THE ALTERNATIVE TO ABUNDANT THINKING

Deficit Motivation/Entitlement Thinking

Deficit motivation is the opposite of abundance motivation. It is also known as entitlement thinking. This is how victims are made.

Entitlement thinking has already been discussed to a certain extent. It is that awful feeling that says you have been cheated out of your just desserts, your rightful inheritance. It is how people think when they set specific expectations for themselves that are based on their belief that they deserve more. Entitlement thinking can create the narrow miss that causes a little grimace, or a headlong plunge into an empty chasm. The latter happens when delusion is largely responsible for a person’s expectations. Think the tone-deaf crowd in the first round of “American Idol”.

This sort of thinking takes many forms. It may make you think you deserve more money, a better job, more praise, a more attractive body, better opportunities, skills, friends, partners etc. It covers the whole gamut of disillusionments that can cause our lives to be so miserable, and our emotions to be so fraught and charged with anger and resentment.

These emotions are caused by the belief that you have received less than you expected or less than you deserve. It is setting too-high minimum expectations. This is down to often arbitrary personal assessments that have no basis in reality, and that have been bolstered over the years by well-meaning but ill-advised encouragement from others. Think the relatives of the tone-deaf crowd in the first round of “American Idol”. On the other hand, entitlement thinking may be based on a sound assessment of a person’s skills and abilities, which makes missing the mark even more annoying. Either way, however, the stumbling block is the same: expectations. These are what cause the unhappiness.

Recognizing entitlement thinking is easy. It is feeling that we are in a hole and trying to climb out. It is the sense that we are constantly struggling to keep our head above water. Although these situations may be true now, they should not become who you are. A better way to think of things is to realize it could be a lot worse: the hole could be your grave that you never get out of; and at least your head is above water and you’re not drowning. With these new interpretations, it instantly becomes apparent that you have a lot to be grateful for.

Deficit motivation can cause serious harm to an individual. It can make them aggressive and negative to be around, even with those people closest to them; or especially so. It can provoke a reckless attitude to life, where dangerous and uncalculated risks are taken. Or it can cause a person to feel so sorry for themselves that they withdraw and give up, which can lead to depression or worse.

The really sad part of deficit motivation is that it can cause people to miss some truly outstanding opportunities because they do not completely conform to the individual’s preconceived ideas of how their main chance will appear to them. By the time they realize that they may have misconstrued the situation, their window has passed.

To defeat entitlement thinking, we must ask ourselves exactly why we believe we are entitled to anything at all. Mostly, it is because we have been born into a society that promotes the idea that anything is possible. This is the selling of The American Dream. Yes, almost anything is possible with abundant thinking, but we have been not been schooled in the workings of abundant thinking, we have been taught that we are entitled, and this has created expectations.

You have to separate the ideal of entitlement from the reality of what you can honestly expect. We all believe we have the right to life, the basic entitlement to live our lives peacefully, but try telling that to the have-not who intends to join the haves by using a gun on you. Nothing can be taken for granted, and once we realize this we can truly begin to be grateful for what we do have, because we will understand that it is all a gift.

Over the centuries, and recent years especially, our notion of what we are entitled to has changed beyond all recognition. Perhaps we feel we are entitled to foreign holidays twice a year, but that’s only thanks to the Wright brothers a hundred years ago. Before that, trips abroad were far more arduous and expensive affairs. Luxuries have become necessities, and our values have been screwed up. We no longer look at the simple things in life that used to make people grateful, we notice instead all the things we are lacking. We are teaching ourselves to be unhappy, and to feel that we are victims of some awful fraud.

Deficit thinking can even create paranoid thinking; that we are being “robbed” of what we deserve. We can start to view other people negatively and with deep suspicion. Anyone we perceive as having the things we want becomes the enemy. We cease looking inwardly for answers and instead focus on who is to blame for our deficit.

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UNLOCK YOU'RE MIND.

Talking to Unlock Your Mind Power

Deep-rooted strength-talk is a positive musing that gives us vigor. Changeable we feel good within since we have constitutionals vim and vigor that determines our promising state to unlock our mind power to attract success, money and friends.

Inner strength-talk is a line of approaches we can make use of to find our positive academics. At irregular intervals, we may talk predominantly more of our difficulties to find our self-assurance that can assist us with feeling closer with ourselves. We examine closely our conduct and behaviors to see where we can make changes.

Self-strength communication strategies enable us to fine-tune our forms, which may cut off our triumph. By using our inner strength-to have a talk with self, we have the ability to determine our inner strengths to decide our personal vigor that can essentiality ease the mind so that we can unlock our power within us.

