As Men Thinketh
James has conversations with people in his life, on how to be better, what they are doing. And different random things.
As Men Thinketh
#2 Unraveling the Power of Your Mind: A Deep Dive into James Allen's 'As A Man Thinketh'
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Ever wondered how our thoughts influence our reality? Ever pondered over the power of your own mindset? Embark on an enlightening journey with us as we unravel the profound wisdom embedded in James Allen's classic, As A Man Thinketh. Unearth the profound secret that our circumstances mirror our inner state of mind and heart. Learn how taking ownership of your thoughts and actions is the first step towards taking control of your life.
As we delve deeper into the universe of personal responsibility, let us explain how this seemingly simple principle directs our circumstances and ultimately defines our lives. Drawing from everyday life, we lay bare the transformative power of a simple shift in mindset, and how it can create ripples of positivity in your life. Prepare to be inspired and empowered as we shed light on the virtues of humility, honesty, and courage, and reveal how accepting personal responsibility can set you free.
In the concluding segment of our episode, we delve into the intricate relationship between our habits, attitudes, and thoughts. Hear how maintaining clean thoughts and disciplined habits is pivotal for achieving physical and mental health. Let us challenge the norm and debunk the myth that you need to sacrifice your present happiness for future success. We champion the power of individual responsibility and demonstrate how positive thinking and action can be transformational. So, plug in your headphones and join us in this enlightening exploration of self-discovery!
Power of Thoughts, Life Changing
Speaker 1This is episode two of as man Thinks .
Speaker 1I'm your host , james , and I'm Andy and we're here also with our sound guy , our tech guy , making sure that everything runs smooth can look things up for us . Jerem , thanks for coming down , both of you guys , and spending your afternoon going over a book and maybe getting some thoughts out of some things . So the book that we're kind of going over , and a little bit of the theme is also the podcast , why we named it what we named . So we named it as Men Thinketh , but it kind of was a play on words from the book as a man Thinketh . I'm named after the writer of that book , james Allen . He wrote this book in 1901 , I believe , and it's what my dad was reading when I was in my mama's belly . He was trying to figure out what to name me .
Speaker 1So that's where we're at and we're going to dive right into this . The aphorism as a man thinketh in his heart , so is he . Not only embraces the whole of a man's being , but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life . A man is literally what he thinks , his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts . That man is a master of thought , the molder of character and the shaper of condition , environment and destiny .
Speaker 2Yeah , no , I've thought a little bit about that . The ability to think , and that is who you are . It's so simple , it's like whatever I want to do , I can do just by thinking , which , consequently , I mean , we'll get into it , but that's that turns into action . Is that little seed , that thought ?
Speaker 1That thought , that dream almost of helping you put it , put yourself into a place where you can begin to change who you are . But first it almost comes from like a want , like a desire to say , oh , I want to change . And then a radical thought process of just being like , no , I'm gonna change , no matter what . These are my thoughts , and an understanding that you're the shaper of your own destiny . It's something like that . I mean , this book is incredible , for I've only got a few little pieces highlighted . I felt like just dipping the whole book into paint , because everything I read popped out and it was like man , that's so good , man , that's so good . I should remember this , I should remember that . And so , if you have the chance , well , everybody has the chance , because everybody's got access to Amazon or a bookstore . It was seven bucks , it was here same day , and all we're gonna be reading is just touching upon just little bits here and there , just to get our mind flowing and then maybe offering something that a value to somebody .
Speaker 2I think one of the things I love the most about that idea is that it gives you the power to change your life . It's pretty discouraging when you feel like you just can't do anything because of outside circumstances or you're not rich , you're not this , you're not that , but to know inside that you have the power to do whatever you want and to change your life , yeah , that's the most important thing I think he's trying to put across .
Speaker 1And with that statement I think we should dive right into this other part . This man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be a creature of outside conditions . But when he realizes that he is a creative power and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being , out of what circumstances grow , then he becomes the rightful master of himself . And that's our whole principle ownership . Take an ownership of your life . Things are coming down , things are happening . Well , I'm not making enough money . Why it's your fault . My marriage has fallen apart . Why it's your fault my kids won't talk to me . Why it's your fault . Everything and all that really he's even saying is this is where it starts . It starts with , as a man , think your thoughts . That's where it's starting . And really it's impossible to do anything unless you've started Even something as simple like this little podcast . The scariest part was really starting and it's like , yeah , but you gotta get started and it's gonna be terrible .
Speaker 1You know you do a podcast and it doesn't turn out how you want it to turn out , but you keep going . You keep going because , well , it's your life and you're the owner of it . You know you wanna make more money ? Cool , go , make more money . Change your thought pattern , change your thought process . You wanna have an amazing relationship with your spouse . Start changing your thoughts about who you are , what you're capable of and who they are , and maybe something good can grow out of that . It's gotta be something like that , and I believe it . Well , I believe it is that In our life things happen right , circumstances around us .
