleaners from house to

house. She took a negative attitude toward herself and her

work. She "just didn't believe she could do this job." She

"knew" she was going to fail. She feared to approach a house

even though she came for a requested demonstration. She

believed that she could not make the sale. As a result, as is

not surprising, she failed in a high percentage of her

interviews.

One day she chanced to call upon a woman who evidenced

consideration beyond the average. To this customer the

saleswoman poured out her tale of defeat and powerlessness.

The other woman listened patiently, then said quietly, "If you

expect failure, you will get failure, but if you expect to

succeed, I am sure you will succeed." And she added, "I will

give you a formula which I believe will help you. It will

restyle your thinking, give you new confidence, and help you

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to accomplish your goals. Repeat this formula before every

call. Believe in it and then marvel at what it will do for you.

This is it. 'If God be for us, who can be against us?' (Romans

8:31) But change it by personalizing it so that you say, 'If

God be for me, who can be against me?' If God be for me,

then I know that with God's help I can sell vacuum cleaners.

God realizes that you want security and support for your

little children and yourself, and by practicing the method I

suggest you will be given power to get what you want."

She learned to utilize this formula. She approached each

house expecting to make a sale, affirming and picturizing

positive, not negative, results. As the saleswoman employed

this principle she presently acquired new courage, new faith,

and deeper confidence in her own ability. Now she declares,

"God helps me sell vacuum cleaners," and who can dispute

it?

It is a well-defined and authentic principle that what the

mind profoundly expects it tends to receive. Perhaps this is

true because what you really expect is what you actually

want. Unless you really want something sufficiently to create

an atmosphere of positive factors by your dynamic desire, it

is likely to elude you. "If with all your heart"—that is the

secret. "If with all your heart," that is to say, if with the full

complement of your personality, you reach out creatively

toward your heart's desire, your reach will not be in vain.

Let me give you four words as a formulation of a great law—

faith power works wonders. Those four words are packed

with dynamic and creative force. Hold them in your

conscious mind. Let them sink into the unconscious and they

can help you to overcome any difficulty. Hold them in your

thoughts, say them over and over again. Say them until your

mind accepts them, until you believe them— faith power

works wonders.

I have no doubt about the effectiveness of this concept, for I

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have seen it work so often that my enthusiasm for faith

power is absolutely boundless.

You can overcome any obstacle. You can achieve the most

tremendous things by faith power. And how do you develop

faith power? The answer is: to saturate your mind with the

great words of the Bible. If you will spend one hour a day

reading the Bible and committing its great passages to

memory, thus allowing them to recondition your personality,

the change in you and in your experience will be little short

of miraculous.

Just one section of the Bible will accomplish this for you.

The eleventh chapter of Mark is enough. You will find the

secret in the following words, and this is one of the greatest

formulas the Book contains: "Have faith in God (that's

positive, isn't it?) for verily I say unto you, that whosoever

shall say unto this mountain (that's specific) be thou removed

(that is, stand aside) and be thou cast into the sea (that means

out of sight—anything you threw into the sea is gone for

good. The Titanic lies at the bottom of the sea. And the sea

bottom is lined with ships. Cast your opposition called a

"mountain" into the sea) and shall not doubt in his heart

(Why does this statement use the word heart: Because it

means you are not to doubt in your subconscious, in the inner

essence of you. It isn't so superficial as a doubt in the

conscious mind. That is a normal, intelligent questioning. It's

a deep fundamental doubt that is to be avoided) but shall

believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass,

he shall have whatsoever he saith." (Mark 11:22-23)

This is not some theory that I have thought up. It is taught by

the most reliable book known to man. Generation after

generation, no matter what develops in the way of

knowledge and science, the Bible is read by more people

than any other book. Humanity rightly has more confidence

in it than any other document ever written, and the Bible tells

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us that faith power works wonders.

The reason, however, that great things do not happen to some

people is that they are not specific in their application of

faith power. We are told, "Ye shall say to this mountain."

That is to say, do not address your efforts to the entire

mountain range of all your difficulties, but attack one thing

that may be defeating you at the moment. Be specific. Take

them one by one.

If there is something you want, how do you go about getting

it? In the first place, ask yourself, "Should I want it?" Test

that question very honestly in prayer to be sure you should

want it and whether you should have it. If you can answer

that question in the affirmative, then ask God for it and don't

be backward in asking Him. And if God, having more

insight, believes that you shouldn't have it, you needn't

worry—He won't give it to you. But if it is a right thing, ask

Him for it, and when you ask, do not doubt in your heart. Be

specific.

The validity of this law was impressed upon me by

something that a friend of mine, a Midwestern businessman,

told me. This man is a big, extrovertish, outgoing, lovable

gentleman, a truly great Christian. He teaches the largest

Bible class in his state. In the town where he lives he is Mr.

"Town" himself. He is head of a plant employing forty

thousand people.

His office desk is full of religious literature. He even has

some of my sermons and pamphlets there. In his plant, one

of the biggest in the United States, he manufactures

refrigerators.

He is one of those whole-souled, rugged individuals who has

the capacity to have faith. He believes that God is right there

in his office with him.

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My friend said, "Preach a big faith—not any little old

watered down faith. Don't be afraid that faith isn't scientific

enough. I am a scientist," he said. "I use science in my

business every day, and I use the Bible every day. The Bible

will work. Everything in the Bible works if you believe in

it."

When he was made general manager of this plant it was

whispered around town, "Now that Mr. ——— is general

manager, we'll have to bring our Bibles to work with us."

After a few days he called into his office some of the men

who were making this remark. He uses language they

understand, and he said, "I hear you guys are going around

town saying that now I am general manager, you will have to

bring your Bibles to work with you."

"Oh, we didn't mean that," they said in embarrassment.

He said, "Well, you know, that's a ——— good idea, but I

don't want you to come lugging them under your arms. Bring

them here in your hearts and in your minds. If you come with

a spirit of good will and faith in your hearts and minds,

believe me, we'll do business.

"So," he said, "the kind of faith to have is the specific kind,

the kind that moves this particular mountain."

Suddenly he said to me, "Did you ever have a toe bother

you?" I was rather astonished by that, but before I could

answer he said, "I had a toe that bothered me and I took it to

the doctors here in town, and they are wonderful doctors, and

they said there wasn't anything wrong with the toe that they

could see. But they were wrong, because it hurt. So I went

out and got a book on anatomy and read up on toes. It is

really a simple construction. There's nothing but a few

muscles and ligaments and a bony structure. It seemed that

anybody who knows anything about a toe could fix it, but I

couldn't get anybody to fix that toe, and it hurt me all the

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time. So I sat down one day and took a look at that toe. Then

I said, 'Lord, I'm sending this toe right back to the plant. You

made that toe. I make refrigerators and I know all there is to

know about a refrigerator. When we sell a refrigerator, we

guarantee the customer service. If his refrigerator doesn't

work right and if our service agents can't fix it, he brings it

back to the plant and we fix it, because we know how.' So I

said, 'Lord, you made this toe. You manufactured it, and your

service agents, the doctors, don't seem to know how to get it

working right, and if you don't mind, Lord, I would like to

have it fixed up as soon as possible, because it's bothering

me.' "

"How is the toe now?" I asked.

"Perfect," he replied.

Perhaps this is a foolish kind of story, and I laughed when he

told it, but I almost cried, too, for I saw a wonderful look on

that man's face as he related that incident of a specific prayer.

Be specific. Ask God for any right thing, but as a little child,

don't doubt. Doubt closes the power flow. Faith opens it. The

power of faith is so tremendous that there is nothing that

Almighty God cannot do for us, with us, or through us if we

let Him channel His power through our minds.

So roll those words around on your tongue. Say them over

and over again until they lodge deeply in your mind, until

they get down into your heart, until they take possession of

the essence of you:

"....whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou

removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in

his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith

shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith." (Mark

11:23)

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I suggested these principles some months ago to an old

friend of mine, a man who perpetually expects the worst. Up

to the time of our discussion, never did I hear him say

anything other than that things would not turn out right. He

took this negative attitude toward every project or problem.

He expressed vigorous disbelief in the principles outlined in

this chapter and offered to make a test to prove that I am

wrong in my conclusions. He is an honest man, and he

faithfully tried these principles in connection with several

matters and actually kept a score card. He did this for six

months. He volunteered the information at the end of that

period that 85 percent of the matters under investigation had

turned out satisfactorily.

"I am now convinced," he said, "although I wouldn't have

believed it possible, but it is evidently a fact, that if you

expect the best, you are given some strange kind of power to

create conditions that produce the desired results. From now

on I am changing my mental attitude and shall expect the

best, not the worst. My test indicates that this is not theory,

but a scientific way to meet life's situations."

I might add that even the high percentage he attained can be

raised with practice, and of course practice in the art of

expectation is as essential as practice on a musical

instrument or with a golf club. Nobody ever mastered any

skill except through intensive, persistent, and intelligent

practice. Also it should be noted that my friend approached

this experiment at first in a spirit of doubt which would tend

adversely to affect his earlier results.

Every day as you confront the problems of life, I suggest that

you affirm as follows: "I believe God gives me power to

attain what I really want."

Never mention the worst. Never think of it. Drop it out of

your consciousness. At least ten times every day affirm, "I

expect the best and with God's help will attain the best."

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In so doing your thoughts will turn toward the best and

become conditioned to its realization. This practice will

bring all of your powers to focus upon the attainment of the

best. It will bring the best to you.

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Chapter 8

I Don't Believe in Defeat

IF YOU ARE thinking thoughts of defeat, I urge you to rid

yourself of such thoughts, for as you think defeat you tend to

get it. Adopt the "I don't believe in defeat" attitude.

I want to tell you about some people who have put this

philosophy into effect with excellent results and shall explain

the techniques and formulas which they used so successfully.

If you read these incidents carefully and thoughtfully and

believe as they did and think positively and put these

techniques into operation, you too, can overcome defeats

which at the present moment may seem inevitable.

I hope you are not like an "obstacle man" of whom I was

told. He was called an obstacle man because, regardless of

whatever suggestion was advanced, his mind instantly went

to all possible obstacles in connection with it, but he met his

match and learned a lesson which helped to change his

negative attitude. It came about in the following manner.

The directors of his firm had a project under consideration

which involved considerable expense and some definite

hazards as well as success possibilities. In the discussions

regarding this venture the obstacle man would invariably

say, and always with a scholarly air (invariably this type acts

wise, probably a cover-up for inner doubt feelings), "Now

just a moment. Let's consider the obstacles involved."

Another man, who said very little but who was respected by

his associates for his ability and achievements and for a

certain indomitable quality which characterized him,

presently spoke up and asked, "Why do you constantly

emphasize the obstacles in this proposition instead of the

possibilities?"

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"Because," replied the obstacle man, "to be intelligent one

must always be realistic, and it is a fact that there are certain

definite obstacles in connection with this project. What

attitude would you take toward these obstacles, may I ask?"

The other man unhesitatingly replied, "What attitude would I

take toward these obstacles? Why, I would just remove them,

that's all, and then I would forget them."

"But," said the obstacle man, "that is easier said than done.

You say you would remove them and then you would forget

them. May I ask if you have any technique for removing

obstacles and for forgetting them that the rest of us have

never discovered?"

A slow smile came over the face of the other man as he said,

"Son, I have spent my entire life removing obstacles and I

never yet saw one that could not be removed provided you

had enough faith and guts and were willing to work. Since

you want to know how it's done, I will show you."

He then reached into his pocket and took out his wallet.

Under the isinglass window was a card on which were

written some words. He shoved the wallet across the table

and said, "There, son, read that. That is my formula, and

don't give me the song and dance that it won't work either. I

know better from experience."

The obstacle man picked up the wallet and with a strange

look on his face read the words to himself.

"Read them out loud," urged the owner of the wallet.

This is what he read in a slow, dubious voice, "I can do all

things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians

4:13)

The owner of the wallet put it back in his pocket and said, "I

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have lived a long time and have faced a lot of difficulties in

my time, but there is power in those words—actual power—

and with them you can remove any obstacle."

He said this with confidence and everybody knew he meant

it. This positiveness, together with the facts of his experience

which were known to all, for he was a remarkable man who

had overcome many odds, and because of the further fact

that he was not in any sense "holier than thou," made his

words convincing to the men around the table. At any rate,

there was no more negative talk. The project was put into

operation and, despite difficulties and risks, turned out

successfully.

The technique used by this man is based on the primary fact

about an obstacle which is—don't be afraid of it. Practice

believing that God is with you and that in combination with

Him you have the power to handle it.

So the first thing to do about an obstacle is simply to stand

up to it and not complain about it or whine under it but

forthrightly attack it. Don't go crawling through life on your

hands and knees half-defeated. Stand up to your obstacles

and do something about them. You will find that they haven't

half the strength you think they have.

A friend in England sent me a book by Winston Churchill

entitled Maxims and Reflections. In this book Churchill tells

of the British General Tudor, who commanded a division of

the British Fifth Army which faced the great German assault

in March 1918. The odds were heavily against him, but

General Tudor knew how to meet an apparently immovable

and undefeatable obstacle. His method was simple. He

merely stood and let the obstacle break on him and he, in

turn, broke the obstacle.

Here is what Churchill said about General Tudor. This is a

very great sentence and it is filled with power: "The

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impression I had of Tudor was of an iron peg, hammered into

the frozen ground, immovable."

General Tudor knew how to stand up to an obstacle. Just

stand up to it, that's all, and don't give way under it, and it

will finally break You will break it. Something has to break,

and it won't be you, it will be the obstacle.

You can do this when you have faith, faith in God and faith

in yourself. Faith is the chief quality you need. It is enough.

In fact, it is more than enough.

Use that formula which the businessman suggested and you

will develop this brand of powerful faith in God and in

yourself. You will learn to know yourself, your own ability,

your power to do things. To the degree to which your attitude

shifts from negative to positive the mastery touch will come

to you. Then, with assurance, you can say to yourself under

any and all circumstances and mean it, "I don't believe in

defeat."

Take the story of Gonzales, who won the national tennis

championship a few years ago in a grueling battle. He had

been practically unknown, and because of wet weather he

had not been able to perfect his game prior to the

tournament. The sports writer of a metropolitan newspaper in

analyzing Gonzales said that there were certain defects in his

techniques, and gave it as his opinion that probably greater

champions had played on the courts, however, he credited

Gonzales with a marvelous serve and a skillful volley. But

the factor that won the championship, said the writer, was his

staying power and the further fact that "he was never

defeated by the discouraging vicissitudes of the game."

That is one of the most subtle lines I have ever read in any

sports story—"He was never defeated by the discouraging

vicissitudes of the game."

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It means, does it not, that when the game seemed to go

against him he did not let discouragement creep in nor

negative thoughts dominate and thus lose the power needed

to win. This mental and spiritual quality made that man a

champion. He was able to face obstacles, to stand up to them

and overcome them.

Faith supplies staying power. It contains dynamic to keep

one going when the going is hard. Anybody can keep going

when the going is good, but some extra ingredient is needed

to enable you to keep fighting when it seems that everything

is against you. It is a great secret, that of never being

"defeated by the discouraging vicissitudes of the game."

You may counter, "But you don't know my circumstances. I

am in a different situation than anybody else and I am as far

down as a human being can get."

In that case you are fortunate, for if you are as far down as

you can get there is no further down you can go. There is

only one direction you can take from this position, and that is

up. So your situation is quite encouraging. However, I

caution you not to take the attitude that you are in a situation

in which nobody has ever been before. There is no such

situation.

Practically speaking, there are only a few human stories and

they have all been enacted previously. This is a fact that you

must never forget—there are people who have overcome

every conceivable difficult situation, even the one in which

you now find yourself and which to you seems utterly

hopeless. So did it seem to some others, but they found an

out, a way up, a path over, a pass through.

One of the most inspiring illustrations of this act is the story

of Amos Parrish who twice every year brings together

hundreds of leading department-store executives and style

experts in two huge clinics held in the Grand Ballroom of the

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Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. At these clinics

Mr. Parrish gives advice to the merchants and their

associates on business trends, on merchandise, on selling

methods, and other matters important to the conduct of their

business. Having attended a number of the clinics, however,

I am convinced that the greatest values Mr. Parrish transmits

to his customers are courage and positive thinking, a deep

belief in themselves, and the confidence that they can

overcome all difficulties.

He seems a living example of the philosophy which he

teaches. As a boy he was sickly. Moreover, he stuttered. He

was sensitive and a victim of an inferiority complex. It was

thought that he would not live because of his weakened

physical condition, but one day Amos Parrish had a spiritual

experience. Faith dawned in his mind, and from then on he

knew that with the help of God and the utilization of his own

powers he could achieve.

He developed a unique idea of service to businessmen, and

so highly do they rate it that they are willing to pay large fees

to attend a two-day session twice a year under the business

wisdom and inspiration of Amos Parrish. To me it is a

moving experience to sit with that big crowd in a hotel

ballroom and listen to "A. P.," as he is affectionately called,

talk positive thinking to those important businessmen and

women.

Sometimes he has the greatest difficulty with his stuttering,

but he is never discouraged. He refers to it frankly and with a

sense of humor. One day, for example, he was trying to say

the word Cadillac. He tried several times and was unable to

get it out, and finally did so with a powerful effort. Then he

commented, "I can't even say C-C-C-Cadillac, let alone buy

one." The audience roared with laughter, but I noted that they

looked up at him with affection written on their faces.

Everyone leaves a meeting at which he speaks with the

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conviction that they, too, can turn their obstacles into assets.

Again I repeat, there is no difficulty you cannot overcome. A

wise and philosophical Negro man once said to me, when

asked how he overcame his difficulties, "How do I get

through a trouble? Well, first I try to go around it, and if I

can't go around it, I try to get under it, and if I can't get under

it, I try to go over it, and if I can't get over it, I just plow right

through it." Then he added, "God and I plow right through

it."

Take seriously that formula of a businessman given earlier in

this chapter. Stop reading for a moment and repeat it over to

yourself five times, and each time you say it conclude with

this affirmation, "I believe that." Here is the formula again,

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthened

me." (Philippians 4:13) Say that five times every day and it

will release indomitable power in your mind.

Your subconscious, which always resents any change, may

say to you, "You don't believe any such thing." But

remember that your subconscious mind in a sense is one of

the greatest liars in existence. It concurs in and sends back to

you your own errors about your abilities. You have created

the negative attitude in your subconscious and it gives this

error back to you. So just turn on your subconscious and say

to it, "Now look here, I do believe that. I insist upon

believing it." If you talk to your subconscious mind with that

positiveness, in due course it will be convinced. One reason

is because you are now feeding it positive thoughts. In other

words, you are at last telling the truth to your subconscious.

After a while your subconscious mind will begin to send

back the truth to you, the truth being that with the help of

Jesus Christ there isn't any obstacle you cannot overcome.

An effective method for making your subconscious positive

in character is to eliminate certain expressions of thought and

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speech which we may call the "little negatives." These so-

called "little negatives" clutter up the average person's

conversation, and while each one is seemingly unimportant

in itself, the total effect of these attitudes is to condition the

mind negatively. When this thought of "little negatives" first

occurred to me, I began to analyze my own conversational

habits and was shocked by what I found. I discovered that I

was making such statements as, "I'm afraid I'll be late," or "I

wonder if I'll have a flat tire," or "I don't think I can do that,"

or "I'll never get through this job. There's so much to do." If

something turned out badly, I might say, "Oh, that's just what

I expected." Or, again, I might observe a few clouds in the

sky and would gloomily state, "I knew it was going to rain."

These are "little negatives" to be sure, and a big thought is of

course more powerful than a little one, but it must never be

forgotten that "mighty oaks from little acorns grow," and if a

mass of "little negatives" clutter up your conversation, they

are bound to seep into your mind. It is surprising how they

accumulate in force, and presently, before you know it, they

will grow into "big negatives." So I determined to go to work

on the "little negatives" and root them out of my

conversation. I found that the best way to eliminate them was

deliberately to say a positive word about everything. When

you keep asserting that things are going to work out well,

that you can do the job, that you will not have a flat tire, that

you will get there on time, by talking up good results you

invoke the law of positive effects and good results occur.

Things do turn out well.

On a roadside billboard I saw an advertisement of a certain

brand of motor oil. The slogan read, "A clean engine always

delivers power." So will a mind free of negatives produce

positives, that is to say, a clean mind will deliver power.

Therefore flush out your thoughts, give yourself a clean

mental engine, remembering that a clean mind, even as a

clean engine, always delivers power.

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So to overcome your obstacles and live the "I don't believe in

defeat" philosophy, cultivate a positive-idea pattern deeply in

your consciousness. What we do with obstacles is directly

determined by our mental attitude. Most of our obstacles, as

a matter of fact, are mental in character.

"Ah," you may object, "mine are not mental, mine are real."

Perhaps so, but your attitude toward them is mental. The

only possible way you can have an attitude is by the mental

process, and what you think about your obstacles largely

determines what you do about them. Form the mental

attitude that you cannot remove an obstacle and you will not

remove it, not if you think you can't. But get the idea firmly

fixed that the obstacle is not so great as you previously

considered it to be. Hold the idea that it is removable, and

however faintly you entertain this positive thought, from the

very moment you begin to think in this manner, the process

is inaugurated which will lead to its ultimate removal.

If you have been long defeated by a difficulty, it is probably

because you have told yourself for weeks, months, and even

for years that there is nothing you can do about it. You have

so emphasized your inability to yourself that your mind

gradually accepted the conclusion upon which you have

insisted, and when your mind is convinced, you are

convinced, for as you think so are you.

But, on the contrary, when you employ this new and creative

concept, "I can do all things through Christ," then you

develop a new mental slant. Emphasize and re-emphasize

that positive attitude and you will finally convince your own

consciousness that you can do something about difficulties.

When at last your mind becomes convinced, astonishing

results will begin to happen. Of a sudden you discover that

you have the power you would never acknowledge.

I played golf with a man who was not only an excellent

golfer but a philosopher as well. As we went around the golf

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course the game itself drew out of him certain gems of

wisdom for one of which I shall ever be grateful.

I hit a ball into the rough, into some high grass. When we

came up to my ball I said in some dismay, "Now just look at

that. I certainly am in the rough. I have a bad lie. It is going

to be tough getting out of here."

My friend grinned and said, "Didn't I read something about

positive thinking in your books?"

Sheepishly I acknowledged that such was the case.

"I wouldn't think negatively about that lie of yours," he said

"Do you think you could get a good hit if this ball were lying

out on the fairway on the short grass?"

I said I thought so.

"Well," he continued, "why do you think you could do better

out there than here?"

"Because," I replied, "the grass is cut short on the fairway

and the ball can get away better."

Then he did a curious thing. "Let's get down on our hands

and knees," he suggested, "and examine the situation. Let's

see just how this ball does lie."

So we got down on our hands and knees, and he said,

"Observe that the relative height of the ball here is about the

same as it would be on the fairway, the only difference being

that you have about five or six inches of grass above the

ball."

Then he did an even more whimsical thing. "Notice the

quality and character of this grass," he said. He pulled off a

blade and handed it to me. "Chew it," he said.

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I chewed, and he asked, "Isn't that tender?"

"Why, yes," I replied. "It certainly does seem to be tender

grass."

"Well," he continued, "an easy swing of your number-five

iron will cut through that grass almost like a knife." And then

he gave me this sentence which I am going to remember as

long as I live, and I hope you will also.

"The rough is only mental. In other words," he continued, "it

is rough because you think it is. In your mind you have

decided that here is an obstacle which will cause you

difficulty. The power to overcome this obstacle is in your

mind. If you visualize yourself lifting that ball out of the

rough, believing you can do it, your mind will transfer

flexibility, rhythm, and power to your muscles and you will

handle that club in such a manner that the ball will rise right

out of there in a beautiful shot. All you need to do is to keep

your eye on that ball and tell yourself that you are going to

lift it out of that grass with a lovely stroke. Let the stiffness

and tension go out of you. Hit it with exhilaration and power.

Remember, the rough is only mental."

To this day I remember the thrill, the sense of power and

delight I had in the clean shot that dropped the ball to the

edge of the green.

That is a very great fact to remember in connection with

difficult problems—"the rough is only mental."

Your obstacles are present all right. They are not fanciful,

but they are not actually so difficult as they seem. Your

mental attitude is the most important factor. Believe that

Almighty God has put in you the power to lift yourself out of

the rough by keeping your eye firmly fixed on the source of

your power. Affirm to yourself that through this power you

can do anything you have to do. Believe that this power is

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taking the tension out of you, that this power is flowing

through you. Believe this, and a sense of victory will come.

Now take another look at that obstacle that has been

bothering you. You will find that it isn't so formidable as you

thought. Say to yourself, "The rough is only mental. I think

victory—I get victory." Remember that formula. Write it on

a piece of paper, put it in your wallet, stick it up on your

mirror where you shave each morning, put it over the kitchen

sink, put it on your dressing table and on your desk—keep

looking at it until its truth drives into the depths of your

consciousness, until it permeates your whole mental attitude,

until it becomes a positive obsession—"I can do all things

through Christ which strengtheneth me."

What may seem to be a difficult proposition is, as I have

pointed out, hard or easy in proportion to how we think about

it. It may be said that three men vitally affected the thought

processes of Americans—Emerson, Thoreau, and William

James. Analyze the American mind even to this late date and

it is evident that the teachings of these three philosophers

combined to create that particular genius of the American

who is not defeated by obstacles and who accomplishes

"impossibles" with amazing efficiency.

A fundamental doctrine of Emerson is that the human

personality can be touched with Divine power and thus

greatness can be released from it. William James pointed out

that the greatest factor in any undertaking is one's belief

about it. Thoreau told us that the secret of achievement is to

hold a picture of a successful outcome in mind.

Still another wise American was Thomas Jefferson, who, like

Franklin, set for his guidance a series of rules. Franklin had

thirteen daily rules; Jefferson only ten. One of Jefferson's

rules was this, and I think it is priceless, "Always take hold

of things by the smooth handle." That is, go at a job or at

your difficulty by the use of a method that will encounter the

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least resistance. Resistance causes friction in mechanics,

therefore it is necessary in mechanics to overcome or reduce

friction. The negative attitude is a friction approach. That is

why negativism develops such great resistance. The positive

approach is the "smooth handle" technique. It is in harmony

with the flow of the universe. It not only encounters less

resistance, but actually stimulates assistance forces. It is

remarkable how from early life until the end of your

existence the application of this philosophy will enable you

to attain successful results in areas where otherwise you

would be defeated.

For example, a woman sent her fifteen-year-old son to us.

She said she wanted him "straightened out." It annoyed her

to no end that her boy could never get over 70 in any of his

studies. "This boy has a great mind potentially," she declared

proudly.

"How do you know he has a great mind?" I asked.

"Because he is my son," she said. "I graduated from college

magna cum laude"

The boy came in very glumly, so I asked, "What's the matter,

son?"

"I don't know. My mother sent me to see you."

"Well," I commented, "You don't seem to be burning with

enthusiasm. Your mother says you get only 70's."

"Yes," he said, "that's all I get, and," he added, "that isn't the

worst of it. I've even received less than that."

"Do you think you have a good mind, son?" I asked.

"My mother says I have. I don't know—I think I'm awful

dumb. Dr. Peale," he said earnestly, "I study the stuff. At

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home I read it over once and then close the book and try to

remember it. I repeat this process about three times, and then

I think that if three times doesn't get it into my head how am

I ever going to get it into my head? And then I go to school

thinking maybe I have it, and the teacher calls on me to say

something, and I stand up and can't remember a thing. Then,"

he said, "examinations come along and I sit there and just get

hot and cold all over and I can't think of the answers. I don't

know why," he continued. "I know that my mother was a

great scholar. I guess I just haven't got it in me."

