I was facilitating a programme for a group of entrepreneurs on
Monday evening called 'The Achiever Programme'. We were studying
'As a Man Thinketh' by James Allen.
This is a very powerful little book. I just want to share a couple
of paragraphs from it. Written at the turn of the 20th century the
language is quite difficult. However, once you get the hang of it,
you realise that it is actually a work of art. I love his analogy
of our minds being like a garden. I sometimes ask entrepreneurs to
think of their businesses as a garden and ask them, where are the
weeds?
'A Man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be
intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether
cultivated or neglected, it must, and will bring forth. If no
useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weeds
will fall therein, and will continue to produce their
kind'.
'Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from
weeds, and growing flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a
man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong,
useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the
flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing
this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master
gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also reveals,
within himself, the laws of thought, and understands, with ever
increasing accuracy, how the thought forces and mind elements
operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances and
destiny'.
So what does this mean? Well we need to be careful with the
seeds that may take route in our minds. A negative thought can
quickly grow until it becomes all consuming. At the extreme to the
detriment of the whole garden! So guard the inputs to your
mind.
This can be challenging. I for example love music and sometimes
the lyrics hold negative messages. Therefore, I am now starting to
be careful which ones I listen to over and over.
One example by a band I like called 'Bigelf' is a song called
'Money. It's Pure is evil'. I love the song, however, now skip it
as I don't agree or want that weed in my mind. Money is not evil,
it all depends upon who is managing it!
I also aim to be careful with what I read and watch. Some people
watch the news over and over and it is generally full of
negativity. The focus on sensational stories distorts our
perception of reality. If you believe it all, you are not in
control of you own mind. The media!
So where are you weeds. Which ones do you need to get rid of? Is
your garden flourishing or does it need some tending?
If it does the message from James Allen is that for mastery of
your mind it is 'totally a matter of application, self analysis,
and experience. In other words studying and applying principles,
understanding yourself and learning from action.