Imagination is the key to Success

  The law of attraction is a concept that has gained immense popularity over the years, attracting people from all walks of life. In its simplest form, it can be described as the belief that positive thoughts and feelings attract positive experiences into your life, while negative thoughts and feelings attract negative experiences. Essentially, the law of attraction asserts that we are capable of manifesting our desires through our thoughts and feelings, and that our beliefs shape our reality.

The key to understanding the law of attraction lies in the concept of vibrational energy. According to this theory, everything in the universe is made up of energy, including our thoughts and emotions. Positive thoughts and emotions emit high-frequency energy, while negative thoughts and emotions emit low-frequency energy. When we focus on positive thoughts and feelings, we attract people, circumstances, and experiences that match our vibration. Conversely, when we dwell on negative thoughts and emotions, we draw in similarly negative experiences.

The law of attraction operates on the principle that like attracts like. It encourages us to focus on what we want rather than what we don't want, to maintain an optimistic mindset, and to believe in the manifestation of our desires. This, in turn, allows us to feel more empowered, confident, and in control of our lives. While there is no concrete evidence to support the law of attraction, many people have reported experiencing profound changes in their lives after applying its principles. Ultimately, the law of attraction is a reminder that our thoughts and emotions play a powerful role in shaping our reality, and that we have the ability to create the lives we want by focusing on positivity, gratitude, and abundance.

The law of attraction is a concept

 The law of attraction is a concept that has gained immense popularity over the years, attracting people from all walks of life. In its simplest form, it can be described as the belief that positive thoughts and feelings attract positive experiences into your life, while negative thoughts and feelings attract negative experiences. Essentially, the law of attraction asserts that we are capable of manifesting our desires through our thoughts and feelings, and that our beliefs shape our reality.

The key to understanding the law of attraction lies in the concept of vibrational energy. According to this theory, everything in the universe is made up of energy, including our thoughts and emotions. Positive thoughts and emotions emit high-frequency energy, while negative thoughts and emotions emit low-frequency energy. When we focus on positive thoughts and feelings, we attract people, circumstances, and experiences that match our vibration. Conversely, when we dwell on negative thoughts and emotions, we draw in similarly negative experiences.

The law of attraction operates on the principle that like attracts like. It encourages us to focus on what we want rather than what we don't want, to maintain an optimistic mindset, and to believe in the manifestation of our desires. This, in turn, allows us to feel more empowered, confident, and in control of our lives. While there is no concrete evidence to support the law of attraction, many people have reported experiencing profound changes in their lives after applying its principles. Ultimately, the law of attraction is a reminder that our thoughts and emotions play a powerful role in shaping our reality, and that we have the ability to create the lives we want by focusing on positivity, gratitude, and abundance.

bestselling books by jeb blount

  Jeb Blount is a renowned author and sales expert who has multiple best selling books to his credit. His books are widely regarded as excellent resources for salespeople seeking to develop their skills and achieve success in their careers.

One of Blount's best selling books is "Fanatical Prospecting," which provides readers with practical advice and guidance on prospecting techniques. The book offers strategies on how salespeople can build an effective prospecting process that enables them to generate leads, qualify them and close deals. Blount's insights into the psychology and mindset of successful prospecting has helped many businesses and individuals achieve success.

Another one of Blount's best selling books is "Sales EQ," which provides a deep dive into the importance of emotional intelligence in sales. Sales EQ offers practical tips on how salespeople can use empathy, social skills, and self-awareness to achieve more significant sales results. With practical advice that can be easily implemented, it offers a roadmap of how to become a top-performing salesperson and grow your business.

Blount's book "Objections" offers a roadmap on how to handle customer objections effectively. It presents principles that can be applied to sell any product or service in any industries. The book also offers practical techniques and tips on how salespeople can handle objections in real-time, providing strategies to counter the most common objections and build a stronger relationship with the customer.

In his book "Inked," Blount provides strategies for closing deals and negotiating contracts, including walkthroughs of some of the most influential sales in history. The book offers a step-by-step approach to winning deals and closing the deal with confidence.

With over 20 years of experience in the sales industry, Jeb Blount's books provide readers with invaluable insights and practical guidance that can be applied to achieve success in your sales career. His innovative techniques boost sales productivity and customer satisfaction. Whether you're a seasoned sales professional or someone new to the sales game, Blount's books offer valuable insights into the industry and can help readers improve their sales performance, no matter what their level of experience may be.

In conclusion, Jeb Blount's bestselling books offer game-changing strategies to salespeople that enable them to achieve success, better understand their customers and outperform the competition. His expert knowledge and practical experiences are made available to readers through his books, which are a must-read for all those engaged in the world of sales. His work has transformed the way business is conducted and will continue to be essential in the years to come.

Zig Ziglar books

 Ziglar dropped out of college in 1947 and moved to Lancaster, South Carolina, where he took up a job as a salesman with the WearEver Cookware company. Ziglar was promoted to field manager and eventually divisional supervisor in 1950.

While working at the company, Ziglar became interested in self-help and motivational speaking and began giving speeches of his own. With Richard "Dick" Gardner and Hal Krause, Ziglar was a charter member in the establishment of American Salesmasters in 1963. The company's objective was to raise the image of salespeople in America by providing seminars. They began with cities across the South and Midwest (Memphis, Atlanta, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Denver, etc.), featuring speakers such as Ziglar, Norman Vincent Peale, Ken McFarland, Cavett Robert, Bill Gove, Maxwell Maltz, and Red Motley. They booked an auditorium, put together a slate of speakers and contacted local businesses to sell tickets. Audiences included insurance agents, car salesmen, financial advisors, entrepreneurs, small business owners and curiosity seekers.

Ziglar went on to speak extensively for audiences of the National Association of Sales Education (NASE), founded by Dick Gardner in 1965, and also became a major sales trainer for Mary Kay Cosmetics. In 1968, he became a vice president and training director for the Automotive Performance Company and moved to Dallas, Texas. The company went bankrupt two years later.

He later founded the Zigmanship Institute, later known as Ziglar, Inc. Subsequently, Ziglar spoke extensively at seminars for motivational speaker Peter Lowe and eventually signed an exclusive agreement to support Peter Lowe events.

In addition to speaking, Ziglar wrote over 30 books.

In Addison, Texas, Ziglar employed and trained several speakers, including Will Harris.

In 2007, a fall down a flight of stairs left him with short-term memory problems. Nonetheless, Ziglar continued taking part in motivational seminars until he retired in 2010.

Get-Motivated-Seminars:

Get-Motivated-Seminars are events that are designed to inspire people to achieve their goals and maximize their potential. These seminars bring together speakers who are experts in different fields such as business, motivational speaking, and personal development. While many attendees believe that these seminars are a great opportunity to boost their morale and gain new insights into their lives, there is a growing concern that these seminars are nothing more than a smoke screen for a sales pitch.

The problem with Get-Motivated-Seminars is that they are usually organized by businesses that are looking for potential clients. These events are meant to attract people who are looking for ways to improve their lives, their careers, and their businesses. Unfortunately, the organizers of these events are not always transparent about their intentions. They use motivational speeches and emotional appeals to create a sense of urgency and then offer their products or services as solutions.

One of the most common tactics used by Get-Motivated-Seminars is the use of celebrity speakers. These speakers have a large following and a reputation for success, which makes them appealing to attendees. However, these celebrity speakers are usually paid to endorse products or services that are being sold by the organizers of the events. This means that the motivational speeches that they give are often nothing more than thinly veiled sales pitches.

Another tactic used by Get-Motivated-Seminars is the use of free tickets. These events are often marketed as free or low-cost, which makes it easier for people to attend. However, these tickets are usually a ploy to get attendees to buy more expensive products or services once they are at the event. Attendees are often bombarded with sales pitches once they are inside the venue, which can be overwhelming and stressful.

