Author Norman Vincent Peale refers to the above quote as a “profound truth” in his famous and best-selling book, The Power Of Positive Thinking, and it’s one of the most thought-provoking inspirational quotes I have ever come across.

Karl Augustus Menninger (July 22, 1893 – July 18, 1990), was an American psychiatrist and a member of the famous Menninger family of psychiatrists who founded the Menninger Foundation and the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas. (Wikipedia)

In many ways the quote reminds me of the saying: “Is your glass half full or half empty?” meaning that a optimist will see his as half full and a pessimist will see his as half empty. However, it goes far beyond the saying. It actually tells us what is causing us to view our glass as either half full or half empty, namely our attitude! And, that our attitude is more important than facts!

Our attitude determines how we interpret and give meaning to facts. Let’s assume you have just lost a loved one. It’s a fact. You can either have an attitude of life is not fair, life is cruel, there is no God, God does not care, etc. Or, you can have an attitude of being grateful for the time you had with your loved one and that your loved one is in a better place right now. It’s normal to feel sad when you lose a loved one. But, being bitter or negative does not help you or anyone around you. What is important is your attitude! You can’t change the fact that you have lost a loved one. But, you can change your attitude towards how you feel about the loss.

Today is the 11th of September 2011 and I can’t help but think back to the tragic events that took place in the US ten years ago when thousands of people lost their lives in the worst terrorist attacks ever on US soil. The facts are well known and tragic. But, our attitudes are even more important than the facts. Many people across the world and especially in the US had an attitude that this is only the beginning and that worst terrorist attacks would soon follow. They allowed fear, suspicion and even hatred to run their lives. And, unconsciously they fuelled the negative energy surrounding the events.

In some ways the aftermath of the 911 terrorist attacks was even more tragic than the event itself. Thousands of civilians and US soldiers were killed in the Iraqi war and in Afghanistan at great expense to the American economy. Many US Muslims felt like they were being treated as terror suspects in their own country, all as a direct or indirect result of the prevailing attitudes at the time.

Whatever facts you are facing right now, joblessness, divorce, etc. just remember that fear, anger and hatred only fuel negative energy and that a positive attitude will get you moving forward much faster while negativity will only keep you back.

It ‘s not always easy to have positive thoughts when you are facing a difficult situation and, at times like this, it’s normal to have negative thoughts brought on by fear, worry or uncertainty. However, to manage a difficult situation successfully you have to think positively. This does not mean ignoring the situation or putting your head in the sand, so to speak. But realize this… You can’t resolve negativity through negative thoughts.

You are not going to solve a problem by worrying about it. You will lay awake at night but it won’t just go away. In fact, chances are it will only become bigger in your mind as you feed it with more negative energy by thinking negative thoughts about it all the time. The only way to solve a problem is to find a solution for it, and in order to find a solution you need to think positively.

But, I am the first one to admit that it’s not always easy to have positive thoughts when you have just lost your job or your house is about to be repossessed. So what can do you to feel more positive when it seems as if your life is busy collapsing all around you? Yes, you have guessed right, be grateful for what you have!

There is always something to be grateful for regardless of how dire your circumstances may seem to you! The fact that you are reading this means you are able to see and read. That is something worth being grateful for! And, if someone else is reading this for you that is also something to be grateful for because it means someone cares about you!

There is no room in your mind for positive and negative thoughts at the same time. By feeling grateful about all your blessings you are thinking positive thoughts that will make you feel better and put you in a frame of mind that’s more conducive for managing a difficult situation successfully.

What I really love about the Native American saying “Give Thanks For Unknown Blessings Already On Their Way” is that it takes gratitude to the next level. You are not only being thankful for what you have, you’re also expressing gratitude for blessings that you are about to receive in the future that you are not even aware of right now!

Gratitude is a key ingredient to having a positive mindset and when you are able to combine positive thoughts with faith the Universe will respond by blessing you beyond your wildest dreams. But, you have to believe unconditionally! You can’t give thanks today for unknown blessings already on their way and then think it’s all nonsense when you get a flat tire tomorrow. It does not work that way!

