AutoSUGGESTION:
AUTO-SUGGESTION: THE MEDIUM FOR INFLUENCING THE
SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
—
The Third Step toward Riches
AUTO-SUGGESTION is a term which
applies to all suggestions and all self-ad-ministered stimuli which reach one’s
mind through the five senses. Stated in another way, auto-suggestion is
self-suggestion. It is the agency of communica-tion between that part of the
mind where conscious thought takes place, and that which serves as the seat of
action for the subconscious mind. Through the domi-nating thoughts which one
permits to remain in the conscious mind, (whether these thoughts be negative or
positive, is immaterial), the principle of auto-sug-gestion voluntarily reaches
the subconscious mind and influences it with these thoughts.
NO THOUGHT, whether it be negative or positive,
CAN ENTER THE SUBCON-SCIOUS MIND WITHOUT THE AID OF THE PRINCIPLE OF
AUTO-SUGGES-TION, with the exception of thoughts picked up from the ether.
Stated differently, all sense impressions which are perceived through the five
senses, are stopped by the CONSCIOUS thinking mind, and may be either passed on
to the subconscious mind, or rejected, at will. The conscious faculty serves,
therefore, as an outer-guard to the approach of the subconscious.
Nature has so built man that he
has ABSOLUTE CONTROL over the material which reaches his subconscious mind,
through his five senses, although this is not meant to be construed as a
statement that man always EXERCISES this control. In the great majority of
instances, he does NOT exercise it, which explains why so many people go
through life in poverty.
Recall what has been said about the subconscious
mind resembling a fertile gar-den spot, in which weeds will grow in abundance,
if the seeds of more desirable crops are not sown therein. AUTOSUGGESTION is
the agency of control through which an individual may voluntarily feed his
subconscious mind on thoughts of a creative nature, or, by neglect, permit
thoughts of a destructive nature to find their way into this rich garden of the
mind. You were instructed, in the last of the six steps described in the chapter
on Desire, to read ALOUD twice daily the WRITTEN statement of your DESIRE FOR
MONEY, and to SEE AND FEEL
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HILL THINK AND GROW RICH
yourself ALREADY in possession of the money! By
following these instructions, you communicate the object of your DESIRE
directly to your SUBCONSCIOUS mind in a spirit of absolute FAITH.
Through repetition of this procedure, you
voluntarily create thought habits which are favorable to your efforts to
transmute desire into its monetary equivalent.
Go back to these six steps described in chapter
two, and read them again, very carefully, before you proceed further. Then
(when you come to it), read very care-fully the four instructions for the
organization of your “Master Mind” group, de-scribed in the chapter on
Organized Planning. By comparing these two sets of instructions with that which
has been stated on auto-suggestion, you, of course, will see that the
instructions involve the application of the principle of auto-sug-gestion.
Remember, therefore, when reading aloud the
statement of your desire (through which you are endeavoring to develop a “money
consciousness”), that the mere reading of the words is of NO CONSEQUENCE-UNLESS
you mix emotion, or feeling with your words. If you repeat a million times the
famous Emil Coué for-mula, “Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and
better,” without mixing emotion and FAITH with your words, you will experience
no desirable results. Your subconscious mind recognizes and acts upon ONLY
thoughts which have been well-mixed with emotion or feeling.
This is a fact of such importance as to warrant
repetition in practically every chap-ter, because the lack of understanding of
this is the main reason the majority of people who try to apply the principle
of auto-suggestion get no desirable results.
Plain, unemotional words do not influence the
subconscious mind. You will get no appreciable results until you learn to reach
your subconscious mind with thoughts, or spoken words which have been well
emotionalized with BELIEF.
Do not become discouraged, if you cannot control
and direct your emotions the first time you try to do so. Remember, there is no
such possibility as SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. Ability to reach, and influence your
subconscious mind has its price, and you MUST PAY THAT PRICE. You cannot cheat,
even if you desire to do so. The price of ability to influence your
subconscious mind is everlasting PERSISTENCE in applying the principles
described here. You cannot develop the desired ability for a lower price. You,
and YOU ALONE, must decide whether or not the reward for which you are striving
(the “money consciousness”), is worth the price you must pay for it in effort.
