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10
June 2008 |
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I don't ask
for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning.
There they are, and they are beautiful.
Pete Hamill
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Every
person who knows how to read has it in their power to magnify,
to multiply the ways in which they exist, to make their lives
full, significant, and interesting.
Aldous
Huxley
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Humor
is a reminder that no matter how high the throne one sits on,
one sits on one's bottom.
Taki
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The
Strangest Secret, Part Two
Earl
Nightingale
As
Ye Sow — So Shall Ye Reap
The
human mind is much like a farmer's land. The
land gives the farmer a choice. He may plant in
that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't
care what is planted. It's up to the farmer to
make the decision. The mind, like the land, will
return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you
plant. If the farmer plants too seeds — one a
seed of corn, the other nightshade, a deadly poison,
waters and takes care of the land, what will happen?
Remember,
the land doesn't care. It will return poison in
just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So
up come the two plants — one corn, one poison as
it's written in the Bible, "As ye sow, so shall
ye reap."
The
human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible
and mysterious than the land, but it works the same
way. It doesn't care what we plant. . . success.
. . or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal ...
or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety, and so
on. But what we plant it must return to us.
The
problem is that our mind comes as standard equipment
at birth. It's free. And things that are
given to us for nothing, we place little value
on. Things that we pay money for, we value.
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The
paradox is that exactly the reverse is true.
Everything that's really worthwhile in life came to us
free — our minds, our souls, our bodies, our hopes,
our dreams, our ambitions, our intelligence, our love
of family and children and friends and country.
All these priceless possessions are free.
But
the things that cost us money are actually very cheap
and can be replaced at any time. A good man can
be completely wiped out and make another
fortune. He can do that several times. Even if
our home burns down, we can rebuild it. But the
things we got for nothing, we can never replace.
Our
mind can do any kind of job we assign to it, but
generally speaking, we use it for little jobs instead
of big ones. So decide now. What is it you
want? Plant your goal in your mind. It's
the most important decision you'll ever make in your
entire life.
Do
you want to excel at your particular job? Do you
want to go places in your company. . . in your
community? Do you want to get rich? All
you have got to do is plant that seed in your mind,
care for it, work steadily toward your goal, and it
will become a reality.
It
not only will, there's no way that it cannot.
You see, that's a law — like the laws of Sir Isaac
Newton, the laws of gravity. If you get on top
of a building and jump off, you'll always go down —
you'll never go up.
And
it's the same with all the other laws of nature.
They always work. They're inflexible.
Think about your goal in a relaxed, positive
way. Picture yourself in your mind's eye as
having already achieved this goal. See yourself
doing the things you will be doing when you have
reached your goal.
Every
one of us is the sum total of our own thoughts.
We are where we are because that's exactly where we
really want or feel we deserve to be — whether we'll
admit that or not. Each of us must live off the
fruit of our thoughts in the future, because what you
think today and tomorrow — next month and next year
— will mold your life and determine your
future. You're guided by your mind.
I
remember one time I was driving through eastern
Arizona and I saw one of those giant earthmoving
machines roaring along the road with what looked like
30 tons of dirt in it — a tremendous, incredible
machine — and there was a little man perched way up
on top with the wheel in his hands, guiding it.
As I drove along I was struck by the similarity of
that machine to the human mind. Just suppose
you're sitting at the controls of such a vast source
of energy. Are you going to sit back and fold
your arms and let it run itself into a ditch? Or
are you going to keep both hands firmly on the wheel
and control and direct this power to a specific,
worthwhile purpose? It's up to you. You're
in the driver's seat. You see, the very law that
gives us success is a double-edged sword. We
must control our thinking. The same rule that
can lead people to lives of success, wealth,
happiness, and all the things they ever dreamed of —
that very same law can lead them into the
gutter. It's all in how they use it. . . for
good or for bad. That is The Strangest Secret!
Do
what the experts since the dawn of recorded history
have told us to do: pay the price, by becoming
the person you want to become. It's not nearly
as difficult as living unsuccessfully.