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of Get-Motivated-Seminars is the lack of regulation. There are no standards that organizers have to abide by, which means that anyone can organize a seminar and make unsubstantiated claims. This lack of regulation has resulted in several high-profile cases of fraud and deception, where attendees have been conned out of thousands of dollars for products or services that did not deliver what was promised.

In conclusion, while Get-Motivated-Seminars may seem like a great opportunity to gain new insights and improve one's life, they are often nothing more than a smoke screen for a sales pitch. Attendees should be cautious about these events and do their research before attending. They should also be wary of celebrity speakers and free tickets, which can be used to lure them into purchasing more expensive products or services. At the same time, regulatory bodies should consider implementing measures to ensure that these events are held to certain standards, and that attendees are protected from fraudulent practices.

bestselling books by author grant cardone

 Grant Cardone is an American author, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. He has written several bestselling books on personal development, sales, and business. His books have helped millions of people around the world to achieve success and financial independence.

One of his most popular books is "The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure". This book is all about setting big goals and taking massive action to achieve them. The book revolves around the idea that most people do not set big enough goals for themselves, and they do not take enough action to achieve them. It provides practical tips on how to set goals that are ten times bigger than what you currently think is possible, and then taking the necessary actions to achieve them. This book has become a must-read for anyone looking to achieve extraordinary success in their life.

Another bestselling book by Grant Cardone is "Sell or Be Sold: How to Get Your Way in Business and in Life". As the title suggests, this book is all about selling, and how it is a necessary skill for success in both business and life. The book provides useful insights on how to become a better salesperson, how to build relationships, and how to negotiate effectively. This book has helped many people to achieve more success in their sales roles, and to build better relationships with their customers.

"The Millionaire Booklet: How to Get Super Rich" is another popular book by Grant Cardone. This book is a step-by-step guide on how to become wealthy. It provides practical tips on how to increase your income, how to reduce your expenses, and how to invest your money wisely. The book also emphasizes the importance of taking calculated risks and having a strong work ethic. This book has become a bestseller among people looking to achieve financial independence and create wealth.

In summary, Grant Cardone has written several bestselling books that have helped millions of people to achieve success and financial independence. His books provide practical tips on personal development, sales, and business, and emphasize the importance of taking massive action and setting big goals. If you are looking to achieve extraordinary success in your life, Grant Cardone's books are a must-read.

bestselling books by sales mike kaplan

 Mike Kaplan is one of the most successful authors of all time. He has written several bestselling books that have topped the charts in different genres. His books are relatable, inspiring, informative and have captured the hearts of readers worldwide. In this essay, we will explore the bestselling books by Mike Kaplan.

The first book we must highlight is "The Success Principles." This book has sold over a million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 30 languages. It is a comprehensive guide to personal and professional success, packed with 67 golden principles that are easily implemented into daily life. The book takes readers through a step-by-step process to achieve their life goals, breaking down the barriers of fear and doubt that may hold them back. This soul-searching book is nothing short of transformational and could be regarded as the ultimate guide to unlocking the potential within oneself.

Next, we have "Change Your Habits, Change Your Life." This book includes practical strategies for developing positive habits, breaking bad ones, and ultimately living a happier, healthier life. The easy-to-read book provides step-by-step instructions on structuring your day to make working to your goals a habit. It illustrates how to develop good habits that promote positivity, productivity, and efficiency. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to achieve success in all facets of their life.

"Start with Why" is another Mike Kaplan novel that has been a bestseller for years. The book has a simple but complex principle, which is finding the right motivation to pursue our goals. It outlines the importance of finding your purpose, your "why," before embarking on any task. The book uses real-life examples to illustrate how various successful individuals began with their "why" and then worked out the "how" for achieving their goals. This is an excellent book for every business leader, entrepreneur, or anyone looking to make a difference in their industry.

In conclusion, it's clear that Mike Kaplan has written some of the best books in self-help and personal development, with a readership spanning the globe. His works are powerful, practical, and easy to understand, making them an excellent choice for all individuals seeking a happier, healthier, and ultimately more fulfilling life. Indeed, his books are highly recommended and highly impactful, and they are a great place to start if you need to improve yourself.

Manifesting the Life You Deserve

 Manifesting the Life You Deserve 

In the New Thought philosophy, the Law of Attraction is the belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person's life. 

The belief is based on the ideas that people and their thoughts are made from "pure energy", and that a process of like energy attracting like energy exists through which a person can improve their health, wealth, and personal relationships.

A key component of the philosophy is the idea that in order to effectively change one's negative thinking patterns, one must also "feel" (through creative visualization) that the desired changes have already occurred. 

This combination of positive thought and positive emotion is believed to allow one to attract positive experiences and opportunities by achieving resonance with the proposed energetic law.

The New Thought movement grew out of the teachings of Phineas Quimby in the early 19th century. Early in his life, Quimby was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Early 19th century medicine had no reliable cure for tuberculosis. Quimby took to horse riding and noted that intense excitement temporarily relieved him from his affliction. This method for relieving his pain and seemingly subsequent recovery prompted Phineas to pursue a study of "Mind over Body". 

Although Phineas Quimby never used the words "Law of Attraction", he explained this in a statement that captured the concept in the field of health: the trouble is in the mind, for the body is only the house for the mind to dwell in, and we put a value on it according to its worth. 

Therefore if your mind has been deceived by some invisible enemy into a belief, you have put it into the form of a disease, with or without your knowledge. By theory or truth, you come in contact with your enemy and restore you to your health and happiness. This you do partly mentally and partly by talking till you correct the wrong impressions and establish the Truth, and the Truth is the cure.

Advocates generally combine cognitive reframing techniques with affirmations and creative visualization to replace limiting or self-destructive ("negative") thoughts with more empowered, adaptive ("positive") thoughts. 

In 1877, the term "Law of Attraction" appeared in print for the first time in a book written by the Russian occultist Helena Blavatsky, in a context alluding to an attractive power existing between elements of spirit.

The first articulator of the Law as general principle was Prentice Mulford. Mulford, a pivotal figure in the development of New Thought thinking, discusses the Law of Attraction at length in his essay "The Law of Success", published 1886-1887. In this, Mulford was followed by other New Thought authors, such as Henry Wood (starting with his God’s Image in Man, 1892), and Ralph Waldo Trine (starting with his first book, What All the World's A-Seeking, 1896). For these authors, the Law of Attraction is concerned not only about health but every aspect of life.

The 20th century saw a surge in interest in the subject with many books being written about it, amongst which are two of the best-selling books of all time; Think and Grow Rich (1937) by Napoleon Hill, The Power of Positive Thinking (1952) by Norman Vincent Peale, and You Can Heal Your Life (1984) by Louise Hay. The Abraham-Hicks material is based primarily around the Law of Attraction.

In 2006, the concept of the Law of Attraction gained renewed exposure with the release of the film The Secret (2006) which was then developed into a book of the same title in 2007. The movie and book gained widespread media coverage. This was followed by a sequel, The Power in 2010 that talks about the law of attraction being the law of love.

Proponents believe that the Law of Attraction is always in operation and that it brings to each person the conditions and experiences that they predominantly think about, or which they desire or expect.

Charles Haanel wrote in The Master Key System (1912):

The law of attraction will certainly and unerringly bring to you the conditions, environment, and experiences in life, corresponding with your habitual, characteristic, predominant mental attitude.

Ralph Trine wrote in In Tune With The Infinite (1897):

The law of attraction works universally on every plane of action, and we attract whatever we desire or expect. If we desire one thing and expect another, we become like houses divided against themselves, which are quickly brought to desolation. Determine resolutely to expect only what you desire, then you will attract only what you wish for.

In her 2006 film The Secret, Rhonda Byrne emphasized thinking about what each person wants to obtain, but also to infuse the thought with the maximum possible amount of emotion. She claims the combination of thought and feeling is what attracts the desire. Another similar book is James Redfield's The Celestine Prophecy, which says reality can be manifested by man. 