Speaker 1Let's say , your business is failing I mean even , like you know , your marriage is failing , your relationship with your kids are failing , your health is failing . Maybe you don't have a purpose or that's failing . And in here it says circumstance does not make the man , it reveals him to himself . And it's like , oh okay , so you're telling me if I'm broke , it's like good , it's that jockel . Good , it's telling you who you are . It's telling you , hey , you've got a few things to change , something's falling apart , your life's falling apart . Good , it's literally just telling you , hey , this is who you are . You wanna change that , because this is where you are right now . Your outside circumstances are a direct reflection of what's going on in your heart and mind . How are you gonna change it ? You gonna start thinking something different . You gonna start making different choices , different actions .
Taking Responsibility for Personal Growth
Speaker 2Yeah , one little example is recently just losing a bit of weight . Just the thought of being like man I'm gonna end up fat and old and I won't be able to do anything it was not really that big of a motivator for a long time until it finally became one . You know , I was like man .
Speaker 2I'm so overweight . I was like , well , it's just , I can't go off bread , it's gonna be too hard . That's literally what I eat every day . Ha , ha , ha , luck . And then I did . I went off bread and sugar and holy cow , did it change ? I mean just started dropping weight so fast . I couldn't even believe it and it was super easy . And it might have just been the motivation like , oh , I'm losing weight , let's keep doing it . But it was way easier and I thought I mean I've kind of slacked back into it a little bit , but I've been watching my weight a little bit and I'm staying about the same . But it's just crazy how that one little thing well it can something I only dreamed of losing 30 pounds . Like there's no way I could lose 30 pounds . In six months or less I lost 30 pounds .
Speaker 1It's almost like an object of motion stays in motion and to get that object rolling is almost the hardest part . I mean we'll get to that actually later in the book where he talks a little bit more about that idea . But I mean , even just going along with that circumstance doesn't make the man . You know , men do not attract what they want , but which that they are . And it's like what's the core of who you are ? And if anybody just says I don't know , it's like well , how's your circumstances , how's your life going ? Because that's what it is , oh , like maybe you're a young man you can't find a wife . Why Ask that question ? You should , you know nobody will stick with me . Why ? For whatever reason that I mean . You know , that's the thing is like you know , yeah , you've got to be quite honest with yourself .
Speaker 2And that's a hard thing to do . It's really hard to to admit to yourself that you're kind of a piece of crap . You're like , look , I'm just a little bit of a person . You're like , look , I'm doing this , this stupid thing , what ? Yeah , why won't somebody , why won't anybody want to be with me ? You really got to look deep and be honest .
Speaker 1Yeah , but the alternative is so much worse . It's like I don't want to tell the truth to me about me .
Speaker 2Because then you'll have to change it . Yeah , but if you have integrity or anything like that , yeah but in 10 years you're going to be the same person .
Speaker 1You're going to have to change it then anyways . So why not just take an honest , hard look at yourself ? Why not tell the truth now and start asking those questions ? And I don't mean destroying yourself down and calling yourself a piece of shit . Probably isn't the truth . So just this idea of being humble and it's like well , I'm humble , I'm going to say how bad of a human being I am . That's not true . That's part of your ego . Telling yourself how terrible you are . Maybe you've got some things to fix , but you can fix it . You can do better . It doesn't make you less than dirt . Maybe all you need to do is just change a little bit and things will start changing around you . Congratulations , you're starting to do . It Doesn't make you worthless .
Speaker 1And oftentimes you hear people and they talk about the humility oh , I'm humble , I'm a piece of shit . No , you're not , and that's not humility . Humility is simply accepting the truth and whatever that the whole truth is . Even Christ . He says I am the way , the light , and nobody comes into the Father Unless it is by me . I might have butchered that , but I think I got it . I think I got it . He's just telling the truth . That doesn't make him an arrogant man . There's two sides of that arrogant coin . There's the side that says , hey , I'm awesome when you're not , and then there's a side that says I'm a piece of shit when I'm not . I feel like it's the same thing . It's your arrogance , it's your ego . Let it go . Start telling the truth . If you can start telling the truth , your life will change .
Speaker 1Probably the biggest thing I like about this book whenever I read it is the ownership side of it . Nobody , anything , nothing , anybody else is doing is changing my life . It's my reactions . It's my thoughts . It's the way it's , whatever I'm doing . That's why I'm at where I'm at and go be honest with that . If your marriage is failing , cool , it's you . How you going to change it ? What are your thoughts ? What are you thinking about ? You don't do anything unless you first thought about it . Good or bad .
Speaker 2I do think early on in my life I was exposed to , like Jaco and Jordan Peterson and these guys that help change your mindset in this way , where you take responsibility for your life , and it's been really good for me and I think a lot of young men , or some even some people I know , struggle with that idea and realizing that it is , it's your , you have the power to do it , to change your life , if you , you're in charge , and I think it'd be really good for for people to understand that . I don't know if anyone would be listening . That needed to know that , but that's the truth and it's it's freeing .
