INVINCIBLETHINKINGThereIsNoSuchThingAsDefeat

RyuhoOkawaFounderofHappyScience

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Copyright©2015byRyuhoOkawa

Englishtranslation©HappyScience2003

Originaltitle:“JoshoShiko”

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HappyScienceisanimprintofIRHPressCo.,Ltd.

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ISBN-13:978-1-941779-78-1

ISBN-10:1941779786

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CONTENTS

PrefacetotheNewEdition

Preface

PartOne:TheSourceofInvincibility1.TheQualitiesRequiredofaLeader2.SelfReflectionCreatesLeaders3.TrialsAreNecessaryforSpiritualGrowth4.LearnAllYouCanfromanOrdeal5.DoNotLiveaLifeofExcuses6.DeterminationandWillpowerOpenUpaPath7.DeviseWaysofBecomingInvincible8.TranscendIndividualLimitation9.TwoSecretsforAchievingSuccess1)FindaDemand2)ThinkaboutFurtherDevelopment

10.FinancialStrengthProvidesthePowertoOvercomeDifficulties11.DiscovertheInvincibleSelf

PartTwo:RevolutionizingYourPerspective1.TheImportanceofCreatingNewIdeas2.FindaThirdAlternative3.ThinkintheOppositeWaytoCreatePositiveness4.UseFailureasaSpringboard5.ThereIsNoWasteintheWorldCreatedbyGod6.ConfrontYourKarmawithaPositiveAttitude7.PeopleAssessYouDifferently8.PlantoLivetoOneHundredandTwenty

9.LifeCanBeExtendedThroughEffort

PartThree:LifeandVictory1.WhenaPhilosophyRadiatesLight2.HowtoLiveaHealthyLife1)PhysicalConditionsRestricttheMind2)LearntoControlYourPhysicalBody3)TheCareoftheBodyIsUptotheIndividual4)TheRelationshipbetweentheBodyandMind

3.TheCreationofWealth1)ProblemsConnectedtoHavingaReligiousDisposition2)WealthasaMeanstoHappiness3)PovertyTaintedbyEnvyIsWrong4)ThreeBasicPrinciplesfortheCreationofWealth

4.SpouseandHome1)StartbyMakingYourselfintoYourOwnIdeal2)CanYouAchieveaDeepUnderstandingofYourPartner?3)YouNeedtoWorktoMakeaPerfectMatch

5.EncountersThatWillChangeYourDestiny1)ExpecttoEncountera“Noble”Person2)ListenHumblytoWhatYouAreTold3)HaveaGratefulHeart

6.ASpiritualLegacy1)IntegrityasaSpiritualLegacy2)TwoWaysThatIntegrityComesintoBeing

PartFour:ThePowerofInvincibleThinking1.ATheoryThatLinksSelfReflectionandProgress2.ThePowerofInvincibleThinkinginthePhenomenalWorld3.TransformDifficultiesintoStrengthforYourSoul4.BeMasterofYourOwnTime5.TheEnergyofBambooThatCreatesJoints6.CreatingAnnualRingsinaHarshEnvironment7.ThinkLikeaLong-DistanceRunner8.TheCumulativeEffect9.PreparefortheNextStep,InsteadofWaitingonLuck10.WhenConditionsAreFavorable,SowtheSeedsofLove11.AimforaGoalOneStepHigher12.ThinkFlexiblyandTurnDifficultytoYourAdvantage13.TowardaLifeofDailySuccess

Postscript

Endnotes

AbouttheAuthor

AboutHappyScience

ContactInformation

AboutIRHPress

OtherBooksbyRyuhoOkawa

PREFACETOTHENEWEDITION

Thisbook,writteninaneasytounderstandway,givesuscluesabouthowtosucceedinlife.Sinceitwasfirstpublishedin1989,ithassoldinexcessoftwomillioncopiesinJapan,andhasbecameafavoriteamongleadersineveryfield,includingpoliticiansandcorporatemanagers.Ithasalsoappearedintranslation,allowingreadersthroughouttheworldtoappreciateitsideas.HappyScience,whichIfounded,isthelargestreligioninJapanandcontinuestogrow,takingitsplaceamongthemajorreligionsoftheworld.

However,atthistimemanycountriesarebecomingincreasinglydisorganizedbothpoliticallyandeconomically,causinggreatuneaseamongtheirpeoples.Forthisreason,Iwishtospreadthemessageofthisbook,whichteachesthereisnosuchthingasdefeat,imbuingpeoplewithcourageandhope.

Theaimofthisbookistoenablereaderstobecomeoutstandingleaders,capableofshowingotherstherightpath.Invinciblethinkingisaphilosophythatallowspeopletosucceedinanysituation.Itisamethodologythatmakesitpossibletofindlessonsinbothsuccessandfailure,thusencouragingthedevelopmentofleadership.Itisamethodofshapingyourfutureinallweathers,usingacombinationofpositivethinkingandself-reflection.

RyuhoOkawaPresident

HappyScience

PREFACE

Invinciblethinkingisaphilosophycontainingthepowertoachievetruevictoryinlife.Ihaveabsolutelynointentionofpreachingsometawdrymethodofachievingsuccess.Inthisbook,Ipresentaphilosophythatisrelevanttoeveryone,regardlessofsex,ageornationality.Nomatterwhetheryouareyoungorold,amanorwoman,nomatterwhatyournationality,ifyoupickthisbookupandreadittoitsconclusion,Icanguaranteethatyouwillclearlyvisualizeapathtosuccessopeningupbeforeyou.

Lifecanbecomparedtoatunnelthatisbeingdrilledthroughamountain;youmaycomeacrossobstaclescreatedbywaterorhardrock.However,hereyouhaveinvinciblethinking,whichprovidesthedynamitetoblastthroughsolidrock,adrilltoborethroughallthebarriersuntilyouachieveyourgoals.

Ifyoustudythisbookandsavorit,makingitsphilosophyyourownstrength,youwillbeabletodeclareproudlythatyouwillneveragainknowfailure,onlysuccess.

RyuhoOkawaPresident

HappyScience

PARTONETHESOURCEOFINVINCIBILITY

1.TheQualitiesRequiredofaLeader

Peopleareconstantlytryingtofindouthowthetimestheyliveinwillevolve.Theythinkaboutwhatisoftruevalue,andthedirectioninwhichtheyshouldbeheaded,andtheyseeksomeonewhocangivethemanswersandguidance.Sotobeanoutstandingleader,youneedtobeabletopointothersintherightdirection.

Manypeopleinthisworldareuncertainofhowtomakethebestuseoftheirabilities,theirtimeandtheirmoney.Aleadermustbeabletoexplainfuturetrendsandwhatpeopleneedtodointhepresentconciselyandaccurately—thisisthemissionofthosewhohavetrulyawakened.Tobealeader,whatdoyouneedtodo?Thiswillbethethemeofthisbook.

Whatqualitiesarenecessaryforaleader?Firstly,youmustalwaysbeabletoseeintothefuture.Youneedtobeabletoseeoneortwostepsfurtherthanothers.Peopleregardsomeonewhoismoreabletopredicttheoutcomeofeventsasoutstandingorpossessingexceptionalabilities.Inthesamewaythataverytallpersonisabletoseemuchfurtherthananyoneelse,peoplebelievethatsomeonewhoisoutstandingiscapableofseeingthingsmoreclearlybecauseofagreatnessofcharacter,orbecauseofspiritualabilities.Gradually,thosearoundapersonpossessingthesequalitieswillbeattractedtowhattheyseeastheperson’senigmaticpersonality,andwillfollowwillingly.

Isaidthattheabilitytoseeintothefutureisoneprerequisiteforleadership,butthisaloneisnotenough.Ifyouforetellonlythepossibilityoffailureorgiveexamplesonlyoflackofsuccess,althoughyoumayinitiallyberegardedasaleader,peoplewillsoondriftaway.

ManypeoplehavegatheredatHappyScience,ofwhichIampresident,andIsupposethereasonforthisisthattheyhavetheexpectationthatiftheyjoin,somethinggoodwillhappen.Noonewouldcongregateinavesseltheyfeltwas

somethinggoodwillhappen.Noonewouldcongregateinavesseltheyfeltwasgoingtosink.Itisbecausepeopleanticipatethatsomethinggoodwillcomeoutofitthattheyjoinourmovementandwishtobeapartofit.Sothesecondprerequisitetobealeaderisanabilitytomakepeoplefeelthatiftheyfollowandstayclose,theycanexpectabrightfuture—somethinggoodwillhappen.

Thethirdprerequisiteforleadershipisnotonlytohavethepowertoopenupabrightfuture,butalsotohaveenoughpastachievementstoconvinceothersofyourstanding.However,theseaccomplishmentsdonotnecessarilyhavetobeaconstantseriesofdistinguishedawardsforexcellence.Nomatterwhatkindoflifeyouhaveled,peoplelooktothewayyouhaveovercomedifficultiesyouhavefaced,findingthequalitiesofoutstandingleadershipthere.

Ifyoulookatthelivesofgreathistoricalfigures,youwillnoticethatveryfewcamefromprivilegedbackgrounds.Eveniftheyhadtheblessingofbeingbornintogoodcircumstances,atsomepointintheirlives,thetidesoffortunealwaysturnedandtheysufferedaseveresetbackorfacedadversity.Usually,thesepeoplewerenotbornintoacomfortableenvironmentbutdevelopedgreatstrengthbyovercomingtheobstaclesintheirlivesthroughtheirownefforts.Othersfindindescribablestrengthintheresilienceofsuchpeople.

SofarIhavepointedoutthreequalitiesthatarerequiredofaleader.Inthisbook,Iamgoingtointroduce“invinciblethinking,”aphilosophyindispensableforleadersinthisnewera.Invinciblethinkingisanattitude:Nomatterwhathappensinyourlife,youcanalwaysfindsomethingpositive,andturnanysituationtoyouradvantage.Ifyoupracticethisphilosophy,youwillbecomeconvincedthatthereisnosuchthingasacrisisorhardship,onlyacontinuousseriesofopportunities.

2.SelfReflectionCreatesLeaders

Perhapsyoudreamofhowgooditwouldbeifallyourwishescouldberealized,andpathsopenedupforyouwithease.However,inactualfact,youlearnmorefromtheprocessofgoingthroughtheupsanddownsoflife.Takehealthasanexample.Somepeoplearealwaysfullofstrengthandvitality;perhapstheyrarelytakethetimetothinkmuchabouttheirphysicalcondition.However,ifyouaskwhetherillness,astheoppositeofgoodhealth,bringsonlyunhappiness,youwillfindtheanswerisnotasnegativeasyoumayimagine.

Whyisitthatpeopleoccasionallyfallill?Thereisalwaysanearlierstage,apreliminaryperiodbeforetheybecomesick,whentheyperceivethesignsthatsomethingiswrong.Theirbodiesbegintoache,theydonotfeelsogood,ortheyarenotabletoworkastheyusuallydo.Inasense,thisisnature’swayoftellingtostopandrest.Whenpeopletakegoodhealthforgranted,theydonotknowhowtorestunlesstheybecomeill.

Whenyouareaboutto“burnout”fromworkingtoohard,itsometimeshappensthatyouaregivenatemporaryrestbyfallingill,soyouwillbeabletoliveoutthefullspanofyourdaysandcarryoutyourmission.Astheresultofanillness,yourlifeisinfactlengthened.Ifyouhadnotbecomeill,youwouldhave“burnedout”andleftthisworldbeforeyourtime.So,toavoidthis,yourhealthbreaksdownandyouareforcedtoundergoaperiodofrecuperation.

Whatexactlyisthesignificanceofthisrecuperation?Itisnotjustaperiodofphysicalrest.Itisatimewhenyoubecomeintrospectiveandlookcalmlyattheinnerself.Whenyoubecomeabsorbedwithoutwardeventsandconcernedonlyaboutoutcomes,youtendtoforgettolookwithin.

Tomakethiseasiertounderstand,letustaketheexampleofamanworkinginthesalesdepartmentofacompany.Whenbusinessisgoingwellandheisbringinginlotsofnewaccountsandcustomers,doeshehavetimetothink

bringinginlotsofnewaccountsandcustomers,doeshehavetimetothinkcarefullyabouthimself?Isthereenoughspaceinhismindtoconsiderhisfamilyorotherpeople?Inmostcases,theanswerwillbeno.Allhecanthinkaboutisgettingthrougheachsituationasitarises.

Ifhehassethimselfatargetofsellingfifteenautomobilesamonth,hewillbedelightedifheachievesit.Hewillbequitesatisfiedwithhisperformance,andwill,perhaps,setatargetofeighteenvehiclesforthefollowingmonth.However,peoplelikethiswhofocussolelyonresultsandwhosemindsarealwayslookingoutwardswilleventuallyencountersetbacks.Thereasonforthisisthatinmostcases,theyforgettoconsiderthecustomers,andwhethertheyaretrulyhappywiththeirpurchases.

Whenthingsaregoingwell,peopletendtobepreoccupiedwiththeirownsatisfactionandpleasuretotheexclusionofallelse;inotherwords,theyforgettoconsiderotherpeople’sfeelings.Agoodsaleinthetruestsenseisasalethatcontinuestobringjoyevenafterthetransactionhasbeencompleted.Ontheotherhand,ifasalespersonisinterestedonlyinfiguresandresultsinsteadoftheproductitself,heorshewillnotrealizeifcustomersregrettheirpurchasesandfeelunsatisfied.Asthesesortsofpeoplestruggletogetaheadinaverycompetitivesociety,theycannotaffordtocaretoomuchaboutothers;theyadoptafalselypositiveattitudeandjudgeeverythingbyresults.Notafewpeoplebelievethemselvestobeheadedforsuccess,unawarethattheyarelivingasafalseself.Thesepeoplewillnotachievegreatstatureunlesstheyexperiencesetbacksatsomepointinlife.Asetbackmayoccureitheratworkoritmaycomeintheformofanillness.

Naturewillalwaysprovideyouwithopportunitiesforselfreflection.Whenthishappens,youusuallybecomeintenselyintrospective,andthistimeisactuallyveryimportantforyoursoul.Thosewhohaveneverlookedintothedepthsoftheinnerselforstudiedthemselvesdeeplycanneverbecometrueleaders.

3.TrialsAreNecessaryforSpiritualGrowth

Returningtotheexampleofthesalesman,letusimaginethathissalesrecordcontinuestoincreasewithouthisshowinganyconsiderationforothersuntilheisthetopsalesmaninthecompany,andisrewardedwithapromotiontothepositionofsalesmanager.Uptonowhehasbeenabletoworkathisownpaceandhasbeenevaluatedonlyonresults.However,nowthatheisthemanagerofthesalesdepartment,whatwillbecomeofthosewhoworkunderhim?

Hewilltrytomakehisstaffadopthismethods;inotherwords,theonlyinstructionshewillgivethemaresalestargets,andhowmanycarstheyshouldtryandselleachmonth.Iftheyareincapableofachievinghisgoals,hewillconsiderthemincapableofdoingthejobandseethemasaburdenonthecompany.Butiftheysucceed,hewillvaluethemasgoodworkers.Thisistheonlycriterionbywhichheisabletoevaluatehisstaff.

Onseeingtheirsalesrecords,hewillgraduallygetmoreandmorefrustrated,becausealthoughheisconfidenthecansellfifteenunitsamonth,hisstaffareonlycapableofsellingthreetofiveunitspermonth.Whileagoodmanagerwouldtakesubordinatesasideandteachthemhowtogoaboutwinningmoreorders,thistypeofmanagerwillwanttomakethesaleshimself.Hewillgoovertheheadsofsubordinates,contactingcustomersormanagersofothercompaniesdirectlytomakedeals.Thesubordinatesinquestionwillbecomeincreasinglydisenchantedwiththeirjobandsay,“Ifyouwanttodoityourself,you’rewelcometoit.”Asaresult,subordinateswillnotdevelopintoefficientsalespeople.

Thereasonthisparticularmanagerbehavesinthiswayisthathehasonlyeverbeeninterestedinhisownsuccess.Thatisallhehaslearned;hehasneverreallygivenmuchthoughttohumanpsychology.Hehasprobablydonehisjobinaselfish,pushyway.Infact,peoplewhodowellinsalesdepartmentsoftentendtobeegotistical,andbarelycapableofself-analysis.

tobeegotistical,andbarelycapableofself-analysis.

Thesekindsofpeoplearequitehappytobargeinonothersanddobusiness,believingtheyarewelllikedandthateveryoneisopenwiththem.However,inreality,assoonasthissortofpersonleavesanoffice,everyoneheavesasighofrelief.Thepersoninquestionwouldneverevennotice.Peoplelikethishavenoideahowselfishtheyare,andtheymakeasalespitchwiththefirmbeliefthateveryoneistheirfriend.Thisisaverycommonstory.

Subordinateswhoarecautiousorsensitivewillneverbeabletoactasbrazenlyastheirmanager.Theywillnotbeabletofollowhisexampleorhisinstructionsonhowtodotheirjob,sotheywillusetheirowningenuityanddrawupontheirstrengths.Forinstance,theymaytakeupahobbyanduseitasatopicofconversationtogetclosertoclients,oremphasizefriendlinessasawayofpromotingsales.However,thesalesmanagerwillfindthissortofapproachveryfrustratingtowatch.

Peoplelikethissalesmanagerneedtolettheirsoulsrestatsomepointintime;theyneedtimetorecuperate.Onlywhentheythemselveshaveexperiencedmisfortuneoradversitywilltheybeabletounderstandthefeelingsofothers.Theyusuallybelievethemselvestobeindispensabletothecompanyandthinkthatnothingwillgetdoneunlesstheyarethere.However,whentheyareillanddiscoverthatintheirabsencethingsactuallyrunsmoothlywithoutthem,theyareshocked.Thebiggestshockcomeswhentheircolleaguescometovisittheminhospitalandsay,“Everythingisfineintheoffice,sopleasedon’tworryaboutwork.”Thesewordsofcomfortareactuallyverypainfultosuchpeople,becausetheyarereallyhopingthattheircolleagueswillcomeandbegthemtoreturnassoonaspossiblesothateverythingwillrunsmoothlyagain.

Thissortofexperienceshatterstheirreality.Itisasifthesepeoplewereclowns;whiletheywerecompletelyabsorbedperformingtheirowndancebeneaththespotlights,theentireaudiencehasdisappearedwithouttheirrealizing.Thesesortsofpeopleneedtogothroughsomekindofordealanditisnotabackwardstepbutanexperiencethatisessentialforthemiftheyaretodevelopgreaterstature.

4.LearnAllYouCanfromanOrdeal

Whenthosewhoareefficientbeginanewjob,theygotogreatlengthstotryandprovehowwelltheycandoit.Thisbehavioriscontrarytothe“lovethatgives”thatourInstituteteaches.Itisinstead“lovethattakes,”alovethatcravespraise.Peoplewhobehavelikethisareeagertowintheadmirationofothersandiftheydonotreceiveit,theytryevenharder.Strangelyenough,thehardertheytry,themoretheyaregiventhecoldshoulderbythosearoundthem.Thisisquitehardforthemtounderstand.You,too,mayhaveexperiencedthattheharderyoutry,thelessyouareappreciated.

Theseoverlyeagerpeoplewilleventuallyrealizethattheywereactuallytakinglove.Whenyouseepeopletryinghardtowinpraiseandrecognition,youfeelthatbygivingpraise,somethingwillbedrainedortakenfromyou.Whenyoupraisesomeonewhoistryingsohardtomakethishappen,youfeelthatyouarelosingsomething.

Amongthosearoundyou,youcanprobablyeasilyidentifythepeoplewhoactasiftheywantpraise.Aretheresomeamongyourrelativesorcolleagueswhoyoufeelcovertlydesirerecognitionandpraise?Theseareusuallytheverypeopleyoufindithardesttocompliment,andsotheytryevenharder.Thisviciouscirclecontinuesuntileventuallyothersbeginreferringtothemasshowoffsandthisiswhenthedilemmastarts.

Thesepeoplefeeldisappointedbecausealthoughtheyaredoingtheirbest,noonerecognizestheirefforts.Thentheybegintofeelthattheworldisaveryunfairplace,fullofpeoplewhoareunabletoappreciatetheeffortsofothers.

Inactualfact,whenyouarestrugglingtoberecognized,youcannotseeothers’goodpoints.Whenyouareconcernedonlywithgettingtherecognitionforyourownefforts,youtendtobeunderillusionthatotherpeoplearejusttheretosupportyou.Inotherwords,thosewhoareconcernedonlywiththeirown

supportyou.Inotherwords,thosewhoareconcernedonlywiththeirownsuccessneverbringhappinesstoothers.Peopleareverysensitive.Iftheydonotfeelhappywhentheyarewiththissortofaperson,theywillstarttokeeptheirdistance.Thentheywillbegintocriticize,becomenastyandsaynegativethingsaboutapersonwhodemandspraise.Thisishowasituationlikethissteadilyworsens,quitetheoppositeofwhatwashopedfor.

So,evenifyousufferasetbackatworkorthetideturnsagainstyou,donotseethisnegatively.Itoffersyouthechancetostrengthenyoursoul,whileatthesametimeallowingyoutogainadeeperunderstandingofotherpeople.Youmayhavebeensoself-centeredthatyoubelievedthecompanycouldnotfunctionwithoutyou,butinrealityyouwillseethingsrunningsmoothlyeveninyourabsence.Unfortunately,thisisthewaytheworldworks.

Inbusiness,ifonepersonstepsaside,thereisalwayssomeoneelsetotakehisplace.Evenapresident,whoisoftenconsideredindispensable,soonfindssomeonewillappeartotakehisorherplace.Inotherwords,inanoffice,ajobisdonenotjustbyonepersonbutistheresultoftheteamworkofstaff.Youcandemonstrateyourabilitiesbecauseoftheeffortsofothers.Thisissomethingthatyoumustneverforget.

Soifyouareinthethroesofsomesetbackoradversity,lookbackatthewayyouhavelivedforthelastfewyearsorthepastfewdecades.Checkandseethatyouhavenotallowedyourlifetogetoutofbalance,orthatyouhavenotthoughtonlyofyourownrecognitionandforgottentogiveotherscreditforwhattheyhavedone.Iwouldlikeyoutoponderonthis.

Itisveryimportanttobeabletolookatyourselfinthisway.Therearenumerousoccasionsinlifewhenyouarepresentedwithanopportunitytogrow,andthosewhoemittruelighthaveundoubtedlymanagedtoovercomehardshipsinthepast.Peoplewhohavetriumphedoverhardshipandhavebeenabletoturnitintostrengthwillshinefromwithin,whilethosewhohaveallowedthemselvestobesweptawaybyadversitywillbeforeverinitsshadowandgiveoutdarkness.Nomatterwhatthedifficultyyouface,itwillnotlastforverylong,soitisimportanttotakeadvantageoftheopportunityitpresents,andlearnallthelessonsitoffers.

5.DoNotLiveaLifeofExcuses

Whenfacedwithmisfortune,makesureyoudonotallowyourselftofeelyouaretheonlypersonevertofindyourselfinsuchcircumstances.Thesameistrueforthosewhoareill,andthosewhofaceasetbackorfailureconnectedtotheirambitions.Peopletendtofeelthattheyaretheonlyoneswhohaveeverhadtofacesuchasituation.

Whenadversitystrikes,openyoureyesandheart,andlookatthepeoplearoundyou.Youwillrealizethatthosewhoaresuccessfularenotonlythepeoplewhohavealwaysknowngoodfortune.Amongthemarecertainlypeoplewhohaveexperiencedfailureoradversity,whomadetheutmosteffortandusedtheirmisfortuneasthespringboardforsuccess.

Trytothinkabouthowmanyotherpeopletheremustbewhoareinthesameboatasyou.Therearemanykindsofillnesses,forinstanceheartdisease,cancerandnumerousphysicalailments.Whateveryourcondition,youarenottheonlyonesufferingthisillness;inmostcases,therewillbeotherswhoareafflictedwiththesamecondition.

FranklinD.Roosevelt(1882–1945)wasthewell-knownPresidentoftheUnitedStateswhowasconfinedtoawheelchair.Usuallypeoplewhohavetodependonawheelchairtomovearoundfinditdifficulttobesociallyactive,butdespitehisdisabilityhewasabletocarryouthispresidentialduties.Hewasagreatmaninthathedidnotlivealifeofexcuses,butratherdidwhateverhefelthadtobedone.Hewaswillingtomakeeveryefforttoovercomehisdisability.

ThereisanotherexampleintheUnitedStatesofawomanwhosucceededinreachingoneofthehighestpositionsinthecountry.Shelostherhusbandwhenshewasstillyoung,wasrejectedbyherchildren,fellintopovertyandbecameseriouslyill.Notwithstandinghermiserablecircumstances,shewasabletorisetooneofthehighestpositionsingovernment.

tooneofthehighestpositionsingovernment.

Peoplesuchasthesehavecometounderstandimportantlessonsinlifethroughadversity.Thosewhoevenfromthedepthsofadversityareabletoreachheightsthatordinarypeoplewouldneveraspiretoallhavesomethingincommon.IwouldliketoexplainwhatIdiscoveredthroughstudyingthem.Firstly,theyneverattributetheirhardshipstoothers.Theyneverputtheblameontootherpeopleorbemoantheirfate,becausetheyunderstandclearlythatthiswoulddonogoodwhatsoever.Thefirstkeyisnottoblamefateorotherpeopleforanypersonalhardship.

Secondly,theyacceptwhatfatehasgiventhem.Theydonotcomplain,“ifonlythathadneverhappened.”Instead,theyacceptwhateverbadluckoradversityhascometheirway.Inacceptingit,theyareseeingitasarealityandconsideringhowtheyshouldgoaboutovercomingit.Theyhavethecourageanddeterminationtoacceptmisfortuneasarealityoflife.

Thirdly,nomatterwhatkindofadversitytheyface,theyalwaysfindsomelessoninit.Theyaskthemselvesjustwhatitisthatadifficultlessonistryingtoteachthemandsearchuntiltheyfindtheanswer.Thelessonthattheylearnbecomeswithoutexceptionapricelesstreasurethatremainsintheirheartsforalongtime.

Fourthly,theynevertrytorelyonthesupportofothers.Nomatterwhattheirdisabilities,theywalkthepaththeyhavebeengivenalone,withafreeandindependentspirit,neverforgettingtomaketheefforttohelpthemselves.Theyaccepttheirfateandtheirpresentstateforwhatitis,buttheydonotletthestatusquocontinue.Theyattempttobreakoutoftheirdifficulty,relyingontheirownstrength.Allextraordinarypeoplegothroughthisprocess.