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy, says readers can achieve seemingly impossible goals by learning how to bring the mind itself under control. The Power by Rhonda Byrne, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle are similar. While personal testimonies claim the secret and the law to have worked for them, a number of skeptics have criticized Byrne's film and book. The New York Times Book Review called the secret pseudoscience and an "illusion of knowledge".

The New Thought concept of the Law of Attraction is rooted in ideas that come from various philosophical and religious traditions. In particular, it has been inspired by Hermeticism, New England transcendentalism, specific verses from the Bible, and Hinduism. Hermeticism influenced the development of European thought in the Renaissance. Its ideas were transmitted partly through alchemy. 

In the 18th century, Franz Mesmer studied the works of alchemists such as Paracelsus and van Helmont. Van Helmont was a 17th-century Flemish physician who proclaimed the curative powers of the imagination. This lead Mesmer to develop his ideas about Animal magnetism which Phineas Quimby, the founder of New Thought, studied.

The Transcendentalist movement developed in the United States immediately before the emergence of New Thought and is thought to have had a great influence on it. George Ripley, an important figure in that movement, stated that its leading idea was "the supremacy of mind over matter".

New Thought authors often quote certain verses from the Bible in the context of the Law of Attraction. An example is Mark 11:24: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." In the late 19th century Swami Vivekananda traveled to the United States and gave lectures on Hinduism. 

These talks greatly influenced the New Thought movement and in particular, William Walker Atkinson who was one of New Thought's pioneers.

Skeptical Inquirer magazine criticized the lack of falsifiability and testability of these claims. Critics have asserted that the evidence provided is usually anecdotal and that, because of the self-selecting nature of the positive reports, as well as the subjective nature of any results, these reports are susceptible to confirmation bias and selection bias. Physicist Ali Alousi, for instance, criticized it as unmeasurable and questioned the likelihood that thoughts can affect anything outside the head.

The Law of Attraction has been popularized in the early 21st century by books and films such as The Secret. This 2006 film and the subsequent book use interviews with New Thought authors and speakers to explain the principles of the proposed metaphysical law that one can attract anything that one thinks about consistently. 

Writing for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Mary Carmichael and Ben Radford wrote that "neither the film nor the book has any basis in scientific reality", and that its premise contains "an ugly flipside: if you have an accident or disease, it's your fault". The Law of Attraction has no scientific basis and has been dubbed a pseudoscience. A number of researchers have criticized the misuse of scientific concepts by its proponents.

Others have questioned the references to modern scientific theory, and have maintained, for example, that the Law of Attraction misrepresents the electrical activity of brainwaves. Victor Stenger and Leon Lederman are critical of attempts to use quantum mysticism to bridge any unexplained or seemingly implausible effects, believing these to be traits of modern pseudoscience.

In 1891 Californian author and humorist Prentice Mulford used the term Law of Attraction in his essays Some Laws of Health and Beauty and Good And Ill Effects of Thought.

In 1897 Ralph Waldo Trine wrote In Tune with the Infinite. In the second paragraph of chapter 9 he writes, "The Law of Attraction works unceasingly throughout the universe, and the one great and never changing fact in connection with it is, as we have found, that like attracts like."

Thomas Troward, a strong influence in the New Thought Movement, gave a 1904 lecture in which he claimed that thought precedes physical form and "the action of Mind plants that nucleus which, if allowed to grow undisturbed, will eventually attract to itself all the conditions necessary for its manifestation in outward visible form."

In 1902 English New Thought writer James Allen (best known for writing As a Man Thinketh) wrote a series of books and articles between 1901 and 1912, after which his wife Lily continued his work.

Emmet Fox wrote about metaphysics and the power of prayer in essays and books. His teachings are founded in Christianity and bible stories. He cites Jesus Christ as being the greatest teacher of metaphysics who ever lived and explains that thoughts are our most important emanation, more important than what we say or what we do. In the books Power Through Constructive Thinking and Find and Use your Inner Power Fox speaks about "building the mental equivalent of what you want and to expunge those that you don't".

In his New Thought Movement book William Walker Atkinson used the phrase Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World (1906), stating that "like attracts like".

Bruce MacLelland's Prosperity Through Thought Force (1907), a prosperity theology book, summarizes the principle as "You are what you think, not what you think you are." It was published by Elizabeth Towne, the editor of The Nautilus Magazine, a Journal of New Thought.

In his 1910 The Science of Getting Rich Wallace D. Wattles espoused similar principles — that simply believing in the object of your desire and focusing on it will lead to that object or goal being realized on the material plane (Wattles claims in the Preface and later chapters of this book that his premise stems from the monistic Hindu view that God provides everything and can deliver what we focus on). The book also claims negative thinking will manifest negative results.

Theosophical author William Quan Judge used the phrase in The Ocean of Theosophy (1915).

Another theosophical author Annie Besant discussed the 'Law of Attraction' in 1919. Besant compared her version of it to gravitation, and said that the law represented a form of karma.

Napoleon Hill published two books on the theme. 

The first, The Law of Success in 16 Lessons (1928), directly and repeatedly references the Law of Attraction and proposes that it operates by use of radio waves transmitted by the brain. 

The second, Think and Grow Rich (1937), went on to sell 100 million copies by 2015. Hill insisted on the importance of controlling one's own thoughts in order to achieve success, as well as the energy that thoughts have and their ability to attract other thoughts. He mentions a "secret" to success and promises to indirectly describe it at least once in every chapter. It is never named and he says that discovering it on one's own is far more beneficial. 

Many people have argued over what it actually is, some claim it's the Law of Attraction. Hill states the "secret" is mentioned no fewer than a hundred times, yet reference to "attract" is used less than 30 times in the text. Napoleon Hill further claims that people can obtain what they desire through thought of definite purpose.

Israel Regardie published books with the Law of Attraction theme as one of his prevailing Universal Laws. In, The Art of True Healing: A Treatise on the Mechanism of Prayer and the Operation of the Law of Attraction in Nature (1937), he taught a focused meditation technique to help the mind to learn to heal itself on a physical and spiritual level. Regardie claimed that the Law of Attraction was a valid method for attracting good physical health and for improvement in any aspect of one's life.

In 1960 W. Clement Stone and Napoleon Hill co-wrote Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude.

In his 1988 The American Myth of Success Richard Weiss states that the principle of "non-resistance" is a popular concept of the New Thought movement and is taught in conjunction with the Law of Attraction.

The 2008 Esther and Jerry Hicks' book Money and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Health, Wealth & Happiness appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret, The Power and The Magic, was influenced by Wattles' The Science of Getting Rich.

Conor McGregor has claimed to use the Law of Attraction. He said, "This is what I dreamed into reality", upon winning his second UFC championship title belt.

Resource: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_attraction_(New_Thought)

What is Self Realization?

 Why would anyone want to attain enlightenment, which is also called SELF realization and God realization? When you attain this state you achieve a feeling of complete and total wholeness, completeness, and oneness.

You are perpetually fulfilled, satisfied, and content. You have bubbling up from within you, at all times, the feelings of love, joy, bliss, ecstasy, happiness, and glee. You are carefree, cheerful, and lighthearted. You are fun to be around. You see the gold in everyone and everything.
You see GOD in everyone and everything. You love people without condition and without exception. This love permeates your being and radiates from you perpetually. You never suffer. While your body and mind may show some human emotions at times, you are not attached to them.
You witness them and observe them. They do not affect your inner state. Imagine going on a roller coaster ride. During the ride you may be screaming in fear, but you are never suffering. In fact, you ENJOY experiencing the emotion of fear while on the roller coaster, and may even want to go for another ride! When you are fully SELF realized you never suffer from any kind of fear. You are fearless. You have total peace, security and contentment. You are calm, relaxed and at ease at all times and in all situations. You have supreme confidence.
You never suffer from depression, sadness, grief, anger, fear, anxiety, envy, lust, jealously, embarrassment, humiliation, hate, or any negative emotion. When you are enlightened you are truly free on all levels and all dimensions. I teach how to attain this state in The Science of Personal Mastery Course. Email KTLegalDefense@gmail.com for details and become my student.

hoot for the moon, because even if you miss, you will still wind up among the stars! Believe and you receive, doubt and go without. Expect Success. Believe you can succeed and you will.
Cure yourself of excusitis, the failure disease. To know and not to do is not to know. These are just a few "Nuggets of Gold" that contain all the secrets to success.
Allow these seeds to grow within you. If you do, I know, I will see you on the beaches of the world

What is your name? Hmmm. I bet you didn't' have to think about that. You KNOW your name, instantly. Now, let me ask you this. What do you want? Hmmmmm. I bet you had to think about that!
You need to KNOW exactly what you want in the same way you know your own name! If you DO, then you will GET what you want very soon. It is LAW.
IT MUST manifest, and very quickly. DEFINE your dream! Clearly KNOW what you want. Be specific! You can do it! See you at the top.

