People say: "One can't help one's thoughts." But one can. The control of the thinking machine is perfectly possible. And since nothing whatever happens to us outside our own brain; since nothing hurts us or gives us pleasure except within the brain, the supreme importance of being able to control what goes on in that mysterious brain is patent. This idea is one of the oldest platitudes, but it is a platitude whose profound truth and urgency most people live and die without realising. People complain of the lack of power to concentrate, not witting that they may acquire the power, if they choose.
And without the power to concentrate; that is to say, without the power to dictate to the brain its task and to ensure obedience; true life is impossible. Mind control is the first element of a full existence.
Hence, it seems to me, the first business of the day should be to put the mind through its paces. You look after your body, inside and out; you run grave danger in hacking hairs off your skin; you employ a whole army of individuals, to enable you to bribe your stomach into decent behaviour. Why not devote a little attention to the far more delicate machinery of the mind, especially as you will require no extraneous aid? It is for this portion of the art and craft of living that I have reserved the time from the moment of quitting your door to the moment of arriving at your office.
"What? I am to cultivate my mind in the street, at the office, in the bus, and in the crowded street again?" Precisely. Nothing simpler! No tools required! Not even a book. Nevertheless, the affair is not easy.
When you leave your house, concentrate your mind on a subject (no matter what, to begin with). You will not have gone ten yards before your mind has skipped away under your very eyes and is larking round the corner with another subject.
Bring it back by the scruff of the neck. There you have reached the station you will have brought it back about forty times. Do not despair. Continue. Keep it up. You will succeed. You cannot by any chance fail if you persevere. It is idle to pretend that your mind is incapable of concentration. Do you not remember that morning when you received a disquieting letter which demanded a very carefully worded answer? How you kept your mind steadily on the subject of the answer, without a second's intermission, until you reached your office; whereupon you instantly sat down and wrote the answer? That was a case in which "you" were focused by circumstances to such a degree of vitality that you were able to dominate your mind like a tyrant. You would have no trifling. You insisted that its work should be done, and its work was done.
By the regular practice of concentration (as to which there is no secret; save the secret of perseverance) you can tyrannise over your mind (which is not the highest part of "you") every hour of the day, and in no matter what place. The exercise is a very convenient one. If you got into your morning bus with a pair of dumbbells for your muscles or an encyclopaedia in ten volumes for your learning, you would probably excite remarks. But as you walk in the street, or sit in the corner of the compartment behind a pipe, or "strap-hang" on the Subterranean, who is to know that you are engaged in the most important of daily acts? Who can laugh at you?
I do not care what you concentrate on, so long as you concentrate. It is the mere disciplining of the thinking machine that counts. But still, you may as well kill two birds with one stone, and concentrate on something useful. Something that you like and are passionate about.
I wish you the best of luck in the control of your mind. ( Which by the way I don't belive in, I believe in self-effort, not luck!). Persevere and be patient, you will succeed!
**Attn Ezine Editors / Site Owners** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carl Cholette is a young entrepreneur who is specialized for finding and creating business opportunities.Discover, how you can travel the world at wholesale prices while making $2,000 to $10,000 a month with 95% of the work done for you! Click NOW =====> http://www.coastalcenter.ca
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Evaluations are a tremendous resource to help us know where... Read More
Let's set the scene. You're in a packed stadium. It's... Read More
Back from my amazing summer excursion, a month long drive... Read More
Recently I stumbled across a list of Microsoft Interview questions... Read More
Think back to a time in your life when you... Read More
Hey Future Millionaire,There's so much value in reading about the... Read More
I can tell, with 95% accuracy, if you are going... Read More
It's really all we have... the "Moment". Think about it,... Read More
It has been truly said, and history confirms, that the... Read More
The Great Library of Alexandria once held the wisdom of... Read More
To take the online road to success is not, contrary... Read More
Walt Disney coined a special phrase for persistence and determination;... Read More
Everyone talks about how to be successful through hard work... Read More
I started taking stock of my year in 2002. I... Read More
There have been a lot of really good movies made... Read More
I thought this was unbelievable, but it's true.On average, security... Read More
(1) Climb up from under the limitations of circum?stances and... Read More
Normally a long memory is an advantage but not if... Read More
Personal missions statements (PMS) are just nothing but the winning... Read More
Most of us fear change, because - as we've all... Read More
Noted author and self-worth teacher Eric Butterworth* says, "Poverty is... Read More
Your Head, think about what you want and move towards... Read More
When Julie looks through the lens of her camera she... Read More
Well I'll tell you what it's not. Even thought many... Read More
Many of us have lost sight of what we really... Read More
Last month Along The Purpose Path was about how to... Read More
When you hear the words "abundance" and "prosperity", what immediately... Read More
Do you feel like your stuck?No matter what you do,... Read More
Ray Winstone, the London East End barrow boy, who became... Read More
There are times when we feel we should take action,... Read More
When you are in business every person you hire gets... Read More
If you want to be rich and famous, you have... Read More
Building wealth isn't something for the frightened, ignorant, and lost.... Read More
Work addiction is an unrestrained, unfulfillable internal demand for constant... Read More
Cost is sometimes a difficult term to define. Here, we... Read More
We experience failure directly or indirectly. Here we will come... Read More
Depending on the person, challenges can either make or break... Read More
The most important quality you can ever develop is having... Read More
It goes without saying that we are unlikely to experience... Read More
Did you know that your past, present, and future can... Read More
In 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down and the... Read More
If you called my office you will hear my voice... Read More
The story that is being used to illustrate the concepts... Read More
Recently, I coached a young woman whom I'll call Mary... Read More
The best way to predict your future is to create... Read More
"Fighting to pay the bills is hardly worth it? fight... Read More
Failure is GreatYou are probably asking yourself what could be... Read More
To be clear about what success is must be the... Read More
The Law of Experience"Success comes from good judgement; good judgement... Read More
(Excerpted from the 1999 Weekend Seminar audio/CD series)Parents, leaders, employers,... Read More
Success |