A few of these commandments caught me on the wrong foot. I wanted more informationfor me to process and to think about w.r.t these commandments. So, here goes -----
Commandment 7: What they brethren think of thee mattereth naught
When we learn to value ourselves, we are able to put others' opinion into truer perspective. We can then learn from others but not be so hurt by them. We can discriminate between people who are projecting their issues onto us and those who truly have our best interest at heart. We can listen to others' advice, decide what is true and helpful for us, and easily let go of the rest. We have the ability to find wisdom in others' lives and begin to embody it in our own. In short, we have healthy self-esteem.
It is important to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy criticism. The main difference here is one of motive. Most people will freely offer criticism that is essentially negative in content. A true friend will offer constructive advice, which is geared to our growth and betterment. Healthy self-esteem will choose carefully what it listens to, and easily ignores the naysayers and the critics. Eventually the strongest voice we listen to will be our own inner self and its deepest purpose
Commandment 8: Wherever thou art, therein also is the party
Whenever you feel as if you are missing out on the action, as if you are not in the "right place", then you start to become "contracted" and over time this leads to depression, fatigue and eroded self-esteem. You are almost never self content, you are not able to be in the moment where you are. There is always a mythical somewhere else, some greener pasture where you are supposed to be.
Many people run through life searching for the "right place", the "right partner" or the "right job". Occasionally, they might find it – but before long some flaw will be found, and the search must continue. People with this mind set are always searching. For them, life is in transit.
Healthy self esteem believes that wherever you are is where you should be. You have been brought there for this moment by fate. There is something you have to learn there. However, live in the moment, where you are, is where the party is.
Commandment 9: Thou shalt sing thin own praises all the days of thy life
This was by far the toughest. I feel that oriental culture taught you to be humble. So, what is being humble? Does it mean that one should not praise oneself? One should always look at one as if he/she has no ego?
This commandment suggests that we have two sides in us – the critic & the protector. The critic works on wounding the child in you and the protector is the one that we should be be-friending and developing a continuous relationship. The protector focuses on our positive side, it praises the good in us. We know what our strengths are. We in effect know what we are truly.
Master Mind – An alliance of two or more minds, blended in a spirit of perfect harmony and co-operating for the attainment of a definite purpose
Success attracts more success; failure attracts more failure
Most successful men recognize the truth that their success began with their close association with some person whose positive mental attitude they either consciously or unconsciously appropriated
Will power is needed the most when the oppositions of life are the greatest. And self-discipline will provide it for every such emergency, whether it be great or small.
Thought is the only circumstance over which man has complete control.
Accurate thinking:
The first step is to separate facts from fiction & hearsay evidence. The second step is that of separating facts into two classes – important & unimportant. Important facts are those that aid in the satisfaction of the major purpose or a minor purpose en route to the major one.
Through self discipline one may do two important things, both of which are essential for outstanding achievement.
One may completely control the negative emotions by transmuting them into constructive effort, using them as an inspiration to greater endeavor
One may stimulate the positive emotions, and direct them to the attainment of any desired end.
It is the means by which one can take full and complete control of his mind and direct it to whatever ends he may desire. It is the policeman who clears the mind for the expression of Faith, by the mastery of all feats. It clears the mind for the expression of Imagination and of Creative Vision.
The mind operates through 10 factors, some of which operate automatically whereas others have to be directed through voluntary effort. Self discipline is the sole means of this direction.
1.Infinite Intelligence:
This is the source of all power. It is like a reservoir with the flow through one of the streams likened to the giving life to man. The human brain is like a water spigot that receives the stream. Direction and usage of the stream is dependent on the human. Either he / she use it to achieve a definite purpose or let it go a waste. This is dependent on the human being
2.The Conscious Mind
The mind has two parts – the conscious and the subconscious. The conscious part is like the visible portion of the iceberg. It constitutes perhaps 1/5th of the mind. The subconscious is the remaining part which talks directly to the infinite intelligence. The subconscious does the regular maintenance of the body and responds to the conscious mind's thoughts. It gives preference to the following thoughts:
1.The dominating thoughts of the conscious mind that is repeated time and again (self suggestion)
2.Thoughts inspired by emotional feeling like that of fear or faith.
Hence the need for self-discipline to portray the right feeling to the subconscious
3.The faculty of Will Power
This is like the boss of all departments. It overrules everything. It is guided by self discipline and takes orders only from the conscious mind.
When we submit a thought to the subconscious, it takes a particular amount of time to get back with a plan. The power of will supplemented by a burning desire will hasten the pace of the subconscious.
Control of the will requires persistence, faith and definiteness of purpose. The power of the will responds only to motive persistently pursued.