Peoplewhoallowthemselvestowallowinself-pityneverachievegreatness,andmanygiveintothetemptationtowallow.However,assoonastheyappealtoothersforsympathy,theycondemnthemselvestoalifeofcontinuallytryingtowinpity.Perhapseverythingwentsmoothlyuntilcircumstancessuddenlytookaturnfortheworse,orperhapsyousuddenlysufferedsomephysicaldisabilityorillness.Butassoonasyouhavetheideaofdependingonotherstohelpyouthrough,yoursoulisgivingintodefeat.Instead,acceptbravelywhateverfatethrowsatyou,andbedeterminedtoovercomeit.

throwsatyou,andbedeterminedtoovercomeit.

6.DeterminationandWillpowerOpenUpaPath

Yourdeterminationtoovercomewhateverfatehasthrowninyourwaydoesnotmeanyouneedtoundertakesomethinghuge.Youjustneedtoopenanewpath,startingwithsomethingcloseathand.Askyourselfwhatyouarecapableofdoingandwhatyoucanachieveinyourcurrentsituation.Ifyoufindyouareunabletousethegiftsthatyouhavedevelopeduptonow,seeifyouhaveotherabilities.

Whatarethequalitiesinyouyoursiblings,friendsorteachersadmiredwhenyouwereyoung?Perhapsyouhavesomehiddenabilitythatevenyouhaveforgottenyoupossess.Itispossibletoopenupapathtothefuturebyfindinganabilitythatyouhavenotyetdevelopedtothefullest.

Irememberwatchingadocumentaryontelevisionaboutamanwithoutanyarmswhousedtopaintwithhisfeet.Heheldapaintbrushbetweenhistoes,andcreatedpaintingsthatwereofprofessionalquality.Iwasveryimpressed.Hecouldusehisfeettodojustaboutanything,whichdemonstratesthatifweloseourhands,wearecapableofdevelopingourfeettotheextentthattheycanbeasubstitute.Thisisareal-lifeexampleofsomeonewhomadeagreateffort.

Manypeople,iftheyweretolosetheuseoftheirhands,wouldgiveupmakinganyfurtherefforttohelpthemselvesandaskotherstolookafterthemfortherestoftheirlives.However,themanontelevisionwasdifferent.Hedidnotwanttobecomedependentonothers;hewasabletousewhatwaslefttohimtofindhisownwayforwardwithdetermination.Helikedpaintingsohedecidedtousehisfeettodothisandbegantopractice.Inthebeginninghecouldnotachievemuchbutgraduallythemorehetried,thebettertheresults,untilfinallyhewasabletoproducepictures.

Apersonwithoutanyarmscouldbecomeapainter—hewasabletousehistoestoholdthebrushesandsqueezeoutthepaints—andheproducedrealart.Ifthis

toholdthebrushesandsqueezeoutthepaints—andheproducedrealart.Ifthisispossible,thensurelypeoplewhodonothaveanyphysicaldisabilitiescanachieveanythingtheyputtheirmindsto.Youprobablyreceivedaneducationasaresultofthesupportofyourparentsorguardiansand,ifyouarephysicallyhealthy,thereisnoreasonwhyyoushouldnotbeabletoachievewhateveryousetyourmindto.

Today,educationalinstitutionshavesomanydifferentcoursesofferingavarietyofqualificationsandskillstohelppeopleachievetheirgoals.Peopleliketomakeexcusesandsay,“Ican’tdoanythinginmycurrentcircumstances,”or“Idon’thaveanytalent,”butiftheyreallywantedtoachievesomething,itwouldbequitepossibleforthemtogetthequalificationstheyneededtoproceedtowardtheirobjective.Theonlyreasontheyhavenotachievedsomethingisthattheyhavenotmadesufficienteffortortheylackthewillpowertoreachtheirgoals.

Surprisingly,theeffortsthatpeoplewithdisabilitiesmakeandtheprocesstheygothroughtoachievetheirgoalsseemallthemorewonderfulwhenyourealizewhattheyhavesucceededinovercoming.Sowhenyouhearaboutpeoplewithdisabilitieswhogetaheaddespiteadversecircumstances,whatshouldyoudo?Youwhoareoverflowingwithpotentialandenergyshouldworkharder,andgivelovetomanymorepeoplethanyoudoatpresent.Undoubtedlythisispossible.Themoreprivilegedyourcircumstances,thegreatertheopportunityyouhavetobeofservicetoothers.Icannotstressenoughhowimportantitisalwaystorememberthis.

7.DeviseWaysofBecomingInvincible

I,myself,alwayskeepinmindthatthemoreprivilegedmycircumstances,thegreatermyopportunitiestohelpothers.However,thoughIintendtoworkharder,IsometimesfeeltherearephysicallimitstohowmuchIcanactuallyachieve.

Facedwiththeselimitations,Icanapplyinvinciblethinking.Ifmyphysicallimitationspreventmefromaccomplishingmore,Ineedtousewisdom.ThatiswhyIconstantlytrytodevisenewwaystoachievemore.Thisissomethingthatyou,too,canapply.Creativity,orinotherwordsinventionanddiscovery,arethevitalelementsofinvinciblethinking.Itistruetosaythatthedevelopmentofourorganizationwasbasedonaseriesofcreativeinventionsanddiscoveries.Wheneverwecameupagainstabrickwallorabottleneck,wedidnotpushrecklesslyahead.Instead,wealwaysthoughtcarefullyaboutthenextstep.

Whatdoesitmean,tobesubjecttophysicallimitations?Inthelightofinvinciblethinking,itsimplymeansthattherearelimitstothesphereofyouractivities,soitisimportanttousewisdom.Whenyoucomeupagainstlimitationsatwork,forexample,firstconsiderwhetherthereissomepartofyourjobthatyoudonothavetodoyourself.Cansomeoneelsedopartofitforyou?Thisisoneapproach.Anotheristotrainotherstodoparticulartasksforyou.Itisquiteusualtohaveotherpeopletakeoverthepartsofajobthatyoucannotdoyourself,andindoingthisfacilitatingtheoveralldevelopmentofthewhole.

ThiswasthewayKonosukeMatsushita(1894–1989),theprominentJapaneseentrepreneurwhofoundedPanasonic,worked.Hedidnotenjoygoodhealthandbecausehewasnotcapableofdoingeverythinghimself,hehadnoalternativebuttoentrustsomeoftheworktoothers.Asaresult,backintheearly1930sheimplementedadivisionalsystem,anautonomousmanagementsystem,forthefirsttimeintheworld.Thissystem,wherethecompanyisdividedupintoa

firsttimeintheworld.Thissystem,wherethecompanyisdividedupintoanumberofdivisionsandeachcorporatedivisionhasitsownadministration,isquiteoftenstudiedinbusinessadministrationtoday.Inthisway,bydelegatingresponsibilitytothemanagerofeachdivision,evenlargecorporationsrunsmoothly.

Ifacorporationoperateswithatopdownsystemofmanagement,whereeverythingisdecidedbythepersonatthetop,itmeansthattheentireoperationislimitedbytheabilitiesofthatoneperson.Oncethepersonatthetophasreachedthelimitsofhisorherabilities,thecorporationcanexpandnofurtheranddevelopmentwillgrindtoahalt.However,withthisdivisionalsystem,theleaderofeachsectionislikethepresidentofasmallcompanyandthecorporationisstructuredlikeaconglomerateofcompanies.ThissystemallowedMatsushitatoachieveresultsthatwouldhavebeenimpossiblealone.

Becauseofhisphysicallimitations,Matsushitacreatedthissystemandnowithasbeenadoptedthroughouttheworld.Thisisaverygoodexampleofinvinciblethinking.Hewasincapableofdoingeverythingonhisownsoheturnedthisintoanadvantage.Asaresult,otherswereofferedtheopportunitytodomoreandinthiswayMatsushitawasabletocreateanefficientworkforce.Ifthepresidentofacorporationdoeseverythinghimself,hisstaffwillnotbegiventheopportunitytodevelop.Matsushitacompletelytrustedhisemployeestofulfilltheresponsibilitieshegavethem,andheletthemgetonwiththejob.Hethoughtthateveryonehadability,andifhegavepeoplefreerein,theyweresuretocreatesomethingwonderful.Thisresultedinthecreationofahugecompany,employinghundredsofthousandsofpeople.

Thesamethinghappenedwhenhecreatedbranchoffices.WhenMatsushitadecidedtocreateanewbranchsomethreehundredmilesfromtheheadoffice,hewasnotabletomanageitdirectly.Hesaidtoayoungmaninhistwenties,“I’msorry,Ican’ttakethetraindowntheretohelpyou,soyouwillhavetocarryonwithoutme.”Thenhesenttheyoungmandowntorunthenewoffice.

Throughexperience,Matsushitacametounderstandthatbytrustingpeopleandleavingthemtogetonwiththingsthemselves,theywoulddevelopintoefficientworkers.Hereisaprecedentyoucanfollow.Youshouldnotletyourownlimitationsrestricttheworkoractivitiesofthewhole.Whatpeopleconsidertobelimitationsaresimplyalackofideas.Peopledonotlacktheabilitytodothework,rathertheylackingenuityandcreativity.

work,rathertheylackingenuityandcreativity.

ThisissomethingIwouldlikeyoutothinkabout.Youmaycurrentlyfeelthatyouareintopform,butthingswillnotstaythiswayforever.Whenthingsdonotseemtobegoingwell,insteadofcarryingoninthesameoldway,youneedtopauseandaskyourselfifthereareotherwaysofgettingroundthesituation.Itisalwaysthecasethatwheneveryoutrytoexpandthescopeofyourwork,youwillnolongerbeabletodoeverythingyourselfsoyouwillneedthehelpofothers.

8.TranscendIndividualLimitation

Agoodideawillgrowonlyifyoucanfindsomeonetoworkwith.Supposeyourjobwassellingfishfromatruckinthestreets.Ifyoufeltcontentdoingjustthis,youwouldprobablyspendyourwholelifesellingfish.

However,ifyouweretoanalyzeyourbusiness,youmightdiscoverwaysofgettingmorepeopletocomeandbuyfromyou.Youmightrealizethatifyouwenttoacertainresidentialareabetweenfourandfiveo’clockintheevening,youwouldhavequiteanumberofcustomers.Comparedtosellinginotherpartsoftown,youcouldearnfivetimesmorethereforthatonehour.Onceyourealizedthesalespotentialofaparticulartimeandplace,itwouldbeonlynaturaltomakeapointofgoingthereeverydaybetweenthosetimes.

Thenyoumightwonderiftherewasanyothertimeofdaywhendemandwashigherandfindalotofpeoplearrivehomeandrealizetheyhaveforgottentobuygroceries.Onceyouhaddiscoveredapotentialdemand,youmightgolookingforasuitablelocationtoopenashopandfindaplacewherepeoplewantedtobuyfishatacertaintimeintheevening.Inthisway,youwouldbeabletoachievemuchhighersalesthanifyoujustdrovearoundinarandomfashion,waitingforpeopletocomeoutandbuyfromyou.

Afterawhile,youwouldbeinapositiontoemployanassistant.Ifthereweretwoofyou,youwouldbeabletosellmorefishinthesameamountoftime.Ifyouwenttoresidentialareaswherepeoplecameingreatnumbers,youwouldnotbeabletokeepup.Youwouldhavetoservecustomers,addupbillsandgivepeopletheirchange.Ifyoumadethemwaittoolong,theywouldstopcomingtoyouandbuytheirfishfromothershopsorthesupermarketinstead.However,ifyouhadanassistant,youcouldconcentrateonservingcustomerswhileyourassistantaddedupthebillsandhandledthemoney.Bydividingyourworkinthisway,youwouldmorethandoubleyourefficiency.

Assalesincreased,youcouldemployevenmorepeople.Uptothispointyoumayhavehadjustonetruckbutthenyouwouldbuyasecondandathird.Astimepassed,youwouldincreasethenumberofpeopleineachtruck,expandingyourbusinessuntilyouhadperhapsfivetrucksworkingforyou.

Workingonyourown,youwouldonlyhavebeenabletobuysmallquantitiesoffisheachdayatthefishmarket.Butasyourbusinessgrew,youwouldbeabletobuyinbulk,meaningyoucouldgetbetterqualityfishatlowerprices.Onyourown,youmayhavebeenbuyingtwentyorthirtymackereladay,butasbusinessexpandedyouwouldbuyonehundred,twohundredorevenfivehundredmackerel,puttingyouinagoodpositiontonegotiatewiththesupplierandbringthepricedown.Thenbecauseyoucouldbuyyoursupplyoffishatalessexpensiverate,youcouldalsosellitatmorecheaply,satisfyingyourcustomers.

Asanorganizationexpands,itcansupportmoreandmoreemployees,andimprovetheserviceitprovides,satisfyingevenmorecustomers.Thebiggeritgets,themorecheaplypeoplecanbuy,andthebetterthequalityoftheproducts.Inthisway,everyoneishappy.Thenapositivecyclebegins,andthingscanonlygetbetter.Companiesthatstartedoutfromnothingandgrewrapidlyoveraperiodoftwentyorthirtyyears,orwhichwerestartedbyacoupleofworkersandgrewtoemploythousands,areusuallyexamplesofbusinessesthatbenefitedfromthispositivecycle.

Itallboilsdowntowhetherornotyoucanspotpotential.Peoplewhoareunabletoimaginevariouspossibilitieswillspendthirtyorfortyyearssellingfishontheirown.Thosewhogivealotofthoughttowhereandwhenitwouldbebesttosetupshop,whattheywouldneedtodotosatisfycustomers,andhowtoservethembetter,willdevelopandbenefitfromapositivecycle.Everythingwillgowellforthesebusinesses.

Thisiswhy,inthesamelineofbusiness,onecompanywilldowellwhileanotherwillnot.Thereisalwaysaplacewherethepathdivides,andtheoutcomewilldependonwhetheryoucanspotanopportunityanddeviseingeniousmethod.Eightytoninetypercentofthosewhoareunabletodevelopsalesarelimitingtheirbusinessactivitiesbecauseoftheirownlimitations.Therearebusinessesthathavebeeninthefamilyforgenerationsandsomeofthemareonlyconcernedaboutmaintainingthestatusquo.Aslongasthisistheirattitude,theirbusinesswillnotdevelop.

theirbusinesswillnotdevelop.

Basicallymoststores,suchascoffeeshops,sandwichbarsandhamburgerrestaurants,sellproductsofroughlythesamequality.Butwhilesomeoftheseshopsdevelopintonationwidechains,othersremainsmalllocalstores.

Therearedefinitereasonsforthesedifferences.Thetruthisthattheshopsthatexpandarethosewherecreativethinkinghasbeenusedtoaccomplishwhatisbeyondthecapacityofjustoneperson.

9.TwoSecretsforAchievingSuccess

WhatIwantedtosayintheprevioussectionisthis:“Youmayfeelrightnowthatyoucannotmoveforwardinlife,butcouldthereasonbesimplythatyouarestrugglingalone?Thereisalimittowhatonepersoncanaccomplishsingle-handedly,soifyoureallywanttosucceedinthisworld,youhavetohaveotherpeopleonyourside,supportingandhelpingyou.”Youneedtohaveasmanypeopleaspossiblewillingtohelp.Essentially,therearetwosecretstosuccess.

1)FindaDemandThefirstsecretisalwaystobeonthelookoutforthingspeoplewant.Youshouldconstantlyhaveyourantennaupsoastobesensitivetowhatpeopleneed.Businessesstartwhereverademandexists.Companiesthatachieverapidgrowthhavealwaysbeenstartedbysomeonewhosensedademand,andsetaboutmeetingthat.

Wherethereisademand,thereisalwaysworktobedone.Ifyouareworkinghardbutfinditdifficulttomakeaprofit,itisprobablybecausethereisnodemandforwhatyouaresupplying.Forinstance,ifyouarerunninganeducationalinstitutionbutnotmanystudentsarecomingandyoufinditincreasinglydifficulttomakeendsmeet,itislikelythatthereisinsufficientdemandandyouarenotprovidingwhatpeoplewant.Thesameistrueinothertypesofbusinesses.Ifyoucannotmakeaprofit,itisprobablybecausetheproductyouaresupplyingdoesnotmeetlocaldemand.

ThereisatraditionalJapanesecake,imagawa-yaki,thathasafillingofsweetbeanpaste,andrecentlyonecakeshopstartedcreatingnewtypeswithcustard,chocolateandavarietyofotherfillings.Asaresult,thecakeshopisdoingextremelywellandmakingquiteaconsiderableprofit.Initsoriginalform,thetraditionalJapanesesweetbeancakeappealedonlytotheelderlyandsmallchildren,butwhentheproprietorstartedmakingcakeswithcreamandchocolatefillings,peopleofotheragegroupsbegantobuythemtoo.Thereasonthecake

fillings,peopleofotheragegroupsbegantobuythemtoo.Thereasonthecakeshophasdonesowellissimplythatitmettheneedsofmanymorepeople.

Thisillustratesthefactthatifthereisademandforacertainproduct,thereisworktobedone.Thisistruewhetheryouareworkingforyourself,foracompany,orathome.Evenathome,youcantryanddiscoveryourfamily’sneeds.Ifthereisademand,thenthereisalwayssomethingworthwhilethatneedsdoing.Thisiswhatyoushouldalwaysbeonthelookoutfor.

2)ThinkaboutFurtherDevelopmentNext,youneedtoconsiderwhetherthisdemandcanbeusedasaspringboardtohelpyouachievefurtherdevelopment.Alwaysthinkofwaystocontinuedevelopingyourbusiness.Ifyoudothis,youwillbesurprisedtodiscoverthattherearealwaysmanypossibilities.

Goingbacktotheexampleoftheshopthatinventedcakeswithcreamandchocolatefillings,aftertheirinitialsuccess,thecakeshopdidnotcreateanymorenewproducts.Theownerwascontentwiththesuccessandstoppedthinkingaboutnewproducts,andtheresultwasalimitonfurtherdevelopment.Theownersaretrappedbytheconfinesoftheirearliersuccessandarenottappingintofurtherbusinesspotential.Nowthattheyhavebecomesuccessful,theymustusethisasaspringboardtoachievegreatersuccess.Itisalwayspossibletoadvancetothenextstage.

10.FinancialStrengthProvidesthePowertoOvercomeDifficulties

Althoughyoumaythinkthatyourworriesaremostlypsychological,surprisinglyseventytoeightypercentofthoseworriescouldbesolvedbyachievingeconomicstability.Icanassureyouthatifyouweretoearntentimesyourpresentincome,eightypercentofyourworrieswoulddisappear.Youwouldbeamazedathowtruethisis.

Supposeafamilycomplainsthattheyalwaysfeeltired.Iftheylookatwhythisis,theanswermaybequitesimple.Thereasonmaybethattheirdailycommutetakessolong.Astheydonothaveagreatdealofmoney,thefamilyboughtahousefarfromthecityandasaresult,theyhavetocommutelongdistanceseveryday.Itishardlysurprisingthattheyfeeltiredallthetime.Ifthefamilyhadsomemoney,theycouldfindmanydifferentsolutions.Theycouldbuyacar,ortheycouldpaysomeonetodrivethemround.Thiskindofproblemcanbesolvedonlywithmoney.Butbecauseofafinanciallack,theybecomeoverwhelmedwithcomplaining.

Again,adifficultsituationmayariseifachildorparentisillbutthistoocouldbesolvedquitesimplybyhiringsomeonetohelp.Anotherworrythatmanyparentsshareisthesensethattheirchildisnotdoingwellatschool,butinsomecasesitissimplythatthechildrenarenotreceivingagoodeducation.Iftheyhadmoremoney,theycouldputtheirchildrenthroughtopnotchschools,butbecausetheyareunabletodothistheirchildrenmaynotbereachingtheiracademicpotential.Iftheyhadmoremoney,theirsonsanddaughterswouldbeabletogotobetterschools.

Inlightofthis,weseethatthecauseofmostdomesticproblemsisfinancial;thishasbeenparticularlytrueinrecentyears.Soinsteadofsimplyworrying,youneedtomakeanefforttofindalternativesandsolutionstoyourpredicament.If

needtomakeanefforttofindalternativesandsolutionstoyourpredicament.IfyourcareerseemstohavecometoastandstillandyoucanonlyexpectyoursalarytorisewithanincreaseintheGNP,youthenneedeithertolearntobesatisfiedwithwhatyouhave,ortryandfindsomewayofimprovingyourcircumstances.

Supposeyouaremarriedandyourwagesdonotseemlikelytorise;perhapsyouoryourpartnercanfindsomewayofearningasecondaryincome.Maybeoneofyouhassomehiddentalentthatcouldbeputtousetoimprovethesituation.Therearepeoplewhohavewrittenbooksintheirsparetime,andtotheirsurprisehavefoundthatwhattheyhavewrittensellsandbringsmuchmoney.Thereareotherswhodiscovertheyhadsometalenttheydidnotknowtheypossessedorwhohavedevelopedskills,whichasaresulthasbroughtaboutasuddenincreaseinsalary.Thereisnotellingwhatwillleadtoprosperity.

Itisalwaysimportanttoaskyourselfifthereisanywayyoucanopenupanewpathbeforeyou.Trynottoseeyourpresentdifficultiesasinsurmountable;rather,alwaysbeonthelookoutforachancetogetahead,andforingeniousmethodsofovercomingdifficulties.Youshouldnotletyourselfbesweptawaybythetidesofadversity,norshouldyoujustcomplainaboutyoursituation.Insteadtrytoacceptadversityanduseitasaspringboardtofindwaysofmovingforwardandmakingfurtherprogress.

11.DiscovertheInvincibleSelf

Isitpossiblethatyouareputtinglimitsonyourownabilities?Areyouallowingyourselftobecontrolledbythepast?Areyouholdingontofixedideasorassumptionsaboutyourself?Ifthisisthecase,unfortunatelyyouwillenduplivingyourentirelifeaccordingtothosefixedideas.Peoplewhoputlimitsonthemselveswillneverbecomemorethantheythinktheyare.Itisimportantalwaystobelievethatyouhavethepotentialtodobetterthanyouarenow.AsIhaveexplainedoverandover,ateveryopportunity,thepowerofthewillisverysignificant.“Youarewhatyouthink,”isaneternaltruth,soitisimportantthatyoumakeincreasinguseofthepowerofthewillfromnowon.

ThereisonefacetinparticularofthepowerofthewillthatIwouldliketoconsider.Ihavetalkedaboutfinancialstability,andIhavesaidthatwhenyouarefacedwithaproblemthatstemsfromlackofmoney,youshouldmakeanefforttoovercomeit.However,anotherproblemthatseemstotroublealotofpeopleisaninferioritycomplexconnectedtoeducationalachievementsoreducationalbackground.

Perhapsthisistroublingyourightnow.Thefactthatyouwereunabletogoontoaparticularhighschooloruniversitydecadesagomaybepreyingonyourmind;perhapsyouhavelivedyourwholelifeinitsshadow.Therearemanypeoplestillworryingabouttheireducationalbackgroundtwentyorthirtyyearson.However,ifyoustillhaveaninferioritycomplexaftertwentyorthirtyyears,itisonlynaturalforotherstoconsideryoureducationalbackgroundunsatisfactorybecauseyouyourselfcontinuetoregarditassuch.

Therearemanypeopleinthisworldwhohavemanagedtomakeasuccessoftheirlivesdespitethefacttheydidnotreceiveanyformaleducationaftergraduatingfromjuniorhighschool.Iamsuretheydidnotsaytothemselves,“IdidnotmanagetogotoseniorhighschoolbecauseIamnotsmartenough,soIcanonlydomenialjobs.”InonemajorJapaneseglobaltradingcompany,there

canonlydomenialjobs.”InonemajorJapaneseglobaltradingcompany,therewasamanwhodidnotgotoseniorhighschoolandneverthelessfinallybecamevice-presidentofthecompany,responsibleforallfinances.Hemanagedtoachievethispositiondespitealackofformaleducation,whichindicatesthathemusthavemadetwoorthreetimesmoreeffortthananyoneelsetomakeupforhislackofknowledge.

Therearealsoalotofpeoplewhosufferaninferioritycomplexbecausetheywereunabletokeepupwiththeiruniversitystudies.Itisquitecommonforpeopletodaytohaveacomplexabouttheirlackofintellectualability.However,ifsomethingthathappenedyearsagoisyouronlyexcuseforfailingnow,thenyoucannotcomplainthatyouhavebeentreatedunfairly.Itiswhatyouhavebeenabletodoandwhatyouhaveachievedsincethenwhichisimportant.

Mostpeoplestudyforanaverageoffouryearsatuniversity,andnomatterhowhardtheyworkwhiletheyarethere,theamounttheycanlearninsuchashorttimeisquitelimited.Evenifyoufindlearningdifficult,ifyoustudyfortenyears,youwillbeabletomasterwhatsomeoneelselearnedinfour.Ifyoucannotgraspitcompletelyintenyears,thensurelyyoucanmanageitintwenty.Nomatterhowdifficultyoufindlearning,ifyoucontinuetomakeaneffortfortwentyyears,youwillcertainlybeabletomasteranysubject.

Sowhatisimportantishowyouhavelivedsinceyoucompletedyoureducation,andwhetheryouhaveachievedthesortofresultsthatwillimbueyouwithconfidence.Inthemajorityofcases,peopletendtousealackofeducationasanexcuse.However,Imustpointoutthattheirweaknessisnottheirinadequateeducation,butthefactthattheirthinkingremainsstuckinthepast.

Ifyouarereallyupsetandfeelyoureducationwasinadequate,itisveryimportanttomakeanefforttocompensateforit,andtoputinthetimetodothis.Inmostcases,ifyouspendthreetimesaslongasothers,youshouldbeabletoachieveyourgoal.Ifsomeoneelsecanaccomplishsomethingintwoorthreeyears,thenthereisabsolutelynoreasonwhyyoushouldnotbeabletoaccomplishitinten.Whatpreventsyoufromaccomplishingthisisyourlackofeffortandconviction.

Everyonesuffersfromsomesortofinferioritycomplex.Ifyouliveyourlifeconsumedbyyourowninadequacies,theninevitablyotherswillconsideryoumerelysomeonewhosuffersfromsomesortofinferioritycomplex.Onlywhen

merelysomeonewhosuffersfromsomesortofinferioritycomplex.Onlywhenyoumakesufficientefforttoovercomefeelingsofinferioritycanyoufinallycastthemoff.Ihopeyouwillnotusethesesortsoffeelingsasanexcuse.

Peoplewholackformaleducationshareonecharacteristic;theyhavedifficultymakinggeneralizationsandgraspinganoverallpicture.Youmaywonderwhythisis.Thereasonisthataftertheyleaveschool,theyworkinonespecializedjob,ortheyexperienceonlyonefieldofwork.Inmanycases,theyhaveonlythoughtabouttheirspecialty.Becausetheyhavenothadtheopportunitytobeexposedtoabasicgeneraleducation,theyhavedifficultyseeingthebroaderperspective.Justasthebranchesofatreecannotgrowwithoutthetrunk,theyareunabletobroadentheirperspectivebecausetheyhavenotreceivedabasiceducation.Thisistheirweakness.

