CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

The Psychology of Success

Abundance is a natural law of the universe. The evidence of this law is conclusive; we see it on every hand. Everywhere nature is lavish, wasteful, extravagant. Nowhere is economy observed in any created thing. The millions and millions of trees and flowers and plants and animals and the vast scheme of reproduction where the process of creating and re-creating is forever going on, all indicate the lavishness with which nature has made provision for man. That there is an abundance for everyone is evident; but that many seem to have been separated from this supply is also evident; they have not yet come into realization of the universality of all substance and that mind is the active principle which starts causes in motion whereby we are related to the things we desire.

To control circumstances, a knowledge of certain scientific principles of mind-action is required. Such knowledge is a most valuable asset. It may be gained by degrees and put into practice as fast as learned. Power over circumstances is one of its fruits; health, harmony, and prosperity are assets upon its balance sheet. It costs only the labor of harvesting its great resources.

All wealth is the offspring of power; possessions are of value only as they confer power. Events are significant only as they affect power; all things represent certain forms and degrees of power.

The discovery of a reign of law by which this power could be made available for all human efforts marked an important epoch in human progress. It is the dividing line between superstition and intelligence; it eliminated the element of caprice in men's lives and substituted absolute, immutable universal law.

A knowledge of cause and effect as shown by the laws governing steam, electricity, chemical affinity, and gravitation enables man to plan courageously and to execute fearlessly. These laws are called Natural Laws, because they govern the physical world. But not all power is physical power; there is also mental power, and there is moral and spiritual power.

Thought is the vital force or energy that is being developed and that has produced such startling results in the last half century, as to bring about a world which would be absolutely inconceivable to a man existing only fifty or even twenty-five years ago. If such results have been secured by organizing these mental powerhouses in fifty years, what may not be expected in another fifty years?

Some will say, if these principles are true, why are we not demonstrating them; as the fundamental principle is obviously correct, why do we not get proper results? We do! We get results in exact accordance with our understanding of the law and our ability to make the proper application. We did not secure results from the laws governing electricity until someone formulated the law and showed us how to apply it. Mental action inaugurates a series of vibrations in the ether, which is the substance from which all things proceed, which in their turn induce a corresponding grosser vibration in the molecular substance until finally mechanical action is produced.

This puts us in an entirely new relation to our environment, opening possibilities hitherto undreamt, and this by an orderly sequence of law which is naturally involved in our new mental attitude.

It is clear, therefore, that thoughts of abundance will respond only to similar thoughts; the wealth of the individual is seen to be what he inherently is. Affluence within is found to be the secret of attraction for affluence without. The ability to produce is found to be the real source of wealth of the individual. It is for this reason that he who has his heart in his work is certain to meet with unbounded success. He will give and continually give, and the more he gives the more he will receive.

Thought is the energy by which the law of attraction is brought into operation, which eventually manifests in abundance in the lives of men.

The source of all power, as of all weakness, is from within; the secret of all success as well as all failure is likewise from within. All growth is an unfoldment from within. This is evident from all Nature: every plant, every animal, every human is a living testimony of this law and the error of the ages is in looking for strength or power from without.

A thorough understanding of this great law which permeates the Universe leads to the acquirement of that state of mind which develops and unfolds a creative thought which will produce magical changes in life. Golden opportunities will be strewn across your path, and the power and perception to properly utilize them will spring up within you. Friends will come unbidden, circumstances will adjust themselves to changed conditions, and you will have found the "pearl of greatest price."

Wisdom, strength, courage, and all harmonious conditions are the result of power, and we have seen that all power is from within; likewise every lack, limitation, or adverse circumstance is the result of weakness, and weakness is simply absence of power. It comes from nowhere; it is nothing. The remedy, then, is simply to develop power.

This is the key with which many are converting loss into gain, fear into courage, despair into joy, hope into fruition.

This may seem to be too good to be true, but remember that within a few years, by the touch of a button or the turn of a lever, science has placed almost infinite resources at the disposal of man. Is it not possible that there are other laws containing still greater possibilities?

Let us see what are the most powerful laws in Nature. In the mineral world, everything is solid and fixed. In the animal and vegetable kingdom, it is in a state of flux, forever changing, always being created and re-created. In the atmosphere we find heat, light, and energy. Each realm becomes finer and more spiritual as we pass from the visible to the invisible, from the coarse to the fine, from the low potentiality to the high potentiality. When we reach the invisible, we find energy in its purest and most volatile state.

And as the most powerful forces of Nature are the invisible forces, so we find that the most powerful forces of man are his invisible forces, his spiritual force, and the only way in which the spiritual forces can manifest is through the process of thinking. Thinking is the only activity that the spirit possesses, and thought is the only product of thinking.
Addition and subtraction are therefore spiritual transactions; reasoning is a spiritual process; ideas are spiritual conceptions; questions are spiritual searchlights; and logic, argument, and philosophy are parts of the spiritual machinery.

Every thought brings into action certain physical tissue, parts of the brain, nerve, or muscle. This produces an actual physical change in the construction of the tissue. Therefore it is only necessary to have a certain number of thoughts on a given subject in order to bring about a complete change in the physical organization of a man.