Recently I posted a short message that so many people said needed clarification. Here is the ORIGINAL message... Read this first and then read my clarification.
"Can you really attain what you do not have now? Or do you simply "attain" what you already have by becoming aware of what is already there? If you do get something you do not already have, what good is that anyway?

If you did not have it before, and if you do attain it and have it now, it is almost certain that you will lose it, or it will fade away in time, as everything in the material world does. Mastery is knowing that you "attain" what you already have right now, by simply becoming more conscious.
Then you can never "lose" what you "attained"."
Here is the clarification: This is a very high teaching. You may not "get it" now. That is OK. The seed has been planted. Let me amplify and expound on this teaching. When you are trying to attain something you do not have now, it is usually something material in nature, such as a new car, a new job, a lover, better health, more money, etc.

But if you REALLY ask yourself WHY you want any of these things, you will find that what you are REALLY trying to attain is a "feeling". If you REALLY keep asking WHY you want something you don't have now it will come down to wanting to have inner happiness, joy, love, contentment, fulfillment, ecstasy, peace, bliss, serenity, a feeling or sense of connectedness or oneness or union, a feeling or being wanted and loved, etc.

We ultimately want to feel beyond just good. We want to feel COMPLETE. ALL these "feelings" are ALREADY within you. They are "already there". So in reality, you never "attain" something you don't already have. You simply become more aware or conscious of what is always within you.
This is why masters are always anchored in a state of perpetual bliss no matter what the external conditions of their life are like. When you are at this state of awareness, no material loss will ever affect you. And no material gain will ever be a source of inner joy, but rather only a source of temporary physical pleasure, which ALWAYS fades away.
Think about this teaching and experience the peace and joy that surpasses all human understanding. You can experience this NOW.....right NOW if you simply wake up! Much love, your friend always, KT

Cognitive Psychology

A mindset can also be seen as arising out of a person's world view or philosophy of life.  In decision theory and general systems theory, a mindset is a set of assumptions, methods, or notions held by one or more people or groups of people.

A mindset may be so firmly established that it creates a powerful incentive within these people or groups to continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices, or tools. The latter phenomenon is also sometimes described as mental inertia, "groupthink", and it is often difficult to counteract its effects upon analysis and decision making processes.

In cognitive psychology, a mindset represents the cognitive processes activated in response to a given task (French, 2016).

Fixed and growth mindset

See also: Self-actualization § Abraham Maslow's concept of self-actualization

According to Carol Dweck, individuals can be placed on a continuum according to their implicit views of "where ability comes from". In particular, an individual's mindset impacts how they face and cope with challenges, such as the transition into junior high school from elementary school or losing your job.

Dweck states that there are two categories (growth mindset versus fixed mindset) that can group individuals based on their behavior, specifically their reaction to failure.

Fixed Mindset

People with a "fixed mindset" believe that abilities are mostly innate and interpret failure as the lack of necessary basic abilities.

In a 2012 interview, Dweck defined both fixed and growth mindsets:

In a fixed mindset, individuals believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed traits. Those with a fixed mindset believe there is no increasing their talents or abilities. They believed they will be born with all the ability they will have. Those with a fixed mindset only enjoy hearing about their success. On they other side, those with a fixed mindset dread failure because they see it as never being able to succeed in the future.

Growth Mindset

According to Dweck, individuals with a "growth" mindset are more likely to continue working hard despite setbacks. Those with a "growth mindset" believe that they can acquire any given ability provided they invest effort or study. Dweck argues that the growth mindset "will allow a person to live a less stressful and more successful life".

In the same 2012 interview Dweck said this about a growth mindset:

In a growth mindset, individuals understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching, and persistence. They do not necessarily think everyone is the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it.

An example of a person with a growth mindset is an employee who, when posed with an extraordinarily challenging assignment, takes the project as a growing opportunity instead of one that will defeat them. Despite whatever lack of success they may have, this individual would appreciate the opportunity to learn from such difficulty and gain knowledge, instead of feeling defeated about any incompleteness or lack of success.

A word that closely relates to a growth mindset is grit. Grit can be defined as the combination of determination and perseverance. Keown and Bourke discussed the importance for those growing up to have not only a growth mindset but also grit. The combination of these two things. In their study they found that those in a lower economic status had a higher chance of success if they had a growth mindset and were willing to work hard through tribulation.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_psychology

Visionary definition

Defined broadly, a visionary is one who can envision the future. For some groups, this can involve the supernatural.

The visionary state is achieved via meditation, lucid dreams, daydreams, or art. One example is Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th-century artist and Catholic saint. Other visionaries in religion are St Bernadette and Joseph Smith, said to have had visions of and communed with the Blessed Virgin and the Angel Moroni, respectively. There is also the case of Targum Jonathan, which was produced in the antiquity and served as the targum to the Nevi'im. It described the significance of the turban or a diadem to indicate a capability on the part of Jewish priests to become agents of visionary experience.

A vision can be political, religious, environmental, social, or technological in nature. By extension, a visionary can also be a person with a clear, distinctive, and specific (in some details) vision of the future, usually connected with advances in technology or social/political arrangements. For example, Ted Nelson is referred to as a visionary in connection with the Internet.

Other visionaries simply imagine what does not yet exist but might someday, as some forms of "visioning" (or gazing) provide a glimpse into the possible future. Therefore, visioning can mean seeing in a utopian way what does not yet exist on earth—but might exist in another realm—such as the ideal or perfect realm as imagined or thought. Examples are Buckminster Fuller in architecture and design, Malcolm Bricklin in the automobile industry and Ada Lovelace in computing. Some people use mathematics to make visionary discoveries in the nature of the universe. In that sense, a visionary may also function as a secular prophet. Some visionaries emphasize communication, and some assume a figurehead role in organizing a social group. In other words, a visionary means that a person can see what something could be long before it actually happens.

The ability to get a clear picture of the future is the reason the concept is also used in the business field to denote a leader who is able to anticipate future opportunities. For instance, there is the case of the American entrepreneur Steve Jobs who is often called a visionary because he was ahead of his time, implementing new ideas that are pioneering in the technology field. Management experts do not equate this as an uncanny ability to predict the future but a capability of viewing the world differently, which allows an individual to identify patterns, trends, and opportunities. Some conceive it as the ability to form a picture of what they want of the future and make it happen.

There are authors who consider the concept of the visionary as one that is constituted by a set of acquired skills and, thus, a state that can be learned. For this reason, there are now training and educational programs that promise its learners that they can become visionary leaders. This is demonstrated by a growing body of literature that cites techniques, which can be obtained from courses in visionary thinking, for a person to reach beyond illusory boundaries.

Artists may produce work loosely categorized as visionary art for its luminous content and/or for its use of artistic techniques that call for the use of extended powers of perception in the viewer: (e.g. Gustave Moreau, Samuel Palmer, Jean Delville, Ernst Fuchs, the French Symbolist Odilon Redon, Brion Gysin, Max Ernst, Stanley Spencer, Edward Burne-Jones, Adolf Wolfli, Fred Sandback, William Blake, Hieronymus Bosch, and Henry Darger).

