THOUGHT VIBRATION/PART 7

 

CHAPTER 7.

THE TRANSMUTATION OF NEGATIVE THOUGHT

Worry is  the child  of  Fear—if  you  kill out  Fear,  Worry  will  die  for  want  of nourishment.  This  advice  is  very  old,  and yet  it  is always  worthy  of repetition, for it is  a lesson  of  which we are greatly  in  need.  Some people think that if we kill out Fear and Worry we will never be  able  to accomplish anything. I  have read  editorials  in  the great  journals  in  which the writers  held that without Worry one can  never  accomplish  any  of the great  tasks  of  life,  because Worry is  necessary to  stimulate interest  and work. This  is nonsense, no matter who utters it. Worry never helped one to accomplish anything; on the contrary, it stands in the way of accomplishment  and  attainment.

The motive underlying action  and  "doing things"  is  Desire and  Interest. If one earnestly desires a thing, he naturally becomes very much interested  in  its  accomplishment,  and  is  quick  to seize  upon  anything likely to help  him  to gain  the  thing he  wants.  More than  that,  his  mind starts  up a work on the sub-conscious plane that brings into the field of consciousness many ideas of  value  and  importance.  Desire  and Interest are  the causes  that  result  in  success.  Worry is  not  Desire.  It  is  true that  if one's  surroundings  and  environments  become intolerable,  he is  driven  in desperation  to some efforts  that  will  result  in  throwing  off  the undesirable conditions and in  the acquiring of  those more in  harmony with his  desire. But this  is  only  another  form  of  Desire—the man  desires something different  from  what  he has;  and  when  his  desire becomes strong enough his entire interest  is  given  to the  task,  he  makes  a  mighty effort,  and the  change  is accomplished.  But  it  wasn't  Worry  that  caused the effort. Worry could content itself with wringing its  hands  and moaning  "Woe is me," and wearing its nerves to a frazzle, and accomplishing nothing. Desire acts differently. It grows  stronger  as  the man's  conditions  become intolerable,  and  finally when  he feels  the hurt so  strongly  that  he  can't  stand  it  any  longer,  he says,  "I  won't  stand  this any longer—I will  make  a  change,"  and  lo!  then  Desire springs  into action.  The man  keeps  on  "wanting"  a  change  the worst  way  (which is the  best  way)  and  his  Interest  and  Attention  being  given  to the  task  of deliverance,  he begins  to make things  move.  Worry never  accomplished anything.  Worry is negative  and  death producing.  Desire and  Ambition are  positive  and life  producing.  A  man may worry himself to  death  and yet  nothing will be accomplished, but let that man transmute his  worry and  discontent  into Desire and  Interest,  coupled  with  a  belief  that  he is able  to make the change—the  "I Can  and I  Will"  idea—  then  something happens.

Yes, Fear  and  Worry must  go before we can  do  much.  One must  proceed to cast  out  these negative  intruders,  and  replace them  with Confidence and  Hope.  Transmute Worry into keen  Desire.  Then  you  will  find  that Interest  is  awakened,  and  you  will begin  to think  things  of  interest  to you. Thoughts  will  come to  you  from  the great  reserve stock  in  your  mind and  you  will  start  to manifest  them  in  action.  Moreover you  will  be placing  yourself  in  harmony with similar  thoughts  of  others,  and  will draw  to you  aid  and  assistance from  the great  volume of  thought  waves with which the  world is filled.  One  draws to  himself thought  waves corresponding in  character  with  the nature of  the prevailing thoughts  in his  own  mind—his  mental  attitude.  Then  again  he begins  to set  into motion  the great  Law  of  Attraction,  whereby he  draws  to  him  others likely to help  him,  and  is,  in  turn,  attracted  to others  who can  aid  him. This  Law  of  Attraction  is  no joke,  no metaphysical absurdity,  but  is  a great live working principle of Nature, as anyone may learn by experimenting and  observing.

To  succeed in  anything you  must  want  it  very  much—Desire must  be in evidence in  order  to attract.  The man  of  weak  desires  attracts  very  little to himself.  The stronger  the Desire the greater  the force  set  into  motion. You  must  want  a  thing hard  enough before you  can  get it.  You  must want it  more  than  you  do  the things  around  you,  and  you  must  be prepared  to pay  the price for  it.  The price is  the  throwing overboard  of  certain  lesser desires  that  stand  in  the way  of  the accomplishment  of the greater one. Comfort,  ease,  leisure,  amusements,  and  many  other  things  may  have to go (not always,  though).  It  all depends  on  what  you  want. As  a rule,  the greater  the  thing  desired,  the  greater  the  price  to  be paid for it. Nature believes in adequate compensation.  But  if  you  really Desire a thing  in earnest, you will  pay the price without  question;  for  the Desire will  dwarf the importance of  the other  things.

