Summary of As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
Jay Gallagher
Introduction
The book, As a Man Thinketh, helps you to tap into the power that you already use to create your life, even though you are unaware of it. Allan James shows that just as a gardener cultivates their garden, you can cultivate your mind. He teaches you to become more powerful and achieve specific goals that you chose.
As A Man Thinketh teaches:
- How your mind is like a garden.
- How you can cultivate your thoughts
- How your thoughts can make you look older than you really are
- Why it’s so important to be a dreamer
What does this summary of As a Man Thinketh teach?
Summary of As a Man Thinketh
Key Principle 1
We Can Change our Lives by Mastering our Thoughts
What makes a man what he is? It’s a basic, eternal question and the answer is this: A man is the sum of his thoughts.
Just as every plant sprouts from a seed, each of our actions sprouts from the seed of our own thoughts. Our thoughts create patterns of action, and these patterns of actions create our character. Our character is who we are, and we are begins with our thoughts.
Your attitude and actions are intertwined. Unsuccessful people tend to underachieve because they think of themselves as underachievers. They think poorly of themselves, so they act poorly. Pessimistic people think in a habitually pessimistic pattern. These problems of attitude tend to snowball and create problems in your life. What can you do about it?
If you are the sum of your thoughts, it makes sense that when you change your thoughts, your character will change. When a pessimistic person changes their thoughts into a more optimistic pattern, their attitude and life will change to reflect this.
It gets even better. Eliminating negative thoughts is only the first step. When you cultivate your thoughts as a gardener cultivates his garden, by weeding out useless and negative thoughts and plant positive thoughts in their place, you can bring peace, wisdom, strength and happiness into your life.
Negative thoughts have the power to tarnish your attitude and your life. Positive thoughts will transform your attitude and your character so start mastering your thoughts today.
Summary of As a Man Thinketh
Key Principle 2
We Shape the World We Live in as Much as it Shapes Us.
Have you ever failed and then blamed your failure on external factors like the weather or economic conditions? We’ve all done this at one time or another. Placing blame on others might make us feel better but it only sets us back.
The circumstances around us do have an impact on our character and our lives this much is true. What people forget is that while our living conditions and interactions with the world do shape us, we return the favor and shape the world we live in just as much as it shapes us. We are not just the end result of our circumstances, our thoughts, attitudes and character have a huge impact on the types of situations we find ourselves in.
When you find yourself in a negative situation, it’s not just fate or destiny that brought you there. The thoughts, attitudes and character you have about the world around you lead you into the situations you find yourself involved in.
There are of course good people with a fine character who still find themselves in terrible situations. Conversely, there are people filled with greed and envy who lead lives of contentment, with money and the trappings of success. This means that we can’t tell very easily, which has more influence on your life, circumstances or character.
The lesson is, that you can’t look at the circumstances of someone’s life and deduce just from that, their character. Likewise, it’s impossible to reliably predict how someone’s life will turn out just by examining their character.
Summary of As a Man Thinketh
Key Principle 3
Cultivate more Positive Thoughts and You Move Towards Better Health and Your Life Goals
Why do some people age so gracefully while others… not so much? Yes, a person’s genes, access to healthcare and lifestyle do play a role but the other factor that also has a huge impact is their attitude.
Since our thoughts have a powerful influence on out character and life conditions it should come as no surprise that our thoughts impact our physical bodies as well. Unsettling thoughts can cause unsettled sleep. Stressful thoughts can cause headaches, high blood pressure and even wrinkles from all that frowning.
The good news is that joyful thoughts can make you feel happier. Energetic thoughts can give us more energy. If you want to feel better about your body, have better thoughts in your mind.
If you want to achieve any goal you must purposely direct your thoughts. Whether you want to achieve success in work, improve your relationships, or have a better spiritual life, you must first focus your thoughts on the goal you want. You also should let go of the negative thoughts that distract your attention from your goals. Any pessimistic, fearful or uncertain thoughts that stand in your way must go. This change in thinking is not easy at first but like a muscle, your mind gets stronger the more you train it.
Summary of As a Man Thinketh
Key Principle 4
Dream Big because Your Dreams are what are Responsible for Your Ability to Succeed.
In the second blink, we learned that external factors aren’t to blame for the way we are or the mistakes we make. This may seem like a great burden, however. Are we solely to blame for our failures?
This doesn’t seem like a very helpful attitude, so let’s change our perspective. If we think we’re being victimized, we’re bound to feel and act like victims, and continue being oppressed. Yet, if we don’t let ourselves feel like victims, it’s harder for others to make us their victims. Therefore, it’s crucial that we understand that our ability to free ourselves lies in our hands.
No matter the circumstances we face, we should stay true to our values and ideals. Our highest aspirations – our dreams – are what give us the impetus to turn our goals into achievements. That’s why it’s so important to keep dreamers around, and to keep your dreams alive, too.
Without poets, painters and composers, our world wouldn’t be the exciting place that it is. Dreaming also lets us discover new worlds. Columbus, after all, dreamed of another world. Without this dream, he would never have been able to discover it on his voyages.
If you master your thoughts, thereby changing your character and your circumstances for the better; if you direct your thoughts to all that you wish to achieve; if you open your thoughts to the dreams that inspire you – then you’ll discover that life itself has a new quality: serenity.
A serene way of being is the mark of someone who has learned to live (and live well with) his thoughts. It takes time to get there, but there’s no doubt that it’s worth it.o.
Final Summary
The key principle is this:
- Your thoughts are the keys to your life.
- Our thoughts shape our circumstances we face, our ability to persevere and even our physical health.
- When you change your thoughts for the better, you can change your life for the better too.
- Cultivate the garden of your mind and weed out the negative thoughts.
- Plant the positive thoughts you need for success and you will reap the rewards.
Is your mindset holding you back?
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