The
moment you decide on a goal to work toward, you're
immediately a successful person — you are then in
that rare group of people who know where they're
going. Out of every hundred people, you belong
to the top five. Don't concern yourself too much
with how you are going to achieve your goal — leave
that completely to a power greater than
yourself. All you have to do is know where
you're going. The answers will come to you of
their own accord, and at the right time.
Start
today. You have nothing to lose — but you have
your whole life to win.
30-Day
Action Ideas for Putting the
Strangest Secret to Work for You
For
the next 30-days follow each of these steps every day
until you have achieved your goal.
1.
Write on a card what it is you want more that anything
else. It may be more money. Perhaps you'd
like to double your income or make a specific amount
of money. It may be a beautiful home. It
may be success at your job. It may be a
particular position in life. It could be a more
harmonious family.
Write
down on your card specifically what it is you
want. Make sure it's a single goal and clearly
defined. You needn't show it to anyone, but
carry it with you so that you can look at it several
times a day. Think about it in a cheerful,
relaxed, positive way each morning when you get up,
and immediately you have something to work for —
something to get out of bed for, something to live
for.
Look
at it every chance you get during the day and just
before going to bed at night. As you look at it,
remember that you must become what you think about,
and since you're thinking about your goal, you realize
that soon it will be yours. In fact, it's really
yours the moment you write it down and begin to think
about it.
2.
Stop thinking about what it is you fear. Each
time a fearful or negative thought comes into your
mind, replace it with a mental picture of your
positive and worthwhile goal. And there will
come a time when you'll feel like giving up.
It's easier for a human being to think negatively than
positively. That's why only five percent are
successful! You must begin now to place yourself
in that group.
"Act
as though it were impossible to fail," as
Dorothea Brande said. No matter what your goal
— if you've kept your goal before you every day —
you'll wonder and marvel at this new life you've
found.
3.
Your success will always be measured by the quality
and quantity of service you render. Most people
will tell you that they want to make money, without
understanding this law. The only people who make
money work in a mint. The rest of us must earn
money. This is what causes those who keep
looking for something for nothing, or a free ride, to
fail in life. Success is not the result of
making money; earning money is the result of success
— and success is in direct proportion to our
service.
Most
people have this law backwards. It's like the
man who stands in front of the stove and says to
it: "Give me heat and then I'll add the
wood." How many men and women do you know,
or do you suppose there are today, who take the same
attitude toward life? There are millions.
We've
got to put the fuel in before we can expect
heat. Likewise, we've got to be of service first
before we can expect money. Don't concern
yourself with the money. Be of service. .
. build. . . work. . . dream. . . create! Do
this and you'll find there is no limit to the
prosperity and abundance that will come to you.
Don't
start your test until you've made up your mind to
stick with it. If you should fail during your
first 30 days — by that I mean suddenly find
yourself overwhelmed by negative thoughts — simply
start over again from that point and go 30 more
days. Gradually, your new habit will form, until
you find yourself one of that wonderful minority to
whom virtually nothing is impossible.
Above
all. . . don't worry! Worry brings fear, and
fear is crippling. The only thing that can cause
you to worry during your test is trying to do it all
yourself. Know that all you have to do is hold
your goal before you; everything else will take care
of itself.
Take
this 30-day test, then repeat it. . . then repeat it
again. Each time it will become more a part of
you until you'll wonder how you could have ever have
lived any other way. Live this new way and the
floodgates of abundance will open and pour over you
more riches than you may have dreamed existed.
Money? Yes, lots of it. But what's more
important, you'll have peace. . .
you'll be in that wonderful minority who lead calm,
cheerful, successful lives.
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You
can tell more about people
by what they say about others
than you
can by what
others say about them.
Leo Aikman
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God, give
me back the simple faith
that I so long have clung to,
My simple faith in peace and hope,
in loveliness and light--
Because without this faith of mine,
the rhythms I have sung to
Become as empty as the sky
upon a starless night.