This negative thought pattern combined with the inferiority

feeling stimulated by his mother's attitude was of course

overwhelming him. He froze up in his mind. His mother had

never told him to go to school and study for the wonder and

glory of learning knowledge. She was not wise enough to

encourage him to compete with himself rather than with

others. And she was constantly insisting that he duplicate her

success in scholarship. Little wonder that under this pressure

he froze mentally.

I gave him some suggestions that proved helpful. "Before

you read your lessons, pause a moment and pray in this

manner, 'Lord, I know I have a good mind and that I can get

my work.' Then get yourself relaxed and read the book

without strain. Imagine you are reading a story. Do not read

it twice unless you wish. Simply believe that you got it on

the first reading. Visualize the material as soaking in and

germinating. Then next morning, as you go to school, say to

yourself, 'I have a wonderful mother. She is very pretty and

sweet, but she must have been an old bookworm to get those

high marks. And who wants to be an old bookworm anyway?

I don't want to become magna cum nothing. I only want to

get through school creditably.'

"In class, when the teacher calls on you, quickly pray before

answering. Then believe the Lord will at that moment help

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your mind to deliver. When an examination is given, affirm

in prayer that God is releasing your mind and that the right

answers are given you."

The boy followed these ideas, and what marks do you think

he got the following semester? Ninety! I am sure that this

boy, having discovered the amazing workability of the "I

don't believe in defeat philosophy," will employ the amazing

power of positive thinking in all the affairs of his life.

I could use so many illustrations of the manner in which

men's lives have been revamped by these procedures that this

book would grow to unwieldy size. Moreover, these are

incidents and experiences out of everyday life that are in no

way theoretical, but are entirely practical. My mail is literally

filled with testimonials sent by people who, having heard or

read accounts I have told of victorious life experiences, have

felt moved to relate similar occurrences in their own lives.

Such a letter came from a gentleman who tells about his

father as follows. I know several people who have used the

plan in this letter with amazing results.

"My father was a traveling salesman. One time he sold

furniture, another time hardware, sometimes it was leather

goods. He changed his line every year.

"I would hear him telling Mother that this was his last trip in

stationery or in bed lamps or whatever it was he was selling

at the moment. Next year everything would be different; we

would be on Easy Street. He had a chance to go with a firm

that had a product that sold itself. It was always the same.

My father never had a product that sold. He was always

tense, always afraid of himself, always whistling in the dark.

"Then one day a fellow salesman gave father a copy of a

little three-sentence prayer. He was told to repeat it just

before calling on a customer. Father tried it, and the results

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were almost miraculous. He sold 85 percent of all calls made

during the first week, and every week thereafter the results

were wonderful. Some weeks the percentage ran as high as

95, and Father had sixteen weeks in which he sold every

customer called on.

"Father gave this prayer to several other salesmen, and in

each case it brought astounding results.

"The prayer my father used is as follows:

'I believe I am always divinely guided.

I believe I will always take the right turn of the road.

I believe God will always make a way where there is no

way.' "

The head of a small firm who had a great many difficulties in

establishing his business told me that he was immeasurably

helped by a technique which he invented. He had trouble, he

said, with the tendency to "blow up" a small difficulty into a

seemingly insurmountable obstacle. He knew that he was

approaching his problems in a defeatist attitude, and had

common sense enough to realize that these obstacles were

not so difficult as he made them appear to be. As he told the

story, I wondered if he did not have that curious

psychological difficulty known as the will to fail.

He employed a device which reconditioned his mental

attitude and after a time had a noticeable effect on his

business. He simply placed a large wire basket on his office

desk. The following words were printed on a card and wired

to this basket, "With God all things are possible." Whenever

a problem came up which the old mechanism of defeat began

to develop into a big difficulty, he threw the paper pertaining

to it into the basket marked "With God all things are

possible" and let it rest there for a day or two. "It is queer

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how each matter when I took it out of that basket again didn't

seem difficult at all," he reported.

In this act he dramatized the mental attitude of putting the

problem in God's hands. As a result he received power to

handle the problem normally and therefore successfully.

As you finish this chapter please say the following line

aloud: "I don't believe in defeat." Continue to affirm that

until the idea dominates your subconscious attitudes.

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Chapter 9

How to Break the Worry Habit

YOU DO NOT need to be a victim of worry. Reduced to its

simplest form, what is worry? It is simply an unhealthy and

destructive mental habit. You were not born with the worry

habit. You acquired it. And because you can change any

habit and any acquired attitude, you can cast worry from

your mind. Since aggressive, direct action is essential in the

elimination process, there is just one proper time to begin an

effective attack on worry, and that is now. So let us start

breaking your worry habit at once.

Why should we take the worry problem this seriously? The

reason is clearly stated by Dr. Smiley Blanton, eminent

psychiatrist, "Anxiety is the great modern plague."

A famous psychologist asserts that "fear is the most

disintegrating enemy of human personality," and a prominent

physician declares that "worry is the most subtle and

destructive of all human diseases."

Another physician tells us that thousands of people are ill

because of "dammed-up anxiety." These sufferers have been

unable to expel their anxieties which have turned inward on

the personality, causing many forms of ill-health. The

destructive quality of worry is indicated by the fact that the

word itself is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word

meaning "to choke." If someone were to put his fingers

around your throat and press hard, cutting off the flow of

vital power, it would be a dramatic demonstration of what

you do to yourself by long-held and habitual worry.

We are told that worry is not infrequently a factor in arthritis.

Physicians who have analyzed the causes of this prevalent

disease assert that the following factors, at least some of

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them, are nearly always present in arthritic cases: financial

disaster, frustration, tension, apprehension, loneliness, grief,

long-held ill will, and habitual worry.

A clinic staff is said to have made a study of one hundred

seventy-six American executives of the average age of forty-

four years and discovered that one half had high blood

pressure, heart disease, or ulcers. It was notable in every case

of those thus afflicted that worry was a prominent factor.

The worrier, so it seems, is not likely to live as long as the

person who learns to overcome his worries. The Rotarian

magazine carried an article entitled "How Long Can You

Live?" The author says that the waistline is the measure of

your life line. The article also declares that if you want to

live long, observe the following rules: (1) Keep calm. (2) Go

to church. (3) Eliminate worry.

A survey shows that church members live longer than non-

church members (better join the church if you don't want to

die young). Married people, according to the article, live

longer than single people. Perhaps this is because a married

couple can divide the worry. When you are single, you have

to do it all alone.

A scientific expert on length of life made a study of some

450 people who lived to be one hundred years of age. He

found that these people lived long and contented lives for the

following reasons: (1) They kept busy. (2) They used

moderation in all things. (3) They ate lightly and simply. (4)

They got a great deal of fun out of life. (5) They were early

to bed and early up. (6) They were free from worry and fear,

especially fear of death. (7) They had serene minds and faith

in God.

Haven't you often heard a person say, "I am almost sick with

worry," and then add with a laugh, "But I guess worry never

really makes you ill." But that is where he is wrong. Worry

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can make you ill.

Dr. George W. Crile, famous American surgeon, said, "We

fear not only in our minds but in our hearts, brains, and

viscera, that whatever the cause of fear and worry, the effect

can always be noted in the cells, tissues, and organs of the

body."

Dr. Stanley Cobb, neurologist, says that worry is intimately

connected with the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

A doctor recently stated that there is an epidemic of fear and

worry in this country. "All doctors," he declared, "are having

cases of illness which are brought on directly by fear, and

aggravated by worry and a feeling of insecurity."

But do not be discouraged, for you can overcome your

worries. There is a remedy that will bring you sure relief. It

can help you break the worry habit. And the first step to take

in breaking it is simply to believe that you can. Whatever

you believe you can do, you can do, with God's help.

Here, then, is a practical procedure which will help to

eliminate abnormal worry from your experience.

Practice emptying the mind daily. This should be done

preferably before retiring at night to avoid the retention by

the consciousness of worries while you sleep. During sleep,

thoughts tend to sink more deeply into the subconscious. The

last five minutes before going to sleep are of extraordinary

importance, for in that brief period the mind is most

receptive to suggestion. It tends to absorb the last ideas that

are entertained in waking consciousness.

This process of mind drainage is important in overcoming

worry, for fear thoughts, unless drained off, can clog the

mind and impede the flow of mental and spiritual power. But

such thoughts can be emptied from the mind and will not

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accumulate if they are eliminated daily. To drain them,

utilize a process of creative imagination. Conceive of

yourself as actually emptying your mind of all anxiety and

fear. Picture all worry thoughts as flowing out as you would

let water flow from a basin by removing the stopper. Repeat

the following affirmation during this visualization: "With

God's help I am now emptying my mind of all anxiety, all

fear, all sense of insecurity." Repeat this slowly five times,

then add, "I believe that my mind is now emptied of all

anxiety, all fear, all sense of insecurity." Repeat that

statement five times, meanwhile holding a mental picture of

your mind as being emptied of these concepts. Then thank

God for thus freeing you from fear. Then go to sleep.

In starting the curative process the foregoing method should

be utilized in midmorning and midafternoon as well as at

bedtime. Go into some quiet place for five minutes for this

purpose. Faithfully perform this process and you will soon

note beneficial results.

The procedure may be further strengthened by imaginatively

thinking of yourself as reaching into your mind and one by

one removing your worries. A small child possesses an

imaginative skill superior to that of adults. A child responds

to the game of kissing away a hurt or throwing away a fear.

This simple process works for the child because in his mind

he believes that that is actually the end of it. The dramatic act

is a fact for him and so it proves to be the end of the matter.

Visualize your fears as being drained out of your mind and

the visualization will in due course be actualized.

Imagination is a source of fear, but imagination may also be

the cure of fear. "Imagineering" is the use of mental images

to build factual results, and it is an astonishingly effective

procedure. Imagination is not simply the use of fancy. The

word imagination derives from the idea of imaging. That is

to say, you form an image either of fear or of release from

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fear. What you "image" (imagine) may ultimately become a

fact if held mentally with sufficient faith.

Therefore hold an image of yourself as delivered from worry

and the drainage process will in time eliminate abnormal fear

from your thoughts. However, it is not enough to empty the

mind, for the mind will not long remain empty. It must be

occupied by something. It cannot continue in a state of

vacuum. Therefore, upon emptying the mind, practice

refilling it. Fill it with thoughts of faith, hope, courage,

expectancy. Say aloud such affirmations as the following:

"God is now filling my mind with courage, with peace, with

calm assurance. God is now protecting me from all harm.

God is now protecting my loved ones from all harm. God is

now guiding me to right decisions. God will see me through

this situation"

A half-dozen times each day crowd your mind with such

thoughts as these until the mind is overflowing with them. In

due course these thoughts of faith will crowd out worry. Fear

is the most powerful of all thoughts with one exception, and

that one exception is faith. Faith can always overcome fear.

Faith is the one power against which fear cannot stand. Day

by day, as you fill your mind with faith, there will ultimately

be no room left for fear. This is the one great fact that no one

should forget. Master faith and you will automatically master

fear.

So the process is—empty the mind and cauterize it with

God's grace, then practice filling your mind with faith and

you will break the worry habit.

Fill your mind with faith and in due course the accumulation

of faith will crowd out fear. It will not be of much value

merely to read this suggestion unless you practice it. And the

time to begin practicing it is now while you think of it and

while you are convinced that the number-one procedure in

breaking the worry habit is to drain the mind daily of fear

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and fill the mind daily with faith. It is just as simple as that.

Learn to be a practicer of faith until you become an expert in

faith. Then fear cannot live in you.

The importance of freeing your mind of fear cannot be

overemphasized. Fear something over a long period of time

and there is a real possibility that by fearing you may

actually help bring it to pass. The Bible contains a line which

is one of the most terrible statements ever made—terrible in

its truth: "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon

me..." (Job 3:25) Of course it will, for if you fear something

continuously you tend to create conditions in your mind

propitious to the development of that which you fear. An

atmosphere is encouraged in which it can take root and grow.

You tend to draw it to yourself.

But do not be alarmed. The Bible also constantly reiterates

another great truth, "That which I have greatly believed has

come upon me." It does not make that statement in so many

words, and yet again and again and still again the Bible tells

us that if we have faith "nothing is impossible" unto us, and

"according to your faith be it done unto you." So if you shift

your mind from fear to faith you will stop creating the object

of your fear and will, instead, actualize the object of your

faith. Surround your mind with healthy thoughts, thoughts of

faith, and not fear, and you will produce faith results instead

of fear results.

Strategy must be used in the campaign against the worry

habit. A frontal attack on the main body of worry with the

expectation of conquering it may prove difficult. Perhaps a

more adroit plan is to conquer the outer fortifications one by

one, gradually closing in on the main position.

To change the figure, it might be well to snip off the little

worries on the farthest branches of your fear. Then work

back and finally destroy the main trunk of worry.

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At my farm it was necessary to take down a large tree, much

to my regret. Cutting down a great old tree is fraught with

sadness. Men came with a motor-driven saw and I expected

them to start by cutting through the main trunk near the

ground. Instead, they put up ladders and began snipping off

the small branches, then the larger ones, and finally the top

of the tree. Then all that remained was the huge central

trunk, and in a few moments my tree lay neatly stacked as

though it had not spent fifty years in growing.

"If we had cut the tree at the ground before trimming off the

branches, it would have broken nearby trees in falling. It is

easier to handle a tree the smaller you can make it," so

explained the tree man.

The vast tree of worry which over long years has grown up

in your personality can best be handled by making it as small

as possible. Thus it is advisable to snip off the little worries

and expressions of worry. For example, reduce the number

of worry words in your conversation. Words maybe the

result of worry, but they also create worry. When a worry

thought comes to mind, immediately remove it with a faith

thought and expression. For example: "I'm worried that I will

miss the train." Then start early enough to be sure you get

there on time. The less worrying you do, the more likely you

are to start promptly, for the uncluttered mind is systematic

and is able to regulate time.

As you snip off these small worries you will gradually cut

back to the main trunk of worry. Then with your developed

greater power you will be able to eliminate basic worry, i.e.,

the worry habit, from your life.

My friend Dr. Daniel A. Poling gives a valuable suggestion.

He says that every morning before he arises he repeats these

two words, "I believe," three times. Thus at the day's

beginning he conditions his mind to faith, and it never leaves

him. His mind accepts the conviction that by faith he is going

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to overcome his problems and difficulties during the day. He

starts the day with creative positive thoughts in his mind. He

"believes," and it is very difficult to hold back the man who

believes.

I related Dr. Poling's "I believe" technique in a radio talk and

had a letter from a woman who told me that she had not been

very faithful to her religion which happened to be the Jewish

faith. She said their home was filled with contention,

bickering, worry, and unhappiness. Her husband, she

declared, "drank far too much for his own good" and sat

around all day doing no work. He weakly complained that he

couldn't find a job. This woman's mother-in-law lived with

her and the latter "whined and complained of her aches and

pains all the while."

This woman said that Dr. Poling's method impressed her and

she decided to try it herself. So the next morning upon

awakening she affirmed, "I believe, I believe, I believe." In

her letter she excitedly reported, "It has been only ten days

since I started this plan and my husband came home last

night and told me he had a job paying $80 a week. And he

also says that he is going to quit drinking. I believe he means

it. What is even more wonderful, my mother-in-law has

practically stopped complaining of her aches and pains. It is

almost as if a miracle has happened in this house. My

worries seem to have just about disappeared."

That does indeed seem almost magical, and yet that miracle

happens every day to people who shift over from negative

fear thoughts to positive faith thoughts and attitudes.

My good friend, the late Howard Chandler Christy, the artist,

had many a sound anti-worry technique. Scarcely ever have I

known a man so filled with the joy and delight of life. He

had an indomitable quality, and his happiness was infectious.

My church has a policy of having the minister's portrait

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painted sometime during his pastorate. This portrait hangs in

the minister's home until his death, when it reverts to the

church and is placed in a gallery along with pictures of his

predecessors. It is usually the policy of the Board of Elders

and Deacons to have a portrait painted when in their wise

judgment the minister is at the height of his good looks

(mine was painted several years ago).

While sitting for Mr. Christy, I asked, "Howard, don't you

ever worry?"

He laughed. "No, not on your life. I don't believe in it."

"Well," I commented, "that is quite a simple reason for not

worrying. In fact, it seems to me too simple—you just don't

believe in it, therefore you don't do it. Haven't you ever

worried?" I asked.

He replied, "Well, yes, I tried it once. I noticed that

everybody else seemed to worry and I figured I must be

missing something, so one day I made up my mind to try it. I

set aside a day and said, 'That is to be my worry day.' I

decided I would investigate this worry business and do some

worrying just to see what it was like.

"The night before the day came I went to bed early to get a

good night's sleep to be rested up to do a good job of

worrying the next day. In the morning I got up, ate a good

breakfast—for you can't worry successfully on an empty

stomach—and then decided to get to my worrying. Well, I

tried my best to worry until along about noon, but I just

couldn't make heads nor tails of it. It didn't make sense to

me, so I just gave it up."

He laughed one of those infectious laughs of his.

"But," I said, "you must have some other method of

overcoming worry." He did indeed, and it is perhaps the best

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method of all.

"Every morning I spend fifteen minutes filling my mind full

of God," he said. "When your mind is full of God, there is no

room for worry. I fill my mind full of God every day and I

have the time of my life all day long."

Howard Christy was a great artist with a brush, but he was an

equally great artist with life because he was able to take a

great truth and simplify it down to its basic fact, namely, that

only that comes out of the mind which originally you put

into the mind. Fill the mind with thoughts of God rather than

with thoughts of fear, and you will get back thoughts of faith

and courage.

Worry is a destructive process of occupying the mind with

thoughts contrary to God's love and care. Basically that is all

worry is. The cure is to fill the mind with thoughts of God's

power, His protection, and His goodness. So spend fifteen

minutes daily filling your mind full of God. Cram your mind

full of the "I believe philosophy," and you will have no

mental room left to accommodate thoughts of worry and lack

of faith.

Many people fail to overcome such troubles as worry

because, unlike Howard Christy, they allow the problem to

seem complicated and do not attack it with some simple

technique. It is surprising how our most difficult personal

problems often yield to an uncomplicated methodology. This

is due to the fact that it is not enough to know what to do

about difficulties. We must also know how to do that which

should be done.

The secret is to work out a method of attack and keep

working it. There is value in doing something that dramatizes

to our own minds that an effective counterattack is in

process. In so doing we bring spiritual forces to bear upon

the problem in a manner both understandable and usable.

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One of the best illustrations of this technique strategy against

worry was a scheme developed by a businessman. He was a

tremendous worrier. In fact he was fast getting himself into a

bad state of nerves and ill-health. His particular form of

worry was that he was always doubtful as to whether he had

done or said the right thing. He was always rehashing his

decisions and getting himself unnerved about them. He was a

post-mortem expert. He is an exceptionally intelligent man,

in fact a graduate of two universities, in both instances with

honors. I suggested that he ought to work out some simple

method that would help him to drop the day when it was over

and go ahead into the future and forget it. I explained the

gripping effectiveness of simple, dramatized spiritual truth.

It is always true that the greatest minds have the best ability

to be simple, that is, they have the capacity to work out some

simple plans for putting profound truths into operation, and

this man did that in connection with his worries. I noticed

that he was improving and commented on it.

"Oh, yes," he said, "I finally got the secret and it has worked

amazingly well." He said that if I would drop into his office

sometime toward the close of the day he would show me

how he had broken the worry habit. He telephoned me one

day and asked me to have dinner that evening. I met him at

his office at closing time. He explained that he had broken

his worry habit by working out "a little ritual" that he

performed every night before leaving his office. And it was

very unique. It made a lasting impression upon me.

We picked up our hats and coats and started toward the door.

By the door of his office stood a wastebasket and above it on

the wall was a calendar. It was not one of those calendars

where you see a week or a month, or three months, it was a

one-day calendar. You could see only one date at a time, and

that date was in large print. He said, "Now I will perform my

evening ritual, the one that has helped me break the worry

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habit.

He reached up and tore off the calendar page for that

particular day. He rolled it into a small ball and I watched

with fascination as his fingers slowly opened and he dropped

that "day" into the wastebasket. Then he closed his eyes and

his lips moved, and I knew that he was praying, so was

respectfully silent. Upon finishing his prayer he said aloud,

"Amen. O.K., the day is over. Come on, let's go out and

enjoy ourselves."

As we walked down the street I asked, "Would you mind

telling me what you said in that prayer?"

He laughed and said, "I don't think it is your kind of prayer."

But I persisted, and he said, "Well, I pray something like

this: 'Lord, you gave me this day. I didn't ask for it, but I was

glad to have it. I did the best I could with it and you helped

me, and I thank you. I made some mistakes. That was when I

didn't follow your advice, and I am sorry about that. Forgive

me. But I had some victories and some successes, too, and I

am grateful for your guidance. But now, Lord, mistakes or

successes, victories or defeats, the day is over and I'm

through with it, so I'm giving it back to you. Amen.' "

Perhaps that isn't an orthodox prayer, but it certainly proved

to be an effective one. He dramatized the finishing of the day

and he set his face to the future, expecting to do better the

next day. He co-operated with God's method. When the day

is over, God blacks it out by bringing down the curtain of

night. By this method this man's past mistakes and failures,

his sins of omission and commission gradually lost their hold

on him. He was released from the worries that accumulated

from his yesterdays. In this technique this man was

practicing one of the most effective anti-worry formulas,

which is described in these words, "...but this one thing I do,

forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth

unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark

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for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ

Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

Other practical anti-worry techniques may suggest

themselves to you, and I should like to hear of those which

after careful use prove effective. I believe that all of us who

are interested in self-improvement are fellow students in

God's great spiritual laboratory. Together we work out

practical methods of successful living. People from

everywhere are kind enough to write me about their methods

and the results attained. I try to be helpful in making tested

methods available to others through books, sermons,

newspaper columns, radio, television, and other media. In

this manner there can be developed a great many people who

have the know-how for overcoming not only worry but other

personal problems as well.

To conclude this chapter in a manner designed to help you

go to work now to break the worry habit, I list a ten-point

worry-breaking formula.

1. Say to yourself, "Worry is just a very bad mental habit.

And I can change any habit with God's help."

2. You became a worrier by practicing worry. You can

become free of worry by practicing the opposite and stronger

habit of faith. With all the strength and perseverance you can

command, start practicing faith.

3. How do you practice faith? First thing every morning

before you arise say out loud, "I believe," three times.

4. Pray, using this formula, "I place this day, my life, my

loved ones, my work in the Lord's hands. There is no harm in

the Lord's hands, only good. Whatever happens, whatever

results, if I am in the Lord's hands it is the Lord's will and it

is good."

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5. Practice saying something positive concerning everything

about which you have been talking negatively. Talk

positively. For example, don't say, "This is going to be a

terrible day." Instead, affirm, "This is going to be a glorious

day." Don't say, "I'll never be able to do that." Instead,

affirm, "With God's help I will do that."

6. Never participate in a worry conversation. Shoot an

injection of faith into all your conversations. A group of

people talking pessimistically can infect every person in the

group with negativism. But by talking things up rather than

down you can drive off that depressing atmosphere and make

everyone feel hopeful and happy.

7. One reason you are a worrier is that your mind is literally

saturated with apprehension thoughts, defeat thoughts,

gloomy thoughts. To counteract, mark every passage in the

Bible that speaks of faith, hope, happiness, glory, radiance.

Commit each to memory. Say them over and over again until

these creative thoughts saturate your subconscious mind.

Then the subconscious will return to you what you have

given it, namely, optimism, not worry.

8. Cultivate friendships with hopeful people. Surround

yourself with friends who think positive, faith-producing

thoughts and who contribute to a creative atmosphere. This

will keep you re-stimulated with faith attitudes.

9. See how many people you can help to cure their own

worry habit. In helping another to overcome worry you get

greater power over it within yourself.

10. Every day of your life conceive of yourself as living in

partnership and companionship with Jesus Christ. If He

actually walked by your side, would you be worried or

afraid? Well, then, say to yourself, "He is with me." Affirm

aloud, "I am with you always." Then change it to say, "He is

with me now." Repeat that affirmation three times every day.

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Chapter 10

Power to Solve Personal Problems

I WANT TO tell you about some fortunate people who found

the right solution to their problems.

They followed a simple but highly practical plan and in each

case the outcome was a happy and successful one. These

people are in no sense different than you. They had the same

problems and difficulties that you have, but they found a

formula which helped them to get the right answers to the

difficult questions facing them. This same formula applied

by you can get similar results.

First, let me tell you the story of a husband and wife,

longtime friends of mine. For years Bill, the husband,

worked hard until he finally reached the rung next to the top

of the ladder in his company. He was in line for the

presidency of the firm and felt certain that upon retirement of

the president he would be advanced to that position. There

was no apparent reason why his ambition should not be

realized, for by ability, training, and experience he was

qualified. Besides, he had been led to believe he was to be

chosen.

However, when the appointment was made he was bypassed.

A man was brought in from the outside to fill the post.

I arrived in his city just after the blow had fallen. The wife,

Mary, was in an especially vindictive state of mind. At

dinner she bitterly outlined all that she would "like to tell

them." The intense disappointment, humiliation, frustration,

focused in a burning anger which she poured out to her

husband and me.

Bill, on the contrary, was quiet. Obviously hurt,

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disappointed, and bewildered, he took it courageously. Being

essentially a gentle person, it was not surprising that he

failed to become angry or violent in his reaction. Mary

wanted him to resign immediately. She urged him to "tell

them off and tell them plenty, then quit."

He seemed disinclined to take this action, saying perhaps it

was for the best and he would go along with the new man

and help him in any way that he could.

That attitude admittedly might be difficult, but he had

worked for the company for so long that he would not be

happy elsewhere, and, besides, he felt that in the secondary

position the company could continue to use him.

The wife then turned to me and asked what I would do. I told

her that I would, like herself, undoubtedly feel disappointed

and hurt, but that I would try not to allow hate to creep in, for

animosity not only corrodes the soul, but disorganizes

thought processes as well.

I suggested that what we needed was Divine guidance, a

wisdom beyond ourselves in this situation. There was such

an emotional content in the problem that we might possibly

be incapable of thinking the matter through objectively and

rationally.

I suggested, therefore, that we have a few minutes of

quietness, no one saying anything, that we sit quietly in an

attitude of fellowship and prayer, turning our thoughts to the

One who said, "Where two or three are gathered together in

my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)

I pointed out that there were three of us, and if we sought to

achieve the spirit of being gathered in "His" name, He would

also be present to quiet us and show us what to do.

It was not easy for the wife to accommodate herself to the

mood suggested, but basically she was an intelligent, high-

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type person, and she joined in the plan.

Presently, after a few quiet minutes, I suggested that we join

hands, and even though we were in a public restaurant I

would quietly offer a prayer. In the prayer I asked for

guidance. I requested peace of mind for Bill and Mary, and I

went a step further and even asked God's blessing upon the

new appointee. I also prayed that Bill would be able to fit in

with the new administration and give more effective service

than before.

After the prayer we sat silent for a time, then with a sigh the

wife said, "Yes, I guess that is the way to do it. When I knew

you were coming to dinner with us I feared that you would

tell us to take a Christian position on this. Frankly, I didn't

feel like doing that. I was boiling inwardly, but of course I

realize that the right answer to this problem is to be found

through that approach. I will try it faithfully, as difficult as it

may be." She smiled wanly, but the animus was gone.

