We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world. Gautama Buddha, religious philosopher (b. 563 BC)

In Lesson One, You Will Learn:

• How to build your self-confidence.
• Why quiet time is so important.
• Strategies to cope with daily life annoyances.
• How to meditate and relax.
• The power of prayer.

   Good mental health is a gift that you give yourself. To maintain good mental health, you must start with good mental health. It is living in reality. You must have a reasonably well thought through concept of the meaning of your life. You must have a strong character built on a foundation of core beliefs that guide your daily life. Perhaps, as a youngster, you were exposed to positive values at home, at school, at church or from youth sports or scouting. At any time, anyone can benefit from the guidance of the Bible, Talmud or Koran. You can embrace the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the American Bill of Rights and the Constitution. You can read the classics. You can follow other positive guidelines, such as the Action Principles. You can become the master of your moods. You can’t always control what happens to you, but you can control what happens inside you.

   Happiness is a state that you can choose right now. Over two thousand years ago, Aristotle had figured out, "Happiness depends upon ourselves." You can be happy about your children, the weather, your sports teams, a television program, a joke, your goals, your golf game, your garden, your career and a thousand and one other things. You choose. When you are happy, you are successful. Make sure that you have created a strong link between success and happiness. When you reach your goals, you don’t want to be greedy and smug, you’ll want to feel fulfilled and happy. Benjamin Spock, the pediatrician, wrote, "A human being is happiest and most successful when dedicated to a cause outside of his own individual selfish satisfaction."

   From a base of good mental health, you must take time every day to rest, relax and recharge. You invest this time to make the minor adjustments that keep your life balanced. You invest this time to develop and maintain the style and the attitudes of an achiever ready to stay the course. Through relaxation and meditation, you become calm yet invigorated. Relaxing allows you to wash away the mental muddle of your busy days. Reflection will give you the opportunity to separate fact and truth from rumor and conjecture. Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Indian religious philosopher Gautama Buddha was preaching, "Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness." You build the strength necessary to admit your mistakes, forgive others and move on. You will feel renewed. Peace and tranquillity through quiet time will become your private refuge. You will cherish this time that you spend with yourself. Carlos Castaneda, the Peruvian born writer, observed "We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same."


Build Your Self-Confidence

   Over the long term, good mental health resulting from personal introspection will help you to develop an inner character that you will be proud to show and share with the world. It will also help you deal with human conditions and situations that develop beyond your control. You must feel comfortable with yourself and with the decisions you make. Some of your decisions will demand serious contemplation and may involve a dubious payoff years in the future. This is where self-confidence becomes so important. There are no guarantees. Reflecting upon what you have done, why you took the actions you did and how you will act in the future will all combine to build your self-confidence. The Roman Statesman Cicero advised, "Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself."

You know what to do. Now, have the courage to do it.

   Remember that just as most people aren’t exercising enough, aren’t watching their diets, aren’t organizing their days with to-do lists, and aren’t investing, aren’t taking advantage of opportunities, they aren’t taking time each day for daily reflection. Why will you succeed when others fail? You will be a person of action doing what others can’t or choose not to do. This includes investing in your mental health through solitary reflection. You are the visionary who must see your own bright future. The American President Franklin Roosevelt said, "Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds."

Concentrate On The Good

   If your posture and your attitude exude confidence, you will not only feel good, you will look good. You will live a high quality life. You aren’t naïve believing the world and everything in it to be perfect. Yet you believe that people tend to find what they are looking for. If you concentrate on the bad and what doesn’t work and what isn’t beautiful and how everything isn’t quite to your liking that’s what you’ll find. If you concentrate on the good, you will find much more to smile about. It is a conscious choice to view your world as pleasant. You can choose to see the good in people. It is a conscious choice to see the good in others. This is what it means to have a positive mental attitude. Be hopeful. St. Jerome preached, "Begin to be now what you will be hereafter." And St. Francis De Sales added, "Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them. Every day begin the task anew."

How Will You React To Challenges?

