Chapter - Index
CHAPTER 4 -
AUTO-SUGGESTION
THE MEDIUM FOR INFLUENCING THE SUBCONSCIOUS
MIND
The Third Step toward Riches
AUTO-SUGGESTION is a term which applies to all suggestions and
all self-administered stimuli which reach one's mind through
the five senses. Stated in another way, auto-suggestion is self-suggestion.
It is the agency of communication between that part of the mind
where conscious thought takes place, and that which serves as the
seat of action for the subconscious mind.
Through the dominating thoughts which one permits to remain in
the conscious mind, (whether these thoughts be negative or positive,
is immaterial), the principle of auto-suggestion voluntarily reaches
the subconscious mind and influences it with these thoughts.
NO THOUGHT, whether it be negative or positive, CAN ENTER THE
SUBCONSCIOUS MIND WITHOUT THE AID OF THE PRINCIPLE OF AUTO-SUGGESTION,
with the exception of thoughts picked up from the ether. Stated
differently, all sense impressions which are perceived through the
five senses, are stopped by the CONSCIOUS thinking mind, and may
be either passed on to the subconscious mind, or rejected, at will.
The conscious faculty serves, therefore, as an outer-guard to the
approach of the subconscious.
Nature has so built man that he has ABSOLUTE CONTROL over the
material which reaches his subconscious mind, through his five senses,
although this is not meant to be construed as a statement that man
always EXERCISES this control. In the great majority of instances,
he does NOT exercise it, which explains why so many people go through
life in poverty.
Recall what has been said about the subconscious mind resembling
a fertile garden spot, in which weeds will grow in abundance, if
the seeds of more desirable crops are not sown therein. AUTOSUGGESTION
is the agency of control through which an individual may voluntarily
feed his subconscious mind on thoughts of a creative nature, or,
by neglect, permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find their
way into this rich garden of the mind.
You were instructed, in the last of the six steps described in
the chapter on Desire, to read ALOUD twice daily the WRITTEN statement
of your DESIRE FOR MONEY, and to SEE AND FEEL yourself ALREADY in
possession of the money! By following these instructions, you communicate
the object of your DESIRE directly to your SUBCONSCIOUS mind in
a spirit of absolute FAITH. Through repetition of this procedure,
you voluntarily create thought habits which are favorable to your
efforts to transmute desire into its monetary equivalent.
Go back to these six steps described in chapter two, and read
them again, very carefully, before you proceed further. Then (when
you come to it), read very carefully the four instructions for the
organization of your "Master Mind" group, described in
the chapter on Organized Planning. By comparing these two sets of
instructions with that which has been stated on auto-suggestion,
you, of course, will see that the instructions involve the application
of the principle of auto-suggestion.
Remember, therefore, when reading aloud the statement of your
desire (through which you are endeavoring to develop a "money
consciousness"), that the mere reading of the words is of NO
CONSEQUENCE--UNLESS you mix emotion, or feeling with your words.
If you repeat a million times the famous Emil Coué formula, "Day
by day, in every way, I am getting better and better," without
mixing emotion and FAITH with your words, you will experience no
desirable results. Your subconscious mind recognizes and acts upon
ONLY thoughts which have been well-mixed with emotion or feeling.
This is a fact of such importance as to warrant repetition in
practically every chapter, because the lack of understanding of
this is the main reason the majority of people who try to apply
the principle of auto-suggestion get no desirable results.
Plain, unemotional words do not influence the subconscious mind.
You will get no appreciable results until you learn to reach your
subconscious mind with thoughts, or spoken words which have been
well emotionalized with BELIEF.
Do not become discouraged, if you cannot control and direct your
emotions the first time you try to do so. Remember, there is no
such possibility as SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. Ability to reach, and
influence your subconscious mind has its price, and you MUST PAY
THAT PRICE. You cannot cheat, even if you desire to do so. The price
of ability to influence your subconscious mind is everlasting PERSISTENCE
in applying the principles described here. You cannot develop the
desired ability for a lower price. You, and YOU ALONE, must decide
whether or not the reward for which you are striving (the "money
consciousness"), is worth the price you must pay for it in
effort.
Wisdom and "cleverness" alone, will not attract and
retain money except in a few very rare instances, where the law
of averages favors the attraction of money through these sources.
