Thinking for Results, Chapter Nine
by Christian D. Larson
To train the mind to think for results there are four essentials that must be provided.
• The first is to carry on all thinking in the attitude of right mental states.
• The second is to think only such thoughts as will push your work and that will constantly promote your present purpose in life.
• The third is to employ only such creative processes in the mind as will tend directly to produce the larger, the better and the superior.
• And the fourth is to think only the real truth about all things; that is, to fashion all thought according to the most perfect mental conception that can be formed of the real in everything of which we may think. The first three essentials have been fully considered in the preceding pages. We shall therefore conclude by giving our attention to the fourth. And in doing so we must prepare ourselves for thought that is somewhat deeper than the usual.
To begin we must realize that there is a vast difiference between what seems to be true and what really is true, and that all thinking to be right, wholesome, constructive and scientific must deal directly with that which really is true. To illustrate we will consider the being of man. Viewed externally, man seems to have many imperfections, to be limited in all things and to be more or less in the hands of fate. But when we consider not the present conditions of the personal man, but the possibilities of his marvelous interior nature, we find that imperfections are simply greater things in the process of development. We find that there is no limit to his power and inherent capacity, and we find that he is strong enough, if he applies all his strength, to overcome any fate, to change any circumstance and to positively determine his own destiny.
When we examine other people and things we find the same to be true; that is, that there is more in everything than what appears on the surface. And therefore what appears to be true of things when viewed externally is not the whole truth; in fact, it may frequently be the very opposite of the real truth. The right use of thought, however, must concern itself with the real truth, or the inside facts in the case; therefore, in thinking for results we must fashion our thoughts according to what really is in those thoughts of which we may be thinking.
In dealing with the inside facts of any case, condition or object the question always is: "What are the possibilities; what can be done with what is in the thing; and what results can be gained from the full use of everything that this circumstance or that person may contain?" And it is highly important to answer this question as fully and as correctly as possible because we are as we think and our thoughts are always like the things we think about. Besides, we must be conscious of the real interior possibility of those things with which we deal in order to secure the greatest results. If we think only of the imperfections and the limitations that appear on the surface our thinking will be inferior, and we will become ordinary both in mind and personality. But if we think of what is really true of the greater possibilities of all things we will think far greater thoughts, and we will think inspiring thoughts — thoughts that will stir the mind to greater ambition and greater achievement, and the mind will accordingly enter more and more into a larger, greater and richer world. In consequence our mental powers along all lines will steadily increase.
To think what is really true about all things is therefore to think of the greater powers and possibilities that are in all things; and to think the truth in the broadest sense is to direct the mind upon the whole of life, with all its possibilities, and to deal mentally with all the richness, all the power and all the marvelousness that can be discerned in everything pertaining to life. Or to state it briefly, you have begun to think what is really true when your mind has begun to move constantly towards the vastness of the greater things that lie before us. And here we must remember that there is no end to that vastness; no limit to the greatness that is inherent in life. Therefore, we may go on and on indefinitely thinking more and more truth about everything; and as we do we shall continue to enrich and enlarge both the talents and the powers of the mind.
It is therefore evident that when we think the truth about all things, that is, think of what is really possible in all things, we will cause the mind to enlarge and expand constantly, because as we think of the larger we invariably enlarge the mind. And the real truth about all things grows larger and larger the further we advance in the pursuit of truth. And the importance of such a mode of thinking becomes more and more evident as we realize that an ever enlarging mind is an absolute necessity if our aim is to think for results.
When we proceed to think the truth about things we naturally think of the true state of affairs within those things. We think of the power itself and not of its past use. Therefore, such thinking will invariably keep the mind in a wholesome and harmonious condition. That which is true of the real nature of things must be good and wholesome, and therefore to think of that which is true must necessarily produce wholesome conditions in the mind. And here it is well to emphasize the fact that the mind that is wholesome and harmonious is far more powerful than the mind that is not. Such a mind therefore may secure far greater results, no matter what its work or purpose may be.