   You are the person responsible for saving yourself from the mounting stresses associated with daily living. You are the one who has to rebound from the inevitable mistakes and disappointments associated with being a person of action. To be successful, you must move beyond the comfort of the status quo and risk. There is a Chinese proverb that says, "A man who cannot tolerate small ills, can never accomplish great things." As you move through the learning curve toward the better you, at times you may feel that you have every right to feel discouraged. You will feel that you should have listened to those who advised caution or inaction. It will be tough to maintain a positive mental attitude in spite of the setbacks and the occasional "I told you so." These are the important moments of decision. It’s when you hear the criticism or when you realize that you have made a big mistake. It’s when you have to admit that a lot of time, talent and money may have been wasted. Will you choose to quit or bounce back? It is how you decide to react in these challenging defining moments that ultimately will make all the difference. Stick to it. Twenty three hundred years ago, Aristotle was teaching his students, "Criticism is something we can avoid easily — by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing." This was mentioned in the chapter on Mastering Work. Even if you can get away with it, do you really want to be a pathetic little person forever hiding in the background while others take the risks and do the hard work?

   You are the one who must decide to become tough enough to withstand the consequences of mistakes, failures and cynicism. You are the one who must step forward and say, "Don’t worry. I’ll do it." You are the one who must decide to be kind enough to treat others as you wish to be treated even when the reverse doesn’t happen. You are the one who must decide to dare to risk in pursuing a course of action leading to wealth. You are the one who has to deal with the daily annoyances of the rude and indifferent behavior of others.

   Sun Tzu in the Art of War wrote, "He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious." You act when it is time to act. You stay out of it when it is none of your business. You know the difference. You do this for yourself. You teach this to your children. You are the one who has to have the patience and firm resolve to raise responsible children. It is not the movies, television, their friends or their teachers. It is you and them. You do not abdicate but rather accept responsibility for your children. You know what is right. Stand firm. Be patient. Make this investment in their early years and later rest assured. The well being of children is so important to a parent’s mental health that this topic will be covered in more depth in the next chapter, Master Relationships. Some parents will raise children who will be self-reliant adults by age 20. Some parents will be living with adult age children for the rest of their lives.

   You must also have the inner fortitude and peace of mind to deal with the accidents and misfortunes that are outside of your control: a sick child, loss of a parent, a plant closing, abandonment or rejection by a loved one, crime, personal illnesses or natural disasters. Things may happen that are so devastating that you can’t rationally put them into perspective. You can only put your faith in God’s grand plan. Be accepting. You can only do the best you can. In the 3rd century before Christ, Aristotle said, "The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of the circumstance."

Material Success Often Means Nothing

   What happens if you are hard charging and don’t take time to consider the consequences of your actions? Success means nothing if you are a professional athlete hooked on drugs. Success means nothing if you are a corporate executive who abuses his family. Success means nothing if you achieve great things and yet have no pride in their accomplishment. Success means nothing if you have to lie, cheat or steal your way to win an advantage.

   Good mental health demands that you be honest with yourself. No one else is looking. This is you. Because there are major events in our lives that we can’t control, we must become more self-disciplined to control in a positive way all that is within our power to choose. Your mental health depends on it. Two drinks is not ten drinks. Driving 65 is not driving 85. Spending one night out with friends is not four nights. Buying one new pair of shoes is not buying three pairs. Watching an hour of television is not watching all night every night. Giving a few dollars every once in a while to charity is not giving back what you really can. Gambling ten dollars is not risking half your paycheck. Control yourself or admit that you need help and get it. Your journey is only over when God calls you and until then you can pick yourself up and keep moving forward. If you have done wrong to others, you can try to make amends. Realize that others may be under no moral obligation to forgive you. In most cases, your sincerity will win you another chance. In rare instances, man will not or can not forgive and only God can forgive.

You Need Time Off

   You’ll need 20-30 minutes per day of quiet time. You need seven to eight hours of sleep every night. You need at least one day off per week. Consider treating yourself and family to a mini-weekend vacation every month. Two weeks of annual vacation is a good idea. Off time gives you time to put your life in perspective. Plan your individual and family relaxation time and guard this time as jealously as any of your other activities. Let the phone ring. Let the mail pile up. Relax and enjoy. The Irish have the following advice, "A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book."

   Successful people are thoughtful. You decide what you want and why you want it. You test your ideas and conclusions during your quiet time. When you make a mistake, your quiet time will allow you to consider calmly your options and the next best course of action. You thought about it. You tried. You were wrong. You learned. Next. You interpret life’s events with emotional maturity. Being a thoughtful relaxed person of action, if you are persistent, the odds favor your eventual success.

   American Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter advised, "To be a success, devote three or four hours a day to being an executive and the rest to thinking."