The method of attracting money described here, does not depend upon
the law of averages. Moreover, the method plays no favorites. It
will work for one person as effectively as it will for another.
Where failure is experienced, it is the individual, not the method,
which has failed. If you try and fail, make another effort, and
still another, until you succeed.
Your ability to use the principle of auto-suggestion will depend,
very largely, upon your capacity to CONCENTRATE upon a given DESIRE
until that desire becomes a BURNING OBSESSION.
When you begin to carry out the instructions in connection with
the six steps described in the second chapter, it will be necessary
for you to make use of the principle of CONCENTRATION.
Let us here offer suggestions for the effective use of concentration.
When you begin to carry out the first of the six steps, which instructs
you to "fix in your own mind the EXACT amount of money you
desire," hold your thoughts on that amount of money by CONCENTRATION,
or fixation of attention, with your eyes closed, until you can ACTUALLY
SEE the physical appearance of the money. Do this at least once
each day. As you go through these exercises, follow the instructions
given in the chapter on FAITH, and see yourself actually IN POSSESSION
OF THE MONEY!
Here is a most significant fact--the subconscious mind takes
any orders given it in a spirit of absolute FAITH, and acts upon
those orders, although the orders often have to be presented over
and over again, through repetition, before they are interpreted
by the subconscious mind. Following the preceding statement, consider
the possibility of playing a perfectly legitimate "trick"
on your subconscious mind, by making it believe, because you believe
it, that you must have the amount of money you are visualizing,
that this money is already awaiting your claim, that the subconscious
mind MUST hand over to you practical plans for acquiring the money
which is yours.
Hand over the thought suggested in the preceding paragraph to
your IMAGINATION, and see what your imagination can, or will do,
to create practical plans for the accumulation of money through
transmutation of your desire.
DO NOT WAIT for a definite plan, through which you intend to
exchange services or merchandise in return for the money you are
visualizing, but begin at once to see yourself in possession of
the money, DEMANDING and EXPECTING meanwhile, that your subconscious
mind will hand over the plan, or plans you need. Be on the alert
for these plans, and when they appear, put them into ACTION IMMEDIATELY.
When the plans appear, they will probably "flash" into
your mind through the sixth sense, in the form of an "inspiration."
This inspiration may be considered a direct "telegram,"
or message from Infinite Intelligence. Treat it with respect, and
act upon it as soon as you receive it. Failure to do this will be
FATAL to your success.
In the fourth of the six steps, you were instructed to "Create
a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once
to put this plan into action." You should follow this instruction
in the manner described in the preceding paragraph. Do not trust
to your "reason" when creating your plan for accumulating
money through the transmutation of desire. Your reason is faulty.
Moreover, your reasoning faculty may be lazy, and, if you depend
entirely upon it to serve you, it may disappoint you.
When visualizing the money you intend to accumulate, (with closed
eyes), see yourself rendering the service, or delivering the merchandise
you intend to give in return for this money. This is important!
SUMMARY OF INSTRUCTIONS
The fact that you are reading this book is an indication that
you earnestly seek knowledge. It is also an indication that you
are a student of this subject. If you are only a student, there
is a chance that you may learn much that you did not know, but you
will learn only by assuming an attitude of humility.
p. 101
[paragraph continues] If you choose to follow some of the instructions
but neglect, or refuse to follow others--you will fail! To get satisfactory
results, you must follow ALL instructions in a spirit of FAITH.
The instructions given in connection with the six steps in the
second chapter will now be summarized, and blended with the principles
covered by this chapter, as follows:
First.
|
Go into some quiet spot (preferably in bed at night)
where you will not be disturbed or interrupted, close your
eyes, and repeat aloud, (so you may hear your own words)
the written statement of the amount of money you intend
to accumulate, the time limit for its accumulation, and
a description of the service or merchandise you intend to
give in return for the money. As you carry out these instructions,
SEE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY.
For example:--Suppose that you intend to accumulate $50,000
by the first of January, five years hence, that you intend
to give personal services in return for the money, in the
capacity of a salesman. Your written statement of your purpose
should be similar to the following:
"By the first day of January, 19.., I will have
in my possession $50,000, which will come to me in various
amounts from time to time during the interim.