Speaker 1But so , even even so , this chapter you kind of is focusing more on wealth and circumstances . By circumstances , what he means as wealth like your house , your , your food , your clothing , what's going on around you . But even that I mean , how many people do you talk to us as men are anxious to improve their circumstances but are unwilling to improve themselves ? How many people do you talk to ? And that's what they want ? They want the bling bling , they want the nice house , the nice cars , they want a million bucks in the bank . And then you tell them well , how much are you saving , or are you putting money into investments ? Maybe it's not even . Maybe it's not even putting money in investments . Are you just doing the bare minimum at your job ? Yeah , are you improving yourself ? Well , no , why not ? You must really actually not want an upgrade in life . If you're not willing to strengthen that pillar , go create some special , go do something that's awesome . Instead , it's that sounds too hard . I got to get up earlier . I don't want to do that . I don't want to do that . Sleep is more important . Sleep is more important than all my circumstances . But he talks about in here .
Speaker 1He gives three different illustrations of different people . You know one man that's wretchedly poor , but all the time he shirks his work and considers that he is justified in trying to deceive his employer on the grounds of insufficiency and wages Stilling from him . And he shirks his work . He's not taking responsibility on his shoulders . Another man is a rich man , but because he's rich , he eats and eats rich food . He eats way more than he should . He ends up being fat . His organs aren't working right , his joints aren't working right , his brain's not working right . His body is failing . Yet how much is he spending on ? Well , I'm going to spend a bunch of money on maybe hiring a personal trainer or whatever all these things , but he doesn't change himself . It's just I have money . I'll throw money at this problem because I'm hurting , but I'm not willing to change who I am or my lifestyle .
Speaker 1You know another one . He's adopting crooked measures to make sure that he doesn't have to pay people properly . He doesn't pay him overtime . Maybe he doesn't give him a facility that even is worth working in . He's figuring out how to get as much out of his employees as possible while returning the bare minimum , even going into the illegal aspect of things , where you know he won't pay people enough . He reduces the wages , maybe he's cutting corners , whatever ? He finds himself bankrupt at some point in his life in regards to his reputation and riches , and he blames circumstances . Oh , the market crashed , maybe it was you , maybe .
Speaker 1So , as I've introduced these three cases as merely an illustration of the truth that a man is the cause , though nearly always is unconsciously of his circumstances , and that , whilst aiming at a good end , he is continually frustrating its accomplishment by encouraging thoughts and desires which cannot possibly harmonize with that end . It's a goal in mind , but you won't do anything that is supposed to be done to match up with that goal . It's I want to lose a bunch of weight , like you . You know what you're saying earlier . I want to lose some weight , and the entire time you're still sneaking . Sneaking them white , those white slices of bread , the good ones that stick to the top of your mouth . You know what I'm talking about .
Speaker 2Well , it's the other things too . It's the little piece of chocolate , the little little drinks . No , you swing by Bama Wama's and get a little morsel . You're fat .
Speaker 3And it feels good to the moment .
Speaker 1Well , I mean , this is more . This whole , this whole podcast is more for me . And when I'm getting out of it , then , I'm feeling for other people .
Speaker 1It's an education that is causing me to think through the week Okay , what am I going to study ? You know what am I going to talk about , how am I going to phrase it ? And you start to put things into your mind that are worth putting into your mind . It's like I've read this book , listened to it twice , read this book all the way through , highlighting sections that pop out to me . Yeah , I mean , I'm grateful for anybody that gets even a slight nugget that they go . Hey , I liked that , but really it's kind of selfish , Kind of all for me .
Speaker 2Yeah , I wanted to say that I have no moral authority to tell anyone what to do , because a lot of these examples I'm part of that problem . You know there was that one first example I think that you read , but I felt like that was me and you have tendencies to be that like I would have tendencies to be that guy that would that spends his money on this lavish food and complain about being still being fat and being , you know , not getting anywhere .
Speaker 1It is pleasing to human vanity to believe that one suffers because of one's virtue . But not until a man has removed every stickly , bitter and impure thought from his mind and washed every sinful stain from his soul Can he be in a position to know and declare that his sufferings are a result of his good and not his bad qualities . It's like how many people here oh , I'm you know we hear this . Growing up in the society that we grew up in , I'm getting persecuted because of this way that
Taking Personal Responsibility and Shaping Circumstances
Speaker 1I live . Sometimes it was kind of true , maybe . Sometimes it's also like yeah , it's also because you're kind of a dick .
Speaker 1Sometimes it's like , hey , maybe you should figure out . I mean , bad things happen to good people . We get that . But sometimes bad things happen to good people because they make bad choices and they end up with the result of that choice and it's terrible to think that it hurts to say that , but it is true .
Speaker 1Back to the book Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results . Bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results . This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn , nothing from nettles but nettles . Men understand this law in the natural world and work with it , but few understand it in the mental and moral world , though it's exactly the same . What are you putting out there ? What are you putting in ?
