THOUGHT VIBRATION/PART 8

 

CHAPTER 8.

THE LAW OF MENTAL CONTROL

Your  thoughts  are  either faithful  servants  or  tyrannical  masters—just as you  allow  them  to  be. You  have the say  about  it;  take your choice.  They will either  go about  your work  under direction of the firm will,  doing it the best  they  know  how,  not  only in  your  waking hours,  but  when  you  are asleep—some of  our  best  mental work  being performed  for  us  when  our conscious mentality  is at  rest,  as  is  evidenced  by the fact  that  when the morning comes we find troublesome problems have been  worked  out  for us during  the  night,  after  we  had dismissed them  from  our  minds— apparently;  or  they  will ride  all over  us and make  us their  slaves if we  are foolish enough to allow  them  to do so.  More than  half  the  people of  the world  are slaves  of  every vagrant  thought  which may see fit  to torment them.

Your  mind  is  given  you  for  your  good  and  for  your  own  use—not  to use you.  There are very  few  people who seem  to  realize this  and  who understand  the art  of  managing the mind. The key to the mystery is Concentration.  A  little practice will develop  within  every  man  the  power to use the  mental  machine  properly.  When  you  have some mental work to do concentrate  upon  it  to  the exclusion  of  everything  else,  and  you  will find  that  the mind  will get  right  down  to business --to  the  work  at hand-- and  matters  will  be cleared  up  in  no  time.  There is  an  absence of  friction, and all  waste  motion or  lost  power  is  obviated.  Every pound  of  energy is put  to use,  and every revolution of the mental driving-wheel counts for something. It pays to be able to be a competent mental engineer.

And the  man  who  understands  how  to run  his  mental engine knows  that one of  the important  things  is  to  be able to stop  it  when  the work  has been done. He does not keep putting coal in the furnace, and maintaining a high pressure after the  work  is  finished,  or  when  the day's portion  of  the work  has  been  done,  and  the fires  should  be  banked  until the next  day.  Some people act  as  if  the engine  should  be kept  running whether  there was  any work  to be done or  not,  and  then  they complain  if it  gets  worn  out  and  wobbles  and  needs  repairing.  These  mental  engines are fine  machines,  and  need  intelligent  care.

To those who are  acquainted  with  the laws  of  mental  control  it  seems absurd for  one to lie awake  at  night  fretting  about  the problems  of  the day, or  more  often,  of the  morrow.  It  is just  as  easy  to  slow down the mind  as  it  is  to slow  down  an  engine,  and  thousands  of  people are learning to do this  in  these days  of  New  Thought.  The  best  way  to do it  is to think  of  something else—as far different from the obtruding  thought as  possible.  There is no use fighting an objectionable thought  with the purpose of  "downing"  it;  that  is  a  great  waste of  energy,  and  the more you  keep  on  saying,  "I  won't  think  of  this  thing!"  the more it  keeps  on coming into your  mind,  for  you  are holding it  there for  the purpose of hitting it.  Let  it  go;  don't  give  it  another  thought;  fix  the  mind  on something entirely  different,  and  keep  the attention  there  by an effort of the will. A little practice will  do  much  for  you  in  this direction.  There  is only room  for  one  thing  at  a  time  in  the focus  of  attention;  so put  all  your attention  upon  one thought,  and the  others will  sneak  off.  Try  it  for yourself.