4.The faculty of reason
This is like a judge who passes judgment on all ideas, plans and desires, and it will do so if directed by self discipline. However, these decisions are set aside by Will power or modified by the power of emotions when will does not interfere.
Most so-called thinking is the work of emotions without the guiding influence of self-discipline, without relationship to either Will or to Reason.
5.The faculty of emotions
This is the most used portion of the conscious part. It is tricky & undependable and at the same time, the source for all enthusiasm, imagination & creative vision.
This is like uncontrolled steam which has no power. But, it controlled through a boiler likened to self-discipline, it can be a source of great power. The most dangerous emotions are Love, Sex & fear.
6.The faculty of imagination
This is the workshop where all desires, ideas, plans and purposes are shaped. This is also tricky & undependable. Uncontrolled imagination is the stuff that daydreams are made of. Imagination controlled by self discipline with the adoption of a definiteness of purpose based on definite plans is the power that inspires imagination into action
7.The faculty of conscience
This is the moral guide of the mind and its purpose is to modify the individual's aims and purposes so that they harmonize with the moral laws of nature and of mankind. It is the twin brother of the faculty of reason. It functions as a co-operative guide as long as it is respected. It can turn into a conspirator and can aid in justifying the most destructive of man's habits.
8.The sixth sense
This is a broadcasting station through which the mind receives hunches. It may be part of subconscious section of the mind. It is the medium through which Creative Vision operates and through which new ideas are revealed
9.The memory
This is like a filing cabinet that captures all information received from the five physical senses
10.The five physical senses
This information is collected through the physical senses. In times of fear or exaggerated emotion, the physical senses get confused resulting in information being received being distorted.
Your body, whether living or dead, is a collection of millions of little energies that can never die. These energies are separate and individual; at times they act in some degree of harmony. The human body is a drifting mechanism of life, capable but not accustomed to control the forces within, except as habit, will, cultivation or special excitement (through emotion) may marshal these forced to the accomplishment of some important end
If you sit down and think for a while, you will be surprised to know how much of your life has been mere drift.
Man consists of two forces, one tangible, in the form of his physical body, with its myriad individual cells numbering billions, each of which is endowed with intelligence and energy, and the other intangible, in the form of an ego – the organized dictator of the body which may control man's thoughts and deeds.
Science teaches us the tangible portion of a man weighing one hundred and sixty pounds is composed of about 17 chemical elements, all of which are known:
97 pounds of oxygen
38 pounds of carbon
15 pounds of hydrogen
4 pounds of nitrogen
4.5 pounds of calcium
6 ounces of chlorine.. blah blah
These tangible parts of man are worth 80 cents commercially. Add a well developed and properly organized and controlled ego, and they may be worth any price the owner sets upon them. The ego is a power which can't be purchased at any price, but it can be developed and shaped to fit any desired pattern. The development takes place through organized habits which are made permanent by the law of Cosmic habit force, which carries out the thought patterns one develops through controlled thought.
One of the major differences between men who make valuable contributions to mankind and those who merely take up space in the world, is mainly a difference in egos, because the ego is the driving force behind all forms of human action.
Every highly successful person possesses a well developed and highly disciplined ego and self control that is necessary to transmute its power to any desired purpose. Auto-suggestion (or self-hypnosis) is a medium by which one may attune his ego to any desired rate of vibration and charge it with the attainment of any desired purpose. When this self suggestion attains the status faith the ego becomes limitless in its power.
The ego is kept alive and active, and it is given power by constant feeding. It must be fed
Definiteness of Purpose
Personal Initiative
Continuous action, through well-organized plans
Supported by Enthusiasm
Controlled attention, directed to a definite end
Controlled and directed through self-discipline
And supported by accurate thought
One must deliberately develop and control ego. Beyond that one has no more to do with what happens than does a farmer after planting the seeds. The Law of Cosmic habit force causes every living thing to perpetuate itself after its kind and it translates the picture which a man paints of his ego into its physical equivalent.
How does one develop and control the ego?
1.One must ally himself with one or more people who will co-ordinate their minds with his in a spirit of perfect harmony for the attainment of a definite purpose, and that alliance must be continuous and active.
2.Having placed himself under the influence of the proper associates, one must adopt some definite plan by which to attain the object of the alliance and proceed to put that plan into action.
3.One must remove himself from a range of influence of every person and every circumstance which has even a slight tendency to cause him to feel inferior or incapable of attaining the object of his purpose. Positive egos do not grow in negative environments.
4.One must close the door tightly against every thought of any past experience or circumstance which tends to make him feel inferior or unhappy. Vital egos throve on the hopes and desires of the yet unattained objectives.