We feel recherché within us so we have show, our calling for intelligence and as we embark on it to feel good; our lifestyle becomes a sigh of relief. We find our aplomb-repay at labor, in relationships, at our homes, in our social orders, etc.

When we use our inner strengths to have a conversation with self, it supplies us with a fair chance, which helps us to grow from the reserved strengths that hinder our confidence, and self-esteem. You learn from your childhood experiences when you talk with you. With this tool in hand, you can learn to develop your goals. This is the principles to uphold your success.

Our past accounts house reliable sources, which stores most of our problems that roll in* since we repress them in the subliminal mind. When you use self-talk you discover who you are and accordingly you have the ability to reveal your mind’s power. You can learn to harmonize with your spirit, mind, and body. Working in unions, you start thinking logically and begin reasoning effectively with your options.

In view of these facts, we can benefit from learning how to oversee our self by altering our mind. We become intimate with self, which makes it possible to strive through these powerful sources we have in us to discover the new you.

Positive self-imaging-talk is a progression that allows us mentally to talk with our self. Positive self-imaging-therapy is a form of self-talking to you, which aids in self-fertilizing, since we can use description tags to elucidate our confusion. You commence to admit honestly your setbacks and start to convey your emotional stimuli that shares responsibility to how you behave and think. You see your qualities and start to see ways to improve your life by unlocking your mind’s power. This moves you to attract success, search for ways to make money and find new friends.

Self-inner confidence starts when we learn to have a talk with self. As you carry through your own inner therapy, you will start to feel self-assurance and begin congratulating you for your accomplishments. This course of action makes a person feel you good about them since this person becomes his or her own mentor. You find personal gain and satisfaction.

When a person expressively feels trepidation from the headaches in their life, self-talk ushers one to find answers through inner-talk. The methods enable you the extraordinarily awareness from your conscious impressions, accompaniments, inner stabilities, etc. You train to feel comfortable with your failures at irregular intervals, since you commence to dig all heads* realizing you make mistakes. You are human.

This blue-collar approach enables one to realize their targets, which this input stands firm to guide you to unlock your mind power, attract success, money and friends. Positive thinking is the best way to make new friends, earn money and find success.

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THE SECRET OF SUCCESS.

                                                      The Secret of Success

It is with some hesitation that we bring ourselves to write this little book, entitled “The Secret of Success.” Not that we are not in sympathy with the subject – not that we do not believe that there is a “Secret of Success” – but because there has been so much written on the subject of “Success” that is the veriest twaddle – masses of platitudinous wordiness – that we hesitate to take the position of a teacher of Success. It is so easy to fill pages of paper with good advice – it is so much easier to say things than to do them – so much easier to formulate a code of precepts than to get out into the field of active endeavor and put into practice the same percepts. And, you may imagine why we hesitate to assume a role which would lay us open to the suspicion of being one of the “do as I tell you, and not as I do” teachers of the Art of Success.

But there is another side of the question. There is, besides the mere recital of a List of Good Qualities Leading to Success – a list with which every schoolboy and reader of the magazines is acquainted – a Something Else; and that Something Else, is a suggestion that the Seeker for Success has a Something Within himself which if expressed into activity and action will prove of great value to him – a veritable Secret of Success, instead of a code of rules. And, so we propose to devote this little book to unfolding our idea of what this Something Within is, and what it will do for one who will unfold it and thus express it into action. So, therefore, do not expect to find this book a “Complete Compendium of Rules Conducive to Success, Approved of and Formulated by the Successful Men of the World who became acquainted with these Rules only after they had Attained Success, and consequently had Time and Inclination to Preach to Others.” This is not a book of that sort. It is Quite Different. We hope you will like it – it will do you good in any event.

All people are striving and seeking Success. Their idea of Success may differ, but they have all agreed upon the desirability of Attainment. “Attainment”-that is the word, which embodies the essence of that which we call Success. It is the “Getting-There” idea – the idea of Attainment – of Reaching the Goal for which we set out. That is the story – Attainment.

