As A Man Thinketh [ペーパーバック]

I have to say, that I was ready for the content, so it was particularly impactful. I just finished reading "Ask and It Is Given" and had most recently read through the chapter titled "Accurate Thought" in the book titled "The Law of Success" published by Orne Publishing. In fact, the day I was introduced to "As a Man Thinketh," I had just read about "Accurate Thought" the night before. I was walking through my office building, and this guy I know, totally unprompted and in a random manner, pops "As a Man Thinketh" out of his pocket and thrusts it toward me and said, "Hey, man, have you ever read this book." I looked at the title and laughed out loud. Sometimes God talks to us in such an overt manner that it's scary (in a good way). I downloaded the book immediately to my Kindle and read it that same night. I'm probably going to read it again tonight. And will continue to re-read it. After reading it, I woke up the next morning with such a sense of certitude and confidence. The ability to shape my destiny through accurate thought gives me a refreshing sense of freedom, because I can create that which I choose to experience. Awesome book!

I've read this book several time, it's very short, and I learn something new every time. Such beautiful writing style, it's simple and elegant at the same time. The title says it all, "as a man thinketh", and when you are blessed enough to finish this book you will conclude that as you think, so shall you be. It's the secret in "think and grow rich" too and that is one of my favorites also. In summary, do yourself a favor and invest in this book because it will pay you back for the rest of your life.

Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills: --
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass.
by James Allen

James Allen was the first to fully recognize the power that resides in us all, in that our thoughts are what manifests our reality. Most people have difficulty in recognizing that thoughts are things, and as Ella Wheeler Wilcox writes, "their airy wings"..."bring you back whatever went out from your mind."

Allen was the pioneer, the forbear of such notables as Norman Vincent Peale and Maxwell Maltz; he was the profoundly insightful messenger who made us realize the potent power we possess to affect our lives, rather than the proverbial leaf in the wind to be strewn about at the whim and storms of life, as was once accepted, internalized, and surrendered to. The only person to reach this truth before James Allen, was the father of psychology, William James when he stated, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind."

In developing his philosophy, Allen said, "I looked around upon the world and saw that it was shadowed by sorrow and scorched by the fierce fires of suffering. And I looked for the cause. I looked around, but I could not find it. I looked in books, but I could not find it. I looked within, and found there both the cause and the self-made nature of that cause. I looked again, and deeper, and found the remedy."

James Allen was born in Leicester, Central England in 1864. He wrote nineteen books--his most famous being, As a Man Thinketh, written in 1902, translated into five major languages. The title was influenced by a verse in the Bible from the Book of Proverbs chapter 23 verse 7, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Even though it was his most concise and eloquent work--the book that best embodied his thought--he somehow failed to recognize its value, and his wife Lily persuaded him to publish it. James Allen tells us how thought leads to action, and he shows how to turn dreams into realities. His philosophy is said to have brought success to millions. His words induce the realization, helping us internalize, that circumstance is not the designer of our future, but rather, at the mercy of the intention of our thoughts.

Can this small book change your life? It can. For some the words may be frightening, perhaps unwelcome, because his discovery informs us we are in control of our lives and stronly implies the resposibility is ours; we can change our habitual thoughts, the very things that govern our destiny. For many, his truth will spell liberation, as he so eloquently writes in the book as no other can:

"Men and women are makers of themselves by virtue of the thoughts they choose and encourage. The mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have been hitherto woven in ignorance and pain, they may now be woven in enlightenment and happiness."

Joe Arrigo
Author of, Fostering Cooperation: Power and Harmony through People
and, The Secret Factor for Uncommon Sales Success