“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt

“Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not long remain so if you but perceive an Ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot travel within and stand still without. Here is a youth hard pressed by poverty and labor; confined long hours in an unhealthy workshop; unschooled, and lacking all the arts of refinement. But he dreams of better things. He thinks of intelligence, of refinement, of grace and beauty. He conceives of, mentally builds up, an ideal condition of life. The vision of the wider liberty and a larger scope takes possession of him; unrest urges him to action, and he utilizes all his spare time and means, small though they are, to the development of his latent powers and resources.”

“Very soon so altered has his mind become that the workshop can no longer hold him. It has become so out of harmony with his mentality that it falls out of his life as a garment is cast aside, and with the growth of opportunities which fit the scope of his expanding powers, he passes out of it forever.”

As A Man Thinketh -James Allen

We are trapped in our own mind.

Upon awakening after a gathering I ask myself…Am I the only one who’s awake? Are they still asleep? It seems that everyone around me is fast asleep except me. Do they know that they are dreaming? Hmm, I wonder what they are dreaming of. Do they know that their dream world is nothing but a generic script that they choose to follow without question? Even when I’m asleep, at least I do so lucidly, controlling the outcome of my dreams. Do those who are sleeping know of lucid dreaming? Do they not control their fate while engulfed in the dream state? It seems to have come so natural to me, well—I have been called different all my life. I wish someone would awaken; I’m getting bored not having anyone to talk to. Should I try to awake them by ringing a bell or clock alarm? It’s been said that people never really want to get up unless they want to; they have a habit of ignoring an alarm or hitting the snooze button. Better yet I think I will just wait until someone wakes up on their own, that way they are in good spirits and ready to start their day. They say “the early bird catches the worm,” but it sure would be nice to have someone to hunt with for a change if you know what I mean. Looking upon a sleeping person seems so odd, they seem so calm and serene on the exterior; meanwhile, they are probably suffering tremendously in a nightmare. Wait, are they twitching and moaning? Yes, it must be a nightmare; the seemingly tranquil are starting to look a little disturbed. Hopefully they will realize that they are dreaming by recognizing some object being out of place, that’s what I did to cut my nightmare short. Could they be medicated? Could they have self-medicated with pills or alcohol—drugs maybe? There is no telling these days everyone medicates in some way. A slight shake does not seem to help anyone awaken, oh well, I tried. Maybe they want to sleep their life away. I must admit I too have fallen into many a slumber, just letting time pass me by, but never in such a deep sleep. Who am I to try to awaken them anyway? It would probably be in vain anyway. Maybe I should just go back to sleep with everyone else. Why should I be the only one awake? No, I’ll just stay up and start my day; everyone has the same repetitive themed dreams anyway plus I seem to have so much clarity right now. By the time everyone awakens they will wonder how I’ve gotten so much done in such a short amount of time, easily stated, you can get so much more done when your awake than when you’re sleeping. When they awaken I’m sure they will ask “Why didn’t you awaken me earlier?” I will simply say “I tried, but you were not ready to awaken?”

Messizio

Abstract

In order to achieve success in any personal or professional goal, one must know and believe in the power of the thought, and one must find his or her own definition of success independent of society’s
perceived norms.  Everyone is the creator his or her own destiny, the molder of his own environment, and accomplishes goals through one’s repetitive thoughts and actions regardless of negative circumstances.

Success:  The Product of Thought

Napoleon Hill (1937) stated the following:

Success in its highest and noblest form calls for peace of mind and enjoyment and happiness which come only to the man who has found the work that he likes best” (Emmert, 2009).

American author Napoleon Hill was one of the earliest producers in the genre of personal success literature.  Hill and Carnegie initially published in 1928, a study course called “The Law of success” (Emmert, 09).  The achievement formula was further detailed and published in home-study courses, including the seventeen-volume book series “Mental Dynamite” until 1941 (Emmert).  Hill later named his personal success teachings “The Philosophy of Achievement”, and he considered freedom, democracy, capitalism, and harmony to be important elements to this philosophy (Emmert).  Achieving success is important to one’s life in order to feel a sense of inner peace and self-worth; any determined individual will undoubtedly accomplish his dream.  In order to achieve success in any personal or professional goal, one person must know and believe in the power of the thought, and one must find his or her own definition of success.