Speaker 1No , if it's just so simple , because you understand it , even just saying that , it's like oh yeah , I understand that 100% . I'm not where I want to be . Let's just take something physically and it dives into a strength part of this I'm not where I want to be , but I'm not doing anything that I know I should be doing . And then I'm mad because I'm not where I need to be . Maybe that's that point of being honest with yourself and saying , well , yeah , but even fat boys , every night I love me some fat boys . But I look in the mirror and I got me a nice gut . Why do I got me a gut ? It's like oh , maybe it's because I like them , damn fat boys .
Speaker 3I came back two days ago and you know James is on this , this journey , and I come back late from work . You know I'm thinking about them fat boys all day , Because I saw a full one this morning , full box of fat boys . So I get home , open up that freezer and they're gone . I don't know where he took them . I got rid of them .
Speaker 1Got rid of them .
Speaker 2You didn't even need them I gave them to the boys I was gonna say are they the ones that showed up in my freezer ? I was a little scared .
Speaker 1I got . I got to tell people that don't know , because fat boys are from Utah . It's an ice cream sandwich .
Speaker 3That's what we should have named this podcast .
Speaker 1That would have been a good one . Back to the book . Law , not confusion , is the dominating principle in the universe . Justice , not injustice , is the soul and substance of life , and righteousness , not corruption , is the molding and moving force in the spiritual government of the world . This being so , man has but to write himself to find that the universe is right , and during the process of putting himself right , he will find that he alters his thoughts towards things and other people . Things and other people will alter towards him .
Speaker 1This is that , that idea of of the victimhood mentality . Right , oh , things are happening to me . People are sometimes things kind of happen . What's your choice to to deal with them ? Right , oh , I , I can't get this . Cause this person did this to me , or this person stole from me , or I don't , I don't even know what it is . I mean , you hear it so much . You hear people that are just caught in this perpetual victimhood mentality and they cannot pull themselves out of it . They can't seem to upgrade their life , cause it constantly is going back to somebody did something to me at some time , but they won't . They won't even work through it in their own mind . Maybe take a little bit of responsibility for it Again .
Speaker 1Bad things happen to people . How are you going to react to it ? We know people that were caught up in cults and their idea is I was caught in this and it destroyed my credit and I gave a ton of money away and maybe even gave some of their kids away to marry certain people . You're caught up in this thing , you're born into this thing and yet they won't take the responsibility in their own mind and say a cult leader is only a cult leader because I'm the slave that he's a cult . I'm the follower . So where's my responsibility ? I'm a slave to this guy . Is there a little bit of responsibility that should be placed on my shoulders Because he wouldn't be a cult leader if I wasn't following him in this cult ? That whole idea of responsibility back on your own shoulders .
Speaker 2Yeah , and there's a clear difference between that . We've seen . We've seen people that have taken that kind of responsibility , like , hey , it is my life and I will do . Like , yeah , I've had some tough stuff to deal with , but it is . It's a stark difference between those that don't take the responsibility and those that have , and it's actually pretty empowering for me to see , to know that somebody's had way harder life than me and yet they've chosen to be good and do good .
Speaker 1And you see how fast they can change their circumstance just by changing their thoughts , changing their actions , changing what they're doing every day . Today we know people that have come out of these circumstances with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and yet in a few short years they're back up on top of their feet , their credits restored , everything's paid off . They took the responsibility and they placed it directly upon their shoulders to get their life figured out . And , of course , it's going to be empowering because , as that victimhood , you're taking that responsibility to change your life away from somebody else and putting it back into your hands when it should belong in the first place . Yeah , you're going to feel some freedom . Yeah , I am the problem . I'm going to figure it out . A man cannot directly choose his circumstances , but he can choose his thoughts and so , indirectly , yet surely , shape his circumstances . Bad things happen to good people , but you can shape it , you can change it .
Speaker 1You know there's maybe somebody's got to go into a surgery that maybe an organ's failing . I've watched it . There's this lady that I follow . She goes in for a blown appendix . It's ruptured . Two weeks later she's back working out . Something bad happened to her . She adjusted , she moved forward . She got the surgery , she got healed from the surgery as best as she could , and then she's back , moving into real life and saying this doesn't define me . This little circumstance that happened to me doesn't define me . Maybe it revealed that my organ was weak . Maybe I need to strengthen a few things . But we're going to adjust , we're going to move forward , we're going to adjust from this and we're going to start heading back down the path that I need to head down .
Speaker 1If you look in your bank account and it's empty , it's not your boss's fault . It's not your wife's fault . It's not your husband's fault . It's not your kid's fault . You hear that , oh , kids are so expensive . It's not their fault , it's yours . If you miss a rent payment , that's your fault . If you miss a house payment , that's your fault . If you miss a credit card payment , that's your fault . Go down the line , it doesn't matter , it's your fault .