Visionary art can be incorrectly defined as a category of primitive art (art of those not formally trained) rather than describing people who have used their visions (or dreams) to create their paintings. Salvador Dalí is one artist who would exemplify visionary art that is neither religious nor primitive.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visionary

What is Pseudoscience?

 Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. 

Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claims; reliance on confirmation bias rather than rigorous attempts at refutation; lack of openness to evaluation by other experts; absence of systematic practices when developing hypotheses; and continued adherence long after the pseudoscientific hypotheses have been experimentally discredited.

The demarcation between science and pseudoscience has philosophical, political, and scientific implications. Differentiating science from pseudoscience has practical implications in the case of health care, expert testimony, environmental policies, and science education. Distinguishing scientific facts and theories from pseudoscientific beliefs, such as those found in climate change denial, astrology, alchemy, alternative medicine, occult beliefs, and creation science, is part of science education and literacy.

Pseudoscience can have dangerous effects. For example, pseudoscientific anti-vaccine activism and promotion of homeopathic remedies as alternative disease treatments can result in people forgoing important medical treatments with demonstrable health benefits, leading to deaths and ill-health. Furthermore, people who refuse legitimate medical treatments to contagious diseases may put others at risk. Pseudoscientific theories about racial and ethnic classifications have led to racism and genocide.

The term pseudoscience is often considered pejorative particularly by purveyors of it, because it suggests something is being presented as science inaccurately 

History Main article: History of pseudoscience The astrological signs of the zodiac

The history of pseudoscience is the study of pseudoscientific theories over time. A pseudoscience is a set of ideas that presents itself as science, while it does not meet the criteria to be properly called such.

Distinguishing between proper science and pseudoscience is sometimes difficult. One proposal for demarcation between the two is the falsification criterion, attributed most notably to the philosopher Karl Popper. In the history of science and the history of pseudoscience it can be especially difficult to separate the two, because some sciences developed from pseudosciences. An example of this transformation is the science chemistry, which traces its origins to pseudoscientific or pre-scientific study of alchemy.

The vast diversity in pseudosciences further complicates the history of science. Some modern pseudosciences, such as astrology and acupuncture, originated before the scientific era. Others developed as part of an ideology, such as Lysenkoism, or as a response to perceived threats to an ideology. Examples of this ideological process are creation science and intelligent design, which were developed in response to the scientific theory of evolution.

Indicators of possible pseudoscience

Homeopathic preparation Rhus toxicodendron, derived from poison ivy

See also: List of topics characterized as pseudoscience

A topic, practice, or body of knowledge might reasonably be termed pseudoscientific when it is presented as consistent with the norms of scientific research, but it demonstrably fails to meet these norms.

Use of vague, exaggerated or untestable claims

Assertion of scientific claims that are vague rather than precise, and that lack specific measurements.

Assertion of a claim with little or no explanatory power.

Failure to make use of operational definitions (i.e., publicly accessible definitions of the variables, terms, or objects of interest so that persons other than the definer can measure or test them independently)

Failure to make reasonable use of the principle of parsimony, i.e., failing to seek an explanation that requires the fewest possible additional assumptions when multiple viable explanations are possible.

Use of obscurantist language, and use of apparently technical jargon in an effort to give claims the superficial trappings of science.

Lack of boundary conditions: Most well-supported scientific theories possess well-articulated limitations under which the predicted phenomena do and do not apply.

Lack of effective controls, such as placebo and double-blind, in experimental design.

Lack of understanding of basic and established principles of physics and engineering.

Over-reliance on confirmation rather than refutation

Assertions that do not allow the logical possibility that they can be shown to be false by observation or physical experiment 

Assertion of claims that a theory predicts something that it has not been shown to predict. Scientific claims that do not confer any predictive power are considered at best "conjectures", or at worst "pseudoscience".

Assertion that claims which have not been proven false must therefore be true, and vice versa. 

Over-reliance on testimonial, anecdotal evidence, or personal experience: This evidence may be useful for the context of discovery (i.e., hypothesis generation), but should not be used in the context of justification.

Presentation of data that seems to support claims while suppressing or refusing to consider data that conflict with those claims. This is an example of selection bias, a distortion of evidence or data that arises from the way that the data are collected. It is sometimes referred to as the selection effect.

Repeating excessive or untested claims that have been previously published elsewhere, and promoting those claims as if they were facts; an accumulation of such uncritical secondary reports, which do not otherwise contribute their own empirical investigation, is called the Woozle effect.

Reversed burden of proof: science places the burden of proof on those making a claim, not on the critic. "Pseudoscientific" arguments may neglect this principle and demand that skeptics demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that a claim (e.g., an assertion regarding the efficacy of a novel therapeutic technique) is false. It is essentially impossible to prove a universal negative, so this tactic incorrectly places the burden of proof on the skeptic rather than on the claimant.

Appeals to holism as opposed to reductionism: proponents of pseudoscientific claims, especially in organic medicine, alternative medicine, naturopathy and mental health, often resort to the "mantra of holism" to dismiss negative findings.

Lack of openness to testing by other experts

Evasion of peer review before publicizing results (termed "science by press conference"): Some proponents of ideas that contradict accepted scientific theories avoid subjecting their ideas to peer review, sometimes on the grounds that peer review is biased towards established paradigms, and sometimes on the grounds that assertions cannot be evaluated adequately using standard scientific methods. By remaining insulated from the peer review process, these proponents forgo the opportunity of corrective feedback from informed colleagues.

Some agencies, institutions, and publications that fund scientific research require authors to share data so others can evaluate a paper independently. Failure to provide adequate information for other researchers to reproduce the claims contributes to a lack of openness.

Appealing to the need for secrecy or proprietary knowledge when an independent review of data or methodology is requested.

Substantive debate on the evidence by knowledgeable proponents of all viewpoints is not encouraged.

Absence of progress

Failure to progress towards additional evidence of its claims. Terence Hines has identified astrology as a subject that has changed very little in the past two millennia.

Lack of self-correction: scientific research programmes make mistakes, but they tend to reduce these errors over time. By contrast, ideas may be regarded as pseudoscientific because they have remained unaltered despite contradictory evidence. The work Scientists Confront Velikovsky (1976) Cornell University, also delves into these features in some detail, as does the work of Thomas Kuhn, e.g., The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) which also discusses some of the items on the list of characteristics of pseudoscience.

Statistical significance of supporting experimental results does not improve over time and are usually close to the cutoff for statistical significance. Normally, experimental techniques improve or the experiments are repeated, and this gives ever stronger evidence. If statistical significance does not improve, this typically shows the experiments have just been repeated until a success occurs due to chance variations.

Personalization of issues

Tight social groups and authoritarian personality, suppression of dissent and groupthink can enhance the adoption of beliefs that have no rational basis. In attempting to confirm their beliefs, the group tends to identify their critics as enemies.

Assertion of a conspiracy on the part of the mainstream scientific community to suppress pseudoscientific information.

Attacking the motives, character, morality, or competence of critics 

Use of misleading language

Creating scientific-sounding terms to persuade non-experts to believe statements that may be false or meaningless: for example, a long-standing hoax refers to water by the rarely used formal name "dihydrogen monoxide" and describes it as the main constituent in most poisonous solutions to show how easily the general public can be misled.

Using established terms in idiosyncratic ways, thereby demonstrating unfamiliarity with mainstream work in the discipline.

See also: List of topics characterized as pseudoscience

Antiscience

Credulity

Factoid

Fringe theory

Junk science

Not even wrong

Normative science

Pseudolaw

Pseudomathematics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscience

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_topics_characterized_as_pseudoscience

The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering the Problems of Everyday Living

 The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering the Problems of Everyday Living is a 1952 self-help book by Norman Vincent Peale. 

It provides anecdotal "case histories" of positive thinking using a biblical approach, and practical instructions which were designed to help the reader achieve a permanent and optimistic attitude. These techniques usually involved affirmations and visualizations. Peale claimed that such techniques would give the reader a higher satisfaction and quality of life. The Power of Positive Thinking was negatively reviewed by scholars and health experts, but was popular among the general public and has sold well.