You are not going to change your mindset in a single day. But, you can start today by cultivating a more positive mindset through the power of positive thoughts and gratitude. Try to think about things that you are grateful for at least twice a day, when you wake up in the morning and again before you go to sleep at night, and you will soon start noticing a gradual shift in your mindset that will enable you to attract more positive events and circumstances into your life.

Napoleon Hill is arguably best remembered for his famous book “Think and Grow Rich.” It was first published in 1937 during the Great Depression and it’s reported that by the time of his death in 1970 more than 20 million copies had been sold. For more historical information on the book refer to Wikipedia > Think and Grow Rich. As can be heard on the above video, Napoleon Hill learned many things from famous billionaire Andrew Carnegie who shared a lot of his wisdom with Hill.

The reason I decided to write a post about this famous inspirational quote is that many people mistakenly believe that you just need to “think and grow rich” as per the title of his book. What they forget about, or are not aware of, is that Hill said: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe the mind can achieve.”

It’s not only about thinking, it’s about believing. And, this is where so many people get it wrong. If you don’t believe you can achieve something your negative thoughts will make sure you don’t achieve it. In fact, if you’re like the average person chances are you won’t even try something new if you think you won’t be successful.

In recent years the “Law of Attraction” has become a catch phrase in many households and new self help gurus have been popping up all over the place like wild mushrooms, telling people how they can get what they want if they can just visualize it and feel it. They often tell people not to worry about the size of the thing they want since size does not matter to the Universe… And, this is where they get it wrong. Size may not matter to the Universe but it matters to me and you!

I can spend the whole year trying to attract a new Ferrari but unless I believe that it’s possible I am not going to succeed. I may say positive affirmations to the effect that I already own the car. I may cut out pictures of the car and stick them on my wall. I may visualize how I am driving the car on the way to visit my girlfriend. I may experience feelings of joy and happiness when thinking about the car. I may tell myself that the car is already mine and I am just waiting for the Universe to deliver it. But, do I really believe it?

You see, it’s often easy to believe something with your conscious mind. You want to believe it. But, unless you believe it with your unconscious mind as well, you are not really believing it. The problem is that in most cases we have no idea when our conscious mind and unconscious mind is not in tune with each other. The best way of knowing that they are not in tune is when we don’t get what we want.

Your conscious mind may want to think that you already own a Ferrari and that you are just waiting for the Universe to manifest the car, while your unconscious mind believes that you will never own a Ferrari and that you should rather focus on getting a good used Toyota Yaris. So, size matters to your unconscious mind!

The main thing that stands in your way of getting what your conscious mind wants is your limiting beliefs. And, unless you can address your limiting beliefs your unconscious mind will veto what your conscious mind would like to believe.

One good way of getting in touch with your limiting beliefs is to take a blank piece of paper and draw a line down the center of the page. On the left side of the page write down as many reasons as you can think why that Ferrari you want is already yours, and on the right side of the page write down as many reasons as possible why you won’t be driving that Ferrari any time soon. The reasons on the right side of the page are your limiting beliefs and unless you are able to address them you are going to find it very hard to manifest a new Ferrari.

Please note that limiting beliefs are, more often than not, not valid reasons why you can’t get what you want. We all have our own set of limiting beliefs and in most cases these limiting beliefs were transferred to us by our parents, our teachers and we have been carrying them with us for years without even knowing it.

Here is one of my own limiting beliefs that I got as a child from my father: “It is not for us.” He often use to say this when I remarked about the things other people have than we don’t have. Is it an absolute truth? No! But, only when I realized that I can also have a nice car and a huge house, and that I don’t have to settle for less because of who I am did I manage to dissolve this limiting belief that I carried with me from my early childhood.

As Napoleon Hill said, what your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve. Take note of your limiting beliefs and see them for what they are. Once you can overcome your limiting beliefs your conscious mind and your unconscious mind can be in tune and you can achieve that which you can conceive and believe.