Ifyouareworriedthatyourweaknessliesinintelligence,firstlydonotcomplainthatyourabilitiesarelimited.Instead,trytomakeanefforttolearn,toadoptawiderperspective,andtoachievesomeunderstandingofawiderangeoftopics.Onceyouhavemanagedtodothis,youwillfindthereisnolongeranyneedtosufferthisinferioritycomplex.

AtHappyScience,wehaveopportunitiestolearntheTruththroughLevelSeminarsthatconsistsofthreedifferentlevelsoftests,andtheresultsofthesetestsdonotalwaysreflectaperson’sacademicbackground.Therearealotofpeoplewhohavestudiedhardatschoolbutwho,astimegoeson,becomelessdiscerning.Ontheotherhand,therearemanywhoatfirstdonotseemsobright,butlaterprovetobequitesharp.Thesepeoplearenotawareofhowtheyhavechangedinthetenortwentyyearssincetheygraduated.Buttheresultspeopleproducerevealhowtheyhavetrainedthemselvesintellectuallysincegraduatingfromschool.

Isincerelyhopethatyouarenotlimitingyourself,andItrulybelievethatyoubecomewhatyouthinkyouare.Integratethisintoyourlifetodayandmanifestyourthoughtsbymakingthenecessaryeffort.Progresssteadily,onestepatatime,asifyouwereclimbingstepsortherungsofaladderoneatatime.Asyoucontinuedoingthis,Iguaranteethatapathwillopenupbeforeyou,andyouwilldiscovertheselfthatisalwaysvictoriousandinvincible.

PARTTWOREVOLUTIONIZINGYOUR

PERSPECTIVE

1.TheImportanceofCreatingNewIdeas

Inthischapter,Iwouldliketotalkabouttheimportanceofthewayinwhichwethink.Youmayhavereadotherreligiousbooksinthepastandnoticedthatthemajorityofthemtendtofocusonthedualityofgoodandevil,thegoodheartandtheevilheart,goodthoughtsandevilthoughts,goodactionsandevilactions,andsoforth.Religionsallsharethispropensityforduality,andwhentheyspeakofhumanbeingstheydividethemintogoodandbad,withtheteachingthatwhentheydietheywillgoeithertoheavenorhell.

People,particularlythoseinterestedinspiritualmatters,quicklyperceivethedifferencebetweengoodandevilandsotheytendtothinkinadualisticway.Asaresult,theyhaveatendencytodivideeverythingintoblackandwhite.Somedonotfeelsecureunlesstheycategorizewhatisaroundthem,includingpeopleandcircumstances,asgoodorevil.Regrettably,whenyoulookattheworldinthisway,thereisthepossibilityofdismissingthingsthatholdgreatpotential.Thisisquitealoss.

Letusimagine,forexample,thatbeingsfromouterspacecametoEarthintheirflyingsaucerandlandedinacountryinthemiddleofarainyseason.Perhapstheywouldstepoutoftheirspaceshipandthinktothemselves,“Well,wehavecomeallthiswayyetitdoesnothingbutrainonthisplanet.Thereisnothinghereforussolet’sleaveasquicklyaspossible.”Dissatisfiedwiththeplanet,theydepartwithoutasecondthought.Theyhaveleftnoroomforpossibilities,fordiscoveringEarth’spotentialorwhattheycoulddoonit.

However,despitethefactthatitdoesattimesrainonEarth,therearealsodayswhicharebeautifulandsunny.Thequestioniswhetherthebeingsfromouterspaceareawareofthis.Iftheyweretoexperienceagloriousspringday,theywouldthinkthisplanetwasnotsobadandthatitmightbeagoodplacetolive.Butiftheyarrivedonadaywhenitwaspouringwithrainandstraightawayassumedthattheplanetwasnotagoodplacetobe,thenallfurtherpossibilities

assumedthattheplanetwasnotagoodplacetobe,thenallfurtherpossibilitieswouldendrightthere.

Withtheirpreconceivedideas,theywoulddenyallfurtherpotentialandflyawayintheirspacecraft,onceagaintravelingthroughspace,lookingforsomewhereelsetoland.Thiswouldtakealotmoreeffort.HadtheyremainedonEarthatleastamonth,therainyseasonwouldhavecometoanend.Butunabletowaitthatlong,theyleavetocontinuetravelingthroughspaceformanymoreyears.Thiskindofattitudecreatesworryunnecessarily.

Iamusingbeingsfromouterspaceasanexample,butIamsurethatyoudothesamething.Ifyouaremarried,forinstance,haveyoueverthoughtthatyouwouldbehappierifyouhadmarriedsomeoneelse?Answerthishonestly.Isupposeatleastfiftypercentofthosewhoaremarriedthink,“ifonlymywifeweresomeoneelse,”or“ifonlyIhadchosenadifferenthusband.”AlthoughIsaidmorethanfiftypercent,perhapsthenumberofpeoplewhothinklikethiscouldeasilybeeightyorninetypercentofallcouples.

Theyknowthattheyshouldnotthinkthisway,butsomewhereintheirheartstheyfeelthatifonlytheycouldchangepartners,orifonlytheyhadrealizedearlierwhattheyweregettingthemselvesintotheycouldhaveenjoyedacompletelydifferentlife.Theycarryonthinkinglikethisfordecades,butitdoesnogoodwhatsoever.Althoughtheymaynotrealizeit,theirthinkingisexactlythesameasthebeingsfromouterspacewholandedonEarthinthemiddleoftherainyseason.

Whatisimportantinthissituationistochangeyouroutlook;inotherwords,adoptanewwayofthinking.Alwaysaskyourselfifthereissomeotherwayofseeingasituation.Anotherimportantpointistobewillingtomaketheefforttodevisenewwaysofimprovingasituation.Itisveryimportanttopracticedoingthis.

2.FindaThirdAlternative

Theconceptof“revolutionizingyourperspective”maysoundverydifficult,butallitreallymeansistofindanewwayofdoingthings.Thisframeworkcanbeappliedtopeopleinallwalksoflife.

LetmetellyouhowIapplythis.Overthelastfewyears,therehasbeenatremendousincreaseinthenumberoftimesIhavestoodinfrontofalargeaudiencetospeak.Atthesametime,Ihavebeenwritingbooks.Authorsgenerallyfindithardtowriteiftheyhavetoleavetheirwritingspaceoften.Thisistrueofallwritersforthesimplereasonthattheycannotfindthetimetodevotetowriting.Togetaroundthis,theywilloftenmovetothemountainsortravelsomewheresothattheycanhideordisappear;thentheycanapplythemselvestotheirwork.Unlesstheycutdownonsocialobligations,theyareunabletowrite.

Thisofcourseappliesasmuchtomeastoanyoneelse.Iwasfacedwiththedilemmaofwhethertogivelecturesortosettledowntowriting.However,therewasanotherwaytolookatthesituation;thatwastoaskmyselfwhetherthesetwoactivitieswerereallyatoddswithoneanother,orwhethertheywereinfactcompatible.ThenIrealizedtherewasawaytoachieveboth.

YouwillunderstandhowImanagedthiswhenItellyouthatIoftencompileaseriesoflecturesandmakeabookoutofthem.Thisbook,InvincibleThinking,isbasedonaseriesoffourlecturesthatIgave.Ideliverlecturesonceeverytwoorthreeweeks,andspeakforapproximatelyanhourandtwentyminuteseachtime.Afterward,theselecturescanbecollectedtomakeabook.Usingthistechnique,Iamabletoproducebookswithouthavingtolockmyselfawayinaroomtowrite.Thisisoneideaforsolvingthisdilemma.

Youmaywonderifallauthorsproducebooksinthisway;theydonot.Thereasonisthatspokenandwrittenlanguagearenotthesame,soitisnotsufficientjusttotranscribeatalkandputitontopaper.Authorsliketouseaproperwritten

justtotranscribeatalkandputitontopaper.Authorsliketouseaproperwrittenstylesotheyarequitespecificabouttheirchoiceofadjectives,conjunctionsandclosingsentences.Aslongastheyareconcernedaboutthesekindsofthings,theywillneverbeabletotransferthespokenwordontopapersotheywillnotcompiletheirlecturestocreateabook.

However,thereisalsoawayoflettinggo,tryingtodothebestyoucanwithspokenlanguage,andgivingupyourattachmenttothewrittenstyle.Thereisabsolutelynoreasonwhyabookhastobewritteninaperfectliterarystyleinthefirstplace,aslongasreadersareabletolearnsomethingfromwhattheyread.Aslongasthecontentsaretransmittedtothereaderinaneasy-to-readfashion,surelythisissufficient.Withpractice,itisquitepossibletocreateagoodbookinthisway,andtheonlyreasonpeoplethinkitisnotpossibleisthattheyadheretoanexcessivelyliterarystyle.Iftheyarewillingtoletgoofthis,thereisnoreasonwhypublicspeakingandwritingcannotbecompatible.

Ofcourse,therehastobeacertainamountofingenuity.Ifasinglelectureistobecomethechapterofabook,forinstance,Ihavetohaveenoughcontenttobeabletotalkforoneandahalfhours.LetmeexplainhowIgoaboutensuringthis.Asaresultofmypasttraining,IamabletoreadthroughabookmarkingacoupleoflinesfromeachpagewitharedpenandmemorizingallthepassagesIhavemarked.WhileIdonotrememberthebulkofthetext,theessenceofabookstaysinmymindtoberecalledatwill.Thisisthewaymymemoryworks.

Havingtrainedmyselftodothis,IamalsoabletoaddredlinesmentallywhileItalk.BythisImeanthatIcantellwhichpartsofmyspeechpeoplewillwanttomarkinredafterithasbeentranscribedintobookform.Ifthereareapproximatelytwolineslikethisoneverypage,itwillbecomeabookworthreading.Quitesimply,iftherearetwolinesworthrememberingoneachpage,itwillmakeagoodbookandreaderswillnotfeelthattheyhavewastedtheirtime.Thisskillcanbedevelopedwithtraining.

ThisishowIhaverevolutionizedmyperspectiveinmyowncareer.AlthoughyouarenotinthesamepositionasIamandyoudonothavethesameopportunities,thisisaphilosophythatyoualsocanuseinyourlife.Ifyoulookintoyourheart,doyoufindtwoimpulsesthatcontradicteachother?

Supposetherearetwooptions,AandB.IfyoudecidetodoA,optionBhasto

Supposetherearetwooptions,AandB.IfyoudecidetodoA,optionBhastobeputaside.YetifyouchooseB,optionAwillhavetobegivenup.Everyonefacesthesekindsofdilemmasandtheycancausealotofanxiety.Forinstance,letussaythatyouwishtogotoaseminaratourorganizationbutifyougo,yourpartnerwillbealittleupsetatbeingleftbehind,andthismaycausedisharmonyathome.Ifyoudecidenottogo,yourrelationshipwithyourpartnerwillbeharmoniousbutyouwillfeelfrustratedbecauseyoureallywanttogo.Youfindyourselfinmanysituationslikethis;inthiscase,youcouldsimplytakeyourpartnerwithyoutotheseminar,orlookforotheroptionstosolvethedilemma.

Whenyoufindyourselfsufferingasaresultoftwoopposingdesiresorneedslikethis,donotallowyourselftobedriventothepointwhereyouhavetodecidebetweenoneortheother.Tellyourselfthattherehastobeawayofbringingthetwocontradictoryelementstogetherorevenfindingathirdoptionwhichwillallowyoutoavoidtheproblemaltogether.Youjusthavetocontinuethinkingofnewwaystogetaroundtheproblem.Ifyoukeeptryingtofindnewwaysofovercomingthedifficulty,apathissuretoopenupbeforeyou.

Themoreyoupractice,themorenewwaysyouwillcomeupwithtofreeyourselffromadilemma.Thiskindofmentalexerciseisimportantandifyoumakeahabitofthinkinglikethis,youwillfindthatthechancesofcomingupwithagoodideaincreasedramatically.Youwillachieveacertainlevelofskillatdoingthis.

Onceyouhavethisability,youwillfindthatwheneveryouarefacedwithaproblem,youwillbeabletosaytoyourself,“Well,theproblemliesinthisandthis.Therearetwocontradictorypossibilities,butifImanagethisprobleminsuchandsuchaway,thingsshouldturnoutOK.Ifthatdoesnotwork,thenIcantryanotheroption.”Inthisway,youwillbeabletocomeupwithasolutioninamatterofseconds,andyouwillhavenomoreproblems;onlytheexpectationofpotentialsolutionswillremain.Ifyourfirstsolutiondoesnotpanout,thenyoucanfallbackonthesecondpossiblesolution,thenthethird.Withtheseinhand,youwillbeleftwithabsolutelynothingtoworryabout.

Ifyoudothismentalexercise,youwillnolongerseeproblemssimplyasaquestionofchoosingbetweenagoodandabadoutcome;youwillrealizethateveryproblemyouface,bothinyourenvironmentandinyourrelationshipswiththosearoundyou,canbesolvedbyfindingadifferentapproach.Itisaveryinterestingexperience.

interestingexperience.

3.ThinkintheOppositeWaytoCreatePositiveness

Whileweareonthesubjectofmentalexercises,Iwouldliketoconsiderefficiencyatwork.Althoughyouprobablyworkveryhardatyourjob,youmaysometimesfeelasifyouareneverabletocatchupwithallyourwork.Forthemostpart,peoplewhofeelthiswayhavesimplybecomeslavesofhabit,andtheirefficiencyatworkhasusuallybecomeextremelylow.

Thiskindofpersondoesnotknowhowtositbackandenjoylife,andusuallydoesnotevertakeasummerholiday.Insomepartsoftheworld,thiswillstrikeachord.Iamsurethattherearepeoplewhohavetoworkrightthroughtheirholidays,whothinkthatiftheyweretotakesomuchasasingledayoff,someoneelsewouldhavetodotheirjobforthem,whichwouldnotbefair.Withthissortofattitude,itishardlysurprisingsomeofthesepeopledecidenottotakeholidays.Theytellotherstogoaheadandtakeaholiday,buttheyfeelitisimpossiblefortheythemselvestodoso.Thisgraduallyfestersintheirmindsuntilitbecomesaformofself-punishment.Thesepeopleevenendupofferingtodootherpeople’sworkforthemandthensuffer;asaresulttheybecomeevenlessefficientintheirownjobs.

Considerwhatwouldhappeninthissituationifyouwerejusttogoaheadandtakeaholiday.Evenincompanieswhereathree-dayholidayisconsideredtheabsolutemaximumandtakinganymorewouldleadtoaseriousdispute,stillthinkabouttakingawholeweekoff.Ifyoudoenduptakingaweek’svacation,thefirstthingthatspringstomindwillbehowtheworkyoudoeverydaywillpileuponyourdesk,makinglifedifficultforbothyourcolleaguesandclients.

Thenextthingyouwillthinkaboutiswhatotherswillthinkofyou.Thisisprobablythemainreasonyoudonotwanttotakeanytimeoff.Youdonotwanttobethoughtofaslazyorassomeonewhoonlyeverthinksofthemselves.Thereagain,youmayimagineotherswillsecretlycomplainthattheyhavetodoyourworkontopoftheirownsoyouwilldecidethatyoucannottakeanytime

yourworkontopoftheirownsoyouwilldecidethatyoucannottakeanytimeoff.Iimaginethisisthemainreasonthesesortsofpeopledonottakeholidays.Intheend,theygiveintothemajorityandsettleforjustatwo-dayholiday.

However,thereisanotherwayofthinking.Ifyouareinthissituation,askyourselfiftheremightbesomewayyoucantakeaholidaywithoutputtingyourcolleaguestoextratrouble,andstillbenefityourself.Youmayfinditisinfactpossible.Forinstance,ifyouwanttotakeaholidayinAugust,aimtofinishalltheworkthatyouareresponsibleforbeforethat.

Ifyoumaketheeffort,youwillfindthisisquitepossible.Pushyourselfuntilyouareinapositionwhereyouhavenoworklefttodo.Carryonuntilyoucanlookaroundandsay,“Work?Ihaven’tgotany.Iamfinishedupuntiltheendoftheyear.”

Toachievethis,youwillhavetoworkextremelyefficientlyforthenextmonth.AlthoughitwouldbeenoughtofinishallyourworkbyAugust,youmusttrytoclearyourdeskbeforethis.Evenifyoudoallyourworkaheadoftime,thereisstillthechancethatonyourreturnfromholidayyouwillcomeinforcriticismfromjealouscolleagues,soyoushouldmaketheefforttofinishallofSeptember’sworkaswell.Thismeansyouhavetodoanawfullotofworkinadvance.

Onceyouhavemanagedthis,youwillrealizethatalthoughyouthoughtyouwerebusyeverydayandhadenoughworktolastyouforseveralmonths,youwereinfactmistaken.Thetruthisthatunconsciously,youwerescaredyouwouldrunoutofthingstodoifyouworkedtoohard,soyoualwaysputacertainamountofworkasidejustincase.Youwereworriedthattheremightnotbeenoughtokeepyoubusyeachdaysoyouaverageditouttomakeitlast.However,ifyouputyourmindtoit,itisquitepossibletofinishitallaheadoftime.

Somepeoplehaveaguiltyconscienceiftheygoonvacation,buttheyshouldusethesefeelingsofguiltasanincentivetoworkevenharder.Ifyouworrythatyoumightbeostracizedbyyourcolleagueswhenyoureturn,youshouldsimplyworkalltheharder.Thennotonlywillyoubeabletofinishallyourworkuptotheendoftheyear,butyouwillalsobeabletoclearyourdeskuntilMarchofthefollowingyear.Onceyouhaveaccomplishedallthis,youneedhavenofearofwhatanyoneelsemightsayaboutyou.Sodependingonyourattitude,what

ofwhatanyoneelsemightsayaboutyou.Sodependingonyourattitude,whatyouhadconsideredanobstaclecanbeusedasaspringboardtospuryouontogreaterthings.

Anotherproblemwithtakingaholidayisthatyoumayfeelyourcolleagueswillhavetroubledoingtheirworkifyouarenotthere,butyoushouldusethisasanopportunitytomakeitquiteclearexactlywhatyourjobinvolves.Youareprobablyusuallyabletocopewithyourworkinyourownwaywithoutgivingothersmuchthought,butifyouarenotgoingtobethere,youwillneedtobeabletogiveothersaclearideaofwhatyoudo.Ifsomeoneelsehastotakeyourcallsanddoyourwork,theyneedtobeabletoproceedasifyouwerethere.

Toachievethis,youneedtocreateamanualthatexplainseverythinginaclearandconciseway.Beabletosay,“Pleasemanagethissituationinthisway,”sothatotherpeoplecantellataglancewhattheyneedtodotocoverforyou.Sobeforeyouleaveforyourvacation,listeverythingandsay,“Atthemoment,wehavetheseproblems,pleasegoaboutsolvingtheminthisway.Ifyoureceiveaphonecallfromso-and-so,saythefollowing.”Inthisway,everythingisclearandyoucanleaveforyourholiday.

However,ifyouwerenottobotherwithanyofthis,andjustwentoffonholidaywithoutanypreparations,sayingtoyourcolleagues,“Oh!I’mofffromtomorrow!Seeyou!”thenitisonlytobeexpectedthatyourcolleagueswouldbeangry.Iftheyreceivedaphonecallfromoneofyourclientsdemandingananswertosomethingyouhadnotinformedthemaboutbeforehand,youcouldhardlyblamethemforbearinggrudgeslater.Peoplewouldnolongertrustyou,andyouwouldhaveonlyyourselftoblame.

Youcanseethatsomethingwhichmayappeardetrimentaltoyourworkorirreconcilablewithyourpositioncan,infact,servetoimproveyourefficiencyorevenraisethestandardofyourwork.Nomatterwhatfieldyouworkin,thisalwaysapplies.Ifyouworkinastore,dealingwithcustomeraftercustomerallday,youmaythinkyouaretoobusyandevencomplaintoothersabouthowbusyyouare.Butifyougivethemattersomethought,youwillrealizethatthereallybusyperiodscomeincycles.Youmaythinkyouarerushedoffyourfeettwelvehoursaday,butifyouconsiderthishonestly,youwillrealizethatinfactyoualsoenjoyperiodswhenyoudonothavemuchtodo.Whenyourealizetherearelullsinyourwork,youshoulduseyouringenuityandmakeuseofthem

therearelullsinyourwork,youshoulduseyouringenuityandmakeuseofthemtodosomethingelse.

Peoplewhoworkinacafeteriaorarestaurant,forexample,maythinkthattheyarebusyalldaybutinactualfact,althoughtheyarebusyfromaboutnoontotwoo’clock,thenextbusyperioddoesnotbeginuntilaroundfiveintheevening.Inbetweenthereisalull.Iftheyweretorationalizetheirworkload,itmightbepossibleforthemtotakeabreakforacoupleofhoursintheafternoon.Ofcourse,ifyousuggestthistothem,theywilltellyouthattheyarebusyallafternoonpreparingfortheeveningrush.Perhapstheycouldprepareforeveninginthemorning.Again,theywilltellyouthattheyarebusyinthemorningspreparingforlunchtime,butinactualfactmostofthemhavenevergiventhematteranythought.Theyhavejustacceptedthatthewaytheydothingsistheonlyway,butiftheyweretodomoreatonetime,itwouldleavethemfreetimelaterintheday.

Therearemanysuchexamples,andIwouldlikeyoualltothinkofwaysofgettingarounddifficultsituations.Indoingso,Iwouldlikeyoutofreeyourselffromyourworries,oneatatime.

4.UseFailureasaSpringboard

Inthecourseofyourlife,youwilloftenfacemomentswhenyouhavetomakedecisionsaboutwhethertogoforwardorbackward,takethepathtotherightorthepathtotheleft.Atthesetimes,peoplewhocanonlyrespondinayes-nofashionwillfindthemselvessuckedintowhirlpoolsofdespairandoftentheybecomediscouraged.Insteadoflimitingyourdecisionmakingtoasimpleyesornochoice,Iwouldlikeyoualwaystotrytofindathirdoption.Thisisextremelyimportantandthedifferencebetweenthelivesofthoseabletothinkinthiswayandthosewhoarenotwillbequitemarked.

Theideaofa“battingaverage”thatisusedinbaseballcannotbeappliedexactlytolife,butIcansafelysaythatpeoplewhoalwayssearchforathirdoptionwillhaveatleastathirtypercent“battingaverage.”Or,tousethemetaphorofapercentageofwins,thosewhowinthirtytofortypercentofthetime,inotherwordspeoplewholosemoreoftenthantheywin,willbeabletoincreasetheirwinsbyanotherthirtytofortypercentthroughadoptingthiswayofthinking,eveniftheydonotwinonehundredpercentofthetime.

Althoughthefinalresultsmaynotbewhatyouwerehopingfor,yourthoughtsallthroughthattimewillstandyouingoodsteadforthenextstage.Youmaybedefeatedonthatoccasionandsaytoyourself,“althoughIdidmybesttofindawayoutbyrevolutionizingmyperspective,thingsdidn’tworkoutasIwouldhavewished.”However,theeffortyouhavemadetothinkofallthepossiblealternativesisnotacompletewaste;whenyoufaceadifferentprobleminayear,intwoyearsoreveninfiveyearstime,youwillbeabletofindalternativesolutionsinanothersituation.Thebenefitofthiseffortisthatonceyouhaveclarifiedyourthoughts,youwillbeabletousetheseideasnexttime.

Toexplain“revolutionizingyourperspective”fromanotherangle,itmeansthinkinginawaythatturnseverysituationtoyouradvantage,evenfailure.Itisanattitudewherenomatterwhathappens,youcanalwaysturnitintoan

anattitudewherenomatterwhathappens,youcanalwaysturnitintoanopportunitytotakethenextstepforward.Ifyouexperiencefailure,thinkofhowyoucanuseitasaleverwithwhichtoachievesomethingpositive.Thisisoneaspectofputtingintopracticearevolutioninperspective.Thinkhowyoucanusealltheresourceswithinyourreach.Nothingiseverwasted;youcanmakeuseofeveryeventandsituationthatoccursinyourlife.

Thesameappliestopeople.Therearesomepeopleyoulikeandsomeyoudonot.Whenyouarewithsomeoneyoulike,youwillfeeljoyfulandhappy.When,ontheotherhand,youmeetsomeoneyoudislike,theywillbecomeyourpersonaltutor,becauseyoucanmakeanexhaustivestudy,workingoutwhytheirpersonalityissodisagreeabletoyou.Itisimportanttobegratefultohavetheopportunitytolearnmoreabouthumannature.Tryandfindoutwhytheymakesomanymistakes,whytheircharactersodispleasesyou,whytheysaysuchterriblethings,orwhytheyhavesuchapessimisticviewofeverything.Ifyoustudyeveryfacetoftheirpersonality,youwilllearnagreatdealfromthem.

Thelessonsyoulearnfromstudyingothersbecomeyourpersonalsavings.Donotregardadepositsimplyasthemoneyyouputintoabank.Thelessonsyouhavelearnedandconfirmedforyourself,throughyourownexperiencesandbyobservingothers,arestoredasyourown“deposit”whichcanlaterbereferredtoastheoccasionrequires.Peoplewitharichsupplyofthese“deposits”willbesuccessfulinlife.Icannotstresstheimportanceofthisattitudeenough.

5.ThereIsNoWasteintheWorldCreatedbyGod

OnemorepointIwouldliketomakeisthatrevolutionizingyourperspectiveisnotconfinedsolelytoindividualconcerns.Althoughtheideaiscloselyconnectedtoself-realization,itisnotawayofthinkingsimplytohelpyouachievepersonalambitionsormakeyourlifeeasier.ThisissomethingIwouldlikeyoutoknowattheoutset.

ThebasisofthisthinkingistheideathatthereisabsolutelynothinginthisworldthatGodcreatedthatisnotofuse.Livingashumanbeingsinthisworld,peoplemoan,complain,havemanydifferentdesiresandthinkofthisworldasadifficultplacetolive.Somepeopleevenfeeltheycannottrustanyonetheymeet.However,revolutionizingyourperspectiveisbasedonthebeliefthatthesekindsofnegativeviewscannotbetrue.Unlessyouadoptthisasyourpremise,youcannotrevolutionizeyourperspective.

ThisworldwascreatedbyGodandHecreateditwiththebestofintentions.Heintendedittobeamarvelousplace,good,beautifulandpure,otherwiseHewouldnothavecreateditatall.Itistruethatpeopleoftenseemtobefacedwithproblems,andtheymustconfrontwhatintheireyesseemsevil.ButthiswasnotGod’sintention.

