POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING - CREDIT.N.V.PEALE HOW to read
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./
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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 relaxed /a little,/ that/ nothing /was quite/ that final.
/If he succeeded,/ that was fine. /If he didn’t,/ well,/ tomorrow /
was /another day./ “I have /a terrible disbelief in myself,”he said dejectedly.
“I have/ no confidence./
“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./
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 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.”/
Upon analysis /I found/ that/ he “talked too much”/
simply because/ of an inferior 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/.
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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 kind 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 longed /to be/ hard-boiled/ 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 / 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 from a family/where/ 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.
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I had to use every known device/ to develop /confidence
/in/ what powers the good Lord /gave me./ I found/ the solution
/to 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 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/
overflowing /with faith./ Develop/ a tremendous faith /in God/
and/that /will give you/
a humble/ yet /soundly/ realistic faith/ in yourself. /The acquisition
/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 / quality of faith/required /
to eliminate inferiority /is/ of a particular nature./ Surface
skimming,/ formalistic/
perfunctory /prayer/ is not/ sufficiently powerful. /
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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 bYordinary 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 / 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.
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