Hurry and Habit

No doubt you have many problems, domestic, social, physical, and financial, which seem to you to be pressing for instant solution. You have debts which must be paid, or other obligations which must be met; you are unhappily or inharmoniously placed, and feel that something must be done at once. Do not get into a hurry and act from superficial impulses. You can trust God for the solution of all your personal riddles. There is no hurry. There is only God, and all is well with the world.

No doubt you have many problems at home, in your social life, with your health, and with your finances. These problems seem to demand immediate solutions. You have debts to pay or other obligations to meet. Your situation makes you unhappy or puts you at odds with others, and you feel you must act at once. Do not rush or act on shallow impulses. You can trust God to solve all your personal puzzles. There is no hurry. There is only God, and all is well with the world.

There is an invincible power in you, and the same power is in the things you want. It is bringing them to you and bringing you to them. This is a thought that you must grasp, and hold continuously—that the same intelligence which is in you is in the things you desire. They are impelled toward you as strongly and decidedly as your desire impels you toward them. The tendency, therefore, of a steadily held thought must be to bring the things you desire to you and to group them around you. So long as you hold your thought and your faith right all must go well. Nothing can be wrong but your own personal attitude, and that will not be wrong if you trust and are not afraid. Hurry is a manifestation of fear; he who fears not has plenty of time. If you act with perfect faith in your own perceptions of truth, you will never be too late or too early; and nothing will go wrong. If things appear to be going wrong, do not get disturbed in mind; it is only in appearance. Nothing can go wrong in this world but yourself; and you can go wrong only by getting into the wrong mental attitude. Whenever you find yourself getting excited, worried, or into the mental attitude of hurry, sit down and think it over; play a game of some kind, or take a vacation. Go on a trip, and all will be right when you return. So surely as you find yourself in the mental attitude of haste, just so surely may you know that you are out of the mental attitude of greatness. Hurry and fear will instantly cut your connection with the universal mind; you will get no power, no wisdom, and no information until you are calm. And to fall into the attitude of hurry will check the action of the Principle of Power within you. Fear turns strength to weakness.

There is an unbeatable power in you, and the same power is in the things you want. This power is bringing those things to you and bringing you to them. You must understand and keep this thought in mind: the same intelligence within you is also in the things you desire. Those things are drawn toward you as strongly and firmly as your desire draws you toward them. So a thought held steadily must tend to bring the things you desire to you and gather them around you. As long as you keep your thoughts and faith right, all must go well. Nothing can be wrong except your own attitude. And your attitude will not be wrong if you trust and are not afraid. Rushing is a sign of fear. Anyone who is not afraid has plenty of time. If you act with complete faith in your own understanding of truth, you will never be too late or too early. And nothing will go wrong. If things seem to be going wrong, do not let yourself become upset. Things only appear to be going wrong. Nothing in this world can go wrong except you. And you can go wrong only by adopting the wrong attitude. Whenever you find yourself getting worked up, worried, or rushed, sit down and think things over. Play a game of some kind, or take a vacation. Go on a trip, and all will be right when you return. Whenever you find yourself feeling rushed, you can be certain that you no longer have the mindset of greatness. Rushing and fear will instantly cut your connection with the universal mind. You will receive no power, wisdom, or information until you are calm. And falling into a rushed mindset will hold back the action of the Principle of Power within you. Fear turns strength into weakness.

Remember that poise and power are inseparably associated. The calm and balanced mind is the strong and great mind; the hurried and agitated mind is the weak one. Whenever you fall into the mental state of hurry you may know that you have lost the right viewpoint; you are beginning to look upon the world, or some part of it, as going wrong. At such times read Chapter Six of this book; consider the fact that this world is perfect, now, with all that it contains. Nothing, is going wrong; nothing can be wrong; be poised, be calm, be cheerful; have faith in God.