Inmybooks,youwillreadthattheworldweinhabitdidnotappearbyaccident;itisGod’screation.YouwillalsolearnthatitwascreatedbythegreatandholywillofGod.Ifthisisso,whyshouldyouexperiencediscomfortorpainwhileyouliveinit?Probablybecauseyoudonotbelievethattheworldwascreatedwiththebestofintentionstobeginwith.YoumaynothaveunderstoodthatGodcreateditbelievingittobeagoodandwonderfulplace.Youmaybesufferingbecauseyoumisunderstandthistruth,orbecauseyourperceptionsaredistorted.

Whenyouseetheworldinthislight,yourthinkingwillchange.Youwillrealizethatuptonow,youhaveputyourselfinapositionofjudgingtheworldand

thatuptonow,youhaveputyourselfinapositionofjudgingtheworldandcriticizingotherpeople.Perhapsyouhaveblamedfateandpassedjudgmentonallsortsofthingsaroundyou,categorizingthemaseithergoodorevilandconcludedthatthereismorethatharmsthanhelpsyou.Asaresult,youmayhavecometobelievethattheworldisadarkandevilplace.However,gobacktothestartingpoint:ThisistheworldGodcreated.TobelievethatthisworldcreatedbyGodisawonderfulplaceistheverybeginningofeverything.Itisonlyyourwrongunderstandingandyourdistortedviewsthatpreventyoufromthinkinginthisway.

Onceyouareabletothinklikethis,youwillstarttoaskwhetheryourwayoflookingatlifeandyourattitudescouldbemistaken.Perhapsyouthinkthatotherpeoplearenotgoodorthattherearealotofuntrustworthypeopleinthisworld,butyouwillstarttofeelthatthiskindofthinkingiswrong.Ifthebasicpremiseisthattheworldhasbeencreatedonafoundationofgoodness,thenanattitudeofblamingwhatisaroundyouismistaken.

Themainproblemliesinincorrectperceptionoftheworldthatyouliveinandwhatyouhavebeengiven.Everythingthatexistsishereforyouasnourishment,toenrichyoursoul.Onceyouadoptthiswayofthinking,youwillunderstandthatnothinginthisworldisawaste.

6.ConfrontYourKarmawithaPositiveAttitude

ThebasicpremisethattheworldyouliveinwascreatedbyGodleadstothenextpremise,whichyoumayhavealreadyheardabout,thelawofreincarnation.Ifyouaccepttheideathatallhumanbeingsincarnateinthisworldrepeatedlytofurthertheirspiritualgrowth,thenyouareabletointerpretyourcurrentsituation,whichyoumayseeasanordeal,differently.Ifyoubaseyourthinkingonthefactthatyouhaveeternallife,andarebornagainandagainonearth,thenyouwillhaveacompletelynewperspective.

Youwillrealizethattheproblemsyoufacerightnowrevealwhatkindofchallengesyouhavetoovercomeinthislife.Lifeislikeaworkbookofproblemstobesolvedandwhatiscausingyousufferingrightnow,especiallythedeepestsuffering,isshowingyouthelifeissuesthatyouhavebeengiven.Soevenifyoufeelthatyouarebeingsweptawayinawhirlpoolofsuffering,itactuallymeansthatrightnowyouarefacingoneofthemostimportantissuesinyourlife,andyouarecurrentlyexperiencingacrucialtimeforyourspiritualgrowth.Thisisanexcitingtimeforyou.

Youhaveatlastenteredtheringforthematch.Uptonowyoumayhavespentalongtimeintraining,shadowboxingwithanimaginaryopponent,butthattimeisnowoverandthematchisabouttobegin.Whentherefereeshoutsforthefighterintheredcorner,itistimeforyoutotakeoffyourgownandenterthering.Onceyouareinthering,youmaythinktoyourselfsomethinglike,“I’vegottogotothebathroom,”butitistoolateforthat.Onceyouhavebeencalled,youmusttakeyourplaceintheringandfight.

Ifyouareinthethickofsomedifficultyrightnow,itmeansthatafterpracticingforthistitlematchforamonth,twomonths,maybeevensixmonths,youhavefinallyenteredthering.Thisisthemomentyouwerebornintothisworldfor;infact,evenbeforeyouwerebornyoumayhavespentdecadesorevencenturiesintheotherworldpreparingforthismoment.Onlywhenyoufeltstrongenough

theotherworldpreparingforthismoment.OnlywhenyoufeltstrongenoughdidyoudecidetocomedowntoEarthandmeetthischallenge.Youmayhavespentcenturies,orinsomecases,muchlongerbuildinguptothistime.Youhavedevotedsomuchtimetotrainingforthebigmatch.

Soafteryouhaveenteredthering,itistoolatetostartmakingexcuses.Onceyouareinthere,youknowwhatyouhavetodo.Youhaveanopponentinfrontofyousodonotworryaboutanythingelse;youhavenochoicebuttoknocktheopponentout.Ifyouropponentwereaperson,hemighthitbackandthiscouldbeverypainful.Butwhatyouarefacedwithisnotahumanbeing.Whatyouseeasaninsurmountableproblemisinfactnothingmorethanamirage.Itissimplyyourownkarmaappearingbeforeyouintheformofsomeproblemorworry.Whatyouarefightingintheringisnotanotherperson;itisabattlebetweenyouandyourkarma,andyouhavetowinthismatchatallcosts.Thisisthepurposeofyourpresentincarnation.

Thisissimplyexplaining“revolutionizingyourperspective”fromadifferentangle.Itisawayofexplainingthisideafromthestandpointofcourageandenthusiasm.Forinstance,ifyouthinkofyourselfasclimbingintothering,youcannothelpbutfeelencouraged.Afterall,thisisthefightyouhavetrainedforalltheseyears.Sowhyisitthatnow,whenthecrucialmomenthascome,youarestillmakingexcuses,sayingthingslike“Ican’thelpitifI’mnotveryintelligent,”or“It’sallbecauseofmycircumstances,”“Blameitonmyparents,”“Itwasmybrother’sfault,”or“IcannotsucceedbecauseIampoor.”

Youareinthering,youhavecomeoutoftheredcorner,touchedgloveswithyouropponentinthebluecornerandnowyouareglaringateachother.Makingexcusesistheequivalentofsomeoneinthatpositionsaying,“Well,actually,Ihaven’tdoneanytrainingrecently.Mylegsarealittlestiffandmybackhasbeensoresinceyesterday.MyshoulderisallswollenandIcanhardlywalk.AndI’vegotnomuscles,see?Idon’thaveanyfightingspiriteither.It’sallmytrainer’sfaultthatIhaven’tdoneanytraining.Wellyouknow,whenIthinkaboutit,itmakesnodifferencetomewhetherIwinorlosethismatchanyway.Anyhow,everyonethinksthatIamgoingtolose...”Ifyouheardthisfromanopponent,youwouldthinkthatthispersonwasweakandgivehimagoodpunchintheface!

Thiskindofattitudeisnogood.Onceyouareinthering,youhavetohideyourweaknessesandgiveityourbestshot.Themomentyoufindyourselffaceto

weaknessesandgiveityourbestshot.Themomentyoufindyourselffacetofacewithyourkarma,youhavetobedeterminedtoputonabravefaceandgoforit.Evenifyouareatadisadvantage,donotshowit.Donotletyouropponentknowhehasachance.Thoughyoumayonlyweighahundredandfortypounds,youmuststickoutyourchestandbehaveasifyouweighedmore,tomakeyouropponentafraidyouwillknockhimout.Youalwaysneedtothinkpositively.

7.PeopleAssessYouDifferently

Manypeoplehaveaninferioritycomplexabouttheirbody.Veryfewthinkthattheyhaveaperfectbody.Inactualfact,notmanypeoplehaveaflawlessphysique,sothereislittlepointworryingaboutyourphysicalshortcomings.

Ifyouweretolistallthethingsthatworryyou,howmanyworriesdoyouthinkyoucouldcomeupwith?Iamsureyourconcernswouldbeaboutbothyourphysiqueandyourcharacter,butinmostcasesyouprobablycouldnotcomeupwithmorethantwenty,orthirtyatmost.Youwouldhavetobeageniustocomeupwithoneortwohundred.Ifyoucanreallythinkofonehundredworriesthathavetodowithyourphysique,andahundredmoreworriestodowithmentalandspiritualshortcomings,thatisveryimpressive.However,youneedtoascertainwhether,inactualfact,youreallydoworryaboutthemall.

Manyofthethingsyoumaybelievearenegativefactorsinyourlifeareactuallyquitetheopposite,andthisissomethingIwouldlikeyoutoconsiderverycarefully.Areyousurethatthethingsyouareworryingaboutdonothavesomepositiveaspect?Ifyouareabletoseethepositiveside,makeaneffortanddevelopit.

8.PlantoLivetoOneHundredandTwenty

Anumberofpeopleworrythattheyarenotcleverenough,notsufficientlyintelligent.Havingbecomeawarethattheylackknowledge,iftheysimplyconcludethattheyarenogood,therewillbenochanceofthemchangingthemselves.Sometimesitisimportanttoteachpeoplewheretheirlimitslie,butthentheyshouldsaytothemselves“thatiswhyitisworthmakinganeffort.”Ifyoufeelalackofintellectualability,youcanstudycontinuouslyandthiscanbecomeanenjoyableendeavor.Nomatterhowlongyoustudyfor,youwillneverrunoutofnewmaterial.Thisisonewayofapproachingtheproblem.

Ihavealreadywrittenwelloveronehundredbooks—somepeopleareabletoreadfastandgraspthecontentsquickly.Fromadifferentperspective,Ifeelsorryforthem,becausetheirenjoymentisoverinsuchashorttime.Ontheotherhand,therearepeoplewhoplantoreadallthebooksoveraten-yearperiod.Thosewhohavealong-termplanlikethisareblessed.Eachyearmorebooksarepublishedthantheyareabletoread,sotheirscheduleisalwaysbeingpushedbackandextended;theywillhavenochoicebuttoliveforaverylongtimetocompletethemountainofbooksbeforethem.Thismeansthattheyaremuchmorefortunatethanthosewhodieearly.

Iwouldespeciallylikethoseintheirfiftiesorsixties,whosecareersaregraduallywindingdown,tothinkoncemoreabouttheirlifespan.Areyousurethatyoudonotimagineyouhaveonlyanotherfiveortenyearsoflifeleft?Thatwouldbetragic.Peopletendtobepessimisticaboutthelengthoftheirlives,andsaythatiftheyhaveonlytenmoreyearsthenthereisnopointinthinkingaboutstartinganythingnew.

However,Iwouldlikeyoutoincreaseyourlifeexpectancy.Youshouldmakeplanstolivetotheageofaboutahundredandtwenty.Thisisparticularlytrueformiddle-agedpeople;theyshouldlookforwardtolivinguntiltheyreachahundredandtwenty.Iftheydothis,whattheyneedtodowillbecomequite

hundredandtwenty.Iftheydothis,whattheyneedtodowillbecomequiteclear.Forinstance,iftheyarenowsixty,theywillhaveanothersixtyyearstolive,andsotheyhavetoplanwhattheyintendtododuringthisperiod.

Aretheycontenttolivewithoutsomenewpurposeinlife?Iftheyhaveanothersixtyyearstolive,itisthesameasstartingoutonanewlifeasababy.Inanothertenyears,theywillbeteenagers,thenyoungadults.Ataboutninety,theywillenteraphasewhentheywillexperienceromanceintheirlives,thenatonehundred...Allkindsofthingshaveyettohappenforthem,sotheyneedtostartthinkingaboutthemnow.Iftheyshouldhavethemisfortunetopassawayintheirspiritualyouth,whentheyareonlyninety,whatistheretoregret?Nothingatall.

Sothosewhothinktheydonothavelongtoliveneedtorevolutionizetheirperspective,andmakeplanstolivetoahundredandtwenty.Ifpeopleintheirsixtiesdothis,itmeanstheyhaveanothersixtyyearstogo.Ifthereisnochangetotheplan,mylifeonEarthwilllastanotherfiftyyears,sotheyhavetenyearsmorethanIdotocontinuestudying.TheywillbefortunateenoughtoabletocompletetheirstudyofallmylecturesandbooksontheTruthbeforetheyleavethisworld.

Consideryourpresentage,thenmakeplansforamuchlongerlife.ThisishowIwouldlikeyoutoplanforyourfuture.

9.LifeCanBeExtendedthroughEffort

Itisafactthatyoucanextendyourlifethrougheffort.Itissaidthatthespanofapersonslifeisalreadyfixed,butthisisnotonehundredpercenttrue.Inthecourseofyourlife,youcometoseveralturningpointswhichmarkthestartofnewphases;theseare,toacertaindegree,prearranged.Therearemanyturningpoints,forexample,atfifty-five,seventy,seventy-five,eightyyearsoldandsoon.However,itisratherliketheprobabilityfactorinweatherforecasting;itiseightypercentorperhapsfiftyorsixtypercentcertain,butnotfixed.Ifyouareabletoachievesomesortofrevolutioninyourthinkingattheseturningpoints,youmaybeabletoextendyourownlife.

Ifyoucanoffersomereasonwhyyoushouldremaininthisworld,youcanextendyourlifehere.Ifyouareunabletodothis,youhavetoleave.Butifyoucandemonstratesomereasonforyourcontinuedpresence,youwillbeallowedtoremainonEarth.Soifyouwhowishtolivelonger,youneedtohavesomereasonforyourcontinuedpresence.Themostcommonreasonisthatyoustillhaveworktodo,soyoushouldmakeplansforyourfuture.

Ifeeltheneedtogiveteachingsforthoseintheprimeoflife,butifIweretosaywhatismostessential,itisdecidingthatyourdesiredlifespanisonehundredandtwentyyears.Ifyoudecideyouaregoingtolivetothisage,youwillfindthatmostofyourworriesdisappear.Youwillknowexactlywhatyouhavetodo,andyoucansetaboutaccomplishingitlittlebylittle.Itisimportanttogoahead,regardlessofwhetherornotyourlifewillendwhileyouareinthemiddleofit.

Ifyouarestillinyourtwenties,youhavealotofworktodo.Ifyouhaveahundredyearsoflifeleft,youwillhavetomakealotofplanstofillallthetimethatisaheadofyou.Onehundredyearsistoolongtoaccomplishjustoneplan,soyoungpeopleneedtohaveplansforseveralpathstheywouldliketotakeintheirlifetime.Theyhavetomakemanydifferentkindsofpreparationstobeabletoenjoyahundredyearsmorelife.

toenjoyahundredyearsmorelife.

Lifeislikeafireworksdisplay;iftherewereonlyonekindoffireworks,itwouldbeboring.Youneedtopreparetwo,three,fourdifferentkindsoffireworks,andnowandagainarocketwouldbenice.Itisimportanttoprepareanumberofdifferentsortsofplansforthefuture.Eventually,atthirty,forty,fiftyorsixtyyearsofage,yourlifemaystarttobloom,soyouneedtosowavarietyofseeds.

Bydoingthis,youwillattaingreaterstatureandstrengthenthefoundationsofyourknowledgeandunderstanding.Ifyousimplycollectinformationthatcanbeusedstraightaway,thiswillnotaddtoyouroverallstaturebecausewhatsimplypassesbyinthecourseofalifecannotbestoredasknowledge.Therichnessofyoursoulcanbecultivatedonlybycontinuallearningwhatiscertaintoenrichyou,regardlessofwhetherornotitwillhelpyouinthefuture.Toacquirethisrichness,agrand-scalelifeplanisessential.

Evenifallyourstudies,yourexperience,yourknowledgeandthelearningyouhaveaccumulatedarenotdirectlyusefulinyourlifetime,nothingiswasted.YoumaywonderwhatyoucantakewithyouwhenyoureturntotheotherworldandIcantellyou:Everythingthatyouhavelearnedinthecourseofyourlife.Youcantakeitwithyoubecauseithasbeenassimilatedwithin.Althoughitmaynotbenefityouwhileyouarealive,fromalong-termperspective,itbenefitsyoutohavelearnedsomuchinonelife.

PARTTHREELIFEANDVICTORY

1.WhenaPhilosophyRadiatesLight

IhaveentitledPartThree“LifeandVictory.”Oneofthecharacteristicsofthisbook,InvincibleThinking,isthatitisnotjustabstracttheory;becausethethemeishowtoachievecontinualvictoryinlife,itneedstobeapracticalguide.

Whenyouarefacedwithadifficultsituation,youprobablywanttoknowwhatyouneedtodoinpracticalterms.Mostpeoplearelookingforananswertothequestion,“WhatshouldIdo?HowshouldIgoaboutsolvingthisproblem?”Onceyourproblemshavebeensolved,youwillfindthatmostofyourworrieshavedisappearedandyouwillreachthenextstageinyourdevelopment,movingforwardinyourlifeinapositiveway.

Forthisreason,IcertainlydonotunderestimatetheimportanceofphilosophyorTruthonthepracticallevel.Althoughthethemeofthisbookmaybepractical,everydaymatters,ifitsucceedsinbringingpeoplesalvationandhappiness,thensomuchthebetter.Ihavenointentionofbeingactiveononlyaphilosophicallevel;Ibelievethatonlywhenaphilosophyhasthepowertoactuallysavelargenumbersofpeopledoesitgiveoutlight.

Inthispartofthebook,Iwillconsiderwhatyouneedtomasterandtheminimumnumberofobstaclesyoumustovercometobevictoriousinlife.Ihavearrangedtheseundertheheadings:“HowtoLiveaHealthyLife,”“TheCreationofWealth,”“SpouseandHome,”“EncountersThatWillChangeYourDestiny,”and“ASpiritualLegacy,”andIwilltackleeachoftheseinturn.

Whilethesethemeswillnotallowyoutolearneverythingthatyouneedtobevictoriousinlife,Iamsurethattheywillenableyoutoreachastagewhereyoucanovercomemostbasicproblems.AlotdependsonhowfaryouareabletoputtheprinciplesfromtheexamplesIgiveintopractice,andwhetheryouareabletousethemasacentralpillararoundwhichtostructureyourownexperiences.

2.HowtoLiveaHealthyLife

1)PhysicalConditionsRestricttheMindIwouldliketostartbydiscussingthetheme,“howtoliveahealthylife.”Whenthinkingaboutvictoryinlife,healthisasubjectthatcannotbeavoided.

Ihavewrittenwelloveronehundredbooksthathavelookedatproblemsrelatedtothemindfrommanydifferentangles.IhavealsogonebeyondtheindividualtodiscussthemindoftheGrandCosmos.Althoughthereareanynumberofgrandthemes,alloftheminevitablystartwiththeindividualhumanbeing.

Essentiallyallhumanbeingsarespiritualbeings;atthesametime,wecannotdenythatwearelivingnowinthisthree-dimensionalworld(thisworld).AlthoughwearebeingsoftheRealWorld(theotherworld)andthatisourtruestate,atpresentweareinhabitantsofthisworldandassuchwehavetotakeonaformsuitableforlifeinthisrealm.

WhenIsaythis,Imeanthatwehavetoexpressourselvesthroughthephysicalbody.EvenhighspiritshavenoalternativebuttouseaphysicalbodytoexpressthemselveswhentheyarehereonEarth.Theycannotexpressthemselvessolelythroughthebrillianceofthelighttheyradiate.Eveniftheydogiveoutlight,theystillhavetocommunicatebytalkingwiththeirmouths,appealingwiththeireyes,usingthebraintowritewhattheythink,sotheytooarerestrictedbyaphysicalform.

Thisisaveryimportantissue.Myteachingsdonotdenythephysicalform;wedonotsaythatbecausematterdoesnotexist,wedonothavetobotheraboutthephysicalbody.Ourcurrentteachingsdealwiththeconcernsofthethree-dimensionalworldandhowhumanbeingsatpresentonthisEarthshouldlive,sowecannotaffordtoignoreissuesthatconcernthephysicalbody.

Whentalkingspecificallyaboutthemind,wecannotignorespiritualinfluencesthataffecteveryonewithoutexception.Howtoovercomenegativespiritualinfluencesisamajorissueforeachindividual,anditistruethatself-reflectionisaveryeffectivetechniqueforachievingthis.However,thereissomethingwehavetoconsiderevenbeforewebeginself-reflection,andthatisthefactthatthemindisnotindependentbutboundbyasetofconditions.

Oneoftheseconditionsisthephysicalbody.Ifyoudonothavegoodcontroloveryourphysicalstate,itwillbringpressuretobearonthemindcausingittomoveinwrongdirections.

2)LearntoControlYourPhysicalBodyYourbodyislikeabicyclethatyouhavelearnedtoridewell.Doyourememberhowitfeltwhenyoufirstsatonabike?Youprobablycouldnotunderstandhowyouweresupposedtoridesuchanunstablecontraption.

Whenyouwereachild,Iamsurethatyoufirstlearnedtoridewithtrainingwheels.Thesearethesmallwheelsthatattachtoeithersideoftherearwheeltogivethebicyclesomestabilitywhileyouaregettingusedtoridingit.Abicyclewiththesewheelsseemsverystable.However,whenthesetrainingwheelsareremovedleavingonlythetwobigwheelsfrontandback,thebicycleseemssounstablethatitbecomesextremelydifficulttoride.Youdonotknowhowtokeepyourbalance.Simplybalancingishardenoughonitsown,butatthesametimeyoualsohavetopedaltomakethebikemoveforward.Thatisnotall,youhavetolookleftandright,andwhenyoucometoajunctionyouhavetodecidewhichdirectionyouwanttogo.Whenyoucometoaslope,youhavetomakeanefforttogetupit,andthenyouhavetousethebrakestocontrolyourspeedasyoucomedowntheotherside.

Seeninthisway,itishardlysurprisingthatyouusedtothinkofthebicycleasanunstableanddownrightdangerousmachine.

However,onceyoubecomeusedtoridingoneeveryday,italmostbecomesanextensionofyourbodyandyoucanrideitwithouttheslightestdifficulty.Physicalbodiesaresimilar.Inthebeginningtheyareverydifficulttocontrolandthesoulfeelsveryconfined.Despitethis,asyoulearntocontrolthebody,thefeelingofrestrictionfadesandyoudiscoverthatyoucanmoveinanywayyouwant.Thebodygraduallybecomesapartofyou.

youwant.Thebodygraduallybecomesapartofyou.

Whatisimportanttoknowisthatlikeabicycle,onceyouknowhowtorideit,yourbodyisveryusefulbutifforsomereason,youareunabletocontrolit,itcanbehighlydangerous.Itislikeachildtryingtorideanadult’sbicycle;itissoperilousandunstablethatthechildwillnotbeabletocontrolit.Itwouldbeveryhazardousifthebrakesdidnotworkorthehandlebarswerebent.Muchthesamecanbesaidofthebody.

WhatIamtryingtosayhereisthatpeoplewhoareabletomaintainagoodphysicalconditionhavetakenthefirststeptowardvictoryinlife.Therearenotwowaysaboutit.Toagreatextent,youarecapableofmasteringhealthcareonthepersonallevel.Itisliketakingcareofabicycle,checkingforbenthandlebars,inefficientbrakesorflattires;ifyouarecarefulandlookafterit,youwillbeabletoavoidallthesethings.If,whenyourbicyclehasapuncture,yousay,“Oh,itdoesn’tmatter,itwillbeallright,”youwillfindthatyoucannotuseitwhenyoumostneedit.Thesameistrueofthebrakes.Youmaythink,“Oh,therearenotmanycarsaround,soIwillbeokay,”butwhatwillhappenifacarsuddenlypullsoutinfrontofyou?Itisexactlythesamewiththebody.

3)TheCareoftheBodyIsUptotheIndividualAslongasyoumaintainahealthylifestyle,yourphysicalbodywillworktoaccomplishitsoriginalpurpose.Ifyoudonotlookafteryourbodyyoucannotblameothers;youaretheonlypersonabletolookafterit.Managingyourphysicalbodyisyourownpersonaltask.

Anex-officerintheJapaneseSelf-DefenseForcesoncetoldmehowhissoldierswentaboutparachutetraining.Firstthemenpracticejumpingfromaheightofaboutfiftyfeet,nexttheyjumpoffatowerabouthundredsfeethigh,thentheyjumpoutofanairplanethousandsfeetabovesealevelandtheirparachutesopenwhentheygetdowntoacertainheight.Eachsoldierlooksafterhisownparachute.Ifitdoesnotopen,itcouldcostamanhislife,soitisonlynaturalnottoentrustittoanyoneelse.Ifitdoesnotopenbecauseofhisownlackofcare,thenamancannotblameanyoneelse.If,ontheotherhand,someoneelsehadbeenresponsibleforitsnotopening,thesoldierswouldnotbeabletocomplainenough.

Thisexampleoftheparachutemaysoundratherodd,butyouareinasimilarsituation.Totaketheexampleoftheparachutealittlefurther,youcouldsaythat

situation.Totaketheexampleoftheparachutealittlefurther,youcouldsaythatyoursoulislikethesoldierandyourbodyistheparachute.Iftheparachuteweretoriporfailtoopen,itwouldbeatragedy;inthesameway,ifthebodysuffersaserioushandicaporinjury,itisasevereordealforthesoultoovercome,regardlessofwhetheritisforeseenornot.

Attheveryleast,youshoulddoeverythingyoucantoensurethatyourbodyiskeptoutofdanger.Ifyoudonot,theresultisthatyourmindisaffectednegatively,andyouhaveonlyyourselftoblame.Itmakesnodifferencewhichdimensionofthespiritworldyouarebornfrom;evenAngelsofLightwhohavereincarnatedbecomesickiftheydonotlookaftertheirbodies.Itisanimmutablelawofthisworld.Inthesamewaythatatirewillgetapunctureifanailisbeendrivenintoit,thebodywillbreakdownifitisnotprovidedwithasuitableamountofrest,nourishmentandcare.

Ifaprofessionalbaseballplayerweretobetheopeningpitchereveryday,nomatterhowmuchhetrained,hewouldnotlastmorethanayearatthemostbecausepitchersusuallyneedatleastfourdaysofrestbetweenmatchesiftheyaretobeabletocontinuetheircareers.Thisisquiteeasytounderstandwhentalkingaboutbaseballplayers,butwhenitcomestotheindividual,mostofusarescarcelyawareofthis.

Itisverydifficulttoknowhowmuchyoucanwork,howmuchrestyouneedandwhatyouneedtodotomaintainyourbodyinpeakcondition.Itisnotsomethingyoulearnatschooland,aswiththemind,themaintenanceofthebodyisleftinthehandsoftheindividual.Sometimesfamilymembersmayhelpyoustayinshape,butbasicallyyouhavetodoitonyourown,withoutthehelpofothers.

4)TheRelationshipbetweentheBodyandMindAspeoplegetoldertheytendtocomplainmore.Thisisacommonoccurrenceamongthoseintheirsixtiesorseventieswho,atthesametime,begintoworryaboutwhatmighthappeninthefutureandwhathashappenedinthepast.Youmaythinkthatthisisaproblemofthemind,butwhyshoulditbethatitaffectspeoplemorewhentheygetolder?Themainreasonisthatpeoplefindtheirbodieshavebecomemuchweakerthantheyusedtobe.

