As a Man Thinks E-Book

James Allen

• Herausgeber: Spectrum Ink Publishing
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 100

Beschreibung

In this special edition of James Allen's classic, As a Man Thinketh, you will learn how to use the power of thought to bring success and happiness into your life. You will discover that you are the creator of the conditions in your life, good and bad, and you can change those conditions by changing the way you think. Bestselling authors Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, and others were heavily influenced by Allen's writings, and Inc. Magazine praised Allen's book as "one of the top 10 motivational books of all time." Success coach Tony Robbins says it is his favorite book, and he has read it a dozen times.

This Classic Edition was developed for a course at Virtual University by Richard De A'Morelli, a best-selling author and editor with deep experience in the self-help field. Most versions of Allen's book are unedited reprints of his 1903 work, but this collector's edition includes the full text of the book, updated and restyled for today's readers, plus helpful tutorials reviewing key points in each chapter. A bonus chapter offers daily meditations from James Allen's popular book, Meditations for Every Day of the Year.

The wisdom of James Allen provides a foundation for living well and being happy in today's hectic world. Whether this is your first exposure to his writings or you are already a fan, this special edition is must reading. Available as an ebook and in paperback (ISBN 978-1-988236-10-0). Add it to your library and give as a gift to your friends who may benefit from this wonderful message of hope and empowerment.

Leseprobe

As a Man Thinks

James Allen

Classic Edition (2018)

Updated and Edited

by Richard De A’Morelli

Spectrum Ink Publishing

As a Man Thinks: Classic Edition (2018)

Copyright © 2016, 2018 Spectrum Ink Publishing.

Published simultaneously in Canada and the United States.

First Edition: June 2016

Second Edition: January 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any means including photocopying, recording, taping, or digital reproduction, or posted on any blog or website, without the publisher’s written consent except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher hereby disclaims all such views and statements.

ISBN Numbers:

978-1-988236-08-7 ~ Mobi/Kindle

978-1-988236-09-4 ~ EPUB Digital

978-1-988236-10-0 ~ Paperback

978-1-988236-44-5 ~ Paperback (Retail)

978-1-988236-12-4 ~ Hardcover

Spectrum Ink Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia

Spectrum Ink USA

San Luis Obispo, California

Spectrum Ink Publishing

http://spectrum.org/books/

Table of Contents

Preface : Why This Book Is Special

Chapter 1 : The Art and Science of Life

Chapter 2 : Thought and Character

Chapter 3 : The Power of Thought on Circumstances

Chapter 4 : Effect of Thought on Health and Body

Chapter 5 : Thought and Purpose

Chapter 6 : The Thought-Factor in Achievement

Chapter 7 : Visions and Ideals

Chapter 8 : Serenity

Chapter 9 : Daily Meditations

About the Editor

Message from the Publisher

Other Books from Spectrum Ink

Preface

Why This Book Is Special

This is a special edition of James Allen's most enduring classic, As a Man Thinketh. It was created for an online course taught at Virtual University for more than a decade by Richard De A'Morelli, a best-selling author and editor with 30+ years of experience in the self-help/inspirational field. Most versions of Allen’s book are unedited reprints of his 1903 work, but this Classic Edition includes the full text of his book, carefully edited, restyled, and updated for contemporary readers, as well as insightful tutorials and points to remember at the end of each chapter. It also includes a bonus chapter at the end of the book that presents a series of daily meditations drawn from Allen’s 1913 book, Meditations for Every Day of the Year.

This book explores the power of thought and how you can use it to bring prosperity and happiness into your life. You will learn how you are the creator of the conditions that exist in your life, good and bad, and how you can improve those conditions by changing the way you think. Renowned motivational writers, including Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale, have drawn upon James Allen’s practical advice in their own best-selling books, and Inc. Magazine has praised Allen’s classic as “one of the top 10 motivational books of all time.” Success coach Tony Robbins says it is his favorite book, and he has read it a dozen times.

The wisdom of James Allen reflected in these pages is as valid today as it was when he published his original work in the early 20th century, providing a foundation for living well and being happy in our hectic modern world. Whether this is your first exposure to his philosophical writings or you are already a fan, this special edition is must reading.

This Kindle e-book is also available in a collectible paperback edition. Add it to your personal library and give it as a gift to friends who may benefit from an uplifting message of empowerment and positivity. To order online, visit: https://amazon.com/dp/198823610X

Chapter1

The Art and Science of Life

James Allen was a British philosopher and author of inspirational books in the early twentieth century, best known for As a Man Thinketh, published in 1903. He is widely recognized as the grandfather of the self-help and motivational movement. His message of self-empowerment through positive thinking spread around the world and influenced the writings of many prominent authors in the self-help/inspirational field, including Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking and Joshua Liebman's Peace of Mind.

Born on November 28, 1864 in Leicester, England, Allen's childhood years were marred by tragedy. Soon after he was born, his father’s business failed. In 1880, his father moved to America to start a new life and planned to send for his family after he was established. Two days after he arrived in New York, he was robbed and murdered.

The death of Allen's father drove his family into hard times. At the age of fifteen, Allen was forced to drop out of school, and he spent the next twenty years laboring at clerical jobs. In 1902, he quit his job to pursue writing—an improbable dream for a high school dropout with no education. In leaving behind the security of a paycheck and embarking on a path that seemed doomed to failure, Allen put his faith in the power of the mind and his devout belief that every human being has free will in life, and that we are the masters of our destiny.