Download Link > Inspirational Audio Message

Here are some notes I made while listening to the audio that you may find helpful:

Don’t focus on destructive images and negative feelings of the past. The images you hold in your mind must be constructive and supportive. You are in control! You may not be able to stop a bird from flying over your head but you can prevent it from building a nest in your hair!

Money is not a cause, it’s an effect. To change your financial situation you need to get your mind together. Mind is the cause! You can’t make money and excuses at the same time! There is one rule of measurement, namely: “Is it worth it?”

When you have a negative thought, say “Stop!” or “Cancel!” It’s what you do or think over an extended period that counts! Immediately replace the negative thought with “I can!” or “I do!”

To liberate your finances you must liberate your mind! Most people think they are drowning in debt when they are drowning in a sea of opportunities! Be decisive! Take advantage of opportunities immediately!

Understand the process. You can’t remove time from the ingredients. Know your role and play the part. Everything has a process and when you understand this you will have patience, confidence and can achieve anything you want! Confidence leads to success. Believe in yourself and in the process.

The Law of Mind does not need your permission to work. It’s a law! The power of choice is what counts!

If you don’t build your dream you will build the dream of someone else.

A Philosophy For Life

Keep your thoughts positive
Because your thoughts become your words
Keep your words positive
Because your words become your actions
Keep your actions positive
Because your actions become your habits
Keep your habits positive
Because your habits become your values
Keep your values positive
Because your values become your destiny

I only found out years after she gave me the card that the message came from the late Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, an ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement from British rule and a man known for his philosophy founded upon non-violence. Today he is commonly referred to as Mahatma Gandhi. The name Mahatma means “Great Soul” which is a totally appropriate name for this great man, in my humble opinion.

Gandhi understood that there is a direct link between our thoughts and our destiny and that it is therefore very important that we keep our thoughts positive.

Many people mistakenly believe that positive thinking and the law of attraction is all nonsense. But, when you consider Gandhi’s words, it’s easier to understand that there is indeed a causal link between our thoughts, our words, our actions, our habits, our values and our destiny. And, that it all start with our thoughts.

Most people interpret it as meaning that instead of just complaining about something, do something about it. And, they are right. Many people are so busy complaining about their situation that they don’t take one minute to consider what they can do about it.

But, it also has a deeper meaning for me… In my opinion, light symbolises hope, as per the English idiom “light at the end of the tunnel.” And, there is a direct link between hope and positive thinking. As long as you still have hope, you still have some positive thoughts in your mind. By the same token, positive thoughts give us hope.

So, instead of cursing the darkness, thereby only making the situation worse due to our negative thoughts that feed it with energy, it’s much better to cultivate a positive attitude that will give us hope. And we can only cultivate a positive attitude through positive thoughts.

The problems we face often seem huge and unbearable, like darkness that has no beginning and no end in sight…

However, as Saint Francis of Assisi said about 800 years ago: “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”

It does not matter what situation you are facing right now, all it takes is one positive thought to light your candle of hope. The light from one candle may not be enough to light up an entire house or a stadium. But, as long as you feel comfortable enough to take one step at a time you will be able to walk anywhere in the house or stadium without bumping into anything in the dark.

Such is the power of positive thoughts and hope. You do not need to find a way of extinguishing all the darkness around you at once. All you need is one little candle and the darkness, however overwhelming it may seem, won’t be able to engulf you.

Just take one step at a time. Don’t worry about how you are going to go the full distance. By taking one step at a time you will manage to go the full distance. Don’t focus on the darkness all around you. Don’t allow the darkness to scare you. It can’t extinguish the light from your candle. Just keep your focus on the candle and you will know when and where to take the next step, one step at a time.

According to Wikipedia an affirmation is a declaration that something is true. Many self help gurus advocate the use of positive affirmations as a way of reprogramming your unconscious mind into believing something about yourself which is not currently part of your belief system.