   Quiet reflection will make you a stronger communicator in that you will have planned your comments in advance. You will be more focused and concise. You will have time to logically reason through options making you better at conflict resolution and negotiation. You should become more patient and be better able to differentiate between what you can change and what you must accept as beyond your ability to change. You will allow yourself the opportunity to replace negative thoughts, prejudices and positions with positive ones. President Thomas Jefferson said, "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal. Nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

Accepting Daily Life

   In speaking of the joy of loving, helping and caring for others as you build positive relationships, you realize that your good intentions may not be reciprocated. You are not naïve. You fully realize that there are bad people in the world. There are lazy, boorish, stupid, perverted, mean and inconsiderate people. God gave man free will. Some don’t do very well with this freedom. Some people act badly in moments of decision. Some people act badly almost all the time. As you master success and begin to travel the world, you will find that the overwhelming majority of people from all cultures and all countries are just like you with the same aspirations to lead prosperous and peaceful lives. The overwhelming majority anywhere will welcome your hand extended in friendship. Yet, awareness teaches us that some groups must be watched and some individuals must be guarded against. As the Indian proverb goes, "The cobra will bit you whether you call it cobra or Mr. Cobra."

   Do all you can for those who can’t help themselves. However, you are under no obligation to serve those who could do for themselves and instead choose to be mean or selfish. The people who voluntarily work with mean and selfish people are called saints. Being your best does not obligate you to seek canonization. You can’t impose your will on others. You can only encourage good behavior as you set a positive personal example. You can make the personal choice to be positive as you brush aside the minor daily annoyances that everyone faces. You resist the temptation to compound the time given to petty problems by relating your travails to others.

Traffic jams, poor service, rude behavior and the gamut of daily annoyances all give you the opportunity to be The Shaolin Master. Breathe. Let it pass. You be The Shaolin Master.

   On occasion, letting the moment pass is difficult. You may feel slighted or indignant. You may feel that you have every right to strike back. Discipline yourself to remain silent when you are angry. This isn’t easy for anyone. Anger saps your energy and can cloud your reasoning. Find a way around it. Wait. Breathe. Consider. This is self-control. Do your best.

   You are cut off in traffic. The incident is already over before you can react. Why upset yourself? The offender is gone. Do you want your success in life to be judged by how many cars you can pass until you lose your license, are in an accident or swerve in front of someone even crazier than you? You can choose to play road rage and "follow the loser" or you can choose to get back to enjoying your favorite CD as the incident passes.

   Your medium steak is delivered well done. You can eat the steak. You can wait for a new steak to be re-cooked. These are your only choices. You can not undo the past. Get upset and ruin the meal for everyone or relax and enjoy your wine while the staff corrects the problem.

   The queue at the Registry of Motor Vehicles is thirty minutes long. This line was not formed just to annoy you. Take out your book and wait your turn.

   You are experiencing everyday life. Be patient. Others notice those in control.

   Look at the motive of your offender. Most angry, negative people are not out to get you. The road-rager has no idea who you are. Neither does the chef nor the Registry clerk. They are wild, mad and upset. Let them be. They are ruining their lives. Don’t let them affect your moment. Don’t argue in haste. Consider your options after a good night’s sleep.

   Nobel Prize Lauriat Daniel Tsui noted, "You cannot take it too seriously. Life goes on."

Exercise    Everybody complains. Many complaints are justified. However, much complaining is pointless and only adds to the frustration. Start listening to other people’s complaints. Is the complaint justified? Is the complaint the true reason for the complainer’s anxiety? Will the complaining make any difference? Is the same complaint being repeated over and over? Is the complaint being made to someone who can correct the problem or to a seemingly sympathetic third party? Is a simple solution to the complaint apparent? Do you know people who are constantly complaining? Why is patience a virtue? Would you call yourself a patient person or a complainer? What is the difference between a complainer and a person of action?

Life Teaches The Master

   Many people find it difficult to accept criticism and will immediately assume a defensive pose waiting to counterattack. They only listen to hear for an opening so that they can strike back. They learn nothing. Can you reverse this thinking? Someone treats you in an inconsiderate way. You can get angry and strike back. Or, you can look at the incident as an opportunity to train your will and skill. Go with the force. When you are pushed, pull. When you are pulled, push. You can go further and in your mind you can thank the offender for presenting you with this opportunity to be the master of your emotions. To be mentally strong, you must practice and pass many of these small tests. It is not easy. It is the journey.

