“A Person is the causer (though nearly always unconsciously) of his circumstances, and that, whilst aiming at the good end, he is continually frustrating its accomplishment by encouraging thoughts and desires which cannot possibly harmonize with that end.” —As a Man Thinketh
One of the examples James Allen uses to support this philosophy is a rich man who is the victim of a painful and persistent disease as the result of gluttony. He’s willing to give large sums of money to get rid of the disease and he fully expects that will be the cure. Unfortunately, he never addresses the gluttonous desire that is the cause of his condition. He can never achieve good health because his desires are not in harmony with the good health he seeks, regardless of the money he spends.
Wow, did I relate to the rich man. Not because of his money, but because of his attitude. There’s been so many times in my life that I said I wanted to get rid of negative circumstances, all the while I’m engaging in the actions (brought on by my thoughts) that could never possibly harmonize with the results I said I wanted.
Once I remember a big commitment and resolution on my part to spend more time with my family. I optimistically laid out a calendar of activities we would do together and got very excited about the “new me.” The way I had it figured, I’d probably be “father of the year.”
Well, I’m glad they didn’t publish the results of the “competition” that year, I’m sure I would have finished dead last. You see, despite my “aiming at the good end,” I hadn’t changed the thought patterns that had plagued me for years. Any type of crisis in my business was a justifiable reason for me to work late or to go in on the weekends. While my mouth said that my family was more important, my actions (and thoughts) said otherwise.
James Allen wants us to understand that we cannot change our circumstances without first changing our thoughts to harmonize with the circumstances we want. To think otherwise is just as foolish as the gluttonous rich man.
One of my great enlightenments came from Wayne Dyer’s You’ll See It When You Believe It. He wrote, “Work each day on your thoughts rather than concentrating on your behavior. It is your thinking that creates the feelings you have and ultimately your actions as well.”
And that’s worth thinking about.
—Vic Johnson
Reproduced with permission from the Chris Widener Ezine. To subscribe to Chris Widener's Ezine, go to http://pr1.netatlantic.com/t/12897414/31467344/590990/0/ Copyright 2009 Chris Widener International. All rights reserved worldwide.
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