5.One must surround himself with every possible physical means of impressing his mind with the nature and the purpose of the ego he is developing. The person should surround himself with pictures, quotes, inspirational videos. The person should surround himself with every possible means of conveying to his ego the exact picture of himself which he expects to express, because that picture is the pattern which the law of the Cosmic Habit force will pick up; the picture which it translates into its physical equivalent.
6.The properly developed ego is at all times under the control of the individual. One's motto in the development of the ego should be – "Not too much, not too little, of anything.
7.The ego is constantly undergoing changes, for better or for worse, because of the nature of one's thought habits. The two factors which force these changes upon one are Time and the law of Cosmic Habit Force.
Habit force – The force that acts through established habits.
One may control his earthly destiny to an astounding degree – simply by exercising his privilege of shaping his own thoughts. Once the thoughts are shaped into patterns, they are taken over by the cosmic habit force and made into permanent habits, and they remain as such unless they have been supplanted by different and stronger thought patterns.
One of the most profound truths – the fact that most men who attain the higher brackets of success seldom do so until they have undergone some tragedy or emergency which reached deeply into their souls and reduced them to failure. The reason for this is – these disasters & emergencies serve to break up the established habits of man – habits which have led him eventually to the inevitable failure and thus break the grip of Cosmic Habit force and allow him to formulate new and better habits.
Poverty is the result of "poverty consciousness" which results from thinking in terms of poverty, fearing poverty and talking of poverty.
If you desire sound health, give orders to your subconscious mind to create it and Cosmic Habit force will carry out the order. If you desire opulence, give orders to your subconscious mind to produce opulence, thus developing a "prosperity consciousness" and see how quickly your economic condition will improve.
First comes the "consciousness" of what you desire, then follows the physical or mental manifestation of your desires. The "consciousness" is your responsibility. It is something you must create by your daily thoughts or by meditation if you prefer to make known your desires in that manner. In this manner one may ally himself with no less a power than that of the Creator of all things.
Mastery and assimilation of the philosophy, like every other desirable thing, has a definite price which must be paid before its benefits may be enjoyed. That price, among other things, is eternal vigilance, determination, persistence and the will to make Life pay off on one's own terms instead of accepting substitutes of poverty and misery and disillusionment.
Recognizing that the power of will is the Supreme Court over all other departments of my mind, I will exercise daily, when I need the urge to action for any purpose; and I will form habits designed to bring the power of my will into action at least once daily.
Emotions:
Realizing that my emotions are both positive and negative I will form daily habits which will encourage development of the positive emotions, and aid me in converting the negative emotions into some form of useful action
Reason:
Recognizing that both my positive emotions and my negative emotions may be dangerous if they are not controlled and guided to desirable ends, I will submit all my desires, aims and purposes to my faculty of reason, and I will be guided by it in giving expression to these.
Imagination:
Recognizing the need for sound plans and ideas for the attainment of my desires, I will develop my imagination by calling upon it daily for help in the formation of my plans.
Conscience:
Recognizing that my emotions often err in their over-enthusiasm, and my faculty of reason often is without the warmth of feeling that is necessary to enable me to combine justice with mercy in my judgments, I will encourage my conscience to guide me as to what is right and what is wrong, but I will never set aside the verdicts it renders no matter what may be the cost of carrying them out.
Memory:
Recognizing the value of an alert memory, I will encourage mine to become alert by taking care to impress it clearly with all thoughts I wish to recall, and by associating those thoughts with related subjects which I may call to mind frequently
Subconscious Mind:
Recognizing the influence of my subconscious mind over my power of will, I shall take care to submit to it a clear and definite picture of my Major purpose in life and all minor purposes leading to my major purpose, and I shall keep this picture constantly before my subconscious mind by repeating it daily
The BIG FOUR philosophies which are capable of providing more power than the average man needs to carry him to great heights of personal achievement.
1.THE HABIT OF GOING THE EXTRA MILE
This principle is the first as it aids in conditioning the mind for the rendering of useful service. This conditioning prepares the way for the 2nd
2.DEFINITENESS OF PURPOSE
With this philosophy, one may give an organized direction to previous principle. These two principles alone will take anyone very far up the ladder of achievement, but those who are aiming for the higher goals of life will need much more help which is available through the 3rd
3.THE MASTER MIND
Through this philosophy, one begins to experience a new and a greater sense of power which is not available to the individual mind, as it bridges one's personal deficiencies and provides him, when necessary, with any portion of the combined knowledge of mankind which has been accumulated down through the ages. This is complete when one acquires the art of receiving guidance through the 4th
4.APPLIED FAITH
Here the individual begins to tune into the Infinite Intelligence, which is a benefit that is available only to the person who has conditioned his mind to receive it. Here the individual begins to take full possession of his own mind by mastering all fears, worries and doubts, by recognizing his oneness with the source of all power.