God, let me
feel that right is right,
that reason dwells with reason,
And let me feel that something grows
whenever there is rain--
And let me sense that splendid truth
that season follows season,
And let me dare to dream
that there is tenderness in pain.
God, give
me back my simple faith
because my soul is straying
Away from all the little creeds
that I so long have known;
Oh, answer me while still I have
at least strength for praying,
For if the prayer dies from my heart
I will be quite alone.
Margaret E.
Sangster
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Creative
Miracles
Wilferd Arlan
Peterson
Out of a block of
ivory, Pygmalion chiseled the form of a beautiful woman, Galatea.
As he worked with inspired zeal a miracle happened. Galatea
came to life!
Many potentially
happy and successful people are imprisoned in the ivory of defeat
and despair. You can help release them to new life through
the miracle-working power of your inspiring influence.
When Anne
Sullivan became Helen Keller's teacher, she knew that she was able
to reach her young pupil before she could instill discipline and a
love of learning.
Although she
began signing the names of objects into Helen's hand immediately,
it wasn't until Sullivan held Helen's hand under a stream of cool
water while spelling out the word "water" that a miracle
happened.
As Sullivan
watched, Helen became conscious of the mystery of language.
Everything has a name and each name gives birth to a new idea.
"One
single ray of light," wrote Arnold Bennett, "one
single hint, will clarify and energize the whole mental life of
the person who receives it."
Work miracles
with praise. Appreciation accelerates accomplishment.
People go on to bigger things when they are made to feel that
their work is worthwhile.
Work miracles by
having faith in others. Thomas Edison was sent home from
school because his teacher said he was hopeless. Years later
he wrote: "I won out because my mother never, for a
single moment, lost faith in me."
Work miracles by
giving courage. Many ideas have failed to be realized
because people lacked the courage to see them through.
Promising careers have been abandoned because of fear.
Work miracles by
counseling patience. Many a person has turned and left the
dock before his or her ship came in. Stress the wisdom of
waiting and working. Time has a great power to solve
problems.
Work miracles by
expecting great things. People will rise to do the seemingly
impossible to justify the high expectations you hold for them.
Work miracles by
rousing the imagination. You never can tell what will happen
when you set a person's mind on fire with a great dream or
purpose. Mentor Graham, Lincoln's teacher, lighted a fire
that created the "man for the ages."
Work miracles by
setting a good example. "A boy or a girl doesn't
have to have a mark on the wall to go by when there is a man or a
woman around about the size he or she wants to be."
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Life Fully, the e-zine
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are presented as thoughts of the authors--by no means do
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mean to present them as ways that anyone has to live
life. Take
from them what you will, and disagree with
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A
Personal Reminiscence
from Margaret Sangster
Speaking
before a crowd, Margaret Sangster related this
personal experience:
"There
came into my big playroom one day a crowd of
boys. Among them was one walking on a homemade
crutch and a homemade cane. He limped
in. One foot turned completely around and
faced backwards. His whole body was so twisted
he couldn’t play with the others, so he backed up
against the wall and followed them so hungrily with
his eyes that my heart just broke for him. I
called him into the office and asked him what had
happened. He answered, 'A truck ran over me.'
"I
cleaned him up and made an appointment with a doctor
friend who had helped me many times before.
The doctor examined him carefully, then called in
several other doctors. Finally they said,
'Miss Margaret, we can straighten his leg and arm
and a few other things. There is no reason why
he can’t walk again! It will take several
operations. He’d have to stay in the
hospital for a long time. The only problem for
you now is to get somebody to pay the hospital
expenses. We’ll do our work gratis--we’ll
gladly do it for you if you can find somebody to pay
the expenses.'
"I
picked up the telephone and called the president of
one of the banks and told him I needed to see him
right away. He said, 'Well, come on
down. I’ve got the president of one of the
other banks here with me. Come on, it’s just
about a block and we will both be glad to see
you.' The little boy, on one crutch and a
cane, limped with me into the president’s
office. I told them the story. They
looked at each other for a moment, nodded, and then
said to me with a smile, 'Go ahead, Miss
Margaret, put him in the hospital. We will see
that the bills are paid.'
