Thought and Purpose – Lesson 4

In this study my personal notes are in the quotes throughout the passage.

Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment. With the majority the bark of thought is allowed to “drift” upon the ocean of life. Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting must not continue for him who would steer clear of catastrophe and destruction.

They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pityings, all of which are indications of weakness, which lead, just as surely as deliberately planned sins (though by a different route), to failure,  unhappiness, and loss, for weakness cannot persist in a power evolving universe.

A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal, or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at the time being; but whichever it is, he should steadily focus his thought-forces upon the object, which he has set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought. Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting-point for future power and triumph.

Those who are not prepared for the apprehension of a great purpose should fix the thoughts upon the faultless performance of their duty, no matter how insignificant their task may appear. Only in this way can the thoughts be gathered and focused, and resolution and energy be developed, which being done, there is nothing which may not be accomplished.

The weakest soul, knowing its own weakness, and believing this truth that strength can only be developed by effort and practice, will, thus believing, at once begin to exert itself, and, adding effort to effort, patience to patience, and strength to strength, will never cease to develop, and will at last grow divinely strong. As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.

This isn’t about how deep you think it is about thinking on the right things. Deep thoughts come from thinking on the right things. You don’t suddenly become a deep thinker. You can suddenly begin to think on the right things and your thoughts will become deep. What you may even discover is that the the deeper your thoughts the simpler your life and your communications to others.

To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.

This is the key to understanding everything this book is about…“to think with purpose.” Look carefully at the advantages. You will recognize that failure is one of the pathways to attainment. You will make the conditions of your life serve you. You will then think strongly no matter how weakening the situation may appear to others. You will attempt fearlessly no matter how uncertain the future may appear to you. You will accomplish masterfully regardless of the difficulties of the task at hand. 

Having conceived of his purpose, a man should mentally mark out a straight pathway to its achievement, looking neither to the right nor the left. Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded; they are disintegrating elements, which break up the straight line of effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual, useless. Thoughts of doubt and fear never accomplished anything, and never can. They always lead to failure. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in.

“For God has not given to us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Fear never comes from God. Doubt never comes from God. Those are the devil’s delights. Faith can never be mixed with doubt. Faith is the result of a sound mind and a purposeful thought.

The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who  encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step.

He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. His every thought is allied with power, and all difficulties are bravely met and wisely overcome. His purposes are seasonably planted, and they bloom and bring forth fruit, which does not fall prematurely to the ground.

Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force: he who knows this is ready to become something higher and stronger than a mere bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations; he who does this has become the conscious and intelligent wielder of his mental powers.

That last paragraph is the essence of what I teach in the book Power Thinking! For to know must be harnessed to the will to do or knowledge is powerless.  Knowledge by itself is not power. Without the will to do, without the commitment to the attending activities required by the knowledge gained, power cannot exist. Only potential power exists without the commitment to do. Real power, realized power, life changing power comes from the commitment to exercise all that knowledge reveals.

How then shall we live? Recognize that whatever you know…you must be committed to do.