NAPOLEON
HILL THINK AND GROW RICH
Wisdom and “cleverness” alone, will not attract
and retain money except in a few very rare instances, where the law of averages
favors the attraction of money through these sources. The method of attracting
money described here, does not depend upon the law of averages. Moreover, the
method plays no favorites. It will work for one person as effectively as it
will for another. Where failure is experi-enced, it is the individual, not the
method, which has failed. If you try and fail, make another effort, and still
another, until you succeed.
Your ability to use the principle of
auto-suggestion will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to CONCENTRATE
upon a given DESIRE until that desire becomes a BURNING OBSESSION.
When you begin to carry out the instructions in
connection with the six steps described in the second chapter, it will be
necessary for you to make use of the principle of CONCENTRATION.
Let us here offer suggestions for the effective
use of concentration. When you begin to carry out the first of the six steps,
which instructs you to “fix in your own mind the EXACT amount of money you
desire,” hold your thoughts on that amount of money by CONCENTRATION, or
fixation of attention, with your eyes closed, until you can ACTUALLY SEE the
physical appearance of the money. Do this at least once each day. As you go
through these exercises, follow the instruc-tions given in the chapter on
FAITH, and see yourself actually IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY!
Here is a most significant fact-the subconscious
mind takes any orders given it in a spirit of absolute FAITH, and acts upon
those orders, although the orders often have to be presented over and over
again, through repetition, before they are in-terpreted by the subconscious
mind. Following the preceding statement, consider the possibility of playing a
perfectly legitimate “trick” on your subconscious mind, by making it believe,
because you believe it, that you must have the amount of money you are
visualizing, that this money is already awaiting your claim, that the
subconscious mind MUST hand over to you practical plans for acquiring the money
which is yours.
Hand over the thought suggested in the preceding
paragraph to your IMAGINA-TION, and see what your imagination can, or will do,
to create practical plans for the accumulation of money through transmutation
of your desire.
DO NOT WAIT for a definite plan, through which
you intend to exchange services or merchandise in return for the money you are
visualizing, but begin at once to see yourself in possession of the money,
DEMANDING and EXPECTING mean-
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HILL THINK AND GROW RICH
while, that your subconscious mind will hand over
the plan, or plans you need. Be on the alert for these plans, and when they
appear, put them into ACTION IM-MEDIATELY. When the plans appear, they will
probably “flash” into your mind through the sixth sense, in the form of an
“inspiration.” This inspiration may be considered a direct “telegram,” or
message from Infinite Intelligence. Treat it with respect, and act upon it as
soon as you receive it. Failure to do this will be FATAL to your success.
In the fourth of the six steps, you were
instructed to “Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin
at once to put this plan into action.” You should follow this instruction in
the manner described in the preceding para-graph. Do not trust to your “reason
when creating your plan for accumulating money through the transmutation of
desire. Your reason is faulty. Moreover, your reasoning faculty may be lazy,
and, if you depend entirely upon it to serve you, it may disappoint you.
When visualizing the money you intend to
accumulate, (with closed eyes), see yourself rendering the service, or
delivering the merchandise you intend to give in return for this money. This is
important!
SUMMARY OF INSTRUCTIONS
The fact that you are reading this book is an
indication that you earnestly seek knowledge. It is also an indication that you
are a student of this subject. If you are only a student, there is a chance
that you may learn much that you did not know, but you will learn only by
assuming an attitude of humility. If you choose to follow some of the
instructions but neglect, or refuse to follow others-you will fail! To get
satisfactory results, you must follow ALL instructions in a spirit of FAITH.
The instructions given in connection with the six
steps in the second chapter will now be summarized, and blended with the
principles covered by this chapter, as follows:
First.
Go into some quiet spot (preferably in bed at night) where you will not be
disturbed or interrupted, close your eyes, and repeat aloud, (so you may hear
your own words) the written statement of the amount of money you intend to
ac-cumulate, the time limit for its accumulation, and a description of the
service or merchandise you intend to give in return for the money. As you carry
out these instructions, SEE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY.