From time to time I checked with my friends, and found that

while everything was not entirely as they desired, they

gradually became fairly contented under the new

arrangement. They were able to overcome their disap-

pointment and ill will.

Bill even confided to me that he liked the new man and in a

way enjoyed working with him. He told me that the new

president often called him in for consultation and seemed to

lean on him.

Mary was nice to the president's wife, and in fact they went

to the fullest extent to be co-operative.

Two years passed. One day I arrived in their city and

telephoned them.

"Oh, I am so excited I can hardly speak," Mary said.

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I commented that anything that could put her in that state

must be of unusual importance.

Ignoring this remark, she cried, "Oh, the most wonderful

thing has happened. Mr. So-and-So," naming the president,

"has been selected by another company at a big promotion

for a special job which will take him out of our organization

into a much better position and"—she posed the question—

"guess what? Bill has just been notified that he is now

president of this company. Come over right away and let the

three of us give thanks together."

Later, as we sat together, Bill said, "Do you know, I am

beginning to realize that Christianity isn't theoretical after all.

We have solved a problem according to well-defined

spiritually scientific principles. I shudder to think," he said,

"of the terrible mistake we would have made had we not

gone at this problem according to the formula contained in

the teachings of Jesus.

"Who in the world," he asked, "is responsible for the silly

idea that Christianity is impractical? Never again will I let a

problem come up without attacking it in just the way the

three of us solved this one."

Well, several years have passed, and Mary and Bill have had

other problems, and to each of them they have applied this

same technique, invariably with good results. By the "put it

in God's hands" method they have learned to solve their

problems right.

Another effective technique in problem solving is the simple

device of conceiving of God as a partner. One of the basic

truths taught by the Bible is that God is with us. In fact,

Christianity begins with that concept, for when Jesus Christ

was born He was called Immanuel, meaning "God with us."

Christianity teaches that in all the difficulties, problems, and

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circumstances of this life God is close by. We can talk to

Him, lean upon Him, get help from Him, and have the

inestimable benefit of His interest, support, and help.

Practically everybody believes in a general way that this is

true, and many have experienced the reality of this faith.

In getting correct solutions to your problems, however, it is

necessary to go a step further than believing this, for one

must actually practice the idea of presence. Practice

believing that God is as real and actual as your wife, or your

business partner, or your closest friend. Practice talking

matters over with Him; believe that He hears and gives

thought to your problem. Assume that He impresses upon

your mind through consciousness the proper ideas and

insights necessary to solve your problems. Definitely believe

that in these solutions there will be no error, but that you will

be guided to actions according to truth which results in right

outcomes.

A businessman stopped me one day following a Rotary Club

meeting in a Western city at which I had made a speech. He

told me that something he had read in one of my newspaper

columns had, as he put it, "completely revolutionized his

attitude and saved his business."

Naturally I was interested and pleased that any little thing I

had said would bring about such a splendid result.

"I had been having quite a difficult time in my business," he

said. "In fact, it was beginning to be a very serious question

as to whether I could save my business. A series of

unfortunate circumstances together with market conditions,

regulatory procedures, and dislocations to the economy of

the country generally affected my line profoundly. I read this

article of yours in which you advanced the idea of taking

God in as a partner. I think you used the phrase, 'effect a

merger with God.'

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"When I first read that it seemed to me a rather 'cracked-

brain idea.' How could a man on earth, a human being, take

God as a partner? Besides, I had always thought of God as a

vast being, so much bigger than man that I was like an insect

in His sight, and yet you were saying that I should take Him

as a partner. The idea seemed preposterous. Then a friend

gave me one of your books and I found similar ideas

scattered all through it. You told actual life stories about

people who followed this advice. They all seemed to be

sensible people, but still I was unconvinced. I always had the

idea that ministers are idealistic theorists, that they know

nothing about business and practical affairs. So I sort of

'wrote you off,' " he said with a smile.

"However, a funny thing happened one day. I went to my

office so depressed that I actually thought perhaps the best

thing for me to do would be to blow my brains out and get

away from all these problems which seemed completely to

floor me. Then into my mind came this idea of taking God as

a partner. I shut the door, sat in my chair, and put my head

on my arms on the desk. I might as well confess to you that I

hadn't prayed more than a dozen times in as many years.

However, I certainly did pray on this occasion. I told the

Lord that I had heard this idea about taking Him in as a

partner, that I wasn't actually sure what it meant, or how one

did it. I told Him I was sunk, that I couldn't get any ideas

except panicky ones, that I was baffled, bewildered, and very

discouraged. I said, 'Lord, I can't offer You much in the way

of a partnership, but please join with me and help me. I don't

know how You can help me, but I want to be helped. So I

now put my business, myself, my family, and my future in

Your hands. Whatever You say goes. I don't even know how

You are going to tell me what to do, but I am ready to hear

and will follow Your advice if You will make it clear.'

"Well," he continued, "that was the prayer. After I finished

praying I sat at my desk. I guess I expected something

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miraculous to happen, but nothing did. However, I did

suddenly feel quiet and rested. I actually had a feeling of

peacefulness. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred that day

nor that night, but next day when I went to my office I had a

brighter and happier feeling than usual. I began to feel

confident that things would turn out right. It was hard to

explain why I felt that way. Nothing was any different. In

fact, you might even say things were a shade worse, but I

was different, at least a little different.

This feeling of peacefulness stayed with me and I began to

feel better. I kept praying each day and talked to God as I

would to a partner. They were not church prayers—just plain

man-to-man talk. Then one day in my office, all of a sudden

an idea popped up in my mind. It was like toast popping up

in a toaster. I said to myself, 'Well, what do you know about

that?' for it was something that had never occurred to me, but

I knew instantly that it was just the method to follow. Why I

had never thought of it before I haven't the slightest idea. My

mind was too tied up, I guess. I hadn't been functioning

mentally.

"I immediately followed the hunch." Then he stopped. "No,

it was no hunch, it was my partner talking to me. I

immediately put this idea into operation and things began to

roll. New ideas began to flow out of my mind, and despite

conditions I began to get the business back on an even keel.

Now the general situation has improved considerably, and

I'm out of the woods."

Then he said, "I don't know anything about preaching or

about writing the kind of books you write, or any books for

that matter, but let me tell you this—whenever you get a

chance to talk to businessmen tell them that if they will take

God as a partner in their business they will get more good

ideas than they can ever use, and they can turn those ideas

into assets. I don't merely mean money," he said, "although a

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way to get a good return on your investment, I believe, is to

get God-guided ideas. But tell them that the God-partnership

method is the way to get their problems solved right."

This incident is just one of many similar demonstrations of

the law of Divine-human relationship working itself out in

practical affairs. I cannot emphasize too strongly the

effectiveness of this technique of problem solving. It has

produced amazing results in the many cases coming under

my observation.

In the very necessary business of solving personal problems,

it is important, first of all, to realize that the power to solve

them is inherent within you. Second, it is necessary to work

out and actualize a plan. Spiritual and emotional planlessness

is a definite reason for the failure of many people to meet

their personal problems successfully.

A business executive told me that he puts his dependence

upon the "emergency powers of the human brain." It is his

theory, and a sound one, that a human being possesses extra

powers that may be tapped and utilized under emergency

situations. In the ordinary conduct of day-by-day living,

these emergency powers lie dormant, but under extraordinary

circumstances the personality is able, when called upon, to

deliver extra power if needed.

A person who develops a working faith does not allow these

powers to lie dormant, but in proportion to his faith brings

many of them into play in connection with normal activity.

This explains why some people demonstrate greater force

than others in daily requirements and in a crisis. They have

made it a habit normally to draw upon powers that would

otherwise be ignored except in some dramatic necessity.

When a difficult situation arises, do you know how to meet

it? Have you any clearly defined plan for solving unusually

difficult problems as they develop? Many people proceed on

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a hit-or-miss method, and, sadly enough, most frequently

they miss. I cannot urge too strongly the importance of a

planned use of your greater powers in meeting problems.

In addition to the method of two or three praying together in

the "surrender of God" technique and that of establishing a

partnership with God and the importance of a plan to tap and

utilize emergency inner powers, there is still another

tremendous technique—that of practicing faith attitudes. I

read the Bible for years before it ever dawned on me that it

was trying to tell me that if I would have faith—and really

have it—that I could overcome all of my difficulties, meet

every situation, rise above every defeat, and solve all of the

perplexing problems of my life. The day that realization

dawned on me was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of

my life. Undoubtedly many people will read this book who

have never gotten the faith idea of living. But I hope you will

get it now, for the faith technique is without question one of

the most powerful truths in the world having to do with the

successful conduct of human life.

Throughout the Bible the truth is emphasized again and

again that "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard

seed...nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Matthew

17:20) The Bible means this absolutely, factually,

completely, and literally. It isn't an illusion, it isn't a fantasy.

It is not an illustration, nor a symbol, nor a metaphor, but the

absolute fact—"Faith, even as a grain of mustard seed," will

solve your problems, any of your problems, all of your

problems, if you believe it and practice it. "According to

your faith, be it unto you." (Matthew 9:29) The requirement

is faith, and directly in proportion to the faith that you have

and use will you get results. Little faith gives you little

results, medium faith gives you medium results, great faith

gives you great results. But in the generosity of Almighty

God, if you have only the faith symbolized by a grain of

mustard seed, it will do amazing things in solving your

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problems.

For example, let me tell you the thrilling story of my friends

Maurice and Mary Alice Flint. I became acquainted with

them when a previous book of mine, A Guide to Confident

Living, was condensed in Liberty magazine. Maurice Flint at

that time was failing, and failing badly. Not only was he

failing in his job, but as a person as well. He was filled with

fear and resentment and was one of the most negative

persons I have ever encountered. He was endowed with a

nice personality and at heart was a wonderful fellow, but he

had simply messed life up as he himself admitted.

He read the condensation of the book in which is emphasized

the idea of "mustard-seed faith." At this time he was living in

Philadelphia with his family, a wife and two sons. He

telephoned my church in New York, but for some reason did

not make contact with my secretary. I mention this to show

his already changing mental attitude for normally he would

never have called the second time, because it was his

pathetic habit to give up everything after a feeble effort, but

in this instance he persevered until he got through and

secured the information relative to the time of church

services. The next Sunday he drove from Philadelphia to

New York with his family to attend church, which he

continued to do even in the most inclement weather.

In an interview later he told me his life story in full detail

and asked if I thought he could ever make anything of

himself. The problems of money, of situations, of debts, of

the future, and primarily of himself were so complicated and

he was so overwhelmed with difficulty that he regarded the

situation as completely hopeless.

I assured him that if he would get himself personally

straightened out and get his mental attitudes attuned to God's

pattern of thought, and if he would learn and utilize the

technique of faith, all of his problems could be solved.

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One attitude that both he and his wife had to clear out of

their minds was that of resentment. They were dully mad at

everybody and acutely so at some. They were in their present

unhappy condition, so they reasoned in their diseased

thoughts, not because of any failure on their part but because

of "dirty deals" other people had given them. They actually

used to lie in bed at night telling each other what they would

like to say to other people by way of insult. In this unhealthy

atmosphere they tried to find sleep and rest, but with no

successful result.

Maurice Flint really took to the faith idea. It gripped him as

nothing ever had. His reactions were weak, of course, for his

will power was disorganized. At first he was unable to think

with any power or force due to his long habit of negativism,

but he held on tenaciously, even desperately, to the idea that

if you have "faith as a grain of mustard seed, nothing is

impossible." With what force he did have he absorbed faith.

Of course, his capacity to have faith gradually increased as

he practiced it.

One night he went into the kitchen where his wife was

washing dishes. He said, "The faith idea is comparatively

easy on Sunday in church, but I can't hold it. It fades. I was

thinking that if I could carry a mustard seed in my pocket, I

could feel it when I began to weaken and that would help me

to have faith." He then asked his wife, "Do we have any of

those mustard seeds, or are they just something mentioned in

the Bible? Are there mustard seeds today?"

She laughed and said, "I have some right here in a pickle

jar."

She fished one out and gave it to him. "Don't you know,

Maurice," Mary Alice said, "that you don't need an actual

mustard seed. That is only the symbol of an idea."

"I don't know about that," he replied. "It says mustard seed in

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the Bible and that's what I want. Maybe I need the symbol to

get faith."

He looked at it in the palm of his hand and said wonderingly,

"Is that all the faith I need—just a small amount like this tiny

grain of mustard seed?" He held it for a while and then put it

in his pocket, saying, "If I can just get my fingers on that

during the day, it will keep me working on this faith idea."

But the seed was so small he lost it, and he would go back to

the pickle jar for another one, only to lose it also. One day

when another seed became lost in his pocket, the idea came

to him, Why couldn't he put the grain of mustard seed in a

plastic ball? He could carry this ball in his pocket or put it on

his watch chain always to remind him that if he had "faith as

a grain of mustard seed, nothing would be impossible unto

him."

He consulted a supposed expert in plastics and asked how to

insert a mustard seed in a plastic ball so there would be no

bubble. The "expert" said it could not be done for the reason

that it had never been done, which of course was no reason at

all.

Flint had enough faith by this time to believe that if he had

faith "even as a grain of mustard seed" he could put a

mustard seed in a plastic sphere. He went to work, and kept

at it for weeks, and finally succeeded. He made up several

pieces of costume jewelry: necklace, bow pin, key chain,

bracelet, and sent them to me. They were beautiful, and on

each gleamed the translucent sphere with the mustard seed

within. With each one was a card which bore the title,

"Mustard Seed Remembrancer." The card also told how this

piece of jewelry could be used; how the mustard seed would

remind the wearer that "if he had faith, nothing was

impossible."

He asked me if I thought these articles could be

merchandised. I was no expert in such matters so I showed

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them to Grace Oursler, consulting editor of Guideposts

magazine. She took the jewelry to our mutual friend, Mr.

Walter Hoving, president of Bonwit Teller Department

Store, one of the greatest executives in the country. He at

once saw the possibilities in this project. Imagine my

astonishment and delight when in the New York papers a

few days later was a two-column advertisement reading,

"Symbol of faith—a genuine mustard seed enclosed in

sparkling glass makes a bracelet with real meaning." And in

the advertisement was the Scripture passage, "If ye have faith

as a grain of mustard seed...nothing shall be impossible unto

you." (Matthew 17:20) These articles sold like hot cakes.

Now hundreds of great department stores and shops

throughout the country find difficulty keeping them in stock.

Mr. and Mrs. Flint have a factory in a Midwestern city

producing Mustard Seed Remembrancers. Curious, isn't it—a

failure goes to church and hears a text out of the Bible and

creates a great business. Perhaps you had better listen more

intently to the reading of the Bible and the sermon the next

time you go to church. Perhaps you, too, will get an idea that

will rebuild not only your life but your business as well.

Faith in this instance created a business for manufacturing

and distributing a product that has helped and will help

thousands upon thousands of people. So popular and

effective is it that others have copied it, but the Flint Mustard

Seed Remembrancer is the original. The story of the lives

that have been changed by this little device is one of the most

romantic spiritual stories of this generation. But the effect on

Maurice and Mary Alice Flint—the transformation of their

lives, the remaking of their characters, the releasing of their

personalities—this is a thrilling demonstration of faith

power. No longer are they negative—they are positive. No

more are they defeated—they are victorious. They no longer

hate. They have overcome resentment and their hearts are

filled with love. They are new people with a new outlook and

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a new sense of power. They are two of the most inspiring

people I ever knew.

Ask Maurice and Mary Alice Flint how to get a problem

solved right. They will tell you—"Have faith—really have

faith." And believe me, they know.

If as you read this story you have said to yourself negatively

(and that is being negative), "The Flints were never so bad

off as I am," let me tell you that I have scarcely ever seen

anybody as badly off as were the Flints. And let me say

further that regardless of however desperate your situation

may be, if you will use the four techniques outlined in this

chapter, as did the Flints, you, too, can get your problem

solved right.

In this chapter I have tried to show various methods for

solving a problem. Now I wish to give ten simple

suggestions as a concrete technique to use generally in

solving your problems:

1. Believe that for every problem there is a solution.

2. Keep calm. Tension blocks the flow of thought power.

Your brain cannot operate efficiently under stress. Go at your

problem easy-like.

3. Don't try to force an answer. Keep your mind relaxed so

that the solution will open up and become clear.

4. Assemble all the facts impartially, impersonally, and

judicially.

5. List these fact on paper. This clarifies your thinking,

bringing the various elements into orderly system. You see

as well as think. The problem becomes objective, not

subjective.

6. Pray about your problem, affirming that God will flash

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illumination into your mind.

7. Believe in and seek God's guidance on the promise of the

"3rd Psalm, "Thou wilt guide me by thy counsel."

8. Trust in the faculty of insight and intuition.

9. Go to church and let your subconscious work on the

problem as you attune to the mood of worship. Creative

spiritual thinking has amazing power to give "right" answers.

10. If you follow these steps faithfully, then the answer that

develops in your mind, or comes to pass, is the right answer

to your problem.

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Chapter 11

How to Use Faith in Healing

IS RELIGIOUS FAITH a factor in healing? Important

evidence indicates that it is. There was a time in my own

experience when I was not convinced of this, but now I am,

and that very definitely. I have seen too many evidences to

believe otherwise.

We are learning that faith properly understood and applied is

a powerful factor in overcoming disease and establishing

health.

My conviction regarding this important question is shared by

many medical men. Newspapers carried an account of the

visit to this country of the famous Viennese surgeon, Dr.

Hans Finsterer. I quote the newspaper story which was

headed "Honor Surgeon 'Guided by God.' "

"A Viennese doctor, Dr. Hans Finsterer, who believes 'the

unseen hand of God' helps make an operation successful, was

selected by the International College of Surgeons for its

highest honor, 'master of surgery.' He was cited for his work

in abdominal surgery with the use of local anesthesia only.

"Finsterer, seventy-two-year-old professor at the University

of Vienna, has performed more than 20,000 major

operations, among them 8,000 gastric resections (removal of

part or all of the stomach) using only local anesthesia.

Finsterer said that although considerable progress has been

made in medicine and surgery in the past few years 'all

advances are not sufficient in themselves to insure a happy

outcome in every operation. In many instances,' he said, 'in

what appeared to be simple surgical procedures the patients

died, and in some cases where the surgeon despaired of a

patient there was recovery.

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" 'Some of our colleagues attribute these things to

unpredictable chance, while others are convinced that in

those difficult cases their work has been aided by the unseen

hand of God. Of late years, unfortunately, many patients and

doctors have lost their conviction that all things depend on

the providence of God.

" 'When we are once again convinced of the importance of

God's help in our activities, and especially in the treatment of

our patients, then true progress will have been accomplished

in restoring the sick to health.' "

So concludes the account of a great surgeon who combines

his science with faith.

I spoke at the national convention of an important industry. It

was a large gathering of the leaders in an amazingly creative

merchandising enterprise that has established this particular

industry as a vital factor in American business life.

I was somewhat surprised when one of the leaders of this

organization at the convention luncheon where the

discussion centered around taxation, rising costs, and

business problems, turned to me and asked, "Do you believe

that faith can heal?"

"There are a good many well-authenticated examples on

record of people who have been healed by faith," I answered.

"Of course, I do not think we should depend on faith alone to

heal a physical ailment. I believe in the combination of God

and the doctor. This viewpoint takes advantage of medical

science and the science of faith, and both are elements in the

healing process."

"Let me tell you my story," the man continued. "A number of

year ago I had a malady that was diagnosed as osteoma of

the jaw, that is, a bone tumor on my jaw. The doctors told me

it was practically incurable. You can imagine how that

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disturbed me. Desperately I sought for help. Although I had

attended church with fair regularity, still I was not a

particularly religious man. I scarcely ever read the Bible.

One day, however, as I lay in my bed it occurred to me that I

would like to read the Bible, and I asked my wife to bring

one to me. She was very surprised, for I have never before

made such a request.

"I began to read, and found consolation and comfort. I also

became a bit more hopeful and less discouraged. I continued

to read for extended periods every day. But that wasn't the

chief result. I began to notice that the condition which had

troubled me was growing less noticeable. At first I thought I

imagined this, then I became convinced that some change

was taking place in me.

"One day while reading the Bible I had a curious inward

feeling of warmth and great happiness. It is difficult to

describe, and long ago I got over trying to explain the

feeling. From that time on my improvement was more rapid.

I went back to the doctors who had first diagnosed my case.

They examined me carefully. They were obviously surprised

and agreed that my condition had improved, but warned me

that this was only a temporary respite. Later, however, upon

further examination, it was determined that the symptoms of

osteoma had disappeared entirely. Still the doctors told me it

would probably start all over again. This did not disturb me,

for in my heart I knew that I was healed."

"How long has it been since your healing?" I asked.

"Fourteen years," was the answer.

I studied this man. Strong, sturdy, healthy, he is one of the

outstanding men in his industry. The incident was told to me

in the factual way that a businessman would recount it. There

was not the slightest indication of doubt in this man's mind.

Indeed how could there be, for whereas he had been

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condemned to death, here he was alive and vigorous.

What did it? The skillful work of the physician plus! And

what was the plus? Obviously the faith that heals.

The healing described by this gentleman is but one of many

similar accounts, and so many of them are attested by

competent medical evidence that it seems we must encourage

people to make greater use of the amazing power of faith in

healing. Sadly the healing element in faith has suffered

neglect. I am certain that faith can and does work what we

call "miracles" but which are, in truth, the operation of

spiritually scientific laws.

There is a growing emphasis in present-day religious practice

which is designed to help people find healing from the

sicknesses of mind, heart, soul, and body. This is a return to

the original practice of Christianity. Only in recent times

have we tended to overlook the fact that for centuries

religion carried on healing activities. The very word "pastor"

derives from a word meaning "the cure of souls." In modern

times, however, man made the false assumption that it is

impossible to harmonize the teachings of the Bible with what

is called "science" and so the healing emphasis of religion

was abandoned almost entirely to materialistic science.

Today, however, the close association of religion and health

is increasingly recognized.

It is significant that the word "holiness" derives from a word

meaning "wholeness" and the word "meditation," usually

used in a religious sense, closely resembles the root meaning

of the word "medication." The affinity of the two words is

startlingly evident when we realize that sincere and practical

meditation upon God and His truth acts as a medication for

the soul and body.

Present-day medicine emphasizes psychosomatic factors in

healing, thus recognizing the relationship of mental states to

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bodily health. Modern medical practice realizes and takes

into consideration the close connection between how a man

thinks and how he feels. Since religion deals with thought

and feeling and basic attitudes, it is only natural that the

science of faith should be important in the healing process.

Harold Sherman, author and playwright, was asked to revise

an important radio presentation with the promise that he

would be contracted as the permanent writer. After some

months of work, he was dismissed and his material used

without credit. This resulted in financial difficulty and

humiliation. The injustice rankling in his mind developed

into a growing bitterness against the radio executive who had

broken faith with him. Mr. Sherman declares that this is the

one time in his life when he had murder in his heart. His

hatred made him subject to a physical affliction in the form

of a mycosis, a fungus growth which attacked the

membranes of his throat. The best medical attention was

secured, but something in addition was required. When he

gave up his hate and developed a feeling of forgiveness and

understanding, the condition gradually corrected itself. With

the aid of medical science and a new mental attitude, he was

healed of his affliction.

A sensible and effective pattern for health and happiness is to

utilize the skills and methods of medical science to the fullest

possible extent and at the same time apply the wisdom, the

experience, and the techniques of spiritual science. There is

impressive evidence to support the belief that God works

through both the practitioner of science, the doctor, and the

practitioner of faith, the minister. Many physicians join in

this point of view.

At a Rotary Club luncheon I sat at a table with nine other

men, one of them a physician who had recently been

discharged from military service and had resumed his

civilian practice. He said,

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"Upon my return from the Army, I noticed a change in my

patients' troubles. I found that a high percentage do not need

medicine but better thought patterns. They are not sick in

their bodies so much as they are sick in their thoughts and

emotions. They are all mixed up with fear thoughts,

inferiority feelings, guilt, and resentment. I found that in

treating them I needed to be about as much a psychiatrist as a

physician, and then I discovered that not even those therapies

helped me fully to do my job. I became aware that in many

cases the basic trouble with people was spiritual. So I found

myself frequently quoting the Bible to them. Then I fell into

the habit of 'prescribing' religious and inspirational books,

especially those that give guidance in how to live."

Directing his statements to me, he said, "It's about time you

ministers began to realize that in the healing of many people

you, too, have a function to perform. Of course you are not

going to overlap on the work of the physician any more than

we shall intrude on your function, but we doctors need the

co-operation of ministers in helping people find health and

well-being."

I received a letter from a physician in an upstate New York

town who said, "Sixty percent of the people in this town are

sick because they are maladjusted in their minds and in their

souls. It is hard to realize that the modern soul is sick to such

an extent that the physical organs pain. I suppose in time,"

continues the doctor, "that ministers, priests, and rabbis will

understand this relationship."

This physician was kind enough to say that he prescribes my

book, A Guide to Confident Living, and other similar books

to his patients and that noteworthy results have been

achieved thereby.

The manager of a Birmingham, Alabama, bookstore sent me

a prescription form made out by a physician of that city to be

filled not at a drugstore, but at her bookstore. He prescribes

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specific books for specific troubles.

Dr. Carl R. Ferris, formerly president of the Jackson County

Medical Society of Kansas City, Missouri, with whom I had

the pleasure of appearing on a joint health-and-happiness

radio program, declared that in treating human ills the

physical and spiritual are often so deeply interrelated that

there is often no clearly defined dividing line between the

two.

Years ago my friend, Dr. Clarence W. Lieb, pointed out to

me the effect on health of spiritual and psychiatric problems,

and through his wise guidance I began to see that fear and

guilt, hate and resentment, problems with which I was

dealing, were often closely connected with problems of

health and physical well-being. So profoundly does Dr. Lieb

believe in this therapy that he with Dr. Smiley Blanton

inaugurated the religio-psychiatric clinic which for years has

ministered to hundreds at the Marble Collegiate Church in

New York.

The late Dr. William Seaman Bainbridge and I worked

closely together m the relationship of religion and surgery,

and we were able to bring health and new life to many.

Two of my medical friends in New York, Dr. Z. Taylor

Bercovitz and Dr. Howard Westcott, have been of

inestimable help in my pastoral work through their wisely

scientific and yet deeply spiritual understanding of the ills of

the body, mind, and soul as related to faith.

"We have discovered the psychosomatic cause of high blood

pressure as some form of subtle, repressed fear—a fear of

things that might happen, not of things that are," says Dr.

Rebecca Beard. "They are largely fears of things in the

future. In that sense, therefore, they are imaginary, for they

may never happen at all. In the case of diabetes, it is grief or

disappointment which we found uses up more energy than

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any other emotion, thereby exhausting the insulin which is

manufactured by the pancreas cells until they are worn out.

"Here we find the emotions involved in the past—reliving

the past and not being able to go forward into life. The

medical world can give relief in disorders like these. They

can give something that can lower the blood pressure when it

is high, or raise it when it is low, but not permanently. They

can give insulin which will burn up more sugar into energy

and give the diabetic relief. These are definite aids, but they

do not offer complete cure. No drug or vaccine has been

discovered to protect us from our own emotional conflicts. A

better understanding of our own emotional selves and a

return to religious faith seem to form the combination that

holds the greatest promise of permanent help to any of us.