This is the process by which failure is changed to success. Thoughts of courage, power, inspiration, and harmony are substituted for thoughts of failure, despair, lack, limitation, and discord; and as these thoughts, the physical tissue is changed and the individual sees life in a new light. Old things have actually passed away. All things have become new. He is born again, this time born of the spirit. Life has a new meaning for him. He is reconstructed and is filled with joy, confidence, hope, and energy. He sees opportunities for success to which he was heretofore blind. He recognizes possibilities which before had no meaning for him. The thoughts of success with which he has been impregnated are radiated to those around him, and they in turn help him onward and upward; he attracts to him new and successful associates, and this in turn changes his environment; so that by this simple exercise of thought, a man changes not only himself, but his environment, circumstances, and conditions.

You will see—you must see—that we are at the dawn of a new day. That the possibilities are so wonderful, so fascinating, so limitless as to be almost bewildering. A century ago any man with an airplane or even a Gatling gun could have annihilated a whole army equipped with the implements of warfare then in use. So it is at present. Any man with a knowledge of the possibilities of modern metaphysics has an inconceivable advantage over the multitude.

Mind is creative and operates through the law of attraction. We are not to try to influence anyone to do what we think he should do. Each individual has a right to choose for himself, but aside from this we would be operating under the law of force, which is destructive in its nature and just the opposite of the law of attraction. A little reflection will convince you that all the great laws of nature operate in silence and that the underlying principle is the law of attraction. It is only destructive processes, such as earthquakes and catastrophes, that employ force. Nothing good is ever accomplished in that way.

To be successful, attention must invariably be directed to the creative plane; it must never be competitive. You do not wish to take anything away from anyone else; you want to create something for yourself, and what you want for yourself you are perfectly willing that everyone else should have.

You know that it is not necessary to take from one to give to another, but that the supply for all is abundant. Nature's storehouse of wealth is inexhaustible and if there seems to be a lack of supply anywhere it is only because the channels of distribution are as yet imperfect.

Abundance depends upon a recognition of the Law of Abundance. Mind is not only the creator, but the only creator of all there is. Certainly nothing can be created before we know that it can be created and then make the proper effort. There is no more electricity in the world today than there was fifty years ago, but until someone recognized that law by which it could be made of service, we received no benefit. Now that the law is understood, practically the whole world is illuminated by it. So with the Law of Abundance: It is only those who recognize the law and place themselves in harmony with it who share in its benefit.

A recognition of the Law of Abundance develops certain mental and moral qualities, among which are Courage, Loyalty, Tact, Sagacity, Individuality, and Constructiveness. These are all modes of thought, and as all thought is creative, they manifest in objective conditions corresponding with the mental condition. This is necessarily true because the ability of the individual to think is his ability to act upon the Universal Mind and bring it into manifestation. It is the process whereby the individual becomes a channel for the differentiation of the Universal. Every thought is a cause and every condition an effect.

This principle endows the individual with seemingly transcendental possibilities, among which is the mastery of conditions through the creation and recognition of opportunities. This creation of opportunity implies the existence or creation of the necessary qualities or talents that are thought forces and that result in a consciousness of power that future events cannot disturb. It is this organization of victory or success within the mind—this consciousness of power within—which constitutes the responsive harmonious action whereby we are related to the objects and purposes we seek. This is the law of attraction. This law, being the common property of all, can be exercised by any one having sufficient knowledge of its operation.

Courage is the power of the mind, which manifests in the love of mental conflict. It is a noble and lofty sentiment. It is equally fitted to command or obey—both require courage. It often has a tendency to conceal itself. There are men and women, too, who apparently exist only to do what is pleasing to others, but when the time comes and the latent will is revealed, we find under the velvet glove and iron hand, and no mistake about it. True courage is cool, calm, and collected, and is never fool-hardy, quarrelsome, ill-natured, or contentious.

Accumulation is the power to reserve and preserve a part of the supply that we are constantly receiving, so as to be in a position to take advantage of the larger opportunities that will come as soon as we are ready for them. Has it not been said, "To him that hath shall be given"? All successful business men have this quality well developed. James J. Hill, who died leaving an estate of over fifty-two million dollars, said, "If you want to know whether you are destined to be a success or failure in life, you can easily find out. The test is simple and it is infallible: Are you able to save money? If not, drop out. You will lose. You may think not, but you will lose as sure as you live. The seed of success is not in you." This is very good so far as it goes, but anyone who knows the biography of James J. Hill knows that he acquired his fifty-two million dollars by following the exact methods we have given. In the first place, he started with nothing. He had to use his imagination to idealize the vast railroad that he projected across the western prairies. He then had to come into a recognition of the law of abundance in order to provide the ways and means for materializing it. Unless he had followed out this program, he would never had anything to save.