Many men and women have endeavored to point out the way to Success, and while some have rendered valuable service to those who were following them on the Path of Attainment, yet none have been able to tell the whole story of Success. And this is not to be wondered about, for the reason that on the road to Success each and every individual must be, in a measure a law unto himself, or herself. No two temperaments are exactly alike – Nature delights in variety; no two sets of circumstances are precisely the same – infinite variety manifests here also. And so it would be folly to attempt to lay down rules of universal application, which would surely lead all to the great goal of Success. One has but to look around him on all sides and see

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the different needs of the different individuals composing the crowd, in order to recognize the futility of any attempt to lay down lines of universal instruction on this subject. Each and every man who has succeeded has done so in a different way – generally along some original lines of action – in fact, the faculty or characteristic known as Individuality, seems to have played an important part in the success of the majority of persons who have attained it. And Individuality renders those possessing it to a marked degree to be likely to depart from any set of rules or laid-out courses of action. And so, it may be stated as a general principle that each must work out his own Success along the lines of his own Individuality, rather than by following any set rule or line of conduct.

In view of what we have just said, it may seem strange that feeling as we do we have ventured to write a little book entitled “The Secret of Success,” –particularly as we have started the said book by declaring the impossibility of laying down any set rules on the subject. This may seem like a paradox, but a little examination will show you that it is not so. It is true that we believe that each and every person must work out his own Success, along the lines of his own Individuality, instead of along some cut-and-dried plan. And right here is where the “Secret of Success” comes in. “Along the lines of his own individuality,” we have just said – then it must follow that one must possess Individuality before he may work along its “lines. “And in the measure that he possesses Individuality, so will he possess the first prerequisite to Success. And that is what we mean by “The Secret of Success” – INDIVIDUALITY.

Every person possesses dormant and latent Individuality – but only a few allow it to express itself. The majority of us are like human sheep trotting along complacently after some self- assertive bellwether, whose tinkling bell serves to guide our footsteps. We have absorbed the notion somehow that these bellwethers possess the sum and substance of human knowledge and power, and ability to think – and instead of unfolding our own dormant powers, and latent possibilities, we allow them to remain in obscurity, and we trot along, jogitty-joggity-jog after our pet bellwether. People are very much like sheep in this way – they are obedient and imitative animals, and rather than assume the responsibility of directing their own footsteps, they wait until someone takes the lead, and then away they stampede after him. Is it any wonder that the leaders claim the choicest pickings for themselves, and allow the flock to get only the scrubby grass? Not a bit of it – they have earned the choice bits by reason of lock of Individuality and Initiative on the part of those following them – in fact, they were chosen as leaders because of this self-assertive, and self-directive quality. If they had stood back in a modest, mild manner, they would have been pushed aside by the flock that would disclaim them as leaders, in favor of others who knew how to push to the front.

Now, in this little book we shall not endeavor to awaken a spirit of “bellwetherism” in you, nor to urge you to strive to lead the flock – there is nothing in the mere leading of people other than vainglory and petty self-satisfaction. The desirable thing is to possess sufficient Individuality and Initiative to be your own bellwether – to be a law unto yourself, so far as other

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men are concerned. The great men – the strong men – care nothing for the flock, which so obediently trots along after them. They derive no satisfaction from this thing, which pleases only inferior minds, and gratifies only petty natures and ambitions. The big men – the great spirits of all ages – have derived more satisfaction from that inward conviction of strength and ability which they felt unfolding into activity within themselves, than in the plaudits of the mob, or in the servility of those imitative creatures who sought to follow in their footsteps.

And, this thing called Individuality is a real thing. Inherent in each of us, and which may be developed and brought into activity in each one of us if we go about it right. Individuality is the expression of our Self – that Self which is what we mean when we say “I”. Each of us is an Individual – an “I” – differing from every other “I” in the universe, so far as personal expression is concerned. And in the measure that we express and unfold the powers of that “I”, so are we great, strong and successful. We all “have it in us” – it depends upon us to get it out into Expression. And, this Individual Expression lies at the heart of the “Secret of Success”. And that is why we use the term – and that is what we shall tell you about in this little book. It will pay for you to learn this “Secret”.

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THE POWER OF DESIRE.

                                                     The Power of Desire

Sister Mary Godfrey at Sangu sec

What is Desire? Let us see! Webster tells us that it is: “The natural longing to possess any seeming good; eager wish to obtain or enjoy,” or in its abnormal or degenerate sense: “excessive or morbid longing; lust; appetite. “ “Desire” is a much-abused term – the public mind has largely identified it with its abnormal or degenerate phase, just mentioned, ignoring its original and true sense. Many use the word in the sense of an unworthy longing or craving, instead of in the true sense of “aspiration,” “worthy craving and longing,” etc. To call Desire “aspiration” renders it none the less Desire. To apply to it the term “laudable aim and ambition” does not take away from it is character of Desire. There is no sense in endeavoring to escape the fact that Desire is the natural and universal impulse toward action, be the action or good or bad. Without Desire the Will does not spring into action, and nothing is accomplished. Even the highest attainments and aims of the race are possible only when the steam of Will is aroused by the flame and heat of Desire.