For example, let’s assume you are shy and an introvert and want to be more assertive and become more of an extrovert. In this case, your positive affirmation may be something like: “I am confident and enjoy meeting and interacting with other people.” If you supposedly repeat this affirmation often enough it will reprogram your unconscious mind into believing you are more confident and you will start behaving more like an extrovert.

But, affirmations go much further than just changing your personality traits. They can supposedly also help you to manifest material objects in your life, such as a new car. In this case, your positive affirmation may be something like: “I am sitting behind the steering wheel of my brand new, dark blue, Porsche Cayenne Turbo.” And, while saying this affirmation you are suppose to feel as if you are sitting behind the steering wheel of your new Porsche.

The biggest problem with positive affirmations is believability. Your conscious mind may want to believe that it’s real but while saying the above affirmation chances are very good that your unconscious mind is saying: “Yeah, right! And when you open your eyes where will your Porsche be? Who do you think you’re kidding? You are just pretending to have a Porsche. You know you don’t really have one.”

You are basically lying to yourself when you use the above mentioned type of affirmation. And, your unconscious mind knows it. There is a much better way to use positive affirmations, and our limiting beliefs also play a big role. But, I will write an article about that in the near future. However, for now, let’s focus on the differences between inspirational quotes and positive affirmations.

Inspirational quotes are more believable to your unconscious mind than the above type of positive affirmation since you are not trying to lie to your unconscious mind about something which is obviously not true. Due to this fact, your unconscious mind is more receptive into accepting inspirational quotes as the truth. Someone, very often a famous and well respected person, did indeed utter those inspirational words.

When these inspirational quotes coincide with whatever situation you are facing it’s easier for your unconscious mind to accept them and to link them with your current situation. You will still have to repeat them many times before they can become a part of your belief system but you will get less resistance from your unconscious mind than by using positive affirmations which are not true.

Inspirational quotes can motivate us. It can be compared to running the New York City Marathon. It’s not easy for most people. But, when you imagine all those spectators along the way as inspirational quotes shouting: “You can do it! Go for it! You are nearly done! Just a little while longer! Don’t give up!” you will understand how inspirational quotes can motivate us and lift our spirits when we really need the encouragement.

Find some inspirational quotes right now that will motivate and encourage you and help you to think more positively about your current circumstances.

The fact that someone, often a famous person, said something inspirational that applies to our current predicament gives us hope. It’s like he or she is speaking directly to us, understands us and is encouraging and supporting us. It makes us feel as if we are not alone.

Whenever we are facing a difficult situation, be it financial, with a relationship or otherwise, it’s easy to start doubting ourselves and to start having negative thoughts. When we doubt ourselves we lose confidence and our self esteem takes a knock. It’s at times like this that we are in desperate need of some reassurance. And, this is where inspirational quotes and positive thinking play a role in helping us realize that not all is lost, that the sun will shine again and that this too will pass.

It’s nearly impossible to attract a positive outcome through negative thoughts. What often happens is that we get caught up in a negative spiral where our negative thoughts, fears and worries just lead to more negative thoughts and worsening circumstances.

The more we think about what we do not want or what we are afraid of the more energy we give to these negative thoughts and the bigger they become until it reaches a point where we simply lose all hope of things getting better.

What we need to realize is that by thinking negative thoughts about a certain situation the situation is not going to improve. We need to focus on the solution and not on the problem. This does not mean we should put our head in the sand and pretend there is no problem. No, it only means that we should focus on the outcome we want and not on that which we are afraid of.

Inspirational quotes can help us to change the way we think and feel. Inspirational quotes often lead to us having more positive thoughts. And, positive thoughts can help us to feel more confident and in control. Making decisions based on negative thoughts, fear and worry is not the solution. We need to have the right mindset and thinking positively is a key ingredient to having the right mindset.

Inspirational quotes do not always need to come from a famous person, dead or alive, like Albert Einstein. Inspirational quotes can be an inspirational or motivational verse from the Bible, the Koran or any other source.