"The answer," Dr. Beard concludes, "is in the healing

teachings of Jesus."

Another efficient woman physician wrote me of her own

development in combining the therapy of medicine and faith.

"I became interested in your straightforward religious

philosophy. I had been working at top speed and getting

tense, irritable, and at times beset with old fears and guilts, in

fact in need of a release from morbid tension. At a low

moment early one morning I picked up your book and began

to read it. This was the prescription that I needed. Here was

God, the great Physician, with faith in Him as an antibiotic to

kill the germs of fear and render useless the virus of guilt.

"I began to practice the good Christian principles outlined in

your book. Gradually there came a release of tension and I

felt relaxed and happier and I slept well. I quit taking vitamin

and pep pills. Then," she adds, and this is what I want to

emphasize, "I began to feel that I wanted to share this new

experience with my patients, those who came to me with

neuroses. I was surprised to find how many had read your

book and others. The patient and I seemed to have a common

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ground to work on. It has been an enriching experience. To

talk about a faith in God has become a natural and easy thing

to do.

"As a doctor," she adds, "I have seen a number of miraculous

recoveries due to Divine aid being given. In the past few

weeks I have had an additional experience. My sister had to

undergo a serious operation about three weeks ago.

Following the operation she developed an intestinal

obstruction. On her fifth day she was very critically ill, and

as I left the hospital at noon I realized that she must take a

turn for the better very soon or her hope of recovery would

be slim. I was very worried, so I drove slowly around for

about twenty minutes praying for a relief of this obstruction.

(Everything that could be done medically was being taken

care of.) I had not been home more than ten minutes when

the phone rang and her nurse told me that the obstruction had

relieved itself and that she had taken a definite turn for the

better, and since that time she has recovered completely.

Could I feel otherwise than that God's intervention had saved

her life?"

So runs the letter of a successful practicing physician.

In the light of this viewpoint based on a strictly

commonsense scientific attitude we may approach the

phenomenon of healing through faith with credibility. If I did

not believe sincerely that the faith factor in healing is sound I

would certainly not develop the point of view contained in

this chapter.

Over a period of time I have received from many readers and

radio listeners as well as from my own parishioners accounts

of healings in which the element of faith has been present. I

have meticulously investigated many of these to satisfy my

own mind as to their truthfulness. Also I wanted to be able to

declare to the most cynical that here is a way of health,

happiness, and successful living which is so buttressed by

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evidence that only the person who wants to remain ill

because of some subconscious will-to-fail attitude will

ignore his possibilities for health implied in these

experiences.

The formula which these many incidents together present is

briefly stated—the employment of all the resources of

medical and psychological science combined with the

resources of spiritual science. This is a combination of

therapies that can surely bring health and well-being if it is

the plan of God for the patient to live. Obviously for each of

us there comes a time for this mortal life to end (life itself

never ends, only the earthly phase of it).

We in the so-called old-line churches have, in my humble

judgment, missed one of our greatest possible contributions

by failing to point out with positiveness that there is a sound

message of health in Christianity. Failing to find this

emphasis in the church, groups, organizations, and other

spiritual bodies have been created to supply this deficiency

in Christian teaching. But there is no longer any valid reason

why all the churches should not recognize that which is

authenticated, namely, that there is healing in faith and more

generally offer sound healing techniques to our people.

Fortunately everywhere today throughout our religious

organizations thoughtful, scientifically minded spiritual

leaders are taking that extra step of faith based on the facts

(and the Scripture) and are making available to the people as

never before the formulas of the marvelous healing grace of

Jesus Christ.

In all of the investigations I have made into successful cases

of healing, there seem to be certain factors present. First, a

complete willingness to surrender oneself into the hands of

God. Second, a complete letting go of all error such as sin in

any form and a desire to be cleansed in the soul. Third, belief

and faith in the combined therapy of medical science in

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harmony with the healing power of God. Fourth, a sincere

willingness to accept God's answer, whatever it may be, and

no irritation or bitterness against His will. Fifth, a substantial,

unquestioning faith that God can heal.

In all these healings there seems to be an emphasis upon

warmth and light and a feeling of assurance that power has

passed through. In practically every case that I have

examined, in one form or another, the patient talks about a

moment when there was warmth, heat, beauty, peace, joy,

and a sense of release. Sometimes it has been a sudden

experience; other times a more gradual unfolding of the

conviction that the healing has occurred.

Always in my investigation of these matters I have waited

for elapsed time to prove that the healing is permanent and

those cases which I report are not based on any temporary

improvement which might conceivably be the result of a

momentary resurgence of strength.

For example, may I relate a healing experience written for

me by a woman whose reliability and judgment I profoundly

respect. Documentation in this case is thoroughgoing and

scientifically impressive. This woman was told that an

immediate operation was necessary to remove a growth

which had been diagnosed as malignant.

I quote her exact words: "All precautionary treatments were

taken, but the manifestations returned. As may be expected, I

was terrified; I knew further hospital treatments were futile.

There was no hope, so I turned to God for help. A very

consecrated and spiritual child of God helped me by prayer

to realize that the right knowledge of God and His healing

Christ would help me too. I was most receptive to this kind

of thinking, and placed myself in God's hands.

"I had asked for this help one morning, as usual, and spent

the day going about my household duties, which were many

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at that time. I was preparing the evening meal, all alone in

the kitchen. I was aware of an unusually bright light in the

room and felt a pressure against my whole left side, as

though a person were standing very close beside me. I had

heard of healings; I knew prayers were being offered in my

behalf, so I decided this must be the healing Christ who was

with me.

"I decided to wait until morning, to be sure; if the symptoms

of the trouble were gone, then I would know. By morning,

the improvement was so noticeable, and I was so free in my

mind, that I was certain, and reported to my friend that the

healing had taken place.

"The memory of that healing and the presence of Christ are

as fresh in my mind today as then. That was fifteen years

ago, and my health steadily improved until I am in excellent

condition now."

In many heart cases the therapy of faith (a quiet, serene faith

in Jesus Christ) undoubtedly stimulates healing. People who

experience "a heart attack" who thereupon thoroughly and

completely practice faith in Christ's healing grace, observing

at the same time the rules prescribed by their physicians,

report remarkable recovery histories. Perhaps such a person

may even gain a greater degree of health than previously for

having learned his limitations and, realizing the excess

strains he has been placing upon himself, now conserves his

strength.

But more than that he has learned one of the greatest

techniques of human well-being, that of surrendering himself

to the recuperative power of God. This is done by

consciously attaching himself to the creative process through

mentally conceiving of recreative forces as operating within

himself. The patient opens his consciousness to the tides of

vitality and re-creative energy inherent in the universe which

have been barred from his life through tension, high

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pressure, and other departures from the laws of well-being.

An outstanding man suffered a heart attack about thirty-five

years ago. He was told that he would never be able to work

again. The orders were that he must spend much of his time

in bed. He would likely be an invalid the remainder of his

days, which days would be relatively few in number, so he

was informed. It is doubtful whether such statements would

be made to him in present-day medical practice. At any rate

he listened to these dire prophecies about his future and

considered them carefully.

One morning he awakened early and picked up his Bible and

by chance (or was it chance?) opened it to the account of one

of the healings of Jesus. He also read the statement, "Jesus

Christ the same yesterday, and today and forever." (Hebrews

13:8) It occurred to him that if Jesus could and did heal

people long ago, and that if He is the same as He was then,

why couldn't He heal today? "Why cannot Jesus heal me?"

he asked. Then faith welled up within him.

Therefore, with simple confidence, he asked the Lord to heal

him. He seemed to hear Jesus say, "Believest thou that I can

do this?" And his answer was, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You

can."

He closed his eyes and "seemed to feel the touch of the

healing Christ upon his heart." All that day he had a strange

sense of rest. As the days passed he became convinced that

there was a rising tide of strength within him. Finally one

day he prayed, "Lord, if it is Your will, tomorrow morning I

am going to get dressed, go outside, and within a few days I

am going back to work. I put myself completely in Your

care. If I should die tomorrow as a result of the increased

activity, I want to thank You for all the wonderful days I

have had. With You to help me, I shall start out tomorrow

and You will be with me all day long. I believe I will have

sufficient strength, but if I should die as a result of this effort,

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I will be with You in eternity, and all will be well in either

case."

In this calm faith he increased his activities as the days

passed. He followed this formula every day for the entire

period of his active career, which numbered thirty years from

the date of his heart attack. He retired at seventy-five. Few

men I have known have been more vigorous in their

undertakings or have made a greater contribution to human

welfare. Always, however, he conserved his physical and

nervous strength. It was invariably his habit to lie down and

rest after lunch, and he never allowed himself to get under

stress. He was early to bed and early up, always employing

rigorous and disciplinary rules of living.

In all his activities there was an absence of worry,

resentment, and tension. He worked hard but easily.

The doctors were right. Had he continued according to the

debilitating habits of his earlier life he would probably have

long since been dead or at least an invalid. The advice of the

physicians brought him to the point where the healing work

of Christ could be accomplished. Without the heart attack he

would not have been mentally or spiritually ready for

healing.

Another friend of mine, a prominent businessman, suffered a

heart attack. For weeks he was confined to his bed, but

presently returned to his important responsibilities where he

now accomplishes all that he ever did previously, but with

much less tension. He seems to possess a new power that he

did not enjoy before. His recovery proceeded from a definite

and scientific spiritual approach to his health problem. He

had competent physicians and followed their directions

explicitly, which is an important factor in such situations.

In addition to the program of medication and treatment,

however, he worked out a spiritual healing formula. He

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outlined it as follows, writing from the hospital, "An intimate

friend of mine, only twenty-five years old, was brought into

the hospital with an attack similar to mine and died within

four hours. Two acquaintances of mine have suffered a

similar fate in rooms near by. It must be that I have work yet

to do. So I shall return and apply myself to the tasks before

me with the expectation of living longer and more

abundantly than I might have done without this experience.

The doctors were wonderful, the nurses grand, the hospital

ideal."

He then proceeds to outline the technique of spiritual

convalescence which he employed. The formula consists of

three parts. "(1) During the first stages, when absolute rest

was demanded, I heeded the admonition of the Psalmist, 'Be

still and know that I am God.' " (Psalm 46:10) That is to say,

he completely relaxed and rested in the hands of God. "(2)

As the days grew brighter, I used the affirmation, 'Wait on

the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine

heart.' " (Psalm 27:14) The patient put his heart under the

care of God and God placed His hand of healing upon his

heart and renewed it. "(3) Finally with the return of strength

came a new assurance and confidence to which I gave

expression in the affirmation, 'I can do all things through

Christ which strengtheneth me.' " (Philippians 4:13) In this

he affirmed positively that strength was being conferred

upon him and in so doing he received new power.

In this three-point formula this man found healing. The able

ministrations of his physicians conserved and stimulated the

healing forces of his physical being. The equally wise

application of faith completed his recovery by stimulating

the spiritual powers within his nature. The two therapies

together draw upon the two great renewal forces within our

life, one the recuperative power of the human body and the

other the restorative forces resident within the mind. One

responds to medical treatment, the other to faith treatment,

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and God presides in both areas. He made both body and

mind and He established the processes of health and well-

being governing both. "...In Him we live and move and have

our being." (Acts 17:28)

In the prevention of sickness and in healing mind and body,

do not fail to draw upon one of the greatest resources

available to you—the faith that heals.

In the light of the principles outlined in this chapter, what

can you do of a constructive nature when a loved one or you

are ill? Following are eight practical suggestions:

1. Follow the advice of a prominent medical school head

who said, "In sickness, send for your minister even as you

send for your doctor." In other words, believe that spiritual

forces as well as medical technique are important in healing.

2. Pray for the doctor. Realize that God uses trained human

instrumentality to aid His healing powers. As one doctor has

put it, "We treat the patient and God heals him." Pray,

therefore, that the doctor may be an open channel of God's

healing grace.

3. Whatever you do, do not become panicky or filled with

fear, for if you do, you will send out negative thoughts and

therefore destructive thoughts in the direction of your loved

one when he requires positive and healing thoughts to assist

him.

4. Remember that God does nothing except by law. Also

remember that our little materialistic laws are only

fragmentary revelations of the great power flowing through

the universe.

Spiritual law also governs illness. God has arranged two

remedies for all illness. One is healing through natural laws

applicable by science, and the other brings healing by

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spiritual law applicable through faith.

5. Completely surrender your loved one into the hands of

God. By your faith you can place him in the flow of Divine

power. There is healing there, but in order for it to be

effective the patient must be completely released to the

operation of God's will. This is difficult to understand and

equally difficult to perform, but it is a fact that if the great

desire for the loved one to live is matched with an equally

great willingness to relinquish him to God, healing powers

are amazingly set in motion.

6. It is also important that harmony prevail in the family, that

is, a spiritual harmony. Remember the emphasis in the

scripture, Matthew 18:19: "If two of you shall agree on earth

as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for

them of my Father which is in heaven." Apparently

disharmony and disease are akin.

7. Form a picture in your mind of the loved one as being

well. Visualize him in perfect health. Picture him as radiant

with the love and goodness of God. The conscious mind may

suggest sickness, even death, but nine tenths of your mind is

in the subconscious. Let the picture of health sink into the

subconscious and this powerful part of your mind will send

forth radiant health energy. What we believe in the

subconscious we usually get. Unless your faith controls the

subconscious, you will never get any good thing, for the

subconscious gives back only that which you real thought is.

If the real thought is negative, the results will also be

negative. If the real thought is positive, you will get positive

and healing results.

8. Be perfectly natural. Ask God to heal your loved one. That

is what you want with all your heart, so ask Him please to do

it, but we suggest that you say PLEASE just once. Thereafter

in your prayer, thank Him for His goodness. This affirmative

faith will help to release deep spiritual power and also joy

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through reassurance of God's loving care. This joy will

sustain you, and remember that joy itself possesses healing

power.

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Chapter 12

When Vitality Sags, Try This Health Formula

A WOMAN, SO I have heard, went into a drugstore and

asked for a bottle of psychosomatic medicine.

Such medicine, of course, is not found on drugstore shelves

for it does not come in pills or bottles. But there is a

psychosomatic medicine just the same and many of us need

it. It is a prescription compounded of prayer, faith, and

dynamic spiritual thinking.

It has been variously computed that from 50 to 75 percent of

present-day people are ill because of the influence of

improper mental states on their emotional and physical

make-up. Therefore such a medicine is of great importance.

Many people who are below par will find that there is a

health formula which, in addition to the services of their

physicians, can be of great value to them.

The manner in which spiritual and emotional treatment can

restore declining vitality is illustrated by the sales manager

referred to us by the head of a large company. This sales

executive, formerly a man of outstanding efficiency and

energetic driving power, experienced a serious decline both

in ability and energy. He lost his creative skill. Previously his

sales ideas had been unique and outstanding. It soon become

noticeable to his associates that this sales manager was

slipping badly. He was urged to consult a doctor, and the

company sent him to Atlantic City for a rest and later to

Florida for a second attempt at recovery. Neither of these

vacations seemed to be productive of any definite

improvement.

His physician, who knew about our religio-psychiatric clinic,

recommended to the company president that this sales

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manager come to us for an interview. The president asked

him to come, which he did, but he was rather indignant at

being sent to a church.

"This is a pretty pass," he fumed, "when they send a

businessman to a preacher. I suppose you are going to pray

with me and read the Bible," he said irritably.

"I wouldn't be surprised," I answered, "for sometimes our

trouble lies in an area where prayer and the therapy of the

Bible can have an important effect."

He proved most sullen and unco-operative until finally I was

forced to say to him, "I want to tell you bluntly that you had

better co-operate with us or you're going to be fired."

"Who told you that?" he demanded.

"Your boss," I replied. "In fact, he says that unless we can

straighten you out, as much as he regrets it, you are going to

be through."

You never saw such a stunned expression on anybody's face.

"What do you think I ought to do?" he stammered.

"Often," I replied, "a person gets into the state in which you

find yourself because the mind is filled with fear, anxiety,

tension, resentment, guilt, or a combination of all of them.

When these emotional impediments accumulate to a certain

weight, the personality cannot support them any longer and

gives way. Normal sources of emotional, spiritual, and

intellectual power become clogged up. So a person becomes

bogged down by resentment, by fear, or by guilt. I do not

know your trouble, but I would suggest that you think of me

as a sympathetic friend with whom you can be absolutely

confident, and that you tell me about yourself." I emphasized

that it was important he conceal nothing and that he

completely empty himself of whatever fears, resentments, or

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guilt feelings might be in his mind. "I assure you that our

interview will be held in strictest confidence. All your

company wants is to have you back, the same highly

efficient person you were."

In due course the trouble came out. He had committed a

series of sins and these had involved him in a complicated

maze of lies. He was living in fear of exposure, and all in all

it was a most pathetic mass of inner confusion. It came little

short of mental filth.

It was rather difficult to get him to talk, for he was

essentially a decent person and had a strong sense of shame.

I told him that I understood his reticence, but that this

operation had to be performed and that it could not be

accomplished without a thorough mind-emptying.

When it was all over, I shall never forget the manner in

which he reacted. Standing on his feet he began to stretch.

He stood on tiptoes, reaching his fingers toward the ceiling,

and then took a deep breath. "My," he said, "I feel good." It

was a dramatic expression of release and relief. Then I

suggested that he pray and ask God to forgive him and to fill

him with peace and cleanness.

"Do you mean for me to pray aloud?" he asked dubiously. "I

never did that in my life."

"Yes," I said, "it is a good practice and will strengthen you."

It was a simple prayer, and as best as I can recall it, this is

what he said, "Dear Lord, I have been an unclean man and I

am sorry for the wrong I have done. I have poured it all out

to my friend here. I now ask You to forgive me and to fill me

with peace. Also make me strong so that I will never repeat

these actions. Help me to be clean again and better—lots

better."

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He went back to his office that very day. Nothing was ever

said to him, and it did not need to be, for soon he got back

into stride and is one of the best sales managers in his city

today.

Later I met his president, who said, "I don't know what you

did to Bill, but he is certainly a ball of fire."

"I did nothing. God did it," I replied.

"Yes," he said, "I understand. Anyway, he is the old-time

Bill."

When this man's vitality sagged, he tried a health formula

that restored him to normal efficiency. He "took" some

psychosomatic medicine which cured him of an unhealthy

spiritual and mental condition.

Dr. Franklin Ebaugh of the University of Colorado Medical

School maintains that one third of all cases of illness in

general hospitals are clearly organic in nature and onset, one

third are a combination of emotional and organic, and one

third are clearly emotional.

Dr. Flanders Dunbar, author of Mind and Body, says, "It is

not a question of whether an illness is physical or emotional,

but how much of each."

Every thoughtful person who has ever considered the matter

realizes that the doctors are right when they tell us that

resentment, hate, grudge, ill will, jealousy, vindictiveness,

are attitudes which produce ill-health. Have a fit of anger and

experience for yourself that sinking feeling in the pit of your

stomach, that sense of stomach sickness. Chemical reactions

in the body are set up by emotional outbursts that result in

feelings of ill-health. Should these be continued either

violently or in a simmering state over a period of time, the

general condition of the body will deteriorate.

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In speaking of a certain man whom we both knew a

physician told me that the patient died of "grudgitis." The

physician actually felt that the deceased passed away because

of a long-held hatred. "He did his body such damage that his

resistance was lowered," the doctor explained, "so that when

a physical malady attacked him he did not possess the

stamina or renewing force to overcome it. He had

undermined himself physically by the malignancy of his ill

will."

Dr. Charles Miner Cooper, San Francisco physician, in an

article entitled, "Heart-to-Heart Advice About Heart

Trouble," says, "You must curb your emotional reactions.

When I tell you that I have known a patient's blood pressure

to jump sixty points almost instantaneously in response to an

outburst of anger, you can understand what strain such

reactions can throw upon the heart." One who is "quick on

the trigger," he wrote, is likely to blame someone else,

impulsively, for a fault or mistake, when it would be wiser

simply to avoid being so much disturbed by what is done and

is therefore unavoidable. He quoted the great Scottish

surgeon, John Hunter. Dr. Hunter had a heart condition

himself, and a thorough understanding of the effect of strong

emotion on his heart. He said that his life was at the mercy of

anyone who could annoy him. And, in fact, his death resulted

from a heart attack caused by a fit of anger when he forgot to

discipline himself.

Dr. Cooper concludes, "Whenever a business problem starts

to vex you or you begin to get angry, let yourself go limp all

over. This will dissipate your mounting inner turmoil. Your

heart asks that it be permanently housed in a lean, cheerful,

placid man who will intelligently curb his physical, mental,

and emotional activities."

So if you are under par I suggest that you do a very

scrupulous job of self-analysis. Honestly ask yourself if you

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are harboring any ill will or resentment or grudges, and if so

cast them out. Get rid of them without delay. They do not

hurt anybody else. They do no harm to the person against

whom you hold these feelings, but every day and every night

of your life they are eating at you. Many people suffer poor

health not because of what they eat but from what is eating

them. Emotional ills turn in upon yourself, sapping your

energy, reducing your efficiency, causing deterioration in

your health. And of course they siphon off your happiness.

So we realize today the effect of thought patterns upon

physical states. We realize that a person can make himself ill

by resentment. We know he can develop various kinds of

physiological symptoms because of a sense of guilt. Also one

may show definite physical symptoms as a result of fear and

anxiety. We know that healing has been accomplished when

the thoughts are changed.

Recently a diagnostician told me of a young woman who was

admitted to the hospital with a temperature of one hundred

and two degrees. She had a definite case of rheumatoid

arthritis; her joints were badly swollen.

In order to study the case thoroughly the doctor gave her no

medication except a slight sedative to relieve the pain. After

two days the young woman asked the doctor, "How long will

I be in this condition, and how long must I remain in the

hospital?"

"I think I must tell you," replied the physician, "that you will

probably be in the hospital for about six months."

"You mean it will be six months before I can get married?"

she demanded.

"I am sorry," he said, "but I cannot promise you anything

better than that."

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This conversation took place in the evening. The next

morning the patient's temperature was normal and the

swelling was gone from her joints. Unable to account for the

change, the doctor observed her for a few days, then sent her

home.

In a month she was back in the hospital in the same condition

as before: temperature one hundred and two, joints swollen.

Counseling disclosed that her father insisted that she marry a

certain man who would be an asset to him in his business

connections. The girl loved her father, wanted to do as he

wished, but did not want to marry a man whom she did not

love. So her subconscious mind came to her assistance and in

effect gave her rheumatoid arthritis and a temperature.

The doctor explained to the father that if he forced this

marriage his daughter could become an invalid. When told

that she need not go through with the marriage, the girl's

recovery was quick and permanent.

Do not get the idea that if you have arthritis you are married

to the wrong person! This incident merely illustrates the

profound effect of mental pain on physical conditions.

I was interested to read a statement by a psychologist that

infants can "catch" fear and hatred from people around them

more quickly than they can catch measles or other infectious

diseases. The virus of fear may burrow deeply into their

subconsciousness and remain there for a lifetime. "But," adds

the psychologist, "fortunately infants can also catch love and

goodness and faith and so grow up to become normal,

healthy children and adults."

In an article in the Ladies' Home Journal, Constance J.

Foster quotes Dr. Edward Weiss of Temple University

Medical School in a speech to the American College of

Physicians in which Dr. Weiss stated that chronic victims of

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pains and aches in the muscles and joints may be suffering

from nursing a smoldering grudge against someone close to

them. He added that such persons usually are totally unaware

that they bear a chronic resentment.

"To clear up any possible misunderstanding," the author

continues, "it is necessary to state emphatically that emotions

and feelings are quite as real as germs and no less

respectable. The resultant pain and suffering of diseases

caused primarily by the emotions are no more imaginary

than those caused by bacteria. In no case is the patient

consciously to blame for developing the disease. Such

persons are not suffering from any disease of the mind, but

rather from a disorder of their feelings, often linked to a

marital or parent-child problem."

In this same magazine article the story is told of a certain

Mrs. X who came to the doctor's office complaining of a

breaking out on her hands which was diagnosed as eczema.

The doctor encouraged Mrs. X to talk about herself. It

developed that she was a very rigid person. Her lips were

thin and unyielding. She was also rheumatoid. The doctor

sent Mrs. X to a psychiatrist who saw at once that there was

some irritating situation in her life which she was translating

outwardly in the form of a skin rash, thus taking out on her

own person the urge to scratch some thing or person.

The doctor finally put it to her bluntly. "What is eating you?"

he asked. "You're peeved at something, aren't you?"

"She stiffened up like a ramrod and marched right out of the

office, so I knew I'd hit the target too closely for comfort. A

few days later she came back. Due to the agony of the

eczema, she was ready to let me help her even if it meant she

had to give up a hate.

"It turned out to be a family row over a will with Mrs. X

feeling she had been treated unfairly by a younger brother.

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When she got rid of the hostility, she got well, and when she

made up the quarrel with her brother, within twenty-four

hours the eczema vanished."

That there is even a relationship between emotional

disturbance and the common cold is indicated by Dr. L. J.

Saul of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, who

has made a study of this subject.

"Emotional disturbances are believed to affect the blood

circulation in the linings of the nose and throat. They also

affect glandular secretions. These factors make the mucous

membranes more susceptible to attack by cold viruses or

germ infection."

Dr. Edmund P. Fowler, Jr., of Columbia University's College

of Physicians and Surgeons, stated, "There are colds which

develop in medical students at the time of their examinations

and colds which develop in many persons before or after a

trip. Colds develop in housewives when they must care for a

large family. And one often sees a cold develop in a patient

when his mother-in-law comes to live in the house, and it

often disappears when she leaves." (Dr. Fowler does not

specify the effects on the mother-in-law of a daughter-in-law

or son-in-law. Perhaps she has a cold also.)

One of the cases Dr. Fowler reports concerned a twenty-five-

year-old salesgirl. When she visited his office her nose was

stuffy, the lining was red and congested, and she suffered

from a headache and a mild temperature. These symptoms

had persisted for nearly two weeks. Questioning disclosed

that they had started a few hours after a violent quarrel with

her fiancé.

Local treatments cleared up the cold but the young woman

was back in a few weeks with another attack. This time the

trouble had started after an argument with the butcher. Again

local treatments brought relief. But the girl continued to have

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recurring colds, and each time they were traced to a fit of

anger. Finally Dr. Fowler was able to persuade the girl that

her bad temper was at the root of her chronic cold symptoms.

When she learned to lead a calmer existence, her sneezes and

sniffles disappeared.

And yet people still think that when the Bible tells you not to

hate or to get angry that it is "theoretical advice." The Bible

is not theoretical. It is our greatest book of wisdom. It is

filled with practical advice on living and on health. Anger,

resentment, and guilt make you sick, modern physicians tell

us, which proves once again that the most up-to-date book on

personal well-being is the Holy Bible, neglected by so many

or regarded by them as purely a religious book and certainly

as one that is not practical. No wonder more copies are read

than all other books. That is because in this book we discover

not only what is wrong with us but how to correct it as well.

Dr. Fowler calls attention to the "emotional colds" suffered

by children who feel insecure. He reports that many cases of

chronic colds occur in children who come from broken

homes. An older child often has recurring respiratory

infection when a new baby is born because he feels neglected

and jealous. A nine-year-old boy had an extremely dictatorial

father and an indulgent mother. The conflict between the

strictness of one parent and the lenience of the other

obviously was disturbing to the child. He particularly feared

punishment by his father. This boy suffered for several years

from continuous coughs and sniffles. It was noted that the

colds disappeared when he went to camp—away from his

parents.