The Power of Thought

To shape one’s destiny one must know and believe in the power of the thought.  One’s thoughts shape one’s own destiny and self-realization is the most important step for any pursuit of greatness or betterment of man; without the achievement of awareness of self, no change will be possible.  It states in the Bhagavad Gita “After Self-Realization, one does not regard any other gain superior to Self-Realization” (Bhagavad Gita, 7.03).  Self realization has also been referred to as an epiphany, a paradigm shift, enlightenment, or as commonly referred to as the “Light Bulb” or “Ah Hah” moment.
Everyone does not experience paradigm shifts at the same time nor has the will to adhere to it; if one chooses not to adhere, one will live with regret of his or her inaction.  A paradigm shift will alter one’s thoughts, feelings, and perception of whatever subject; most people experience paradigm shifts during life threatening situations or new role in life, and one will suddenly view priorities in a different matter.  In most instances, one has to be different in order to see different; paradigm shifts are very important because it is the basis for any change.   In order to achieve and preserve individual success, one needs to realize that one create themselves and is the sole controller of one’s life.

Internal Locus of Control

“Internal locus of control—the perception that you control your own fate” (Myers, 2009, p. 578).  As the sole controller of life, one can accomplish anything, if one applies the correct mindset and
has the will to pursue success (Allen, 1902). One does not just achieve success by mistake; there is a common recipe that holds true in every long-term successful person.  Everyone is the creator one’s own destiny, the molder of his own environment, and accomplishes goals through one’s repetitive
thoughts and actions regardless of negative circumstances.  Positive thinking has a tremendous impact on an individual’s life and the prosperity and good will of societies.  If good thoughts and right thinking can transform one’s world; certainly, negativity and bad thoughts can destroy one’s
world.  Constant repetitive thoughts will manifest into being, whether good or bad. One should feed the mind with good thoughts and read positive or informative books, Buddha once said, “Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts.”  Negative thoughts affect the masses; many people look at their bleak situation and crumble to circumstance.  One condemns himself to failure, not knowing the impact of self-defeating beliefs.  If a one says “I cannot,” he or she is one hundred percent accurate; if one focuses on failure, failure is inevitable.  Automotive tycoon Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, your right.”  Repetitive bad thoughts will become bad actions, repetitive bad actions reap bad habits, and bad habits crystallize into a bad character (Allen, p.23).  Most negative people live an unhappy life because one’s bad thoughts lead to suffering; a
pure and virtuous person with positive thoughts will lead a life filled with an abundance of joy.  The concept of cause and effect also holds true in the realm of thought as well as the physical world; good thoughts create good results, bad thoughts create bad results.  In the sense of gardening, if one wants to grow tomatoes, he or she would plant tomato seeds; it’s impossible to plant a tomato seed and expect to grow a cucumber (Allen).

Self-Concept

The Law of Attraction gives testament to the power of thought and what the human
mind can accomplish.  “One’s inner world reflects one’s outer world; as one focuses his or her thoughts and harmonize them one’s actions, he or she can call into existence whatever one desires” (Allen, 1902).  Analyzing one’s self by asking specific questions or wanting specific things to be fulfilled is an
important step to fill one’s void.  The acknowledgement and acceptance on one’s personal control in imperative; “In study after study, ‘internals’ achieve more in school and work, act more independently, enjoy better health, and feel less depressed than do ‘externals’ (Myers, 2009, p. 578).  The next step is
to believe fully in receiving, commonly referred to as faith—believing without doubt that he or she will receive one’s request; applying this method one is aligning thoughts and energy with one’s request and preparing one to receive.  To achieve any personal or professional success in life, one must find his or her own definition of success.  The perception of success is relative to the individual.  Many people measure success strictly by the acquisition of materialistic items.  The majority of average Americans see success as an expensive vehicle, large amounts of money, expensive apartment, and expensive
clothing.  Although some successful people possess expensive tastes, that is not what makes them a success; success is in the doing, not the getting.  The reality is that success depends upon the individual’s personal or professional goals and interests and not societies’ perceived norms.  Planning, achieving and reflecting upon a goal are the process of success; when inner thoughts crystallize into the physical world, one has succeeded (Allen).Before achieving success, one must have knowledge of the basic commonalities found in those whom do not leave success to chance. To shape one’s destiny one must know and believe in the power of thought.  After one ponders self-realization he or she feels confident that they are the sole controller of one’s destiny.  To achieve any personal or professional success in life, one must find his or her own definition of success.  One’s individual goals are most
important in spite of societies distorted perception.  Many behaviors affect the outcome of one’s
life; although, only a few were mentioned. Achieving success is important to one’s life in order to feel a sense of inner peace and self-worth, any determined individual will undoubtedly accomplish his dream.