I believe that God or The Universe, or whatever name you want to call It, speaks to us every single day and that we often just don’t hear the inspirational message because we are not listening. Inspirational quotes can be found in a magazine, on television, on the radio or anywhere else and inspirational quotes normally sound like they are speaking just to us and for our benefit.

Make a point of carrying a pen and a notepad with you and the next time a friend, relative or anyone else says something inspirational or motivational write it down! Just say “Stop! Do you mind if I write that down? It is something I would really like to remember.”

One of my favourite inspirational quotes is from Serena Williams after she won the Wimbledon tennis final on the 3rd of July 2010. She said: “My dream was able to come true and… Everyone’s dreams can come true if you just stick to it and work hard.”

Millions of people all over the world watched the Wimbledon ladies final in 2010 and heard her say those words. But, they were exactly what I needed to hear at that moment and as I am writing this I am looking at a piece of cardboard lying right next to me that I used at the time to write down these inspirational words and other inspirational quotes I have since heard on television.

Get into the habit of writing down inspirational quotes. Trust me, you won’t remember all the inspirational quotes you come across if you don’t write them down. It does not really matter if you write them down in a notepad that you have bought just for writing down inspirational quotes or whether you stick you fridge full of inspirational quotes. But, whatever you do, make sure you refer back to your inspirational quotes a regular basis, daily if possible. You want them to become a part of your belief system and regular repetition is a key ingredient of this process.

I hope you will come across many great inspirational quotes and that these inspirational quotes will help you to think more positively and that through positive thoughts you will be able to conquer any situation that you are faced with.

As a consequence, they are either not receiving the money they want or the money doesn’t stick to them. What I mean by the money doesn’t stick to them is that regardless of how much money they receive they never seem to have any money left after paying their bills and expenses. In fact, they are often chronically short of money. Sounds familiar?

How often has it happened to you, or somebody you know, that when you receive some unexpected funds or a nice bonus from your employer that it’s just in time and just enough to cover some unforeseen expense? It’s not a coincidence!

Our thoughts and feelings about money cause us to either attract or repel abundance.

By now you may be thinking: “That’s easy for you to say. What if I don’t have enough money to pay my rent at the end of the month and all my credit cards are maxed out. How am I supposed to have positive thoughts about money right now?”

If you’re thinking that, you’re right! It’s easier for a rich person to become richer than for a poor person to become rich because most rich people have a different attitude towards money. They simply think and feel more positively about money than most poor people do.

As a result, as the catchphrase and proverb says, the rich shall get richer and the poor poorer.

“Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”
– Matthew 13:12 (NIV)

So, does this mean there is no hope for you if your financial situation is not what you want it to be and that you will only become poorer? Absolutely not!

Read the Bible verse again. It says: “Whoever has will be given more.” It does not specify anything specific. It’s all about how you feel. Do you feel you have very little or next to nothing? Or, do you feel you have some means? Remember, it does not need to be of specific monetary value!

Even the one-dollar bill in your wallet is something to be grateful for! You just need to change the way you feel about it! Instead of thinking something like “It’s only $1” or “It’s not enough” rather say “Thank you!” and feel happy and grateful for what you have.

Expressing gratitude is an excellent way of making your thoughts more positive and will shift the way you feel about money! Don’t only be grateful for “big” things like your car. Learn to be grateful for things you often take for granted such as the one-dollar bill in your wallet.

Next time you look at your salary don’t think of it as small or not enough. Be grateful for it!

When you’re walking in the street and see a penny lying on the ground, pick it up! And, be grateful! Don’t ever feel that it’s beneath you to bend down and pick up a penny off the ground.

Never treat loose change as unimportant! How can you expect to get a dollar when you don’t care about a penny? How can you hope to become a millionaire when a one-dollar bill means nothing to you?

There is an old English proverb that says: “Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.” However, don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish, as another English proverb says. It’s all about appreciating things, even though they may seem small. It’s not about being stingy, greedy or being so focused on pennies that you waste dollars trying to save pennies.

Be grateful for the pennies and the dollars will seek you out!

Change the way you feel about money and money will change the way it feels about you!