Since irritation, anger, hate, and resentment have such a

powerful effect in producing ill-health, what is the antidote?

Obviously it is to fill the mind with attitudes of good will,

forgiveness, faith, love, and the spirit of imperturbability.

And how is that accomplished? Following are some practical

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suggestions. They have been used successfully by many in

counterattacking especially the emotion of anger. A

consistent application of these suggestions can produce

feelings of well-being:

1. Remember that anger is an emotion, and an emotion is

always warm, even hot. Therefore to reduce an emotion, cool

it. And how do you cool it? When a person gets angry, the

fists tend to clench, the voice rises in stridency, muscles

tense, the body becomes rigid. (Psychologically you are

poised for fight, adrenaline shoots through the body.) This is

the old caveman hangover in the nervous system. So

deliberately oppose the heat of this emotion with coolness—

freeze it out. Deliberately, by an act of will, keep your hands

from clenching. Hold your fingers out straight. Deliberately

reduce your tone; bring it down to a whisper. Remember that

it is difficult to argue in a whisper. Slump in a chair, or even

lie down if possible. It is very difficult to get mad lying

down.

2. Say aloud to yourself, "Don't be a fool. This won't get me

anywhere, so skip it." At that moment it may be a bit hard to

pray, but try it anyway; at least conjure up a picture of Jesus

Christ in your mind and try to think of Him mad just as you

are. You can't do it, and the effort will serve to puncture your

angry emotions.

3. One of the best techniques for cooling off anger was

suggested by Mrs. Grace Oursler. She formerly employed the

usual "count to ten" technique but happened to notice that the

first ten words of the Lord's Prayer worked better. "Our

Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name." When

angry, say that ten times and your anger will lose its power

over you.

4. Anger is a great term expressing the accumulated

vehemence of a multitude of minor irritations. These

irritations, each rather small in itself, having gathered force

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by reason of the one being added to the other, finally blaze

forth in a fury that often leaves us abashed at ourselves.

Therefore, make a list of everything that irritates you. No

matter how inconsequential it may be or how silly each is,

list it just the same. The purpose in doing this is to dry up the

tiny rivulets that feed the great river of anger.

5. Make each separate irritation a special object of prayer.

Get a victory over each, one at a time. Instead of attempting

to destroy all of your anger, which as we have pointed out is

a consolidated force, snip away by prayer each annoyance

that feeds your anger. In this way you will weaken your

anger to the point where presently you will gain control over

it.

6. Train yourself so that every time you feel the surge of

anger you say, "Is this really worth what it is doing to me

emotionally? I will make a fool of myself. I will lose

friends." In order to get the full effect of this technique,

practice saying to yourself a few times every day, "It is never

worth it to get worked up or mad about anything." Also

affirm: "It isn't worth it to spend $1000 worth of emotion on

a five-cent irritation."

7. When a hurt-feeling situation arises, get it straightened out

as quickly as possible. Don't brood over it for a minute

longer than you can help. Do something about it. Do not

allow yourself to sulk or indulge in self-pity. Don't mope

around with resentful thoughts. The minute your feelings are

hurt, do just as when you hurt your finger. Immediately

apply the cure. Unless you do so the situation can become

distorted out of all proportion. So put some spiritual iodine

on the hurt at once by saying a prayer of love and

forgiveness.

8. Apply grievance drainage to your mind. That is, open your

mind and let the grievance flow out. Go to someone you trust

and pour it out to him until not a vestige of it remains within

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you. Then forget it.

9. Simply start praying for the person who has hurt your

feelings. Continue this until you feel the malice fading away.

Sometimes you may have to pray for quite a while to get that

result. A man who tried this method told me that he kept

account of the number of times he needed to pray until the

grievance left and peace came. It was exactly sixty-four

times. He literally prayed it out of his system. This is

positively guaranteed to work.

10. Say this little prayer: "May the love of Christ fill my

heart." Then add this line: "May the love of Christ for ——

— (insert the other's name) flood my soul." Pray this, mean it

(or ask to mean it), and you will get relief.

11. Actually take the advice of Jesus to forgive seventy times

seven. To be literal, that means four hundred ninety times.

Before you have forgiven a person that many times you will

be free of resentment.

12. Finally, this "wild, undisciplined, primitive urge in you

which flames to the surface can be tamed only by allowing

Jesus Christ to take control. Therefore, complete this lesson

by saying to Jesus Christ, "Even as You can convert a

person's morals, so now I ask You to convert my nerves. As

You give power over the sins of the flesh, so give me power

over the sins of the disposition. Bring my temper under Your

control. Give me Thy healing peace in my nervous system as

well as in my soul." If you are beset by temper, repeat the

above prayer three times every day. It might be advisable to

print it on a card and put it on your desk, or above the

kitchen sink, or in your pocketbook.

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Chapter 13

Inflow of New Thoughts Can Remake You

ONE OF THE most important and powerful facts about you

is expressed in the following statement by William James,

who was one of the wisest men America has produced.

William James said, "The greatest discovery of my

generation is that human beings can alter their lives by

altering their attitudes of mind." As you think, so shall you

be. So flush out all old, tired, worn-out thoughts. Fill your

mind with fresh, new creative thoughts of faith, love, and

goodness. By this process you can actually remake your life.

And where do you find such personality remaking thoughts?

I know a business executive, a modest man, but the type of

individual who is never defeated. No problem, no setback, no

opposition ever gets him down. He simply attacks each

difficulty with an optimistic attitude and a sure confidence

that it will work out right, and, in some strange way, it

always does for him. He seems to have a magic touch on

life—a touch that never fails.

Because of that impressive characteristic this man always

interested me. I knew there was a definite explanation of his

being this way and of course wanted to hear his story, but in

view of his modesty and reticence it was not easy to

persuade him to talk about himself.

One day when he was in the mood he told me his secret, an

amazingly simple but effective secret. I was visiting his

plant, a modern, up-to-date structure, much of it air-

conditioned. Latest-type machinery and methods of

production make it a factory of outstanding efficiency.

Labor-management relations seem as nearly perfect as is

possible among imperfect human beings. A spirit of good

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will pervades the entire organization.

His office is ultra-modernistically decorated and furnished

with handsome desks, rugs, and paneled with exotic woods.

The decorating scheme is five startling colors blended

together pleasantly. All in all it is the last word, and then

some.

Imagine, then, my surprise to see on his highly polished

white mahogany desk an old battered copy of the Bible. It

was the only old object in those ultra-modern rooms. I

commented upon this seemingly strange inconsistency.

"That book," he replied, pointing to the Bible, "is the most

up-to-date thing in this plant. Equipment wears out and

furnishing styles change, but that book is so far ahead of us

that it never gets out of date.

"When I went to college, my good Christian mother gave me

that Bible with the suggestion that if I would read and

practice its teachings, I would learn how to get through life

successfully. But I thought she was just a nice old lady"—he

chuckled—"at my age she seemed old—she wasn't really,

and to humor her, I took the Bible, but for years practically

never looked at it. I thought I didn't need it. Well," he

continued slangily, "I was a dope. I was stupid. And I got my

life in a terrible mess.

"Everything went wrong primarily because I was wrong. I

was thinking wrong, acting wrong, doing wrong. I succeeded

at nothing, failed at everything. Now I realize that my

principal trouble was wrong thinking. I was negative,

resentful, cocky, opinionated. Nobody could tell me

anything. I thought I knew everything. I was filled with

gripes at everybody. Little wonder nobody liked me. I

certainly was a 'washout.' "

So ran his dismal story. "One night in going through some

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papers," he continued, "I came across the long-forgotten

Bible. It brought up old memories and I started aimlessly to

read it. Do you know it is strange how things happen; how in

just a flashing moment of time everything becomes different.

Well, as I read, a sentence leaped up at me, a sentence that

changed my life—and when I say changed, I mean changed.

From the minute I read that sentence everything has been

different, tremendously different."

"What is this wonderful sentence?" I wanted to know, and he

quoted it slowly, "'The Lord is the strength of my life...in this

will I be confident.' (Psalm 27:1, 3)

"I don't know why that one line affected me so," he went on,

"but it did. I know now that I was weak and a failure because

I had no faith, no confidence. I was very negative, a

defeatist. Something happened inside my mind. I guess I had

what they call a spiritual experience. My thought pattern

shifted from negative to positive. I decided to put my faith in

God and sincerely do my best, trying to follow the principles

outlined in the Bible. As I did so I began to get hold of a new

set of thoughts. I began to think differently. In time my old

failure thoughts were flushed out by this new spiritual

experience and an inflow of new thoughts gradually but

actually remade me."

So concluded the story of this businessman. He altered his

thinking, and the new thoughts which flowed in displaced the

old thoughts which had been defeating him and his life was

changed.

This incident illustrates an important fact about human

nature: you can think your way to failure and unhappiness,

but you can also think your way to success and happiness.

The world in which you live is not primarily determined by

outward conditions and circumstances but by thoughts that

habitually occupy your mind. Remember the wise words of

Marcus Aurelius, one of the great thinkers of antiquity, who

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said, "A man's life is what his thoughts make of it."

It has been said that the wisest man who ever lived in

America was Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Sage of Concord.

Emerson declared, "A man is what he thinks about all day

long."

A famous psychologist says, "There is a deep tendency in

human nature to become precisely like that which you

habitually imagine yourself to be."

It has been said that thoughts are things, that they actually

possess dynamic power. Judged by the power they exercise

one can readily accept such an appraisal. You can actually

think yourself into or out of situations. You can make

yourself ill with your thoughts and by the same token you

can make yourself well by the use of a different and healing

type of thought. Think one way and you attract the

conditions which that type of thinking indicates. Think

another way and you can create an entirely different set of

conditions. Conditions are created by thoughts far more

powerfully than conditions create thoughts.

Think positively, for example, and you set in motion positive

forces which bring positive results to pass. Positive thoughts

create around yourself an atmosphere propitious to the

development of positive outcomes. On the contrary, think

negative thoughts and you create around yourself an

atmosphere propitious to the development of negative

results.

To change your circumstances, first start thinking differently.

Do not passively accept unsatisfactory circumstances, but

form a picture in your mind of circumstances as they should

be. Hold that picture, develop it firmly in all details, believe

in it, pray about it, work at it, and you can actualize it

according to that mental image emphasized in your positive

thinking.

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This is one of the greatest laws in the universe. Fervently do

I wish I had discovered it as a very young man. It dawned

upon me much later in life and I have found it to be one of

the greatest if not my greatest discovery, outside of my

relationship to God. And in a deep sense this law is a factor

in one's relationship with God because it channels God's

power into personality.

This great law briefly and simply stated is that if you think in

negative terms you will get negative results. If you think in

positive terms you will achieve positive results. That is the

simple fact which is at the basis of an astonishing law of

prosperity and success. In three words: Believe and succeed.

I learned this law in a very interesting manner. Some years

ago a group of us consisting of Lowell Thomas, Captain

Eddie Rickenbacker, Branch Rickey, Raymond Thornburg,

and others established an inspirational self-help magazine

called Guideposts. This magazine has a double function:

first, by relating stories of people who through their faith

have overcome difficulties, it teaches techniques of

victorious living, victory over fear, over circumstances, over

obstacles, over resentment. It teaches faith over all manner of

negativism.

Second, as a non-profit, non-sectarian, inter-faith publication

it teaches the great fact that God is in the stream of history

and that this nation was founded on belief in God and His

laws.

The magazine reminds its readers that America is the first

great nation in history to be established on a definitely

religious premise and that unless we keep it so our freedoms

will deteriorate.

Mr. Raymond Thornburg as publisher and I as editor in

starting the magazine had no financial backing to underwrite

it. It was begun on faith. In fact, its first offices were in

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rooms above a grocery store in the little village of Pawling,

New York. There was a borrowed typewriter, a few rickety

chairs, and that was all; all except a great idea and great

faith. Slowly a subscription list of 25,000 developed. The

future seemed promising. Suddenly one night fire broke out,

and within an hour the publishing house was destroyed and

with it the total list of subscribers. Foolishly no duplicate list

had been made.

Lowell Thomas, loyal and efficient patron of Guideposts

from the very start, mentioned this sad circumstance on his

radio broadcast and as a result we soon had 30,000

subscribers, practically all the old ones and many new ones.

The subscription list rose to approximately 40,000, but costs

increased even more rapidly. The magazine, which has

always been sold for less than cost in order widely to

disseminate the message, was more expensive than

anticipated and we were faced with difficult financial

problems. In fact, at one time it seemed almost impossible to

keep it going.

At this juncture we called a meeting, and I'm sure you never

attended a more pessimistic, negative, discouraging meeting.

It dripped with pessimism. Where were we going to get the

money to pay our bills? We figured out ways of robbing

Peter to pay Paul. Complete discouragement filled our

minds.

A woman had been invited to this meeting whom we all

regarded most highly. But one reason she was included in

this meeting was because, on a previous occasion, she had

contributed $2,000 to help inaugurate Guideposts magazine.

It was hoped that lightning might strike twice in the same

place. But this time she gave us something of more value

than money.

As this dismal meeting progressed she remained silent for a

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long time, but finally said, "I suppose you gentlemen would

like me to make another financial contribution. I might as

well put you out of your misery. I am not going to give you

another cent."

This did not put us out of our misery. On the contrary, it put

us deeper into our misery. "But," she continued, "I will give

you something far more valuable than money."

This astonished us, for we could not possibly imagine

anything of more value than money in the circumstances.

"I am going to give you an idea," she continued, "a creative

idea."

"Well," we thought to ourselves unenthusiastically, "how can

we pay our bills with an idea?"

Ah, but an idea is just what will help you pay bills. Every

achievement in this world was first projected as a creative

idea. First the idea, then faith in it, then the means of

implementing the idea. That is the way success proceeds.

"Now," she said, "here is the idea. What is your present

trouble? It is that you lack everything. You lack money. You

lack subscribers. You lack equipment. You lack ideas. You

lack courage. Why do you lack all these requirements?

Simply because you are thinking lack. If you think lack you

create the conditions that produce a state of lack. By this

constant mental emphasis upon what you lack you have

frustrated the creative forces that can give impetus to the

development of Guideposts. You have been working hard

from the standpoint of doing many things, but you have

failed to do the one all-important thing that will lend power

to all your other efforts: you have not employed positive

thinking. Instead, you have thought in terms of lack.

"To correct that situation—reverse the mental process and

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begin to think prosperity, achievement, success. This will

require practice but it can be done quickly if you will

demonstrate faith.

The process is to visualize; that is, to see Guideposts in terms

of successful achievement. Create a mental picture of

Guideposts as a great magazine, sweeping the country.

Visualize large numbers of subscribers, all eagerly reading

this inspirational material and profiting thereby. Create a

mental image of lives being changed by the philosophy of

achievement which Guideposts teaches monthly in its issues.

"Do not hold mental pictures of difficulties and failures, but

lift your mind above them and visualize powers and

achievements. When you elevate your thoughts into the area

of visualized attainment you look down on your problems

rather than from below up at them and thus you get a much

more encouraging view of them. Always come up over your

problems. Never approach a problem below.

"Now let me continue further," she said. "How many

subscribers do you need at the moment to keep going?"

We thought quickly and said, "100,000." We had 40,000.

"All right," she said confidently, "that is not hard. That is

easy. Visualize 100,000 people being creatively helped by

this magazine and you will have them. In fact, the minute

you can see them in your mind, you will have them."

She turned to me and said, "Norman, can you see 100,000

subscribers at this minute? Look out there, look ahead of

you. In your mind's eye can you see them?"

I wasn't convinced as yet, and I said rather doubtfully, "Well,

maybe so, but they seem pretty dim to me."

She was a little disappointed in me, I thought, as she asked,

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"Can't you imaginatively visualize 100,000 subscribers?"

I guess my imagination wasn't working very well because all

I could see was the insufficient but actual 40,000.

Then she turned to my old friend Raymond Thornburg who

has been blessed with a gloriously victorious personality, and

she said, calling him by his nickname, "Pinky, can you

visualize 100,000 subscribers?"

I rather doubted that Pinky would see them. He is a rubber

manufacturer who gives his time freely from his own

business to help advance this inspirational, non-profit

magazine, and you would not ordinarily think that a rubber

manufacturer would respond to this type of thinking. But he

has the faculty of creative imagination. I noticed by the

fascinated look on his face that she had him. He was gazing

straight ahead with rather a look of wonder when she asked,

"Do you see the 100,000 subscribers?"

"Yes," he cried with eagerness, "yes, I do see them."

Electrified, I demanded, "Where? Point them out to me."

Then I, too, began to visualize them.

"Now," continued our friend, "let us bow our heads and

together thank God for giving us 100,000 subscribers."

Frankly I thought that was pushing the Lord rather hard, but

it was justified by a verse in the Scriptures where it says,

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing,

ye shall receive them." (Matthew 21:22) That means when

you pray for something, at the same time visualize what you

pray for. Believe that if it is God's will and is worthwhile, not

selfishly sought after, but for human good, that it is at that

moment given you.

217

If you have difficulty in following this reasoning, let me tell

you that from that moment until the present writing

Guideposts never lacked for anything. It has found

wonderful friends and has had fine support. It has been able

always to meet its bills, purchase needed equipment, finance

itself, and as I write these words Guideposts is nearing the

half million mark and more subscriptions are coming in

regularly, sometimes as many as three or four thousand per

day.

I recite this instance not for the purpose of advertising

Guideposts, although I strongly recommend this magazine to

all my readers, and if you would like to be a subscriber, write

to Guideposts, Pawling, New York, for information. But I

tell the story because I was awed by this experience,

realizing that I had stumbled upon a law, a tremendous law

of personal victory. I decided to apply it thereafter to my

own problems and wherever I have done so can report a

marvelous result. Wherever I have failed to do so, I have

missed great results.

It is as simple as this—put your problem in God's hands. In

your thoughts rise above the problem so that you look down

upon it, not up at it. Test it according to God's will. That is,

do not try to get success from something that is wrong. Be

sure it is right morally, spiritually, and ethically. You can

never get a right result from an error. If your thinking is

wrong, it is wrong and not right and can never be right so

long as it is wrong. If it is wrong in the essence it is bound to

be wrong in the result.

Therefore be sure it is right, then hold it up in God's name

and visualize a great result. Keep the idea of prosperity, of

achievement, and of attainment firmly fixed in your mind.

Never entertain a failure thought. Should a negative thought

of defeat come into your mind, expel it by increasing the

positive affirmation. Affirm aloud, "God is now giving me

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success. He is now giving me attainment." The mental vision

which you create and firmly hold in consciousness will be

actualized if you continually affirm it in your thoughts and if

you work diligently and effectively. This creative process

simply stated is: visualize, prayerize, and finally actualize.

People in all walks of life who accomplish notable

achievements know the value of this law in their experience.

Henry J. Kaiser told me that at one time he was building a

levee along a riverbank, and there came a great storm and

flood which buried all his earth-moving machinery and

destroyed the work that had been done. Upon going out to

observe the damage after the water receded, he found his

workers standing around glumly looking at the mud and the

buried machinery.

He came among them and said with a smile, "Why are you

so glum?"

"Don't you see what has happened?" they asked. "Our

machinery is covered with mud."

"What mud?" he asked brightly.

"What mud!" they repeated in astonishment. "Look around

you. It is a sea of mud."

"Oh," he laughed, "I don't see any mud."

"But how can you say that?" they asked him.

"Because," said Mr. Kaiser, "I am looking up at a clear blue

sky, and there is no mud up there. There is only sunshine,

and I never saw any mud that could stand against sunshine.

Soon it will be dried up, and then you will be able to move

your machinery and start all over again."

How right he is. If your eyes are looking down in the mud

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and you feel a sense of failure, you will create defeat for

yourself. Optimistic visualization combined with prayer and

faith will inevitably actualize achievement.

Another friend of mine who started from the lowliest

beginnings has performed some outstanding achievements. I

remember him in his schooldays as an awkward,

unprepossessing, very shy country boy. But he had character

and one of the keenest brains I have ever encountered. Today

he is an outstanding man in his line. I asked him, "What is

the secret of your success?"

"The people who have worked with me across the years and

the unlimited opportunity given any boy in the United States

of America," he replied.

"Yes, I know that is true, but I am sure you must have some

personal technique, and I would be interested in having it," I

said.

"It all lies in how you think about problems," he replied. "I

attack a problem and shake it to pieces with my mind. I put

all the mental power I have upon it. Second, I pray about it

most sincerely. Third, I paint a mental picture of success.

Fourth, I always ask myself, 'What is the right thing to do?'

for," he said, "nothing will be right if it is wrong. Nothing

that is wrong will ever come out right. Fifth, I give it all I've

got. But let me emphasize again," he concluded, "if you're

thinking defeat, change your thoughts at once. Get new and

positive thoughts. That is primary and basic in overcoming

difficulties and in achieving."

At this very minute, as you read this book, potential ideas are

in your mind. By releasing and developing these ideas you

can solve your financial problem, your business situation,

you can care for yourself and your family, and attain success

in your ventures. A steady inflow and practical use of these

creative thoughts can remake your life and you along with it.

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There was a time when I acquiesced in the silly idea that

there is no relationship between faith and prosperity; that

when one talked about religion he should never relate it to

achievement, that it dealt only with ethics and morals or

social values. But now I realize that such a viewpoint limits

the power of God and the development of the individual.

Religion teaches that there is a tremendous power in the

universe and that this power can dwell in personality. It is a

power that can blast out all defeat and lift a person above all

difficult situations.

We have seen the demonstration of atomic energy. We know

that astonishing and enormous energy exists in the universe.

This same force of energy is resident in the human mind.

Nothing on earth is greater than the human mind in potential

power. The average individual is capable of much greater

achievement than he has ever realized.

This is true regardless of who is reading this statement.

When you actually learn to release yourself you will discover

that your mind contains ideas of such creative value that you

need not lack anything. By the full and proper use of your

power stimulated by God power, you can make your life

successful.

You can make just about anything of your life—anything

you will believe or will visualize, anything you will pray for

and work for. Look deeply into your mind. Amazing

wonders are there.

Whatever your situation may be, you can improve it. First,

quiet your mind so that inspirations may rise from its depths.

Believe that God is now helping you. Visualize achievement.

Organize your life on a spiritual basis so that God's

principles work within you. Hold firmly in your mind a

picture not of failure but of success. Do these things and

creative thoughts will flow freely from your mind. This is an

amazing law, one that can change anybody's life including

your own. An inflow of new thoughts can remake you

regardless of every difficulty you may now face, and I

repeat— every difficulty.

In the last analysis the basic reason a person fails to live a

creative and successful life is because of error within

himself. He thinks wrong. He needs to correct the error in his

thoughts. He needs to practice right thinking. When the 23rd

Psalm says, "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness," it

not only means the paths of goodness, but the paths of right-

mindedness as well. When Isaiah says, "Let the wicked

forsake his way and the unrighteous man his

thoughts," (Isaiah 55:7) it not only means that a person is to

depart from evil and do good, but that he is to change his

thinking from wrong to right, from error to truth. The great

secret of successful living is to reduce the amount of error in

oneself and increase the amount of truth. An inflow of new,

right, health-laden thoughts through the mind creatively

affects the circumstances of life, for truth always produces

right procedures and therefore right results.

Years ago I knew a young man who for a while was one of

the most complete personality failures in my entire

experience. He had a delightful personality, but he failed at

everything. A person would employ him and be enthusiastic

about him, but soon his enthusiasm would cool and it was

not long until he was out of that position. This failure pattern

was repeated many times. He was a failure as a person as

well as an employee. He missed connections with

everything. He just couldn't do anything right, and he used to

ask me, "What is wrong with me that everything goes

wrong?"

Still he had a lot of conceit. He was cocky and smug, and

had the irritating habit of blaming everybody but himself.

Something was wrong with every office with which he was

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connected or every organization that employed him. He

blamed everybody else for his failures—never himself. He

would never look inside himself. It never occurred to him

that anything could be wrong with him.

One night, however, he wanted to talk with me, and as I had

to make a drive of about a hundred miles to deliver a speech

he drove there and back with me. On our return we stopped

along about midnight at a roadside stand for a hamburger and

a cup of coffee. I don't know what was in that hamburger

sandwich, but since this incident I have had a new respect for

hamburgers, for of a sudden he shouted, "I've got it! I've got

it!"

"You've got what?" I asked in astonishment.

"I've got the answer. Now I know what's the trouble with me.

It's that everything goes wrong with me because I myself am

wrong."

I clapped my hand on his back and said, "Boy, at last you are

on your way."

"Why, it's as clear as a crystal," he said. "I have been

thinking wrong, and as a result I have created wrong

outcomes."

By this time we were out in the moonlight standing alongside

my car, and I said to him, "Harry, you must go one step

further and ask God to make you right inwardly." I quoted

this passage from the Bible, "'Ye shall know the truth, and

the truth shall make you free.'" (John 8:32) Get the truth into

your mind and you will be free of your failures.

He became an enthusiastic practicing follower of Jesus

Christ. Through real faith and a complete change of thoughts

and personal habits, wrong thinking and wrong acting were

removed from his nature. He straightened out by developing

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a right (or righteousness) pattern instead of an error pattern.

When he was made right, then everything began to go right

for him.

Following are seven practical steps for changing your mental

attitudes from negative to positive, for releasing creative new

thoughts, and for shifting from error patterns to truth

patterns. Try them—keep on trying them. They will work.

1. For the next twenty-four hours, deliberately speak

hopefully about everything, about your job, about your

health, about your future. Go out of your way to talk

optimistically about everything. This will be difficult, for

possibly it is your habit to talk pessimistically. From this

negative habit you must restrain yourself even if it requires

an act of will.

2. After speaking hopefully for twenty-four hours, continue

the practice for one week, then you can be permitted to be

"realistic" for a day or two. You will discover that what you

meant by "realistic" a week ago was actually pessimistic, but

what you now mean by "realistic" is something, entirely

different; it is the dawning of the positive outlook. When

most people say they are being "realistic" they delude

themselves: they are simply being negative.

3. You must feed your mind even as you feed your body, and

to make your mind healthy you must feed it nourishing,

wholesome thoughts. Therefore, today start to shift your

mind from negative to positive thinking. Start at the

beginning of the New Testament and underscore every

sentence about Faith. Continue doing this until you have

marked every such passage in the four books, Matthew,

Mark, Luke, and John. Particularly note Mark 11, verses 22,

23, 24. They will serve as samples of the verses you are to

underscore and fix deeply in your consciousness.

4. Then commit the underscored passages to memory.

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Commit one each day until you can recite the entire list from

memory. This will take time, but remember you have

consumed much more time becoming a negative thinker than

this will require. Effort and time will be needed to unlearn

your negative pattern.

5. Make a list of your friends to determine who is the most

positive thinker among them and deliberately cultivate his

society. Do not abandon your negative friends, but get closer

to those with a positive point of view for a while, until you

have absorbed their spirit, then you can go back among your

negative friends and give them your newly acquired thought

pattern without taking on their negativism.

6. Avoid argument, but whenever a negative attitude is

expressed, counter with a positive and optimistic opinion.

7. Pray a great deal and always let your prayer take the form

of thanksgiving on the assumption that God is giving you

great and wonderful things; for if you think He is, He surely

is. God will not give you any greater blessing than you can

believe in. He wants to give you great things, but even He

cannot make you take anything greater than you are

equipped by faith to receive. "According to your faith (that

is, in proportion to) be it unto you." (Matthew 9:29)

The secret of a better and more successful life is to cast out

those old, dead, unhealthy thoughts. Substitute for them new,

vital, dynamic faith thoughts. You can depend upon it—an

inflow of new thought will remake you and your life.

