The Mastery of Success. Thorstein Veblen

be the effect. In other words, you relax, let go, and become perfectly passive, bodily and mentally. You thus relieve the Active mind from duty and allow the Passive mind to have undisputed control. You then carry the thought of "I am Fearless," and the others above given, calmly and firmly. You also picture yourself, on your imagination, as being Fearless, acting fearlessly, having moral and physical courage, and as driving away the Worry mongrel with our mental club.

      Give your imagination full scope, but hold it down to the desired line of thought. You will find the exercises in concentration most valuable here. You also will carry the thought of Fearlessness with you all the time, and endeavor to act the part naturally. I mean adjust what I say; act the part just as does the actor when he assumes a role. The assumed character will soon become more real, and in time will be the "real thing" with you. After a little practice, it will become second nature to you; and eventually will become your real nature.

      As I have said before, the combination of Thought Absorption and Autosuggestion forms the ideal treatment in Character Building. I will close this lesson with a few exercises designed to aid you in Thought Absorption. Do not forget to practice the Concentration exercises, but do not wait to master them before commencing your fight on the Fear thought cur. Commence this flight at once. Cut your club today, and just "lay" for the brute. Once you get him out of the way, you will be able to pursue the study of this subject, without the annoyance of having him around, howling and yelping at you. The treatment for lack of Energy, Confidence, Perseverance, etc., is identical with that directed for Fear thought, the words of the auto- suggestions and affirmations, of course, being, altered to suit the particular case.

       THE PRACTICE OF THOUGHT ABSORPTION

      1. Find a secure, quiet place, as far as possible removed from the scenes and sounds of the outside world. If the ideal conditions cannot be secured, you must content yourself with the best obtainable conditions. The idea is to shut out the distracting, impression, and enable you to be alone with yourself.

      2. Place yourself on a couch, bed or easy chair, obtaining a position of absolute ease and comfort. Relax every muscle; withdraw the tension from every nerve; allow yourself to be perfectly "limp" all over, from head to feet. Breathe deeply and slowly, retaining the breath for several moments before expelling it; continue the deep breathing until a feeling of calm, restful quiet manifests itself.

      3. Concentrate your whole attention inwardly upon yourself, shutting out all outside impressions. Concentration exercises will enable you to do this.

      4. Having obtained the proper conditions of bodily and mental relaxation, fix your thought firmly, calmly and steadily upon the word "FEARLESS," letting its outward form sink into your mind, as they dive into the wax. Give yourself up to the thought and the word. Then think of the meaning of the word, the characteristics of a person possessing that, quality, etc.

      5. Form the mental picture of yourself possessed of the desired quality, act it out in your mind, as in a dream; think of yourself doing certain things by reason of the possession of the woman, you being possessed of the desired quality. In short, indulge in a pleasant "day dream," having for its theme your possession of the quality desired. Give your imagination full sway, merely insisting upon it sticking to the text, and it's always showing you successful the scenes and occurrences of the dream. Always conclude this "dream" with a strong impression and thought of "I AM."

      6. Repeat these exercises as often as possible. It is like the dripping of the water on the stone. The repeated thought takes root and grows rapidly. It is a good plan to practice this exercise when you retire for the night, and also during your waking hours at night, if you have any. The exercises will not keep you from slumber, but will rather tend to induce the desire for sleep. If you feel yourself dropping into a doze, do not resist it, as the impression, which you carry with you into sleep, will dwell with you, and will do its work even while you are slumbering.

      In the above exercises, I have used the word "Fearless" and its accompanying thought, to illustrate the process of inducing Thought Absorption. You will understand that you are to use the word expressing the quality of which you are desirous of acquiring. If you wish to rid yourself of an undesirable quality, select the word expressing the opposite thought. For instance, if you are inclined to be indolent, select the word "Active" or "Energy," etc., and so on. You must remember that when we wish to brighten a room, we do not have to drive out the darkness first; we merely open the blinds and admit the light, and lo, the darkness has departed. Do not bother about the undesirable thought, but concentrate on their opposites, and the positive will neutralize the negative. Do not become discouraged if the results do not come as soon as you would like. Remember, they are sure to come, in time. All that you require is repeated practice. The mind can be developed just as can be the muscles, and by the same process - continued practice.

      You have been given the means of remedying your defects. If you do not avail yourself of its benefits, it is simply because you do not want to. If you have Desire strong within you, you will do it. If you lack the strong desire, I cannot help you. If you prefer to sell your glorious birthright of Mental Control for the mess of pottage of present indulgence, that is your own business. You are your own master. Make of yourself what you will.

      The Art of Concentering

       Table of Content

      Definition of the term - Exoteric and esoteric meanings - A valuable acquirement -Thought combined with action - Volitional concentering - How to "arrive" - Advantages of concentering - Means of doing the best work - Getting the full result of your work -Cure for discouragement - Work out your own salvation - Don't be a human doormat - Get down to business – Heaven’s not a loafing place - Work robbed of its terrors - Remedy for the "blues" - A specific for discouragement - Concentering no easy task - A simple experiment - Advantages of concentering - No more waste effort or lost motion -Focusing the attention - Focusing thought - A valuable remedy for mental and physical exhaustion – Explanation - Requisites of concentering.

      In ordinary conversation, we make frequent use of the word "Concentration," in the sense of "bringing together," or "diminishing in bulk and increasing in strength," or "consolidating," etc. In order to avoid an erroneous conception, I have preferred to use the term "Concentering." A plain definition of the word "Concentering" is "the bringing to a common center," or "focusing." Carry in your mind the analysis of the word, thus "Con-CENTER," - "to bring to a center."

      The word "concenter" has its exoteric, or common meaning, and its esoteric, or hidden, meaning, when used in connection with the exercise of the powers of the mind. The exoteric idea is the concentering of the mind upon the one particular thought or action, inhibiting all outside thoughts or impressions. The esoteric idea is the concentering of the mind upon the Ego, the I AM, inhibiting all outside thoughts or impressions. The esoteric idea is the concentering of the mind upon the Ego, the I AM, inhibiting all thoughts of the material body or of the grosser self, and dwelling the higher regions of the Soul. The First mentioned form of concentering is a most valuable acquirement for man in his everyday life; the second form is a most desirable acquirement for those who would know more of their real self, and who aspire to know something of the secrets of THE SILENCE. In this lesson I will speak exclusively of the practical side of concentering, that being the purpose of this work. I have, however, given the reader hints of the esoteric phase, that he may know how to proceed if he is attracted to the same.

      The art of concentering upon a give thought or action is one of the most desirable acquirements, which a man can possess. We have been told the advantage of "doing a thing with all our might," and "doing one at a time, and doing it well," etc. We all know of the painter who attributed his excellent work to the fact that he "mixed brains in his painting," and of the miner who "put a little brains into his pick."

      We know that the simplest task is better performed, if we but combine concentered thought with the action. Workmen differ in degree according to the amount of concentered thought placed in their work. The man who "takes an interest in his work," and who finds an intellectual pleasure in his daily task, is the man who does the best work, and is also the happier man. The man who keeps his