The BIG FOUR are adequate only for the very few who have other needed qualities of success, such as those provided by the remaining.
5.PLEASING PERSONALITY
This enables a man to sell himself and his ideas to other men. It is essential for all who desire to become the guiding influence in a Master Mind alliance.
These five philosophies are not enough to insure against defeat. Hence the 6th
6.HABIT OF LEARNING FROM DEFEAT
This principle provides hope sufficient to inspire a man to make a fresh start when his plans go astray
Observe how greatly the source of personal power has increased through the application of these six principles. The individual has found out where he is going in life; he has acquired the friendly co-operation of all whose services are needed to help him reach his goal; he has made himself pleasing, thereby, insuring for himself the continued co-operation of others; he has acquired the art of drawing upon the source of infinite intelligence and of expressing that power through applied faith, and he has learned to make stepping stones of the stumbling blocks of personal defeat. However, he would need the further qualities as well at different stages of his life.
7.CREATIVE VISION
This enables one to look into the future and to judge it by a comparison with the past, and to, build new and better plans for attaining his hopes and aims through the workshop of his imagination. And here, for the first time perhaps, a man may discover his 6th sense and begin to draw upon it for the knowledge which is not available through the organized sources of human experience and accumulated knowledge. To put this benefit to practical use, one must use the 8th principle
8.PERSONAL INITIATIVE
This principle starts action and keeps it moving toward definite ends. It insures one against the destructive habits of procrastination, indifference and laziness. This principle is a "habit producer" for it is obvious that the application of no principle may become a habit except by the application of personal initiative. This is the sole means by which a man may exercise full and complete control over the only thing that the Creator has given him control, the power of his own thoughts. Thoughts do not organize and direct themselves. They need guidance, inspiration and aid which can be given only by one's personal initiative. The 9th principle provides supplementary guidance
9.ACCURATE THINKING
It insures against the misdirection of personal initiative and against errors of judgment, guesswork and premature decisions. It protects one against the influence of his own undependable emotions by modifying them through the power of reason commonly known as the "head". The individual will find himself in the possession of tremendous power. This can be dangerous unless use of the 10th principle
10.SELF DISCIPLINE
It is a product of carefully established and carefully maintained habits which in many instances can be acquired only by many years of painstaking effort. So we have come to the point at which the power of the will must be brought into action, for self-discipline is solely a product of the will.
Many men have risen to great power by application of the preceding 9 principles only to meet with disaster or they carry others to defeat by their lack of self-discipline. This principle when mastered and applied, gives one complete control over his greatest enemy – himself.
Self-discipline must begin by the application of the 11th principle
11.CONCENTRATION OF ENDEAVOR
The power of concentration is also the product of will. Concentration & Self Discipline are called "twin-brothers". It aids one from dissipation of energies and helps one keep his mind on the object of his Definite Major Purpose until it has been taken over by the sub-conscious and there made ready for the translation into its physical equivalent, through the law of Cosmic Habit force. It is the camera's eye of the imagination through which the detailed outlines of one's aims and purposes are recorded in the subconscious section of the mind.
Additionally, one needs the 12th
12.CO-OPERATION
Co-operation differs from the Master Mind Principle in that it is a human relationship that is needed, and may be had, without a definite alliance with others, based upon a complete fusion of the minds for the attainment of a definite purpose. It is the means by which one may extend the space he occupies in the minds of others, sometimes known as "good-will".
Cooperation is attained more freely and willingly by the application of the 13th
13.ENTHUSIASM
It is a contagious state of mind which not only aids one in gaining the cooperation of others, but more important than this, it inspires the individual to draw upon and use the power of his own imagination. It inspires action also in the expression of personal initiative and leads to the habit of concentration of endeavor. It is one of the qualities of a pleasing personality and it makes easy the application of the principle of Going the Extra Mile. It gives force and conviction to the spoken word.
It is a product of motive, but it is difficult of maintenance without the 14th
14.HABIT OF HEALTH
Sound health begins with a "health consciousness" that can be developed only by the right habits of living, sustained through self-discipline. This provides the basis for enthusiasm, and enthusiasm encourages sound health. (chicken & egg scenario).
15.BUDGETING TIME AND MONEY
Independence and freedom of body and mind, the two great desires of all mankind, can't become enduring realities without the self discipline of a strict budgeting system.
16.THE GOLDEN RULE APPLIED
The golden rules must be applied as a matter of habit.
17.COSMIC HABITFORCE
It is the principle by which all habits are fixed and made permanent by varying degrees. It is the comptrolling principle in which the preceding 16 principles blend and become part of one. It is the controlling factor in conditioning the individual mind for the development and the expression of the "prosperity consciousness" which is so essential in the attainment of personal success.