   Of course, being human and imperfect, you accept that a critical evaluation of your efforts may be justified. Listen for constructive criticism. You may learn of mistakes that you can correct. You may learn of important steps that you may have skipped. You may learn of alternative strategies, perspectives, ideas and theories. You may be introduced to new successful models to copy. You may identify new resources or personnel who could assist your work. In any of these cases, criticism may be disguised as an opportunity for improvement. Life is teaching you a lesson if you pay attention. You must be equally on guard against false praise. The well-meaning flattery of others may lull you into the belief that you can stop learning and practicing. You will never learn so much that you can’t learn more. You will never wish to stop growing. You are not easily tricked. Be the master. Motivational author Rev. Norman Vincent Peale preached, "The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism."

   There are times to intercede, render an opinion or defend. And, there are other times when if a situation hasn’t got anything to do with you, be quiet and stay out of it. Often, with reflection, you will see that it may be best to stick to your priorities and let others solve their own problems. Again, you can’t change others. You can only live as an example for others who choose to see. There is an American Indian proverb that goes, "We should be as water, which is lower than all things yet stronger even than the rocks."

   You do not want to live a life where your happiness only comes from special events; birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, vacations or Saturday nights out. On your journey, you want to feel happy as you take each step throughout each day knowing that you are doing your best to both work and relax at your personal master level. You are doing this for yourself, those you love and those who are your responsibility. You are proud. You are calm. You are happy.

   More than 200 years ago, the American Statesman Benjamin Franklin wrote,

"Who is wise? He that learns from everyone.
Who is powerful? He who governs his passions.
Who is rich? He that is content?"

   More than 2,500 years ago, Confucius outlined nine attributes of a superior man:

In regard to the use of his eyes, he is anxious to see clearly.
In regard to his ears, he wishes to hear distinctly.
As to his countenance, he is anxious that it should be benign.
In regard to his demeanor, he is anxious that it be respectful.
In regard to his speech, that it be sincere.
In conducting his business, he is anxious that it should be reverently careful.
In regard to matter of doubt, he is anxious to question others.
When he is angry, he thinks of the difficulties his anger may involve him in.
When he sees he may acquire gain, he things of righteousness.

How to meditate and relax

   Meditation is a practice that leads to spiritual enlightenment and is encouraged in many different religions: Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. In silent meditation, you often feel the link between you and a higher power. You will hear your inner self. Find yourself in the words of the 7th century Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu, "He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened."

   In the Master Success System, meditation can be done in a variety of ways. Meditation can be sitting cross-legged on a pillow in an incense filled room saying mantras "Hmmm …" or chanting. But, meditation can also be praying, gardening, taking a hot shower, stretching, yoga, t’ai chi, or going for a walk. If you choose an active form of meditation, you want the physical motions to be mindless. You want to minimize the possibility of interruption. Go to a quiet place, a regular place. You want to be alone with your thoughts. Be silent, breathe and relax. This is meditation. It is breathing in and breathing out. It is being conscious of your actions. Awareness. Pay attention as you wash the dishes. Listen to your breathing. Quiet your mind. Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung noted, "Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart."

   Look for opportunities to concentrate on the now. Be consciously aware and mindful. Meditation brings you to the present moment. Taste the food as you eat it. Feel the wind in your face as you run. Feel the muscles as you exercise. Feel the sweat. Feel all of life. Meditation should leave you feeling invigorated and awakened. Some like to slow themselves to the sound of a bell or gong ring. The term "Buddha" means "the awakened one." Smile.

   Meditation can certainly help you on your path to self-discovery. The self-discovery you seek, however, should not be an egotistical exercise where you look for individual characteristics that make you great. Your self-discovery should result in your finding the bonds that link you with all other humans. As was just said, you are remarkably like everybody else. As you make this personal discovery, you will know how your words can hurt or soothe, your touch can injure or reassure, your example can destroy or inspire. The master walks that middle line and is neither overly influenced by criticism nor praise.