Accumulativeness acquires momentum. The more you accumulate, the more you desire; the more you desire, the more you accumulate; so that it is but a short time until the action and reaction acquire a momentum that cannot be stopped. It must, however, never be confounded with selfishness, miserliness, or penuriousness. They are perversions and will make any true progress impossible.
Constructiveness is the creative instinct of the mind. It will be readily seen that every successful business man must be able to plan, develop, or construct. In the business world, it is usually referred to as "initiative." It is not enough to go along in the beaten path. New ideas must be developed, new ways of doing things. It manifests in building, designing, planning, inventing, discovering, improving. It is a most valuable quality and must be constantly encouraged and developed. Every individual possesses it in some degree because he is a center of consciousness in that infinite and Eternal Energy from which all things proceed.

Water manifests on three planes: As ice, as water, and as steam. It is all the same compound. The only difference is the temperature, but no one would try to drive an engine with ice; convert it into steam and it easily takes up the load. So with your energy: If you want it to act on the creative plane, you will have to begin by melting the ice with the fire of imagination, and you will find the stronger the fire and the more ice you melt, the more powerful your thought will become and the easier it will be for you to materialize your desire.

Sagacity is the ability to perceive and cooperate with Natural Law. True Sagacity avoids trickery and deceit as it would leprosy; it is the product of that deep insight that enables one to penetrate into the heart of things and understand how to set causes into motion that will inevitably create successful conditions.

Tact is a very subtle and at the same time a very important factor in business success. It is very similar to intuition. To possess tact, one must have a fine feeling and must instinctively know what to say or what to do. In order to be tactful, one must possess sympathy and understanding, the understanding that is so rare, for all men see and hear and feel, but how desperately few "understand." Tact enables one to foresee what is about to happen and calculate the result of actions. Tact enables us to feel when we are in the presence of physical, mental, and moral cleanliness, for these are today invariably demanded as the price of success.

Loyalty is one of the strongest links that bond men of strength and character. It is one that can never be broken with impunity. The man who would lose his right hand rather than betray a friend will never lack friends. The man who will stand in silent guard—until death if need be—beside the shrine of confidence or friendship of those who allowed him to enter will find himself linked with a current of cosmic power that will attract desirable conditions only. It is inconceivable that such a person should ever meet with lack of any kind.

Individuality is the power to unfold our own latent possibilities, to be a law unto ourselves, to be interested in the race rather than the goal. Strong men care nothing for the flock of imitators who trot complacently behind them. They derive no satisfaction in the mere leading of large numbers or the plaudits of the mob. This pleases only petty natures and inferior minds. Individuality glories more in the unfolding of the power within than in the servility of the weakling.

Individuality is a real power inherent in all and the development and consequent expression of this power enables one to assume the responsibility of directing his own footsteps rather than stampeding after some self-assertive bellwether.

Inspiration is the art of imbibing, the art of self-realization, the art of adjusting the individual mind to that of the Universal Mind, the art of attaching the proper mechanism to the source of all power, the art of differentiating the formless into form, the art of becoming a channel for the flow of Infinite Wisdom, the art of visualizing perfection, the art of realizing the Omnipresence of Omnipotence.

Truth is the imperative condition of all well-being. To be sure, to know the truth and to stand confidently on it, is a satisfaction beside which no other is comparable. Truth is the underlying verity, the condition precedent to every successful business or social relation.

Every act not in harmony with Truth, whether through ignorance or design, cuts the ground from under our feet, leads to discord, inevitable loss, and confusion; for while the humblest mind can accurately foretell the result of every correct action, the greatest and most profound and penetrating mind loses its way hopelessly and can form no conception of the result due to a departure from correct principles.

Those who establish within themselves the requisite elements of true success have established confidence, organized victory, and it only remains for them to take such steps from time to time as the newly-awakened thought force will direct, and herein rests the magical secret of all power.

Less than ten percent of our mental processes are conscious; the other ninety percent are subconscious and unconscious, so that he who would depend on his conscious thought alone for results is less than ten percent efficient. Those who are accomplishing anything worth while are those who are enabled to take advantage of this greater storehouse of mental wealth. It is in the vast domain of the subconscious mind that great truths are hidden, and it is here that thought finds its creative power—its power to correlate with its object, to bring out of the unseen the seen.

Those familiar with the laws of electricity understand the principle that electricity must always pass from a higher to a lower potentiality and can therefore make whatever application of the power they desire. Those not familiar with this law can effect nothing, and so with the law governing in the Mental World. Those who understand that mind penetrates all things, is omnipresent, and is responsive to every demand, can make use of the law and can control conditions, circumstances, and environment; the uninformed cannot use it because they do not know it.

The fruit of this knowledge is, as it were, a gift of the Gods. It is the "truth" that makes men free. Not only free from every lack and limitation, but free from sorrow, worry, and care. Is it not wonderful to realize that this law is no respecter of persons, that it makes no difference what your habit of thought may be, and that the way has been prepared?

With the realization that this mental power controls and directs every other power that exists, that it can be cultivated and developed, and that no limitation can be placed upon its activity, it will become apparent that it is the greatest fact in the world, the remedy for every ill, the solution for every difficulty, the gratification for every desire. In fact, that it is the Creator's magnificent provision for the emancipation of mankind.

The New Psychology

by Charles F. Haanel

Order in Adobe PDF eBook or printed form for $9.95 (+ printing charge)

or click here to order from Amazon.com for $19.95