As a Man Thinketh---Modern Rewrite

Recently one of my most important teachers suggested “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen for my own supplemental reading. This book has been free for years, and I immediately downloaded the original work. I found the language so difficult to read, that I wanted to rewrite it for my own comprehension of the material.

But first, I "Googled‟ to see if there was already a modern-day interpretation and found one by Christopher Westra. Christopher was also providing this book online, for free, to keep the information moving to those who needed it. Though Christopher did an excellent job with this rewrite, I was still having issues with some of the tone and language. It was too "Old Testament‟ for me. There was an almost angry, judgmental feel to the work (Note: This was not Christopher‟s doing, but because of the original‟s content. Christopher kept the book as in tact as possible). This was blocking my ability to take in James Allen‟s truth. So I took Christopher‟s rewrite and rewrote if even further, to align this information with the way we view ourselves (and the way we speak) today.

You may prefer the original book or Christopher‟s version. Here is mine, also available for no charge:

COPY AND PASTE INTO BROWSER:
http://www.work-stress-solutions.com/support-files/james-allen-modern-rewrite.pdf


See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.

Mo' Money Ain't It

The other day I was driving around and pulled into the drive-thru at McDonald's for some breakfast. I only wanted one Egg McMuffin. I realized I had NO CASH, which is completely normal for me these days, and asked if I could use my debit card for such a small amount. Of course!

I work downtown and have many a panhandler asking for spare change. I tell them, "Seriously, dude, I only have plastic."

I also remember as a kid hearing that in the 2000s (enter Twilight Zone music) we would just scan a bar code or some tattoo on our arm and this would reveal how much money we had or "credit" or "energy" to complete the transaction. There would be no money. And with the above examples, we are practically there.

All of these new technologies have come to be for our convenience, sure, but it is also opening up another dimension for me and my relationship with money. Money is just paper. Dirty paper at that. But most of us invest a LOT of emotional baggage into this paper. And it's the main reason we work.

I realized with the need to only carry one thin piece of plastic, that my money is really just an idea. It's the proof that I contributed a certain amount of energy, time, talent and left something better off than I found it; and that gave me what I needed in return: food, clothing and shelter and a little entertainment now and again.

I wonder if we start to see our jobs as really nothing more than this (energy in, energy out) it would allow some of the political and emotional angst to drop away? My entire website is designed to help you with this angst. But perhaps this one thought (that you need refuge from the elements and food and your employer is in some way--however indirectly-- providing that to the larger community and needs your help to do it) is really all there is to it.

Martha Beck said in a quote that I keep posted to my computer, "Only strive to earn enough money to do your life's work. Anything additional is unnecessary." And that may at first make you nervous...but if you sit with it for a moment, you'll see that's completely true.

If we are focused on "How much more money will this bring me?" instead of "Am I giving what I'm getting?", then we will never feel whole. It isn't about money, then, it's about something else.

Money isn't the root of all evil or the source of peace. Money is just paper. Money is just energy that we trade with others. And we have jobs to earn that energy...it's really nothing more complicated than that.


See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.

Thoughts Become Things

Do you want to know why you feel stressed most of the time?

I've done the reading. I've done the work. I KNOW what makes you (and me) feel stress, discomfort, anxiety, nervous, upset, angry, irritated...call it what you want.

Bottom line: You're not happy.

You can treat your unhappiness like a speck of dust that's on the projector screen in front of you. Every time the picture changes, the speck of dust is now on something else, something different. Or...you can direct your attention to where the speck of dust actually resides: on the camera lens.

What you THINK creates the way you FEEL. You don't have a feeling and then have a thought about it. It's exactly the other way around.

You can change the environment, the people in your life, your body, your bank account. YOU CAN get these "specks of dust" to shift and move and maybe improve. But, just like the changing scenes in a movie, it won't last.

So, let's go for the pay dirt here. You have to wipe off the speck of dust on the camera lens...and that means change your mind from thinking what you think.

Most of our thoughts are just theories. Is this what's happening? Could he have meant this? What was that look about? Will this traffic make me late? Will this outfit impress them? What will happen if that bill passes the House? It's all just conjecture. And very little of it is factual.

Think of thoughts as specks of dust...blow them away...and put 'theories' in place that make you feel mellow, calm, at peace.

How?

First, always ask yourself if the thought you are having is 100% truth. Can you know without a shadow of a doubt that "the traffic will make me late"? Then what are you doing? Do you think that by being stressed and tense you will make the traffic move faster? If so, then ask yourself again, "Is this 100% truth?" Is it absolutely true that you will be late? That your tension will be communicated to other drivers and you will move the traffic along?

Another way to change your mind and therefore your emotion is to turn your stressful thought around completely. The reverse is almost ALWAYS true too, if not truer.

An Example

So back to our traffic theory. "The traffic will make me late." The exact opposite is, "The traffic will not make me late." It's just as likely. You can't see into the future. And if we are being 100% truthful here, isn't your late departure the reason you are possibly running late? And you do have control over that...at least the next time.

Post these somewhere like your bathroom mirror or car dashboard:

-Is it 100% truth?

-What is the exact opposite (and is that just as true or truer?)

Here's to feeling pretty darn good...starting right now. It's just a thought away.

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Affirmations Will Change Your Life

I know the word affirmation conjures up all sorts of imagery from "the new age" or pop psychology gurus, but affirmations really are more than just alternative theory. There are numerous published studies (via the New England Journal of Medicine and Duke University, to name just two) indicating that affirmations work. Whether you agree with affirmation theory or not, you are always sending your subconscious mind messages or affirmations. Why not be in control of these messages?

The word affirmation is just a way of saying "affirm yourself" vs. "tear yourself down." Use another term if it helps. Input, thoughts, data, or reconfiguration will all work in its place.

Negative thinking and positive thinking are learned behaviors. We have been told by important others in our past to assess a situation as good or bad, and we continue to do so today as adults. Unfortunately, we tend to err on the side of negative assessment. We may find this more entertaining (Can you believe she work that to the office??) or we may be buffering ourselves for fate or bad news. The idea is that if we head off painful experiences at the pass, we will be better able to sustain the bad news when it inevitably comes. The end result is that we spend most of our lives steeped in negative thought and attract people into our lives with similar views.

Play a game with yourself today. When you find yourself thinking negatively, look for any silver lining in the situation. Got a flat tire? Well, at least it's on a busy highway in broad daylight and not a deserted street at night. Didn't get the increase in salary you'd hoped for? You still have a paycheck. Get the idea? It's just a game---an effective game that will bring to your attention the hundreds of negative thoughts you have each day.

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