Some of the occult teachings are filled with instructions to “kill out desire,” and the student is warned to beware of it even in its most insidious and subtle forms, even to the extent of “avoiding even the desire to be desireless – even desire not to desire. Now this is all nonsense, for if one “wishes,” or “wants,” or “is inclined,” or “thinks best to,” or “is pleased to” Kill Out Desire – in any of these cases he is but manifesting a Desire “not to desire,” in spite of his use of other names. What is this “wishing to; wanting to; feeling like; inclination; being pleased to;” and all the rest, but just plain, clear, unadulterated Desire masquerading under some of these names. To proceed to “kill out desire” without “desiring” to do so is like trying to lift oneself by pulling on his own bootstraps. Folly. What is really meant is that the occultist should proceed to kill out the lower desires that he finds within his nature, and also to kill out the “attachment”

for things. Regarding this last we would say that all true occultist know that even the best “things” are not good enough to rule and master one-nothing is good enough for the soul to allow itself to be unduly attached to it so that the thing rules the soul instead of the should mastering the thing. That is what the teachings mean – avoidance of “attachment. “And in this the occult teachers are clearly right. Desire is a frightful master – like fire it sweeps away the supports of the soul, leaving nothing but smoldering ashes. But, also like Fire Desire is a splendid servant and by its harnessed power we are able to generate the steam of the Will and Activity, and to accomplish much in the world. Without proper Desire the world would be without activity. So do not make the mistake of using Desire any more than you would refuse to use fire – but in both cases keep the mastery in your own hands, and avoid allowing the control to pass from you to Desire.

Desire is the motivating force that runs the world; as little as we care to admit it in many cases. Look around you and see the effects of Desire in every human act, good or bad. As a writer has

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said: “Every deed that we do, good or bad, is prompted by Desire. We are charitable because we Desire to relieve our inner distress at the sight of suffering; or from the Desire of sympathy; or from the Desire to be respected in this world, or to secure a comfortable place in the next. One man is kind because he Desires to be kind – because it gives him satisfaction to be kind; while another man is cruel from precisely the same kind of motive. One man does his duty because he Desires to do it – he obtains a higher satisfaction from duty well done than he would from the neglecting of it in accordance with some weaker desires. The religious man is religious because his religious desires are stronger than his irreligious ones – because he finds a higher satisfaction in religion than in the pursuits of the worldly-minded. The moral man is moral because his moral desires are stronger than his immoral ones – he obtains a greater satisfaction in being moral than in being the contrary. Everything we do is prompted by Desire in some shape or form – high or low. Man cannot be Desireless and act in any way. Desire is the motivating power behind all actions – it is a natural law of life. Everything from the atom to the monad; from the monad to the insect; from the insect to man; from man to Nature, acts and does things by reason of the power and force of Desire, the Animating Motive. “

All the above at the first glance would seem to make of man a mere machine, subject to the power of any stray desire that might happen to come into his mind. But this is far from being so. Man acts not upon EVERY desire, but upon the STRONGEST Desire, or the Average of his Strongest Desires. This Average of Desires is that which constitutes his Nature or Character. And here is where the Mastery of the “I” comes in! Man need not be a slave or creature of his Desires if he will assert his Mastery. He may control, regulate, govern and guide his Desires in any directions that he pleases. Nay, more, he may even CREATE DESIRES by an action of his Will, as we shall see presently. By a knowledge of psychological laws he may neutralize unfavorable Desires, and grow and develop – yes, practically Create New Desires in their place – all by the power of his Will, aided by the light of his Reason and Judgment. Man is the Master of his Mind.

“Yes,” but some close reasoning critic may object; “yes, that is true enough, but even in that case is not Desire the ruling motive – must not one Desire create these new Desires before he can do so – is not Desire always precedent to action? “Very close reasoning this, good friends, but all advanced occultists know that there is a point in which the Principle of Desire shades and merges into companion Principle, Will, and that a close reasoner and mental analyst may imagine a mental state in which one may be almost said to manifest a WILL to Will, rather than to merely Desire to Will. This state must be experienced before it can be understood – words cannot express it.

