Bernard wisely chose fairly modest examples of other student’s thought bricks successes in Lesson 2. In this way he reminds us that it is important to celebrate every minor success. This also helps those who would be discouraged and wrongly think, “I could never do that!” if spectacular examples were offered. Those more experienced know that seemingly small success prove the principles for larger success and enjoy them in that light.
As Bernard tell us, “A person’s whole life is the sum-total of their past thoughts. A person’s whole future will be shaped by the thoughts they think now.” I hope you did the exercise from Lesson 2, “Write down what you mean by success, happiness and prosperity” and got yourself a notebook and wrote down the things you want to have in your life.
A tip which can keep strengthen the good feelings you have around a particular thing from your list is to look at why you want it. Say, for example, you want a new job. What are all the good things the new job will bring (better pay, more interesting work, more variety, and so on)? Or say you want a new car. What will that bring you (more reliable transportation, better fuel economy, or whatever)? If you want a raise in pay, what enjoyable and interesting things will you do with the money? Explore how you will feel about it. This will help you clarify and fine tune what you want. It can help to write these feelings into your notebook too.
Be careful if you something you want feels like it is “far away”. Cultivate feeling that what you want is already here. You can do this by imagining how you will feel when you have it. The feeling of “already having” is part of building faith. By being willing to explore the feeling of how it will be to have those things you are exercising faith that you will have them.
You might be tempted to think, “But I don’t have those things already. I am not telling myself the truth if I say I do.” However, you are not telling yourself you have things. You are telling yourself how you will feel when you do have them.
Of course you want to tell yourself the truth. You can start by telling yourself “This is what I intend…”, or ” I intend to have…” and prove this to yourself by cultivating the feelings as if you do have those things. This means you eagerly put yourself in harmony with the experience of having those things, by investing in feeling that way about them.
What is “the substance of things hoped for”? What is the “evidence of things not seen”? Why it is your feelings of course! Your feelings are what substantiates your thought bricks. Substantiates means “to provide evidence to support or prove the truth of…” When you have a good feeling about the things on your list then you are experiencing the “evidence of things not seen.” Your good feelings are the evidence that you are going about things in the right way. Your good feeling about something on your list lets you know you are attracting it to you. It is those good feelings which act as a magnet and draws those things into your life. Those good feelings in turn help awaken happy, eager and confident thoughts which bring even more goodness your way.
Remember and keep a watchful, but kindly, eye on your thoughts and feelings in the weeks ahead. Do your best to try and nip things in the bud if you feel down or low. If you feel tired then rest. Allow yourself time to refresh so that you can use good feelings more to bring you what you want. Begin to let go of struggling and striving.
As well as developing and fine tuning your list, keep using the Golden Gate affirmation and the Secret Exercise No. 1, to keep yourself going forwards.
Golden Gate Exercise 1
In order to build power into the Golden Gate affirmation we will explore different parts of it in these follow up lessons. Create a section on your notebook and write down anything which comes to mind during this exercise.
Let us first explore the beginning part of the affirmation: “Obstacles melt from my path”
1. How does it feel to have obstacles melt from your path?
2. What many other ways can you think of to say this phrase, ten, twenty, one hundred? What else can represent obstacles and how can they be removed?
“All hindrances to my good vanish.”
“Barriers in my way just fall over”
“Walls in the way of my abundance come crumbling down”
3. What images come to your mind along with the sentences which come to you above?
Do you see a huge rock in front of you which just melts away or turns to dust and falls at your feet? Whatever images come to you write them down too – or draw them if you have an inkling for that.
4. How would someone you admire (can be a real or imaginary character) handle obstacles? Imagine what they would do and then imagine yourself adapting their methods (toning things down if necessary for normal daily life).
By all means return to the exercise often if you find it helpful.
Blessings,
William
—ooOoo—