Speaker 1Start changing what's up here in your mind . So , jane , how can I figure this out ? How can I change it ? How can I increase ? How can I add value ? Maybe you don't have the money . Maybe you're living too much of a lavish lifestyle for the income that you're bringing in . Maybe you need to adjust for a few years . Maybe you need to figure out how to add value to a marketplace that can then give you reward for that . Then you could increase your lavish lifestyle . Congratulations , you can do it . If you're not where you're at at any point in your life , it's your fault . You can be moving forward , but I find I'm the happiest when I'm on that path forward . I'm the happiest when I have job structured out , when I've got things to do , when I wake up in the morning and I have my life prepared out , that it's like oh yeah , I'm going to be doing this from this time , this to this time , and I've got things taken care of , because I'm walking a path that I know I should be walking .
Speaker 2When you have some order in your life .
Speaker 1Yeah , when you got a little order in your life . But no , that makes me the happiest . But no , taking that personal responsibility on your shoulders and just saying this is why Go through your bank statement , figure out why you don't have money in your accounts , take some ownership for it and then go increase what you're doing . Go do better at your job , go become more valuable . Go figure out how to Integrate yourself in there so firmly that they couldn't begin to think about running without you . That's one way that gives you . That gives you leverage from a position of power .
Speaker 1If you need a , if you need a raise , if you , if you want to increase your your yearly salary , cool , you don't want to do that anymore . Maybe you want to start a business , maybe you want to start a side hustle ? Figure out something that adds value . Good Starts with a thought and relentlessly pursue it , and you could be in a better place in just a few short years . And the alternative is to do nothing , be miserable , be depressed and be a liability to everyone around you and society . That's your alternative . What do you want ? Seems pretty simple to me .
Speaker 2Yep .
Speaker 1Moving on from the section of circumstances to affect and thought on health and body . We talked about a little bit earlier losing weight , maybe gaining some strength . The body is the servant of the mind . It obeys the operations of the mind , whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed . At the bidding of unlawful thoughts , the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay , and at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts , it becomes clothed in youthfulness and beauty . I know this . I experienced this a fair amount .
Speaker 1Go to a crossfit gym . You try to go fairly often . You're looking at this . Most of the time it happens when you're right in the middle of a workout . I did it this morning . I'm three minutes into this workout that's only supposed to take five minutes and everything is falling apart . I'm going . I can't Like . My heart rate's probably at 170 . I'm sweating , my legs are failing . I might need to . I got three more rounds . I don't know how I can do this . I don't know how I can hold on and there comes a switch in your mind where you just go pick it up and the body picks it up . So it's got a reserve in there . It's got plenty in there .
Speaker 1David Goggan says that when you are at your absolute max . You can't move another foot . You are . You feel like you're knocking on death's door . You're at 40% of what your body can do . You're not even halfway , but we let that , we let our mind trick us . I can't do that . Can't do that , can't . Oh , that's too much .
Speaker 1Back to the book . The people who live in fear of disease are the people who get it . Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body and lays it open to an entrance of disease , while impure thoughts , even if not physically indulged , will soon shatter the nervous system . Strong , pure and happy thoughts build the body up in vigor and grace . The body is a delicate and plastic instrument which responds readily to the thoughts by which it has been impressed , and habits of thought will produce , in their own effect , good or bad upon it . How many people you know that are so stressed about getting sick ? They're always sick . The people taking all the pills , all the supplements , but I feel like the people out there that only eat organic are always the people that are sick . Somebody's gonna come find me and be like I eat organic and I'm healthy .
Speaker 2No , that was me just the other day . That
Clean Thoughts, Disciplined Habits
Speaker 2was you . The other day I went to a party at my brother's house and he was . He would just been sick . He had the stomach flu . He didn't tell me until I was leaving and I was like , oh man , I'm gonna get it . And I was okay for a few days but I was really stressed about getting sick because I hate throwing up and James , like dude , you're just gonna , you're just manifesting that . Stop Like you're just gonna get sick if you keep on thinking that like well , I feel like I'm sick . The morning of our trip I was sick and it just it happened , it happened . And then I felt better and then I got up there camping with us , with the boys , and I was sick again that night and I was sick pretty much for the next week just getting over it all . But I guess there is something to it to bring in the sickness to your body . Your mind is pretty powerful .
Speaker 1I'm a percent .
Speaker 2There was probably still sickness going around that I caught , but it didn't help to be worried about it 100% .
Speaker 1There probably was a sickness floating around , but it didn't do you any favors to add a certain amount of stress to your body , which your body is going to allocate resources to that and all of a sudden , your immune system is not going to be as strong because you're allocating a bunch of resources to your nervous system , because you're stressed all the time about getting the sickness . I'm not saying if you're never stressed , you never get sick . There's a certain amount of wisdom in maybe taking care of yourself , but maybe you shouldn't go so overboard that it consumes every aspect of your life . Clean thoughts make clean habits . The so-called saint who does not wash his body is not a saint . He who has strengthened and purified his thoughts does not need to consider the malevolent microbe . Maybe , probably still . I mean this one .
