Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Chapter 4 - Auto-Suggestion
The Medium for Influencing the Subconscious Mind
The Third Step toward Riches AUTO-SUGGESTION is a term which applies to al1 suggestions and all
self-administered stimuli which reach one's mind through the five senses. Stated in
another way, auto-suggestion is self-suggestion. It is the agency of communication between that part of
the mind where conscious thought takes place, and that which serves as the seat of action for the subconscious mind.
Through the dominating thoughts which one permits to
remain in the conscious mind, (whether these thoughts
be negative or positive, is immaterial), the
principle of auto-suggestion voluntarily reaches the
subconscious mind and influences it with these thoughts.
NO THOUGHT, whether it be negative or positive, CAN
ENTER THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND WITHOUT THE AID OF THE
PRINCIPLE OF AUTO-SUGGESTION, with the exception of
thoughts picked up from the ether. Stated
differently, all sense impressions which are
perceived through the five senses, are stopped by the
CONSCIOUS thinking mind, and may be either passed on
to the subconscious mind, or rejected, at will. The
conscious faculty serves, therefore, as an outerguard
to the approach of the subconscious.
Nature has so built man that he has ABSOLUTE CONTROL
over the material which reaches his subconscious
mind, through his five senses, although this is not
meant to be construed as a statement that man always
EXERCISES this control. In the great majority of
instances, he does NOT exercise it, which explains
why so many people go through life in poverty.
Recall what has been said about the subconscious mind
resembling a fertile garden spot, in which weeds will
grow in abundance, if the seeds of more desirable
crops are not sown therein. AUTO-SUGGESTION is the
agency of control through which an individual may
voluntarily feed his subconscious mind on thoughts of
a creative nature, or, by neglect, permit thoughts of
a destructive nature to find their way into this rich
garden of the mind.
You were instructed, in the last of the six steps
described in the chapter on Desire, to read ALOUD
twice daily the WRITTEN statement of your DESIRE FOR
MONEY, and to SEE AND FEEL yourself ALREADY in
possession of the money! By following these
instructions, you communicate the object of your
DESIRE directly to your SUBCONSCIOUS mind in a spirit
of absolute FAITH. Through repetition of this
procedure, you voluntarily create thought habits
which are favourable to your efforts to transmute
desire into its monetary equivalent.
Go back to these six steps described in chapter two,
and read them again, very carefully, before you
proceed further. Then (when you come to it), read
very carefully the four instructions for the
organization of your "Master Mind" group, described
in the chapter on Organized Planning. By comparing
these two sets of instructions with that which has
been stated on auto-suggestion, you, of course, will
see that the instructions involve the application of
the principle of auto-suggestion.
Remember, therefore, when reading aloud the statement
of your desire (through which you are endeavoring to
develop a "money consciousness"), that the mere
reading of the words is of NO CONSEQUENCE— UNLESS you
mix emotion, or feeling with your words. If you
repeat a million times the famous Emil Coué formula,
"Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and
better," without mixing emotion and FAITH with your
words, you will experience no desirable results. Your
subconscious mind recognizes and acts upon ONLY
thoughts which have been well-mixed with emotion or
feeling.
This is a fact of such importance as to warrant
repetition in practically every chapter, because the
lack of understanding of this is the main reason the
majority of people who try to apply the principle of
auto-suggestion get no desirable results.
Plain, unemotional words do not influence the
subconscious mind. You will get no appreciable
results until you learn to reach your subconscious
mind with thoughts, or spoken words which have been
well emotionalized with BELIEF.
Do not become discouraged, if you cannot control and
direct your emotions the first time you try to do so.
Remember, there is no such possibility as SOMETHING
FOR NOTHING. Ability to reach, and influence your
subconscious mind has its price, and you MUST PAY
THAT PRICE. You cannot cheat, even if you desire to
do so. The price of ability to influence your
subconscious mind is everlasting PERSISTENCE in
applying the principles described here. You cannot
develop the desired ability for a lower price. You,
and YOU ALONE, must decide whether or not the reward
for which you are striving (the "money
consciousness"), is worth the price you must pay for
it in effort.
