Seeking success through mental powers--Holding the thought alone not
sufficient--How to get the real benefit of thought-force--Fall in with
the workings of the Law--Stand on your own feet--One step at a
time--"I Do" as well as "I Am."
Many of the men and women who have been seeking Prosperity by means of
the powers of the mind, have done so by "holding the thought," and
then folding their hands and calmly waiting for some "lucky" event to
happen, or in other words, for the long sought for prize to drop down
into the laps, from out of the Nowhere. Now, I have heard of a number
of cases in which things apparently came about in this way, although I
have always felt that a little investigation would have shown some
good and natural cause behind it all, but as a rule the law does not
work in this way--it does not leave the old beaten road of cause and
effect. It is no Aladdin's lamp which has merely to be rubbed in order
that glittering gems, and showers of gold, be poured out into the lap
of the owner, as he lies back on his cushions, lazily rubbing the lamp
with the tip of his little finger. The law expects from the man who
would invoke its mighty aid, a little honest work on his part.
I think that the majority of those who have met with a greater share
of Success by means of the wonderful power of Thought, have met with
such Success not by having it fall from the skies, but by following
out the ideas, impulses, yes, inspiration, if you will, that have come
to them. The man who has turned his back upon the old negative Mental
Attitude--who has turned his face toward the rising sun--who has
allowed the voice of Faith again to be heard--who knows that the Law
which rules the motions of the worlds and still takes note of the
sparrow's fall, has his interest at heart and asks but for Faith--that
man, I say, finds that from time to time ideas will come into his mind
just when they are needed; will find that the Law takes cognizance of
all human needs and has prepared a way to satisfy them. He finds that
new ways are pointed out to him--avenues of escape from unbearable
conditions--signboards pointing out the right road, but he must have
FAITH in these little hints from the Infinite, and must follow them.
The Law will open the door to you, but will not push you in. And when
it finds that you refuse to see the open door, it softly closes it,
and not until many weary years have passed do you recognize what you
have missed. And the Law insists upon doing its work in its own good
way--not in _your_ way. You may know what you want, but you may not
know just the right way to get it, although you think you do. The
Law will give you many a hint, and many a gentle push in the proper
direction, but it always leaves you the liberty of choice--the right
to refuse. It does not insist upon your love, your Faith; that is, it
does not _make_ you love and have Faith, but until you _do_ love and
have Faith you are not conscious of the promptings of the Spirit, or,
at most, dismiss them as beneath your notice. Oh, ye of little Faith,
when will ye learn.
The man who understands the workings of the Law, acts upon the tender
impulses imparted to him, without resistance. He does not ask to see
the end of the journey, but he sees the step just ahead of him very
plainly, and he hesitates not about taking it. He does not expect the
Law to bring RESULTS and place them in his hand. All he asks and
desires is that the way be pointed out to him, and he is willing and
ready to do the rest himself. The true man or woman does not wish to
be fed with a spoon. All they ask is that they may have a fair chance
to reach the source of supply, and they can manage to handle the spoon
themselves. If any man think that the Law is an incubator of
parasites--of leeches--of vampires--he is greatly mistaken. The lesson
of the Law is to teach every man to stand upon his own feet--to lean
not upon another--but at the same time to feel that he is guided by
the great Law of which he himself is a part, which manifests within
him as well as without him, and that, consequently, while placing his
trust in the Law, he trusts in himself. Not paradoxical at all, when
you have the key.
Yes, yes, the Law expects every man to do well the work that lies to
his hand--and to do it well, whether it is irksome or distasteful or
otherwise; and as soon as he ceases to rebel and beat his wings
against the bars of the cage, the way is opened for the next step; and
if he does not take that step, he must work away until he learns to
take it. And so on, and on, the lesson of each task to be learned
before the next is presented. Work? why certainly you must work.
Everything in the Universe works unceasingly. When you learn to look
upon work as a joy and not a curse, then you are beginning to see your
way out of the grinding process. Then you are getting a glimpse of the
Promised Land. Why bless your hearts, Work is the best friend you
have, the only trouble is that you have treated it as an enemy and it
has paid you back in your own coin. When you learn to treat it as a
friend, it will be only too glad to make up, and you will get along
like two old cronies.
Now, you people who have been sitting with folded hands and "calmly
waiting," and complaining that your own has not come to you, listen:
You are mistaken. Your own has come to you--that's just the trouble.
Your own is the thing you attract, and you have been attracting just
what has come to you. Start in to-day, determined to fall in with the
workings of the Law, and pay attention to the "I DO" side of things as
well as the "I AM," and you will receive new light. Great things are
just ahead of you, but you must reach out for them--they're not going
to drop into folded hands. This is the Law.