Aspeopleage,theirlegsbecomeweakandtheyarenolongerabletogetaround

Aspeopleage,theirlegsbecomeweakandtheyarenolongerabletogetaroundastheyoncedid.Theybecomepetulant,complainingconstantlyandthepeoplearoundthemfindthemincreasinglydifficulttolivewith.Eventuallythiscanleadtoproblemswithinthefamily.Therootoftheproblemisquitesimple.Afterretirement,thesepeoplehavenotbotheredtoexercisetheirbodies,andthisdevelopsintoaproblemofthemind.Butitisnotjustoneperson’sproblem;itinvolvesthewholefamilyandcanbecomequiteserious.Basically,afterretirementpeoplehavefeweropportunitiestousetheirbodiesandoftentheyhavedonenothingtocompensateforthisinotherways.

Youngerpeople,too,oftenhaveproblemsthatinvolvetheirbodies.Therearesomewhoeattoomuchandsomewhobecomesothinthattheyappearanorexic;inbothcases,thereasonisthattheyhaveforgottenhowtoleadabalancedlife.Therearethosewholovecakesandthinkthattruehappinessiseatingtwocakesaday.Theycutdownonotherfoodanddiettoavoidgettingfatsoitishardlysurprisingtheyfeelunwell.Butinspiteofthis,theycontinuethisbehavior.

Iunderstandhowtheyfeel,butIwishtheywouldpullthemselvestogether.Iftheyareunabletostop,despitethefactthattheyhavemadethemselvesill,thentheyhaveonlythemselvestoblameforwhateverhappensnext.Peoplecannotliveoncakealone;theyneedadditionalnutrients.Thesameistrueofpeoplewhoeatnothingbutchocolateuntiltheirteethrot.Itisnooneelse’sfault;theycannotlaytheblameonGod.Theonlypersonresponsibleforthefactthatteetharefallingoutisthepersonwhoatetoomuchchocolate.

Soyouneedtotakeresponsibilityandlookafteryourownbody.Thisisparticularlytrueofexercise.Nooneisgoingtotellyoutogetmoreexercise.Noonewilltellyouhowyoushouldgoaboutit,soyouneedtothinkofyourbodyassomethingpreciousthathastobelookedafter,andengageinwhateverexerciseyoufeelisappropriatetotheenvironmentinwhichyoulive.Thestrongeryourbody,thestrongeryourmindbecomes.Ifyouarefit,youwillfeelpositive,butifyourbodyisweak,youwillbecomeincreasinglypessimisticabouteverything.

Sowhenyouarefeelinggood,concentrateonpositivethinkingandwhenyouarefeelingbad,spendmoretimeinself-reflection.Self-reflectionisdifficultwhenyouarefeelingeuphoricorwhenyouarerunningaroundinastateofelation,soatthesetimesconcentrateonpositivethinking.Conversely,whenyouareslightlydepressed,reflectonwhatyouhavedone.Thenyouwillbecome

areslightlydepressed,reflectonwhatyouhavedone.Thenyouwillbecomeexpertatutilizingboththesetechniques—Iwouldlikeyoutothinkaboutthem,inadditiontolookingafteryourhealth.

3.TheCreationofWealth

1)ProblemsConnectedtoHavingaReligiousDispositionThenextthemeIwouldliketodiscussisthecreationofwealth.Therearealotofpeopleofareligiousdispositionwhoseemoneynegatively,believingitiswrongforthemtohavewealth.ThisistrueoffollowersofbothBuddhismandChristianity.

Theimportantpointtoconsiderhereisthataperson’slevelofpovertydependsonthedegreetowhichheorshefeelswealthiswrong.Someonewhobelievesstronglythatpossessingwealthwillmakeitimpossibleforthemtoenterheavenwillneverbecomerich.Ifthatisalltheybelieve,itisnotsuchabigproblem.However,iftheyenvythosewhoarerichandbegintocriticizethem,theywillcreatehellintheirownhearts.Thisisanexampleofthedisharmonythatself-constraintcancreate.

Ifyousimplyhavenodesireformoneyorotherformsofluxuryandhavenoattachmenttothem,thenthiscouldbeconsideredavirtue.However,ifyoustarttocastigatethosewhoareaffluentandtellthemtheirwealthwillbanishthemtohell,adarksmogwillbegintocoveryourmindandyouwillcreateaninnerhellforyourself.Itmayseemstrangebutthatisthewayitworks.Onceyoubegintobindyourselfbyexhibitingatendencytocriticizeothers,youhadbetterwatchout.

Anothersimilarexampleistheproblemscreatedbytheoppositesex.Moneyandtheoppositesexarebothsubjectsthatarefrequentlymisunderstoodbypeopleofareligiousdisposition.Thereareevenpeoplewhobelievethatiftheymarrytheywillbebarredfromheaven,andthosewhowanttobelievethatthiswillhappen.Idonotknowwhichismorecommon,butsuchpeopleactuallydoexist.

2)WealthasaMeanstoHappiness

Tofindasolutiontotheproblemposedbywealth,youhavetoaskyourselfwhywealthexists.“Wealth”canrefertomoneyortootherassets,butwhydoesitexist?

Thereasonwealthexistsinthisworldisasawayofexpressingthe“richness”thatexistsintheRealWorld.TheRealWorldisnotapoorplace.Wealthtakesavarietyofformsandthereisalawthatstatesthepureinheartwillreceivewhatevertheywishfor.TheinhabitantsoftheRealWorldallliveinpuritysotheyareallprosperous.However,thewayinwhichwealthisexpressedintheRealWorlddoesnotexistinthethree-dimensionalworld,sopeopletryandusemoneyasasubstitutemeansofexpression.Ofcourse,wealthdoesnotnecessarilyhavetobemoney,butmoneyisaconvenientformofexpression.

Thequestionishowmoneyisused.Inotherwords,goodandevilinrelationtowealthinthisworldaredependentonthemotivesandintentionsoftheuser.Forinstance,ifanorganizationwantstobuildahallitwillneedmoney;if,bybuildingthehall,itisabletoholdconferencesandmeetingsthatbenefitpeople,thenitismoneywellspent.Theywillalsobeabletorentthehallouttootherswhentheyarenotusingitthemselves,soprovidingafacility.Thisisanexampleofhowcapitalcreatesspace,andinsodoingitfurnishespeoplewithplacestocarryoutactivitiesthatwillbringjoyandhappiness.So,bycreatingspace,moneycanbesaidtohavecreatedhappiness.

Itisregrettablethatwealthcausessomanypeoplestumble.Ifwereallywanttohelpimprovetheworld,thosewhoarepureinheartmustteachothershowtousewealthcorrectly.Wemustalsomakesurethatwealthiscreatedinthecorrectway.Ifthiscanbeachieved,theworldwillbeabetterplace.IbelievethatwealthshouldbechanneledtowardtheconstructionofanidealsocietyhereonEarth.Thisisimportant,aswealthisthemeansofachievinghappinessforagreaternumberofpeople.

3)PovertyTaintedbyEnvyIsWrongHereIwouldliketosaythatyoucannotbendotherpeople’sprinciples.Ifyoubelieveinpuritythroughpoverty,thennoonewillopposeyou.Ifyouwishtoliveyourlifeaccordingtothatprinciple,thenbyallmeansgoahead;thisisanacceptablewayofliving.However,ifyoudodecidetolivethisway,youmustalsodecidenottofeeljealousofothers.Ifyouarecontenttoliveinhonest

poverty,thenthatisyourdecisionasanindividual,butyoushouldneverjudgeothers.Peopleallhavedifferentwaysoflivinganddifferentwaysofthinking.Whenyouelecttoliveinpoverty,donottrytoforceotherstodothesame.Neverexpressjealousyorenvy—thisismostimportant.

Ifyourdecisiontoliveinhonestpovertybecomestaintedbyenvy,thenpovertyitselfwillbetransformedintosomethingnegative.If,ontheotherhand,itallowsyoutogetridofattachmenttomaterialthings,andthevibrationofyourmindisstillpure,thenpovertybecomesavirtue.Butifpovertyleadstojealousyandenvyofthematerialpossessionsofothers,yourheartwillbecomeclouded,andpovertycanbeconsideredwrong.

Ifyoudiscoverthisnegativityinyourselforinthosearoundyou,youneedtofighttovanquishit.Ifyoufeelrestrictedbypoverty,ifitmakesyoufeelmiserableandenviousofothers,thenyoushouldmakeanefforttobreakoutofit.

Somepeopleworrybecausetheyhavetoomuchmoney,butcomparedtothosewhohavenomoneyorwhoareindebt,itcangenerallybesaidthattheyareinamuchbetterpositiontofindharmonyintheirhearts.Itisoftensaidthattohaveenoughmoneytonothavetoworryisgood,andbasicallyIagreewiththis.Sufficientmoneytoallowyoutolivewithoutprivationisagoodthing.Ifyoucannotadmitthis,yourlifewillbeoneofenvyandmisery.

Soifyouwanttolivealifeofhonestpoverty,donotenvyothers.Ifyoucannothelpbeingjealous,thenmakeanefforttobreakoutofpoverty.Itisimportanttosetgoalstocreateacertainamountofwealth,andthenmaketheeffortnecessarytoachievethem.

4)ThreeBasicPrinciplesfortheCreationofWealthTherearethreebasicprinciplesforthecreationofwealth.Thefirstprinciple,whichhasalwaysbeentrue,isthrift,thatistosayeconomy,frugalityandcuttingoutwaste.Thisisthestartingpoint.Ifyouarewastefulorliveanextravagantlife,nomatterhowmuchmoneyyoumayhave,youwillgraduallyuseitall.

Thereisanoldproverbthatruns,“thethirdgenerationgoesbacktothemill.”Someonefromthefirstgenerationwillworkhardandtakeoverthemillwhere

Someonefromthefirstgenerationwillworkhardandtakeoverthemillwhereheisemployed,someoneofthesecondgenerationwillexpandthebusiness,someoneofthethirdgenerationwillcausethecompanytogobankruptandgobacktothemillandbecomealaborer.Inmostcases,thisisbecausethethirdgenerationallowtheirlifestyletobecometoograndandforgetthehardwork.Asaresult,theywastetheirmoneyandsoonfindthemselvesruined.Thisistrueinbothcorporateandprivatelife,andthatiswhyIsaythatthrift—economyandfrugality—arevitallyimportant.

However,thisisnottosayyoushouldbecomeamiser.Unfortunately,misersneverachieverealwealtheither,soIamnotrecommendingthatyoubegrudgeeverypennyyouspend.Iwantyoutoavoidwaste.Itisimportantthatyouaremoderateinyouruseofmoneysoasnottowastethegoodfortuneyouhave.

Thesecondprincipleforthecreationofwealthisthatmoneyaccumulatesaroundthosewhoknowhowtouseit.Itwillnotsuddenlyappearinthemiddleoffield,butitwillcometothosewhoknowwhatitisfor.

Hugesumsofmoneyaccumulateinbanks,andthereasonforthisisthatbanksareabletousethismoneytoproducemore.Itisbecausetheyunderstandhowtouseitthatthemoneycomestothem.Thesameistrueonapersonallevel;moneywillaccumulateforthosewhoknowhowtomakeuseofit.Forinstance,ifyoudecidethatyouwanttobuildahouseofyourown,youwillworkhardertoacquirethenecessaryfinance.Or,ifyouhavealotofchildrenandwanttoseethemallthroughuniversity,youwillhavetoincreaseyourearningstoachievethis.Inthisway,moneycomestopeoplewhoknowhowtouseit,soifyoufeelthatyouwouldliketobewealthier,itisimportantthatfirstyouhaveaclearideaofhowyouintendtousethemoney.Youhavetobeabletosaytoyourself,“Ineedmoneyforsuchandsuchareason,soIwanttobemoreprosperous.”Peoplewhofeelthattheydonotneedmoneywillneverbecomerich.Eveniftheydosucceedinacquiringacertainamountofwealth,itwillonlybeonalimitedscale.Realwealthonlycomestothosewhohaveaclearideaofwhattheywantthemoneyfor.

Allovertheworldwealthisoverflowing,lookingforthosewhoknowhowtouseit.Ifthesepeopleappear,themoneywillautomaticallyflowtothem.Inthis,moneycanbesaidtoresemblebloodinabody;itflowstotheplaceswhereitisneededmost.Therearealargenumberofpeopleintheworldwhopossessalotofmoneybutdonotknowhowtouseit.Thatiswhywhensomeoneproposesa

ofmoneybutdonotknowhowtouseit.Thatiswhywhensomeoneproposesagoodideaabouthowtomakeuseofmoney,wealthwillautomaticallyflowtothem.

Agoodexampleofthisisanewbusiness.Whenpeoplestartabusiness,theyfindthatthenecessarycapitalwillcometogether.Bankswillinvestinthebusiness,aswillpartners;someonemayappearandprovideofficespace.Sohelpcomesfrommanydifferentdirections.Itallbeginswithgoodideasthatmovepeople’shearts;theseattractenergyfromdifferentplaceswhich,inturn,summonwealth.Wealthwillgravitatetopeoplewithideasandenthusiasm,inotherwordspeoplewhoknowhowtouseit.Itisimportanttohaveloftyideasabouthowtousewealth.

Thethirdprincipleisthesameasthatofthe“LawsoftheMind,”whichis“peoplewhogivewillreceive.”Ifyousucceedingatheringwealth,youshouldnottrytomonopolizeitforyourself.Wealthwillcertainlycirculatetoyouifyoutryanduseitsoastocontributetoimprovingthelifestyleofothersandbringingthemhappiness.Inotherwords,ifyouuseyourmoneyjustforyourownsake,itwillgraduallydisappearbutifyoutrytouseitforthesakeofasmanypeopleaspossible,youwillfindthatitwillcontinuetogrowandmultiply.

LetuslookattheexampleoftheworkofthefamousAmericanautomobilemanufacturer,HenryFord.Inhislifetime,HenryFordsucceededinamassingahugefortune.Thereasonhewasabletodothiswasthathedreamedofatimewheneveryone,evenofficeemployeesandmanuallaborers,wouldbeabletobuyacaroftheirown.Hewantedtobuildacarthatpeoplewouldbeabletobuyoutoftheirownwages,withasingleyear’searnings,andgraduallyhewasabletoseehisdreamcometrue.

InPartOneofthisbook,ItalkedaboutKonosukeMatsushita,themanwhousedtoadvocatewhathecalledthe“tapwaterphilosophy.”Althoughwaterisnotfree,thereissuchaninexhaustiblesupplythatitappearstobe.Evenifacompletestrangerstopsanddrinksfromthetapinfrontofyourhouse,youdonotcallhimathieforsaythathehasstolenyourwater.Waterisnotfree,andhedrinksitwithoutyourpermission,sointhestrictestsenseofthelaw,hecouldbecalledathief.Butwaterissuppliedatsuchanominalcostthatwethinkofitasbeingvirtuallyfree,sonooneisgoingtocallamanathieffordrinkingit.Althoughhemayhavehelpedhimself,nooneisgoingtofeeltheyhavebeenrobbed.

robbed.

Mr.Matsushita’sgoalwastoproduceusefuldomesticelectricalappliancescheaply,sopeoplewouldthinkoftheminthesamewaytheythinkofwater,andthiswaswhathereferredtoasthe“tapwaterphilosophy.”Itisaformofthephilosophyoflove.Ashehoped,hiscompanysucceededinproducingcheapelectricalgoods,andtheresultisthatthecurrentearningsarenowhundredsofbillionsofyenperannum.

Loveandwealtharegiventothosewithagivingheart;theycirculateandreturntothegiver,andaccumulatetocreateevengreaterwealth.Sotoachieveinfinitedevelopment,learningtoshareyourwealthwithothersinthesamewaythatyoushareloveisessential.Thisisnottosaythatyoushouldgiveyourmoneytobeggars;itisimportantthatyouuseitsothatitisabletobeofservicetoothersinmanydifferentways.

Therearenumerousvariationsofmethodsofattainingwealth,butthethreethatIhavedescribedrepresentthebasicmethods.First,useyourmoneywithmoderation;second,haveaclearideaofhowtousewealth,andthird,bepreparedtousewhatyouhaveaccumulatedforthesakeofothers.Ifyoufollowthesethreeprinciples,yourwealthwillnotbeconsideredwrong.Aslongasyouobservetheserules,yourwealthwillbeadivineblessing.Asyougoaboutcreatingwealth,Iwouldlikeyoutobearthisinmind,andrememberthathavinggreaterinfluencethroughwealthisdefinitelynottobethoughtofassomethingnegative.

4.SpouseandHome

1)StartbyMakingYourselfintoYourOwnIdealAsthethirdtheme,Iwanttoconsidertheissueofspousesandthehome.Iwouldliketobeginbylookingathowtomarrytheidealspouse.Somepeopleworryaboutthisforfive,ten,eventwentyyears,buttheanswerissurprisinglysimple.Contrarytowhatyouprobablyexpect,anidealspouseisnotsomeoneyoucanfindthroughpursuit;infact,theharderyouchaseanideal,thefurtheryouwillmoveawayfromit.

Icanalmosthearyousaying,“Thatcannotbetrue.Youarealwaystellingusthateffortwillberewarded,andtothosewhoaskshallbegiven.Whatdoyoumean,ifwechase,theobjectwillflee?Thatsoundsverypessimistic.”Ofcourse,“thosewhoaskshallbegiven”and“effortwillberewarded”arebothtruths,butinthissectionIamtalkingaboutmarryingandtherulesaresomewhatdifferent.Focusingonthis,whileitistruethatifyouhavethewilltomarryyoucanachieveit,ifyoutryhardandchaseanideal,youwillbekeptawayfromit.Thiscouldbelikenedtodogsorcatschasingtheirowntails.Youmayhaveobservedapuppyorkittenthathasseenitsowntailandtriestocatchit,butnomatterhowhardittries,itneversucceeds.However,ifitforgetsaboutitandmovesforward,thetailwillfollow.Findingaspouseisverymuchlikethis.Peopleoftenrefertotheirspouseastheir“betterhalf,”anditisinfacttruethataspouseislikeapartofyourself.Ifyouchaseanideal,itwillmoveaway,butifyoubehavenaturallyandmoveforward,itwillfollow.Thismaysoundstrange,butitisaveryaptmetaphor.

WhatIwouldliketosayhereisfirst,youmustmakeyourselfintothekindofpersonyouridealspousewouldwanttomarry.Youmayhavevariousimagesofyouridealpartner,butthefirstthingyouneedtodoistobetteryourselfsothatwhenthepersonofyourdreamscomesalong,heorshewillwanttomarryyou.

Thefirstpriorityshouldnotbegoingoutandsearchingforyouridealpartner.

Thefirstpriorityshouldnotbegoingoutandsearchingforyouridealpartner.Evenifyoumakealistofallthecharacteristicsyouwouldlookforinaspouse,saying,“Thisismyideal,thisisthekindofpersonIwanttomarry,”thengoandsearchforsomeonewiththem,unfortunatelyyouwillneverfindwhatyouarelookingfor.Instead,youneedtoconsiderwhatkindofpersonyouridealpartnerwouldwanttomarryifheorsheweretoturnup.Ifyouhavesetaboutmakingyourselfintothatperson,thenyouwillfindyouridealpartnerwillsoonappear.ThereasonIsaythisisthatwhenyoumarry,itisimportantthatbothpartnersareanidealmatchforoneanother.Itisveryimportantatthispointthatyoumatchperfectly.Thismeansthatifyousimplyimagineyouridealpartnerandgoinsearchofanideal,youwillnotbeabletofindit.Unlessyoumakeyourselfintothekindofpersonwhoistherightmatch,evenifyoudomeet,theotherpersonwillsimplypassyouby,likeanexpresstrainspeedingthroughastation.

Itisokaytosearchforanidealandcarrythatimageinyourmind,butfirstyoumustthinkabouthowyouwouldappearifyouwereevertomeetyourideal.Supposeyouhadacrushonafamousfilmstarandwenttoseehimorhermakeaspeech.Whatwouldyoudoifthatpersontalkedtoyouandputtheirarmroundyourshoulders?Itisverylikelyyouwouldrunaway,andyouwouldneverbeabletomarryyouridealifyoubehavedlikethat.Ifyourunawayoutoffearorembarrassment,youwillnevergetclose.Youmustworkonyourselfsothatwhenyoudomeetthatperson,heorshewillthinkthatyouaretheidealpartner.Thisisaveryimportantpoint.

Foryoungpeopleespecially,itisvitalthatyouestablishyourselfinacareer,becauseyouwillachievewhatismostimportantthroughyourwork.Aswellastheprospectoffinancialsuccess,itisextremelyimportantthatyoungpeoplehaveaclearvisionoftheirfuture.

Therearealotofpeoplewho,despitethefactthattheyareintroducedtonumerousprospectivepartners,areunabletomarry.Thiskindofpersonwillmostlikelysaytheycannotfindanyonetheylike,ortheycannotfindanidealpartner.Inactualfact,theproblemisthattheyareunabletoassessthemselvesobjectively.Asaresultofthisinabilitytolookatthemselvesobjectively,theyareunabletosaywhatkindofpersonwouldmakeasuitablepartner.Theykeepraisingandloweringtheirsights,tryinghardtofindsomeonetobewith,butintheendtheycannotfindanyone.

However,iftheywereabletosayexactlywhattheirownfutureprospectswere,

However,iftheywereabletosayexactlywhattheirownfutureprospectswere,theywouldsoondiscoversomeonewhosuitedthem.Itdoesnotmatterwhethertheyworkforacompanyorstarttheirownbusiness;theymustbeabletosay,“Iworkforsuchandsuchacompany,myfuturewilldevelopinsuchandsuchaway,andIwillearnthismuchmoneyinthefuture.”Iftheyareabletodothisandareenthusiastic,theyaresuretofindasuitablepartner.

Ifyouthinkthatyourjobisboringandyouwanttoleaveassoonaspossible,Iamafraidthatnomatterhowmanypeopleyouareintroducedto,youwillneverfindtheidealpartner.Again,ifyoutellyourselfyouwanttoleaveyourpresentposition,butyouarewaitinguntilyouhavetiedtheknotsoasnottospoilyourchancesofmarriage,Iamafraidyouwillnotfindtherightperson.Itisverystrange,butthatisthewaylifeworks.

Whetheryouareamanorwoman,whatitboilsdowntointheendisthatyouhavetomakeyourselfintothekindofpersonyouridealpartnerwouldwanttobewith.Thisiswhatismostimportant.

2)CanYouAchieveaDeepUnderstandingofYourPartner?ThesecondpointIwouldliketodiscussinthiscontext,themostimportantprerequisiteifyouintendtomarry,regardlessofwhetheryouareamanorawoman,whichisthatyouarecapableofunderstandingyourpartner.Therearelotsofotherconditionsthathavetobemet,butthisonehastoppriority.

Youmayworryaboutappearance,whethersomeoneisattractiveorugly,tallorshort,fatorthin,whetherheorshehasalotofmoneyoragoodscholasticrecord.Thereareallsortsoffactorstochoosefromand,asaresult,manypeopledonotknowwhichtoplacemostemphasison.Apersonmaybecleverbutpoor,handsomebutshort,beautifulbutstupid,sopeoplecannotmakeuptheirmindsaboutwhichcriteriaaremostimportant.Youcouldtryaskingothersforadvice,butyouwillprobablyendupevenmoreconfusedthanbefore.

Onepersonmaysaythatlooksaremostimportant,anotherthatyoushouldnotworryaboutappearancebutconcentrateonaperson’sdisposition,athirdmayremarkthatintelligenceisthethingtolookfor,whileafourthmayinsistthatagoodbackgroundisvital.Itisverydifficulttodecide,andIamsorrytohavetosaythatyouwillnevercomeacrossapersonwhomeetsallyourconditions.Youwillhavetoacceptsomeonewhohasoneortwoshortcomings,sothequestion

willhavetoacceptsomeonewhohasoneortwoshortcomings,sothequestionhastobewhereyouplaceyourpriorities.

Totalkingeneralities,whatismostimportantistolookforsomeoneyoucanunderstand.Itdoesnotmatterhowmuchmoneyapersonhas,becauseonceithasallbeenuseduptherewillbenothingleftbetweenyou.Althoughapersonmaybeverygoodlooking,theattractionwillfadeasyouseethemeveryday.Althoughyoumaywanttomarrysomeonebecausetheyhaveagreatpersonality,onedayyouwillrealizethattheyalsohavefaults.

Allthatleavesisadeepmutualunderstanding.Agoodmutualunderstandingissomethingthatwillcontinuefortwenty,thirty,evenfortyyears,whereasifyoulookonlyatexternalorobjectivecharacteristics,althoughyoumaygetonwellwhenyoufirstmarry,therapportbetweenyouwillgraduallybreakdownandcrackswillappearintherelationship.

Supposeawomanthinksthatacademicstatusisthemostimportantcharacteristicinaman,andmarriessomeonewhohasgraduatedfromoneofthetopuniversities.Althoughhemayhavestudiedhardwhenhewasyoung,afterleavinguniversityhemayhavebecomeveryfondofdrinking,stayingouteverynightfromMondaytoFriday,andcominghomelatewithhisfaceasredasabeet.Shemayhavemarriedhimbecausehewenttoaneliteuniversity,butifhedrinkstillhiswholebodyturnsred,isneverwithoutadrinkandevendrinksinthemorningbeforehegoestotheoffice,sheisboundtobedisappointed.Sometimespeoplechangeaftermarriage.

Perhapsthiswomanmarriedhimbecauseshethoughthewasintelligent;unfortunately,however,intelligenceandacademicachievementarenotalwaysthesame.Trulyintellectualpeopledonotnecessarilydowellinschool.Whilethereissomecorrelationbetweenintelligenceandscholasticability,itisnotonehundredpercent;infact,Iwouldsaythatinmostcases,thecorrelationisaboutsixtytoseventypercent.

Thisvariationcomesaboutasaresultofindividualinclinations.Forinstance,someonewithanintellectualbentwillbecomeincreasinglyintellectual,despitethefactthatthepersonmaynotevenhavebeentohighschool.Asthesesortsofpeoplegrowolder,bythirtyorfortyyearsofage,theyhavegraduallyturnedintogenuineintellectuals,whereassomeonewhowasforcedtostudyasachildmaygrowuptodetestit.Althoughthepersonwhowasforcedtostudymay

maygrowuptodetestit.Althoughthepersonwhowasforcedtostudymayactuallybeaverycleverindividual,hemayenduplikethepersonintheexampleIgavejustnow,cominghomedrunkeverynightandthrowingawayacareer.Althoughhemayhavebeenhighlyintelligentattwenty-twoortwenty-three,bythetimehereachesforty,hehasbecomeacompletelydifferentperson.