You  say  that  you  want  a  thing very  much,  and  are doing everything possible toward  its  attainment?  Pshaw!  you  are only playing Desire.  Do you  want  the thing  as  much  as  a prisoner  wants  freedom—as  much  as a dying man wants life? Look at the almost miraculous things accomplished by prisoners desiring freedom. Look  how  they work through steel plates  and  stone walls  with  a  bit  of  stone.  Is your  desire  as strong as  that?  Do  you  work  for  the desired  thing as  if  your  life depended upon  it?  Nonsense!  you  don't  know  what  Desire is. I tell you  if  a  man wants  a  thing  as  much  as  the  prisoner wants  freedom,  or as  much  as  a strongly vital man wants life,  then that  man will be  able  to  sweep  away obstacles and impediments apparently  immovable.  The key to attainment  is  Desire,  Confidence,  and  Will.  This  key will open  many doors.

Fear  paralyzes  Desire—it  scares  the life out  of  it.  You  must  get  rid  of Fear.  There have  been  times  in  my life when  Fear  would  get  hold  of  me and take  a  good,  firm  grip  on my  vitals,  and I would lose  all  hope;  all interest;  all  ambition;  all desire.  But,  thank  the  Lord,  I have  always managed  to throw  off  the grip  of  the  monster  and face  my  difficulty  like  a man;  and  lo!  things  would  seem  to  be straightened  out  for  me somehow. Either the difficulty would melt away, or I would be given means to overcome it,  or  get  around,  or  under or  over  it.  It  is  strange how  this works.  No  matter  how great  is the  difficulty,  when we  finally face  it  with courage  and  confidence in  ourselves,  we seem  to pull  through somehow, and  then  we begin  to wonder  what  we  were scared  about.  This  is  not  a mere  fancy,  it  is the  working  of a  mighty  law,  which  we  do  not  as yet  fully understand,  but  which we may  prove at  any  time.

People  often ask:  "It's all very well for  you  New Thought  people  to  say 'Don't  worry,'  but  what's  a  person  to  do when  he thinks  of  all the  possible things  ahead  of  him,  which  might  upset  him  and his plans?"  Well,  all that I can  say is  that  the  man  is  foolish to  bother about  thinking of troubles  to come at  some time in  the future.  The majority of  things  that we worry  about  don't  come  to pass  at  all;  a  large proportion  of  the others come in  a  milder  form  than  we  had  anticipated,  and  there  are  always other  things  which come at  the same time which help  us  to overcome the trouble. The future holds in  store for  us  not  only difficulties  to be overcome, but also  agents to  help  us  in  overcoming the difficulties. Things  adjust  themselves.  We are  prepared  for  any trouble which may come upon  us,  and  when  the time comes  we somehow  find  ourselves able  to meet  it.  God  not  only  tempers  the wind  to the shorn  lamb,  but He also tempers  the shorn  lamb  to the wind. The wind and the shearing do not come  together;  there is  usually enough time for  the lamb  to get seasoned,  and  then  he generally  grows  new  wool  before  the cold  blast comes.

It has been well said that nine-tenths of  the worries  are  over  things which never come  to pass,  and  that  the other  tenth is  over  things  of  little or  no account. So what's  the use in  using up  all  your  reserve force in fretting over  future  troubles, if this  be  so?  Better  wait  until  your  troubles really  come  before  you  worry.  You  will  find  that  by  this  storing  up  of energy you  will be  able  to meet  about  any  sort  of  trouble that  comes  your way.

What is  it  that  uses  up  all the  energy  in  the average man  or  woman, anyway?  Is  it  the real  overcoming of  difficulties,  or  the  worrying  about impending troubles? It's always "Tomorrow, tomorrow" and yet tomorrow never  comes just  as we  feared it  would.  Tomorrow is  all  right; it  carries  in its grip  good things as well  as troubles.  Bless my soul,  when I sit  down  and  think  over  the  things  which I  once feared  might  possibly descend  upon  me,  I  laugh!  Where are those feared  things  now?  I  don't know—have almost  forgotten  that  I  ever  feared  them.

You  do not  need  to  fight  Worry—that  isn't  the  way  to overcome the habit. Just  practice concentration,  and  then  learn  to concentrate upon something right  before you,  and  you  will  find  that  the worry  thought  has vanished.  The mind  can  think  of  but  one thing at  a time,  and  if  you concentrate upon  a  bright  thing,  the other  thing  will fade  away.  There are better  ways  of  overcoming objectionable thoughts  than  by fighting them. Learn  to  concentrate upon  thoughts  of  an  opposite character,  and  you will have  solved the  problem.

When the mind  is  full of  worry  thoughts,  it  cannot  find  time to work  out plans  to  benefit  you.  But  when  you  have concentrated  upon  bright, helpful thoughts, you will discover that it will start to  work subconsciously;  and when the  time  comes you  will  find all sorts of  plans and  methods  by  which you  will be  able to meet  the demands  upon  you. Keep  your  mental  attitude  right,  and  all things  will be  added unto  you. There's  no sense in  worrying; nothing has  ever  been  gained  by  it,  and nothing ever  will  be.  Bright,  cheerful  and  happy thoughts  attract  bright, cheerful and  happy  things  to  us—worry drives them  away.  Cultivate  the right  mental  attitude.