   Relaxing is even easier and less formal. You can relax at any time. You can relax for ten minutes or one minute. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Inhale through your nose and count to 6. Slowly exhale through your mouth as you count down from 6. Repeat for several minutes. Concentrate on your breathing with longer and deeper inhales and exhales. Practice breathing from your center, which is just below your navel. Control the flow of your breath without straining. Feel your belly rather than your chest rise and fall. Deep and long breathing is associated with calmness while weak and shallow breathing is associated with anxiety. You want to be as serene as possible without falling asleep. When worries appear, let them float by like floating clouds or see them disappear as a pebble slowly falling to the bottom of a pond. Relax. Tense and release the muscles in your body. Start with the toes. Tense the muscles for a few seconds and release. Go to the calves, thighs, abs, pecs, back, fingers, hands, lower arms, upper arms, neck and finally the muscles in the face. Feel warm and relaxed.

   When difficulties arise, bring your mind back to your breathing in and out. Before any stressful situation, breathe through your nose filling your lungs as your stomach rises. Loosen the muscles in your face. Loosen your jaw. Let your shoulders hang. Relax your hands as if you were holding a baby chick. Your body will slow, allowing you to concentrate on the task at hand. Relax and bring yourself back to center.

   Focus on all the positive energy that surrounds you. There are lots of people who want to see you succeed. You are a good person. You will be a good parent, friend and boss. Focus your energy on your ability to do good. Relax. Control your breathing and your posture. If you meditate regularly, it will touch all areas of your life. As you learn to control your breathing and relax, you will feel the power of your spirit grow. You will learn a lot about a wonderful person — you! You are the Master Piece.

Action Challenge Support Our Fundraising    At —work, suggest donations to the American Success Institute.    Write proposals for grants to print and distribute our books and posters.    Suggest philanthropists who may be interested in ASI's work.    Suggest foundations that may be interested in ASI's work.    Pass the good word to others in the nonprofit community.

How to Solve Your Personal Problems

   Mentally healthy people aren’t people without problems but people willing to confront and deal with the problems they have. What are you anxious about? What are you worried about and what’s the worst that can happen? Will the problem definitely occur or is it only a possibility? How serious is the problem? Can you deal with it yourself or should you call for the help of others? Is worrying about the problem worse than the problem? Is there a simple or immediate solution? How would a coward act? How would one of your heroes respond? Have you successfully resolved a similar problem in the past? Now, how will the self-confident and capable you handle this problem? As you consider your options, remember the French proverb, "One may go a long way after one is tired." You are tired. You want to do anything else but deal with this problem. You deal with it anyway. It is resolved. You move on. U.S. Naval Admiral William Halsey found, "All problems become smaller if you don’t dodge them but confront them. Touch a thistle timidly, and it pricks; grasp it boldly, and its spines crumble."

   Quiet time is very important to problem solving. It helps you to focus on the matter at hand, eliminate extraneous points and develop workable solutions and options. And, perhaps, most importantly, it allows you to clarify if the problem under discussion is the actual problem or just a convenient or socially acceptable substitute for a deeper hidden concern. Albert Einstein taught, "Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them. You have to rise above them to the next level." You need time to think.

   Make sure that the problem you are solving is the real problem.

   Begin by precisely defining the problem. Stick to the issue.
   Analyze the problem from different perspectives.
   Consider solutions. If appropriate, brainstorm with others or seek professional help.
   Consider the ramifications of different solutions.
   Choose your best option.
   Take action.
   Follow - up. Review. Adjust.
   Move on.

How to pray

   Faith enriches your life. Belief in God is a wonderful blessing. You will have an anchor to secure your life. You will have a solid values base upon which to build your plans. You will have a guide to govern your business and personal life. You will have comfort in times of need. You will have thoughtful clergy from whom to seek counsel. You will have an ally in raising responsible children. You will have a place to meet nice friends. It isn’t easy to go to church or synagogue or the mosque every week or to follow the tenets of the Bible, Talmud or Koran. That’s why a faith in God translated into everyday life can become such an integral part of your success system. It takes some effort but the rewards of the effort are extraordinary.

   With humility, submit. Every religion has prayers. A prayer is your conversation with God. Your success and happiness is God’s loving answer. Listen for God’s messages and instructions. Your selfless good works in helping others are your prayers put into action. The theologian Teilhard de Chardin gave perspective to life with his message, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

   William James, the 19th century American philosopher observed, "If you act a certain way long enough, it becomes you. When you act loving a funny thing happens. You start to feel loving."

   Hold your tongue. Give the homeless man a dollar. Don’t spread the gossip. Allow those in a rush to rush by. Do a good job at work. Study. Work on eliminating a bad habit. Smile. Give thanks. You are saying a prayer. Choose to live within this state of grace. God notices.