Wisdom and "cleverness" alone, will not attract and
retain money except in a few very rare instances,
where the law of averages favours the attraction of
money through these sources. The method of attracting
money described here, does not depend upon the law of
averages. Moreover, the method plays no favourites. It
will work for one person as effectively as it will
for another. Where failure is experienced, it is the
individual, not the method, which has failed. If you
try and fail, make another effort, and still another,
until you succeed.
Your ability to use the principle of auto-suggestion
will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to
CONCENTRATE upon a given DESIRE until that desire
becomes a BURNING OBSESSION.
When you begin to carry out the instructions in
connection with the six steps described in the second
chapter, it will be necessary for you to make use of
the principle of CONCENTRATION.
Let us here offer suggestions for the effective use
of concentration. When you begin to carry out the
first of the six steps, which instructs you to "fix
in your own mind the EXACT amount of money you
desire," hold your thoughts on that amount of money
by CONCENTRATION, or fixation of attention, with your
eyes closed, until you can ACTUALLY SEE the physical
appearance of the money. Do this at least once each
day. As you go through these exercises, follow the
instructions given in the chapter on FAITH, and see
yourself actually IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY!
Here is a most significant fact— the subconscious
mind takes any orders given it in a spirit of
absolute FAITH, and acts upon those orders, although
the orders often have to be presented over and over
again, through repetition, before they are
interpreted by the subconscious mind. Following the
preceding statement, consider the possibility of
playing a perfectly legitimate "trick" on your
subconscious mind, by making it believe, because you
believe it, that you must have the amount of money
you are visualizing, that this money is already
awaiting your claim, that the subconscious mind MUST
hand over to you practical plans for acquiring the
money which is yours.
Hand over the thought suggested in the preceding
paragraph to your IMAGINATION, and see what your
imagination can, or will do, to create practical
plans for the accumulation of money through
transmutation of your desire.
DO NOT WAIT for a definite plan, through which you
intend to exchange services or merchandise in return
for the money you are visualizing, but begin at once
to see yourself in possession of the money, DEMANDING
and EXPECTING meanwhile, that your subconscious mind
will hand over the plan, or plans you need. Be on the
alert for these plans, and when they appear, put them
into ACTION IMMEDIATELY. When the plans appear, they
will probably "flash" into your mind through the
sixth sense, in the form of an "inspiration." This
inspiration may be considered a direct "telegram," or
message from Infinite Intelligence. Treat it with
respect, and act upon it as soon as you receive it.
Failure to do this will be FATAL to your success.
In the fourth of the six steps, you were instructed
to "Create a definite plan for carrying out your
desire, and begin at once to put this plan into
action." You should follow this instruction in the
manner described in the preceding paragraph. Do not
trust to your "reason when creating your plan for
accumulating money through the transmutation of
desire. Your reason is faulty. Moreover, your
reasoning faculty may be lazy, and, if you depend
entirely upon it to serve you, it may disappoint you.
When visualizing the money you intend to accumulate,
(with closed eyes), see yourself rendering the
service, or delivering the merchandise you intend to
give in return for this money. This is important!
SUMMARY OF INSTRUCTIONS
The fact that you are reading this book is an
indication that you earnestly seek knowledge. It is
also an indication that you are a student of this
subject. If you are only a student, there is a chance
that you may learn much that you did not know, but
you will learn only by assuming an attitude of
humility. If you choose to follow some of the
instructions but neglect, or refuse to follow others—
you will fail! To get satisfactory results, you must
follow ALL instructions in a spirit of FAITH.
The instructions given in connection with the six
steps in the second chapter will now be summarized,
and blended with the principles covered by this
chapter, as follows:
First. Go into some quiet spot (preferably in bed at
night) where you will not be disturbed or
interrupted, close your eyes, and repeat aloud, (so
you may hear your own words) the written statement of
the amount of money you intend to accumulate, the
time limit for its accumulation, and a description of
the service or merchandise you intend to give in
return for the money. As you carry out these
instructions, SEE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF
THE MONEY.
