As a Man Thinketh by James Allen was written in 1903.
It was one of the first books (if not the first) to explore the concept of the power of thought and how that effects our lives. Understanding this concept shows you how we each hold the key to our own success and happiness by what we choose to focus our thoughts on.
How much money you make, your net worth, your income, your success, and even your happiness are all related to your mind and how you think (and your thoughts). When you first hear this your initial reaction will be “no way that cannot be”. That is what I thought too when I first picked up a copy of this book. But after you read it, you will think differently.
I encourage you to download this free PDF copy of this book and read it. You can read this entire book in just 30 minutes. Can you devote 30 minutes of your life to reading just one book that might change your life?
If you read this book, then when you are done start reading other books that talk about this same concept like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, the Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill, The Magic of Believing by Claude Bristol and The Magic of Thinking Big by Dan Schwartz.
I would also read every book ever written by Tony Robbins, Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, and Jim Rohn.
If you read at least 3 of the books above and really understand this concept then this is what will happen: :
If you don’t believe me, then read completely at least 3 of the above books and tell me AFTER you have read all 3 books if you agree with me!
Please keep in mind that this book (As A Man Thinketh by James Allen) was written over 100 years ago so it addresses men (as a man thinketh) because woman didn’t work 100 years ago. If you are a man or a woman, don’t let that fool you into thinking that this book could not be relevant today.
When I read this book, I put it down and spent around two hours thinking about what I had just read.
And then you know what I did?
I made another coffee and I started reading it again!
This book literally changed my life. I realized by reading it that what was holding me back was ME!
After reading this book I started reading many other books like “Think and Grow Rich” and many of the other books listed above. Then I read “Rich Dad Poor Dad“. And then my life really changed.
I started learning about real estate and investing in real estate and I decided that I wanted to be a real estate investor. At this point in my life I owned no real estate and lived in a rental. But I made a conscious decision to change that and 3 months later I owned my first home.
Your life can change if you allow your brain to be receptive to new information.
BUT YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE YOUR LIFE CAN CHANGE AND THAT STARTS WITH MINDSET AND BELIEF AND FOCUSING ON WHAT WE THINK ABOUT AND UNDERSTANDING HOW NEGATIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS EVOLVE
I work with coaching students every day that have a limited mindset.
They tell me that they make $50,000 a year and that they want to quit their job.
I ask them how much they would like to make and most of them tell me if they could make what they make now and did not need to work they would be happy. My response is always the same. Why do you set the bar so low? Do you not want to make $150,000? How about $250,000 or $500,000? Their eyes light up for a second but then they dim as they say something like “Oh I don’t think I am that smart” or “I don’t think I could really make that much”, or “I don’t need that much to be happy”.
Do you see why it is all about mindset? If you don’t believe you can make more than $150,000 per year then I promise you that you will never make more than $150,000 per year. Henry Ford had a saying “If you believe you can or you believe you can’t you are right”.
Mindset is everything. And if you want to become a wealthy real estate investor and a millionaire, then the first place that you need to start before you pick up any real estate books is with your mind.
You need to first believe that you are capable of becoming a millionaire
And that will take reading, and training and learning. And you may not be willing to read books. But if you are willing you will change.
This was one of the first books to show the world the concept of what we think about is what we become.
Napoleon Hill took this concept and expounded upon it in the Book Think and Grow Rich. His famous saying “What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve” is directly related to the concept of how your thoughts shape your actions. You need to believe that you can achieve what you want.
Believing is very different from dreaming (like hoping to win the lottery ticket). Muhammad Ali believed he was the heavyweight champion of the world BEFORE he was the heavyweight champion of the world.
The title of this book As A Man Thinketh is influenced by a verse in the Bible from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 23, verse 7:
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”
Some of my favorite quotes from this book are:
“Men (and women) do not attract what they want, but what they are.”
“A man (or women) is literally what he or she thinks, his/her character being the complete sum of all his/her thoughts.”
“Men (and women) are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound to their current circumstances”.
“Every action and feeling is preceded by a thought.”
“Right thinking begins with the words we say to ourselves.”
Well it turns out a lot more than you think (no pun intended).
Have you ever said to yourself: “”Its not possible to buy real estate with no money down”, or “I will buy real estate when interest rates come down” or “I will buy real estate when prices come down”, or “I want to buy a property but I don’t have good credit”, or “I want to buy real estate but I don’t have enough cash to get started”, or I can’t find any good deals”, or “There is too much competition”, or “Direct Mail Doesn’t Work” or (insert another excuse here).
If you have had these thoughts, then recognize and understand that it is your thinking and how you think that is creating your problem! You are essentially sabotaging yourself by giving up before you have even started because you are hanging on to pre conceived ideas.
Instead you should be asking yourself: “How do I buy real estate with no money down”, “How can I fix my credit”, “How can I buy real estate with no down payment”, “How do I find deals?”, “How Do I Get Direct Mail To Work”.
Try this exercise for yourself and you will see amazing results.
But first read this book!
You can download a complete PDF copy of this book at the link below (click on it)
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