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HILL THINK AND GROW RICH
For example :-Suppose that you intend to
accumulate $50,000 by the first of January, five years hence, that you intend
to give personal services in return for the money, in the Capacity of a
salesman. Your written statement of your purpose should be similar to the
following:
“By the first day of January, 19.., I will have
in my possession $50,000, which will come to me in various amounts from time to
time during the interim.
“In return for this money I will give the most
efficient service of which I am capable, rendering the fullest possible
quantity, and the best possible quality of service in the capacity of salesman
of (describe the service or merchandise you intend to sell).
“I believe that I will have this money in my possession.
My faith is so strong that I can now see this money before my eyes. I can touch
it with my hands. It is now awaiting transfer to me at the time, and in the
proportion that I deliver the service I intend to render in return for it. I am
awaiting a plan by which to accumulate this money, and I will follow that plan,
when it is received.”
Second.
Repeat this program night and morning until you can see, (in your im-agination)
the money you intend to accumulate.
Third.
Place a written copy of your statement where you can see it night and morning,
and read it just before retiring, and upon arising until it has been
mem-orized.
Remember, as you carry out
these instructions, that you are applying the prin-ciple of auto-suggestion,
for the purpose of giving orders to your subconscious mind. Remember, also,
that your subconscious mind will act ONLY upon instruc-tions which are emotionalized,
and handed over to it with “feeling.” FAITH is the strongest, and most
productive of the emotions. Follow the instructions given in the chapter on
FAITH.
These instructions may, at first, seem abstract.
Do not let this disturb you. Follow the instructions, no matter how abstract or
impractical they may, at first, appear to be. The time will soon come, if you
do as you have been instructed, in spirit as well as in act, when a whole new
universe of power will unfold to you.
Scepticism, in connection with ALL new ideas, is
characteristic of all human be-ings. But if you follow the instructions
outlined, your scepticism will soon be re-placed by belief, and this, in turn,
will soon become crystallized into ABSOLUTE FAITH. Then you will have arrived at
the point where you may truly say, “I am the master of my fate, I am the
captain of my soul!”
NAPOLEON
HILL THINK AND GROW RICH
Many philosophers have made the statement, that
man is the master of his own earthly destiny, but most of them have failed to
say why he is the master. The reason that man may be the master of his own
earthly status, and especially his financial status, is thoroughly explained in
this chapter. Man may become the master of himself, and of his environment,
because he has the POWER TO IN-FLUENCE HIS OWN SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, and through
it, gain the coopera-tion of Infinite Intelligence.
You are now reading the chapter which represents
the keystone to the arch of this philosophy. The instructions contained in this
chapter must be understood and APPLIED WITH PERSISTENCE, if you succeed in
transmuting desire into money.
The actual performance of transmuting DESIRE into
money, involves the use of auto-suggestion as an agency by which one may reach,
and influence, the sub-conscious mind. The other principles are simply tools
with which to apply auto-suggestion. Keep this thought in mind, and you will,
at all times, be conscious of the important part the principle of
auto-suggestion is to play in your efforts to accumulate money through the
methods described in this book. Carry out these instructions as though you were
a small child.
Inject into your efforts something of the FAITH
of a child. The author has been most careful, to see that no impractical
instructions were included, because of his sincere desire to be helpful.
After you have read the entire book, come back to
this chapter, and follow in spirit, and in action, this instruction:
READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTER ALOUD ONCE EVERY NIGHT,
UNTIL YOU BE-COME THOROUGHLY CONVINCED THAT THE PRINCIPLE OF AUTO-SUG-GESTION
IS SOUND, THAT IT WILL ACCOMPLISH FOR YOU ALL THAT HAS BEEN CLAIMED FOR IT.
AS YOU READ, UNDERSCORE WITH A PENCIL EVERY
SENTENCE WHICH IMPRESSES YOU FAVORABLY.
Follow the foregoing instruction to the letter,
and it will open the way for a com-plete understanding, and mastery of the
principles of success.(
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