As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

"There are little gems all around us that can hold glimmers of inspiration." ~ Richelle Mead

This quote by Richelle Mead is incredibly accurate in this little 68-page volume that points and directs the reader on a path of self-discovery and self-improvement. Although many books in print deal with similar subject matter, we mustn't forget the little gems of the past that still hold light and burn bright inspiration for us today, like this book. Admittedly by James Allen as a "little volume" initially published in 1903, this book is designed to be small enough to fit into a coat or trouser pocket so that it could always be on hand as a reference. Allen, who eventually wrote more insightful literature, started as a journalist and private secretary of various manufacturing firms in England. Due to his writings on self-improvement, he is regarded as a pioneer of the self-help genre. Since its original publication, this gem still shines, emphasizing the power of the correct application of thought that has inspired the many generations that followed and continue to be a popular read today. 

Now let us examine its contents! Taking its cue from the Bible verse in Proverbs 23:7, which says, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:" Allen, from the onset of his writing, makes his claim that "A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts." His aim throughout the book is to remind men, and young readers primarily, that life and circumstances don't occur out of happenchance, but rather, we owe some responsibility to the way our life is. I believe this lesson is relevant for today's youth and adults alike, as many are quick to blame outside influences for the way their life is and slow to examine what part we play in the lives we have created. The intention is to show that we are answerable to ourselves in how our lives are, and once acknowledged, we can begin to create, from the correct thinking, a better life for ourselves. He proves his case in the following categories: Thought and Character,  Effect of Thought on Circumstances, Effect of Thought on Health and the Body, Thought and Purpose, Thought-Factor in Achievement, Vision, and Ideals, and finally, Serenity. I will briefly survey and summarize each category with commentary included. 

THOUGHT AND CHARACTER

"Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry."

Allen here lays the foundation for the construction of building a more fulfilled life. I appreciate that he didn't begin attempting to manipulate outside situations or redefine instances in our lives. He starts with the man or woman themselves. Our character is the soil, our thoughts the seed, and our lives the fruit that is received. In the careful tillage of our character and the decisions we make every day, we reap the benefits of a better disposition. The theme often repeated is that we have a hand in how or who we are, and if we can begin to think better, we can become better individuals. Allen uses poetic illustrations of his claims stating, "Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace." He shows that our thoughts can work for our benefit or detriment. The point Allen drives in this section is that once we discover the power of our thoughts and their impact on our character, we can become power agents in reconstructing our lives in whatever fashion.  

EFFECT OF THOUGHT ON CIRCUMSTANCES

"For he will have noticed that the alteration in his circumstance has been in exact ratio with his altered mental condition."

We are all aware of the phrase Cause and Effect, and often the emphasis is placed on diagnosing the effects, not its antecedent cause. In this portion of the book, Allen deals with the reason that creates the occurrences that occur in our lives. Still highlighting the character's role in our lives, Allen informs us that our outer circumstances reflect our inner state. Often we've crossed paths with people in our lives who are content with being negative and viewing their daily experiences with a negative lens. Nothing can ever go right for this individual, and it looks like the universe is playing a trick on this person. However, the issue lies in the fact that they are what they expect. Because they expect the worst, they intently look for the worst and aren't satisfied until something terrible happens that proves their diagnosis accurate. If this person changed their outlook, their circumstances would change. Perhaps if they began to think of themselves as worthy or deserving of having something good happen to them, they would experience more positive things in their lives. Allen says, "Every man is where he is by the law of his being; the thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there." So if a person says they desire better circumstances in their life, why do they entertain thoughts in disharmony to their desired outcome? 

EFFECT OF THOUGHT ON HEALTH AND THE BODY

"Thought is the fount of action, life and manifestation; make the fountain pure, and all will be pure."

Victor Lindlahr published a book in 1942 that popularised the axiom: You are what you eat; however, almost 40 years prior, Allen established the idea You are what you think. I agree that what you eat can either strengthen or weaken the body, but how a man thinks profoundly influences how he carries his life. This idea isn't new; the Bible says in Proverbs 17:22, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." Allen intends to demonstrate how vital thinking is to our health and bodies. He says, "change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food." Allen is not describing a man sitting around thinking himself to better health, but rather someone who has purposed in their mind to be healthy and take the proper course mentally and physically to bring this notion to pass. Allen says further, "Clean thoughts make clean habits." The thought materializes into action, and action forms into a habit. When you see someone trying to better themselves physically, they begin to think better about themselves mentally.

THOUGHT AND PURPOSE

"Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force: he who knows this is ready to become something higher and stronger than a mere bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations…." 