Speaker 1But clean thoughts make clean habits . I mean you're washing your body , you're clean . Is there a point where you can go too far ? Yeah , we know OCD people . They're too clean , they can't even live their life , and so there's a dichotomy in that aspect . But I think that if you had good , clean thoughts , well for one , you start cleaning yourself up . Things start going a lot better . I'm a huge advocate for keeping things clean .
Speaker 2Yeah , you do feel better about your life and people want to spend time with you . If you don't smell , you know you're not disgusting , Like to me . I see someone that's a little disgusting and I'm like whee , Wide , wide berth .
Speaker 1It's hard to have a conversation with somebody when you can barely breathe Because every breath in is like a hit of smelling salts . It's not . It's not fun and it's not a favor for anybody . Take a shower , clean yourself up , brush your teeth man , brush your teeth . Comb your hair , maybe . Put some clean clothes on , maybe wash your clothes . That's a concept . You start doing little things like that , start changing your mind to say , hey , I'm going to act . Maybe I'll clean myself up . I'm going to clean my house up a little bit . I'm going to get a few things in order .
Speaker 1All of a sudden , people want to be around you . High quality people want to be around you . People want to come into your house . They want to have relationships with you where you can open your mind . Maybe you're a single dude or a single woman and you're disgusting and you can't figure out why somebody won't marry you or won't date you or won't give you a second . Look , there's a thought . Maybe if you showered more than once every other week , somebody would want to think about living with you . It's a thought , but no , going back is working out useful . Yes , I think everybody should be doing some sort of physical exercise A hundred percent , not only in here .
Speaker 1He's talking about just operations in the mind . You know , building your body , getting strong when you go in and you build and you do some sort of exercise . Talking to a guy this morning , he's telling me I come in and I work out every morning and he does . He's pretty , pretty consistent . He's like I like to pay the price of pain early in the morning , he's like because my day goes better . He's like I feel like that there's a little bit of maybe a law of the universe that if I pay pain now , hopefully Carmen lets it so I don't have to pay it later when I'm at my actual job . So I'm going to go in willingly and I'm going to willingly suffer for an hour . But your mind changes . My day goes 10 times better when I get up . I get out of bed and I go work go work hard .
Speaker 1Go do something that's hard . I don't know what it is . I don't know the science behind it . Go listen to Andrew Huberman . He'll probably tell you exactly what the science is around . I just know from personal experience . My life is better when I struggle early and willingly .
Speaker 2No , I think that's true . The getting up part , when I do , when I wake up , when I said , hey , I'm going to wake up , you're telling the truth to yourself , you're doing what is right and you feel good . Okay , I am not garbage , because I did what I said I was going to do .
Speaker 1How hard is it to wake up early the next morning after you willingly done it the morning before ? For me it's easier because I'm strengthening my mind . I'm telling myself I'm going to do this , and then I do it the next morning . It's like , well , you're a little stronger , this shouldn't be as big of a problem . You get up and you go do it Week after week after week of doing this pretty soon it's automatic , it's easy .
Speaker 2Yeah , it's usually the first , I don't know . A couple of weeks for me anyway , before it gets real standard . It's like , yeah , I wake up at this time .
Speaker 1You're an internal clock .
Speaker 2Holy cow , have I slacked . It's like pushing the snooze , snooze , snooze until it's 740 and I got to be working at eight Like don't get breakfast , you don't have proper time to take care of yourself , and then before you have to run out to work , your morning goes better , your day goes better , maybe because you made the choice to do something hard .
Speaker 1you got up earlier than you needed to . Maybe it even started the night before . Maybe you went to bed earlier than you needed to because you're going to prepare for the morning . You know you got to have a certain amount of sleep at night , so maybe it's that discipline . I'm going to go to bed early so I can get up early , so that when I get up early I have time to maybe work out . Maybe you go get a good breakfast and maybe have a few moments to sit with you , your wife or your husband or yourself .
Speaker 1You got a cup of coffee and you're pondering life . Maybe you're thinking about things . You're putting things in your mind that you can think about through the day . Instead of I got 20 minutes to be to work . The drive is 10 . I get no breakfast . I'm going to throw a hat on so I don't have to coat my hair . I'm going to kind of brush my teeth , maybe even just pop in some gum . I forgot to put laundry in last night so I got to wear dirty clothes .
Speaker 1It's like this perpetual motion of just like I'm going to sacrifice every . It's a way of life and it's easier when you start with little things . You start in the morning , your day goes better . You make your bed , you put your laundry in , you feed yourself , you work out . You get to work , you're already prepared for it . People around you notice . Maybe they start to step up . Because you've stepped up , you accomplish more , your day flies by and you're happier . It's something like that and something definitely I can say from personal experience . Maybe I can't talk about personal experience in the sense of a massive amount of wealth . I can talk about personal experience from a fitness standpoint and definitely from a standpoint of getting up early and doing work . It's incredible .