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Chapter 14

Relax for Easy Power

"EVERY NIGHT IN these United States more than six

million sleeping tablets are required to put the American

people to sleep."

This startling statement was made to me several years ago by

a drug manufacturer at a convention of that industry where I

was giving a speech. Though his assertion seemed incredible,

I have been told by others who are in a position to know that

the above estimate is now an understatement.

In fact, I heard another good authority assert that the

American people are using about twelve million doses of

sleeping tablets per day. That is enough to put every twelfth

American to sleep tonight.

Statistics show that the use of sleeping tablets has risen 1000

percent in recent years. But a more recent statement is even

more startling. According to the vice-president of a large

drug manufacturing concern approximately seven billion

one-half-grain tablets are consumed yearly, which works out

at about nineteen million tablets per night.

What a pathetic situation. Sleep is a natural restorative

process. One would think that any person after a day's work

would be able to sleep peacefully, but apparently Americans

have even lost the art of sleeping. In fact, so keyed up are

they that I, a minister with ample opportunity to test the

matter, must report that the American people are so nervous

and high-strung that now it is almost next to impossible to

put them to sleep with a sermon. It has been years since I

have seen anyone sleep in church. And that is a sad situation.

A Washington official who loves to juggle figures, especially

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astronomical figures, told me that last year in the United

States there was a total of seven and a half billion headaches.

This works itself out at approximately fifty headaches per

head per annum. Have you had your quota yet this year? Just

how this official arrived at these figures he did not say, but

shortly after our conversation I noticed a report that in a

recent year the drug industry sold eleven million pounds of

aspirin. Perhaps this era might appropriately be termed "The

Aspirin Age," as one author has called it.

An authoritative source declares that every other hospital bed

in the United States is occupied by a patient who was put

there not because he encountered a germ or had an accident

or developed an organic malady, but because of his inability

to organize and discipline his emotions.

In a clinic five hundred patients were examined hand running

and 386, or 77 percent, were found to be ill of psychosomatic

difficulties—physical illness caused largely by unhealthy

mental states. Another clinic made a study of a large number

of ulcer cases and reported that nearly half were made ill, not

as the result of physical troubles, but because the patients

worried too much or hated too much, had too much guilt, or

were tension victims.

A doctor from still another clinic made the observation that

in his opinion medical men, despite all extraordinary

scientific developments, are now able to heal by the means

of science alone less than half the maladies brought them. He

declares that in many cases patients are sending back into

their bodies the diseased thoughts of their minds. Prominent

among these diseased thoughts are anxiety and tension.

This unhappy situation has become so serious that in our

own Marble Collegiate Church, Fifth Avenue at 29th Street,

New York City, we now have twelve psychiatrists on the

staff under the supervision of Dr. Smiley Blanton. Why

psychiatrists on the staff of a church? The answer is that

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psychiatry is a science. Its function is the analysis, diagnosis,

and treatment of human nature according to certain well-

authenticated laws and procedures.

Christianity may also be thought of as a science. It is a

philosophy, a system of theology, a system of metaphysics,

and a system of worship. It also works itself out in moral and

ethical codes. But Christianity also has the characteristics of

a science in that it is based upon a book which contains a

system of techniques and formulas designed for the

understanding and treatment of human nature. The laws are

so precise and have been so often demonstrated when proper

conditions of understanding, belief, and practice are applied

that religion may be said to form an exact science.

When a person comes to our clinic the first counselor is

perhaps a psychiatrist who in a kindly and careful manner

studies the problem and tells the patient "why he does what

he does." This is a most important fact to learn. Why, for

example, have you had an inferiority complex all your life

long, or why have you been haunted by fear, or, again, why

do you nurse resentment? Why have you always been shy

and reticent, or why do you do stupid things or make inept

statements? These phenomena of your human nature do not

just happen. There is a reason why you do what you do and it

is an important day in your life experience when at last you

discover the reason. Self-knowledge is the beginning of self-

correction.

Following the self-knowledge process the psychiatrist turns

the patient over to the pastor who tells him how to do what

he ought to do. The pastor applies to the case, in scientific

and systematic form, the therapies of prayer, faith, and love.

The psychiatrist and the minister pool their knowledge and

combine their therapies with the result that many people

have found new life and happiness. The minister does not

attempt to be a psychiatrist nor the psychiatrist a pastor. Each

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performs his own function but always in co-operation.

The Christianity utilized in this procedure is the undiluted

teachings of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior of man's life. We

believe in the practical, absolute workability of the teachings

of Jesus. We believe that we can indeed "do all things

through Christ." (Philippians 4:13) The Gospel as we work

with it proves to be a literal fulfillment of the astonishing

promise, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have

entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath

prepared for them that love Him." (I Corinthians 2:9) Believe

(in Christ); believe in His system of thought and practice;

believe and you will overcome all fear, hate, inferiority,

guilt, and every form and manner of defeat. In other words,

no good thing is too good to be true. You have never seen,

never heard, never even imagined the things God will give to

those who love Him.

In the work of the clinic one frequent problem is that of

tension. This, to a very large degree, may be called the

prevailing malady of the American people. But not only the

American people seem to suffer from tension. The Royal

Bank of Canada some time ago devoted its monthly letter to

this problem under the title, "Let's Slow Down," and says in

part: "This monthly letter does not set itself up as a counselor

of mental and physical health, but it is attempting to break

down a problem that bedevils every adult person in Canada,"

and, I might add, in the United States as well.

The bank letter goes on to say: "We are victims of a

mounting tension; we have difficulty in relaxing. Our high-

strung nervous systems are on a perpetual binge. Caught up

as we are in the rush all day, every day, and far into the

night, we are not living fully. We must remember what

Carlyle called 'the calm supremacy of the spirit over its

circumstances.' "

When a prominent banking institution calls to the attention

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of its customers the fact that they are failing to derive from

life what they really want from it because they have become

victims of tension, it is certainly time something was done

about the situation.

In St. Petersburg, Florida, I actually saw a machine on the

street equipped with a sign, "What is your blood pressure?"

You could put a coin in a slot and get the bad news. When

you can buy a reading on blood pressure like you buy gum

out of a slot machine, it indicates that many people have this

problem.

One of the simplest methods for reducing tension is to

practice the easy-does-it attitude. Do everything more

slowly, less hectically, and without pressure. My friend

Branch Rickey, famous baseball man, told me that he would

not use a player no matter how well he hits, fields, or runs if

he is guilty of "overpressing." To be a successful big-league

baseball player there must be a flow of easy power through

every action and of course through the mind. The most

effective way to hit a ball is by the easy method, where all

the muscles are flexible and operating in correlated power.

Try to kill the ball and you will slice it or maybe miss it

altogether. This is true in golf, in baseball, in every sport.

From 1907 through 1919, except for one year, 1916, Ty

Cobb's batting average led the American League, a record so

far as I know that has never been surpassed. Ty Cobb

presented the bat with which he performed his extraordinary

feats to a friend of mine. I was permitted to take this bat in

my hand, which I did with considerable awe. In the spirit of

the game I struck a pose, as if to bat. Doubtless my batting

stance was not in any sense reminiscent of the immortal

slugger. In fact, my friend, who was himself at one time a

minor league baseball player, chuckled and said, "Ty Cobb

would never do it that way. You are too rigid, too tense. You

are obviously overtrying. You would probably strike out."

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It was beautiful to watch Ty Cobb. The man and the bat were

one. It was a study in rhythm, and one marveled at the ease

with which he got into the swing. He was a master of easy

power. It is the same in all success. Analyze people who are

really efficient and they always seem to do things easily,

with a minimum of effort. In so doing they release maximum

power.

One of my friends, a famous businessman who handles

important affairs and varied interests, always seems to be at

ease. He does everything efficiently and quickly but is never

in a dither. He never has that anxious, frazzled look on his

face which marks people who cannot handle either their time

or their work. I inquired the secret of his obviously easy

power.

He smiled and replied, "Oh, it isn't much of a secret. I just try

keep myself in tune with God. That's all. Every morning after

breakfast," he explained, "my wife and I go into the living

room for a period of quietness. One of us reads aloud some

inspirational piece to get us into the mood of meditation. It

maybe a poem or a few paragraphs of a book. Following that

we sit quietly, each praying or meditating according to his

own mood and manner, then together we affirm the thought

that God is filling us with strength and quiet energy. This is a

definite fifteen-minute ritual and we never miss it. We

couldn't get along without it. We would crack up. As a result

I always seem to feel that I have more energy than I need and

more power than is required." So said this efficient man who

demonstrates easy power.

I know a number of men and women who practice this or

similar techniques for reducing tension. It is becoming a

quite general and popular procedure nowadays.

One February morning I was rushing down the long veranda

of a Florida hotel with a handful of mail just in from my

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office in New York. I had come to Florida for a midwinter

vacation, but hadn't seemed to get out of the routine of

dealing with my mail the first thing in the morning. As I

hurried by, headed for a couple of hours' work with the mail,

a friend from Georgia who was sitting in a rocking chair with

his hat partially over his eyes stopped me in my headlong

rush and said in his slow and pleasant Southern drawl,

"Where are you rushing for, Doctor? That's no way to do

down here in the Florida sunshine. Come over here and 'set'

in one of these rocking chairs and help me practice one of the

greatest of the arts."

Mystified, I said, "Help you practice one of the greatest of

the arts!"

"Yes," he replied, "an art that is passing out. Not many

people know how to do it anymore."

"Well," I asked, "please tell me what it is. I don't see you

practicing any art."

"Oh, yes, I am," he said. "I am practicing the art of just sittin'

in the sun. Sit here and let the sun fall on your face. It is

warmlike and it smells good. It makes you feel peaceful

inside. Did you ever think about the sun?" he asked. "It never

hurries, never gets excited, it just works slowly and makes no

noise—doesn't push any buzzers, doesn't answer any

telephones, doesn't ring any bells, just goes on a-shining, and

the sun does more work in the fraction of an instant than you

and I could ever do in a lifetime. Think of what it does. It

causes the flowers to bloom, keeps the trees growing, warms

the earth, causes the fruit and vegetables to grow and the

crops to ripen, lifts water to send back on the earth, and it

makes you feel 'peaceful like.'

"I find that when I sit in the sun and let the sun work on me it

puts some rays into me that give me energy; that is, when I

take time to sit in the sun.

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"So throw that mail over in the corner," he said, "and sit

down here with me."

I did so, and when finally I went to my room and got at my

mail I finished it in no time at all. And there was a good part

of the day left for vacation activities and for more "sittin' in

the sun."

Of course I know a lot of lazy people who have been sittin' in

the sun all their lives and never amounted to anything. There

is a difference between sittin' and relaxing, and just sittin'.

But if you sit and relax and think about God and get yourself

in tune with Him and open yourself to the flow of His power,

then sittin' is not laziness; in fact, it is about the best way to

renew power. It produces driving energy, the kind of energy

you drive, not the kind that drives you.

The secret is to keep the mind quiet, avoiding all hectic

reactions of haste, and to practice peaceful thinking. The

essence of the art is to keep the tempo down; to perform your

responsibilities on the basis of the most efficient

conservation of energy. It is advisable to adopt one or two

workable plans through the use of which you can become

expert in the practice of relaxed and easy power.

One of the best such plans was suggested to me by Captain

Eddie Rickenbacker. A very busy man, he manages to handle

his responsibilities in a manner indicating reserves of power.

I found one element of his secret quite by accident.

I was filming a program for television with him. We had

been assured that the work could be done quickly, leaving

him free to go to the many other matters on his daily agenda.

However, the filming was long delayed beyond the time

anticipated. I noted, however, that the Captain showed no

signs of agitation. He did not become nervous or anxious. He

did not pace up and down, putting in frantic calls to his

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office. Instead, he accepted the situation gracefully. There

were a couple of old rocking chairs at the studio, apparently

intended for use in a set other than ours. He sat in one rocker

in a very relaxed manner.

I have always been a great admirer of Eddie Rickenbacker

and I commented on his lack of tension. "I know how busy

you are," I said, "and I marvel at the way you sit quiet,

composed, and peaceful like."

For myself, I was a bit disturbed largely because I regretted

to take so much of Captain Rickenbacker's time. "How can

you be so imperturbable?" I asked.

He laughingly replied, "Oh, I just practice what you preach.

Come on, easy does it. Sit down here beside me."

I pulled up the other rocking chair and did a little relaxing on

my own. Then I said, "Eddie, I know you have some

technique to attain this impressive serenity. Tell me about it,

please."

He is a modest man, but because of my persistence he gave

me a formula which he says he uses frequently. I now use it

myself and it is very effective. It may be described as

follows:

First, collapse physically. Practice this several times a day.

Let go every muscle in the body. Conceive of yourself as a

jellyfish, getting your body into complete looseness. Form a

mental picture of a huge burlap bag of potatoes. Then

mentally cut the bag, allowing the potatoes to roll out. Think

of yourself as the bag.

What is more relaxed than an empty burlap bag?

The second element in the formula is to "drain the mind."

Several times each day drain the mind of all irritation, all

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resentment, disappointment, frustration, and annoyance.

Unless you drain the mind frequently and regularly, these

unhappy thoughts will accumulate until a major blasting-out

process will be necessary. Keep the mind drained of all

factors which would impede the flow of relaxed power.

Third, think spiritually. To think spiritually means to turn the

mind at regular Intervals to God. At least three times a day

"lift up your eyes unto the hills." This keeps you in tune with

God's harmony. It refills you with peace.

This three-point program greatly impressed me, and I have

been practicing it for some months. It is an excellent method

for relaxing and living on the basis of easy does it.

From my friend Dr. Z. Taylor Bercovitz, of New York City,

I have learned much of the art of working relaxed. Often

when under pressure, with an office full of patients and

telephone calls coming in, he will suddenly stop, lean against

his desk, and talk to the Lord in a manner both natural and

respectful. I like the style of his prayer. He tells me that it

runs something like this: "Look, Lord, I am pushing myself

too hard. I am getting jittery. Here I am counseling people to

practice quietness, now I must practice it. Touch me with

your healing peace. Give me composure, quietness, strength,

and conserve my nervous energy so that I can help these

people who come to me."

He stands quietly for a minute or two. Then he thanks the

Lord and proceeds with full but easy power to do his work.

Often in making sick calls about the city he finds himself in a

traffic jam. He has a most interesting method of using these

potentially irritating delays as opportunities to relax. Shutting

off his engine, he slumps in his seat, putting his head back,

closing his eyes, and has even been known to go to sleep. He

says there is no reason to be concerned about going to sleep

because the strident honking of horns will awaken him when

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traffic begins to move.

These interludes of complete relaxation in the midst of traffic

last for only a minute or two, but they have energy-renewal

value. It is surprising how many minutes or fractions of

minutes during the day you can use to rest where you are. If

even in such fractional periods you deliberately draw on

God's power, you can maintain adequate relaxation. It isn't

length of relaxation time that produces power; it is the

quality of the experience.

I am told that Roger Babson, the famous statistician,

frequently goes into an empty church and sits quietly.

Perhaps he reads one or two hymns and in so doing finds rest

and renewal. Dale Carnegie, under tension, goes to a church

near his New York City office to spend a quarter-hour in

prayerful meditation. He says he leaves his office for this

purpose when busiest. This demonstrates control of time

rather than being controlled by it. It also indicates

watchfulness lest tension develop beyond a controllable

degree.

I encountered a friend on a train from Washington to New

York one night. This man is a member of Congress and he

explained that he was on his way to his district to speak at a

meeting of his constituents. The particular group he was

about to address was hostile to him, he said, and would

probably try to make things very difficult for him. Although

they represented a minority in his district, he was going to

face them just the same.

"They are American citizens and I am their representative.

They have a right to meet with me if they want to."

"You do not seem to be much worried about it," I

commented.

"No," he answered, "if I get worried about it, then I will be

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upset and will not handle the situation well."

"Do you have any particular method for handling such a

tense situation?" I asked.

"Oh, yes," he replied, "they will be a noisy crowd. But I have

my own way of meeting such situations without tension. I

will breathe deeply, talk quietly, speak sincerely, be friendly

and respectful, hold my temper, and trust in God to see me

through.

"I have learned one important fact," the Congressman

continued, "and that is in any situation be relaxed, keep calm,

take a friendly attitude, have faith, do your best. Do this, and

usually you can make things come out all right."

I have no doubt about the ability of this Congressman to live

and work without tension, and, what is more, successfully to

attain his objectives.

When we were doing some construction work at my farm in

Pawling, New York, I watched a workman swinging a

shovel. He was shoveling a pile of sand. It was a beautiful

sight. Stripped to the waist, his lean and muscular body

worked with precision and correlation. The shovel rose and

fell in perfect rhythm. He would push the shovel into the

pile, lean his body against it, and drive it deep into the sand.

Then, in a clear, free swing it came up and the sand was

deposited without a break in the motion. Again the shovel

went back into the sand, again his body leaned against it,

again the shovel lifted easily in a perfect arc. One almost had

a feeling that he could sing in rhythm to the motion of this

workman. Indeed the man did sing as he worked.

I was not surprised when the foreman told me that he is

considered one of his best workmen. The foreman also spoke

of him as good-humored, happy, and a pleasant person with

whom to work. Here was a relaxed man who lived with

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joyous power, master of the art of easy does it.

Relaxation results from re-creation, and the process of

recreation should be continuous. The human being is meant

to be attached to a continual flow of force that proceeds from

God through the individual and back to God for renewal.

When one lives in tune with this constantly re-creative

process he learns the indispensable quality to relax and work

on the basis of easy does it.

Now, how to master this skill. Here are ten rules for taking

the hard way out of your job. Try these proven methods for

working hard easily. They will help you to relax and have

easy power.

1. Don't get the idea that you are Atlas carrying the world on

your shoulders. Don't strain so hard. Don't take yourself so

seriously.

2. Determine to like your work. Then it will become a

pleasure, not drudgery. Perhaps you do not need to change

your job. Change yourself and your work will seem different.

3. Plan your work—work your plan. Lack of system

produces that "I'm swamped" feeling.

4. Don't try to do everything at once. That is why time is

spread out. Heed that wise advice from the Bible, "This one

thing I do."

5. Get a correct mental attitude, remembering that ease or

difficulty in your work depends upon how you think about it.

Think it's hard and you make it hard. Think it's easy and it

tends to become easy.

6. Become efficient in your work. "Knowledge is

power" (over your job). It is always easier to do a thing right.

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7. Practice being relaxed. Easy always does it. Don't press or

tug. Take it in your stride.

8. Discipline yourself not to put off until tomorrow what you

can do today. Accumulation of undone jobs makes your

work harder. Keep your work up to schedule.

9. Pray about your work. You will get relaxed efficiency by

so doing.

10. Take on the "unseen partner." It is surprising the load He

will take off you. God is as much at home in offices,

factories, stores, kitchens, as in churches. He knows more

about your job than you do. His help will make your work

easy.

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Chapter 15

How to Get People to Like You

WE MIGHT AS well admit it, we want people to like us.

You may hear someone say, "I don't care whether people like

me or not." But whenever you hear anyone say that, just put

it down as a fact that he is not really telling the truth.

The psychologist, William James, said, "One of the deepest

drives of human nature is the desire to be appreciated." The

longing to be liked, to be held in esteem, to be a sought-after

person, is fundamental in us.

A poll was taken among some high-school students on the

question, "What do you most desire?" By overwhelming

majority the students voted that they wanted to be popular.

The same urge is in older people as well. Indeed it is

doubtful if anybody ever outlives the desire to be well

thought of, to be highly regarded, or to have the affection of

his associates.

To be master of the art of popularity, be artless. Strive

deliberately after popularity and the chances are you will

never attain it. But become one of those rare personalities

about whom people say, "He certainly has something," and

you can be certain you are on the way to having people like

you.

I must warn you, however, that despite your attainments in

popularity you will never get everybody to like you. There is

a curious quirk in human nature whereby some people just

naturally won't like you. A quatrain inscribed on a wall at

Oxford says:

"I do not love thee, Dr. Fell,

The reason why I cannot tell;

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But this alone I know full well,

I do not love thee, Dr. Fell."

That verse is very subtle. The author did not like Dr. Fell. He

didn't know why but he just knew he didn't like him. It was

most likely an unreasonable dislike, for undoubtedly Dr. Fell

was a very nice person. Perhaps if the author had known him

better he would have liked him, but poor Dr. Fell never did

become popular with the author of those lines. It may have

been due simply to a lack of rapprochement, that baffling

mechanism by which we either do or do not "click" with

certain people.

Even the Bible recognizes this unhappy fact about human

nature, for it says, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you,

live peaceably with all men." (Romans 12:18) The Bible is a

very realistic book and it knows people, their infinite

possibilities as well as their imperfections. The Bible advised

the disciples that if they went into a village and after trying

their best to get along with people still couldn't do so, they

were to shake off the very dust of the village from their

feet—"And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out

of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a

testimony against them." (Luke 9:5) This is all by way of

saying that you will be wise if you do not let it too seriously

affect you if you do not achieve perfect popularity with

everyone.

However, there are certain formulas and procedures which, if

followed faithfully, can make you a person whom other

people like. You can enjoy satisfactory personal relationships

even if you are a "difficult" person or by nature shy and

retiring, even unsocial. You can make of yourself one who

enjoys easy, normal, natural, and pleasing relationships with

others.

I cannot urge you too strongly to consider the importance of

this subject and to give time and attention to its mastery, for

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you will never be fully happy or successful until you do.

Failure in this capacity will adversely affect you

psychologically. To be liked is of profounder importance

than mere ego satisfaction. As necessary as that is to your

success in life, normal and satisfactory personal relations are

even more important.

The feeling of not being wanted or needed is one of the most

devastating of all human reactions. To the degree to which

you are sought after or needed by other people will you

become a fully-released person. The "lone wolf," the isolated

personality, the retiring individual, these people suffer a

misery which is difficult to describe. In self-defense they

retire ever further within themselves. Their ingrowing,

introverted nature is denied the normal development which

the outgoing, self-giving person experiences. Unless the

personality is drawn out of itself and can be of value to

someone, it may sicken and die. The feeling of not being

wanted or needed produces frustration, aging, illness. If you

have a feeling of uselessness, if nobody needs or wants you,

you really ought to do something about it. It is not only a

pathetic way to live but is serious psychologically. Those

who deal with the problems of human nature constantly

encounter this problem and its unfortunate results.

For example, at a Rotary Club luncheon in a certain city two

physicians were at my table: one an elderly man who had

been retired for several years, the other the most popular

young doctor in town. The young doctor, looking frazzled,

dashed in late and slumped down with a weary sigh. "If only

the telephone would stop ringing," he complained. "I can't

get anywhere because people call me all the time. I wish I

could put a silencer on that telephone."

The old doctor spoke up quietly, "I know how you feel, Jim,"

he said. "I used to feel that way myself, but be thankful the

telephone does ring. Be glad people want and need you."

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Then he added pathetically, "Nobody ever calls me anymore.

I would like to hear the telephone ring again. Nobody wants

me and nobody needs me. I'm a has-been."

All of us at the table who sometimes feel a bit worn by

numerous activities did a lot of thinking as we listened to the

old doctor.

A middle-aged woman complained to me that she didn't feel

well. She was dissatisfied and unhappy. "My husband is

dead, the children are grown, and there is no place for me

anymore. People treat me kindly, but they are indifferent.

Everyone has his own interest and nobody needs me—

nobody wants me. I wonder, could that be a reason I do not

feel well?" she asked. Indeed that could very likely be an

important reason.

In a business office the founder of the firm just past seventy

was walking restlessly and aimlessly around. He talked with

me, while his son, present head of the business, whom I had

come to see, was on the telephone. The older man said

gloomily, "Why don't you write a book on how to retire?

That is what I need to know. I thought it was going to be

wonderful to give up the burdens of the job," he continued,

"but now I find that nobody is interested in anything I say. I

used to think I was a popular fellow, but now when I come

down here and sit around the office everyone says hello, then

they forget me. I might as well stay away altogether for all

they care. My son is running the business and he is doing a

good job of it, but," he concluded pathetically, "I'd like to

think they needed me a little bit."

These people are suffering one of the most pathetic and

unhappy experiences in this life. Their basic desire is to be

sought after and this desire is not being satisfied. They want

people to appreciate them. The personality longs for esteem.

But it isn't only in retirement that this situation develops.

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A girl of twenty-one told me that she had been unwanted

ever since birth. Someone had given her the notion she was

an unwanted child. This serious idea had sunk into her

subconscious, giving her a profound sense of inferiority and

self-depreciation. It made her shy and backward, causing her

to retreat into herself. She became lonely and unhappy and

was, in fact, an underdeveloped personality. The cure for her

condition was to revamp her life spiritually, especially her

thinking, which process in time made her a well-liked person

by setting her personality free of herself.

Countless other people, not particularly victims of deep,

unconscious psychological conflicts, have never mastered

the knack of being popular. They try hard enough. They even

go to extremes, often acting in a manner they do not really

enjoy, but which they employ only because of their intense

desire to have people like them. Everywhere today we see

people putting on an act because of their inordinate desire for

popularity in the superficial sense in which the word is often

used in modern society.

The fact is that popularity can be attained by a few simple,

natural, normal, and easily mastered techniques. Practice

them diligently and you can become a well-liked person.

First, become a comfortable person, that is, one with whom

people can associate without a sense of strain. Of some

persons it is said, "You can never quite get next to him."

There is always a barrier that you can't get over. A

comfortable person is easygoing and natural. He has a

pleasant, kindly, genial way about him. Being with him is

not unlike wearing an old hat or an old pair of shoes, or an

easy old coat. A stiff, reserved, unresponsive individual

never meshes into the group. He is always just a bit out of it.

You never quite know how to take him or how he will react.

You just aren't easy-like with him.

Some young people were talking about a seventeen-year-old

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boy whom they liked very much. Of him they said, "He is

good company. He is a good sport. He is easy to be with." It

is very important to cultivate the quality of being natural.

Usually that sort of individual is large-souled. Little people

who are much concerned about how you treat them, who are

jealous of their place or position, who meticulously stand on

their prerogatives, are stiff and easily offended.

A man who is an outstanding example of these truths is

James A. Parley, former Postmaster General of the United

States.

I met Mr. Parley for the first time a number of years ago.

Months later I met him in a large crowd of people and he

called me by name. Being human, I never forgot that, and it

is one reason I have always liked Mr. Parley.

An interesting incident illustrates the secret of this man who

is an expert in how to get people to like him. I was to speak

in Philadelphia at a book-and-author luncheon along with

Mr. Parley and two other authors. I did not actually witness

the scene I am about to describe, as I was late in arriving, but

my publisher did. The speakers at this luncheon were

walking along the hotel corridor together when they passed a

colored maid standing by a cart loaded with sheets, towels,

and other equipment with which she was servicing the

rooms. She was paying no attention to this group of people

as they turned aside to avoid her cart. Mr. Parley walked up

to her, put out his hand, and said, "Hello, there. How are

you? I'm Jim Parley. What's your name? Glad to see you."

My publisher looked back at her as the group passed down

the hall. The girl's mouth was wide with astonishment and

her face broke into a beautiful smile. It was an excellent

example of how an unegotistical, comfortable, outgoing

person is successful in personal relationships.

A university psychology department conducted an analysis

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of the personality traits by which people are liked or disliked.