Therearevariousfactorsonwhichtobasethedecisiontomarry,butifyouaregoingtotakejustone,thenyoushouldlookathowwellyoucanunderstandtheotherperson.Askyourselfifyouhaveadeepunderstandingofyourpartner,whetheryoucanunderstandhisorheroutlookonlife.Ifyoufeelthatyoucanseethroughtothedepthsofhisorhercharacter,thenthechancesarethatyouwillhaveahappymarriedlife.

Askyourselfhowfaryourprospectivepartneriscapableofunderstandingyourthoughtsonworkorlife.Isyourpartnercapableofonlyashallowappreciation,ordoesyourpartnerpossessdeepinsightintothewayyouthink?Ifyoufeelstronglythatheorshecanunderstandyou,andthatthisunderstandingismutual,thenitisprobablysafetogoaheadandmarry.

Inthissection,Ihavedescribedtwowaysoffindingtheidealspouse.Thefirstisnottochasethepersonyouwishtomarry,rathertoalteryourselftofittheotherperson’sideal.Secondly,Istressedtheimportanceofunderstanding.Whetherornotyouhavetheabilitytounderstandaprospectivespouseandwhetherheorshecanunderstandyouisveryimportant.

3)YouNeedtoWorktoMakeaPerfectMatchNext,Iwouldliketotouchonhowtosustainarelationshipaftermarriage.Althoughacouplemaybehappyintheperiodimmediatelyfollowingtheirmarriage,therearepeoplewhoserelationshipsgraduallybreakdown,whichleadstoseparations.

Thepeoplewhoaremostlikelytosufferthiskindofoutcomearethosewhobelievethatmenandwomenarelikealockandkey,thateachmustmatchtheotherperfectly.Theybelievethatiftheymarryacertaintypeofperson,theywillbeabletoachievehappiness,butiftheydonot,themarriagewillendinacrimony.Peoplewhoseeothersinthiswayassomekindofobjectwilloftenfindthattheirmarriagesendinfailure.TheymayhavethoughttheycouldfindtruehappinessiftheymarriedpersonA,whereasiftheymarriedpersonB,theywouldnot.Iftheyfeelthatthingsdidnotworkoutbecausetheyendedup

wouldnot.IftheyfeelthatthingsdidnotworkoutbecausetheyendedupmarryingB,itishardlysurprisingthattheirmarriagehasnotlasted.

Anidealmatchbetweenpeopleissomethingthathastobeworkedon;itisnotsomethingthatjusthappens,allowingpeopletolivehappilyeverafter.Ifacouplefeeltheygetalongtoacertainextent,afterthattheyhavetoworkattheirrelationshiptomakeitaperfectmatch.Thismeansthatbeforeyousayyourpartnerdoesnotsuityou,youneedtoaskyourselfifthereissomethingthatyoucoulddo,someideathatyouhavenotthoughtof,someeffortthatislackinginyou.

Bothamanandawomanmustmakeeveryefforttounderstandtheirpartner.Pleasetryandactinthisway.Actuallytherearenotmanypeopleyoucannotgetonwithatall.Onceyouhavereachedacertainstage,itissimplyamatterofeffort.Youmayhavenumerouscrisesinyourrelationship,butwhentheythreatentodestroyit,youmustbeinventiveandingeniousinfindingawaytoovercomethem.ThiswillingnesstomakeaneffortissomethingIhopeyouwillnotforget.

5.EncountersThatWillChangeYourDestiny

1)ExpecttoEncountera“Noble”PersonThefourththemeIwouldliketotalkaboutisfatefulencounters.Myreadersareallofdifferentages,andifyouarearoundtwentyyearsoldyouhaveprobablyonlymetoneortwopeoplewhohavechangedyourlife;infact,youmayhaveyettomeetany.However,asyougetolderandreachthirty,fortyorfifty,youwillencounterpeoplewhohaveahandinchangingyourlife.

Ifyoulookbackoveryourlife,youwillnoticeseveralmajorturningpoints;ateachofthemwassomeonewhohadaninfluenceonyourdestiny.Wheneveryoulookatthiskindofturningpoint,youwillalwaysfindapersonwhoaffectedyouinsomeway.Wheneveryoucometoajunctioninyourlifeandhavetodecidewhethertoturnleft,turnrightorgostraightahead,youaresuretofindsomeonestandingtheretohelpyou.Inmanycases,yourdestinychangesaccordingtohowyouhandletheencounterwiththisperson.

Ofcourse,whatyouwantatsuchtimesissomeonewhowillchangeyourdestinyforthebetter,butsometimestheoppositehappens.Therearepeoplewhodiscoverthatastheresultofachancemeeting,theirlivestakeasharpturnfortheworse.Perhapstheyarecheatedorgointobusinesswithsomeoneonlytofindthemselvesbankrupt.Perhapsateacheratschoolgivessomeadvicewhich,whenfollowed,leadstodisaster.Althoughthiskindofthingcanhappen,thekindofencounterIwouldliketoconsiderhereisthepositiveone.Tosucceedinlife,itisimportantthatyoutreasuremeetingswithpeoplewhocanleadyoutohappinessandgoodfortune.

InChinathereistheconceptofa“noble”personandacommongreetinginthatcountryis“Haveyoumetanoblepersonrecently?”Inmostcases,theexpressionreferstosomeonewithintegrity,someoneofahigherrank,bettereducatedorricherthanyou,andattheveryleastinapositiontohelpyoubetteryourself.Ihaveheardthisgreetingisfrequentlyusedindailylife,inthesame

yourself.Ihaveheardthisgreetingisfrequentlyusedindailylife,inthesamewayasweenquireaboutsomeone’shealthorcurrentsituation.Anencounterwitha“noble”personisofgreatsignificance.

AtHappyScience,westresstheimportanceofindividualeffortandself-discipline,butthesecanbothbelikenedtoastaircaseyoucanonlyprogressuponestepatatime.Ontheotherhand,theappearanceofa“noble”personcanbecomparedtoanelevator.Onceyougetintotheelevator,youcantravelanumberofstoriesalmostinstantaneously,andwhenyougetoutyouwillfindyourselfinacompletelydifferentworldfromtheoneyouhavejustleft.Thisissomethingthathappensseveraltimesinthecourseofalife.

Toputitanotherway,everyonemeetspeoplewhousheringoodluck.Iamsureyouhaveexperiencedanencounterwithsomeonewhohaschangedyourlifecompletely.Itisverytruethatateveryturningpointinyourlifethereissomeonewhosayssomething,maybewithoutmuchthoughtornotveryseriously,andthislateractsasanimportantguideforyou.Thepersoninquestionmayhaveforgottentheincident,butthisdefinitelyhappens.

So,therearetimeswhensomeoneappearsandoffersyouthekeytobetterfortuneandwhentheydo,itisimportantthatyoulistentotheiradviceoropinion,andmoveintherightdirection.Itisimpossibletosayjustwhenthispersonwillappearbeforeyou,becausethetimingofthisencounterdiffersfrompersontoperson,butyoushouldalwaysbereadytomakethemostofameetingwithsomeonewhowillguideyou.Ifyouwishforthissortofencounter,youcanbesurethatthepersonwillappear.

Whenyoudocomeacrossthisperson,yourlifewillbegintoradiatelight,andnomatterwhoyouare,youcanbequitesurethattherewillbethissortofdazzlingtimeatsomepointinthecourseofyourlife.Peoplewhosaythattheyhaveneverexperiencedthisareprobablyungrateful,orhaveforgotten.Itcomesinmanyforms,sopleasethinkcarefullyaboutthis,asitreallywillprovideyouwiththekeytoagreatstepforward.

Themoreyouhavepreparedyourselfforthiskindofencounter,thegreaterthelikelihoodofithappening.Soeveryyear,holdyourselfinreadinessandexpectthatsomeonewillofferyouadvicethatwillleadyouinabetterdirectionandopenupabrightfuture,becauseifyoudo,thissortofpersonwillalwaysappear.Ifyouholdyourselfinreadinessforthissortofencountereverymonth,thenthe

Ifyouholdyourselfinreadinessforthissortofencountereverymonth,thentherightpersonwillappearbeforeyouonamonthlybasis.Thepossibilityofthesemeetingsoccurringdependsonhowstronglyyouanticipatethem.

Thereasonforthisisthatifyouconstantlyanticipatethesesortsofencounters,itwillspuryourguardianspiritorotherguidingspiritstocauseonetocomeabout.Theybegintothinkyoushouldberewardedforsustainingsuchalaudableattitudeandtheygoaboutfindingsomeonewhowillbeabletohelpyougetahead.Youmayactuallycometoaturningpointinyourlifethroughmeetingthissortofpersondirectly,oritmayhappenthroughtheagencyofyourguardianspiritwithoutyourrealizing.However,eitherway,somethingwilldefinitelyhappen.

Peoplearealwayswatchingyou.Theyseeyouondifferentoccasionsandmanyofthemwouldliketodosomethingtohelpyougetahead.Thefirstprerequisiteformeetingthiskindofpersonistheearnestdesireforthissortofencounter.

2)ListenHumblytoWhatYouAreToldThesecondprerequisiteforfatefulencountersishumility.Itisimportantthatyouadmittoyourselftherearemanypeopleinthisworldwhoarewiserthanyou,andwhenyoumeetoneofthem,youneedtolistenhumblytowhattheysay.Ifyoufailtolisten,youwillmissyouropportunity.Youshouldalwaysbeonthelookoutforwordsthatmightleadyoutochangeyourselfandexpectencounterswithpeoplewhomakecrucialcomments.Next,youshouldmakesurethatyoudonotmisswhattheysay,sothatyoudonotwasteavaluableencounter.Whenyoufeel,“Thisisthegoddessofhappiness,thegoddessofgoodfortune,”donotletitpassyouby,butmakethemostofthechancethatisbeingoffered.Thiskindoffatefulmeetingisoneofthemostimportanteventsofyourlife.Itreallyisashiningmoment,soIwouldlikeyoutotakeitseriously.Itisatimewhenyouarestandingatthecrossroadsofdestiny,andallkindsofpeoplewilloffertheirassistancetoallowyoutochangeyourlife.Ifyoubelievethatyouhaveachievedwhatyouhavesolelythroughyourownefforts,youarequitemistaken.Itisimpossibletoachieveanythingbyyourself,soIwouldlikeyoutoremainhumbleanddonotforgettolistentowhatthesepeopletellyou.

Asthispartisentitled“LifeandVictory,”youmayhavebeenexpectingtohearaboutachievementthroughone’sownefforts,butcontrarytoyourexpectations,thewaytotruevictoryliesinahelpinghandfromothers.Opportunitiesare

thewaytotruevictoryliesinahelpinghandfromothers.Opportunitiesareofferedbymany.Ifalotofpeoplearetryingtohelpyoufurtheryourcareer,itisquitedifficultnottosucceed.If,ontheotherhand,alotofpeoplearetryingtostopyoufromsucceeding,itbecomesverydifficulttogetaheadandrequiresanimmenseeffort.Ifotherswanttohelpyou,youcanbesuccessfulsimplybygoingwiththeflow.Thisissomethingyouneedtobegratefulfor.

Tosumup,peopledonotachievesuccessbytheirowneffortsalone.Itisimportantalwaystorememberthatitisthroughthehelpofothersthatyouareabletoachieveyourgoals.

3)HaveaGratefulHeartIwouldbelyingifIweretosaythatitdidnottakealotofefforttogettowhereIamnow,butthereasonIwasabletowalkthepathIdidisbecauseIreceivedthesupportofalargenumberofpeopleonEarth,aswellashelpfromheaven.

Intheusualterms,Isupposethiscouldbedescribedas“luck,”butforsomeonelikemewhoknowsabouttheexistenceoftheRealWorldfirsthand,itisimpossibletousetheword“luck.”Iknowthatitisaresultofthecooperationofthosewhoresideintheotherworld,anditisthroughtheirveryrealworkthatIhavebeenblessedwithsuchgoodfortune.Thisfeelingofgratitudeisveryimportant.Whenyourfortunestakeaturnforthebetter,donotforgettoexpressyourgratitude.

Ifyouaretobeblessedbyanupturninfortune,itisimportanttorememberthreepoints.First,alwaysseekearnestlyandanticipateachangeinyourfortunes.Second,remainhumbleandlistentoadvice.Third,alwayshavegratitudeinyourheart.Ifyoufollowtheserules,Ibelievethatwhenyoureachaturningpointinlife,itwillbeonethattrulyradiateslight.

6.ASpiritualLegacy

1)IntegrityasaSpiritualLegacyForthefifthandfinaltheme,Iwouldliketodiscussthesubjectofaspirituallegacy.Inthefirstsection,Idiscussedhowtoliveahealthylife,inthesecond,Iconsideredthecreationofwealth,inthethird,thespouseandhome,andinthefourthItalkedaboutencountersthatcanchangeyourdestiny(fatefulencounters).Dependingonthewayinwhichyoureadthem,theymaycreatetheimpressionofaguidetomaterialsuccess,oranexplanationofhowtogetaheadinthisworld.

However,thispartisentitled“LifeandVictory,”anditisimpossibletodiscussthisfullywithoutconsideringwhatisbeyondmereworldlysuccess.Itisvitalthatyougobeyondearthlysuccess.Unlessyoupossessthatwhichsurpassesearthlysuccess,youcannotclaimtohaveachievedtruevictoryinlife.

Whatisitthattranscendsworldlysuccess?Ialwaysteachof“ahappinessthatcontinuesbothinthisworldandthenext,”aformofhappinessthatyoucantakewithyouwhenyoudie.Whatformdoesthishappinesstake?Itisveryspiritual,andcanbedescribedasatreasureoftheheart,thatisnotofthisworld.

Inotherwords,tothosewhohavecomeintocontactwithandunderstoodtheLawsoftheTruth,victoryinlifemeansmorethanjustworldlysuccess.Itwouldbenoexaggerationtosaythatunlessyouhavegraspedsomethinggreater,aspirituallegacy,itcannotbesaidthatyouhavebeenvictoriousinlife.Ihaveintroducedthisideainnumerousbooksbeforeandyouhaveperhapsalreadystudiedit.However,Iwouldliketorunthroughitoncemorewithyou.

“Aspirituallegacy”isaveryabstract-soundingphrase,butifIweretogiveitanothername,Icouldcallitintegrity.Abilityissomethingthatyouarebornwith;itsseedsaretherefromthedayyouarriveinthisworld.Evenifyoudonotcultivatethem,thepotentialisthereanditislefttoyoutodevelop.Integrity,

cultivatethem,thepotentialisthereanditislefttoyoutodevelop.Integrity,however,issomethingyoudonotpossesswhenyouareborn.Itissomethingthatcomesintobeinginthecourseofyourlifehereinthethree-dimensionalworld,itisanacquiredtrait.Ofcourse,itgoeswithoutsayingthatthehighspiritsoftheRealWorld,forexample,theAngelsofLightintheseventhdimensionpossessintegrity,buteventheyarenotendowedwithitwhentheyarebornintothisworld.However,theydohaveabilities.Youarebornwithabilities,butnotwithintegrity.

2)TwoWaysThatIntegrityComesintoBeingSohowdoyouacquireintegrity?Itdevelopsgraduallyoveraperiodofseveraldecades,butdoyouhaveanyideahowitcomesintobeing?

Therearetwosortsofcircumstancesthroughwhichintegritycanbeacquired.Oneisinthemidstofdiscouragement,failureandadversity;theotheristhroughsuccess.Thesearethetimeswhenintegritycanbemosteasilyattained.Ofcourse,integritycanbeachievedtoalesserextentatothertimesinyourlife,butgreatintegrity,whichstandsasamemorialtoyourlife,comesintobeingthroughthesetwoexperiences.

Letusthinkaboutwhyintegritycomesintoexistenceattimeswhenwefeeldiscouraged,disappointedorfaceadversity.Itisquiteusualtocomplainaboutbadluckwhensufferingadversity,butasyoumayknowtherearesomepeoplewhodonotjustgrumbleandbemoantheirmisfortune.Mostpeople,whentheymakeamistake,blameluckortheircircumstancesatthetime.Theymayaccuseothersoflettingthemdownorevenblametheirguardianspirits,butmostcannotstandthepressuresadversityanddiscouragementbring.

Otherswhohaveachievedaslightlyhigherstateofconsciousnesswillnotallowthemselvestobecrushedbyadversitybuttrytoacceptitforwhatitis,enduringit.Peoplewhotrytobeartheirmisfortuneinthiswayarebetterthantheaverage.Abovethesestandthepeoplewhomaketheefforttoliveoptimistic,happylives,despiteadversity.Thesepeoplecanbesaidtostandonthebottomrungsofahigherlevelofconsciousness.

However,thepeoplewhoarereallytobeadmiredarethosewhouseinvinciblethinkingtocounteractalladversity.Whenfacedwithmisfortune,theyareabletodetectadivineintentioninitandaskthemselveswhatthisafflictionissupposed

detectadivineintentioninitandaskthemselveswhatthisafflictionissupposedtoteachthem.Theyaresuretolearnthelessonfromtheirsetback.Theyreadthedivineintentionintheirpredicamentandaskthemselveswhatitisthattheyneed,whatthisadversityistryingtoteachthem,andusethisasthebasisuponwhichtobuildtheircharacterorasaprincipleunderpinningtheiractions.Peoplewhoexperiencethisdevelopintegrity.Theypossessanextraordinarystrengththatradiateslight.

Tobeabletoenduredifficultiesordisappointmentisinitselfremarkable,butreallyextraordinarypeoplereadthedivineintentionintheirexperience,searchwithinitforsomeseedthatwillleadthemtosuccess,andthennurturethatseed.Tobeabletoachievethisistrulyextraordinary,andhereintegritycomesintobeing.

Thesecondsortofcircumstancesthatgiverisetointegrityinvolvesuccess.Peoplewhosenamesgodowninhistoryarethosewhohaveexperiencedsuccessintheirlives.Nomatterhowmanytimestheymayhavefailed,intheendtheyachievedgreatsuccess.TakeAbrahamLincoln,forexample.Hewasdefeatedinelections,hispersonalrelationshipsfailed,andhesufferedasuccessionofhardshipsincludinghisfiancée’sdeath,butfinallyhebecamethePresidentoftheUnitedStatesandleftbehindgreatachievements.HadhenotbecomePresident,hewouldnotberememberedasagreathistoricalfiguretothisday.Intheendhedidachievesuccess.

Evenifyouexperienceasuccessionofsetbacks,youwilleventuallyhavethechancetobloom.Whensuccessfinallycomes,thewayyouhandleitisveryimportant.Youmustnottrytoclaimthefruitsofsuccessforyourself.Rather,tellyourselfthatitwasnotachievedbyyourownefforts,butbythewillofheaven.Althoughyoumayhavesuppliedthewaterandfertilizerwhileitwasstillembryonicinform,youdidnotbringitaboutbyyourself.Theflowerofsuccesswasalreadypresentinsidetheseedwhenitwasofferedtoyou,anditblossomedofitsownaccord.Yousimplyhelpeditonitsway,supplyingitwithwaterandnourishment.Thisishowyoushouldregardit.

Donottakethecredityourself;rather,considerthatalthoughyoumayhaveassistedittoacertainextent,itcameaboutthroughthewillofheaven.Theattitudeofnottryingtoturnsuccessintoapersonalachievementgivesrisetogreatintegrity.Ifyoutakeallthecredityourselfandbelieveyoursuccesscameaboutsolelyastheresultofyourowneffortsandskills,youwillneverdevelop

aboutsolelyastheresultofyourowneffortsandskills,youwillneverdevelopintegrity;itismerelytheexperienceofachievingsuccessthroughyourownabilities.

Whatwillhappenifyoudonotattempttotakethecreditforsuccess,ifyousaythatitwastheresultoftheeffortsofnumerouspeople?Whatifyoubelievethatyoursuccessisthewillofheaven,thatitcameaboutasaresultofthewishesofyourguardianandguidingspirits?IfyouthinkthatsuccessisaresultofthewillofGod,howwillyouact?Youwillcertainlytrytoensurethatyoursuccessbenefitsthegreatestnumberofpeople,andthisishowintegritydevelops.

Eachpersonleadsadifferentlife,butintegrityarisesfromthesetwocausesregardless.ItissomethingthathastobeattainedsoIwouldlikeyoutostrivetoattainsomemeasureofintegrity,nomatterhowlittle,sothatyoucantakeitwithyouasaspirituallegacywhenyoureturntotheotherworld.Onlythenwillyoubeabletosaythatyouhavetrulyachievedvictoryinlife.Ihopethatyouwillbeabletoexperienceitinthislifetime.

PARTFOURTHEPOWEROFINVINCIBLE

THINKING

1.ATheoryThatLinksSelf-reflectionandProgress

AtHappyScience,IintroducetheFourfoldPath—love,wisdom,self-reflectionandprogress—asprinciplesofhappiness.Thethemeofthisbook,“invinciblethinking,”isaphilosophythatlinksself-reflectionandprogress.Generally,whenpeoplepracticepositivethinking,theytendtothinkitissufficientsimplytomoveforwardinapositiveandconstructivemanner.However,weneedtoconsiderhowtoreconcilethiswithself-reflection,oneofmybasicteachings.

Ifpeoplearetoldtoreflectontheirthoughtsanddeedsoneday,andurgedtomoveforwardusingpositivethinkingthenext,somewillwaverbetweenthetwo,notknowingwhichtoconcentrateupon.Untilnow,Ihaveleftituptotheindividualtodecidewhichmethodtoadopt,andthismayhavecausedsomeconfusion.Forthisreason,Ihaveintroducedtheideaofinvinciblethinkingasawayofconnectingthesetwoideas,andmakingthetheory111clearer.Iwouldlikeyoutouseinvinciblethinkingwhenyouhavenoideahowtosolveaproblem,becauseitisaneffectivephilosophythatincludesbothself-reflectionandprogress.

Whenpracticingpositivethinking,peopletendnottolookintotheshadows,nottolookatthedarksideofthings.Theyonlylooktothelight,focusingonthebrightsideofthings,orlookatthingsonlyinaconstructiveway.Whilethisphilosophyisverypowerful,ifyoufocusonlyonthisdirection,itleavesnoroomforself-reflection.Butnomatterhowpositiveandforward-lookingyoumaybe,therearetimeswhenthingsdonotgosmoothly.Iamsureyouhaveexperiencedfailureinthepast.Isitreallyallrightonsuchoccasionstoignoreitandadvanceregardless?

Youhaveprobablytoldyourselfthateverythingwouldbeallrightaslongasyoukeptonmovingforward,aslongasyoumaintainedapositiveattitude.Evenifyoufellormademistakes,youprobablysaid,“Idon’tworryaboutthingslikethis,Ijustremaininthelight.Afterall,aperson’snatureisessentiallylight.”

this,Ijustremaininthelight.Afterall,aperson’snatureisessentiallylight.”Thosewhopracticepositivethinkingtendtothinklikethis,butisthisreallyallthereistolife?Arepeople’sfeelingsreallythatsimple?

Havingstudiedtheheartsandmindsofhumanbeings,Iwasforcedtoaskmyselfifthisreallywasenough.Isitsufficientforpeopletoadvanceinjustonedirection,followingjustonepatternofthinking?No,ofcoursenot.People’sheartsandmindsarefullofdeepfeelingsandthoughts,sosurelythereneedstobeadeepphilosophytotakeaccountofthese.

2.ThePowerofInvincibleThinkinginthePhenomenalWorld

Invinciblethinkingisapersonalphilosophyuniquetoeachandeveryindividual.Despitethis,IstronglyfeelthatIneedtoofferanexplanationofthedirectionandapproachyoushouldtake,sohereIwouldliketodiscussthepowerofinvinciblethinkingfromthisperspective.

Thisphilosophystartedfromtheideathatnoonecanlivewithoutmakingmistakes.Nooneiscapableofsailingthroughlifewithoutanyproblems.Therealityisthatpeoplemovetotheleftthentotheright,theyfailandgodown,thentheystandupagain,butalwaystheyaresearchingforsomewaytomaketheirlivesbetterandhappier.Inthefaceofthisreality,whatisneededtoleadasuccessfullife?ThisiswhatIwouldliketoconsidernow.

Invinciblethinkingisaphilosophythatprovidesyouwiththegreatestpowerthatexistsinthethree-dimensionalworldyouinhabit,thisworldwhereyoubreatheandeat.Ofcourse,thereareprinciplesthatgobeyondthethree-dimensionalworld,forinstance,oneofthelawsofself-realizationistheLawofWill.

IntheRealWorld,youcanmanifestalmostonehundredpercentofyourinnatepowerbutthisisnotnecessarilythecaseinthisthree-dimensionalworld.Eachpersoniscapableofmanifestingtoadifferentextent.ThemonismofLightwhichstates“thereisessentiallyonlylight”becomesmoreeffectiveinthehigherdimensions,buthereinthethree-dimensionalworld,itdoesnotnecessarilyapply.Invinciblethinkingexplainsspirituallawsthatarenotfullyunderstood,especiallyfromthestandpointofthisphenomenalworld.

3.TransformDifficultiesintoStrengthforYourSoul

Iwouldliketostartbysayingthatinvinciblethinkingisbasedontheideathatalldifficultiesinlifecanbeturnedintonourishmentforthesoul.Youwillprobablyfacevarioussetbacks,failuresanddifficultiesduringthecourseofyourlife,butseenfromtheperspectiveofyourpurposeincomingtothisworld,shouldyousimplytrytoavoidthem?ThisissomethingthatIwouldlikeyoutothinkabout.Wereyoureallybornjusttoavoidthedifficultiesandhardshipsthatarise?Thisisaquestionyoumustanswer.

Whenyouthinkaboutthemeaningoflife,youwillrealizeitisnotthecase.YouarebornhereonthisEarthonceeveryfewhundredorfewthousandyearssothatyoumayworkwithmanytypesofpeopleinnewcircumstancestorefineyoursoulfurther.LifeonthisEarthisnotnecessarilyfilledwithgoodexperiences,butbeforeyouwereborn,youallknewthis.

Youarenotheresimplytohaveeverythingrunsmoothlyforyou.YourpurposeonEarthistodevelopgreaterstatureandradiateagenuinelightbyaccumulatingThePowerofInvincibleThinkingmanydifferentexperiences,repeatingtheprocessoftrialanderror.Ifyoulookatthepurposeofyourlifeinthisway,whatyouthoughtofasdifficultiesandhardshipswilltakeonanewmeaning.Thisrealizationisthebasisofinvinciblethinking.

IfyoubaseyourthinkingonthefactthathumanbeingshaveeternallifeandreturntoEarthrepeatedlythroughtheprocessofreincarnation,youwillbeabletolookatalltheeventsandexperiencesofthisphenomenalworldfromadifferentperspectiveandseethattheseexperiencesareprovidedtosupplyyourinnerbeingwithinvaluablenourishment.Thisisthebasisofinvinciblethinking.