"The
day came when the boy literally danced into my
playroom and, putting his hands on his hips, he
hopped up on one foot and then on the other, then
asked, 'How’m I doing, Miss Margaret?'
"I
answered, 'You’re doing just fine.' When he
had gone, I walked around the playroom with my
shoulders up and my head held high with pride.
I said to myself, 'Margaret, that’s one thing
that you did that you can see. You are
always complaining that you can’t see any visible
results, and you don’t know whether you are
accomplishing anything or not. There’s one
thing definite that you can put your finger on
that you did.'"
Then
Margaret Sangster leaned over the podium and
asked: "Where do you think he is
today--that boy the doctors and bankers and I
straightened out?”
Someone
in the audience replied, “He’s a preacher.”
She
said, “No.”
”A
banker?”
“No.”
”Governor
of the state?”
“No.”
”A
Senator?”
“No.”
”A
lawyer?”
“No.”
Miss
Sangster held up her hand for silence and with
sadness in her voice said: “You’d never
guess. He’s in the penitentiary for life for
a crime that was so heinous, so terrible, that
except for his youth they would have sent him to the
electric chair or the gas chamber.” After a
moment she continued. “Do you see what my
mistake was? I spent so much time teaching
that boy how to walk that I forgot to tell
him where to walk.”
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One evening in a movie theater, the lights had
just gone down and
the crowd had just settled in when a flashy ad
for the theater's
concession stand lit up the screen.
Unfortunately, the sound was
missing. The crowd sat quietly
for a few moments, then out of
the darkness, an irritated voice
demanded, "Okay, who's got the remote?"
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Alone
in his car heading west, it's easy for Jason to feel sorry
for himself and mad at the world. But then he gives
a ride to Hector and learns life isn't as negative as we
sometimes see it. The friendship between this young
man and his 70-year-old passenger is an inspiring story of
love and of dealing with obstacles in life. It's a
story that you'll treasure long after you've finished
reading. Three
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An excerpt:
“That was my first death.”
Jason
wasn’t sure what Hector meant.
It seemed obvious, but there was something in the
way that Hector had had spoken the words that made the
obvious explanation seem insufficient.
“Do you mean that was the first death you
experienced in your life?” Jason asked.
“No.
I mean that it was the first time I died.”
Jason
thought it over for a moment.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
Hector
looked over at Jason.
“Perhaps not,” he said simply.
“But perhaps it does.
I know that one day I was one person, but two weeks
later I was a different person.
The Hector Gutierrez Sanchez that I was one day no
longer was there the next.
I had all the same memories as that other person,
and people who had known me before still recognized me as
someone they knew, but I was not the same person.
The person I had been had died.”
“I
guess if you want to see it that way. . . .”
“Tell
me,” Hector said respectfully, “are you exactly the
same person you were five years ago?
Two years ago?”
“No,
not at all. I’ve
learned things. I’ve
grown. I’ve
been developing as a person, I guess.
But yes—I’m still the same person.
I mean, I’m still in the same body and all.”
“Perhaps
you see it that way only because you wish to hold on to
what you were. Because
you are afraid to let it go.
Perhaps you are frightened to let go of who you
were because you are frightened of who you may become.”
Hector spoke matter-of-factly, with no hint of
certainty that he was right, with no sign that he felt he
was teaching Jason something.
He was making no effort to convince Jason that he
was right, and that threw Jason off.
He didn’t know how to respond.
He was used to people telling him what they
believed almost as if they wished to challenge him, and he
was used to arguing his side, which he usually thought of
almost immediately. Here,
though, there was no challenge, no need for him to jump to
defend his own beliefs.
Rather, there almost seemed to be an invitation to
think more deeply, to reflect upon the words that Hector
had spoken and the thoughts they expressed.
It made Jason very uncomfortable.
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