To think what is really true about everything will for the same reason prevent the formation of detrimental and perverted states of mind, and will also prevent the misdirection of mental energy. This is a fact of great importance to those who aim for results, because in the average mind the majority of the energies placed in action are either misdirected or applied in such a way as to be of no permanent value. Another fact that needs emphasis in this connection is that the thinking of truth will tend to bring out all that is in us. And the reason is that when we think of what there really is in everything the mind becomes more penetrating as well as more comprehensive in its scope of action. The result therefore will naturally be that our own mental actions will penetrate more and more every element and power that is in us, and thus arouse more and more of everything that is in us. In other words, the mind will proceed to act positively upon everything that exists in the vast domain of our own mental world, conscious and subconscious, and will actually think into activity every power and faculty we possess.
When we think the real truth about everything in life, including our own self, we invariably focus attention upon the best, the largest and the richest that exists in everything. And this we must do if our purpose is to secure greater and better results the further we go in our progress toward attainment and achievement.
Your mind, your thought, your ability, your power, in brief, everything of worth in your system, cannot be fully and effectively applied unless your attention is constantly concentrated upon the greater; unless you are mentally moving towards the greater; unless you are giving your whole life and power to the greater; and to this end your attention must constantly be focused upon the best and the greatest that you can possibly picture in your mind. When you think the truth you think of what can be done. You do not think of weakness, obstacles or possible failure; nor do you consider what may be dark, adverse or detrimental in your present circumstances. Instead you think of the tremendous power that is within you, and you try to turn on the full current of that power so that what you want to accomplish positively will be accomplished. But in turning on that full current you make a special effort to make every action in your system constructive, whether it be physical or mental, because in working for results you want all that is in you to work thoroughly, continuously and directly for those self same results. We realize therefore the importance of training the mind to think the truth according to this larger view of the truth in order that the best use, the fullest use and the most effective use of every power of mind and thought may be applied ; and we shall find as we proceed that the art of thinking the truth in this manner can be readily mastered by anyone whose desire is to make his life as large, as rich and as perfect as life can be made.
To restate the principles and ideas upon which the right use of the mind is based, we need simply return to the four essentials mentioned in the beginning of this chapter. We proceed by placing the mind in certain mental states called right mental states because the mind has more power while acting in such states, and can act more effectively while acting through the wholesome constructive attitudes of those states. We continue by thinking only such thoughts as will tend to work with us, and give their full force to the promotion of our purpose. We avoid thoughts and mental states that are against us and permit only those that are positively and absolutely for us. We place in action only such mental processes as tend to create the larger, the better and the superior in ourselves because our object is not simply to secure results now, but to secure greater and greater results; and to promote this object we must constantly develop the larger, the better and the superior in ourselves.
Lastly we make it a special point to think the real truth about all things; that is, we form our mental conceptions, our ideas and our thoughts in the exact likeness of the great, the marvelous and the limitless that is inherent in all life. We aim to fashion our thoughts according to everything that is great, lofty and of superior worth so that we may think great thoughts because we are as we think.
When our thoughts are small we will become small, weak and inefficient; but when our thoughts are great we will become great, powerful and efficient. This is the law, and as we apply this law as fully and as effectively as we possibly can, we shall positively become much and achieve much, and the object we have in view—the securing of greater and greater results will be realized.
Therefore in all our thinking we focus all the actions of mind upon the unbounded possibilities that are inherent in ourselves, that are inherent in all things, that are inherent in the vastness of the cosmos. We turn all our thoughts upon the rich, the limitless and the sublime so that we may live constantly in a larger and superior mental world — a world that we are determined to make larger and larger every day.
And as we live, think and work in that ever-growing mental world we insist that everything we do shall, with a certainty, build for that greater future we now have in view; and that every action of mind and body shall be a positive force moving steadily, surely and perpetually towards those sublime heights of attainment and achievement that we have longed for so much while inspired by the spirit of ambition's lofty dream.