Themainchallengeinlifeishowtomaketheutmosteffort,usingalltheknowledge,skillsandideasyoupossess,tocopewiththeproblemsyouareconfrontedwithandtransformwhatyougainintostrengthforyoursoul.So,

confrontedwithandtransformwhatyougainintostrengthforyoursoul.So,neverbesatisfiedsimplytoavoidordenyaproblem.Thisisexpressedinmyteachingthatstates,“Lifeislikeaworkbooktobeproblemstobesolved,andonemustmaketheefforttosolveeachproblem.”

Youhaveyourownworkbookofproblemstobesolved,andyouhavetoanswerthemallbyyourself.ThisissomethingIwantyoutothinkofasaprerequisiteforlearninginvinciblethinking.Youmustsolveyourownproblemsyourself,andonceyouhavedoneso,orevenwhileyouareinthethroesofdoingso,thinkaboutguidingothers.Then,donotbesatisfiedjusttohelpothers,butalsoworktoestablishsomelarge,positiveundertaking.Thisistheframeworkofinvinciblethinking.

4.BeMasterofYourOwnTime

Iwouldnowliketolookatthesortofthinkingthatisimportantifyouaretogainrealpowerfrominvinciblethinking.Basically,itcouldbesummedupashavinganindomitablespirit.

SincefoundingHappyScience,Ihavecomeintocontactwithalargenumberofpeopleandheardaboutmanydifferentwaysofthinking.Somepeopleseemtoliveinthelight,othersinthedark;somearebuoyant,othersdepressed,andallseemtobegoingthroughavarietyofsmall,personaldramas.Asaresultofcomingintocontactwiththeactivitiesofourorganization,manywereabletochangetheirlives.

Inthecourseofalife,peopleexperiencemanydifferentperiods,oflightanddark,ofhappinessanddepression,timeswhenthingsgotheirwayandtimeswhentheydonot.Ifpeopleweretobeobservedinsuchcircumstancesandclassifiedaccordingtothewaytheyreacted,everyonewouldfallintooneofthefollowingtwogroups.

Onetypeisthepeoplewhodoextremelywellwhenthingsaregoingtheirway,whentheyhaveatailwindandeverythingseemstobeworkingoutforthem,butassoonastheyrunintoaheadwind,theycannotcope.Althoughtheysailswiftlyalongwhentheyhaveagoodwindintheirsails,assoonasthewindswingsroundandchangesdirection,theyfindtheycannotmoveforward;someofthemevencapsize.Thevastnumberofpeoplefitintothiscategory.

Theothertypeisthepeoplewhohaveanindomitablespirit.Theydemonstrateastrong,purewillthatwaswiththemfromtheoutsetandtheyconstantlyshowatenacity.Aperson’swillcanbeverypowerfulatcertaintimes,butwhetherornotitisgenuineistestedbythepassageoftime.

Invinciblethinkingisaphilosophythatallowsyoutobemasterofyourowntime,andtokeeptimeunderyourcontrol.Toseewhetheryouhaveassimilatedthisphilosophy,youneedtothinkbacktohowyouweresixmonthsago,forinstance,orayearortwo,orthreeyearsago.Lookingatwhatyouhaveachievedinthistime,haveyougoneforwardorbackward,strayedorcontinuedontherightpath?Youalwaysneedtocheckonyourowncourseinthisway.Ifyoulookbackoverthepathyouhavebeentakingandfindyouhavemadeprogressonasingle,steadypath,itmeansthatalthoughyoumayhavesufferedlossesinsomesmallinstances,onthewhole,youhavecontinuedtowinthebigmatch.

Soinvinciblethinkingislikethegrowthofatree.Asitgrows,atreeisfacedwithnumerouschallengesandhardships.Strongwindsmayblowandstripthebranchesoftheirleaves.Thetreemaycomeclosetodying,itmaylacknourishment,oritsrootsmaybeexposed.However,nomatterwhathappens,itstrugglestokeepgrowingevertaller.Invinciblethinkingisbasedonthiskindofeffort.

5.TheEnergyofBambooThatCreatesJoints

Touseadifferentmetaphor,Iwouldlikeyoutothinkaboutbamboo.Perhapsyouhaveadmiredthebambooplantwhenyouhaveseenitgrowing,andlookingatastem,itsjointstaperingtothetop,youprobablythoughtofthejointssimplyasakindofpattern.However,whenIlookatit,Iwonderwhatmakesbambooputsomucheffortintocreatingjoints.

Thejointsofbamboooccuratintervalsofeighttotwelveinches,andeachjointisverystrong.Atthebase,thejointsarebiggerandstronger,andtheybecomeincreasinglysmallerandweakertowardthetop,bendinginthewind.However,overtime,thethin,weakpartsgrowstrongertobecomelargejoints,andthetopgrowsstillhigher.Ifyoulookatbamboo,youcanseeitgrowssteadily,segmentbysegment.Ifinditveryimpressive.Whetheritgrowstoaheightofthirtyfeetorsixtyfeet,whatmakesituniqueandthereasonthatbambooisbambooisitsjoints.

Bambooisresistanttowind.Nomatterhowstrongthewind,bamboowillnotbreakeasily.Itisnotastrongplant,butyoucantellthatitiscertainlynotweakeitherbythefactthatitissoresilient.Thewindmayblow,therainmayfall,butitjustkeepsongrowingregardless.Itmarksthegrowthonitsstemforyoutosee,asifsaying,“ThisishowmuchIhavegrown.”Ihaveponderedhowthebamboomustfeelasitcreatesthesejoints.Aseachoneisadded,itmustthinktoitself,“Ihavemanagedtogrowthismuchtaller,”andIamsurethismustgiveitasenseofaccomplishment.

Thewayinwhichyouconstructyourlifeinmanywaysresemblesthebamboo.Youarejustlikethebamboowhichremainsthin.Eventhebiggestbamboostalkisonlyeighttoteninchesacross;theycannotgrowanybigger.Thebamboofirstappearsabovethegroundasashoot,thenitgrowssteadily.Itdoesnotloseitsinitialflexibility,neitherdoesitloseitsstrength.Flexibilityandstrengthexisttogetherinharmony,andthisiswhatisneededforgrowth.

togetherinharmony,andthisiswhatisneededforgrowth.

Inotherwords,whatIcall“invinciblethinking”isaphilosophythatallowsyoutogrowthroughboththegoodandthebadtimesinlife,andinthis,itislikethegrowthofthebamboo.Basically,bambooisflexible,flexibleyetstrong.Itisnotsufficientforittobeabletobendinjustonedirection,ornotbendatall.Persimmontreesdonotswayorbendlikebamboo,andtheybreakquiteeasily.Bamboodoesnotsnap,butpersimmontreesdo.Asyouknow,willowsdonotbreakeasilyeither.Somethingthatlookssturdycanactuallybequiteweakandsnapeasily.However,whatisflexiblehastherealstrengthwithinandishardtobreak.Thisiswhatyoushouldaimfor,becausethethree-dimensionalworldinwhichyouarelivingisnotsomekindofgreenhouse;itisaworldwhererainfalls,windsblow,andtherearesnowstormsandperiodsofdrought.

Ihaveusedbambooasametaphor,butcometothinkofit,bothyourlifeandfateseemtogoincycles.Icannotsayhowlongeachcyclelasts,itmaybeseveralyearsorseveralmonths,butonethingiscertain—therearetimeswheneverythinggoeswellandtimeswhenthingsdonotrunsmoothly.Ibelievethatitisinthetimesofadversitythatwhatistrulywonderfulisborn.Attheturningpointsinyourlife,inevitablyyouexperiencealackofharmonywithyourenvironmentandthepeoplearoundyou,andyousuffer.ButifIwereaskedwhetheritwouldbebetterforyounottohavetogothroughthesetimes,Iwouldhavetosayno,becausethesetimesofhardshiparewhenmarvelousthingsbegin.

Lookingatlifeinthisway,youwillrealizethatthereisnoneedtofearadversity.Intimesofadversity,yoursoulreceivesthegreatestnourishmentandyouareabletolearnthemostimportantlessons.Thiscanbelikenedtothetimewhenbamboomakesanewjoint.Itgrowseighttotwelveinchessteadily,untilitreachesthepointwhereitneedstocreateajoint.Iimaginethismustbeapainfultimeforthebamboo.Itprobablywishesitcouldjustcontinuegrowingsmoothlyinthesamewayithasbeenuptothattime,withoutmakingajoint.Itmaydreamofhowwonderfulitwouldbetogrowthirtyorevensixtyfeetwithoutinterruption.However,ithastostopeveryeighttotwelveinchestocreateajoint.Iamsureitmustexperienceafeelingofresistanceandstagnationwhenthishappens;itmustwonderwhyitisnolongerabletogrowasitpleases,whyithastosuffersuchaninterruption.

Itmustbeapainfultimeforthebamboo,becausealthoughitwantstocontinue

Itmustbeapainfultimeforthebamboo,becausealthoughitwantstocontinuegrowing,ithastoproduceajoint.Iimagineitsuffersconfusion,feelingasifithascomeupagainstabarrier,butsoontheenergywellsupinsideandthejointiscreated.Oncethejointisformed,thebamboocangrownormallyagainuntilitistimetomakeanotherone.Theprocessofcreatingthesejointsmaybeverypainfulfortheplant,butitisonaccountofthesethatitisabletokeepgrowingcontinuously,althoughitmaynotrealizeit.Thejointsprovidethebasisforitsgrowth.

Whatitcomesdowntoisthatfateandluckrunincycles.Therearetimeswhenthingsgowellandtimeswhennothingworksout,timesofopportunityandtimesofadversity,whicharetheperiodswhenyougrowandproducejoints.Timesofadversityarethejointsinyourlife,andafteryouhavecreatedajoint,youcanadvancetothenextstep.

Iwouldlikeyoutolookbackoveryourpastandconsiderwhenyouwereabletolearnmost.Iamsurethatyouhavesufferedatsometime;youmayhavebeenhurtbythewordsofothers,youmayhavehaddifficultiesinbusiness,gonebankruptorsufferedillness.However,afteranintervaloffiveortenyears,lookingbackontheseexperiences,yourealizethatthesewerethetimesthatprovidedyouwithyoursweetestmemories.Sowhenyoufindlifeunbearable,tellyourselfthatyouareinthemiddleofcreatingajointbeforeyoumoveforwardtothenextstageonthepathofgrowth.

6.CreatingAnnualRingsinaHarshEnvironment

Inthelastsection,Iusedthegrowthofbambooasametaphorforlife,butanordinarytreewouldservejustaswell.Unlikebamboo,treesdonothavejointsbuttheydohaveannualrings.

WhenIlivedinthecountry,Ibuiltanincineratorforburningrubbish.Itwasasimpleaffairofbricksandstonestokeepthefirefromspreading.StandingnearbywasatreeandIthoughttheheatofthefirewouldkillit.However,contrarytomyexpectationsitdidnot;infact,itbecamemuchtougherthanbeforeandalthoughothertreesdied,thisonecontinuedtogrow.

Lifemusthavebeenveryharshforthattreegrowingrightnexttotheincinerator,butitsgrowthduringthatperiodwasmarkedbyannualrings.Itstrunkgrewprogressivelythickeranditwasfulloflifeforce.Strangelyenough,Isawtreesthatweregrowinginmorehospitableplaceswhichwerequicklyblownoverintyphoons.Ifwecomparethistohumanlife,itcouldbesaidthattheothertreeswereliketheso-calledelite,whoworkforthelargecorporations.Theycomefromwealthybackgroundsandhavelivedtheirwholeliveswithouteverexperiencinghardship,butassoonasagaleblows,thatistosayassoonastheysuffersomesetbackintheircareer,theyareunabletowithstandthepressure.

Ontheotherhand,thosewhohavebeenbroughtupintoughconditionsandwhopossessastrengththathasbeenforgedbyhardshipdonotgiveinsoeasily.Stronginthefaceofadversity,theyareabletogetthroughanydifficulty,andsotheyareabletoovercomeallkindsofobstacles,markingupannualringsintheircharacterstoincreasetheirstature.

Ifyoureadthebiographiesofgreatpeople,youwillnoticethatinmanycasestheyhavelivedthroughhardtimes.Thisillustrateshowwithoutexperiencingsuchadverseconditionstheywouldnothavebeenabletomarkuptheannual

suchadverseconditionstheywouldnothavebeenabletomarkuptheannualringsontheirsouls.Soitisvitaltoenduredifficultsituationsinthecourseofalife.Asformyself,Iamabletostandbeforepeopleandgivethemadviceonlife’sproblemsbecauseItoohavelivedthroughsomedifficulttimes.

WhatIhavegiventhoughttointhoseperiodshasbeenconvertedtostrength.

Whenyourbodyandsoularefacedwiththebuffetingwindsofmisfortune,andtheheatandsnowoftribulation,yoursouldevelopsthepowertoresistanymisfortune,anditislikeanimmunity.Asaresult,youcometounderstandhowtoovercomelife’sproblems.Onceyouhavethisexpertise,youareabletochecknewknowledgeandothers’experiencesagainstyourown,andcomeupwithnewideas.Intheend,everyexperienceyouhaveaccumulatedbecomesalesson,whichisconvertedintoapowerfulenergyforyoursoul.

7.ThinkLikeaLong-DistanceRunner

Sofar,thispartofthebookhasbeenaboutindomitablespirit,andnowIwouldliketoconsiderarelatedsubject,short-termandlong-termthinking.Therearetwowaysofconsideringasituation,intheshorttermandinthelongterm.

Youshouldnotconsiderthingsonlyinthelongterm,anddeemthepresentunimportant.Itisnotgoodtosay,“Iwillstockuponprovisionsinwinter,soIcandowhateverIwantnow.”Althoughitmaybesummer,therearestillthingstodo.Youshouldnotpassthedaysindolently,thinkingjustbecauseyouhavelaidinenoughwoodandcoaltoseeyouthroughthewinter,youhavenothingmoretoworryabout.Youmustdoallthatisnecessaryineachseason.

However,justwhenyoufeellikegivingupandthinkthatthingscouldnotpossiblygetworse,thatyoucouldnotendureanyfurtherhardshiporprivation,Iwouldlikeyoutobearinmindthatsuchperiodsinyourlifearegenerallyverybrief.Ifyoufocusonjustoneortwoshortyears,youmayfeeldepressedthatthingshavenotgoneasyouwouldhaveliked,butatsuchtimesyouneedtochangeyourwayofthinkingcompletely.

Thefactthatyoudidnotsucceedintheshorttermmaymeanthatyoudonothavethepotentialtobeasprinter.Youmaynotbeabletowinthehundredyarddash,butthisdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatyoudonothaveanyabilitytobearunner.Therearethesprintsoverafewhundredyardsandtherearemarathonswhichlasttwenty-sixmiles.Ifyouarenogoodatsprinting,thenaskyourselfwhetheryouhaveanytalentforlong-distancerunning.Sometimes,Iwouldlikeyoutochangeyourperspective.

Imyselfhaveneverbeenaverygoodrunner,butwhenIwasinseniorhighschool,Ioncetookpartinamarathonandachievedquiteasatisfactoryposition.Thisexperienceoflong-distancerunningtaughtmetheimportanceofpacingmyselfinallthings.Whentheracestarted,IchoseagroupofpeoplewhoIfelt

myselfinallthings.Whentheracestarted,IchoseagroupofpeoplewhoIfeltwereofaboutthesameabilityasmeandIranwiththemtopacemyself.However,afterIhadbeenrunningforawhile,mybodywarmedup,IfeltgoodandrealizedthatImightbeabletodobetterthanIhadoriginallyexpected.Fromaboutthehalfwaypoint,Ibegantoincreasemypaceanditfeltasifmylegshadgrownlonger.IwasabletocontinueincreasingmyspeeduntilIfoundmyselfovertakingpeoplewhohadalwaysbeatenmeinsprints.

Sprintersareusuallywellbuiltandiftheygetthepacewronginalong-distancerace,theyfindthattheycannotkeepgoing.Iftheyruntoofast,theydropouthalfway,pantingandpausingforrest.Icouldseetheamazementonthesprinters’facesasIovertookthemandalthoughtheymadeanefforttostayahead,theycouldnotkeepupanddroppedbehind.Icouldhardlybelieveitwashappening,itwasindeedanamazingexperience.

Ihavetalkedhereabouttheimportanceofpacingyourself.Youneedtoassessyourownstrengthobjectivelyanddecidewhenyoushouldmakeextraeffortsothatyoucanachievethebestpossibleresultinthelongrun.Thereisalwaysroomforimprovement.

8.TheCumulativeEffect

IimaginethatforsomeofthemembersofHappyScience,studyingtheTruthisarealheadache.PerhapstheyworrythattheydonothavethetimetostudythebooksofTruthortheyhavedifficultylearningatseminars.

Ifyoulookonlyattheshortterm,itistruethatpeoplehavedifferentlevelsofability.Forinstance,ifagroupofpeopleisaskedtomastersomethingoverthecourseofayear,somewillmanagethismuchfasterthanothers.However,theobjectiveisnottoachieveahighlevelofawarenessinasingleyear,nortoleavethisworldwithinoneyear.Thechallengeishowmuchnourishmentyoucanacquireforyoursoulinthislifetime,howmuchyouareabletoimproveyourcharacterbeforeyoureturntotheRealWorld.

Ifyourushinandtrytoachievesomethingintheshortterm,thereisagoodchanceyouwillnotsucceed.However,ifyoulookatthelongterm,youwillrealizethattherearemanyotherwaysofthinkingaboutthings.Itispointlesstocuttimeupintoone-yearsegmentssoastomeasuresomeone’sachievementsorability.Itmaynotevenbeenoughtolimitasegmenttothreeorfouryears.Itisnecessarytoextendthetimeframe.Ifsomepeopletireofasubjectafterayearortwoandgiveup,youshouldtellyourselfyouwillcontinuestudyinglonger.Thisishowyoushouldchangeyourthinking.

Ifyoudothis,youwillbethinkinglikealong-distancerunnerandgradually,youwillseepositiveresults.Strangelyenough,contrarytoexpectations,youwillfindyourselfachievingresultsveryquickly,almostasifyouwereasprinter.Thereasonyouareabletodothisistheresultofthecumulativeeffect,anaccumulativeeffect.Althoughyoumaynotpossessanyparticularabilityandcurseyourselfforyourslowness,ifyoucontinuetomakeaneffort,youwillfindthatacumulativeeffectwillbegintowork.Afteryouhaveattainedacertaindegreeofdisciplineandaccumulatedacertainstockofknowledge,youwillfindwhatusedtotakealongtimeinthepastcanbeachievedevermorespeedily.It

whatusedtotakealongtimeinthepastcanbeachievedevermorespeedily.Itseemsstrangebutthatisthewayitworks.

Ifyoumixyeastandrice,andleavethemtostand,theywillfermenttoproducesake.Inthesameway,ifyoustoreexperiences,youwillfindthatafteracertainperiodoftimetheycometofruition.Thiswillhappenwhenyouleastexpectitandprovidethepowertopropelyouforward.However,Ishouldwarnyouthatthisfermentationtakesanumberofyearstooccur.Asimilareffectcanbeseeninmanyfoodsanddrinks;somehavetobestoredforseveralyearsbeforetheirtruevaluecanbeappreciated.Wineisaprimeexampleofthis,thevalueofsomebottlesappreciatesaccordingtothenumberofyearstheyhavebeenallowedtostand.Driedbonitoisverymuchthesame.Ifyouwanttoeatthefishitself,thenofcourseitisbestfresh,butfreshfishisnogoodforthedriedversion.Firstthefishisdried,thenitislefttoallowmoldtogrow.Thismoldgreatlyaddstothetaste,soithastobeleftforalongtimeinorderforittoreachitsfinalflavor.Therearethingsthathavebeenstoredforacertainperiodoftimewhichsuddenlyonedaychangeintosomethingelseentirely.

Totakeanotherexample,therearetwokindsofstudentswhodowellinschoolexams.Onetypereadsthetextbooksfromcovertocover,fromprefacetopostscriptwithoutmissingasingleword.Theothertypesimplypicksoutimportantpointsandmemorizesthem,knowingwhichsectionsofthebookarelikelytoappearinthetest,andgivestheotherpartsonlyacursoryglance.Intheshortterm,thelattertechniqueiseffective,allowingthestudenttotakeinthemainpointsinaveryshorttime.Ontheotherhand,forthosewhogoovertheirworknumeroustimestodeepentheirunderstanding,itwilltakealongtimebeforetheirstudiesyieldresults.Butafterseveralyearsofundergroundefforttheywillachieveremarkableresults,becausetheyhavebecomeusedtothinkingdeeply.

Thistypeofperson,onewhomakesundergroundeffortoveraperiodoftimetoachieveanambition,isnotnecessarilyveryclever.Iftheyweretostoppart-waythroughandlookatwhattheyhadachieved,theymightthinktheywereslowlearnerswithnopotentialtodowell.Iftheyweretostophalfwaythrough,theywouldnotachieveanything,sotheymustnevergiveup.Iftheydonotgiveup,althoughtheymaystillbeunderwater,eventuallytheywillbreakthroughthesurface.Whatmakesthemkeepgoingiswillpower;theyneedtokeeptellingthemselvesthattheyarenotpermanentlysubmerged,andwhentheyeventuallysurface,theywillfindthattheyhaveadvancedalongwaytowardtheirgoal.

surface,theywillfindthattheyhaveadvancedalongwaytowardtheirgoal.

Thisistrueofeducationingeneral.Ofthosewhohavechildreninschool,thereareparentswholookattheirchildren’sshort-termscholasticrecordinprimaryorjuniorhighschoolandconcludewhetherornottheirchildrenaredoingwell.However,thereissomethingtheyneedtoknow.Ifthechildrenconcentrateonlyonthemainpointsoftheirlessonsandquicklygoontostudyaheadoftimewhatisgoingtobetaughtthefollowingterm,theywilloftengetgoodmarks.Thistypeofchild,however,isnotnecessarilygoingtobesuccessfulinlife.

Childrenwhostudyaheadoftherestoftheirclassaresoonabletograspwhattheteachersaysandansweranyquestionsputtothem.Atfirstglance,theyappeartobeveryintelligent,butinawaytheycanbelikenedtopeoplewhodoalltheirshoppingwithacreditcard.Theydonothaveanycash,sotheychargeeverythinguptotheircard,andpayofftheirdebtswhentheyreceivetheirwagesorbonus.Theybuyallkindsofthingsbutarealwaysindebt.

Itistruethatpeoplewhogetinformationaheadoftimewilldowellintheshortterm.Inthesameway,thosewhochoosethemainpointsofalessonandstudyonlythesewillgetgoodmarksifwhattheyhavestudiedappearsinthetest.Thesearecommonstrategiesandactuallythesepeopleoftengettosavorthefruitsofsuccess.However,whatIwanttostressisthatitisnotcertainthattheypossessrealstrengththatwillhelpthemintheirlives.

Iftheyareblessedwithagoodpartnerandworkingenvironment,theywilldowell;theywillsucceedintheircareer.However,theoutcomeisveryvariable,dependingonthecombinationoftheirpartnerandtheirenvironment,sotoagreatextent,theirsuccessdependsonluck.Ontheotherhand,thereareotherswhosesuccessdoesnotdependonluck.Nomatterwhatkindofenvironmenttheyfindthemselvesin,nomatterwhotheyhavetoworkwith,theyareabletoproduceconsistentresults.ThisisduetothecumulativeeffectIspokeofearlier.

Oftheknowledgeyouhaveaccumulated,theremaybesomewhichisnotstrictlynecessaryforlife;thiscanbereferredtoas“unnecessarynecessity.”[1]Inthesameway,thereisinformationtaughtatschoolthatdoesnotappearinexams.However,someonewhohassteadfastlystudiedeverythingwillbeabletoexhibitthesameeffectiveness,nomatterwhatthesituationheorsheisfacedwith.Thisisthekindofpersonwhowillgraduallydevelopgreatstature.

Tosumup,youshouldnottrysimplytopickupthegistofasubject.Intheshortterm,itmayseemtoprovideaquickroutetosuccessbutinthelongterm,itwillnotnecessarilyleadyoutotruevictory.

9.PreparefortheNextStep,InsteadofWaitingonLuck

Thisisequallytrueinbusiness.Ifyouareinvolvedwithretail,youwillknowthatitisrelativelysimpletoachieveashort-termprofit.Forinstance,youcansellsomethingnooneelsedoes,offerfreegiftsorbringoutanewproduct.Thereareanumberofwaystomakeaprofitinashorttime.

Aproductmightbecomeverypopularforalimitedperiod,butinthelongtermthispopularitywillnotlast.Ahigh-sellingproductiscapableofearningalotofmoneyinaveryshorttime,butthiskindofbusinessalwaysattractsrivals.Therewillbepeoplewhocopyyourbusinessandasmorerivalsappear,businesswillgraduallytaperoff.Itmightbegoodforawhile,butasmorecompetitorscomeintothemarket,yourprofitswillgodown.

Letussayyoubuildahotelinthecenteroftown.Inthehotelbusiness,iftheworkingratio,i.e.thenumberofroomsthatarefilled,exceedseightypercent,rivalcompanieswillmoveintothemarket.Ifyoumanagetofillmorethaneightypercentofyourrooms,itmeansthatthereisademandandotherhotelchainswillopentheirownestablishmentsnearby.Asaresult,althoughyoumayhavebeenverybusy,assoonasanewhotelopensnearby,youwillfindthatbusinesssuddenlydropsoff.Ontheotherhand,iflessthanseventypercentoftheroomsarefilled,theoperationwillnotbeprofitable.Ifyoufilllessthanseventypercentofyourrooms,youwillbeinthered,whereasifyoufillmorethaneightypercent,youwillattractrivals.Soyouhavetotryandkeepthenumberofguestssomewherebetweenseventyandeightypercentofcapacity.

Supposeyoufindagoodsitewheretherearenootherhotelsandthinktoyourself,“Thisisagoodlocation.IfIweretobuildhereIwouldbesuretomakeaprofit.”Yougoaheadwiththeprojectandtruetoyourinitialforecast,youmakealotofmoney.However,whileyouarebusycongratulatingyourself,a

makealotofmoney.However,whileyouarebusycongratulatingyourself,arivalmovesinandtakesawayyourcustomers.Ifyouarerelyingsolelyonthenoveltyvaluetomakeaprofit,yourbusinesswillnotlast;itwillsoongointodecline.

Itisgoodtotrytolaunchnewbusinessesthatnooneelsehastried,butwhenyoureachacertainlevelofsuccess,thereissomethingyouneedtobearinmind.Inthecaseofhotelmanagement,itisimportanttoensurethatthesameguestskeepcomingback.Youmustprovideservicesandfacilitiesthatwillmakethepeoplewhohavestayedoncewanttocomebackagainandagain.Youshouldnotwantthemtoreturnjustbecausetherearenootherhotelsintheneighborhood.Evenifyouareabletomakeabigprofitinthisway,thenumberofguestswillgraduallydecrease.Itisvitalthatyouofferthekindofservicethatwillinducethemtoreturn.