For example :— Suppose that you intend to accumulate
$50,000 by the first of January, five years hence,
that you intend to give personal services in return
for the money, in the Capacity of a salesman. Your
written statement of your purpose should be similar
to the following:
"By the first day of January, 19.., I will have in my
possession $50,000, which will come to me in various
amounts from time to time during the interim.
"In return for this money I will give the most
efficient service of which I am capable, rendering
the fullest possible quantity, and the best possible
quality of service in the capacity of salesman of
(describe the service or merchandise you intend to sell).
"I believe that I will have this money in my
possession. My faith is so strong that I can now see
this money before my eyes. I can touch it with my
hands. It is now awaiting transfer to me at the time,
and in the proportion that I deliver the service I
intend to render in return for it. I am awaiting a
plan by which to accumulate this money, and I will
follow that plan, when it is received."
Second. Repeat this program night and morning until
you can see, (in your imagination) the money you
intend to accumulate.
Third. Place a written copy of your statement where
you can see it night and morning, and read it just
before retiring, and upon arising until it has been
memorized.
Remember, as you carry out these instructions, that
you are applying the principle of auto-suggestion,
for the purpose of giving orders to your subconscious
mind. Remember, also, that your subconscious mind
will act ONLY upon instructions which are
emotionalized, and handed over to it with "feeling."
FAITH is the strongest, and most productive of the
emotions. Follow the instructions given in the
chapter on FAITH.
These instructions may, at first, seem abstract. Do
not let this disturb you. Follow the instructions, no
matter how abstract or impractical they may, at
first, appear to be. The time will soon come, if you
do as you have been instructed, in spirit as well as
in act, when a whole new universe of power will
unfold to you.
Scepticism, in connection with ALL new ideas, is
characteristic of all human beings. But if you follow
the instructions outlined, your scepticism will soon
be replaced by belief, and this, in turn, will soon
become crystallized into ABSOLUTE FAITH. Then you
will have arrived at the point where you may truly
say, "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of
my soul!"
Many philosophers have made the statement, that man
is the master of his own earthly destiny, but most of
them have failed to say why he is the master. The
reason that man may be the master of his own earthly
status, and especially his financial status, is
thoroughly explained in this chapter. Man may become
the master of himself, and of his environment,
because he has the POWER TO INFLUENCE HIS OWN
SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, and through it, gain the
cooperation of Infinite Intelligence.
You are now reading the chapter which represents the
keystone to the arch of this philosophy. The
instructions contained in this chapter must be
understood and APPLIED WITH PERSISTENCE, if you
succeed in transmuting desire into money.
The actual performance of transmuting DESIRE into
money, involves the use of auto-suggestion as an
agency by which one may reach, and influence, the
subconscious mind. The other principles are simply
tools with which to apply auto-suggestion. Keep this
thought in mind, and you will, at all times, be
conscious of the important part the principle of
auto-suggestion is to play in your efforts to
accumulate money through the methods described in
this book.
Carry out these instructions as though you were a
small child. Inject into your efforts something of
the FAITH of a child. The author has been most
careful, to see that no impractical instructions were
included, because of his sincere desire to be
helpful.
After you have read the entire book, come back to
this chapter, and follow in spirit, and in action,
this instruction:
READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTER ALOUD ONCE EVERY NIGHT, UNTIL
YOU BECOME THOROUGHLY CONVINCED THAT THE PRINCIPLE OF
AUTO-SUGGESTION IS SOUND, THAT IT WILL ACCOMPLISH FOR
YOU ALL THAT HAS BEEN CLAIMED FOR IT. AS YOU READ,
UNDERSCORE WITH A PENCIL EVERY SENTENCE WHICH
IMPRESSES YOU FAVORABLY.
Follow the foregoing instruction to the letter, and
it will open the way for a complete understanding,
and mastery of the principles of success.
Next page - Chapter 5