   If you want to experience the power of prayer, you might want to recite Michelangelo’s favorite prayer, "Lord, grant that I might always desire more than I can accomplish." A trip to Florence, Italy will confirm that God blessed Michelangelo and through him gave priceless gifts to the world.

   Choose a prayer book from your religion and choose a daily passage to ponder. Choose a quote from one of the Positive Mental Attitude books and consider the author’s intent in terms of your own life. American President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "Physical strength can never permanently withstand the impact of spiritual force."

Exercise    There are many saints among us. There are among the mentally retarded and physically impaired. They are among our priests and nuns and rabbis and mullahs and monks. They are caring for others. They are innocent. They are selfless. They are closest to God. Being in their presence is a blessing. They are there for you if you look. Look.

How to clear the slate

   Clear the slate. Every day is a new day. Any moment can be an important moment of decision that changes everything. The psychologist Abraham Maslow taught, "One can spend a lifetime assigning blame, finding a cause "out there" for all the troubles that exist. Contrast this with the "responsible attitude" of confronting the situation, bad or good, and instead of asking, "What caused the trouble? Who was to blame?" asking, "How can I handle this present situation to make the best of it?"

   Would it be helpful to you to keep a journal or diary of your thoughts? Whatever has been bothering or pleasing you, write it down. Some find it helpful to keep the writings as a reference. Others find it cathartic to "get it off their chest" and tear up or burn the bad thoughts or mistakes. Keep trying but don’t be too hard on yourself. You aren’t a loser or an idiot because you made a mistake. Don’t beat yourself up. Be kind to yourself. The path on your journey was never going to be perfectly smooth. Now that you know better and are more experienced, move on. If you are persistent, you will make progress.

   Roman Catholics have the sacrament of reconciliation to address the past and begin again with hope. Mother Teresa taught, "It is by forgiving that one is forgiven." Clergy from all religions are trained as counselors to offer solace, comfort and advice. Every community has mental health professionals from psychologists to marriage counselors offering support groups and individual therapy. Talk to your parents, teachers and friends. If you need help, don’t procrastinate and make the problem worse. Take action. Whatever your problem, there are responsible people who will help you. If you don’t like one person’s ideas, ask another. If different people give you the same answer, you’d better listen. Help yourself.

   Be a friend. If you are close to someone who may benefit from professional mental health care, take the risk and tell him or her. Don’t give up on them. Use that persistence. Help others. Anne Frank, the brave little girl who was a victim of the Holocaust, lives on in the power of her message, "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

   Consider how people who have had near death experiences talk about reappraising their lives. There seems to be a soul cleaning that takes place after being given a second chance at life. All of a sudden big problems and concerns don’t seem that big. All of a sudden little things like smiles and kind words and birds singing and sunsets become important. They may speak of their lives having new purpose and of living to enjoy every precious minute of life. You don’t have to wait until you are on your deathbed to look back and wonder "What if?" You can start appreciating and living your life now. Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, instructs us, "Even if it’s a little thing, do something for those who have a need of help, something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it."

How to use visualization

   Can you see yourself being handed the diploma, breaking the tape at the finish line, and hearing the applause in your honor?

   Visualize. Close your eyes. See the new you in your entire splendor. What you can see in your mind can be your guide to attainment. See it. See it every day. Do it. Do it every day. This is your movie. You are the star. You are an actor playing yourself. Fake it as you make it. The stronger your visualized impressions, the more the odds for attainment turn in your favor. Visualization is internal practice. You replace practicing with your body with practicing with your mind.

   Visualize now and later. See yourself at your best right now. Right now, the only thing that stands between you and your goals is a little bit of time. See yourself after a month and after six months and after a year of hard work and commitment to your goals. Fr. Thomas Merton, observed, "The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little."

   Peak performance starts in the mind. Many athletes use visualization to picture themselves performing at their best. They learn to concentrate through visualization. They learn to train in their minds even when they can’t physically practice. You can do the same. See yourself in a year, five years, in your golden years. See yourself enjoying the full fruits of your labor. You will be successful. You will have both peace and prosperity. See it all. Try to involve all of your senses in the imaging: see, hear, taste, feel, and smell. As you immerse yourself in your future, ideas for how to get there will start to emerge. Put yourself in your best performance mode. Believe. The ways will come.