Iftherearenootherhotelsintheneighborhood,youwillbeabletofilleightyorninetypercentofyourroomswhetheryouoffergoodserviceornot,buteventuallyacompetitorwillappearandyourtruepotentialwillberevealed.Ifthecompetitoroffersbetterservice,youwillfindthattheytakeallyourcustomersandyouwillsoongooutofbusiness.

Sometimeseventshappenthatatfirstglanceappeartobemostpropitious,convenientortheanswertoyourprayers.Actually,theyhappenmoreoftenthanyoumaythink,butyoushouldnotdependonthem.Whenthesethingsdohappen,itisquiteallrightforyoutoacceptthem,butwhenyoudo,youmuststartpreparingforthenextstep.Nomatterwhethertheenvironmentisgoodorbad,theeconomybuoyantordepressed,asthebaseyouneedtohaveanattitudeoftryingtoofferagoodproductorservicewhichwillallowyoutomaintainasteadybattingaverage.Thismaysoundalittledull,butitisaveryimportantattitudethatIhopeyouwillapply.

10.WhenConditionsAreFavorable,SowtheSeedsofLove

Sofar,Ihaveconcentratedonadversity,butthegoodtimesarealsoimportant.Whenthingsaregoingwellandeverythingsucceedsinexactlythewayyouhadhoped,youwillprobablyfeelthatinvinciblethinkingisnolongernecessary.Youmaythinktoyourself,“Everythingisgoingaccordingtoplan,everythingisworkingout—Ihavenofurtherproblems,”butthisiswhenyouneedtolookoutforhiddenpitfalls.

Thegoodtimesandbadtimesshouldberegardedinthefollowingway:Hardshipisatimewhenyouarepresentedwithmanyopportunitiestolookcarefullyatyourself.Youhaveanawfullotoftimetothinkaboutyourself,youbecomeintrospectiveandyouareabletolookdeeplyintoyourowncharacter.Timesofhardshiparetimesoftraining.

Sowhatshouldyoudowhenthingsaregoingwell?Thegoodtimesarewhenyoushouldpracticegivinglove.Youshouldnotbeconcernedsolelywithbenefitingyourself.Instead,makeaninvestmentinthespiritualsense,aninvestmentintheLawsofTruth.Inotherwords,youmustgivelovetoothers.

Iamnottalkingaboutprofitorloss,butthemoreseedsofloveyousowinthegoodtimes,theeasieryourlifewillbewhenyouarefacedwithadversity.Whenthingsaregoingbadly,whetherornotpeopleoffertohelpyouwilldependonhowmanyseedsofloveyouwereabletosowwhenyouweredoingwell.Toputitsimply,whenyouareintrouble,donotstintonstrengtheningyourselfandwhentimesaregood,sowtheseedsoflove;tellyourselfthisisthetimeyoumustpracticethelovethatgives.Thissoundslikeaverysimplephilosophybutitis,infact,thewaytosustainedsuccess.

However,whenfacedwithadversity,peopletendtocravewhattheydonot

However,whenfacedwithadversity,peopletendtocravewhattheydonothave.Theybemoantheirbadluckormisfortune,andtrytorelyonotherstohelpthem.Whenthingsimprove,theybecomefilledwithprideandbelievethattheirsuccesswasachievedentirelythroughtheirownefforts.Theybecomearrogantandtheirfriendsgiveuponthem.Thiskindofpersondoesallrightwhenthingsarerunningsmoothly,butassoonasthegoinggetstough,theycollapseandfindthereisnoonearoundtohelp.

Whenyoulookbackoveryourpast,havetherebeentimeswhennooneofferedyouadviceuntilyouwerefacedwithsomedangerorcrisis?Ifyouhavehadthiskindofexperience,itisprobablybecauseyouweretooproudwhilethingsweregoingwell.Peoplewhobecometooproudandobsessedwiththemselves,whothinkitonlytheirduetobelovedbyothersandtobethecenterofattention,willfindthatnooneoffersthemadviceuntiltheyhaveexperiencedabitterfailure.Theyarelikeclownsstandingalonebeneaththespotlight.Theybelievedtheywerepopular,butwhentheypauseandlookaround,theyfindthatnooneelsehasstayedtowatch.Whentheyareintroubleandfindthemselvesunabletocope,theyfinallystarttoaskthemselveswheretheywentwrong.

Ontheotherhand,peoplewhodidnotforgetotherswhentheyweredoingwellandcontinuedtosowtheseedsoflove,willfindthatwhentheyareintrouble,someonewillappeartoofferadviceandrescuethem.

Therearenoexceptionstothis.Someonewithalovingheartwhoshowsinterestinothersgiveshopetomanyand,atthesametime,developsintegrity.Ifthingsturnbad,thisintegritywillhavetheeffectofsummoningotherstoofferhelpinthatperson’stimeofneed.Thisisalwaysthecasesoplease,neverforgetthis.

Peoplewhoareeasilycarriedawaywiththeirownsuccessshouldbeparticularlycareful.Watchthatyoudonotlosecontrolorbecometooeasilysatisfiedbysimplesuccess.

11.AimforaGoalOneStepHigher

AnothertypeIwouldliketodiscusshereisthepeoplewho,havingachievedeightypercentofasuccess,suddenlylosetheirwayandendupfailing.Itisasiftheyhaveclimbedeightypercentofahighmountainand,seeingthesummitcloseathand,thenslipandfall.Iamsurethiswillstrikeachordinmanyofyouwhoarereadingthisbook.

Haveyoueverexperiencedanythinglikethis?Youhadalittlefurthertogobeforeyouwouldhaveachievedsuccessbutthensomethinghappenedthatbroughtyourdreamstonothing.Ifyoudonotlearnhowtoovercomethistendency,youwillneverachieverealsuccess.

Peoplewhofindthattheyarecapableofreachingacertainpointonlytodiscoverthatsuccesseludesthemoftenhaveasubconsciousfearofachievement.Iwouldlikethesepeopletocontemplatedeeply.Whenfacedwiththeprospectofsuccess,theybecomescaredandbegintosowtheseedsoftheirowndownfall.Theydothisbecausetheyareterrifiedoftotalsuccess;theyfeelthattheyhavenotearneditandtheybecomeanxious.Asaresult,theyalwaysdosomethingthatcausessuccesstoslipthroughtheirfingers.Whentheyhaveonlyalittlefurthertogo,thingscometoacrunchandsomethinghappenstodashtheirdreams.However,theproblemliesintheirwilltosucceed;theythemselvesarescaredofachievingaonehundredpercentsuccess.

Peoplemaywishtheirspousetosucceedinacompanyandearnmore.Theymaywanttheirspousetobecomeanexecutivebutthiswouldmakethemanexecutive’spartner;thisscaresthemsomuchthattheydosomethingtoruintheirpartner’sreputation.Forinstance,theymaydosomethingthatcausesrumorstospread.Theyfeelthatiftheirspouseweretobecomeimportant,theythemselveswouldnotgetonsowell,thingswouldbecomemoredifficultforthem.Asaresult,theyunconsciouslydosomethingtostoptheirpartnerfromgettingahead.Thisisquiteacommonoccurrence.Thecauseofthisisthefact

gettingahead.Thisisquiteacommonoccurrence.Thecauseofthisisthefactthattheyhavenothadenoughexperienceofrealsuccess.Peoplewhohaveneverexperiencedsuccessbecomescaredwhentheyrealizethattheymightbecomeverysuccessful.Theyworryaboutwhatwouldhappeniftheyweretofail,andtrytoescape.

Whentheyfindthemselvesinthiskindofsituation,theyshouldtellthemselvesthatthemountaintheyarefacingatthatmomentisnotMt.Fuji,itismerelyoneofthefoothillsleadingtoanotherhighermountain—theyhaveonlyreachedarestareainthemountainpass.

Peoplelikethisalwaysgetintotroublewhentheythinktheycanseetheirgoal,soastheyapproachit,theyneedtosettheirsightsonagoalthatisevenhigher.Itisimportanttomakeahabitofalwaysthinkingonestepahead,alwayshavingsomefurthergoalinsight.Theymusttellthemselvesthatthereisalwaysahighermountainwaitingtobetackled.Thosewhoareabletodothiswillfindtheyneverfail.Theymaysufferminorsetbacks,butinthelongruntheywillsucceed.

Togobacktotheexampleofexams,therearethosewhoaresorelievedwhentheyhavefinishedanexamthattheyrushouttoletoffsteam,withoutworryingwhetherornottheyhavepassed.Thiskindofpersonwilloftenbeconfrontedbyfailure.Ontheotherhand,therearethosewho,assoonastheyhavefinished,settlestraightbackintostudiestopreparethemselvesforthenexttest.Thistypeofpersondoesnoteasilyfindthemselvesintrouble,whereastheoneswhoarefilledwithexuberanceassoonasanexamisoverwillfindtheirlivesasuccessionofupsanddowns.So,whenyouhaveachievedsomething,Iwantyoualwaystosetyournextgoaltobraceyourself,andconsiderhowtogoaboutsteadilyattainingit.

12.ThinkFlexiblyandTurnDifficultytoYourAdvantage

AnotherpointIwouldliketomakeaboutinvinciblethinkingisthatinmanyways,thisphilosophyissimilartotheprinciplesofjudo.Itisnotsufficienttouseonlyyourownpowertoforceyouropponenttotheground.AsIexplainedwiththeexampleofbamboo,youshouldmaketheuseoftroublesanddifficulties,turnthemtoyourownadvantageandproducesomethingpositivefromthem.Thisiswhatismeantbyinvinciblethinking.

Alone,youcanonlyachievealittle,butifyouturnsomeoftheexternalforcestoyouradvantage,youcancreatesomethingmuchbetter.Thisisveryimportant,soIhopeyoudonotmisunderstandthispoint.

Likejudo,invinciblethinkingallowsyoutoutilizeyouropponent’sstrengthagainsthim.Whenyouarebesetbyproblemsanddifficulties,itisnotsufficientsimplytoendurethem;youmustutilizeyouropponent’sstrengthtocomeoutontop.Beflexibleandthinkofwaystoturnthesituationtoyouradvantage.Ifyouarealwaysthinkinglikethis,youwillfindthatthingsareconstantlygettingbetter.

Alwaysbereadytomakeyournextmove.Askyourselfwhattheproblemthatyouarenowfacingisandonceyouhaveidentifiedit,workouthowtogetaroundit.Ifyoustayseveralstepsahead,youwillfindthattheoutcomewillalwaysbepositive.

13.TowardaLifeofDailySuccess

InTheStartingPointofHappiness,Ihavewrittenaboutthe“snowballeffect”[2]whichisthesameideaIamtalkingabouthere.Ifsomethingturnsouttoyouradvantage,ofcourseyoushouldmakeuseofit,butevenifitdoesnot,youshouldreflectuponit,learnalesson,anduseittoplanttheseedsofgreaterprogress.Whateverhappens,useittobuildupyourstoreofexperience,likeasnowball.Ifyoudo,youwillfindnotonlywillyourlifebemoreenjoyablebutyouwillalsobeabletomovefromvictorytovictory.

Atthemoment,youarelookingatlifefromaviewpointthatdiffersfrompositivethinking,butultimatelytheresultisthesame.Positivethinkingstatesthatthereisessentiallynosuchthingasworry,andnosuchthingasevil,andthisperspectiveleadstothemonismofLight,theideathatonlylightexists.However,ifyouunderstandthatthepurposeoflifeinthephenomenalworldistofindabrilliantlightinallyourexperiences,nothingbutsuccessremainseachday.Thefinalresultisexactlythesameastheresultofpositivethinking.

Ifpositivethinkingistakentomeanyoucaninstantlyattainahighlevelofawareness,althoughthisphilosophymayallowyoutogetahead,yourgrowthwillbeonlysuperficial.Whenyouarefacedwithvariousordealsonadailybasis,itisimportantthatyouusethesetobuildupthe“muscle”ofyoursoulandaddtoitstruestrength.

Ifyousucceedindoingthis,youwillactuallyfindthatyouhavedevelopedquiteastrongunshakablemind.Oneaspectofinvinciblethinkingisthattheunshakablemindisgreatlyfortified.Itisimpervioustohardship.Whenyouareconfrontedbyproblems,itwilltakethemin,andconvertthemintonourishmentforthesoul.Whenyoupracticeinvinciblethinking,itisasifyouarelookingaround,readytofaceanytroublesordifficulties,andassoonassomethinghappensyouabsorbitandconvertitintostrength.Thisphilosophyisverypowerfulanditisthemanifestationofunshakablemind.

powerfulanditisthemanifestationofunshakablemind.

Ifsomeonecomplimentsyou,expressyourappreciationandtellyourselfthatitisbecauseyouhadthehelpofnumerouspeoplethatyouwereabletodowell.Donotthinkofachievementasyourown,butremainhumble;thinkofsuccessasbeingtheresultofthehelpofGodandnumerousotherpeople.Themoreyouachieve,themorehumbleyoushouldbe.Ontheotherhand,whenyouarefacedwithhardship,thinkofitasnourishmenttohelpyougrowandbearfruit.Ifyouthinkinthisway,youneednotfearanyadversity.Whendifficultycomes,youcanacceptitwillingly,asatimewhenyoucanlearnlessons.Acceptingadversityinthisway,youwillgainstrengthtoallowyoursoultogrowandgiveoutanewlight.Whenadversitycomes,forinstanceifyouaredemoted,takeadropinsalary,oryouareworkingforacompanythatgoesbankrupt,youwillbecomeintrospective,sousethistimetoyourfullestadvantage.Inotherwords,atatimelikethiswhenyoubecomecontemplativeandreflective,youshouldtakethisopportunitytotemperyoursoul.Whenthingsfinallygetbetter,thenyoucanmakeanefforttomoveinapositivedirectionandproduceresults.

Anotherwayofputtingthiswouldbetosaythatyoushouldmakeuseofboththephilosophyofself-reflectionoftheBuddhaandthephilosophyofpositivityofHermes.[3]Whenthingsaregoingbadly,focusonself-reflectionastaughtbyShakyamumiBuddha,andwhenthingsaregoingwell,aimtoachievefurtherprogressanddevelopmentastaughtbyHermes.Myteachingsincludebothideas—self-reflectionandprogress—andyoucanalwayssucceedbyusingbotheffectively.

Aimtogrowanddevelopeveryyear.Aftersufferingthroughadversity,itisnotenoughtopracticeself-reflectionandmanagetoallowtheplusandminustocanceleachotherout.Instead,facethestormsthatapproachandtaketheirstrengthforyourself.Donotbesatisfiedmerelytoweatherastormuntilitdiesdown,thencomeupthesameasyouwerebefore.Rather,absorballofwhatyouhaveexperiencedwhileconfrontingdifficultiesandtransformitintoenergywithinyou.Ifyoulookbackatthewayyouwereoneyear,twoyears,threeyearsago,youmustbeabletosaythatyouhavedefinitelycomealongway,andthatyouhavegrowninstature.Iwouldlikeyousometimestocheckthatthisistrueforyou.

Ifyoucontinuallygrowlikethebamboo,youareachievingsuccessinyourlifeonadailybasis.Iwouldliketofinishthisbookwiththefollowingadvice:Make

onadailybasis.Iwouldliketofinishthisbookwiththefollowingadvice:Makeuseofboththephilosophiesofself-reflectionandprogresstomakeyourselfinvincible.

POSTSCRIPT

ThisbookisbasedonfourweekdayseminarsheldinJuneandJulyin1989formembersofHappyScience.Myintentionwastodemonstratehowtowinindailylifebyprovidingnumerousexamplesfrommanydifferentperspectives.Itisabookthatcanbereadinavarietyofways,offeringideasonsuccess,life,happinessandthemethodologyofenlightenment.

Ifyoureadthisbookcarefully,Iamsureyouwillrealizethatatthecoreofthisphilosophybridgingself-reflectionandprogress,liesadeepinsightintolife,andawisdombornofexperience.

Thisbookmakescleartheessenceofmyteachingsandisessentialreadingforanyoneseekingsuccess.

RyuhoOkawaPresident

HappyScience

ENDNOTES

[1]RefertoAnUnshakableMindbyRyuhoOkawa(LanternBooks,2003),p.25.ThePowerofInvincibleThinking[2]RefertoTheStartingPointofHappinessbyRyuhoOkawa(LanternBooks,2001),pp.78–80.ThePowerofInvincibleThinking[3]Hermes,apartoftheBuddhaconsciousness,isthegodofprosperityandart.HelivedinancientGreeceandpreachedtheLawsofProsperityrichwithartisticvalues.RefertoTheGoldenLawsbyRyuhoOkawa(LanternBooks,2002),pp.151–153.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

MASTERRYUHOOKAWAstartedreceivingspiritualmessagesfromHeavenin 1981. Holy beings appeared before him with impassioned messages ofurgency,entreatinghimtodeliverGod’swordstoEarth.Withinthesameyear,Master Okawa’s deepest subconscious awakened and revealed his calling tobecome a spiritual leaderwho is inspiring theworldwith the power ofGod’sTruths. Through these conversationswith divine beings and through profoundspiritual contemplation, Master Okawa developed the philosophy that wouldbecome the core of his teachings.His communicationswithHeaven deepenedhisunderstandingofGod’sdesignsand intentions—howHecreatedour souls,thisworld,theotherworld,andtheLawsthataretheveryfabricoftheuniverse.

In1986,MasterOkawafoundedHappyScience,anondenominationaluniversal

religion, toshareGod’sTruthsand tohelphumankindovercomereligiousandcultural conflicts andusher in an eraofpeaceonEarth.Aspart of theHappyScience movement, Master Okawa founded a political party, the HappinessRealizationParty, aswell asaprivatemiddleandhigh school,HappyScienceAcademy.

LectureBroadcastedinOver3,500PlacesAroundtheWorld

SinceHappySciencewasestablishedin1986,MasterRyuhoOkawahasgivenmorethan2,300lectures.ThisphotoisfromtheCelebrationofLord’sDescentLectureEventheldatSaitamaSuperArenainJapan,onJuly8,2014.Inthelecturetitled,“TheGrandStrategyforProsperity,”Mastertaughtthatweshouldnotrelyonalargegovernmentand,shouldanambitiouscountryappear,wemustteachitspeoplewhattherightwayis.Healsotaughtthatitisimportanttobuildafutureofpeaceinprosperitywitheveryindependentindividual’seffortsandperseverance.Over17,000peopleattendedthemainstadiumandtheeventwasalsobroadcastedliveinover3,500placesaroundtheworld.

Over1,900BooksPublished

MasterRyuhoOkawa’s books have been translated into 27 languages and thereadershipisgrowingaroundtheworld.In2010,hereceivedaGuinnessWorldRecordforpublishing52booksinayearandin2013,hepublished106bookswithinayear.AsoftheendofDecember2014,thenumberofbookspublishedreached1,900.

Among them there are also a lot of spiritual messages from the spirits ofhistoricalgreatsandtheguardianspiritsofimportantfigureslivinginthecurrentworld.

ABOUTHAPPYSCIENCE

In1986,MasterRyuhoOkawafoundedHappyScience,aspiritualmovementdedicatedtobringinggreaterhappinesstohumankindbyovercomingbarriersofrace,religion,andcultureandbyworkingtowardtheidealofaworldunitedinpeaceandharmony.SupportedbyfollowerswholiveinaccordancewithMasterOkawa’swordsofenlightenedwisdom,HappySciencehasgrownrapidlysinceitsbeginningsinJapanandnowextendsthroughouttheworld.Today,ithastwelvemillionmembersaroundtheglobe,withfaithcentersinNewYork,LosAngeles,SanFrancisco,Tokyo,London,Sydney,SaoPaulo,andHongKong,amongmanyothermajorcities.MasterOkawaspeaksatHappySciencecentersandtravelsaroundtheworldgivingpubliclectures.HappyScienceprovidesavarietyofprogramsandservicestosupportlocalcommunities.Theseprogramsincludepreschools,after-schooleducationalprogramsforyouths,andservicesforseniorcitizensandthedisabled.Membersalsoparticipateinsocialandcharitableactivities,whichinthepasthaveincludedprovidingreliefaidtoearthquakevictimsinChina,NewZealand,andTurkey,andtofloodvictimsinThailandaswellasbuildingschoolsinSriLanka.

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•Learnhowtoovercomelife’schallenges…andmuchmore.

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Eachyear,friendsfromallovertheworldjoinourinternationalseminars,heldatourfaithcentersinJapan.Differentprogramsareofferedeachyearandcoverawidevarietyoftopics,includingimprovingrelationships,practicingtheEightfoldPathtoenlightenment,andlovingyourself,tonamejustafew.

HappyScienceMonthly

ReadMasterOkawa’slatestlecturesinourmonthlybooklet,HappyScienceMonthly.You’llalsofindstoriesofmembers’life-changingexperiences,newsfromHappySciencemembersaroundtheworld,in-depthinformationaboutHappySciencemovies,bookreviews,andmuchmore.HappyScienceMonthlyisavailableinEnglish,Portuguese,Chinese,andotherlanguages.Backissuesareavailableuponrequest.SubscribebycontactingtheHappySciencelocationnearestyou.

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ABOUTIRHPRESS

IRHPressCo.,Ltd,basedinTokyo,wasfoundedin1987asapublishingdivisionofHappyScience.IRHPresspublishesreligiousandspiritualbooks,journals,andmagazines,andalsooperatesbroadcastandfilm-productionenterprises.Formoreinformation,visitwww.OkawaBooks.com.

OTHERBOOKSBYRYUHOOKAWA

THELAWSOFTHESUNOneSource,OnePlanet,OnePeople

ISBN:978-1-937673-04-8$24.95(Hardcover)

IMAGINEIFYOUCOULDASKGODwhyHecreatedthisworldandwhatspirituallawsHeusedtoshapeus—andeverythingaroundus.IfwecouldunderstandHisdesignsandintentions,wecoulddiscoverwhatourgoalsinlifeshouldbeandwhetherouractionsmoveusclosertothosegoalsorfartheraway.

Atayoungage,aspiritualcallingpromptedRyuhoOkawatooutlinewhatheinnatelyunderstoodtobeuniversaltruthsforallhumankind.InTheLawsoftheSun,Okawaoutlinestheselawsoftheuniverseandprovidesaroadmapforlivingone’slifewithgreaterpurposeandmeaning.

Inthispowerfulbook,RyuhoOkawarevealsthetranscendentnatureofconsciousnessandthesecretsofourmultidimensionaluniverseandourplaceinit.ByunderstandingthedifferentstagesofloveandfollowingtheBuddhistEightfoldPath,hebelieveswecanspeedupoureternalprocessofdevelopment.

TheLawsoftheSunshowsthewaytorealizetruehappiness―ahappinessthatcontinuesfromthisworldthroughtheother.

CHANGEYOURLIFE,CHANGETHEWORLDASpiritualGuidetoLivingNow

ISBN:978-0-9826985-0-1$16.95(Paperback)MASTERRYUHOOKAWAcallsouttopeopleofall

nationstoremembertheirtruespiritualrootsandtobuildourplanetintoaunitedEarthofpeace,prosperity,andhappiness.Withthespiritualwisdomcontainedinthisbook,eachandeveryoneofuscanchangeourlivesandchangethe

world.

“TosavethesevenbillionpeopleonEarth,Godhascountlessangelsworkingconstantly,everyday,onHisbehalf.”

—Chapter3

THEMOMENTOFTRUTHBecomeaLivingAngelTodayISBN:978-0-9826985-7-0

$14.95(Paperback)

MASTEROKAWAshowsthatweareessentiallyspiritualbeingsandthatourtrueandlastinghappinessisnotfoundwithinthematerialworldbutratherinactsofunconditionalandselflesslovetowardthegreaterworld.ThesepagesrevealGod’smind,Hismercy,andHishopethatmanyofuswillbecomelivingangelsthatshinelightontothisworld.

THENINEDIMENSIONSUnveilingtheLawsofEternityISBN:978-0-9826985-6-3

$15.95(Paperback)

THISBOOKISYOURGATETOHEAVEN.Inthisbook,MasterOkawashowsthatGoddesignedthisworldandthevast,wondrousworldofourafterlifeasaschoolwithmanylevelsthroughwhichoursoulslearnandgrow.ThisbookisawindowintothemindofourlovingGod,whoencouragesustogrowintogreaterangels.

SECRETSOFTHEEVERLASTINGTRUTHSANewParadigmforLivingonEarth

ISBN:978-1-937673-10-9$14.95(Paperback)

OURBELIEFINTHEINVISIBLEISOURFUTURE.Itisourknowledgeabouttheeverlastingspirituallawsandourbeliefintheinvisiblethatwillmakeitpossibleforustosolvetheworld’sproblemsandbringourentireplanettogether.Whenyoudiscoverthesecretsinthisbook,yourviewofyourselfandtheworldwillbechangeddramaticallyandforever.

THELAWSOFPERSEVERANCEReversingYourCommonSenseISBN:978-1-937673-56-7

$14.95(Paperback)

“Nomatterhowmuchyousuffer,theTruthwillgraduallyshineforthasyoucontinuetoendurehardships.Therefore,simplystrengthenyourmindandkeepmakingconstanteffortsintimesofendurance,howeverordinarytheymaybe.

Eventually,youwillcomeoutofyourslumpandovercomeyourhardships.And,asyoutryandaimtoreversethecommonsense,youwillonedayunderstandthatpeoplecanbe“undefeated”eveniftheyseemtohavelostinthisworld.Inthatprocess,youmaysometimesfeelthatvirtueisbeinggenerated.”

―FromPostscript

ALSOBYRYUHOOKAWA

TheScienceofHappiness10PrinciplesforManifestingYourDivineNature

TheGoldenLawsHistorythroughtheEyesoftheEternalBuddha

TheStartingPointofHappinessAPracticalandIntuitiveGuidetoDiscoveringLove,Wisdom,andFaith

Love,Nurture,andForgiveAHandbooktoAddaNewRichnesstoYourLife

AnUnshakableMindHowtoOvercomeLife’sDifficulties

TheOriginofLoveOntheBeautyofCompassion

GuidepoststoHappinessPrescriptionsforaWonderfulLife

TheLawsofHappinessTheFourPrinciplesforaSuccessfulLife

TipstoFindHappinessCreatingaHarmoniousHomeforYourSpouse,YourChildren,andYourself

ThePhilosophyofProgressHigherThinkingforDevelopingInfiniteProsperity

TheEssenceofBuddhaThePathtoEnlightenment

TheChallengeoftheMindAPracticalApproachtotheEssentialBuddhistTeachingofKarma

TheChallengeofEnlightenmentRealizeYourInnerPotential