Norman Vincent Peale, born in 1898 in southwestern Ohio, graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and later received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in sacred theology from Boston University's School of Theology. Peale then attended Syracuse University where he received a Doctor of Divinity degree. After serving 10 years as a Methodist clergyman in New York, Peale became the pastor of New York City's Marble Collegiate Church where he stayed for 52 years, until his retirement in 1984.

 Throughout Norman Vincent Peale career as a pastor, Peale wrote over 40 books, became a sought-after motivational speaker, started weekly radio and television shows, organized the American Foundation of Religion and Psychiatry, and co-founded the spiritual newsletter Guideposts with his wife, Ruth Stafford Peale

The Power of Positive Thinking was published in October 1952 and continues to be Peale's most widely read work. It was on the New York Times' best-sellers list for 186 weeks, 48 of which were spent in the No. 1 non-fiction spot. The book sold more than 5 million copies worldwide— 2.5 million from 1952 to 1956 — and was eventually translated into over 40 languages. Other books published by Peale around 1952 include The Art of Real Happiness, published in 1950, and Inspiring Messages for Daily Living, published in 1955.

The Power of Positive Thinking appeared at a time when Christian church attendance was drastically increasing, national views of spirituality, individuality, and religion were shifting, and the Cold War was a growing concern for many Americans. These factors, as well as Peale's growing popularity as a motivational public figure and the book's clear prose, propelled The Power of Positive Thinking into a self-help book still popular today.

Synopsis: Peale begins by stating ten rules for “overcoming inadequacy attitudes and learning to practice faith”. The rules include the following:

• Picture yourself succeeding.
• Think a positive thought to drown out a negative thought.
• Minimize obstacles.
• Do not attempt to copy others.
• Repeat “If God be for us, who can be against us?” ten times every day.
• Work with a counselor.
• Repeat “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” ten times every day.
• Develop a strong self-respect.
• Affirm that you are in God's hands.
• Believe that you receive power from God.

The next chapter describes the importance of creating a peaceful mind, which can be done through inspirational reading, clearing one's mind, or visualization. Peale continues with how to obtain consistent energy, saying that “God is the source of all energy”. The mind controls how the body feels; thus, letting go of negative energy and emotions will give infinite energy through God. Next, Peale speaks of the healing power of prayer, and how it will heal physical and emotional problems that arise from negative circumstances. 

In chapters five and six, Peale asserts that happiness is created by choice and that worrying only inhibits it and should be stopped. The next step in thinking positively is to always believe in success and not to believe in defeat because most obstacles are “mental in character”. Habitual worrying is the next obstacle to overcome through emptying the mind and positive affirmations. Peale then states that asking God for help can solve one's personal problems and physically and emotionally heal them.

In chapter twelve, Peale states that letting go of anger and embracing a sense of calm can help with physical illnesses, such as eczema. Next, Peale states that letting positive thoughts in can change one's outlook on life drastically and that practicing relaxation through God's help will lead to a content life. 

Chapter fifteen gives concrete examples on how to get others to like you, including the following: remember names, praise others generously, become a people person, and resolve problems calmly as soon as they appear. Peale then continues with how to overcome heartache through prayer, meditation, social interactions, and keeping a daily routine. 

The final chapter restates the importance of reaching out to a Higher Power for help in living a peaceful, positive life. Peale ends The Power of Positive Thinking with an epilogue encouraging readers to follow his techniques and live more fulfilled lives. Peale writes, “I pray for you. God will help you — so believe and live successfully.”

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Positive_Thinking

Optimistic Autosuggestion Émile Coué

Émile Coué de la Châtaigneraie (French: 26 February 1857 – 2 July 1926) was a French psychologist and pharmacist who introduced a popular method of psychotherapy and self-improvement based on optimistic autosuggestion.

Considered by Charles Baudouin to represent a second Nancy School, Coué treated many patients in groups and free of charge.

Self-suggestion

Coué identified two types of self-suggestion: 

(i) the intentional, "reflective suggestion" made by deliberate and conscious effort, and 

(ii) the involuntary "spontaneous suggestion", that is a “natural phenomenon of our mental life … which takes place without conscious effort [and has its effect] with an intensity proportional to the keenness of [our] attention”.

Baudouin identified three different sources of spontaneous suggestion:

A. Instances belonging to the representative domain (sensations, mental images, dreams, visions, memories, opinions, and all intellectual phenomena);

B. Instances belonging to the affective domain (joy or sorrow, emotions, sentiments, tendencies, passions);

C. Instances belonging to the active or motor domain (actions, volitions, desires, gestures, movements at the periphery or in the interior of the body, functional or organic modifications).

Two minds

According to Yeates, Coué shared the theoretical position that Hudson had expressed in his Law of Psychic Phenomena (1893): namely, that our "mental organization" was such that it seemed as if we had "two minds, each endowed with separate and distinct attributes and powers; [with] each capable, under certain conditions, of independent action".

Further, argued Hudson, it was entirely irrelevant, for explanatory purposes, whether we actually had "two distinct minds", whether we only seemed to be "endowed with a dual mental organization", or whether we actually had "one mind [possessed of] certain attributes and powers under some conditions, and certain other attributes and powers under other conditions".

Development and origins

Émile Coué (1857-1926)

    Coué … had been operating a free clinic at his home in Nancy, France, [since

1910] where he used the psychological technique of non-hypnotic suggestion as

group treatment, not only for the supposed mental and physical healing of his

patients, but also for enabling them to improve their character and to attain a

confident self mastery.

    He argued that no suggestion made by himself became a reality unless it was

translated by his patients into their own autosuggestion.

    Hence they really healed themselves, and could do this even without his

presence if they used the formula "Every day, in every way, I’m getting better

and better."

    Rather than making any effort of the will about it, they were to employ this

suggestion while in a state of passive relaxation, such as upon awakening or

just before going to bed at night.

    At these times, they rapidly and ritualistically repeated it twenty times,

counting with a string of twenty knots which they slipped through the fingers

one at a time.

    Used in this manner, Coué argued, the idea of the formula would penetrate

the unconscious mind, where it would bring about the desired changes in body

or mind.

    This would happen, he believed, because the unconscious governed all our

thoughts, behavior, and organic functions.

    Indeed, it was so powerful that it controlled us like puppets, unless we in turn

learned how to control it through the self-administration of autosuggestions

which, once accepted by it, would be realized by means of its special powers.

    While Coué did not denigrate the conscious self and reason, he certainly

diminished its role, likening it to a little island on the vast ocean of the

unconscious.

    But despite such an emphasis on the unconscious, he avoided any mental

analysis of it, arguing that it was better not to know the nature of its contents.

                 Rapp (1987), pp.17-18.

Coué noticed that in certain cases he could improve the efficacy of a given medicine by praising its effectiveness to the patient. He realized that those patients to whom he praised the medicine had a noticeable improvement when compared to patients to whom he said nothing. This began Coué's exploration of the use of hypnosis and the power of the imagination.

His initial method for treating patients relied on hypnosis. He discovered that subjects could not be hypnotized against their will and, more importantly, that the effects of hypnosis waned when the subjects regained consciousness. He thus eventually turned to autosuggestion, which he describes as... an instrument that we possess at birth, and with which we play unconsciously all our life, as a baby plays with its rattle. It is however a dangerous instrument; it can wound or even kill you if you handle it imprudently and unconsciously. It can on the contrary save your life when you know how to employ it consciously.

Coué believed in the effects of medication. But he also believed that our mental state is able to affect and even amplify the action of these medications. By consciously using autosuggestion, he observed that his patients could cure themselves more efficiently by replacing their "thought of illness" with a new "thought of cure".

 According to Coué, repeating words or images enough times causes the subconscious to absorb them. The cures were the result of using imagination or "positive autosuggestion" to the exclusion of one's own willpower.