Remember that calm self-control and power cannot be separated. A calm, balanced mind is strong and great. A rushed, agitated mind is weak. Whenever you feel mentally rushed, you can know that you have lost the right perspective. You are beginning to see the world, or some part of it, as going wrong. At those times, read Chapter Six of this book. Consider the fact that the world and everything in it are perfect right now. Nothing is going wrong. Nothing can be wrong. Stay balanced, calm, and cheerful. Have faith in God.

Next, as to habit. It is probable that your greatest difficulty will be to overcome your old habitual ways of thought, and to form new habits. The world is ruled by habit. Kings, tyrants, masters, and plutocrats hold their positions solely because the people have come to habitually accept them. Things are as they are only because people have formed the habit of accepting them as they are. When the people change their habitual thought about governmental, social, and industrial institutions, they will change the institutions. Habit rules us all.

Next, consider habit. Your greatest challenge will probably be overcoming your old habits of thought and forming new ones. Habit rules the world. Kings, tyrants, masters, and wealthy rulers hold their positions only because people have grown used to accepting them. Things are as they are only because people have formed the habit of accepting things as they are. When people change their usual thinking about government, social, and industrial institutions, they will change those institutions. Habit rules us all.

You have formed, perhaps, the habit of thinking of yourself as a common person, as one of a limited ability, or as being more or less of a failure. Whatever you habitually think yourself to be, that you are. You must form, now, a greater and better habit; you must form a conception of yourself as a being of limitless power, and habitually think that you are that being: It is the habitual, not the periodical thought that decides your destiny. It will avail you nothing to sit apart for a few moments several times a day to affirm that you are great, if during all the balance of the day, while you are about your regular vocation, you think of yourself as not great. No amount of praying or affirmation will make you great if you still habitually regard yourself as being small.

Perhaps you have formed the habit of seeing yourself as an ordinary person, with limited ability, or somewhat of a failure. Whatever you habitually think you are, you are. Now you must form a greater and better habit. You must see yourself as a being with limitless power and habitually think of yourself that way. Your habitual thoughts, not your occasional ones, determine your destiny. Taking a few minutes several times a day to sit alone and affirm your greatness will do you no good if you spend the rest of the day thinking you are not great as you do your regular work. No amount of prayer or affirmation will make you great if you still habitually see yourself as small.

The use of prayer and affirmation is to change your habit of thought. Any act, mental or physical, often repeated, becomes a habit. The purpose of mental exercises is to repeat certain thoughts over and over until the thinking of those thoughts becomes constant and habitual. The thoughts we continually repeat become convictions. What you must do is to repeat the new thought of yourself until it is the only way in which you think of yourself. Habitual thought, and not environment or circumstance, has made you what you are. Every person has some central idea or thought-form of himself, and by this idea he classifies and arranges all his facts and external relationships. You are classifying your facts either according to the idea that you are a great and strong personality, or according to the idea that you are limited, common, or weak. If the latter is the case you must change your central idea. Get a new mental picture of yourself. Do not try to become great by repeating mere strings of words or superficial formule; but repeat over and over the THOUGHT of your own power and ability until you classify external facts, and decide your place everywhere by this idea. In another chapter will be found an illustrative mental exercise and further directions on this point.

Prayer and affirmation help you change your habits of thought. Any action, mental or physical, becomes a habit when repeated often. Mental exercises involve repeating certain thoughts until those thoughts become constant and habitual. The thoughts we keep repeating become convictions. You must repeat your new idea of yourself until it becomes the only way you think of yourself. Your habitual thoughts, not your surroundings or circumstances, have made you who you are. Everyone has a central idea or mental image of themselves. They use that idea to organize all their facts and relationships with the outside world. You organize your facts around the idea that you are either great and strong or limited, ordinary, or weak. If you see yourself as limited, ordinary, or weak, you must change your central idea. Form a new mental picture of yourself. Do not try to become great by simply repeating strings of words or shallow formulas. Instead, repeat the THOUGHT of your own power and ability over and over. Keep repeating until you use that idea to organize external facts and decide your place in every situation. Another chapter provides a sample mental exercise and further guidance on this point.