Speaker 2Yeah , I owe it to the ones I lead at work . It's like I owe it to be there on time and to have a good attitude to help show them what they can do better .
Speaker 2Well , also , just to help them have a good day as well , because nothing's worse than someone that's just grumpy and doesn't want to be there and just mad about everything . But I need to be there before them . I've slacked so much where they're there before me . A lot of times it's not somebody you can look up to . Very good , it's like come on , man , I was here at first and you're supposed to be in charge of us .
Speaker 1It's not a good leader and you do owe it to them . But you also owe it to your family , you owe it to your friends , you owe it to everybody that even the slightest aspect of influence in their life you owe it to be better , because maybe it can change . It can help them see a different way to change . Back to the book . Until thought is linked with purpose , there is no intelligent accomplishment . They who have no central purpose in their life fall to easy prey to petty worries , fears , troubles and self-pity , all of which are indications of weakness . A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart and set out to accomplish it . He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thought . It may take the form of a spiritual idea or it may be a worldly object , according to its nature at the time being , but whichever it is , he should steadily focus his thought forces upon that object which he has set before him . He should make this purpose his supreme duty and should devout himself to its attainment , not allowing his thoughts to wander away into longings and imaginations . That idea of setting a goal , and that's even what a central purpose in their life . I have a goal . Whatever that goal is . Maybe it's a goal of making money , making a million bucks . What's your goal ? Maybe it's a goal of getting to heaven . Maybe it's a goal of creating an incredible relationship with your spouse . Maybe it's a goal of doing that same relationship to your kids .
Speaker 1Whatever that that goal is , build it out in your mind and you pursue it relentlessly , not trading what you want now and sacrificing it in the future . Maybe it's something as easy as a trip with your kids . I want it , but I kind of want this coffee right now . I know I'm saving for it . I'll deal with it later . I'm gonna sacrifice that later . Maybe it's I wanna lose some weight . Let's pursue it relentlessly . That it's that same . Saying radical change takes . Radical change Starts in your mind , though , and it takes you changing your thoughts . That's the very first process . That's what this whole book is about . Change your thoughts , link it to a purpose , and then you can accomplish that goal , no matter what it is .
Speaker 2Is that idea kind of work with the idea of sacrificing here on earth and being miserable so you can be happy in heaven . It's the opposite of kind of what you're talking about , but also the same . It's one of what you think , thought about , that , we've talked about it and it's pretty lively and kind of entertaining about how we will do , that We'll just be as miserable as humanly possible in the hopes that when we die we'll be happy in heaven .
Speaker 1I think that idea goes back to what we were talking about before . If you're miserable and things going on in your life like I think that a lot of people use that as an excuse and not to do what they're supposed to do , it's I'm miserable in whatever I'm doing and it's so that I can go to heaven or I can reach this goal , and it's a lie .
Attitude and Personal Responsibility
Speaker 1I don't believe that being miserable here is gonna make you a better person later . I believe going through something hard that maybe could potentially make you miserable and you figure out how to change your mind to something saying I'm not going to let it make me miserable . That's an attitude change . I'm gonna figure out how to make it better . Yeah , life is hard . Good , Because if you're miserable because something in your life is going hard , maybe it's revealing something about you and maybe you should take an honest look at you and your life . It's not gonna get you to heaven . I'm sorry . I don't believe that .
Speaker 2Like , trials and suffering are not the same as misery .
Speaker 1But even trials and suffering , they're there simply to show you something . Maybe take a look at them and stop running from them . Maybe you've got to change who you are a little bit . Let some of the dead would burn off . Maybe your ego is so far in the way that that's why you're miserable . News flash your ego doesn't get you to heaven , if that's what your goal is . Your ego doesn't get you rich . It might for a time , but it doesn't make things better . So no , being miserable here so you can be happy later , isn't true ? That's my thought .
Speaker 2Yeah , I agree .
Speaker 1Because even the man , then maybe you can say , oh , he's miserable because he's saving all of his money and he's putting money away because he's preparing for a future that could be better and he's trading what he wants later , or trading what he wants now for something he wants later . He's pushing off that gratification , he's delaying it . I don't believe that . That man's miserable . I've never seen a miserable man that says , no , I'm preparing for a better future because he's got a purpose and a goal . I only see miserable people when they say , yeah , I'm preparing something for the future , but I'm going to make my life hell here . If your life is hell , it's your fault . I'm sorry . That's the way I see it .
Speaker 2Yeah , I definitely want to impress that , the thought or the idea that being alive and struggling and going through things to be better for later on , that'll help later on . But it's not . That's not misery , that's not being miserable , at least in my mind . It's the suffering and the trials and if you can go through them and learn from them , it's just , it's all for your benefit , it's all good .