One hundred traits were scientifically analyzed and it was

reported that one must have forty-six favorable traits in order

to be liked. It is rather discouraging to realize that you must

have so large a number of characteristics to be popular.

Christianity, however, teaches that one basic trait will go far

toward getting people to like you. That trait is a sincere and

forthright interest in and love for people. Perhaps if you

cultivate this basic trait, other traits will naturally develop.

If you are not the comfortable type of person, I suggest that

you make study of your personality with a view toward

eliminating conscious and unconscious elements of strain

which may exist. Do not assume that the reason other people

do not like you is because of something wrong with them.

Assume, instead, that the trouble is within yourself and

determine to find and eliminate it. This will require

scrupulous honesty and it may also involve the assistance of

personality experts. The so-called "scratchy" elements in

your personality may be qualities which you have taken on

through the years. Perhaps they have been assumed

defensively, or they may be the result of attitudes developed

in your younger days. Regardless of origin they can be

eliminated by a scientific study of yourself and by your

recognition of the necessity for change followed by a process

of personality rehabilitation.

A man came to our clinic at the church seeking help in the

problem of personal relationships. About thirty-five years of

age, he was the type of person whom you would certainly

look at twice if not three times. He was splendidly

proportioned and impressive. Superficially regarding him it

was surprising that people should not like him. But he

proceeded to outline an unhappy and continuous set of

circumstances and instances to illustrate his dismal failure in

human relations.

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"I do my best," he explained. "I have tried to put into practice

the rules I have been taught about getting along with people,

but get nowhere with the effort. People just don't like me and

what is more I am aware of it."

After talking with him it was not difficult to understand the

trouble. There was in his manner of speech a persistently

critical attitude thinly veiled but nonetheless apparent. He

had an unattractive manner of pursing his lips which

indicated a kind of primness or reproof for everybody, as if

he felt just a bit superior and disdainful toward other people.

In fact there was about him a noticeable attitude of

superiority. He was very rigid, with no flexibility of

personality.

"Isn't there some way to change myself so that people will

like me?" he demanded. "Isn't there some way I can stop

unconsciously rubbing people the wrong way?"

The young man was decidedly self-centered and egotistical.

The person he really liked was himself. Every statement,

every attitude was unconsciously measured in terms of how

it reacted on himself. We had to teach him to love other

people and to forget himself, which was of course a complete

reversal of his development. It was vital, however, to the

solution of his problem. I found that this young man was

irritable with people and he picked on them in his own mind,

though no outward conflicts with other persons developed.

Inwardly he was trying to make everybody over to suit

himself. Unconsciously people realized this, though perhaps

they did not define the trouble. Barriers were erected in their

minds toward him.

Since he was being unpleasant to people in his thoughts, it

followed that he was less than warm in his personal attitudes.

He was polite enough and managed not to be boorish and

unpleasant, but people unconsciously felt coolness in him, so

gave him the "brush-off" of which he complained. The

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reason they did so was because in his mind he had "brushed

them off." He liked himself too well, and to build up his self-

esteem he disliked others. He was suffering from self-love, a

chief cure for which is the practice of love for others.

He was bewildered and baffled when we outlined his

difficulty. But he was sincere and meant business. He

practiced the suggested techniques for developing love of

others in place of self-love. It required some fundamental

changes to accomplish this, but he succeeded in doing so.

One method suggested was that at night before retiring he

make a list of persons he had met during the day, as, for

example, the bus driver or the newsboy. He was to picture

mentally each person whose name appeared on the list, and

as he brought each face up before him he was to think a

kindly thought about that person. Then he was to pray for

each one. He was to pray around his little world. Each of us

has his own world, people with whom we do business or are

associated in one way or another.

For example, the first person outside the family whom this

young man saw in the morning was the elevator man in his

apartment house. He had not been in the habit of saying

anything to him beyond a perfunctory and growled good

morning. Now he took the time to have a little chat with the

elevator man. He asked him about his family and about his

interests. He found that the elevator operator had an

interesting point of view and some experiences which were

quite fascinating. He began to see new values in a person

who to him previously had been a mechanical robot, who ran

the elevator up and down to his floor. He actually began to

like the elevator operator and in turn the elevator man, who

had formed a pretty accurate opinion of the young man,

began to revise his views. They established a friendly

relationship. So the process went from person to person.

One day the young man said to me, "I have found that the

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world is filled with interesting people and I never realized it

before."

When he made that observation he proved that he was losing

himself, and when he did that, as the Bible so wisely tells us,

he found himself. In losing himself he found himself and lots

of new friends besides. People learned to like him.

Learning to pray for people was important in his

rehabilitation, for when you pray for anyone you tend to

modify your personal attitude toward him. You lift the

relationship thereby to a higher level. The best in the other

person begins to flow out toward you as your best flows

toward him. In the meeting of the best in each a higher unity

of understanding is established.

Essentially, getting people to like you is merely the other

side of liking them. One of the most popular men who lived

in the United States within the lifetime of most of us was the

late Will Rogers. One of the most characteristic statements

he ever made was, "I never met a man I didn't like." That

may have been a slight exaggeration, but I am sure Will

Rogers did not regard it as such. That is the way he felt about

people, and as a result people opened up to him like flowers

to the sun.

Sometimes the weak objection is offered that it is difficult to

like some people. Granted, some people are by nature more

likable than others, nevertheless a serious attempt to know

any individual will reveal qualities within him that are

admirable, even lovable.

A man had the problem of conquering feelings of irritation

toward persons with whom he was associated. For some

people he had a very profound dislike. They irritated him

intensely, but he conquered these feelings simply by making

an exhaustive list of everything he could possibly admire

about each person who annoyed him. Daily he attempted to

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add to this list. He was surprised to discover that people

whom he thought he did not like at all proved to have many

pleasing qualities. In fact, he was at a loss to understand how

he ever disliked them after becoming conscious of their

attractive qualities. Of course, while he was making these

discoveries about them, they, in turn, were finding new and

likable qualities in him.

If you have gone through life up to this point without having

established satisfactory human relationships, do not assume

that you cannot change, but it will be necessary to take very

definite steps toward solving the problem. You can change

and become a popular person, well liked and esteemed, if

you are willing to make the effort. May I remind you as I

remind myself that one of the greatest tragedies of the

average person is the tendency to spend our whole lives

perfecting our faults? We develop a fault and we nurse it and

cultivate it, and never change it. Like a needle caught in the

groove of a defective record on a gramophone, it plays the

same old tune over and over again. You must lift the needle

out of the groove, then you will have disharmony no longer,

but harmony. Don't spend more of your life perfecting faults

in human relations. Spend the rest of your life perfecting

your great capacities for friendliness, for personal relations

are vitally important to successful living.

Still another important factor in getting people to like you is

to practice building up the ego of other persons. The ego,

being the essence of our personalities, is sacred to us. There

is in every person a normal desire for a feeling of self-

importance. If I deflate your ego and therefore your self-

importance, though you may laugh it off, I have deeply

wounded you. In fact, I have shown disrespect for you, and

while you may exercise charity toward me, even so, unless

you are finely developed spiritually, you are not going to like

me very well.

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On the other hand, if I elevate your self-respect and

contribute to your feeling of personal worth, I am showing

high esteem for your ego. I have helped you to be your best

self and therefore you appreciate what I have done. You are

grateful to me. You like me for it.

The deflation of another person's ego may be mildly done

perhaps, but one can never evaluate how deep the

depreciation goes from even a remark or an attitude that is

not meant to be unkind. Here is the way in which ego is often

deflated.

The next time you are in a group and someone tells a joke

and everybody laughs with appreciation and pleasure except

yourself, when the laughter has died down say patronizingly,

"Well, that is a pretty good joke all right. I saw it in a

magazine last month."

Of course it will make you feel quite important to let others

know of your superior knowledge, but how does it make the

man feel who told the joke? You have robbed him of the

satisfaction of having told a good story. You have crowded

him out of his brief moment in the limelight and usurped

attention to yourself. In fact you have taken the wind out of

his sails and left him flat and deflated. He enjoyed his

momentary little prominence, but you took it away from him.

Nobody in that group is going to like you for what you did,

and certainly not the man whose story you spoiled. Whether

you like the joke or not, let the storyteller and the others

enjoy it. Remember he may be a little bit embarrassed and

shy. It would have done him good to have received a

response. Don't deflate people. Build them up and they will

love you for it.

While writing this chapter I enjoyed a visit with an old and

dear friend, Dr. John W. Hoffman, one-time president of

Ohio Wesleyan University. As I sat with him in Pasadena, I

realized once again how much this great personality has

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always meant to me. Many years ago, on the night before my

graduation from college, we had a banquet at our fraternity

house at which he was present and made a talk. After dinner

he asked me to walk with him to the president's house.

It was a beautiful moonlit night in June. All the way up the

hill he talked to me about life and its opportunities and told

me what a thrill awaited me as I entered the outside world.

As we stood in front of his house he put his hand on my

shoulder and said, "Norman, I have always liked you. I

believe in you. You have great possibilities. I shall always be

proud of you. You have got it in you." Of course he

overestimated me, but that is infinitely better than to

depreciate a person.

It being June and the night before graduation and excitement

being in my heart, my sentiments were pretty close to the

surface, and I said good night to him through a mist of tears

which I tried to conceal. It has been many years since then,

but I never forgot what he said nor how he said it on that

June night long ago. I have loved him all across the years.

I discovered that he made similar statements to many other

boys and girls long since become men and women and they,

too, love him because he respected their personalities and

was constantly building them up. Through the years he

would write to me and to others congratulating us on some

little thing that we had done, and a word of approval from

him meant much. Little wonder this honored guide of youth

has the affection and devotion of thousands of people whose

lives he touched.

Whomever you help to build up and become a better,

stronger, finer person will give you his undying devotion.

Build up as many people as you can. Do it unselfishly. Do it

because you like them and because you see possibilities in

them. Do this and you will never lack for friends. You will

always be well thought of. Build people up and love them

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genuinely. Do them good and their esteem and affection will

flow back toward you.

The basic principles of getting people to like you need no

prolonged and labored emphasis, for they are very simple

and easily illustrate their own truth. However, I list ten

practical rules for getting the esteem of others. The

soundness of these principles has been demonstrated

innumerable times. Practice them until you become expert at

them and people will like you.

1. Learn to remember names. Inefficiency at this point may

indicate that your interest is not sufficiently outgoing. A

man's name is very important to him.

2. Be a comfortable person so there is no strain in being with

you—be an old-shoe, old-hat kind of individual. Be homey.

3. Acquire the quality of relaxed easy-goingness so that

things do not ruffle you.

4. Don't be egotistical. Guard against giving the impression

that you know it all. Be natural and normally humble.

5. Cultivate the quality of being interesting so that people

will want to be with you and get something of stimulating

value from their association with you.

6. Study to get the "scratchy" elements out of your

personality, even those of which you may be unconscious.

7. Sincerely attempt to heal, on an honest Christian basis,

every misunderstanding you have had or now have. Drain off

your grievances.

8. Practice liking people until you learn to do so genuinely.

Remember what Will Rogers said, "I never met a man I

didn't like." Try to be that way.

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9. Never miss an opportunity to say a word of congratulation

upon anyone's achievement, or express sympathy in sorrow

or disappointment.

10. Get a deep spiritual experience so that you have

something to give people that will help them to be stronger

and meet life more effectively. Give strength to people and

they will give affection to you.

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Chapter 16

Prescription for Heartache

"PLEASE GIVE ME a prescription for heartache."

This curious and rather pathetic request was made by a man

who had been informed by his doctor that the feelings of

disability of which he complained were not of a physical

nature. His trouble lay in an inability to rise above sorrow.

He was suffering from "an ache in his personality" as a result

of grief.

His doctor advised him to secure spiritual consultation and

treatment. So continuing to use the terminology of medicine,

he repeated his question, "Is there a spiritual prescription

which will reduce my constant inner suffering? I realize that

sorrow comes to everyone and I should be able to meet it the

same as others. I have tried my best but find no peace."

Again he asked with a sad, slow smile, "Give me a

prescription for heartache."

There is indeed a "prescription" for heartache. One element

in the prescription is physical activity. The sufferer must

avoid the temptation to sit and brood. A sensible program

which substitutes physical activity for such fruitless brooding

reduces the strain on the area of the mind where we reflect,

philosophize, and suffer mental pain. Muscular activity

utilizes another part of the brain and therefore shifts the

strain and gives relief.

An old country lawyer who had a sound philosophy and

much wisdom told a sorrowing woman that the best

medicine for a broken heart is "to take a scrubbing brush and

get down on your knees and go to work. The best medicine

for a man," he declared, "is to get an ax and chop wood until

physically tired." While this is not guaranteed to be a

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complete cure for heartache, yet it does tend to mitigate such

suffering.

Whatever the character of your heartache, one of the first

steps is to resolve to escape from any defeatist situation

which may have been created around yourself, even though it

is difficult to do so, and return once again to the normal

course of your life. Get back into the main stream of life's

activities. Take up your old associations. Form new ones.

Get busy walking, riding, swimming, playing—get the blood

to coursing through your system. Lose yourself in some

worthwhile project. Fill your days with creative activity and

emphasize the physical aspect of activity. Employ healthy

mind-relieving busyness, but be sure that it is of a

worthwhile and constructive nature. Superficial escapism

through feverish activity merely deadens pain temporarily

and does not heal, as, for example, parties and drinking.

An excellent and normal release from heartache is to give

way to grief. There is a foolish point of view current today

that one should not show grief, that it is not proper to cry or

express oneself through the natural mechanism of tears and

sobbing. This is a denial of the law of nature. It is natural to

cry when pain or sorrow comes. It is a relief mechanism

provided in the body by Almighty God and should be used.

To restrain grief, to inhibit it, to bottle it up, is to fail to use

one of God's means for eliminating the pressure of sorrow.

Like every other function of the human body and nervous

system, this must be controlled, but it should not be denied

altogether. A good cry by either man or woman is a release

from heartache. I should warn, however, that this mechanism

should not be used unduly nor allowed to become a habitual

process. Should that happen, it partakes of the nature of

abnormal grief and could become a psychosis. Unrestraint of

any kind should not be allowed.

I receive many letters from people whose loved ones have

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died. They tell me that it is very difficult for them to go to

the same places they were in the habit of frequenting

together or to be with the same people with whom they

associated as a couple or as a family. Therefore they avoid

the old-time places and friends.

I regard this as a serious mistake. A secret of curing

heartache is to be as normal and natural as possible. This

does not imply disloyalty or indifference. This policy is

important in avoiding a state of abnormal grief. Normal

sorrow is a natural process and its normality is evidenced by

the ability of the individual to return to his usual pursuits and

responsibilities and continue therein as formerly.

The deeper remedy for heartache, of course, is the curative

comfort supplied by trust in God.

Inevitably the basic prescription for heartache is to turn to

God in an attitude of faith and empty the mind and heart to

Him. Perseverance in the act of spiritual self-emptying will

finally bring healing to the broken heart. This generation,

which has suffered fully as much if not more heartache than

people in preceding eras, needs to relearn that which the

wisest men of all time have known, namely, that there is no

healing of the pain suffered by humanity except through the

benign ministrations of faith.

One of the greatest souls of the ages was Brother Lawrence,

who said, "If in this life we would know the serene peace of

Paradise, we must school ourselves in familiar, humble, and

loving converse with God." It is not advisable to attempt to

carry the burden of sorrow and mental pain without Divine

help, for its weight is more than the personality can bear. The

simplest and most effective of all prescriptions for heartache

then is to practice the presence of God. This will soothe the

ache in your heart and ultimately heal the wound. Men and

women who have experienced great tragedy tell us that this

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prescription is effective.

Another profoundly curative element in the prescription for

heartache is to gain a sound and satisfying philosophy of life

and death and deathlessness. For my part, when I gained the

unshakable belief that there is no death, that all life is

indivisible, that the here and hereafter are one, that time and

eternity are inseparable, that this is one unobstructed

universe, then I found the most satisfying and convincing

philosophy of my entire life.

These convictions are based upon sound foundations, the

Bible for one. I believe that the Bible gives us a very subtle,

and as will be proved ultimately, a scientific series of

insights into the great question, "What happens when a man

leaves this world?" Also the Bible very wisely tells us that

we know these truths by faith. Henri Bergson, the

philosopher, says that the surest way into truth is by

perception, by intuition, by reasoning to a certain point, then

by taking a "mortal leap," and by intuition attaining the truth.

You come to some glorious moment where you simply

"know." That is the way it happened to me.

I am absolutely, wholeheartedly, and thoroughly convinced

of the truth of which I write and have no doubt of it, even to

an infinitesimal degree. I arrived at this positive faith

gradually, yet there came one moment when I knew.

This philosophy will not ward off the sorrow which comes

when a loved one dies and physical, earthly separation

ensues. But it will lift and dissipate grief. It will fill your

mind with a deep understanding of the meaning of this

inevitable circumstance. And it will give you a deep

assurance that you have not lost your loved one. Live on this

faith and you will be at peace and the ache will leave your

heart.

Take into your mind and heart one of the most marvelous

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texts in the Holy Bible—"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,

neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which

God hath prepared for them that love Him." (I Corinthians

2:9)

This means that you have never seen, no matter what you

have seen, however wonderful it is, you have never seen

anything to compare with the marvelous things that God has

prepared for those who love Him and who put their trust in

Him. Moreover, it says that you have never heard anything to

compare with the astonishing marvels that God has laid up

for those who follow His teachings and live according to His

spirit. Not only have you never seen nor ever heard but you

have never even dimly imagined what He is going to do for

you. This sentence goes all out in promising comfort and

immortality and reunion and every good thing to those who

center their lives in God.

After many years of reading the Bible and being intimately

connected with all the phases of the lives of hundreds of

people, I wish to state unequivocally that I have found this

Biblical promise to be absolutely true. It applies even to this

world. People who really practice living on a Christlike basis

have the most incredible things happen to them.

This passage also relates to the state of existence of those

now living on the other side and our relationship, while we

live, to those who have preceded us across that barrier which

we call death. I use the word "barrier" somewhat

apologetically. We have always thought of death as a barrier

with a concept of a separatist nature.

Scientists working today in the field of parapsychology and

extra-sensory perception and experimenting in precognition,

telepathy, clairvoyance (all of which were formerly

considered paraphernalia of the cranks, but which are now of

sound, scientific usage in the laboratories), are expressing

themselves as believing that the soul survives the barrier of

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time and space. In effect, we are on the edge of one of the

greatest scientific discoveries in history which will

substantiate, on a laboratory-exploratory basis, the existence

of the soul and its deathlessness.

For many years I have been accumulating a series of

incidents, the validity of which I accept and which bear out

the conviction that we live in a dynamic universe where life,

not death, is the basic principle. I have confidence in the

people who have described the following experiences and am

convinced that they indicate a world impinged upon or

intertwined with our own through the meshes of which

human spirits, on both sides of death, live in unbroken

fellowship. The conditions of life on the other side, as we

know them in mortality, are modified. Undoubtedly those

who have crossed to the other side dwell in a higher medium

than we do and their understanding is amplified beyond ours,

yet all the facts point to the continued existence of our loved

ones and the further fact that they are not far away, and still

another fact implied, but no less real, that we shall be

reunited with them. Meanwhile, we continue in fellowship

with those who dwell in the spirit world.

William James, one of America's greatest scholars, after a

lifetime of study said he was satisfied that the human brain is

only a medium for the soul's existence and that the mind as

now constituted will be exchanged at last for a brain that will

allow the owner to reach out into untapped areas of

understanding. As our spiritual being is amplified here on

earth and as we grow in age and experience we become more

conscious of this vaster world all around us, and when we die

it is only to enter into an enlarged capacity.

Euripides, one of the greatest thinkers of antiquity, was

convinced that the next life would be of infinitely greater

magnitude. Socrates shared the same concept. One of the

most comforting statements ever made was his remark, "No

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evil can befall a good man in this life or in the next."

Natalie Kalmus, scientific expert in technicolor, tells about

the death of her sister. The following account given by this

scientifically trained woman appeared in the inspirational

magazine Guideposts.

Natalie Kalmus quotes her dying sister as saying, " 'Natalie,

promise me that you won't let them give me any drugs. I

realize that they are trying to help relieve my pain, but I want

to be fully aware of every sensation. I am convinced that

death will be a beautiful experience.'

"I promised. Alone, later, I wept, thinking of her courage.

Then as I tossed in bed on through the night, I realized that

what I thought to be a calamity my sister intended to be a

triumph.

"Ten days later the final hour drew near. I had been at her

bedside for hours. We had talked about many things, and

always I marveled at her quiet, sincere confidence in eternal

life. Not once did the physical torture overcome her spiritual

strength. This was something that the doctors simply hadn't

taken into account.

"'Dear kind God, keep my mind clear and give me peace,' she

had murmured over and over again during those last days.

"We had talked so long that I noticed she was drifting off to

to sleep. I left her quietly with the nurse and retired to get

some rest. A few minutes later I heard my sister's voice

calling for me. Quickly I returned to her room. She was

dying.

"I sat on her bed and took her hand. It was on fire. Then she

seemed to rise up in bed almost to a sitting position.

" 'Natalie,' she said, 'there are so many of them. There's

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Fred... and Ruth...what's she doing here? Oh, I know!'

"An electric shock went through me. She had said Ruth.

Ruth was her cousin who had died suddenly the week before.

But Eleanor had not been told of Ruth's sudden death.

"Chill after chill shot up and down my spine. I felt on the

verge of some powerful, almost frightening knowledge. She

had murmured Ruth's name.

"Her voice was surprisingly clear. 'It's so confusing. So many

of them!' Suddenly her arms stretched out as happily as when

she had welcomed me! 'I'm going up,' she said.

"Then she dropped her arms around my neck—and relaxed

in my arms. The will of her spirit had turned final agony into

rapture.

"As I laid her head back on the pillow, there was a warm,

peaceful smile on her face. Her golden-brown hair lay

carelessly on the pillow. I took a white flower from the vase

and placed it in her hair. With her petite, trim figure, her

wavy hair, the white flower, and the soft smile, she looked

once more—and permanently—just like a schoolgirl."

The mention of her cousin Ruth by the dying girl and the

evident fact that she saw her clearly is a phenomenon that

recurs again and again in the incidents which have come to

my attention. So repetitive is this phenomenon and so similar

are the characteristics of this experience as described by

many that it amounts to a substantial evidence that the people

whose names are called, whose faces are seen, are actually

present.

Where are they? What is their condition? What sort of body

have they? These are questions that are difficult. The idea of

a different dimension is probably the most tenable, or it may

be more accurate to believe that they live in a different

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frequency cycle.

It is impossible to see through the blades of an electric fan

when it is in a stationary position. At high speed, however,

the blades appear to be transparent. In the higher frequency

or the state in which our loved ones dwell, the impenetrable

qualities of the universe may open to the gaze of one passing

into the mysteries. In deep moments of our own lives it is

entirely possible that we enter to a degree at least into that

higher frequency. In one of the most beautiful lines in

English literature, Robert Ingersoll suggests this great truth,

"In the night of death, hope sees a star and listening love can

hear the rustle of a wing."

A famous neurologist tells of a man who was at death's door.

The dying man looked up at the physician sitting beside his

bed and began to call off names which the physician wrote

down. The doctor was personally unfamiliar with any name

mentioned. Later the physician asked the man's daughter,

"Who are these people? Your father spoke of them as if he

saw them."

"They are all relatives," she said, "who have been dead a

long time."

The physician said he believes his patient did see them.

Friends of mine, Mr. and Mrs. William Sage, lived in New

Jersey and I was often in their home. Mr. Sage, whom his

wife called Will, died first. A few years later, when Mrs.

Sage was on her deathbed, the most surprised look passed

across her face, and it lighted up in a wonderful smile as she

said, "Why, it is Will." That she saw him those about her bed

had no doubt whatsoever.

Arthur Godfrey, famous radio personality, tells of being

asleep in his bunk on a destroyer in World War I. Suddenly

his father stood beside him. He put out his hand, smiled, and

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said, "So long, son," and Godfrey answered, "So long, Dad."

Later he was awakened and given a cablegram telling him of

the death of his father. The time of his passing was given,

and it was the precise period during which Godfrey in his

sleep "saw" his father.

Mary Margaret McBride, also a famous radio personality,

was overwhelmed with grief upon the death of her mother.

They had been very close to each other. She awakened one

night and sat on the edge of her bed. Suddenly she had the

feeling, to use her own words, that "Mama was with me."

She did not see her mother nor hear her speak, but from that

time on, "I knew that my mother isn't dead—that she is near

by."

The late Rufus Jones, one of the most famous spiritual

leaders of our time, tells about his son Lowell who died at

twelve years of age. He was the apple of his father's eye. The

boy took sick when Dr. Jones was on the ocean bound for

Europe. The night before entering Liverpool, while lying in

his bunk, he experienced an indefinable, inexplainable

feeling of sadness. Then he said that he seemed to be

enveloped in the arms of God. A great feeling of peace and a

sense of a profound possession of his son came to him.

Upon landing in Liverpool he was advised that his son had

died, his death occurring at the precise hour when Dr. Jones

had felt a sense of God's presence and the everlasting

nearness of his son.

A member of my church, Mrs. Bryson Kalt, tells of an aunt

whose husband and three children were burned to death

when their house was destroyed by fire. The aunt was badly

burned but lived for three years. When finally she lay dying a

radiance suddenly came over her face. "It is all so beautiful,"

she said. "They are coming to meet me. Fluff up my pillows

and let me go to sleep."

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Mr. H. B. Clarke, an old friend of mine, was for many years

a construction engineer, his work taking him into all parts of

the world. He was of a scientific turn of mind, a quite

restrained, factual, unemotional type of man. I was called

one night by his physician, who said that he did not expect

him to live but a few hours. His heart action was slow and

the blood pressure was extraordinarily low. There was no

reflex action at all. The doctor gave no hope.

I began to pray for him, as did others. The next day his eyes

opened and after a few days he recovered his speech. His

heart action and blood pressure returned to normal. After he

recovered strength he said, "At some time during my illness

something very peculiar happened to me. I cannot explain it.

It seemed that I was a long distance away. I was in the most

beautiful and attractive place I have ever seen. There were

lights all about me, beautiful lights. I saw faces dimly

revealed, kind faces they were, and I felt very peaceful and

happy. In fact, I have never felt happier in my life.

"Then the thought came to me, 'I must be dying.' Then it

occurred to me, 'Perhaps I have died.' Then I almost laughed

out loud, and asked myself, 'Why have I been afraid of death

all my life? There is nothing to be afraid of in this.' "

"How did you feel about it?" I asked. "Did you want to come

back to life? Did you want to live, for you were not dead,

although the doctor felt that you were very close to death.

Did you want to live?"

He smiled and said, "It did not make the slightest difference.

If anything, I think I would have preferred to stay in that

beautiful place."

Hallucination, a dream, a vision—I do not believe so. I have

spent too many years talking to people who have come to the

edge of "something" and had a look across, who

unanimously have reported beauty, light, and peace, to have

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any doubt in my own mind.

The New Testament teaches the indestructibility of life in a

most interesting and simple manner. It describes Jesus after

His crucifixion in a series of appearances, disappearances,

and reappearances. Some saw Him and then He vanished out

of their sight. Then others saw Him and again He vanished.

It is as if to say, "You see me and then you do not see me."

This indicates that He is trying to tell us that when we do not

see Him, it does not mean He is not there. Out of sight does

not mean out of life.