We have stated that it was in the power of man to Create Desire – not only to be its master when created, but also to actually Create it by bringing it into being. And the statement is absolutely true, and is verified and proven by the most recent experiments and discoveries of modern psychology. Instead of man being a creature of Desire – and this indeed he is in many cases – he may become Master of Desire and even a Creator of it. By knowledge and Will he

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may reverse the ordinary order of things and, displacing the intruder from the throne, he may seat himself there in his rightful place, and then bid the late occupant do his will and obey his bidding. But the best way for the new occupant of the throne to bring about a reorganized court is to dismiss the old objectionable creatures of his mind and create new ones in their places. And here is how it may be done: In the first place, one must think carefully over the tasks that he wishes to accomplish, then, using his judgment carefully, judicially and impartially

– impersonally so far as is possible – he must take mental stock of himself and see in what points he is deficient, so far as the successful accomplishment of the task is concerned. Then let him analyze the task before him, in detail, separating the matter into as many clear defined divisions as possible, so that he may be able to see the Thing as It Is, in detail as well as in its entirety. Then let him take a similar inventory of the things, which seem necessary of the accomplishment of the task – not the details that will arise only as the work progresses, day by day – but the general things, which must be done in order that the task is brought to a successful conclusion. Then having taken stock of the task, the nature of the undertaking, and one’s own qualifications and shortcomings – then Begin to Create Desire, according to the following plan: The first step in the Creation of Desire is that of the forming of a clear, vital Mental Image of the qualities, things and details of the undertaking, as well as of the Completed Whole. By a Mental Image we mean a clear-cut, distinct mental picture in the Imagination of the things just names. Now, do not turn away with an impatient motion at the mention of the word Imagination. That is another word that you have only a mistaken idea of. Imagination means far more than the mere idle, fanciful use of that part of the mind that is believed by people to be “all there is to it. “It isn’t all, by a long way – in fact, the fanciful part may be said to be merely a shadow of the real Imaginative effort. Imagination is a real thing – it is a faculty of the mind by which it creates a matrix, mold, or pattern of things, which the trained Will and Desire afterward, materializes into objective reality. There has been nothing created by the hands and mind of man which did not have its first origin in the Imagination of some one. Imagination is the first step in Creation – whether of worlds or trifles. The mental pattern must always precede the material form. And so it is in the Creation of Desire. Before you can Create a Desire you must have a clear Mental Image of what you need to Desire.

You will find that this task of creating a Mental Image is a little harder than you had expected at the start. You will find it hard to form even a faint mental picture of that which you need. But be not discouraged, and persevere, for in this, as everything else. Practice makes perfect. Each time you try to form the Mental Image it will appear a little clearer and more distinct, and the details will come into a little more prominence. Do not tire yourself at first, but lay aside the task until later in the day, or tomorrow. But practice and persevere and you need, just as clearly as a memory picture of something you have already seen. We shall have more to say on this subject of Mental Imagery and Imagination in subsequent lessons.

Then, after having acquired the clear Mental Image of the things you wish to Desire, and thus attain, cultivate the focusing of the Attention upon these things. The word attention is derived

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from the Latin word “Attendere,” meaning “to stretch forth,” the original idea being that in Attention the mind was “stretched forth,” or “extended” toward the object of attention, and this is the correct idea for that is the way the mind operates in the matter. Keep the ideas before your attention as much as possible, so that the mind may take a firm grasp upon them, and make them a part of itself – by doing this you firmly impress the ideas upon the wax tablet of the mind.

Thus having fixed the idea clearly in your mind, by means of the Imagination and Attention,

until as we have said, it becomes a fixture there, begin to cultivate an ardent DESIRE, LONGING, CRAVING DEMAND for the materialization of the things. Demand that you grow the qualities necessary for the task – demand that your mental pictures materialize – Demand that the details be manifested as well as the Whole, making allowance for the “something better” which will surely arise to take the place of the original details, as you proceed – the Inner Consciousness will attend to these things for you.

Then Desire firmly, confident, and earnestly. Be not half-hearted in your demands and desires – claim and demand the WHOLE THING, and feel confident that it will work out into material objectivity and reality. Think of it, dream of it, and always LONG for it – you must learn to want it the worst way – learn to “want it hard enough. “You can attain and obtain many things by “wanting them hard enough” – the trouble is with most of us that we do not want things hard enough – we mistake vague cravings and wished for earnest, longing, demanding Desire and Want. Get to Desire and Demand the Thing just as you demand and Desire your daily meals. That is “wanting it the worst way. “This is merely a hint – surely you can supply the rest, if you are in earnest, and “want to hard enough. “

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