Underlying principles

Coué thus developed a method which relied on the principle that any idea exclusively occupying the mind turns into reality, although only to the extent that the idea is within the realm of possibility. For instance, a person without hands will not be able to make them grow back. 

However, if a person firmly believes that his or her asthma is disappearing, then this may actually happen, as far as the body is actually able physically to overcome or control the illness. 

On the other hand, thinking negatively about the illness (ex. "I am not feeling well") will encourage both mind and body to accept this thought. Likewise, when someone cannot remember a name, they will probably not be able to recall it as long as they hold onto this idea (i.e. "I can't remember") in their mind. Coué realised that it is better to focus on and imagine the desired, positive results (i.e. "I feel healthy and energetic" and "I can remember clearly").

Willpower

Coué observed that the main obstacle to autosuggestion was willpower. For the method to work, the patient must refrain from making any independent judgment, meaning that he must not let his will impose its own views on positive ideas. Everything must thus be done to ensure that the positive "autosuggestive" idea is consciously accepted by the patient; otherwise, one may end up getting the opposite effect of what is desired.

For example, when a student has forgotten an answer to a question in an exam, he will likely think something such as "I have forgotten the answer". The more they try to think of it, the more the answer becomes blurred and obscured. However, if this negative thought is replaced with a more positive one ("No need to worry, it will come back to me"), the chances that the student will come to remember the answer will increase.

Coué noted that young children always applied his method perfectly, as they lacked the willpower that remained present among adults. When he instructed a child by saying "clasp your hands and you can't open them", the child would thus immediately follow.

Self-conflict

A patient's problems are likely to increase when his willpower and imagination (or mental ideas) are opposing each other, something Coué would refer to as "self-conflict". In the student's case, the will to succeed is clearly incompatible with his thought of being incapable of remembering his answers. As the conflict intensifies, so does the problem: the more the patient tries to sleep, the more he becomes awake. The more a patient tries to stop smoking, the more he smokes. The patient must thus abandon his willpower and instead put more focus on his imaginative power in order to succeed fully with his cure.

Effectiveness

Thanks to his method, which Coué once called his "trick", patients of all sorts would come to visit him. The list of ailments included kidney problems, diabetes, memory loss, stammering, weakness, atrophy and all sorts of physical and mental illnesses. According to one of his journal entries (1916), he apparently cured a patient of a uterus prolapse as well as "violent pains in the head" (migraine).

C. (Cyrus) Harry Brooks (1890–1951), author of various books on Coué, claimed the success rate of his method was around 93%. The remaining 7% of people would include those who were too skeptical of Coué's approach and those who refused to recognize it.

Works

How to Practise Suggestion and Autosuggestion

A book about the life of Emile Coué by Charles Baudouin

My Method: Including American Impressions

Self-Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion (1922)

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Cou%C3%A9

Philosophy of Personal Achievement—Lectures on Science of Success

 From 1952 to 1962, Hill taught his Philosophy of Personal Achievement—Lectures on Science of Success in association with W. Clement Stone.

 During 1960, Hill and Stone co-authored the book Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude. 

Norman Vincent Peale is quoted saying that Hill and Stone "have the rare gift of inspiring and helping people" and that he owes "them both a personal debt of gratitude for the helpful guidance I have received from their writings."

Stone emphasized using a "positive mental attitude" to succeed. Stone adopted the motto of his mentor, Napoleon Hill, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve (with PMA)."

 In 1960, Stone teamed up with Napoleon Hill to author Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude. The book Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude includes the following testimonial from the Rev. Robert H. Schuller on the inside front cover page: "Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude is one of the ten books that has most impacted my faith and my philosophy...no person's education is complete without the concepts articulated in it so wisely and so well." 

Norman Vincent Peale said that Stone and Hill "have the rare gift of inspiring and helping people...In fact, I owe them both a personal debt of gratitude for the helpful guidance I have received from their writings." 

Stone and Hill also founded a monthly digest magazine, entitled Success Unlimited. In 1962, Stone wrote the Success System That Never Fails, in which he suggested how to become successful and have a healthy, productive lifestyle. In 1964, he and Norma Lee Browning collaborated on writing The Other Side of the Mind.

 Stone, W. Clement; Browning, Norma Lee (1964). The Other Side of the Mind. Prentice Hall. Retrieved 15 July 2009.

Stone, W. Clement., (1962) The Success System That Never Fails, Prentice Hall, ISBN 1-60459-931-6

Hill, Napoleon; Stone, W. Clement (2007) [1977]. Og Mandino (ed.). Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-4159-2. Retrieved 15 July2009.

 Who is Norman Vincent Peale?

Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was an American minister and author who is best known for his work in popularizing the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book The Power of Positive Thinking. He served as the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, New York, from 1932 until 1984, leading a Reformed Church in America congregation.

Peale was a personal friend of President Richard Nixon and has influenced other US presidents as well. His ideas and techniques received criticism from church figures and from psychiatric professionals.

Peale's works were criticized by several mental health experts who denounced his writings as bad for mental health, and concluded that Peale was a "con man and a fraud,"  and a "Confidence Man." These critics appeared in the early 1950s after the publication of The Power of Positive Thinking.

One critique of The Power of Positive Thinking noted that the book contained anecdotes that are hard to substantiate. Critics noted many of the testimonials that Peale quoted as supporting his philosophy were unnamed, unknown and unsourced. 

Examples included a "famous psychologist,":52 a two-page letter from a "practicing physician",:150 another "famous psychologist",:169 a "prominent citizen of New York City",:88 and dozens, if not hundreds, more unverifiable quotations. 

Similar scientific studies of questionable validity are also cited. As psychiatrist R.C. Murphy wrote, "All this advertising is vindicated as it were, by a strict cleaving to the side of part truth," and referred to the work and the quoted material as "implausible and woodenly pious".

Agreeing with Murphy is William Lee Miller, professor in religious studies at the University of Virginia, who wrote an extensive article called “Some Negative Thinking About Norman Vincent Peale.” After reviewing the entire Peale library, Miller concluded that the books “are hard on the truth,” and that “the later books are worse” than the earlier ones. Miller challenged the plausibility and truthfulness of Peale’s testimonials with “Great Men” in his books, almost all of whom were unnamed, unknown and unverifiable.

“In Dr. Peale’s books these men turn out to talk just like Dr. Peale…. There is a continuing recurring episode in his books that goes like this: Peale meets Great Man; Peale humbly asks Great Man for his secret (his formula, technique); Great Man tells Peale his strikingly Peale-like secret (formula, technique)….”

Miller also mocks the success formulas these “great men” reveal, such as the unnamed newspaper editor who credits repeating a single phrase [a technique in authohypnosis] as the reason for his success. 

The unnamed editor’s “secret is card in wallet with words to the effect that successful man is successful.” Miller explains: “There is never the suggestion that hard work might be involved in achievement. There are no demands on the reader.” Miller wrote “All this is hard on the truth, but it is good for the preacher’s popularity. It enables him to say exactly what his hearers want to hear.” 

Miller further mocks Peale’s claims that his methods of “religion” are scientifically proven. Miller quotes Peale: “The laws are so precise and have been so often demonstrated… that religion may be said to form an exact science.” Peale provides no scientific evidence in his books to support this claim. He provides no evidence that his methods and “techniques” have been scientifically tested or proven to work.

There are no scientific references supporting Peale, no footnotes, no index, no bibliography, no recommendations for further readings, almost no evidence of any kind presented in the Peale books. 

Miller concluded that the Peale claims were untruthful and unsupported by evidence. Miller wrote that in order to gain followers “He [Peale] is willing to use without flinching the most blatant appeals and to promise without stint.”

A second critique of Peale was that he attempted to conceal that his techniques for giving the reader absolute self-confidence and deliverance from suffering are a well known form of hypnosis, and that he persuaded his readers to follow his beliefs through a combination of false evidence and self-hypnosis (autosuggestion), disguised by the use of terms which may sound more benign from the reader's point of view ("techniques", "formulas", "methods", "prayers", and "prescriptions").One author called Peale's book "The Bible of American autohypnotism".:264

While his techniques have been debated by psychologists, Peale said his theological practice and strategy was directed more at self-analysis, forgiveness, character development, and growth much like the Jesuits of the Catholic Church.