To the surprise of many, Allen achieved his goal of becoming a published author. Over the next nine years, he wrote twenty-one inspirational books, all of which are now regarded as classics. He did not seek fame or fortune, and he did not get rich from his writing, but he managed to get by on his meager earnings and never wavered in his belief that the Universe would provide for his needs so that he could continue writing.

After his first book, From Poverty to Power, was published, Allen moved to Ilfracombe, a scenic seaside town on the coast of southern England. The rolling hills, cobblestone lanes, and Victorian homes dotting the shoreline provided the tranquil setting he needed for his spiritual contemplation and writing.

Not long after moving to Ilfracombe, Allen began writing his second book, As a Man Thinketh. It reflected the essence of his belief in the power of mind and man’s ability to determine his own fate. But Allen was not happy with the first drafts. It took months of encouragement from his wife, Lily, before he finally sent the manuscript off to a publisher. It would become his greatest and most enduring success, offering his reflections on life and man’s quest to understand his purpose and relationship to the Universe.

James Allen lived the modest, ascetic life of a mystic as described in the writings of the Russian novelist and philosopher Leo Tolstoy, whom Allen idolized. He followed a path of moderation, self-discipline, respect for all living things, and voluntary poverty. Like Tolstoy, Allen focused on life’s most profound goals: to be happy and positive, to live in the present, and to find the silver lining in every cloud. He was an avid learner, cherished knowledge, welcomed new ideas, and embraced manual labor. He was grateful for the good things life bestowed on him, no matter how small, and he followed his own teachings, expressing positive thoughts and actions in his life at all times.

A typical day began at dawn with a walk through the rocky hills overlooking the sea. He would meditate for an hour and spend the rest of the morning writing. His afternoons were spent gardening, and in the evenings, he had deep conversations with friends, admirers, and students who traveled from all over Europe to discuss his writings.

One of Allen’s friends described him as “a frail-looking little man, with a mass of flowing black hair. I recall him in the black, velvet suit he always wore in the evenings. He would talk quietly to a small group of us—English, French, Austrian, and Indian—of meditation, of philosophy, of Tolstoy or Buddha, and of killing nothing, not even a mouse in the garden.”

Allen's career as a philosopher and author ended abruptly. Just nine years after his first book was published, he died in his sleep at the age of forty-eight.

After his death, his wife Lily recalled that “He wrote when he had a message, and it became a message only when he had lived it out in his own life and knew it was good.”

James Allen was the proverbial “messenger with the right message for the right time.” His writings emerged as the strict doctrines of Protestantism in Europe had begun to soften. Offering an uplifting philosophy of hope that blended Christianity with the mystical teachings of the East, he looked beyond the harsh doctrine that man is born, lives and dies in sin, and is doomed to suffer in the purgatory of Earth. Instead, he offered a benevolent alternative—an optimistic view that man is inherently good, and the seeds of divine wisdom dwell within us all.

The erosion of Protestant dogma brought new interest in philosophy and religion, which blossomed in the early 1900s. As the tide moved toward a more liberal view of the human dilemma, science and religion began to reconcile, and The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin was published. Darwin, too, recognized that the power of thought can shape our lives for better or worse, as evidenced by his observation: “The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.”

Allen's writings on the power of the mind and free will have helped millions of readers to understand that some people express good and positive qualities; others choose to be negative or evil. We decide upon our course from day to day, and we can change that course at any time. All our successes and failures, our joys and sorrows, our achievements and disappointments in life, are of our own making, the product of our individual thoughts and actions.

James Allen blended traditional Western philosophy and Eastern mysticism into an inspiring message of hope. The ideas expressed in his writings are not original, which is not a surprise, as Ecclesiastes 1:9 reminds us: “There is nothing new under the sun.” Allen draws from a variety of sources, especially Buddhism. For instance, The Dhammapada, a Buddhist scripture from the third century B.C., tells us, “All we are is the result of what we have thought,” and Allen writes, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Today, Allen’s enduring advice reminds us that even in a world torn by injustice, bigotry, poverty, and strife, we can make a conscious choice to live peaceful, harmonious lives, and to do so, we need only commit to expressing positive thoughts and actions in our daily affairs.

“Yes, humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt,” writes Allen. “Only the wise man whose thoughts are pure and controlled makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey him.”

I was introduced to As a Man Thinketh on my tenth birthday, when I received a copy from my sixth-grade English teacher. I didn’t understand Allen’s words then, but his book would have a major influence on my life as time went by. It inspired me to begin writing at age 14; to pursue the dream of being a freelance writer; and to believe that I could succeed. I went on to publish a dozen books, and all my early works were in the self-help/inspirational genre.

Years later, I developed a self-help course based on As a Man Thinketh, which I taught at Virtual University. The first few times I offered the class, some students indicated that the book was difficult to follow. The writing style in the early 1900s was more verbose and complex than what present-day readers expect, and some women in the class disliked the book’s male-centric focus. With careful editing, I restyled the book and endeavored to make it gender-neutral. I also added helpful study notes at the end of each chapter. My students reacted positively and suggested that I should publish this updated version. At last, I have found the time to do that.

I hope you will enjoy this Classic Edition and that it will open your eyes and heart to the remarkable power and potential of the human mind.