Speaker 1As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training , so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself and right thinking . This idea that you're saying of making your miserable people saying I'm just going to remain miserable , maybe you need to exercise yourself in a different thought process when you truly start putting it all back on your shoulders and you go , oh , I'm gonna exercise myself , but sometimes they make me mad yeah , that's on you . You stumble and fall , that's fine , you stumble and fell . The problem isn't stumble and falling , the problem is not getting back up . The problem is being okay with being down in the dirt and miserable and then dragging everybody else around you down too .
Speaker 1Back to this accomplishing a goal . Thoughts of doubt and fear never accomplish anything . They never can . They always lead to failure . Purpose , energy , power to do , and all strong thoughts cease when doubts and fears creep in . All that a man achieves and all he fails to achieve is a direct result of his own thoughts . Individual responsibility must be absolute . A man's weakness and strength , purity and impurity are his own and not another man's . They are brought about by himself and not by another , and they can only be altered by himself , never by another . A strong man can't help somebody who's not willing to be helped . Even the weak man that might be willing to be helped has to make himself strong before anybody else can even begin to help him . You can't help anybody if you're weak for one , and you can't help a weak person if they don't wanna be helped . They'll end up dragging you down into the depths with them . And do you think that you're so strong and so smart that that won't happen to you ? Very possibly could .
Speaker 2One of the things that the one helping is doing is just planting that seed into the weak man's mind . If he's willing to at least try to start . If someone that has these ideas and a strong man , I guess I should say just plants that little seed , that idea , into his mind , then you got somewhere to go . I've had that happen to me so many times . All it takes is the seed .
Speaker 1And that's probably the best thing that you can do for someone is planting that little seed and helping them change that thought . And the rest is them . I mean , even that seed being planted requires them to listen . You wanna achieve something special , you wanna change who you are . It says in here there can be no process , no achievement without sacrifice . I wanna get into that word sacrifice , because it says here he who would accomplish little must sacrifice little , he who would achieve much must sacrifice much and he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly . I wanna go into this idea of sacrifice . What do you think sacrifice means to you ?
Speaker 2To give up something that you want . That's kind of the . I don't know if that'd be the definition , but it seems like .
Speaker 1That is one of the definitions of them , but another definition of sacrifice . The word comes from two Latin words , one meaning holy and sacred , and one meaning to make . To sacrifice means to make something holy . Holy is to set something apart as sacred , make something important . He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little . Or if you want something great , you have to sacrifice something great . Maybe it's you don't just have to give up everything in your life . Maybe you need to start making things important and holy . Maybe it's that thing that comes from God that is holy , is the most important thing . So maybe you need to start making things important , burning off that which isn't important . That's not holy , that's not sacred . You wanna accomplish something special ? Maybe it's I'm going to sacrifice much . It's not I'm just gonna give everything away . It's I'm gonna start making things holy and important in my life .
Speaker 2Making yourself holy .
Speaker 1Making yourself holy , which you should be . I mean because , even diving into the spiritual side of it , you have a touch of the divine in you . You already are sacred . You're a life , a human life . That's pretty sacred , it's pretty holy . Maybe you should start making it important . Maybe you should start focusing on it a little bit . Back to the book . The dreamers are the saviors of the world . He who cherishes a beautiful vision , a lofty ideal in his heart , will one day realize it . The greatest achievement was , at first and for a time , the dream . You gotta think it up , you gotta dream it , and if you dream it and you pursue it in a straight line with relentless devotion , you can accomplish whatever that you want to achieve . This is how to make your life a little bit better , because that's the only person that really can help yourself is you .
Speaker 2No , it's always good to study this kind of stuff again and to remember and reread and go over and communicate these ideas . They're really helpful .
Speaker 1That's the end of the book , but feels like it's just the start of something else . Think about things a little bit more . Drive an ideas into your mind , opening pathways that I shouldn't say that you didn't think were there , but more that you kind of forgot . Where can people find you guys ? On the socials , if they want to follow you . They want to find anything else about you . Maybe they want to follow you , andy . They want to see some cool things that you're creating . Maybe they want to follow you , jerem , see pictures of cool trucks , the big trucks you're driving , the other things that you're doing .
Speaker 3I don't post a lot , but at Jerem Naylor on Instagram and you're at Andy Nielsen .
Speaker 2I don't really have anything on there , Not really much of a social media guy .
Speaker 1And my Instagram is the real James Nielsen . You're mostly gonna see things about my kids or workout videos . Maybe get a notification when we drop a new podcast , if you like this podcast , share it . Yeah , go ahead , throw it up on your Instagram story .
Speaker 3It's a lot of good information , but when you get this information , what are you gonna do with it ? Well , that's the key Are you gonna sit on it or are you going to take action ?
Speaker 1And everybody out there listening . Remember your life is your own . Your thoughts , actions create the consequences and circumstances that you are in today . If you're not where you wanna be , you have the potential to change it . It takes a thought to start , an action that follows . That action will change into habits , those habits will change into your character and maybe that will affect your life , your family's life . It can go on to affect your community's life and your country's and maybe with one small thought you can change the world . We'll catch you next time . Thanks for listening .