Psychiatrist R. C. Murphy wrote "Self knowledge, in Mr. Peale's understanding is unequivocally bad: self hypnosis is good." Murphy added that repeated hypnosis defeats an individual's self-motivation, self-knowledge, unique sense of self, sense of reality, and ability to think critically.

Murphy describes Peale's understanding of the mind as inaccurate, "without depth", and his description of the workings of the mind and the unconscious as deceptively simplistic and false: "It is the very shallowness of his concept of 'person' that makes his rules appear easy ... If the unconscious of man ... can be conceptualized as a container for a small number of psychic fragments, then ideas like 'mind-drainage' follow. So does the reliance on self-hypnosis, which is the cornerstone of Mr. Peale's philosophy.'"

Psychologist Albert Ellis, founder of the branch of psychology known as cognitive psychology, compared the Peale techniques with those of French psychologist, hypnotherapist and pharmacist Émile Coué, and Ellis said that the repeated use of these hypnotic techniques could lead to significant mental health problems. 

Ellis, ranked by the American Psychological Association as the second most influential psychologist of the 20th century (behind Carl Rogers, but ahead of Sigmund Freud), documented in several of his books the many individuals he has treated who suffered mental breakdowns from following Peale's teachings. Ellis described one of his case studies:

"One of my 50-year-old clients, Sidney, read everything that Norman Vincent Peale ever wrote, went to many of his sermons at Marble Collegiate Church, and turned many of his friends onto trusting completely in God and in the Reverend Peale to cure them of all their ills. When some of these friends, in spite of their vigorous positive thinking, wound up in the mental hospital, and when Sidney had to turn to massive doses of tranquilizers to keep himself going, he became disillusioned..."

Fortunately, Ellis' client began attending therapy and workshop groups at his clinic (The Albert Ellis Institute), and through cognitive behavioral therapy (at that time, known as Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, or REBT), he was able to improve his mental health and reduce his medications.

Ellis' writings repeatedly warn the public not to follow the Peale message. Ellis contends the Peale approach is dangerous, distorted, unrealistic. He compares the black or white view of life that Peale teaches to a psychological disorder (borderline personality disorder), perhaps implying that dangerous mental habits which he sees in the disorder may be brought on by following the teaching. "In the long run [Peale's teachings] lead to failure and disillusionment, and not only boomerang back against people, but often prejudice them against effective therapy."

A third critique was that Peale's philosophy was based on exaggerating the fears of his readers and followers, and that this exaggerated fear inevitably leads to aggression and the destruction of those considered "negative". Peale's views were critically reviewed in a 1955 article by psychiatrist R. C. Murphy, published in The Nation, titled "Think Right: Reverend Peale's Panacea".

Donald B. Meyer seemed to agree with this assessment, presenting similar warnings of a religious nature. In his article "Confidence Man", Meyer wrote, "In more classic literature, this sort of pretension to mastery has often been thought to indicate an alliance with a Lower rather than a Higher power." 

The mastery Peale speaks of is not the mastery of skills or tasks, but the mastery of fleeing and avoiding one's own "negative thoughts". Meyer wrote, exaggerated fear inevitably leads to aggression: "Battle it is; Peale, in sublime betrayal of the aggression within his philosophy of peace, talks of 'shooting' prayers at people."

Psychologist Martin Seligman, former APA president and the founder of the branch of psychology known as Positive Psychology, differentiated Peale's positive thinking from his own positive psychology, while acknowledging their common roots.

It is important to see the difference: Is Positive Psychology just positive thinking warmed over?

Positive Psychology has a philosophical connection to positive thinking, but not an empirical one. The Arminian Heresy (discussed at length in the notes for Chapter 5) is at the foundations of Methodism, and Norman Vincent Peale's positive thinking grows out of it. Positive Psychology is also tied at its foundations to the individual freely choosing, and in this sense both endeavors have common roots.

But Positive Psychology is also different in significant ways from positive thinking, in that Positive Psychology is based on scientific accuracy while positive thinking is not, and that positive thinking could even be fatal in the wrong circumstances.

First, positive thinking is an armchair activity. Positive Psychology, on the other hand, is tied to a program of empirical and replicable scientific activity. 

Second, Positive Psychology does not hold a brief for positivity. There is a balance sheet, and in spite of the many advantages of positive thinking, there are times when negative thinking is to be preferred. Although there are many studies that correlate positivity with later health, longevity, sociability, and success, the balance of the evidence suggests that in some situations negative thinking leads to more accuracy. 

Where accuracy is tied to potentially catastrophic outcomes (for example, when an airplane pilot is deciding whether to de-ice the wings of her airplane), we should all be pessimists. With these benefits in mind, Positive Psychology aims for the optimal balance between positive and negative thinking. 

Third, many leaders in the Positive Psychology movement have spent decades working on the "negative" side of things. Positive Psychology is a supplement to negative psychology, not a substitute.

Seligman went on to say "Positive thinking often involves trying to believe upbeat statements such as 'Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better,' in the absence of evidence or even in the face of contrary evidence. ... Learned optimism, in contrast, is about accuracy".

Another difference experts noted was that though Seligman describes his positive psychology as a self-empowering program completely within the ability of the individual to achieve on his or her own, experts described positive thinking as disempowering to the individual and a religion of weakness, where individuals are told by Peale they cannot overcome their negative circumstances without his autosuggestive "techniques," which he claims will give them the power of God. 

As Meyer quotes Peale as saying, "No man, however resourceful or pugnacious, is a match for so great an adversary as a hostile world. He is at best a puny and impotent creature quite at the mercy of the cosmic and social forces in the midst of which he dwells."

 Meyer noted that Peale always "reacted to the image of harshness with flight rather than competitive fight", and the only solution Peale offers out of this state of helplessness are his autosuggestive "techniques", which he claims will give people the power of God. Meyer adds that the proof that positive thinking cannot work is that according to Peale, even with God's power on one's side, one still cannot face negative reality, which is always stronger. Meyer, like Seligman, noted that such unrealistic thinking by a positive thinker could easily be fatal.

In 1935, Peale started a radio program, The Art of Living, which lasted for 54 years. Under sponsorship of the National Council of Churches he moved into television when the new medium arrived. 

In the meantime he had begun to edit the magazine Guideposts and to write books. His sermons were mailed monthly. During the Great Depression, Peale teamed with James Cash Penney, founder of J.C. Penney & Co.; Arthur Godfrey, the radio and TV personality; and Thomas J. Watson, President and Founder of IBM, to form the first board of 40Plus, an organization that helps unemployed managers and executives.

Peale was a prolific writer; The Power of Positive Thinking is by far his most widely read work. First published in 1952, it stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 186 consecutive weeks, and according to the publisher, Simon and Schuster, the book has sold around 5 million copies. 

The fact that the book has sold 5 million copies is printed on the cover of the current edition in both paperback and hard cover, and directly contradicts exaggerated claims that the book has sold more than 20 million copies in 42 languages.

 The publisher also contradicts the translation claim, saying the book has been translated into only 15 languages. Nearly half of the sales of the book (2.1 mil.) occurred before 1958, and by 1963, the book had still only sold 2 million copies according to Peale.

 Since then, the book has sold less than 3 million copies over the past 60 years. Some of his other popular works include: 

• The Art of Living, A Guide to Confident Living, 
• The Tough-Minded Optimist, and
• Inspiring Messages for Daily Living.

In 1947 Peale co-founded (along with educator Kenneth Beebe) The Horatio Alger Association. This organization aims to recognize and honor Americans who have been successful in spite of difficult circumstances. 

Other organizations founded by Peale include the Peale Center, the Positive Thinking Foundation and Guideposts Publications, all of which aim to promote Peale's theories about positive thinking.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Vincent_Peale