"In return for this money I will give the most efficient
service of which I am capable, rendering
p. 102
the fullest possible quantity, and the best possible
quality of service in the capacity of salesman of . . .
. . . . . . . . (describe the service or merchandise you
intend to sell).
"I believe that I will have this money in my possession.
My faith is so strong that I can now see this money before
my eyes. I can touch it with my hands. It is now awaiting
transfer to me at the time, and in the proportion that I
deliver the service I intend to render in return for it.
I am awaiting a plan by which to accumulate this money,
and I will follow that plan, when it is received."
|
Second.
|
Repeat this program night and morning until you can see,
(in your imagination) the money you intend to accumulate.
|
Third.
|
Place a written copy of your statement where you can
see it night and morning, and read it just before retiring,
and upon arising until it has been memorized.
|
Remember, as you carry out these instructions, that you are applying
the principle of auto-suggestion, for the purpose of giving orders
to your subconscious mind. Remember, also, that your subconscious
mind will act ONLY upon instructions which are emotionalized, and
handed over to it with "feeling." FAITH is the strongest,
and most productive of the emotions. Follow the instructions given
in the chapter on FAITH.
These instructions may, at first, seem abstract.
Do not let this disturb you. Follow the instructions, no matter
how abstract or impractical they may, at first, appear to be. The
time will soon come, if you do as you have been instructed, in spirit
as well as in act, when a whole new universe of power will unfold
to you.
Scepticism, in connection with ALL new ideas, is characteristic
of all human beings. But if you follow the instructions outlined,
your scepticism will soon be replaced by belief, and this, in turn,
will soon become crystallized into ABSOLUTE FAITH. Then you will
have arrived at the point where you may truly say, "I am the
master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul!"
Many philosophers have made the statement, that man is the master
of his own earthly destiny, but most of them have failed to say
why he is the master. The reason that man may be the master of his
own earthly status, and especially his financial status, is thoroughly
explained in this chapter. Man may become the master of himself,
and of his environment, because he has the POWER TO INFLUENCE HIS
OWN SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, and through it, gain the cooperation of Infinite
Intelligence.
You are now reading the chapter which represents the keystone
to the arch of this philosophy. The instructions contained in this
chapter must be understood and APPLIED WITH PERSISTENCE, if you
succeed in transmuting desire into money.
The actual performance of transmuting DESIRE into money, involves
the use of auto-suggestion as an agency by which one may reach,
and influence, the subconscious mind. The other principles are simply
tools with which to apply auto-suggestion. Keep this thought in
mind, and you will, at all times, be conscious of the important
part the principle of auto-suggestion is to play in your efforts
to accumulate money through the methods described in this book.
Carry out these instructions as though you were a small child.
Inject into your efforts something of the FAITH of a child. The
author has been most careful, to see that no impractical instructions
were included, because of his sincere desire to be helpful.
After you have read the entire book, come back to this chapter,
and follow in spirit, and in action, this instruction:
READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTER ALOUD ONCE EVERY NIGHT, UNTIL YOU BECOME
THOROUGHLY CONVINCED THAT THE PRINCIPLE OF AUTO-SUGGESTION IS SOUND,
THAT IT WILL ACCOMPLISH FOR YOU ALL THAT HAS BEEN CLAIMED FOR IT.
AS YOU READ, UNDERSCORE WITH A PENCIL EVERY SENTENCE WHICH IMPRESSES
YOU FAVORABLY.
Follow the foregoing instruction to the letter, and it will open
the way for a complete understanding, and mastery of the principles
of success.
Attribution: THINK and GROW RICH ©
1938, published 1938, by THE RALSTON SOCIETY, Meriden, Conn.
This text is in the public domain in the United States by the
terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act because it was
published between 1923 and 1964 inclusive, and not renewed at
the US Copyright office in a timely fashion. These files may
be used for any non-commercial purpose, provided this notice
of attribution is left intact in all copies. This electronic
edition is not sponsored or endorsed by, or otherwise affiliated
with Napoleon Hill, his family and heirs, the Napoleon Hill
Foundation, the Ralston Society, or any past or present publishers
of this book. This is not a complete reproduction of the 1937/38
edition. The preface and the chapters have been reformatted
for this online version. While we have taken every precaution
to ensure accuracy, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the
text.