   Who is the person with whom you are most comfortable? What is the one place where you are most comfortable? What was the scene of your greatest achievement? Immerse yourself. Be there.

   Go to a relaxing spot in your mind. Breathe deeply. Concentrate on the details of your accomplishments. See the cars, the house, and the clothes. See the respect in the people’s eyes that you have helped. Touch the fine fabric of your suit. Taste the wine. Feel the handshake. Use your senses to help your imagination complete this wonderful scene.

   Mother Teresa used visualization in her work when she described seeing Jesus in every face. Often questioned about the difficulty of her work with the poor and the sick, she would comment on how many clever disguises Jesus had. Every day, Mother radiated proof that you see in life what you choose to see. You choose. Your mind can only hold one thought at a time. Why not make that thought a positive one?

How to simplify your life

   Do you need a $100,000 college education or a $40,000 car or a $300,000 house? If you can, go to a state college, drive a less fancy car or live in a smaller house. If you can do with less, you give yourself a gift of many more favorable options.

   In the Master Success System, the idea of life simplification is important. Life simplification is not driving a junk car, eating seeds and wearing dirty clothes that smell like a wood stove. Instead, simplification is living a life with a purpose. From your goal setting and time management, you know what is important to you and design your life around these goals, objectives, values and interests. If you really like restoring antique cars, fishing with your grandchildren, making quilts with your girlfriends or playing the guitar with a local band, you should find ways to do more of what you love and you work to pare away the rest.

   Every day, you’ll know how to make the correct personal choices for you and no one else. Every day, decision by decision, you mold your future for good or bad. You can simplify your life and have more time and money for your dreams or complicate and clutter your life with more draining activities.

   Quiet time helps you get rid of mental junk. Now, get rid of the physical clutter that you don’t need. If you haven’t worn it or used it in a year, give it to charity. One hundred years ago, Psychologist William James observed, "The essence of genius is knowing what to overlook."

Guiding Lights

   Are you trapped by someone else’s negative thinking? Are you victim to someone else’s anger, envy, loneliness, mistakes, phobias, depression, prejudices, idiosyncrasies or weaknesses? Are you victim to someone else’s goals, dreams, priorities, politics or values?

   We live in a wonderful era when the greatest teachers can enter our lives conveniently through books, audiotapes, video and the Internet. The messages of the world’s great religious leaders are truly non-denominational and speak to anyone who will stop to listen.

   At Success.org, you will find many links to peace and serenity. The current works or legacies of any of these people, among many others, can help you bring balance to your life: Rabbi Harold Kushner, Mother Angelica, Father Benedict Groeschel, Pope John Paul II, Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, Jesse Jackson, the Dalai Lama or Tich Nhat Hanh. Their words and ideas are a loving gift to you. It was Gandhi who said, "The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would solve most of the world’s problems."

Key Concepts

   You need at least one day off per week. You need 20-30 minutes each day of quiet time. You test your ideas during this time. You make decisions. You consider calmly your options in the face of mistakes and setbacks.

   Learn to relax and simplify your life. Clear your mind. Release the stress. Relax. You can relax by sitting comfortably, closing your eyes and slowing your breathing. Deep and long breathing brings peace and calmness. You can relax at any time. You can relax for ten minutes or one minute.

   Practice meditation. Go to a quiet place, a regular place. You want to be alone with your thoughts. Be silent, breathe and relax. This is meditation. It is breathing in and breathing out. It is being conscious of your actions. Listen to your breathing. Be consciously aware and mindful. Meditation brings you to the present moment.

   Visualize your future. Close your eyes. What you can see in your mind can be your guide to attainment. See it every day. Do it every day. The stronger your visualized impressions, the more the odds for attainment turn in your favor. Visualization is internal practice. Peak performance starts in the mind.

Your Assignment    Your assignment for this chapter is to commit to a period of quiet time each day for the next 21 days. Allot 20 — 30 minutes. Decide how and where and when you would like to spend that time meditating and relaxing. Consciously be alone with yourself in the moment and see so much.

Extra Curricular    Look into options in your area for taking a weekend retreat. It can be in a formal retreat setting or just a mental health weekend at a hotel or motel or campsite away from the daily hustle and bustle. The idea is to break your routine and have an opportunity to clear your head and relax. The fewer telephones and televisions around you the better off you’ll be.

Go to Lesson 9