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One of the most well known books ever written on success is James Allan’s “As a man thinketh.”

This book advocates thinking in a positive manner in order to create the life you dream of having. It suggests all you have to do is change your internal dialogue and you can begin to adopt a successful mind set. After an unspecified time you will then “have it all.”

For some this approach has undoubtedly worked.

For many others it has manifestly not done so. There are more books written and read on positive thinking than on most any other subject. This has made some difference to people’s lives but real change has not manifested for too many others.

I think this is because the writing of James Allen has been understood only at a surface level. In his wonderful book “As a man thinketh,” he writes: -

“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he, not only embraces the whole of a mans being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance.”

Note the language.

It is a form of language you do not hear in today’s personal growth market. I think this is why it is not so well understood. James Allen clearly states, “As a man thinketh in his heart…” He is, to my mind, talking about clearly making an emotional connection with one’s heart.

This is where all positive change begins.

The heart speaks to one’s being and not only to the intellect. The intellect is only a part of the wholeness of our humanity. Thinking positive thoughts can go some way to creating a wonderful experience of what it means to be alive. However, being alive is not just an intellectual experience. It is a when fully allowed a free flowing experience of delight.

The heart knows things that the head can never imagine.

The heart embraces the imagination. James Allen uses the word “embrace” in the above passage. The mind does not embrace. It rationalises. The mind operates in a linear fashion. It moves from point A to point B. An embrace is something that encircles you. A circle is complete it is not something that is partial. A circle is more holistic.

James Allen goes on to say that this “thinketh of the heart” is so comprehensive it affects all conditions and circumstances. It is in effect transformative. It changes ones relationship to life and living.

I personally think James Allan would have been better naming his wonderful book “As a man feels.” This I think would guide many others to the experience of “embracing a man’s being. It would more clearly focus one on the free flow of feeling within the body allied to ones purpose and values.

This connection with your purpose and values at the heart level raises passion. This is the real power that will “reach out to every condition and circumstance.” This will be a warmer and more powerful experience than the cool application of simply repeating positive words and phrases.

Remember you are already forever enough no matter how much positive thinking you may apply to your being. Remember that the Blessing is already here and you are it.

Talking about your “soul” and the deeper things in life is so frequently considered as spun out or weird in modern, take-away-eating, order-it-on-the-internet life, but if you are one of these people, you’ll find that letting go of socialistic trends like these will free you in a way that you simply cannot be freed in a materialists world.

The end result is inner peace that no material possession could ever come close to. No, really.

How do I acknowledge its existence?

It starts by simply observing your own nature, or the actions and reactions you exhibit to different situations. Your thoughts from day to day, loves and hates, etc.

Ask questions. Not about the happenings of creation, but internal questions. Question your nature, and in doing so you will gain a greater knowledge of self.

Your soul is the part of you that makes you unique. Remember, your body is quite common. There are over 6 billion examples on the planet at this particular point in time, and at least on a biological level, they all function in the same way.

It is your mind that separates you from those around you, and mind is manifest. Your mind is your souls mind, and your strongest link to your soul.

Meditate.

It’s simple.

Just quiet yourself and allow thoughts to bubble to the surface. DonâEUR(TM)t dwell on them. Let them go and move on. Clearing your mind will open your eyes to the existence of your own soul and those of the people around you. To be conscious of your soul is to be on a higher level of consciousness.

Why would I want to acknowledge its existence?

To put it simply, the world we live in is at least as spiritual as it is physical. If you are confined within the boundaries of just one then you are missing out on at least half of what life has to offer. By simply acknowledging your soul, you’re enabling yourself to become aware of the greater things in creation and life.

So many people move around from day to day only believing what they see and hear around them. Life to these people is temporary. Their meaning is to acquire as many physical possessions as possible, as this life — consisting of but one lifetime — has no definite meaning and hence they are forever filled with a sense of why. Why am I here? Why do I feel empty? Why do I have everything yet have nothing at the same time?

Those who make happiness and the betterment of the spirit the central goal of their life can recognise the fact that there is more to life than the physical sense of the word.

This brings a 3rd dimension to life, which is more than emotions can express. It is a bliss that surrounds you from day to day, when you realise that there is something else out there. Meaning starts to appear in what you do day-to-day.

People who are unaware of their spiritual side and focus on the attainment of possessions as their central goal hardly experience a moment of contentment, and when they are confronted with the fact that their lives seem to be meaningless they are cast into a pit of despair.

If they had been aware of their spiritual side then their minds would be more evolved to see that life is just a series of lessons, educating you in the subtle laws of creation and bringing about an understanding of your own nature. Nothing more, nothing less.

So, acknowledging the existence of your soul enables you to bring meaning to your life — even where there are no material possessions. You soon see that you don’t need material possessions to advance on a spiritual level as it is what’s inside of you that does the growing, not what’s on the outside.

Letting go of the material confines of society and allowing yourself to believe that there is a deeper side of life — and that it’s ok to believe that this will grant you inner peace — will truly help you find a solid grounding of happiness and calmness that you may never before have experienced.

There is an old principle: You reap what you sow. In fact, it is about as natural of a principle as you can get. When you put an apple seed into the ground, you always get an apple tree. You reap what you sow.

Even as this principle works in nature, it also works in our businesses, schools and organizations. Everything that we do is what we are sowing. And while we may not see immediate gains or gratification from our actions, it is true that eventually we will. Some time in the future, the totality of our actions and words will amount to something.

I want to give us a few ideas to chew on in regard to what we sow and how we can reap the benefit or reap from it in the future.

People. Ultimately, our enterprises involve people, whether it is those who sell to us, our employees, or our clients. What are you sowing in regard to those people? Are you sowing good will? Are you sowing a caring attitude? Are you sowing to their interests over your own? As you do these things, I believe you will reap a tremendous harvest. People will genuinely like and appreciate you, and people do business with people they genuinely like and appreciate. When you fail, and you will from time to time, people will be much more forgiving if you have sown properly.

Product.

Whether we have something tangible or not, we all have some product that others purchase or use. Are you sowing excellence in your product? Are you sowing longevity? Are you sowing reliability and dependability? As you sow these things people will come back for more of the same, as well as other products you offer. You will reap their loyalty and their return. You will also reap a good reputation as word gets out on what you have sown into other’s lives.

Charity.

I believe that every enterprise ought to have as a foundational value that it will be charitable. That in some way, be it large or small, they will give back. Are you sowing to your community? Are you sowing of your time, money or energy? As you do, you will reap three primary things.

First, a better community.

Second, you will reap a deep sense of satisfaction that your community is better because you gave something back to it.

Third, people will want to do business with you because they know that part of their business will in turn benefit their community.

Sow some good stuff this week. And you’ll reap the benefit later!