                We have all experienced random thoughts running through our minds that serve no intended purpose. How often have we played around with an idea or daydreamed about a reality we wished could be true? Or how many times have we thought about plans yet to be finalized? After many ponderings and pontifications, we find our lives in similar circumstances because we failed to act on our ideas. Allen says in this section, "Until thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment." Often, people wonder why there's no forward movement in their lives or why they're in the same place five years from now. This stagnation is because no purpose was attached to the thoughts and ideas they've mused over. Frivolous and random thoughts are one thing, but an individual with no sense is something different. An objective provides us an aim to shoot for; if found inadequate, we can train or develop ourselves to reach our goal. This development and discipline do something more than allow us to acquire our goal; it forms us into better people along the way. Discipline can also apply to people who may consider themselves weak or weak-minded. Allen asserts that a man can grow from whatever state into a strong-minded and strong-willed individual through the practice of purposeful intention. Therefore, if you feel like you've waded in the pool of unintentional thoughts, be encouraged, because according to Allen, "The weakest soul, knowing its own weakness, and believing this truth that strength can only be developed by effort and practice, will, thus believing, at once begin to exert itself, and adding effort to effort, patience to patience, and strength to strength, will never cease to develop, and will, at last, grow divinely strong."

THE THOUGHT-FACTOR IN ACHIEVEMENT

"Achievement, of whatever kind, is the crown of effort, the diadem of thought."

Allen carries over his thought and purpose dynamic from the previous segment and expounds on it more. In this section, he shows how critical thought is in achieving goals. This part of the book echoes the sentiments of Napoleon Hill, who would follow in Allen's footsteps with his book "Think and Grow Rich," published in 1937. In his book, Hill states, "whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve." For Allen and Hill, you could narrow down a person's achievements to their mindset. Many look at achievements as the products of careful or correct actions. Still, to Allen, it all boils down to the person's mentality to produce the acts committed, which resulted in accomplishments. I offer this exercise as proof: research any man or woman that is considered successful, and you will find that they had an underlying thought that drove them to perform the steps or acts necessary to bring about their success. Furthermore, you will see these people thriving despite setbacks, failures, or errors they encounter. What pushed them through their difficulties? They are determined to see their ideas or dreams come to pass. Therefore, if we seek to achieve and be successful, we must act like it! There has to be a conviction that pushes us to fulfill the desires that we behave upon because thoughts and actions combined bring great results to pass. 

VISION AND IDEALS

"You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration…."

         Proverbs 29:18a says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish," which seems to convey that without something to live for, people will stop living and eventually die. Dreams and visions provide the motivation to pursue that ideal life one desires. So many settle upon a dream; they settle by being content that they have a dream but aren't propelled by it to see them come into reality. They see themselves traveling to exciting places and experiencing lavish lifestyles, yet don't act on these gripping desires. Allen points out that "you cannot travel within and stand still without." If you imagine a better life, you shouldn't be satisfied with current conditions; take the steps necessary to secure these visions. For Allen, "dreams are the seedlings of realities," and like all seeds, they must be planted for growth. A seed in hand may represent a future state or hope of a different condition; however, it will never become a reality until the seed is in the ground. None of us have eaten fruit from an unplanted tree. The outward fruits are the realities of a planted seed, proving that someone took action with the seed they received. Dreams, visions, and thoughts are no different. It's easy to sit back and compare ourselves to others with fruit growing on their tree, but we all have the same potential if we complete the process of bearing fruit. Allen says, "Gifts, powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized."

SERENITY

"Its presence (serenity) is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought. "

             We now come to an end and aim for any man or woman who takes the challenge and puts forth the effort of self-mastery; serenity. Finally, a person who takes inventory of the kind of thought life they have and moves on their ideas towards a better life will, in the end, experience peace with themselves. Disgruntlement and discontent may be due to unplanted seeds of desires and un-acted thoughts of self-improvement. Though the arduous journey and tedious process may daunt some, however, the result of peace is a worthwhile undertaking. You've seen the sports games where a team "leaves it all on the floor" and consequently can hold their head up even if they lose. It is something special about putting in the work and doing the job that breeds contentment that doesn't leave a person in unhappiness. According to Allen, this person of calm poise " has " learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others." With this inward peace comes inner confidence to accommodate himself to any situation or deal with any person. We all should be working towards this tranquility, and it starts with our thoughts.

MY RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION

         Allen wrote this book to reflect upon our thoughts and subsequent actions and judge our lives by the results. The goal is to provide the tools necessary to take command of our thoughts and pursue the proper course of action to create the life of our dreams and thereby leave us in a place of serene contentment. However available this ideal is, it's worth the attempt. I highly recommend this book to anyone who isn't satisfied with their life and is willing to look at themselves as the conduit to a better life. The ideal life isn't outside us but inside, like the tree inside the seed. Let this book be a road map in your adventure of assessing your thoughts and taking control of your life. The road may be rough, but remember these words from Allen, "self-control is strength; right thought is mastery; calmness is power. Say unto your heart, "Peace, be still!"