“Success in its highest and noblest form calls for peace of mind and enjoyment and happiness which come only to the man who has found the work that he likes best” (Emmert, 2009).

Napoleon Hill

References

Allen, James. (1902). As A Man Thinketh Revision (2008). Penguin Group (USA) Inc. New York,
NY.

Emmert, J.M. (2009). Rich Man, Poor Man: The Story of Napoleon Hill. Retrieved from http://www.successmagazine.com/article?articleId=515&taxonomyId=15#. Web. 6/29/2011.

Ford, Henry. Henry Ford Quotes. Retrieved from http://ww.goodreads.com/author/quotes/203714.Henry_Ford. Web. 6/25/2011.

Gita, Bhagavad. (3000 B.C.). Self-Knowledge and Self-Realization. In Bhagavad
Gita (7.03). Retrieved from http://www.interfaith.org/hinduism/bhagavad-gita-7. 6/25/2011.

Myers, D. G. (2010). The Story of Psychology. In Myers, D. G., Psychology. New York, NY: Worth.

Other Page:  http://themindofmessick.blogspot.com/

Filed under: Essays, Life Tagged: internal locus of control, paradigm shift, perceptions, philosophy, positive and negative thinking, Self-concept, self-defeating beliefs, self-realization, success, thought ]]> http://properperspective.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/success-the-product-of-thought/feed/ 0 tmessick83 the-lines-of-my-thoughts01 http://properperspective.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/statement-of-10272010/ http://properperspective.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/statement-of-10272010/#comments Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:39:12 +0000 Messizio http://properperspective.wordpress.com/?p=239 Continue reading »

Statement:

Reality is merely an individualistic illusion. In a world in which the majority’s perceptions reign supreme, never doubt the lone visionary; it is he who creates and implements the luxuries the majority otherwise deem impossible.

Response by George Torres Jr.

The mind is the epicenter of reality. It is a computer that warehouses knowledge and distributes ideas. The ability to visualize the future and manifest thought is man’s true calling. Without paint, the canvas remains blank. Without a spark, there can be no fire. The world as we know it is a product of the dreamer. He who makes his own door needs not a key.

Reply by Ms. Smith:

Your philosophical reflections reminded me of one. You went to the deep. Most people don’t “think” past their hedonistic desires and fleshly satiations. Glad to see that you’ve swum past the shallows.

My reply:

I think it’s a gift and a curse. Existing in this abyssal zone is very disheartening and seclusion seems to be expanding; my peer group is limited to myself and one other (George Torres). Should I dwell in the shallows and marvel at the disappointment of the average and succumb myself to “normalcy” or remain in the abyss, travel deeper, discover more, and remain in solitude?

Reply by George Torres Jr.:

Well spoken Mr. Messick. It is easier to tie a knot than to unravel one. The whole is never larger than the sum of its parts. The brain has an infinite capacity, but the shallows are where the masses reside. I would rather be crushed by the pressure of the depths of the ocean, than to remain alive in ankle-deep water. Fear not the product, but the solution.

Filed under: Food for thought Tagged: ideas, illusions, knowledge, perceptions, philosophy, reality, visionary ]]>

Reply:  “Blind, deaf, and numb are a majority of the world’s people. We hope to accomplish many feats, but limit our intake of natural attributes that compliment our senses. To look at water and see the reflection of the moon is awareness. Jumping into the water to capture it is ignorance.”   -George Torres Jr.

http://themindofmessick.blogspot.com/

My friend George Torres Jr. response:

“ Well spoken. We have 5 senses and most people only use one. There is an abundance of opportunity to grow and prosper. Individuals stand alone against a threshold of negative rhetoric. We partake in the few areas we understand and shun the adverse. Here we stand in the valley of thought, between the river of conscious and the mountain of faith. Into ones own hands lies the key to freedom.”