Any desire that you have that you emotionalized, coupled with faith, will lend it self to be actualised. This was the 1930s version of “fake it till you make it”. Understanding the underlying psychology behind visualization and applying it with success in the field of sports and work didn’t arrive till much later, say the 80s/90s? But this book is historical by comparison. 

More notes below. Sharing them here as reference for myself, and for anyone who might find it useful. This is not a book review, just raw notes lifted directly from the book, with some minor edits, interpretations and categorisations of my own.

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Think And Grow Rich (2)

(2) Faith: Visualization of, and Belief in Attainment of Desire. The second step to riches

Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith.

ALL THOUGHTS WHICH HAVE BEEN EMOTIONALIZED, (given a feeling) AND MIXED WITH FAITH, begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent or counterpart.

Conduct yourself just as you would, if you were ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MATERIAL THING WHICH YOU ARE DEMANDING, when you call upon your subconscious mind. The subconscious mind will transmute into its physical equivalent, by teh most direct and practical media available, any order which is given to it in a state of BELIEF, or FAITH that the order will be carried out.

Faith is a state of mind, and that it may be induced by self-suggestion.

Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought. This is why you are asked to write out a statement of your major purpose, or Definite Chief Aim, commit it to memory, and repeat it, in audible words, day after day, until these vibrations of sounds have reached your subconscious mind. We are what we are, because of the vibrations of thought which we pick up and register, through the stimuli of our daily environment.

Self-confidence formula

1. I know I have the ability to achieve my goal. I DEMAND of myself persistent action, and promise to do so.

2. I realize dominating thoughts will eventually reproduce themselves into outward action and physical reality. I will concentrate for 30min on thinking about the person I will become.

3.  Auto-suggestion means any desire I persistently hold will seek expression through practical means of attaining my goal. So I will spend 10min demanding self-confidence.

4. I have clearly written down my goal, and will never stop trying until I developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment.

5. I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built upon truth and justice, therefore, I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use, and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me, because of my willingness to serve others. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me, because I will believe in them, and in myself.

ALL IMPULSES OF THOUGHT HAVE A TENDENCY TO CLOTHE THEMSELVES IN THEIR PHYSICAL EQUIVALENT. The subconscious mind, (the chemical laboratory in which all thought impulses are combined, and made ready for translation into physical reality), makes no distinction between constructive and destructive thought impulses. It works with the material we feed it, through our thought impulses. The subconscious mind will translate into reality a thought driven by FEAR just as readily as it will translate into reality a thought driven by COURAGE, or FAITH.

If you fill your mind with FEAR, doubt and unbelief ub your ability to connect with, and use the forces of infinite Intelligence, the law of auto-suggestion will take this spirit of unbelief and use it as a pattern by which your subconscious mind will translate it into its physical equivalent.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost.

For out if the world we find, 

Success begins with a fellow’s will-

It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,

You’ve got to think high to rise,

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man,

But soon or late the man who wins

Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!