THE THOUGHT FACTOR IN ACHIEVEMENT

All that a man achieves, and all that he fails to achieve (are) the direct result of his own thoughts. 20

A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own and not another man’s. They are brought about by himself and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. 20

His condition is also his own, and not another man’s. His sufferings and happiness are evolved from within. As he thinks, so is he; as he continues to think, so he remains. 20

…Oppressor and slaves are cooperators in ignorance, and, while seeming to afflict the other, are in reality afflicting themselves… He who has conquered weakness and has pushed away all selfish thoughts belong neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free. 20

Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things, he must lift his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence. 21

There can be no progress nor achievement without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be by the measure that he sacrifices his confused animals thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and the strengthening of his resolutions and self-reliance. The higher he lifts his thoughts, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements. 21

The universe does not favour the greedy, the dishonest, the vicious, although on the mere surface it sometimes may appear to do so. It helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. 21

Intellectual achievements are the results of thoughts consecrated to the search for knowledge, or for the beautiful and true in nature. 21

Spiritual achievements are the consummation of holy aspirations. He who lives constantly in the conception of noble and lofty thoughts, who dwells upon all that is pure and selfless will…become wise and noble in character, and rise into a position of influence and blessedness. 21-22

Achievement of any kind is the crown of effort (and) the diadem of thought. 22

By the aid of self-control, resolution, purity, righteousness, and well-directed thought, a man ascends. By the aid of animality, indolence, impurity, corruption, and confusion of thought, a man descends. 22

A man may rise to high success in the world, even to lofty attitudes in the spiritual realm, and again descend into weakness and wretchedness by allowing arrogant, selfish, and corrupt thoughts to take possession of him. 22

Victories attained by right thought can be maintained only by watchfulness. 22

All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought. 22

He who would accomplish little need sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much. He who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly. 22

THOUGHT AND PURPOSE

Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent achievement. 18

With the majority the bark (light stick) of thought is allowed to “drift” upon the ocean of life…and such…must not continue for him who would steer clear of catastrophe and destruction. 18

Aimlessness is a vice. 18

They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, and self-pityings…which lead…to failure, unhappiness, and loss. 18

To put away aimlessness and weakness and to begin to think with purpose is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment. Who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully. 19

Doubts and fears…are disintegrating elements which break up the straight line of effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual, useless. 19

Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in. 19

The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of (that) knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step. 19

He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. 19

Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes a creative force. He who knows this is ready to become something higher and stronger…He who does this has become the conscious and intelligent wielder of his mental powers. 19

This March at the Thrive with Babs Academy: The Missing Link

“I’ve done everything I could, but I’m still not quite there. At times, it seems so close, like it’s about to reach my palms, but then it slips again. It feels as if I’m chasing the sun; the closer I get, the farther it becomes.”

“It’s like there is something stopping me, something missing; there is a missing link!”

We all have this feeling sometimes, or we know someone who does. We tick all the boxes and do all the things that experts said we must do to get results, yet things don’t eventually play out as we desire. We know we have done our best, yet something seems missing, and we cannot explain it.

This March, Thrive Academy will be discussing THE MISSING LINK. We shall zero in on the clincher that connects our missing link so as to make our life journey accomplished and more meaningful.

You cannot afford to miss this session.

Venue: 1A, African Church Close, off Coker Road, Ilupeju, Lagos.

Date: Friday, March 31st, 2017

Time: 4:00pm

Attendance is free, but pre-registration is compulsory. To book your seat, please click www.bit.ly/ThrivewithBabs or call: +2348110832280, +2348188708026.

EFFECTS OF THOUGHTS ON HEALTH AND BODY

The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts, it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty. 16

Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought. Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a sickly body. 16

The people who live in fear of diseases are the people who get it. Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body and lays it open to the entrance of disease. 16

Strong, pure and happy thoughts build up the body in vigour and grace. The body is a delicate and plastic instrument, which responds readily to the thoughts by which it is impressed, and habits of thought will produce their own effects, good or bad, upon it. 16

Men will continue to have impure and poisoned blood, so long as they propagate unclean thoughts. Out of a clean heart come a clean life and a clean body. Out of a defiled mind proceed a defiled life and a defiled body. 16

Thought is the fount (source) of action, life and manifestation; make the fount pure and all will be pure. 16

Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food… Clean thoughts make clean habits. 16-17

If you want to perfect your body, guard your mind. If you want to renew your body, beautify your mind. Thoughts of malice, envy, disappointment, and despondency rob the mind of its health and grace. 17(paraphrased)

A sour face does not come by chance; it is made by sour thoughts. Wrinkles that mar (the face) are drawn by folly, passion, pride. 17

As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode (house) unless you admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body and a bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the free admittance into the body of joy and goodwill and serenity. 17

[On the faces of the age there are wrinkles made by sympathy, others by strong and pure thought, and others are carved by passion…] With those who have lived righteously, age is calm, peaceful, and softly mellowed like the setting sun. 17

There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills of the body; there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow. 17

To live continually in thought of ill-will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self-made prison hole. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently learn to find the good in all – such unselfish thoughts are the very portals (gateways) of heaven. 17

EXTRACTS FROM AS A MAN THINKETH by James Allen

The circumstances in which a man encounters with suffering are the result of his own mental inharmony. The circumstances which a man encounters blessedness are the result of his mental harmony. 12

Blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure of right thought; wretchedness, not lack of material possessions, is the measure of wrong thought. A man may be cursed and rich; he may be blessed and poor. 12-13

Blessedness and riches are only joined together when the riches are rightly and wisely used. And the poor man only descends into wretchedness when he regards his lot (in life) as a burden unjustly imposed. 13

Indigence and indulgence are the two extremes of wretchedness. They are both equally unnatural and the result of mental disorder. 13

A man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy, healthy, and prosperous being; and happiness, health, and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer of the man with his surroundings. 13

A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. 13

Law, not confusion, is the dominating principle in the universe; justice, not injustice, is the soul and substance of life. Righteousness, not corruption, is the moulding and moving force in the spiritual government of the world. 13

A man has but to right himself to find that the universe is right. And during the process of putting himself right, he will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him. 13

Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. 13

Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot. It rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstances… A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and the circumstances (of the man). 13-14

A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances… Nature helps every man to gratification of the thoughts which he most encourages. 14

The world is your kaleidoscope, and the varying combination of colours which at every succeeding moment it presents to you are the exquisitely adjusted pictures of your ever-moving thoughts. 14

Though walls of granite intervene, the human will can hew a way to any goal. 15 (paraphrased)