Occasional mystical appearances which some experience

indicate the same truth, that He is near by. Did He not say,

"...because I live, ye shall live also." (John 14:19) In other

words, our loved ones who have died in this faith are also

near by and occasionally draw near to comfort us.

A boy serving in Korea wrote to his mother, saying, "The

strangest things happen to me. Once in a while at night,

when I am afraid, Daddy seems to be with me." Daddy had

been dead for ten years. Then the boy wistfully asks his

mother, "Do you think that Daddy can actually be with me

here on these Korean battlefields?" The answer is, "Why

not?" How can we be citizens of a scientific generation and

not believe that this could be true? Again and again proofs

are offered that this is a dynamic universe, surcharged with

mystic, electric, electronic, atomic forces, and all are so

wonderful that we have never yet comprehended them. This

universe is a great spiritual sounding house, alive and vital.

Albert E. Cliff, well-known Canadian writer, tells of the

death of his father. The dying man had sunk into a coma and

it was thought he was gone. Then a momentary resurgence of

life occurred. His eyes flickered open. On the wall was one

of those old-time mottoes which said, "I Know That My

Redeemer Liveth." The dying man opened his eyes, looked

at that motto, and said, "I do know that my Redeemer liveth,

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for they are all here around me—mother, father, brothers,

and sisters." Long gone from this earth were they all, but

evidently he saw them. Who is to gainsay?

The late Mrs. Thomas A. Edison told me that when her

famous husband was dying he whispered to his physician, "It

is beautiful over there." Edison was the world's greatest

scientist. All his life he had worked with phenomena. He was

of a factual cast of mind. He never reported anything as a

fact until he saw it work. He would never have reported, "It

is very beautiful over there" unless, having seen, he knew it

to be true.

Many years ago a missionary went to the South Sea Islands

to work among a cannibal tribe. After many months he

converted the chief to Christianity. One day this old chief

said to the missionary, "Remember the time you first came

among us?"

"Indeed I do," replied the missionary. "As I went through the

forest I became aware of hostile forces all around me."

"They did indeed surround you," said the chief, "for we were

following you to kill you, but something prevented us from

doing it."

"And what was that?" asked the missionary.

"Now that we are friends, tell me," coaxed the chief, "who

were those two shining ones walking on either side of you?"

My friend, Geoffrey O'Hara, famous song writer, author of

the popular World War I song, "Katy," also "There Is No

Death," "Give a Man a Horse He Can Ride," and other songs,

tells of a colonel in World War I whose regiment was wiped

out in a bloody engagement. As he paced up and down the

trench he says he could feel their hands and sense their

presence. He said to Geoffrey O'Hara, "I tell you, there is no

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death." Mr. O'Hara wrote one of his greatest songs using that

title, "there is no death."

Of these deep and tender matters I personally have no doubt

whatsoever. I firmly believe in the continuation of life after

that which we call death takes place. I believe there are two

sides to the phenomenon known as death—this side where

we now live and the other side where we shall continue to

live. Eternity does not start with death. We are in eternity

now. We are citizens of eternity. We merely change the form

of the experience called life, and that change, I am

persuaded, is for the better.

My mother was a great soul, and her influence on me will

ever stand out in my life as an experience that cannot be

surpassed. She was a wonderful conversationalist. Her mind

was keen and alert. She traveled the world over and enjoyed

wide contacts as a Christian leader in missionary causes. Her

life was full and rich. She had a marvelous sense of humor.

She was good company, and I always loved to be with her.

She was considered by all who knew her an unusually

fascinating and stimulating personality.

During my adult years whenever I had the opportunity I

would go home to see her. I always anticipated the arrival at

the family home, for it was an exciting experience in which

everyone talked at once as we sat around the breakfast table.

What happy reunions—what glorious meetings. Then came

her death, and we tenderly laid her body in the beautiful little

cemetery at Lynchburg in southern Ohio, a town where she

had lived as a girl. I was very sad the day we left her there,

and went away heavy-hearted. It was in the fullness of

summertime when we took her home to her last resting

place.

It came autumn, and I felt that I wanted to be with my

mother again. I was lonely without her, therefore I decided to

go to Lynchburg. All night long on the train I thought sadly

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of the happy days now gone and how things were utterly

changed and would never be the same again.

So I came to the little town. The weather was cold and the

sky overcast as I walked to the cemetery. I pushed through

the old iron gates and my feet rustled in the leaves as I

walked to her grave where I sat sad and lonely. Of a sudden

the clouds parted and the sun came through. It lighted up the

Ohio hills in gorgeous autumn colors, the hills where I grew

up as a boy, which I have always loved so well, where she

herself had played as a girl in the long ago.

Then all of a sudden I seemed to hear her voice. Now I didn't

actually hear her voice, but I seemed to. I am sure I heard it

by the inward ear. The message was clear and distinct. It was

stated in her beloved old-time tone, and this is what she said,

"Why seek ye the living among the dead? I am not here. Do

you think that I would stay in this dark and dismal place? I

am with you and my loved ones always." In a burst of inner

light I became wondrously happy. I knew that what I had

heard was the truth. The message came to me with all the

force of actuality. I could have shouted, and I stood up and

put my hand on the tombstone and saw it for what it is, only

a place where mortal remains lay. The body was there, to be

sure, but it was only a coat that had been laid off because the

wearer needed it no longer. But she, that gloriously lovely

spirit, she was not there.

I walked out of that place and only rarely since have I

returned. I like to go back there and think of her and the old

days of my youth, but no longer is it a place of gloom. It is

merely a symbol, for she is not there. She is with us her

loved ones. "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" (Luke

24:5)

Read and believe the Bible as it tells about the goodness of

God and the immortality of the soul. Pray sincerely and with

faith. Make prayer and faith the habit of your life. Learn to

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have real fellowship with God and with Jesus Christ. As you

do this you will find a deep conviction welling up in your

mind that these wonderful things are true indeed.

"...if it were not so, I would have told you." (John 14:2) You

can depend upon the reliability of Christ. He would not let

you believe and hold convictions so sacred in nature unless

they are absolutely true.

So in this faith, which is a sound, substantial, and rational

view of life and eternity, you have the prescription for

heartache.

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Chapter 17

How to Draw upon That Higher Power

FOUR MEN WERE sitting in the locker room of a country

club after a game. Talk about golf scores drifted into a

discussion of personal difficulties and problems. One man

was especially despondent. The others, his friends, realizing

his unhappy state of mind, had arranged this game to get his

mind off his difficult situation. They hoped a few hours on

the golf course might afford him some relief.

Now, as they sat around after the game, various suggestions

were offered him. Finally one of the men arose to go. He

knew about difficulties, for he'd had plenty himself, but he

had found some vital answers to his problems. He stood

hesitantly, then laid his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"George," he said, "I hope you won't think I am preaching at

you. Really, I'm not, but I would like to suggest something.

It's the way I got through my difficulties. It really works if

you work at it, and it's this. 'Why not draw upon that Higher

Power?' "

He slapped his friend affectionately on the back and left the

group. The other men sat mulling this over. Finally the

discouraged man said slowly, "I know what he means and I

know where the Higher Power is. I only wish I knew how to

draw upon it. It's what I need all right."

Well, in due course he discovered how to draw upon that

Higher Power, and it changed everything for him. Now he is

a healthy, happy man.

The advice given at the golf club is really very wise. There

are many people today who are unhappy and depressed and

just not getting anywhere with themselves or with

conditions. And they do not need to be that way. Really they

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don't. The secret is to draw upon that Higher Power. And

how is that done?

Let me tell you about a personal experience. When quite

young I was called to a large church in a university

community and many of my congregation were professors in

the university as well as leading citizens of the city. I wanted

to justify the confidence of those who gave me such an

outstanding opportunity and accordingly worked very hard.

As a result I began to experience overstrain. Everyone should

work hard, but there is no virtue in overtrying or

overpressing to such an extent that you do not work

efficiently. It is somewhat like making a golf shot. Try to

"kill" the ball and you execute the shot poorly. You can do

likewise in your job. I began to get rather tired and nervous

and had no feeling of normal power.

One day I decided to call on one of the professors, the late

Hugh M. Tilroe, a great friend of mine. He was a wonderful

teacher, and he was also a great fisherman and hunter. He

was a man's man, an outdoor personality. I knew that if I did

not find him at the university he would be out on the lake

fishing, and sure enough there he was. He came ashore at my

hail. "The fish are biting—come on," he said. I climbed in

his boat and we fished awhile.

"What's the matter, son?" he asked with understanding. I told

him how hard I was trying and that it was getting me down

nervously. "I have no feeling of lift or power," I said.

He chuckled. "Maybe you're trying too hard."

As the boat scraped the shore he said, "Come in the house

with me." As we entered his cabin he ordered, "Lie down

there on that couch. I want to read you something. Shut your

eyes and relax while I find the quotation."

I did as directed, and thought he was going to read me some

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philosophical or perhaps diverting piece, but instead he said,

"Here it is. Listen quietly while I read it to you. And let these

words sink in. 'Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard,

that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of

the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no

searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint;

and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even

the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall

utterly fall. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew

their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they

shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not

faint.'" (Isaiah 40:28-31) Then he asked, "Do you know from

what I am reading?"

"Yes, the fortieth chapter of Isaiah," I answered.

"I'm glad you know your Bible," he commented. "Why don't

you practice it? Now relax. Take three deep breaths—in and

out slowly. Practice resting yourself in God. Practice

depending upon Him for His support and power. Believe He

is giving it to you now and don't get out of touch with that

power. Yield yourself to it—let it flow through you.

"Give your job all you've got. Of course you must do that.

But do it in a relaxed and easy manner like a batter in a big-

league ball game. He swings the bat easy-like, and doesn't try

to knock the ball out of the park. He just does the best he can

and believes in himself because he knows that he has lots of

reserve power." Then he repeated the passage again. " 'They

that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.' "

That was a long time ago, but I never forgot that lesson. He

taught me how to draw upon that Higher Power, and believe

me, his suggestions worked. I continue to follow my friend's

advice, and it has never failed me in the more than twenty

years that have passed since then. My life is crowded with

activity but that power formula gives me all the strength I

need.

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A second method for drawing upon that Higher Power is to

learn to take a positive, optimistic attitude toward every

problem. In direct proportion to the intensity of the faith

which you muster will you receive power to meet your

situations. "According to your faith be it unto

you," (Matthew 9:29) is a basic law of successful living.

There is a Higher Power, and that Power can do everything

for you. Draw upon it and experience its great helpfulness.

Why be defeated when you are free to draw upon that Higher

Power? State your problem. Ask for a specific answer.

Believe that you are getting that answer. Believe that now,

through God's help, you are gaining power over your

difficulty.

A man and his wife who were in real trouble came to see me.

This gentleman, a former magazine editor, was a

distinguished figure in music and artistic circles. Everyone

liked him for his geniality and friendliness. His wife was

held in similar high regard.

She was in poor health and as a result they had retired to the

country where they were living in semi-seclusion.

This man told me he had experienced two heart attacks, one

quite severe. His wife was in a steady decline and he was

deeply concerned about her. The question he put was this:

"Can I get hold of some power that can help us recover

ourselves physically and give us new hope and courage and

strength?" The situation as he described it was a series of

discouragements and defeats.

Frankly I felt that he was a bit too sophisticated to permit

himself to adopt and utilize the simple trust that would be

necessary if faith were to rehabilitate him. I told him I rather

doubted he had the capacity to practice simple faith enough

to open the sources of power according to the techniques of

Christianity.

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But he assured me he was in earnest and was open-minded

and would follow any directions given. I saw his honesty and

the real quality of his soul and have had a great affection for

him ever since. I gave him a simple prescription. He was to

read the New Testament and the Psalms until his mind was

saturated with them. I gave him the usual suggestion of

committing passages to memory. Principally I urged him to

utilize the formula of putting his life in the hands of God, at

the same time believing that God was filling him with power,

and his wife also, and that the two of them were to believe

unfalteringly that they were being guided in even the most

commonplace details of their lives.

They were also to believe that in co-operation with their

physician, whom I happened to know and admire, that the

healing grace of Jesus Christ was being given them. I

suggested that they picture the healing power of the Great

Physician as already working within them.

Seldom have I seen two people who became more gloriously

childlike in their faith and whose trust was more complete.

They became enthusiastic about the Bible and would often

telephone me about "some wonderful passage" they had just

found. They gave me fresh insights into the truths of the

Bible. It was a truly creative process working with this man

and his wife.

The next spring Helen (that is the wife's name) said, "I have

never experienced a more wonderful springtime. The flowers

this year are the loveliest I have ever seen, and have you

noticed the sky with its extraordinary cloud formations and

the delicate colors at dawn and sunset? The leaves seem

greener this year, and I have never heard the birds sing with

such ecstasy and melody." When she said this there was an

ecstatic light on her face and I knew she had been reborn in

the spirit. And she began to improve physically, regaining a

large share of her old-time strength. Her native creative

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power began to flow forth once again and life took on new

meaning.

As for Horace, there has been no more heart trouble, and

physical, mental, and spiritual vigor mark him as

extraordinarily vital. They have moved into a new

community and have become a center of its life. Wherever

they go they touch people with a strange uplifting force.

What is the secret which they discovered? Simply that they

learned to draw upon that Higher Power.

This Higher Power is one of the most amazing facts in

human existence. I am awestruck, no matter how many times

I have seen the phenomenon, by the thorough-going,

tremendous, overwhelming changes for good that it

accomplishes in the lives of people. Personally, I am so

enthusiastic about all that the Higher Power can do for

people that I am loath to bring this book to a close. I could

recite story after story, incident after incident of those who

by laying hold of this power have had a new birth of life.

This power is constantly available. If you open to it, it will

rush in like a mighty tide. It is there for anybody under any

circumstances or in any condition. This tremendous inflow

of power is of such force that in its inrush it drives

everything before it, casting out fear, hate, sickness,

weakness, moral defeat, scattering them as though they had

never touched you, refreshing and restrengthening your life

with health, happiness, and goodness.

For many years I have been interested in the problem of the

alcoholic and in the organization known as Alcoholics

Anonymous. One of their basic principles is that before a

person can be helped he must recognize that he is an

alcoholic and that of himself he can do nothing; that he has

no power within himself; that he is defeated. When he

accepts this point of view he is in a position to receive help

276

from other alcoholics and from the Higher Power—God.

Another principle is the willingness to depend upon the

Higher Power from whom he derives a strength which he

does not himself possess. The working of this power in men's

lives is the most moving and thrilling fact in this world. No

other manifestation of power of any kind is equal to it.

Materialistic power achievement is a romantic story. Men

discover laws and formulas and harness power to do

remarkable things. Spiritual power also follows laws.

Mastery of these laws works wonders in an area more

complicated than any form of mechanics, namely, human

nature. It is one thing to make a machine work right. To

make human nature work right is something else. It requires

greater skill, but it can be done.

I sat one day under swaying palm trees in Florida listening to

the story of a demonstration of Higher Power activity in the

life of a man who narrowly escaped tragedy. He told me that

he started drinking at the age of sixteen, "as it was the so-

called smart thing to do." After twenty-three years,

beginning as a social drinker, he "came to the end of the road

on April 24, 1947." A growing hatred and bitterness toward

his wife who had deserted him and toward his mother-in-law

and sister-in-law culminated in his decision to kill these three

women. I relate the story as he told it to me, in his own

language.

"To strengthen myself for this gory task I went into a bar. A

few more drinks would give me the courage to commit this

triple murder. As I entered the bar I saw a young man by the

name of Carl drinking coffee. Although I had hated Carl

from boyhood I was utterly astounded to note his immaculate

appearance, and I was also astonished to see him drinking

coffee in a bar where he had spent on an average of $400 a

month for drinks alone. Also I was mystified by what

seemed a strange light on his face. Being fascinated by his

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appearance, I approached Carl and asked, 'What happened to

you that you are drinking coffee?'

'"I have not had a drink for a year,' Carl replied.

"I was utterly amazed, because Carl and I had been on many

drinking bouts together. A strange incident in this affair is

that even though I hated Carl I was strangely moved. I could

not help but listen when he asked, 'Ed, did you ever want to

quit drinking?'

'"Yes, I have quit a thousand times,' I replied.

"Carl smiled and said, 'If you really want to do something

about your problem, get sober and attend a meeting at the

Presbyterian Church at nine on Saturday. It is a meeting of

Alcoholics Anonymous.'

"I told him I had no interest in religion, but that maybe I

would come. I was unimpressed, but still I could not get that

light in his eyes out of my mind.

"Carl did not insist that I attend the meeting, but repeated

that if I wanted to do something for myself he and his

associates had an answer to my problem. After making that

statement Carl left and I stood up to the bar to order a drink,

but somehow it had lost its appeal. So, instead, I went home,

the only home I had remaining, my mother's home.

"May I explain that I had been married for seventeen years to

a very fine girl, but being an impatient person and having no

faith in me due to my drinking, she finally decided upon

getting a divorce, so not only my job and all my material

assets but my home also were completely lost.

"Upon getting to my mother's home I wrestled with a bottle

until 6 A.M., but still could not take the drink. I kept thinking

of Carl's appearance. So on Saturday morning I went to Carl

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and asked him what I could do to keep from taking a drink

until nine o'clock that night when the meeting would be held.

"Carl said, 'Every time you come to a bar or whisky sign or

beer garden, just say one little prayer—"Please, God, get me

past this place,"' and then he added, 'Run like hell. That will

be cooperating with God. He will hear your prayer and the

running will be your part.'

"I did exactly as Carl told me to do. For many hours, anxious

and shaky, accompanied by my sister, I walked around the

streets of the town. Finally at eight o'clock my sister said,

'Ed, there are seven drinking joints between here and the

place where you are to attend the meeting. You go by

yourself, and if you don't make it and come home drunk we

will still love you and hope for the best, but somehow I feel

that this meeting will be different than any you ever

attended.' With God's help I got by those seven places.

"At the church entrance I happened to look around and the

sign over one of my favorite drinking places glared me

straight in the eyes. The battle to decide whether to go into

that bar or into the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting is one I

shall never forget, but a Power greater than myself pulled me

to the meeting.

"Upon entering the meeting room I was utterly astounded to

receive the firm handshake of my ex-hated friend, Carl. My

resentment toward him was disappearing. A round of

introductions began to many men in all walks of life—

doctors, lawyers, bricklayers, millwrights, coal miners,

construction workers, plasterers, laborers—all types were

there. I had been drinking with some of these men for the last

ten to twenty-five years and here they were all sober on a

Saturday night, and, above all, they were happy.

"What happened at that meeting is rather vague. All I know

is that a rebirth had taken place. I felt different deep within.

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"Happily leaving the meeting room at midnight, I went home

with a glorious air-lifting feeling and slept peaceably for the

first time in more than five years. Upon awakening the next

morning, I recall something clearly saying to me, 'There is a

Power greater than yourself. If you will turn your will and

your life over to the care of God as you understand Him, He

will give you strength.'

"It was Sunday morning, and I decided to go to church. I

attended a service where the preacher was a man whom I had

hated from childhood. (The author wishes to comment at this

point how inevitably hate is associated with emotional and

spiritual sickness. When the mind is emptied of hate, a long

step has been taken toward recovery. Love is a tremendous

curative force.) This preacher was one of those sedate,

swallowtailed-coat-wearing Presbyterian ministers. I had no

use for him, but that was my fault. He was all right really. I

sat nervously through the singing and the collection taking.

Then the preacher read his Scripture, and his sermon was

based upon the theme, 'Never belittle anyone's experience—

he had it.' I shall never forget that sermon as long as I live. It

taught me a valuable lesson—never to belittle an experience

because someone had it, for he and God know the depth and

sincerity of that experience.

"Later I came to love this minister as one of the greatest,

most sincere men I have ever known.

"Just where my new life began is a matter that is difficult to

determine. Whether it was when I met Carl in the bar, or

wrestling past the drinking places, or at the Alcoholics

Anonymous meeting, or at the church, I do not know. But I,

who had been a hopeless alcoholic for twenty-five years,

suddenly became a sober man. I could never have done this

alone, for I had tried it a thousand times and failed. But I

drew upon a Higher Power and the Higher Power, which is

God, did it."

280

I have known the narrator of the foregoing story for several

years. Since becoming "dry" he has had to face some

difficult financial and other problems. But never once has he

weakened. In talking with him I find myself strangely

moved. It isn't what he says or even the way he says it, but

one is conscious of a power emanating from this man. He is

not a famous person. He is an everyday, hard-working

salesman, but the Higher Power is in him, flowing through

him, operating within his experience, and it transmits itself to

others. It transmitted itself to me.

This chapter is not intended as a dissertation on alcoholism,

although I will use still another reference in connection with

this problem. I cite these experiences to show conclusively

that if there is a Power able to deliver a person from

alcoholism, this same Power can help any other person to

overcome any other form of defeat he may face. There is

nothing more difficult to overcome than the problem of

alcoholism. The Power that can accomplish that difficult feat

can, I assure you, help you to overcome your difficulties

whatever they may be.

Let me give still another experience. I narrate this incident

for the same purpose, namely, to emphasize that there is a

Power which can be applied, drawn upon, and used that

mysteriously but surely gives to people who demonstrate

faith the most remarkable victories.

In the Hotel Roanoke at Roanoke, Virginia, one night a man

who has since become a good friend told me the following

story. Two years before he had read my book, A Guide to

Confident Living. At that time he was considered by himself

and by others to be an utterly hopeless alcoholic. He is a

businessman in a Virginia town and is of such ability that

despite his drinking problem he was able to keep going with

fair success. He had absolutely no control over his drinking,

however, and evident deterioration was taking place.

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Upon reading the book above mentioned, the idea was

lodged in his mind that if he could only get to New York he

could be cured of his difficulty. He came to New York but

was dead drunk when he arrived. A friend took him to a

hotel and left him. He recovered sufficient consciousness to

call a bellboy and told him that he wanted to go to the

Townes Hospital, a famous institution for alcoholics,

presided over by the late Dr. Silkworth, one of the greatest

men in the field of alcoholism—now deceased but never to

be forgotten.

After robbing him of one hundred or more dollars which he

had in his pocket, the bellboy delivered him to the hospital.

After several days of treatment, Dr. Silkworth came in to see

him and said, "Charles, I think we have done for you all that

we can do. I have a feeling that you are well."

This was not Dr. Silkworth's usual practice, and the fact that

he handled this case in this manner causes one to sense the

guiding hand of a Higher Power.

Still somewhat shaky, Charles made his way downtown until

he found himself outside the office door of the Marble

Collegiate Church, 1 West 29th Street, New York City. It

happened to be a legal holiday and the church was closed.

(Other than such holidays the church is always open.) He

stood there hesitantly. He had hoped that he might go into

the church and pray. Not being able to gain entrance, he did a

strange thing. He took from his wallet one of his business

cards and dropped it through the mail slot in the door.

The instant he did that a tremendous wave of peace came

over him. He had an amazing sense of release. He put his

head against the door and sobbed like a baby, but he knew

that he was free, that some tremendous change had happened

to him the validity of which is attested by the fact that from

that minute on there has been no turning back. He has lived

in complete sobriety from that moment.

282

There are several features about this incident which mark it

as impressive. For one, Dr. Silkworth seemed to have

released him from the hospital at the proper psychological,

spiritual, and shall we say supernatural moment, indicating

that the doctor himself was the subject of Divine guidance.

When Charles told me this story in the Hotel Roanoke two

years after it happened, I had a feeling as he related it that I

had heard it before in precise detail. But he had never told

me this story. In fact, I had never previously talked to him. It

occurred to me that perhaps he had written the story to me

and I had read it, but he said he had never written me. I then

asked him if he had told the story to one of my secretaries,

associates, or any other person who could have related it to

me, but he said he had never told the story to any other

individual save his wife and I had not met her until that

night. Apparently this incident had been transmitted to my

subconscious at the time it happened for now I

"remembered" it.

Why did he drop the card in the mail slot? Perhaps he was

symbolically reporting to his spiritual home, reporting to

God. It was a dramatic and symbolic separation of himself

from his defeat and the turning to a Higher Power which

immediately took him out of himself and healed him.

The incident indicates that if there is deep desire, intensity of

longing, and a sincere reaching out after the Power that it

will be given.

In this chapter I have related victory stories out of human

experience each in its own way indicating the continual

presence and availability of a life-renewing Power, beyond

but resident within ourselves. Your problem may not be

alcoholism, but the tact that the Higher Power can heal a

person of this most difficult malady emphasizes the

tremendous truth related in this chapter and throughout the

entire book that there is no problem, difficulty, or defeat that

283

you cannot solve or overcome by faith, positive thinking, and

prayer to God. The techniques are simple and workable. And

God will help you always, just as the writer of the following

letter was helped.

"Dear Dr. Peale: When we think of all the wonderful things

that have happened to us since we first met you and started

coming to the Marble Church, it seems nothing short of a

miracle. When you realize that just six years ago this month I

was totally broke—in fact thousands of dollars in debt—a

complete physical washout—and had hardly a friend in the

world because of my excess drinking—you can see why we

have to pinch ourselves every now and then to realize that

our good fortune isn't all a dream.

"As you well know, alcohol wasn't the only problem I had

six years ago. It has been said that I was one of the most

negative people you ever saw. That's only a half truth. For I

was filled with gripes, all sorts of irritation, and was one of

the most supercritical, impatient, cocky individuals that you

could have possibly met even in all your travels.

"Now, please don't think I feel I have overcome all these

obsessions. I haven't. I am one of those people that have to

do a day-to-day job on myself. But gradually, by trying to

follow your teachings, I am learning to control myself and be

less critical of my fellow man. And it is like being released

from a prison. I just never dreamed that life could be so full

and wonderful. Sincerely, (Signed) Dick."

Why not draw upon that Higher Power?

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Epilogue

YOU HAVE FINISHED this book. What have you read?

Simply a series of practical and workable techniques for

living a successful life. You have read a formula of belief

and practice which should help you win victory over every

defeat.

Examples have been given of people who have believed and

who have applied the suggested techniques. These stories

have been told to demonstrate that through the same methods

you can obtain the same results as they did. But reading is

not enough. Now please go back and persistently practice

each technique given in this book. Keep at it until you obtain

the desired results.

I wrote this book out of a sincere desire to help you. It will

give me great happiness to know that the book has helped

you. I have absolute confidence and belief in the principles

and methods outlined in this volume. They have been tested

in the laboratory of spiritual experience and practical

demonstration. They work when worked.

We may never meet in person, but in this book we have met.

We are spiritual friends. I pray for you. God will help you—

so believe and live successfully.

NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

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Document Outline

- THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

- Introduction - What This Book Can Do for You

- Chapter 1 - Believe in Yourself

- Chapter 2 - A Peaceful Mind Generates Power

- Chapter 3 - How to Have Constant Energy

- Chapter 4 - Try Prayer Power

- Chapter 5 - How to Create Your Own Happiness

- Chapter 6 - Stop Fuming and Fretting

- Chapter 7 - Expect the Best and Get It

- Chapter 8 - I Don't Believe in Defeat

- Chapter 9 - How to Break the Worry Habit

- Chapter 10 - Power to Solve Personal Problems

- Chapter 11 - How to Use Faith in Healing

- Chapter 12 - When Vitality Sags, Try This

- Chapter 13 - Inflow of New Thoughts Can Remake You

- Chapter 14 - Relax for Easy Power

- Chapter 15 - How to Get People to Like You

- Chapter 16 - Prescription for Heartache

- Chapter 17 - How to Draw upon That Higher Power

- Epilogue